Three Thousand Court Ladies - Chapter 40

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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 40
‘Why hasn’t he come?’
Samcheon wandered aimlessly in search of Gyesan, worried that he might be alone somewhere, nursing a troubled heart.
As her feet carried her forward without purpose, the crevice she’d entered in her dream suddenly appeared before her. The moment a carelessly scattered Night-Luminous Pearl brushed against her foot, the emotions she’d felt in that dream rushed back, and her skin crawled.
She was about to spin around in panic, convinced that the darkness was drawing her toward death, when—
[Help me.]
The plea of someone stopped Samcheon in her tracks.
‘That voice.’
She turned her head, following the voice she’d heard in her dream.
“Where are you?”
She called out loudly, but no answer came.
‘Did I mishear?’
The moment doubt seized her, an unfamiliar voice burrowed into her ear once more.
[Come right, keep going.]
Part of her wanted to rush forward; part of her wanted to flee.
She couldn’t place where the sound was coming from. It didn’t seem to be emanating from ahead, behind, or to either side.
The voice was coming from inside her own mind.
Fear gripped her at the thought that this might be a spirit, but she summoned her courage and took a step forward.
‘He was worried about me.’
Recalling the voice that had called out for her to come to her senses, she moved swiftly—only to find herself at a dead end.
Samcheon called out again at full volume.
“Which way are you? I think you gave me the wrong direction.”
The moment she took a step back to turn around, the wall trembled.
The ground was untouched, but the stone wall shook. She pressed her palm against the rough surface and felt a faint vibration. A wall couldn’t shake like this—it had to be a door.
[Below.]
The voice came again, but noticeably weaker now.
As if entranced, she lowered her head and spotted a recessed area. Lying flat, she could see a pattern carved into the depression.
That was when she remembered the Wooden Piece that Gyesan had found.
“I’ll be right back.”
Samcheon rushed away and returned with the Wooden Piece, standing before the wall. She pushed it into the groove, and with a sharp click, the stone wall slid sideways.
“It opened!”
Her joy was fleeting.
The moment the stench trapped inside poured out, primal fear seized her entire being. She stumbled backward at the overwhelming, suffocating stench.
“Samcheon!”
At Gyesan’s voice, Samcheon turned. She couldn’t see him, but she heard his footsteps echoing through the Cave.
“I’m over here!”
She called out, and his footsteps quickened.
Tap-tap-tap.
At the sound of him rushing toward her, she turned to meet him—and there was Gyesan’s face. Relief flooded his features, and he smiled broadly.
“I thought you’d been taken away.”
“I almost was—drawn in by the voice, I mean.”
“A voice?”
“I heard a voice calling for help, so I searched for it and found this Secret Chamber.”
Gyesan’s lips parted slightly as he looked where Samcheon was pointing.
“……There’s a terrible smell.”
“It was worse when I first opened it.”
She needed to identify who had called out, but her feet wouldn’t move forward. Beyond the stone wall lay only a narrow passage.
“We’ll find out once we go in.”
Gyesan shifted his stance to be ready to draw his sword at any moment and stepped forward.
“Your Highness.”
Samcheon followed him, hunched with dread. She was afraid, but she couldn’t let him go alone.
A long Mural was painted along the walls of the narrow passage. Gyesan, gazing at the somewhat ominous Mural, spoke.
“The Benefactors have all vanished. They seem to have left without even a goodbye.”
Samcheon, pondering what the Mural might mean, suddenly whirled around.
“They’re not in the Cave either?”
“No. They seem to have departed.”
They left like this? Asking for nothing? As if they’d simply helped someone in dire need because they couldn’t turn away?
Samcheon, who had fallen silent for a moment, spoke.
“……I suspected them earlier. I’m sorry.”
“Well, yes.”
Suspicion and wariness had prevented her from offering proper gratitude. Yet something told her this wouldn’t be their last encounter.
Samcheon studied the Mural carefully, which depicted a Funeral Procession moving toward the Cave.
“It looks like a Funeral Procession.”
“Royalty? Or someone of comparable station?”
Gyesan shrugged, seeming uncertain.
“Could this possibly be a Tomb?”
“It might be. But why build a Tomb here? It’s not even in a sunny place.”
“That’s strange, isn’t it?”
Samcheon answered and pressed close to Gyesan’s side as she walked.
Deeper inside, a wider chamber opened up. In its center stood a stone pagoda at waist height, and beside it lay a large, flat rock.
Two corpses were laid out side by side on it—one appearing to have died recently, the other in the process of decay.
The sickening stench from when the Secret Chamber opened must have come from this.
This place was a Tomb.
“Wearing the mask of humanity, how could they…….”
Gyesan muttered through gritted teeth.
“Now that we have evidence, all those involved will face justice, won’t they?”
“They should. I’ll tell the soldiers to give them a proper funeral rite.”
The moment Samcheon nodded firmly, her fists clenched—
“Sa…….”
A faint voice was heard.
“G-g-ghost!”
Samcheon shrieked and hid behind Gyesan. But this voice was different from the one that had drawn her here. It was younger and far fainter, as if barely clinging to breath.
A suspicion flashed through Gyesan’s mind. He stepped past Samcheon and moved deeper inside.
“Your Highness!”
Gripped by a terrible sense of dread, Samcheon followed him nonetheless.
Gyesan came to a stop before the corpse lying on the flat rock. Samcheon, following close behind, gently clutched the hem of his robe and scanned the surroundings.
Both corpses laid out side by side were children. Upon closer inspection, the one in decay appeared to have been set afire and left unfinished. Light pouring through a small opening in the ceiling illuminated the scattered ash.
They had been using this place as a Crematory.
“Those beasts aren’t even human.”
Her teeth chattered.
“That voice you heard—there might be other places like this.”
As Gyesan murmured this, the eyelids of the intact corpse trembled. Detecting that flicker of movement, Samcheon cried out.
“It moved! It moved!”
Samcheon rushed her fingers to the child’s nose. Faint but unmistakable—breath was there.
“The child’s alive. Your Highness.”
She’d thought it was dead, lying next to the one they’d set on fire. Yet the heart still beat. As the child slowly lifted their heavy eyelids, exhausted eyes came into view. Their shriveled, pale lips parted slightly, but no sound emerged.
“Can you hear me? Just wait. Your Highness, I’ll get some water.”
“I’ll stay. Go quickly.”
Samcheon bolted away. Finding water in what had served as the Dining Hall was easy. She grabbed a bowl, drew water from a jar, and glanced around the area.
‘Is there something I can give them that won’t be too much of a burden?’
Water was one thing, but the child looked hungry. Yet she didn’t know if their body could handle food.
‘If I make a mistake and cause them harm, that might be worse.’
In the end, Samcheon returned to the Secret Chamber with only water and carefully tilted the child’s head up. She dribbled water into their mouth little by little, but the child couldn’t swallow properly.
The child’s breathing was gradually fading.
Samcheon turned to Gyesan, whose expression had gone blank.
“Is there a physician among the soldiers?”
“I may have been wounded, so one will be traveling with us.”
Then there might be hope. At the very least, they could try to save this child.
“I think we should take the child out of here.”
“Let’s do that. This is no place for the living.”
Samcheon spoke to the child gently, so as not to frighten them.
“I want to take you away. If you think your body can move, blink once for me.”
The child, staring blankly, slowly closed and opened their eyes.
Samcheon and Gyesan, supporting the limp child from either side, led them out of the Secret Chamber.
As the three of them were about to leave the Secret Chamber together, a faint voice reached them.
[Thank goodness.]
‘Huh?’
The moment Samcheon turned her head, a series of young screams erupted from the entrance of the Mine. Gyesan sat the child down before the stone wall and said.
“Samcheon, you stay here. I’ll go check.”
Before she could protest, Gyesan had already rushed away.

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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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