Since I’m a Time-Limited Princess Who Has No Tomorrow - Chapter 156

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 156
‘Why is he so excited?’
What on earth had Gwang-chul prepared that had him this thrilled? Was it simply pride in his work? Did it turn out better than expected for something hastily assembled? If that were the case, I’d be relieved, but Gwang-chul was such a troublemaker that I couldn’t help but feel uneasy.
As I watched with equal parts anticipation and worry, Young-jun pushed open a massive stone door plastered with talismans. No matter how I looked at it, his body wasn’t that of a twelve-year-old. He was even larger than the Crown Prince in sheer size.
“It’s open!”
“Sister, don’t just rush in like that!”
Yeon-jo grabbed Yeon-ju, who was excitedly darting through the doorway, and sent another clay figurine forward.
The moment the clay doll holding a burning talisman entered, the dark interior suddenly blazed with light. It wasn’t from the talisman’s glow. What illuminated the entire underground space were hundreds, perhaps thousands of pale blue spectral flames blooming in all directions.
The children stepped through the doorway one by one. Their clear, dark eyes reflected the greenish-blue flames like stars.
“Oh…”
“Wow! This is amazing!”
“It’s m-much b-bigger than I thought.”
“…What? You said it was just an underground library. Why is it so massive?”
The fully revealed underground space was vast enough to contain the entire Songrim Library above with room to spare.
‘No wonder the stairs down took so long.’
Bookshelves filled the expansive space like a labyrinth. The shelves came in many varieties, but they all bore the marks of countless ages and towered at least twice the height of ordinary shelves.
The stone door we’d emerged from was near the ceiling of the underground library, connected to a stone bridge that stretched across to the distant opposite wall. Because the bridge was positioned so high, I could see the entire maze of varied bookshelves laid out below the railing at a glance.
‘I don’t see any stairs. How are we supposed to get down there?’
Surely they didn’t expect us to just jump from the bridge, so there must be another way?
“This place feels a bit… eerie, if I may say so.”
Young-jun muttered while hunching his massive frame. Yeon-ju tilted her head curiously.
“Why? It’s magnificent and mysterious.”
“Everything looks so blue that it feels ominous.”
Now that he mentioned it, the surroundings were entirely bathed in bluish light with spectral flames drifting about—it did have the atmosphere of a haunted place.
‘I think it looks beautiful, like stepping into a night sky full of stars.’
Yeon-ju and Je-gal Pyo moved forward in wonder at their surroundings, Yeon-jo seemed somewhat tense, Young-jun was frightened, and Yun Ra-sa appeared uncomfortable.
I couldn’t tell what the Crown Prince was thinking. He was simply smiling softly.
[Gwang-chul, are those spectral flames your magic?]
[No, those spells were already in place. It seems the humans who built this underground library received help from goblins.]
[Then what magic did you set up?]
[It should appear any moment now.]
Appear? What? I nervously scanned the surroundings when Yun Ra-sa pointed at the bridge railing.
“Hey, what’s written there?”
A wooden plaque hung from the middle of the railing, swaying gently.
“Let me read it!”
Yeon-ju bounced over to examine the plaque and read the inscription aloud.
“If you are a visitor, state the password. If you are a challenger, declare yourself…?”
The moment Yeon-ju finished reading, there was a loud bang and the stone door we’d entered through slammed shut. Almost simultaneously, something dark shot out from the far end of the opposite bridge.
“Ahhhhh!”
“W-what is that!”
It was a massive water serpent—its head scraped the ceiling, and its body was so wide it filled the entire corridor. With its mouth gaping open, the creature surged toward us along the passage. The impact sent a deafening roar echoing through the stone bridge, which trembled as if struck by an earthquake. It was so enormous that it seemed less like a living creature and more like an avalanche bearing down upon us.
The children’s faces drained of color. I, however, was flustered for an entirely different reason.
‘Wait… isn’t that the stuffed water serpent on display in the Sang-ra Palace Treasure Vault?’
This creature had failed to ascend to heaven, and in its rage, it had devoured countless people before being subjugated by Geum-ryeong, my mother’s Black Phoenix. Long ago, I had casually mentioned to my mother that since only dragons existed in the Heavenly Realm, I’d like to see a water serpent at least once. She remembered that offhand comment and had Geum-ryeong bring back the creature’s corpse, which she then had taxidermied and gifted to me.
‘Father was horrified, asking what kind of grotesque gift to give his precious daughter. But I actually quite liked it.’
That taxidermied water serpent was now charging toward us as if it were alive. Why is it moving here?
[Hehe, I animated it with sorcery, and everyone fell for it! What do you think, Princess? Quite convincing, isn’t it?]
Gwang-chul sent a mental message, practically bursting with excitement. I was momentarily at a loss for words.
Wait, Gwang-chul—it’s impressive, but isn’t this a bit much? You said you couldn’t make anything large because of time constraints? If this isn’t large, what is?
“Danger! Everyone, jump down!”
The Crown Prince shouted, scooped me up in his arms before I could react, and leaped over the railing in one fluid motion. Wind whistled past my ears, and when I opened my eyes, we were perched atop a towering bookshelf.
“Ahhhhh!”
I lifted my head to see Young-jun screaming as he jumped from the railing, while Yi Yeon-ju—her fox ears manifested from her spiritual power—carried Yi Yeon-jo on her back and nimbly vaulted over the railing.
And Yun Ra-sa stood on the railing, pulling Je-gal Pyo toward her.
“What are you doing, you idiot! I’m helping you, so jump!”
“W-w-wait just a moment!”
Je-gal Pyo pushed away Yun Ra-sa, who was trying to drag him, and shouted toward the rapidly approaching water serpent.
“I-I-I challenge you!”
“What nonsense are you—wait?”
The avalanche-like water serpent came to an abrupt halt at Je-gal Pyo’s declaration.
Whatever trick Gwang-chul had employed, the water serpent’s eyes—gleaming as if alive—trembled as they fixed upon the quivering Je-gal Pyo.
“You are… not intruders… but challengers… seeking to become… the master… of the sacred treasure?”
An unnaturally halting voice emanated from the cavernous maw of the water serpent. Je-gal Pyo stared up at it in bewilderment, then nodded frantically.
“Y-yes! Yes! We are n-n-not intruders!”
“Then… challenge me… in the first trial.”
The water serpent’s body undulated fluidly, coiling over the railing of the passage. Rather than falling, the massive creature drifted through the air as if weightless. It soared above the jagged bookshelves, and once it had coiled itself among the azure spectral flames, it surveyed all of us before speaking again.
“Within the labyrinth… find the path that cannot be read. At the end… where my fragments point… lies the way.”
As the water serpent finished speaking, it was engulfed in brilliant white light like fireflies. The small, round luminescence burst silently like fireworks, scattering in all directions. Where the light vanished, the water serpent was nowhere to be seen.
The children stared in awe at the fragments of light dispersing throughout the shelves. I sent a mental message.
[Gwang-chul, please tell me you didn’t just destroy my taxidermied water serpent.]
[Eh? Ah, no, I didn’t destroy it! It’s merely an illusion that makes it appear destroyed! Once this is over, I’ve arranged for your water serpent to return via the Eight Pillar Order passage, so it should be safely back in the Treasure Vault! I promise!]
[…Fine, then.]
[Hehe, for something hastily put together, it’s quite impressive, isn’t it?]
[Yeah, it’s amazing. You did well this time.]
As I nodded, I heard the Crown Prince murmuring above my head.
“Visitors present a password, while challengers make a declaration… So when Je-gal Pyo declared his challenge, the water serpent halted.”
“Yes, it seems that water serpent is like a guardian of this underground library.”
“I’ve heard there are protective spells guarding the library, but I never imagined such a formidable guardian existed. Moreover, I’ve never heard anything about challenges or trials…”
The Crown Prince tilted his head in puzzlement. I quickly sent a message to Gwang-chul.
[Gwang-chul, what was originally here, and what did you add?]
[The password was originally supposed to be there. The magic guarding this place works so that when you speak the password, the guardian stops and stairs appear leading downward.]
[So the “challenger” part was something you added?]
[Yes, that’s correct.]
[What were the original guardians?]
[They were haetae statues. I didn’t have time to modify how they worked, so I just stopped them and instead took out the Princess’s imoogi taxidermy.]
[The test the imoogi gave—you created that too?]
[Of course, I made up the riddle myself. I arranged it so that solving it would lead to where I hid the treasure map. Would you like me to tell you the answer?]
[…No, let’s see how the children handle it first.]
[Hmm, I hope you enjoy the process of solving it. I made it with great care!]
[You actually enjoyed making something like this?]
[Yes, actually… once I started decorating Ki-yeon as the Princess instructed, I found it rather fun. There’s a certain pleasure in watching humans dig through everything to find the secrets I’ve hidden.]
I looked down at my wrist covered by my sleeve with fresh eyes. I’d thought he was nothing but a drunken fool with sloppy thinking, but he had interests beyond alcohol and work suited to his talents.
‘He seems genuinely pleased. And he hasn’t even asked for a drink despite being praised… there’s something rather admirable about that.’
[Ah, the human brats are making futile attempts. You won’t get out until you find the answer to the riddle, you fools.]
Gwang-chul chuckled, and when I looked up, Je-gal Pyo and Yun Ra-sa were examining the area near the closed stone door. Yi Yeon-ju, standing atop the bookshelf, raised her voice toward them below.
“Are you two down there okay?”
“We’re fine. The situation isn’t.”
“The door won’t open?”
“Not an inch. Damn it, I knew coming here was pointless.”
Yun Ra-sa grumbled, and Je-gal Pyo poked his head over the railing.
“It seems like we’ll only be able to leave if we solve that test the imoogi mentioned earlier….”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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