Serena and the Mysterious Labyrinth - Chapter 143
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
143. I Saw It Clearly With My Own Eyes
Mealtime, one of the few pleasures that could be enjoyed in the labyrinth.
Though Prince Willow was clumsy at handling ingredients and managing fire, he made delicious dishes with his sensitive palate and culinary knowledge.
Ralph, who had eaten the Prince’s cooking, exclaimed in admiration.
“It’s delicious!”
“Smart people are good at cooking too. They make dishes by predicting in their heads how the ingredients will combine. Our Prince Willow has a good head, but…”
Grey continued grumbling.
He seemed displeased that the Prince applied his good mind to cooking rather than magic or other studies.
“Be quiet and just eat! Hey! Acting like that in front of a meal table will chase away good fortune! Hey!”
“His Highness is brilliant and Princess is even more brilliant, so their descendants will take after their parents perfectly!”
When Serena looked at Grey with cold eyes, Philia stuffed a large piece of bread into the child’s mouth.
“Mmph!”
“The Countess is amazing!”
“This child grew up too pampered, so he lacks proper manners. I’ll teach him well.”
“Mmmph!”
“Hey! You don’t speak when there’s food in your mouth! If you act rudely, you’re putting ink on the faces of Prince Willow and your uncle!”
Grey pounded his chest, perhaps feeling stuffy from swallowing too much bread.
Like moonlight reflected on a lake, like dew formed at dawn.
Countess Randy, who seemed ethereal as if she couldn’t be grasped and would soon disappear, surprisingly had a persistent personality. Once she decided to do something, she would cling to it persistently without giving up easily.
Serena offered her condolences to Grey, who would be tormented by Philia for a while.
During the meal, the Assault Team and Remaining Party shared what had happened to each group.
The biggest topic from the Remaining Party was the golden egg laid by the Chicken Golem.
“I thought it would be a lot if it laid one every two days, but it lays one every single day. Isn’t it precious?”
Lavenda proudly showed two golden eggs to the Assault Team, even though she hadn’t laid them herself.
Prince Willow asked in an unnecessarily sweet voice.
“Fried, scrambled, or boiled egg. Which would be good?”
“Don’t be stingy. You all should eat first.”
“I’m fine.”
“I’m fine too.”
Serena was excluded since she had already eaten an egg once.
“I’m fine eating later!”
“I want to give my turn to the Countess.”
“Then I’ll give mine to Lady Serena!”
Since there would be no end if they only yielded to each other, the eggs eventually went to Olive and Ying.
“Hehe. Golden eggs are old news. There’s tremendous news over here, you know? Hey?”
The Guide, who had swallowed the fried egg in two bites, smiled meaningfully.
Serena frowned slightly.
‘Don’t tell me she’s going to talk about the Bluebird’s Wing?’
They had obtained the escape magic tool, but it was useless.
Since it could unnecessarily lower the listeners’ morale, the Assault Team had decided to hide the fact that they had obtained the Bluebird’s Wing from the Remaining Party.
Had Olive perhaps forgotten the promise in her desire to tell an interesting story?
She picked up a large piece of bread, thinking to block her mouth with it if necessary, but fortunately the Guide brought up a different topic.
“Do you know about the really big mimic?”
“You mean the Treasure Box Abyss.”
“Right. The Box Abyss.”
Naturally, no one except Grey knew about that monster.
After Grey briefly explained about the Treasure Box Abyss, Olive continued.
“Hehe. Everyone won’t believe it even if they see it. Hey. I still can’t believe it either. Well, that Abyss!”
Olive waved both arms to describe the size of the Abyss.
“The really big mimic swam up the waterfall with its tiny tail, you know? And it’s not like the waterfall is low either! The mimic went like this, like this up a huge waterfall where water falls tremendously!”
Olive imitated a tadpole while describing the strange sight the Assault Team had witnessed.
“Wow! Such a big monster?”
“How fascinating.”
“Ooh. I’d like to see it too.”
The three from the Remaining Party showed the reaction Olive wanted, but one person reacted in the complete opposite way.
Grey doubted the Guide’s words.
“The Treasure Box Abyss swam up a waterfall? No way.”
“Ah~ You don’t believe me! But I wouldn’t believe it either if I just heard about it. I understand. Hey.”
Fortunately, Olive had many companions who had witnessed the strange sight together.
They say three people can create a tiger that doesn’t exist, and there were four more, making it five total.
Moreover, since she was talking about a scene they had actually witnessed rather than a made-up story, the Guide’s attitude overflowed with confidence.
“I saw it clearly with my own eyes, and the Princess saw it, and the Count saw it, and the Knight saw it, and Zero saw it too! Hey!”
Grey, who knew the size of the Treasure Box Abyss, still found it hard to believe and looked at Count Randy and Serena.
The two nodded with serious expressions.
The child shook his head as if fed up.
“Huh. They say you shouldn’t be surprised no matter what happens in a labyrinth, but honestly, it was surprising news.”
“So, do you know the weakness of the Treasure Box Abyss, ahem! Do you?”
“The Treasure Box Abyss is weak to electric attributes. Of course, it’s the outer skin that’s weak, not the inner skin, so attacking inside its mouth is useless. Using bait to feed it poison is also effective, but I don’t recommend it because you need a large amount of poison.”
The Treasure Box Abyss is weak to electric attributes.
Ralph struck his knee as if remembering something.
“Ah. So that’s why it didn’t interfere when we fought the crocodile?”
“Brother Ralph, that’s correct.”
Grey patted Ralph’s head as if he were praiseworthy.
Ralph accepted the small child’s touch obediently, though puzzled.
“If the Abyss blocks the path again, I recommend diverting the water to fill the Leader’s Chamber floor, then dealing with it using electric attribute magic and attack potions. Princess, you know the theory of electricity generation magic, right?”
Since the Princess had solid theoretical foundations even if she had mastered few spells, Grey asked casually.
But an unexpected answer came back.
“No. I haven’t learned the theory of electric attribute magic either.”
“What? Why not?”
Serena shrugged.
“I didn’t feel like it.”
Crown Princess Melang would occasionally regain her sanity on days when thunder and lightning struck.
The adults around pushed the young Princess and Prince into the Crown Princess’s room, saying they should build parent-child affection at least when the Crown Princess was in good condition.
‘Honestly, I hated it.’
Serena found it painful to spend time with her mother, who would say in her right mind, ‘I would have been happy if only you hadn’t existed.’
‘I thought it would be better to have no mother, like in my previous life.’
On days when Crown Princess Melang was in relatively sound mind and blamed her daughter with orange eyes for confining her to the Royal Palace, thunder and lightning always struck.
Even on the day she nearly killed the son she cherished more than her daughter.
Even on the day the Crown Princess finally succeeded in escaping the detestable Royal Palace, thunder roared loudly without fail.
Though the sequence was reversed, because of such memories, Serena disliked lightning.
Though Serena was skilled at hiding her emotions, perhaps her mother’s matter showed despite her attempts to hide it, as Grey slowly turned his head away.
As the Princess’s mood became uncomfortable, the lively atmosphere in the lobby also subsided.
Philia moved close to the Princess and pressed their shoulders together.
Though Heuji Jeolmi was tactless, he could easily sense his master’s mood like his own.
“Lady Serena, are you feeling bad?”
He knew but didn’t know how to pretend not to know.
Serena smiled slightly and stroked her friend’s beautiful silver hair.
“Since the meal is over, I should rest now.”
“I’ll go wash the dishes!”
When Serena stood up from her seat, Lavenda, who had been suffering the most from the heavy atmosphere, brightened up and followed suit.
“Wait a moment. I have good news to share with you all.”
To dispel the heavy atmosphere as well, Serena smiled with slight exaggeration and raised both arms high.
“The Minotaur God has bestowed upon us a new gift!”
It was slightly embarrassing, but it was all for the mental health of her companions.
‘There’s nothing entertaining in the Labyrinth. I need to exaggerate things like this to lift their spirits.’
Fortunately, the Princess’s intention was fully realized by several enthusiastic people.
“Kyaah! I love gifts so much!”
“What kind of item has he bestowed upon us this time?”
Clap clap clap.
Olive and Ralph’s eyes sparkled with joy, and Ying clapped softly for reasons unknown.
“The safe zone of the Labyrinth shall be expanded!”
As the Princess waved her hand, the lobby expanded.
Prince Willow, who was trapped in the lobby and unable to leave, smiled brightly with joy.
There wasn’t enough space to show off the real gift while riding this momentum.
Serena worked hard to rearrange the tombs and trees, pushing them all against one wall.
It was a terrible arrangement that only considered securing space, but this was the best Serena could do.
After finishing the facility rearrangement, Serena caught her breath and raised both arms high again.
“He has bestowed upon us a space to sleep and rest comfortably!”
As soon as the Princess finished speaking, a small building was created in the empty space of the lobby.
No. That wasn’t a building but a collection of boxes with holes in them.
Each box was similar in length to a coffin and taller in height than a coffin.
There were ten coffin-like boxes with holes drilled in the front like doghouses.
Half were on the 1st floor and the other half were stacked on top of the boxes in a 2nd floor structure.
At the appearance of something they had never seen before, people stopped cheering and examined the boxes.
The first person to speak was Olive.
“Aren’t these doghouses? Did the Minotaur God give us ten doghouses? Huh?”
“Blasphemous!”
Serena opened and closed the door attached to the box to help with quick understanding.
“These are beds! Inside are soft beds and bedding that maintain a good environment for sleep and block out noise too!”
That’s right. Beds.
The product Serena purchased this time was capsule beds.
Like the tombs, they had to be purchased in sets of 10 and cost 5 shop coins.
It was a reasonable price for guaranteeing comfortable sleeping quarters and personal space.
The Princess spoke to her companions in a dignified voice.
“Look at the lobby where you currently reside.”
At Serena’s words, people looked around the lobby.
Tombs attached to the walls, a campfire in the center, a restroom in the corner. And a hot spring.
The Alchemist’s Workshop that stood out randomly, and two trees hanging with bread and fruit.
There were also laundry and jerky drying racks, monster byproducts and lumber, stone materials piled up due to lack of space.
Even tableware and cooking utensils roughly placed next to the campfire due to the absence of an organizing table.
There were even perches and chicken coops that the Prince had made for the Chicken Golem.
It was disorderly and chaotic. So messy that anyone who liked organization would cry out that it was hell.
“Can you rest comfortably in such a place?”
If the lobby was like this, where did the party sleep?
They spread blankets and sleeping bags made by Count Randy on any empty floor space and slept there.
Enduring the cold rising from the cool stone floor with the warmth provided by the campfire.
A day or two would be fine, but if it continued for months, stress and fatigue would accumulate.
That’s why Serena deliberately purchased capsule beds.
‘Capsule beds are narrow, but they also create personal space.’
Real-world capsule hotels are noisy, but the Labyrinth’s capsule beds also prevent noise.
Since the lobby was wide open, they inevitably kept bumping into other people.
Having a space where one could be alone, even if small, would be a great help in reducing stress.
“These capsule beds guarantee personal privacy and comfortable sleeping quarters.”
Even when Serena said this, people looked bewildered as the new contraption was unfamiliar.
The Princess had no choice but to demonstrate herself.
“Watch. When you open the door like this and go inside.”
The inside of the capsule bed was truly comfortable.
The mattress was soft yet firm, and the bedding was clean and smooth.
When she released the fixture attached to the wall, a small table came down.
Even more.
‘Wow! Electric lights!’
Though she couldn’t understand what principle it worked on, there were even electric lights inside the capsule bed.
It was bright enough to read books and the brightness was adjustable too.
“Such a comfortable space appears and you can even lock the door.”
Serena closed and opened the door, then came out of the capsule bed.
Only then did people lower their guard against the strange object and examine the capsule beds.
“The bed is so soft!”
“What material is this made of?”
“It even has built-in lighting magical tools, Uncle!”
Lavenda looked at the bedding that was dazzlingly white and would show dirt with the slightest stain, and asked nervously.
“Princess. By any chance, those blankets and pillows are.”
“They stay clean without washing.”
“Gasp!”
The Mysterious Stranger covered her mouth with her hand, then turned her head and laughed.
“The beds are pretty nice. But still, if you change the outside to bars, it’s completely like slave cages…”
Olive, who didn’t seem to like the appearance of the capsule beds, grumbled quietly then went inside and took out the blankets and pillows.
“I can’t sleep in cramped places! This is my sleeping spot!”
The place the Guide chose was on top of the capsule.
“Won’t you fall while sleeping?”
“I even sleep on trees. You know.”
“Do as you wish.”
Since some people dislike cramped spaces, Serena understood Olive.
Perhaps worried that the Princess would force her to sleep inside the capsule, Olive smiled brightly and lay down on the blanket.
“Kyah~ New pillows and blankets are great!”
“Philia. You get along well with the Count and me, right?”
“I want to sleep with Serena!”
“I want to use the bed spaciously. This capsule is yours.”
“Hiiing.”
“Madam. When you’re lonely, come into my capsule.”
“I don’t like cramped spaces, so I’ll sleep alone.”
There was an incident where Count Randy got hurt by Heuji Jeolmi’s complaints about sleeping arrangements, but everyone was happy to secure comfortable sleeping quarters.
“To receive toilets and even beds from God. No one would believe me even if I told them.”
Wouldn’t this be a scene that no one would believe even if you said you saw it with your own two eyes?
Prince Willow regretted not having the artistic skills to record this unbelievable scene.
After the rough organizing was finished, Serena entered a capsule and lay down.
Capsule hotels are said to have severe noise between floors and walls, but this capsule had the mysterious power of the Labyrinth working, so even when knocking on the walls, no sound or vibration could be heard in the adjacent capsules.
‘Ah. This is comfortable.’
After sleeping on stone floors with just one blanket, lying on a real bed, even though narrow, made her body comfortable.
Thinking that indeed a comfortable sleeping place makes both body and mind comfortable, the Princess was looking forward to tomorrow morning when she would wake up refreshed.
Cooooooooooook-!
They encountered an ambush they had completely forgotten about.
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————