Serena and the Mysterious Labyrinth - Chapter 101

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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101. Dryad (4)

“Princess Serena. Perhaps you should reconsider.”

Count Randy was still skeptical of the princess’s plan. Prince Willow felt the same way.

“To become bait is too dangerous. I will become the bait instead of Princess Serena.”

“How many times must I say this? The dryad is chasing me, so I have to be the bait.”

“However, I escaped from the dryad’s roots. Wouldn’t I also be suitable as bait?”

‘Would the aggro be the same between chewed gum and the one who hit back?’

From the dryad’s perspective, Prince Willow was too easily seduced to leave an impression.

To leave a deep impression on the dryad, she had to drive an ice stake into its head without question.

“Hmm~ I agree with the plan itself. But are you sure you’ll be okay going alone?”

Olive also seemed displeased with sending Serena alone and kept asking the same question.

Serena sighed.

‘I’m scared to go alone too, but there’s no choice.’

Considering the labyrinth chicken’s stamina, Serena had to become the bait alone.

“If you’re worried about me, defeat the dryad as quickly as possible.”

“Of course! Just trust me!”

Serena’s plan was simple.

Since the goblin rider and labyrinth chicken were still alive, Serena would ride the labyrinth chicken and draw the monsters’ attention.

The other party members would use that opportunity to find and defeat the dryad’s main body.

It was a very simple and crude plan. Especially, it couldn’t guarantee the life of Serena, who would become the bait.

The party couldn’t stop this plan because total annihilation was inevitable at this rate, and Serena herself, who would take the most dangerous bait role, had brought it up.

Cluck cluck.

Following the summoner’s command, the goblin rider who had traveled a long way arrived.

Both the labyrinth chicken and goblin rider looked healthy without showing signs of fatigue. It was worth making them walk even if it took a long time.

“I can give commands from a distance too. The horn was a better item than I thought.”

“It would be even better if the type of goblin summoned wasn’t random. But it’s already a sufficiently excellent magical tool.”

Serena squeezed her body through the densely packed barrier like a bean sprout sieve, moving from the center toward the outside.

“Well then. I’ll be going.”

“Princess, please be careful.”

“I should go instead after all—”

“If the Countess finds out, she’ll try to kill me…”

“Whether I succeed or fail, please keep it secret from everyone.”

“But I was proud of having no secrets from the Countess.”

“Count.”

Serena recalled the day when she gave her entire first paycheck from her part-time job to her grandmother, only to find out that most of the salary was used as allowance for other cousins.

Since it was money given for grandmother to use, it was grandmother’s freedom to use it however she wanted.

But Serena cried her heart out knowing that.

How nice it would have been if she had boldly said, ‘I showed off a bit with the money you gave me!’ If she was going to hide it, she should have at least not gotten caught.

Even though it was from her previous life, bitter emotions seeped into the princess’s face.

“Sometimes it’s better not to know. Being honest isn’t everything.”

“Princess Serena.”

“Instead, when you create secrets, you must consult with me.”

“How could I refuse?”

“Then I’m really going.”

Serena took a deep breath and stepped outside the barrier.

She made the goblin rider dismount and climbed onto the labyrinth chicken.

‘The riding experience is really terrible.’

She thought it would be okay since she was born as a princess in a fantasy world and was accustomed to horseback riding, but riding a chicken was completely different from horseback riding.

First of all, there were no riding equipment like saddles, reins, or stirrups. Moreover, chickens had different body shapes from horses, making it uncomfortable to sit.

‘What am I supposed to hold onto?’

Her body kept sliding down, but there wasn’t a proper place to grab.

She wanted to grab the neck like the goblin rider, but she was hesitant to put strength in her hands, fearing it might strangle the labyrinth chicken’s neck and interfere with its running.

Buzzzzzz.

The sound of bees approaching indicated there was no time to worry.

Serena gave the labyrinth chicken a command to run away from the monsters.

Cock-a-doodle-doo!

Receiving the summoner’s command, the labyrinth chicken raised its head and crowed refreshingly.

Serena slid backward and almost fell off the chicken. She hastily grabbed the chicken’s neck, and the labyrinth chicken started running.

Cluck!

“Kyaaaah!”

The chicken ran excitedly even though Serena wasn’t sitting properly. Serena grabbed the chicken’s neck as if she was going to twist its beak.

“May fortune be with you.”

Ralph saluted toward the princess’s retreating figure.

“This isn’t the time for that. Let’s move quickly.”

“We must defeat the dryad quickly.”

The swarm of labyrinth bees moved in unison toward the direction the princess had fled.

The remaining party ran to defeat the dryad as quickly as possible.

***

It was worth the princess volunteering to be the bait.

With all the dryad’s and monsters’ attention focused on Serena, the monsters ignored Ralph and his companions and were busy running toward where the princess was.

“Shouldn’t we catch the visible monsters to reduce their numbers?”

“Moving in that time to catch the dryad is helping the princess. Is this the place?”

Olive arrived at the location where the dryad’s main body was supposed to be and frowned.

This was definitely the place marked on the magic map, but there was no entrance.

She could only see a circular garden in full bloom with flowers.

“Prince, is this the right place?”

“That’s right. I remember suddenly reaching this flower garden while frantically escaping after breaking out of the soil.”

“Damn, they hid the entrance.”

She thought there would be a formidable enemy right away when they reached the location marked on the map. But who would have thought the location with the formidable enemy would be hidden?

Olive was troubled by the unexpected situation.

“Wh-what should we do?”

“All we can see are flowers, but we can’t just destroy them all.”

Even while they were worrying like this, the princess was being chased by monsters. There was no time.

“I understand.”

“Count, do you know the answer?”

Olive, who had been anxiously shaking her legs, brightened at the alchemist’s words.

Count Randy calmly looked around the circular flower garden and pointed to the flowers in the 7 o’clock direction.

“This is a flower clock. Although they’re all blooming simultaneously right now, if you examine the seeds, it was created considering both the blooming season and blooming time. However, that evening primrose in the 7 o’clock direction blooms at midnight and closes its petals during the day. Whether it’s 7 AM or 7 PM, it shouldn’t be in that position.”

“Ooh! An educated person!”

“Mark! I’m always amazed by your scholarship!”

Olive excitedly moved toward the 7 o’clock direction. Then the guide arrived at a space separate from the flower clock.

A pretty tree with lush green leaves stood in a clearing, and there were traces of dug-up soil near the roots.

Olive swayed her body in delight. She poured out praise that no one could hear.

“Wow! Count, you’re really an educated person! I’ll tell the Countess everything! I’ll brag about you!”

“What if you go alone!”

The rest of the party hurriedly followed Olive into the clearing.

“This is the place! I woke up here and escaped! There are the traces where I broke out!”

Prince Willow pointed to a dirty spot near the tree roots.

“Is that the dryad’s main body?”

“Count, it looks like one fire attack potion would finish it off?”

As Count Randy reached for an attack potion from his belt, Prince Willow urgently stopped him.

“Wait a moment! Didn’t you just see a person over there?”

“A person? Is there someone else buried besides Prince Willow?”

If someone was buried there, they could get caught up in the attack potion.

Count Randy and the others hurriedly checked under the roots. The protruding bumpy roots and thick grass made it hard to see clearly.

“Prince, didn’t you check when you were escaping?”

“I was too busy running away before the monster returned to look around and see if there were other people.”

Prince Willow lowered his eyebrows apologetically.

“Even if there is someone, what can we do? Their time must have come.”

Olive shrugged and urged Count Randy to throw the attack potion.

Ralph was startled.

“I think the grass just moved! There must be someone there!”

“Then we need to rescue them quickly.”

“These people, really. We could have caught the dryad by now!”

Olive irritably tried to throw the attack potion herself. Count Randy protected the attack potion and his pupils shook.

“Wait a moment! If it were Lady Serena, she would try to save the person first! That’s certain!”

“That’s only when the Princess is here. She’s being chased as bait right now.”

“The Princess is a noble and righteous person. If she knew someone died caught up in an attack potion, she would be sad and blame herself.”

“That’s only possible if the Princess is alive. Can’t you judge the current situation?”

“No, I’m sorry. I’ll throw it now, so everyone step back.”

The Princess took priority over human life that may or may not exist.

Count Randy clarified his priorities and was about to throw the attack potion when the leaves trembled. They shook too much when there was no wind.

“There’s someone here! Please save me!”

A rescue request flowed out from the thicket. Count Randy groaned and hesitated at the child’s voice.

“What are you doing? Throw it quickly.”

“Olive. Let’s rescue that child first.”

“What child? It’s a dryad.”

Olive claimed it was a dryad not because she was certain the voice’s owner was really a dryad, but just to end the battle quickly.

Count Randy, who noticed this fact, couldn’t dare throw the attack potion.

To make matters worse, a child’s chubby hand popped up above the thicket and waved.

Ralph’s heart wavered upon seeing the child’s hand and he drew his sword.

“I’ll go get the child! Ugh!”

Ying struck the back of Ralph’s head and shot an arrow into the thicket. The arrow cut through the grass and pierced the small, chubby palm.

The thicket was cut away, revealing what was below the hidden hand. The hand was connected to a tree branch, not a person.

“Oh, it really was a monster? Good job, Zero. Now let’s throw it quickly.”

As Olive urged the attack, a human voice was heard again. This time it was a young woman’s voice.

“That was! Ugh! Fake! I’m here!”

If the child’s voice from before was excessively healthy, the newly heard voice had rough breathing and hoarse sounds mixed in like someone truly buried alive.

A pale, slender arm parted the thicket. A beautiful face was revealed between the bushes.

Her eyes were as brilliant as morning dew on a spider’s web, her lips were as beautiful as red autumn leaves, and the teeth revealed when she spoke were as white and dazzling as beach sand.

“Please, huff, save me.”

The beautiful woman reached out her hand from under the roots with tears glistening in her eyes.

Her voice pleading for help was as seductive as wind chimes swaying in the breeze.

“Ugh.”

The beautiful woman was clearly a dryad to anyone who looked. Even knowing this, Ralph momentarily couldn’t withstand the enchantment and groaned.

“Knight!”

“Gasp! I’m sorry! My training was insufficient!”

Ralph gritted his teeth in shame. To be seduced while knowing it was a monster was too embarrassing.

The guide who awakened the knight’s mind scratched his cheek.

“In the old days I might have been tempted, but I’ve seen Countess Randy. Come to think of it, it’s scary? How can a person be prettier than a dryad?”

“Hmph! I only have my wife!”

“Darkness.”

Count Randy only had Philia, so the dryad’s seduction didn’t work on him. Ying also easily ignored the mental attack.

“Oh, poor one. I shall rescue you.”

The problem was Prince Willow. As soon as Prince Willow saw the beautiful woman asking for help from under the roots, his eyes glazed over and he approached.

“This royal?”

Olive struck the back of Prince Willow’s head. The prince was hit hard enough to rattle his skull but still didn’t come to his senses.

“I shall defeat these villains and rescue you!”

Prince Willow drew his sword to protect the dryad.

Olive scrunched up her face and Count Randy held his forehead.

“I can’t believe he’d be enchanted again…”

Shouldn’t the grandson of that unlucky old man have strong mental power? Is it okay to be this helpless?”

Because the prince got close to the dryad, they ultimately couldn’t use the attack potion.

Olive clicked her tongue.

“See, I told you we should have attacked earlier.”

“If we can’t use attack potions, we can fight directly. I’ll fight!”

“That won’t do.”

“What?”

Ralph, who had gripped his hammer tightly and was about to charge at the dryad, stopped.

Count Randy quickly explained.

“Being enchanted by a dryad is similar to having one’s soul captured. The dryad can harm Prince Willow’s soul.”

“Then! Has the prince been taken hostage?”

“Ah, this is troublesome. If we knock him unconscious, the soul thing could drive him mad.”

They should have left the prince behind.

The same thought passed through the minds of the four people who had set out to catch the dryad.

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