Serena and the Mysterious Labyrinth - Chapter 252

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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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252. Stairway to Heaven

Count Alpha, true to his cautious nature, did not immediately put the Prince on the step mill.

The Mysterious Stranger, who despite his rather light and flashy appearance was carefully and meticulously reading the instruction manual, saw Ralph carrying exercise equipment and joined in to help.

“Whoa!”

Ralph, who had been cheerfully carrying dumbbells to a nearby clearing with a bright smile, suddenly let out a scream. Though it was a light scream, it drew everyone’s attention to Ralph.

“Knight, what’s wrong? Did you hurt your hand carrying the dumbbells?”

“That’s not it! I was thinking it would be nice if the dumbbells were a bit heavier. And they actually got heavier!”

The small dumbbell that had been marked as 1kg when Ralph picked it up was still the same size, but now the number written on it had changed to 5kg.

“I should have explained earlier. The Minotaur God said that all these Labyrinth exercise equipment can have their weight adjusted by thought.”

At the Princess’s explanation, all the combat classes simultaneously lit up with interest.

“We could use them as weapons.”

Objects with adjustable weight? Of course they should be used as weapons! Everyone’s thoughts were similar to Serena’s.

‘Is this why they blocked it from the start?’

Serena delivered disappointing news to those who were excited.

“They can’t be used as weapons. Attacks are impossible.”

“Huh? How can that be?”

Olive, who had excitedly taken the dumbbell Ralph was holding and was enjoying the freely changing weight, grumbled.

Seeing is believing. Olive suddenly swung the dumbbell at Ralph who was standing nearby. In the blink of an eye during this surprise attack, Serena and Count Alpha were momentarily startled.

Ralph skillfully expanded the magic shield equipped on his wrist and deflected the dumbbell attack. His gentle-looking face appeared from beside the shield.

“It really can’t be used for attacks. There was no impact!”

“Aww! That’s cheating! Is throwing blocked too?”

Olive increased the dumbbell’s weight to 10kg and threw it straight at Ralph. Ralph easily blocked the dumbbell with his shield again this time.

The dumbbell hit the shield as lightly as a feather. Even when it fell to the ground it was light as a feather, but when Ralph bent down to pick up the dumbbell, he could feel its heaviness.

“It doesn’t even account for natural falling weight. Cheating, so cheating. To even block attacks disguised as accidents.”

“It seems they can only be used for exercise. Very disappointing.”

Ralph and Olive conversed casually, but Serena and Count Alpha’s frowns remained.

“Olive. Even if you trust Count Ralph’s shield skills, how can you suddenly attack like that?”

Count Alpha pressed his lips together and nodded as if telling her to scold more. Instead of reflecting, the Guide shamelessly shrugged her shoulders.

“Ah~ There’s a reason for all that! Now our Knight can block this level of surprise attacks! I’m helping to improve his proficiency!”

“Hoot. I’m pleased that Count Ralph’s shield skills have improved remarkably.”

Ralph was the one who trained, but Prince Willow acted smugly. Serena didn’t mind and helped place exercise equipment in the clearing, referring to her past life memories.

When the rough setup was finished, the two knights who had exerted themselves wiped the sweat from their foreheads and smiled refreshingly.

“It’s really wonderful! Low will be amazed when he returns! Your Highness will really benefit from rotating through the equipment for exercise!”

“Your Highness the Grand Princess. You have many matters that require your attention, yet you’ve even granted my humble request. I truly thank you. I will not forget this kindness.”

Count Alpha, who had been looking at the Labyrinth gym with a proud face, knelt before Serena. The culprit preventing the Prince from leaving the lobby felt a slight pang of conscience as she helped the other’s knight to his feet.

“This benefits everyone. I didn’t ask for this just for the Prince.”

“Gasp, you received all this from the Labyrinth for our Highness? As expected, the Princess also has feelings for our Highness.”

“No.”

“Affection.”

“No.”

If only the Old Man hadn’t been scheming, the guilt and responsibility the Princess felt toward the Prince would have been twice what it was now.

Though they were just exercise equipment, since new things had entered the Labyrinth where there was nothing to do, everyone gathered at the gym to read instruction manuals or try the equipment.

Even Knight Marin, who had been staring blankly at the eternal campfire, picked up dumbbells as if seeing the exercise equipment made her want to move her body.

“Inhale. Exhale.”

“Knight Marin! Your mouth!”

The Knight who had almost unconsciously counted out loud pressed her lips tightly shut. Muffin watched the Knight with eagle eyes, unable to return to the lobby.

“Uhaha! This floor rotates! You can keep walking or running!”

“This would be good for practicing acrobatics?”

“Woong! Woo woong!”

Duri played by rolling around with the exercise ball. Everyone smiled warmly at the cute sight of the bear playing with the ball.

While everyone was having a good time at the gym, Count Alpha returned to the lobby and got on the step mill.

Before making the Prince exercise, he intended to personally use the equipment to experience the usage and exercise intensity.

Prince Willow, still unaware of his gray future, spoke to his friend who was slowly climbing stairs.

“An exercise machine where you just climb stairs endlessly. You can never reach the top, the stairs are infinite, yet you accomplish nothing while being tired and meaningless – it’s just like a torture device! Hahaha!”

The origins of step mills and treadmills were indeed for prisoner torture. Serena was slightly surprised by Prince Willow’s intuition in grasping the essence.

‘Sharp guy.’

Indeed, this Prince was not someone to be underestimated. He was extraordinary yet kind, making him a person requiring caution.

How much time had passed? Even after the Number Siblings, who had thoroughly explored the new equipment, returned to the lobby, Count Alpha did not come down from the step mill.

The sweat that had formed on his straight forehead while moving exercise equipment beaded up again, wetting his delicate eyebrows that looked as if they had been carefully drawn and refined. Only then did the Imperial Knight stop the step mill and come down.

“I understand how to use it. Now it’s Your Highness’s turn.”

“Me?”

“Don’t pretend you didn’t hear and get up quickly. Remove your outer garment.”

The Prince who had grasped the step mill’s origins was reluctant to experience the torture device. But the dark clouds had completely settled over Prince Willow’s head. The Prince was trapped and could not escape his predetermined disaster.

“Sirius! This doesn’t seem right! This is torture!”

“Don’t move your mouth and focus on the muscle sensation of climbing stairs.”

“I hate focusing!”

Prince Willow made sounds like an elementary student who couldn’t concentrate in class and wandered around the back of the classroom, making a tearful face.

“Isn’t the speed too slow? This is just a stroll.”

“I plan to increase the speed once Your Highness adapts.”

The Imperial Knight gave a troubled look to the attendant who was telling him to torture the Prince more intensely.

“What I desire is ice to soothe my hard-worked muscles!”

After sweating through exercise, drinking cool fruit juice feels good and is good for the body. Serena created ice and had Bear crush it.

Once the Bear-brand ice was completed, Lavenda squeezed fruit juice and mixed it with water and ice. Serena drank the cool, sweet, and refreshing green grape juice while calling for other people who hadn’t gone to the gym – Count and Countess Randy.

“Count, take a break for a moment. Philia, you rest too.”

Count Randy had been holed up in the workshop the entire time handling the silver fabric Serena had obtained through a deal with her sibling, and Countess Randy had been helping her husband.

When a retainer becomes too absorbed in work, it’s the lord’s role to recommend rest. However, Count Randy, who was deeply absorbed in his work, did not respond to the Princess’s call.

“I’m sorry, Lady Serena. I cannot leave my position right now. Dear, you should rest.”

The alchemist didn’t leave the workshop and only sent his wife. Philia apologized again in her husband’s place.

“I’m sorry, Lady Serena. Mark is putting his heart and soul into creating Lady Serena’s armor, so please forgive him generously.”

“I’m not angry, so it’s fine. I’m grateful that he’s putting so much effort into making it.”

The Princess, maid, and Count Baker’s daughter drank the cool green grape juice. Being like this felt just like enjoying a tea party at the royal palace.

“The small tree in the herb garden. We got it when we were together on the 5th floor, right? It’s grown a lot.”

“Yes. Philia has been carefully tending to it by watering it.”

“Ah, I saw this morning. Countess Randy was watering it, and the water droplets reflected the Countess’s beauty, sparkling brilliantly. High Priest Hazel was watching together and was amazed.”

“Miss Muffin is particularly weak to Philia’s beauty. Aren’t you used to it from seeing Seraph often?”

“Ugh, Seraph and the Countess are different. Seraph is already tiresome, and seeing him daily makes it more tiresome… Would Seraph also look radiant if I saw him after a long time like the Countess?”

Perhaps because she’d seen him since childhood, Muffin was cold toward her fiancé candidate’s looks.

“Sirius. Is this right? Huff huff! Save me!”

“Woong woong!”

While the Empire’s Prince was being tortured, Bear played with a ball, and the Princess, maid, and Prince’s fiancé candidate chatted with gossip about the Prince.

Count Randy, holed up in the workshop, was facing the second biggest dilemma of his life.

‘The story about Lady Serena being someone particularly noble. Should I tell Master?’

Count Randy had been regretting pretending to sleep that night ever since. The conversation between the Princess and the Taciturn Archer was too big and heavy for the Count to handle alone. The only time the Count forgot about that topic was when he looked at his wife.

‘Master is someone with great thirst for knowledge, so he might know something. But it’s a dangerous topic if others find out, so I can’t tell Master. That would be betraying Lady Serena.’

Even while agonizing like this, the alchemist’s hands moved without a single error, combining chemicals. It was an alchemical solution to spray on the silver fabric.

‘Wait. There’s no proof that everything Ying said is true. How did Ying know such dangerous information in the first place? And why didn’t Lady Serena suspect Ying?’

The alchemist’s hands, which had been moving flawlessly like a conductor directing an orchestra, slowed slightly. Count Randy’s expression became extremely serious.

‘That’s not like Lady Serena.’

Come to think of it, it had been like that from the beginning. The arrogant and rude Guide was one thing. Ying had been strange from the moment she first came to the lobby, but Serena hadn’t suspected the archer.

‘When we first met, she was suspicious of me too.’

Count Randy clearly remembered the moment he first met the Princess of Huji. The orange eyes that evaluated alchemists and gauged their inner thoughts were more mysterious than the rumors suggested and gripped people by the throat.

‘Those eyes that seemed kind at a glance yet were cold…’

Somehow, a memory surfaced of the Princess’s orange eyes being frightening. Count Randy immediately corrected his faulty memory. Princess Serena had only one eye even back then.

‘This is definitely strange. Lady Serena isn’t that kind of person. And the other people are acting strange too.’

From his beloved wife who would unconditionally shout “How impudent!” whenever she saw someone being rude to Serena, to the seasoned Old Man who had been through every kind of battle – none of them were wary of Ying.

They naturally accepted Ying’s confident and unrestrained attitude.

‘Why?’

If the faithful servant of darkness had known the Count’s question, it would have answered thus:

Because unlike light, darkness is always by your side.

The doubt he had harbored was naturally destined to be buried in darkness, but the genius alchemist’s reason didn’t let the momentary inspiration slip away.

The Princess’s encouragement to become barbed wire to protect those he wanted to guard played a part in this.

‘Ying is suspicious. Could she have used sorcery to cloud our eyes? I need to warn Lady Serena.’

Count Randy made his decision.

‘Good! I’ll honestly tell Lady Serena that I overheard the conversation and report Ying.’

The person Count Randy wanted to protect even if it meant becoming barbed wire couldn’t live without Princess Serena. Protecting Princess Serena was the path to protecting his wife.

Having finished his deliberation, the alchemist’s hands moved even more precisely.

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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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