Serena and the Mysterious Labyrinth - Chapter 194

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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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194. Please Don’t Lick Your Fingers When Turning Pages

The Guide clicked his tongue quietly. He frowned with all kinds of expressions and scratched his black olive-colored hair vigorously.

The labyrinth’s natural traps were already troublesome enough, but with Seraph’s artificial traps added on top, it seemed twice as bothersome.

For the Guide whose work had doubled or tripled, Serena stepped forward.

-I know Seraph’s trap-setting habits and preferences well, so I’ll help.

-What kind of royal family hobby is trap-setting anyway.

To explain the Huaim family’s peculiarities, she would need to recite the sad history (a thousand years’ worth) of tomb robbers who were annoying but capable, and a family that suffered unusually frequent grave robberies.

Speaking it aloud would take time, and writing it down would make her hand hurt, so Serena skipped the explanation.

Instead, she looked at the magic map and pointed out places where Seraph might have installed traps.

Not long after the Guide began searching for traps, he discovered additional ones.

It was structured so that when a Mimic moved to pounce on someone approaching, something would fall from the ceiling.

The Mimic, knowing there was a trap in front of it, was trapped and couldn’t escape to the walls like its fellow creatures.

When Olive processed the thread that could only be seen by changing angles, Count Alpha split the trapped Mimic in half and killed it.

Olive didn’t even ask permission from the Imperial Knight before stepping on people to climb up, then came down with something from the ceiling.

What the Guide brought down was a small orb.

It was the size of glass marbles that children play with, and when rotated with color inside, it shone with rainbow hues.

The children playing with glass marbles here refers to the children Serena had seen in her previous life.

Just like in her previous life, decent glass crafts in this world cost whatever price they demanded.

-Does anyone know what this is?

This wasn’t the Guide’s usual labyrinth survival quiz when bored, but a genuine question seeking information.

-Looking at how it was installed in the trap, it seems to be for attacking.

Following the experienced labyrinth adventurer, even the genius alchemist stroked his chin, puzzled by the orb’s identity.

-It must be designed to fall and attack the Mimic when the thread is touched.

-Zero?

Ying shook her head side to side with an expressionless face.

-I don’t know either.

Even Count Alpha, who specialized in splitting monster heads rather than human ones, put his head together with the others to think, but nothing came to mind.

Eventually, the orb went into the alchemist’s subspace bag. If it was something that would explode from impact, it would be troublesome, so it had to be stored in a subspace bag to carry.

-Let’s go to the lobby and ask Grey.

Count Alpha wrinkled his handsome face at the suggestion of asking the prince’s attendant about something that even an experienced labyrinth adventurer and genius alchemist didn’t know.

He seemed to have much to say, but finding written conversation cumbersome, the Imperial Knight decided to keep his doubts to himself rather than voice them.

-Well then, since we’ve dismantled all the traps. Let’s look for books.

The Guide declared to the party that they were free to move around.

Ralph pointed to the Mimics with their heads buried in the walls.

-Is it alright to leave the Mimics alone?

-Leave them. If they’re that scared, they won’t attack. Just in case, Black Knight will watch them. If they move, split them with your axe.

-Then I’ll also help Count Alpha monitor the Mimics.

While the two knights monitored the Mimics with their heads buried in the walls, the rest of the party decided to look for misplaced books.

‘Here are cookbooks, here are art books, this is a noble family genealogy…’

Investigating the bookshelves with different subjects on each shelf made her feel dizzy.

Occasionally discovering book titles that tempted Serena made it hard to resist the urge to pull out books.

Sometimes Serena, sometimes Ying would snap each other out of being entranced by books as they diligently searched the library.

‘There aren’t any?’

The party concluded that there were no books with wrong classification or arrangement.

-Did we miss some and skip over them?

-Just checking titles was indeed too much. We need to check the contents too.

Serena threw out an opposing opinion to the Count’s suggestion.

-No. Even if it’s a book you’re not interested in, you can be entranced if you look at the contents.

Fortunately or unfortunately, there was still a space on the 27th floor of Heuji’s Labyrinth that the party hadn’t even set foot in.

-The reading room? We didn’t go there.

The Guide, who had never used a library even once in his life, didn’t seem to grasp the concept of a reading room.

If there hadn’t been a rule about being quiet in libraries, he would have endlessly complained things like ‘Why is there a designated space for reading books? Can’t you read comfortably? Educated people are so strange.’

-Don’t reading rooms not have books?

-Let’s go check it out first, Count Hanson.

The party turned around, finally punished the cowardly attacking labyrinth book, and headed to the reading room.

The reading room was as spacious as the library.

Large desks and chairs for reading books were arranged regularly, and towers of books large and small were stacked on the desks.

On the walls of the reading room, large and beautiful books were spread open on reading stands adjusted to adult height.

Olive pointed to the huge books spread out in a row.

-Why are those set up like that? Do you have to stand to read them? Are the chairs paid?

Asking if library reading room chairs cost money. Wasn’t that exactly the kind of idea someone who had never been to a library would have?

-Usually dictionaries, magic books, and ancient texts are viewed that way.

-So they’re expensive books?

The Guide swayed only his upper body as he approached the large and beautiful books.

He seemed to want to look at them because they were expensive books, but the moment the Guide took a few steps, a loud and resounding sound broke the silence of the reading room.

Woof woof! Grrr! Bark bark!

The large and beautiful book that had been spread on the standing reading desk suddenly barked like a dog and rushed at Olive.

Olive quickly dodged to the side, but the giant book couldn’t reach the Guide and stopped midway.

Clank. Clatter clatter.

The giant book was bound by chains and couldn’t move beyond the length of the chain.

Woof woof! Grrrowl! Woof woof!

Stimulated by their companion’s excited barking, all the giant books on the walls woke up and stirred.

Woof woof! Waaah! Yap yap! Bark bark! Yelp yelp!

The silent reading room filled with the sound of barking dogs. The noise from three directions was enough to make their ears ring.

The party was terrified by the books barking loud enough to bring down the library.

‘Tiger!’

The librarian of the labyrinth library wouldn’t tolerate this commotion. They had to run or hide before the shadow tiger came.

A strong force grabbed the princess’s wrist as she ran toward the stairs. A body temperature slightly lower and cooler than an ordinary person’s. It was Ying.

When Ying pulled Serena under a desk, Olive, who had been waiting to help the princess navigate the bookshelf path, came running frantically.

‘Zero! Are you crazy?’

Ying also shoved the Guide, who was protesting by moving only his lips silently, under the desk.

Then, because Serena had hidden under the desk and the rest of the party members couldn’t escape, she made them all hide under desks too, then lit a magic lantern and placed it on the desk.

When light grows stronger, shadows also deepen.

If they had hidden in light during their first encounter with the shadow tiger, this time the party hid in the desk shadows that had deepened due to the lantern.

It seemed questionable whether this would work against a monster that moved between shadows, but it was already too late to run.

The party, including Serena, held their breath in half-resignation and waited for the approaching reaper.

Bark bark! Grrrowl! Bark bark bark! Woof woof!

The giant books barked loudly, clanking their chains. How long did they endure the sound of books barking?

No matter how long they waited, the anticipated stench of blood and gore didn’t come, so the party members who had been burying their heads between their knees began lifting their heads one by one.

-It’s not coming?

-Maybe it’s okay since we’re not the ones making noise?

-It seems monsters making noise is fine!

Come to think of it, every time they fought monsters it was a bit noisy, but the librarian never came.

-Right. There’s no law saying we have to die. Got to leave some breathing room.

With an unbeatable strong enemy around, there had to be room for escape routes too.

The Guide listened for other sounds among the book barking, then slowly crept out from under the desk.

After checking the surroundings, the Guide signaled to the party that it was safe to come out.

Serena, who had been shoved under the desk first, came out last.

-Zero. We got lucky this time, but next time just grab the princess and run.

-That’s right. It was too dangerous.

-I agree with Olive’s opinion. Please prioritize the Grand Princess’s safety above all else.

-For the Princess’s sake, I wouldn’t mind becoming bait.

Ying didn’t bat an eye at the party members’ protests.

Serena also had different thoughts from the party.

‘Even if a tiger had come, we wouldn’t have been discovered.’

Everyone thought the desk’s shadow had deepened because of the lantern, but Serena saw clearly with her one eye.

‘We weren’t in shadow, but in darkness.’

The darkness created by the Loyal Servant of Darkness would have perfectly concealed the party.

For the High Priest of Darkness, who rarely uses his power, to step forward to save the party.

Serena patted the High Priest’s shoulder with gratitude.

Woof woof! Bark bark! Kuwaaaaang!

As the party crawled out from under the desk, the giant book barked ferociously as if it would charge at them immediately if not for the chains.

When Olive tried to throw her dagger, Count Randy stopped her.

-That’s a Tooth Book.

-Tooth Book? What the hell is that?

Olive crossed her arms, demanding an explanation for the unknown monster’s appearance.

She was already troubled by hearing this labyrinth was difficulty level 10, and now with unknown monsters appearing twice on this floor, both her heart and mind seemed complicated.

-A Tooth Book is.

-Is that a Tooth Book?

The Count, who belatedly recognized the book’s identity, was trying his best to write proper letters for an explanation when Count Alpha showed off his knowledge.

Olive immediately snatched the notebook and pen from the alchemist’s hands and passed them to the Imperial Knight.

-I only know the birth legend of Tooth Books. A mage desperately prayed to the God of Magic and cast the obtained magic on a book, causing the enchanted book to grow teeth and bark like a dog while attacking people.

Olive quietly clicked her tongue at the appearance of a monster with an actual birth legend.

-Mages have nothing better to do. Why learn such magic?

That was exactly what Serena wanted to say.

-According to legend, he desperately prayed to the God of Magic to punish people who lick their fingers when turning book pages.

-He should have just poisoned the books instead. What a strange mage.

This was also what Serena wanted to say.

-What are you talking about? If you poison books, the books get damaged.

Book-loving Count Randy pointed out why poisoning wasn’t appropriate, but everyone else sympathized with Olive’s opinion.

-I didn’t even lick my fingers, so why is it making a fuss? Tooth Book or whatever, I’m killing it.

This time both Count Randy and Count Alpha stopped Olive simultaneously.

-You can’t.

‘Why not?’

Olive pouted her lips.

-According to the birth legend, that’s not a monster but an enchanted book. When the magic is broken, it becomes an ordinary book, so you can’t attack the Tooth Book. It could be a rule violation.

-Book damage?

-That’s right.

Both Imperial citizens nodded with serious faces.

-Then what do we do? To read books, we have to enter their attack range. You want us to dodge around?

Both Imperial citizens nodded with serious expressions again this time.

The Guide cursed silently with an expression of disbelief.

Serena guessed from just the lip movements.

‘Damn it, fuck this shit.’

Since this was also what Serena wanted to say, the Princess applauded inwardly.

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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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