episode_0347

“If it’s written on the note… I should go in here, right?”

“…Yes.”

Harnie expressed his concern.

Yeah. This is definitely a place you shouldn’t enter.

Even aside from the in-game aspects, this isn’t a place you can just walk into.

The main setting of Chapter 1 was the Duke’s residence.

That’s why I know.

The fact that the most dangerous fields are the smoke grottos and basements, which have a high risk of being banned.

But strictly speaking, this is wrong.

Because the truly dangerous field was… separate.

The key to survival in the training grounds is how to survive in the knight field teeming with gray boxes of negative intimacy. It may be frustrating to have so many dangerous choices due to the extremely low intimacy, but it is possible to actually step foot in.

The basement was a dangerous forbidden field, which was a problem. It was difficult to enter it while avoiding the numerous eyes that existed in the duke’s house, but if you were to aim for a time when those eyes were not on you, it would seem possible to approach it even then.

But that’s not the case here.

A place where just entering it will guarantee you a bad ending.

A place with dangers that cannot be compared to other fields.

A place that I had to give up on entering no matter what I did.

A place where there are barriers of a different dimension than risk, choice, or intimacy.

It was none other than the tomb of the Duke of Bagrand.

If you think about it logically, it was a field that you absolutely should not enter.

This is where the remains of the Duke who ruled the Bagrand Dukedom are located, so it makes no sense for an outsider, Karsane, to set foot there.

Also, there is a good chance that you will get caught up in all kinds of gossip.

You could be kicked out for simply going in after a large number of treasures and being told that your beggarly nature cannot be erased, or you could be thrown out on the spot with the scruff of your neck being grabbed for daring to enter the tomb of our fathers, for going there without knowing the place.

As mentioned in the behind-the-scenes story, Isabella’s intimacy with the Duke, who was still feeling the Duke’s absence, would decrease rapidly, and not only would her path be blocked, but it was obvious that the other servants in the Duke’s residence would also look at her unfavorably.

Hiding? That choice is also impossible in this field.

They say that if you enter this place for any reason, traces will be left behind and you will be caught later, so the moment you enter, it is as good as certain that you will get a bad ending.

And… I was now in a position where I had to enter that field.

“This is a race against time.”

“Yes?”

“No matter who or where we are caught, there will be no explanation for this situation. We have no choice but to dig through the grave as quickly as possible.”

Inside the tomb of Duke Bagrand? No. Just being in front of it, inside the tomb, or even just loitering around it would be dangerous.

So we need to finish it as quickly as possible.

Since there is no turning back, we have no choice but to somehow compete with time.

There is no way to get the treasure inside and clear this episode as quickly as possible.

Harnie nods, saying he understands.

“But you can’t do it alone.”

“Yes?”

“Here. For some reason, there seem to be a lot of magical devices. There also seem to be dangerous traps that could cost you your life.”

“How do you know that?”

“Because of this.”

Harnie pointed to the upper chest of the maid outfit she was temporarily wearing.

That spot is where the guardian jewel that once protected her life is located.

“It has been resonating with my magic power and sending me a warning. That’s why I know.”

“…”

If that’s true…

Are you saying that inside is full of all kinds of traps?

It’s not that strange, after all, that’s where the remains of the Duke of Bagrand are buried.

But I can’t see it.

Nothing was visible.

There was no sign of any traps around, let alone tracking.

“Do you know why I said I’d follow you?”

“…”

“Since we have plenty of time anyway, wouldn’t it be better to get it done quickly?”

Harnie continued, tying her hair back with a purple ribbon.

“I’ll take the lead and use magic to find out the location of the trap. This time, don’t complain and just follow me.”

She confidently steps forward and extends her hand to me.

No matter what you say now, it won’t be able to stop you.

As it was the tomb of the Duke of Bagrand, its size was double or triple.

Since it is not a typical tomb, it is difficult to think of it as a tomb with only one cornerstone.

The grand size itself was comparable to that of a royal tomb.

After looking around like that, we arrived at a place that could be called a graveyard.

As was the case outside, it was quiet inside the tomb.

“Fortunately, the surroundings are quiet. Then, it shouldn’t be difficult to get in.”

“…”

Fortunately, there was a silver lining. The knights were focused on the duke’s mansion, so there was no one watching from here.

But… this also has a strange sense of discomfort flowing through it.

Normally, a tomb like this should have knights guarding it.

Even if that weren’t the case, since it’s the duke’s tomb, it’s normal to have people standing there, at least to take into account the authors who might try to tamper with the remains.

‘That means all those people left…’

This won’t happen unless there’s a war.

So this is a situation that requires some kind of intervention.

Anyone who can do that…

“Carcein? Carcein?”

“…ah.”

“Why are you like that? You’ve been absentminded since earlier. You were the one who said you didn’t have time.”

Harnie woke me up again from my deep thoughts.

Yeah. I don’t have time for this right now.

“The note said it had to reach the altar.”

“This must be the deepest part. I have to hurry.”

▶Episode XLIV. Five Treasures in progress.◀

▶You must collect the five treasures that exist in the empire to create a dimensional portal.◀

▶Obtain the third treasure from the tomb of Duke Bagrand.◀

▶When the episode is cleared, the game is cleared and the player returns to reality.◀

***

-Tiring!

▶You have entered the grave field of Roselle Bagrand.◀

Even though it was clear that it would be dangerous, there was no warning sign.

There was absolutely no indication of the level of danger, even though it was obvious that something was installed there and threatening my life.

Also, it didn’t tell me that any careless actions would result in a bad ending for me.

No such information exists.

Given nothing, the only thing I could rely on was the sense of my own body, and knowledge based on experience and calculation.

“There is an empty space below this road. The moment the center of gravity shifts, the upside down will be reversed and we will fall. Below is a cliff, so we will die or be waiting for us.”

In fact, after passing through that section, there was a red, hard, sticky liquid sitting in a dark place.

“Let’s go low here. It’s about this high. There were tiny cracks on the wall as we came up here. If we go over a certain height, something invisible will cut into our flesh.

By the time they passed the halfway point, the heads of intruders who had tried to pass by were rolling on the floor.

“It looks like a trap-lined path. It’s also a double device. It seems like you should stick to the inner wall, but you shouldn’t stick too close. Looking at the cracks, it looks like something from a different layer is stuck. Let’s just step on the line that doesn’t fall off as much as possible.”

Later, both sides split apart. The wall near the outside had a layer of soil that was attached to nowhere that had just blown away, and on the inner wall, a thin thorn blade appeared in a tiny crack.

The inner chamber was clearly different from the tomb, which was only very spacious.

From the entrance to the tomb, the further inside you go, the deeper you go. Dangerous and complex traps and traps are set up all around.

Most things that could be avoided were avoidable.

If there was a device that needed to be resolved, it was calculated, controlled, and passed on.

Still, I couldn’t just keep moving forward like a bulldozer, digging through this graveyard.

That’s understandable. Sometimes, there are times when you have to stop like this.

“…”

Harnie just called me here. He has a magical trap in front of him that I cannot solve with my own hands.

So right now I have to try to break that spell… but she’s not doing anything right now.

“Harnie? Why are you like that…”

“…”

…No. I can tell by the look on his face.

It’s not that I didn’t do anything.

“What is it? What is the situation?”

“This thing has already been activated on its own.”

“Yes?”

“Before we even released it. No, to be exact… It’s a magic that’s been activated since we got here…”

Harnie’s purple eyes trembled.

‘…It was activated when you came here?’

At that moment, a chill ran down my spine.

Most of the magics we have seen so far have been prepared in a way to eliminate intruders. In order to prevent intruders from entering this tomb, the sharp blades have been sharpened to thoroughly punish intruders who enter the duke’s tomb without fear.

But it had already been activated…

That’s a different story.

“Could it be that the magic installed in this tomb was activated the moment we set foot in it?”

“…Maybe so. Time-wise.”

There was nothing strange about any kind.

It wouldn’t have been strange if they had noticed at some point that an intruder had set foot in there.

That in itself.

Because it is the security system of this tomb.

Intruders did not just enter the tomb without permission.

The place they first set foot on was the Bagrand Duke’s residence. This place itself was like a fortress.

If there was a device that could make sound here.

If only a signal fire could be lit here to announce the arrival of the invaders.

If, in any way, you become aware of an intruder within your household,

It was not at all unusual for people to come here from outside the tomb to eliminate intruders.

…however.

Harnie didn’t seem in any hurry at all.

The Duke’s knights will rush in at any moment, so you should run away as if fire had fallen on your feet.

“Carcein. This…”

With his eyes wide open, Harnie pointed to my pocket with his finger.

When I turned my eyes in that direction, I couldn’t help but be surprised too.

-Tiring!

▶The hidden story of the fourth note has been revealed.◀

▶Provides missing information to players!◀

[ After Isabella came to her senses, she filled the note with as much mana as she could. ]

[This tomb is a place that cannot be entered without the mana of a direct lineage of the family, and an object containing mana is used as an entry ticket.]

A brightly shining note.

In it, we could confirm Isabella’s other heart.

“…As expected. The Duchess tried her best to help you. It seems like it was an action she would never regret. Karsain.”

“…”

▶Under Isabella’s protection, the alarm magic inside the tomb does not activate.◀

***

With the biggest warning device gone, nothing stood in the way.

Thanks to Isabella’s protection, we were able to pass beyond the inner chamber and reach the innermost part of the tomb.

▶Third treasure. You have obtained the Phoenix Jade.◀

I obtained the third treasure along with a message of apology that I had no choice but to hide it here.

As always, it contained important messages.

Before the message from Karn Bagrand, the will left by Roselle Bagrand contained the real message here.

The content was, as expected, quite disturbing.

『That demon is disguised as a human. He is pretending to be stupid, but don’t believe him. He has deceived not only the nobles of the empire, but even the noble society, and furthermore, he has deceived the imperial family and the entire Peselos Empire, hiding a mask that is absolutely invisible and waiting for you.』

『He was a man who had everything he could possibly want. He had everything he could possibly want, money. He had everything he could want, without any lack. However, he became a devil. As if that wasn’t enough, he planned to put the world under his feet. That was the plan to grow the world tree that feeds on human souls. That was the true identity of the Yggdrasil Plan.』

『The Yggdrasil Plan requires five treasures. That’s why we had to spread them out and hide them thoroughly. But… that alone won’t be enough to stop them.』

“That devil said… that the most important thing is the soul of a human being who has turned his back on the world and become cold and frozen.”