The Paladin in the Abyss
Chapter 804 - 815: Disturbing the Dead

Under normal circumstances, if you find the deepest secret chamber in a gigantic tomb, entering it would require extreme caution to guard against possible traps, eerie curses, and dangerous guards. However, if one of your companions is a genuine Grim Reaper, that would evidently be an entirely different experience.

At the bottom of the stairs is a lavish burial chamber. The stone bricks beneath your feet are polished marble. Expensive crystal chandeliers hang from the ceiling, and the room’s four corners have gigantic golden candelabras with Magic Flames that burn eternally. There are four massive Stone Coffins in the room. Each one is the size of a double bed, with two placed at a relatively higher position, their lids tightly sealed. However, one of the two lower coffins has a top that looks like it was blown open, revealing its empty interior.

The surfaces of these Stone Coffins are intricately carved with complex patterns and designs, adorned with numerous precious gemstones, making everyone’s eyes sparkle, especially two of the shorter figures, whose eyes almost matched the brilliance of the candelabras beside them.

"In Milko’s era, people of power and influence would build such grand and luxurious tombs, hoping to please the Lord of the Dead and obtain preferential treatment in the afterlife," Cranvo observed the chamber’s decorations with interest. "This act of sacrifice itself holds no real significance to the gods, ultimately only benefiting the tomb raiders. However, Milko greatly enjoyed this blend of fear and reverence, so much so that it became a part of many cultures’ traditions."

"Then… what do you think of it?" Lancelot cautiously asked, casting a glare at Bruto to curb the hunger in his gaze.

"A meaningless waste. The significance of death is already profound enough. This is merely to satisfy Milko’s vanity," Cranvo shook his head. "Since I have promised to treat every soul with fairness, such ’bribery’ becomes a form of insult to me. However, I know how difficult it is to change people’s perceptions, requiring a lot of time and patience. Fortunately, as a deity, I lack neither."

"Your will shall be realized, my lord," Lancelot paused and then, with a thick skin, decided to ask, "About the wealth… already placed in the burial chamber, what is your view on those?"

Cranvo stared at Lancelot for a few seconds before a knowing smile appeared on his face.

"Forgive my slowness, Sir. I almost forgot my time as an Adventurer. A basic principle is, you must respect the dead, should not desecrate their remains left in this world, nor disturb their eternal sleep... Do you understand my meaning?"

"Understood, understood." Bruto quickly responded, "Don’t touch the burial treasures inside the coffins, correct?"

"In most cases, yes. But exceptions can be made if there’s a legitimate reason."

"For example?"

"For example, if a coffin holds a Holy Weapon to combat evil, or a crucial artifact to prevent a severe incident from happening, or..." Cranvo lightly tapped on the Stone Coffin, "to end the injustice some people have suffered."

With his tapping, the three intact coffins began to move. Accompanied by the deep sound of stone grinding, the tightly closed coffin lids started to slowly shift, revealing the silhouettes of corpses sitting up. Lancelot fixed his eyes and found that the two slightly elevated coffins revealed an elderly man and woman, while the third silhouette was of a young woman approximately the same age as Little Issa.

Their cyan faces had no trace of living blood but were not decayed like ordinary dead, clearly the result of magic. Lancelot also noticed that these people were dressed in royal-like, grand attire, yet those outfits were pinned to their bodies by dozens of black nails, creating a chilling feeling.

"Who... has awakened us... giving us a moment of respite in our eternal torment?..." The elderly male corpse spoke with a voice like a dull ax sawing wood, dry and sharp.

"The justice you have always prayed for." Cranvo had unknowingly put on his silver mask again. "Look at me; you know who I am."

The three corpses stared blankly at the Lord of the Dead, then suddenly knelt, tears of murky water flowing from their eyes, letting out intolerable wails:

"Ah ah ah ah ah... My lord, you’ve finally come... Mercy, save us please..."

"You are already saved." With just a wave of his hand, Cranvo silenced their cries. "But thousands of souls in this land are still suffering. Their torment should also end, and that requires your help."

"What would you have us do, master?" the male deceased asked in a constrained voice. "Kill Peyton Derrick, the traitorous son?"

"No!" The elderly female corpse spoke in horror. "Do not harm Peyton; he acted on impulse..."

"You hopeless fool! When he thrust the Dagger into your chest, his hand didn’t even tremble!" The male Zombie roared in fury. "If you’ve forgotten, I clearly remember! As he pushed the Dagger in, he even asked: ’Mother, does it hurt?’. By the gods, what kind of monster did you give birth to?!"

"You’ve hated this child from the start, thinking he wasn’t handsome enough, lacked Magic talent, preferring to pass the throne to his sister’s future husband rather than to him!"

"Wasn’t what I said the truth? Even you agreed that giving the throne to Amina would be a better choice…"

"Don’t drag me into this; I knew nothing of your arrangements." The younger female corpse spoke coldly. "Furthermore, Peyton is clearly insane. Mother, no matter how much you love your son, it doesn’t change this fact; otherwise, we wouldn’t be sealed in that coffin, enduring hundreds of years of terrible torment..."

"Cough cough!"

Lancelot finally couldn’t hold back. He cleared his throat forcefully, interrupting the seemingly never-ending argument.

"Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Lancelot, a mercenary, currently working to lift the curse plaguing these lands." The Human Knight gave the deceased a knightly salute. "If I understand correctly, you should be Peyton Derrick’s parents and sister, right?"

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.