Gawain couldn't help but wonder if the girl named Rebecca had taken a blow to the head during her fight with the monsters. Still, he patiently replied, "Although I've 'lived' here for many years… I was dead at that time! Once you're dead, do you know what your grave looks like?"
Rebecca thought for a moment, wanting to remind her ancestor that the royal tomb of the first king of Ansu had been constructed while the king was still alive, and he had even participated in the design. However, after considering the potential consequences of saying too much—especially with Aunt Hetty present—she swallowed her words and instead awkwardly laughed, "Ah, ha ha… You make a good point."
"We can't go back the way we came…" Hetty sighed, calmly analyzing the situation. "The castle courtyard and the entrance to the ancestral tomb have both been taken over by those monsters. Going back the original way would mean certain death."
"We must find another route…" Gawain replied as he recalled his inherited memories. "Seven hundred years have passed; the structure of the castle on this land is probably not what it used to be."
"The upper structure has undergone several renovations, but the foundation remains unchanged…" Hetty quickly interjected. "The entrance you mentioned should still be in its original location."
"Is that so? Then it should be manageable…" Gawain said, extending his hand to one of the soldiers nearby. "May I borrow your sword?"
After receiving the longsword from the soldier, Gawain began to sketch on the ground. He first drew a top-down view of the castle's outline, then a rough side view divided into three layers. Although they were hastily drawn sketches, the general layout was still clear.
"The entrance is located here, two levels down, next to the wine cellar and granary. Those were once the wine cellar and granary. There are two passages leading inside, but both have to be accessed from the ground, so they're likely not an option."
Rebecca looked curiously at the sketch Gawain had drawn. "That area is still the wine cellar and granary, but I had no idea there was a third room in between…"
"It's not a room but a crawl space, using some architectural tricks hidden between the walls and supporting beams…" Gawain smiled. "Back in those days, this land was not peaceful. As a border region, monsters emerging from the ruins of the Gandor Empire and deranged old imperial soldiers would come knocking every ten days or so. The earliest Cecil territory was almost built to the standards of a fortress.
"In such circumstances, secret passages and crawl spaces were essential. They could be used for emergency evacuations and for supplying provisions during sieges."
Knight Byron studied the makeshift map closely. He then drew his own longsword to outline the map's lower section. "So, we need to head toward the entrance on the second level of the castle… and we can't use any ground pathways, including the courtyard.
"Here is where we are now, and the ancestral tomb is built in an underground structure to the southeast of the castle, overlapping approximately one-third of the castle's foundation…"
"Right in this overlapping area, there should be a passage…" Gawain interrupted Byron's words. "The tomb was built seven hundred years ago, and the craftsmen back then were the same ones who constructed war fortifications. These buildings would have been built according to the standards and regulations of that time, so an auxiliary passage must exist."
He glanced at Rebecca with some curiosity. "You truly know nothing about this? This knowledge should be passed down through the generations of the Cecil family."
Rebecca lowered her head, somewhat embarrassed. "I…"
"Ancestor, we have failed to uphold the glory you won for the family…" Hetty bit her lip and said with difficulty, "The Cecil family has been through a lot in these seven hundred years…"
"Alright, I understand…" Gawain waved his hand, recognizing that this wasn't the time for storytelling. "Once we leave here, I will make sure to learn about everything that has happened in the last seven hundred years. Right now, the urgent task is to find the route from the tomb to the secret passage."
Rebecca, Hetty, and Byron huddled around the makeshift maps, studying them. However, while they were familiar with the ancient castle of the Cecil family, they had no knowledge of the structure within the tomb. This seven-hundred-year-old mausoleum was no ordinary tourist attraction where one could stroll in and out as they pleased. Even a century ago, when the tomb was still open, the heirs of the family had only limited opportunities to enter the mausoleum, and they were forbidden from approaching the resting place of their ancestors.
Who knew where the secret passage might be?
In the face of this question, even Gawain's memories were of no help. After all, when he died, he certainly hadn't anticipated that one day he would have to rise and figure out how to get out…
Just as the group was at a loss, Amber, who had been quietly standing nearby, suddenly spoke up. "Um… I might know the way…"
Instantly, all eyes in the tomb fell on the half-elf thief.
Amber's neck shrank back nervously.
Hetty frowned. "How would you know?"
"I…" Amber was a bit frightened, but after seeing Gawain's encouraging gaze, she found her courage. "I came in from over there… the direction should be about right. I think that's where the secret passage is."
Gawain nodded. "Great, lead the way."
Amber patted her chest. "As long as you don't bring up the fact that I dug into your family's grave…"
Hetty shot a glare at the indiscreet half-elf and turned to walk toward the tomb's entrance, while Gawain paused before taking a step.
"Ancestor?" Rebecca looked at him curiously.
"I need to find a weapon," Gawain said. Although he wasn't the legendary pioneer he once was seven hundred years ago, having a means of defense in this dangerous place was still common sense.
His gaze scanned the tomb, and a soldier stepped forward, ready to offer his sword. Gawain waved his hand to decline the soldier's kind offer.
Guided by his memories, he approached the black steel coffin, peering inside to search for something useful.
Inside the coffin, he found a heavy longsword, entirely black but with a faint red hue near the guard. The moment he grasped the sword, a familiar sensation surged through him, as if every line and curve of the blade perfectly matched his own grip. Gawain instinctively swung the longsword a couple of times, each movement feeling as though it had been honed through countless battles.
He realized this was the memory left behind by his current body. Even though his soul had changed, every muscle still remembered how to wield this weapon.
This was a surprise, but not entirely unexpected.
Beyond the residual memories of his body, he also had access to all of Gawain Cecil's combat knowledge from his previous life. This included not only basic swordsmanship and equestrian skills but also what seemed like magical supernatural powers. While that knowledge was undoubtedly enticing, now was not the time for experimentation or learning.
First, he needed to escape the current predicament.
When Rebecca saw the black longsword, her eyes widened in amazement, and her voice trembled slightly. "Is that… the legendary Sword of the Pioneer of Ansu?"
Upon hearing Rebecca's words, Hetty, who had already reached the entrance, immediately turned back. She fixed her gaze on the sword in Gawain's hand, her face betraying her excitement. "The Sword of the Pioneer?!"
"It's just a rather sharp sword now…" Gawain sighed. "After seven hundred years, even weapons blessed by the elves that resist wear and decay will have lost their magical properties. Who knows how long it will take to recharge it?"
As he spoke, Gawain turned to look at a small stone platform in front of the coffin. But the platform was empty, which made him frown. "Wait a moment, I should have a shield that I never part with, right? Did it not get buried with me? Where could such a large shield have gone?"
Hetty's expression suddenly darkened. "Ancestor… your descendants have once again failed to honor your legacy. The Shield of the Guardian of the Kingdom of Ansu was taken from the tomb a hundred years ago by your descendant, Gruman Cecil, and was subsequently lost on the battlefield…"
Hetty spoke hesitantly, clearly holding back many things she dared not say. Perhaps she was worried that mentioning the significant events from a hundred years ago might cause their ancestor to suffer a sudden shock and collapse right on the spot—after all, with a coffin nearby, it would be all too easy for him to be buried again…
Gawain sensed Hetty's hesitation but chose not to confront it. Instead, he frowned and muttered, "What a waste… At least the sword was kept in the coffin. That Gruman hasn't gone completely mad to the point of prying open his ancestor's coffin to complete a set!"
Hetty and Rebecca could only hang their heads in cold sweat. Their ancestor had just jumped out of the coffin to curse at his great-grandfather. This situation had surpassed the realms of fantasy; as descendants, even taking a breath felt like an immense pressure!
Fortunately, Gawain was merely annoyed about missing a potentially useful piece of equipment. After his outburst, he said no more and led everyone out of the tomb.
Once they exited the tomb and entered the stone hall, Rebecca looked around and waved toward a corner. "Betty! Come out! It's safe now!"
Gawain turned his gaze curiously to see a thin, small girl—who seemed even younger than Rebecca—cautiously stepping out from the shadows of the wall. The girl wore a coarse dress, and a few adolescent freckles dotted her face. Her flaxen hair was down, and she tightly gripped a frying pan in her hand.
Upon seeing Gawain, the girl named Betty clearly showed hesitation and nervousness. With her not-so-bright mind, she likely couldn't fathom where this sudden stranger had come from…
"This is a maid from the castle. We don't know how she was left behind by the first group that broke through; she just sort of ended up following us…" Rebecca briefly introduced the girl. "Betty, this is…"
Before she could finish her sentence, a slight tremor came from above the mausoleum.
"Now isn't the time for chit-chat…" Gawain raised his longsword and looked at Amber. "Now, lead the way."