— — — — — —
After Endou and the others stepped into the dimensional rift, a figure quietly appeared in the sky—Minamiya Natsuki.
Hovering in mid-air, she looked down at the dark, swirling portal, her brows slightly furrowed.
"So this is what they call archaeology these days?"
She pulled out her phone and glanced at the message from the client. Her expression turned a little grim.
She just wanted to make some extra cash. Buy some fancy tea. How the hell did she end up wrapped up in something this dangerous?
"Fourth Primogenitor."
The words barely left her lips, but the weight they carried made her expression grow serious.
This wasn't a joke.
Natsuki sighed when she looked at the unpaid balance on the job.
"Whatever. I'm already here."
If she didn't get that money, then what was the point of coming all this way?
Besides, the client didn't give any specific requirements—just said to tag along with that group and "do some archaeology."
Honestly, she had no idea what the client was thinking.
Drag her all the way out here just for some casual tomb-raiding? Or was this really just a way to pull her into the mess that was the Fourth Primogenitor?
Natsuki mulled it over for a bit, then gave up.
Whatever. With her spatial control magic, there wasn't much she had to worry about anyway.
But if that guy tried to ghost her on the payment? Oh, she'd find him. No question.
Having made up her mind, Natsuki disappeared in a flash and reappeared right in front of the dark rift.
Without hesitation, she stepped inside.
— — —
Inside the Underground Tomb
Endou and the others had just stepped in when—A wave of ice-blue light filled their vision.
Chilly cold instantly surrounded them.
"Sh-shit—!"
Kojou Akatsuki immediately began shivering violently.
He exhaled, and a cloud of white mist floated from his mouth.
"Wh-what the hell!? It's freezing!"
He rubbed his arms furiously, trying to warm up, but his lips were already trembling.
But nobody answered him.
Because... well, everyone else here wasn't exactly "normal." So it was only him.
Kojou: "…"
He stared at them with his signature dead-fish eyes. Especially at his father.
The others were a vampire, a supernatural, all that jazz.
Fine—they had an excuse.
But his father? That big, burly, supposedly "normal" man?
He wasn't shivering at all.
Wait. Did even he betray the normal humans?
That's when it really hit Kojou.
His so-called archaeologist dad… was mixed up with vampires and God knows what else.
And this tomb? This place? Yeah, it was definitely not a normal dig site.
Don't tell him all of his dad's "archaeology missions" were like this?
His expression twisted.
His old man definitely not a regular guy.
Oh crap—what about Nagisa!?
He quickly turned to look for his little sister—
Only to see her floating calmly in mid-air like it was just another day.
Kojou: "…"
So he was really the only one freezing to death here?
He curled up and sighed.
This felt like he'd somehow stumbled into a pack of wolves… as a lone husky.
Meanwhile, Liana quietly took in the biting cold in the air. Her expression eased a little.
"This chill… It's the real place."
Which meant, this really was the Fourth Primogenitor's tomb!
Just thinking about it sent a thrill through her.
Her clan's revival—everything—was within reach!
Breathing faster, she instinctively moved forward, deeper into the tomb.
The others followed quickly after her.
Before long, a crystal-clear ice coffin appeared before them.
Inside it lay a slender figure, as if peacefully asleep in a dream.
Golden hair, delicate features, and a petite, doll-like frame—she looked like a real-life Sleeping Beauty.
"…Is that?"
"Th-The Fourth Primogenitor, Your Majesty!"
The instant Liana saw the girl in the ice coffin—and felt the overwhelming aura from her bloodline—She knew exactly who this girl was.
Without hesitation, she dropped to one knee before the coffin.
"I, Liana Caruana, Sixth Head of the Caruana Family, humbly greet Her Majesty the Fourth Primogenitor!"
Her voice echoed solemnly through the tomb.
But…
Silence.
An eerie, suffocating stillness filled the chamber.
"?"
No response.
Liana's heart tightened.
She stepped closer and gently touched the coffin, eyes fixed on the sleeping girl inside.
"She hasn't awakened yet."
Liana blinked in surprise, then looked more carefully.
Sure enough, the girl's eyes remained shut. There was no reaction.
"Doc, is there any way… to wake Her Majesty?" Liana asked, frowning.
Gajou shrugged. "Yeah, that's not really in my skillset."
They'd found her, sure.
But there was no sign she was waking up—even after they barged into her tomb.
Liana fell silent.
Compared to her anxiousness, Endou seemed a lot more relaxed.
Actually… the fact that the Fourth Primogenitor hadn't woken up was a huge relief.
The last thing she wanted was to tangle with a living legend.
Turning to Yukina, she said, "Yukina, send a message to Lord Lynn."
"…?"
Liana whipped her head toward Endou, eyes narrowing. "What do you mean by that?"
Endou hadn't even tried to lower her voice, which immediately drew the attention of everyone around them.
With a lazy grin, Endou said, "You guys want her to wake up, right?"
"As your lovely partner in this little endeavor, I'm just doing my part~"
Liana hesitated, then quickly asked, "Wait—this person you're contacting… can they really wake Her Majesty?"
"Of course," Endou replied, nodding confidently.
Well, she was just here because of Lynn.
So that was just an excuse to appease Liana.
As far as Endou was concerned, once Lynn showed up, whatever happened after was not her problem.
She'd completed her part of the job the moment the Fourth Primogenitor was located.
Liana, of course, had no idea. If anything, she looked grateful.
On the side, Gajou gave Endou a weird look.
Was she seriously bullshitting someone that naive?
And the girl was really that dumb?
Gajou just shook his head.
Well, sometimes people needed to get burned to learn.
As Liana's "friend," maybe it was good for her to gain some experience.
Elsewhere, Yukina pulled out her phone and sent off a message to Lynn.
Then—
Dozens of footsteps echoed through the tomb.
Liana and the others instantly went on high alert.
"Hmph!"
"So this is where you've been hiding the Fourth Primogenitor!"
A loud, rough voice rang out before its owner even stepped into view.
Seconds later, a group of soldiers in teal-green military uniforms poured into the tomb, blocking off their exit.
A tall, burly man walked past the soldiers, grinning wickedly at the group in front of him.
"Haha! Thanks for leading me straight to the Fourth Primogenitor."
"But now… You're useless."
"So—"
"Would you kindly go die now?"
.
.
.