Serena and the Mysterious Labyrinth - Chapter 254

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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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254. Coin of Effort

Just as she was preparing to be disappointed again by not getting a proper answer, the Archer surprisingly answered obediently for once.

“Effort is close friends with fortune and misfortune.”

He did answer obediently, but the content was unhelpful. When Serena raised her eyebrows, the Archer moved only his lips with an expressionless face.

“The Coin of Effort causes fortune or misfortune depending on the bearer’s effort. It’s single-use, so use it when necessary.”

Serena’s two eyes sparkled. Though she only had one eye, the muscles moved together.

‘It was a good item after all!’

Without realizing it, her hand fumbled in her inner pocket. She felt relieved after confirming the hard, round texture of the coin.

“What kind of effect does it have?”

“It depends on the bearer’s effort.”

Serena was about to ask who exactly would judge effort since it was extremely subjective, but her words were cut short.

If it were her previous life, perhaps not. But in this reincarnated world, there actually existed a being in the heavens who could judge effort – effort itself.

“Is there a specific way to use it?”

“When you want to use it, flip or throw the coin. Then fortune will come according to your effort, or misfortune will befall your enemies. If you haven’t put in enough effort.”

The servant of darkness who loved silence far too much cut off his words mid-sentence. Of course, the words the Archer swallowed were quite predictable.

‘If you don’t put in effort, misfortune will come to you, and fortune might follow your enemies instead.’

Serena continued to check the texture of the coin in her inner pocket.

‘Hmm. It’s definitely a good item, but the result depends on effort? I’m not confident about that.’

She had received pocket money from the Bald Priest, but unlike Ralph or Neet who truly lived earnestly and purely, it had more of a participation award meaning.

‘I don’t want to put in effort. I want to coast through life.’

A dream she’d held since her previous life. She could have achieved it after reincarnation, but why did a labyrinth have to be created in Heuji City of all places?

Sighing deeply inwardly as she arrived at the lobby, there were people there to greet Serena.

“What did you three talk about – Uncle, Your Highness, and Sister Ying?”

“Honey. What conversation did you have with Lady Serena?”

“What did you three do? Hey? Include me too~.”

Count Randy couldn’t find an appropriate excuse even with his good head and was struggling.

As Serena frantically racked her brain looking for a suitable excuse, Ying strode with long legs toward the Alchemist’s Workshop.

Then she picked up the silver fabric that had become lighter and sturdier but still caused the alchemist headaches due to its persistent glare.

“Leave it to me. I’ll dye it with darkness.”

At the Archer’s unilateral decision, the Princess and alchemist were flustered but spoke in unison.

“Right. Ying said she knew a way to soften the fabric’s brightness.”

“It’s a top-secret method, so the three of us quietly discussed it. Hahaha!”

The Count’s acting was clumsy, but perhaps thanks to Ying and Serena handling it well, Ying’s excuse was well-received by the people.

“Zero dyeing? Well, since she lives all wrapped up in black, she’d probably know a method or two for dyeing things black.”

“Hahaha! Exactly! That’s it!”

Serena poked Count Randy’s side as he laughed awkwardly. Count Randy, who knew about the promise between the Princess and his wife, closed his mouth.

“It’s a secret method, so put up a partition.”

“That much? Understood. Listen, the fabric is in a sensitive state right now, so don’t touch it carelessly.”

Count Randy hastily improvised a partition around the workshop. Grey, who hadn’t completely abandoned his suspicions, bombarded his uncle with questions. Count Randy sweated profusely while consistently playing dumb.

‘After hearing that conversation, she came to me first instead of Grey. I’m impressed.’

Hadn’t Count Randy said so? That half of his body belonged to the Imperial Emperor.

Even though he loved Philia, the debt Count Randy owed to the Emperor hadn’t disappeared, so he thought of himself as half an Imperial noble.

After overhearing top-secret information that seemed related to the Old Man’s lifelong research, he didn’t run to the Old Man but told Serena the truth, which the Princess found admirable.

‘It means my life is worth more than the Empire’s benefit.’

If the lives of the Imperial Emperor, Prince, Old Man, and Serena were put on a scale, the result might be different. But anyway, Count Randy was loyal to Serena.

As the Princess sent a warm smile to the dual-citizenship Count, the partition was suddenly removed. What dyeing? Ying came out of the workshop when she probably hadn’t even prepared dye.

“Do you need something? Or is the space too cramped? Don’t tell me the fabric got ruined?”

Count Randy approached the Archer, partly to escape Grey’s interrogation. Ying shook her head expressionlessly.

“Complete.”

“What?”

What Ying said was so absurd that even the Number Siblings, who had been playing with gym balls without much interest in dyeing, looked at Ying.

Regardless, Ying went into the workshop and came out with evidence that the dyeing was finished.

Black fabric as deep as Ying’s eyes spread out in the lobby. Rustle. The silver fabric, now dark as the night sky, unfolded and captured everyone’s attention.

Even though it no longer reflected light and sparkled like before, the fabric’s luxury was immediately apparent.

Count Randy, more surprised than anyone, snatched up the darkened fabric. Both the weight and strength were exactly as the alchemist remembered, only the color had changed.

The alchemist, who had been planning to cover it with other fabric since there was no way to dye silver fabric, gasped in amazement.

“Th-this is! How did you do this in such a short time?”

“It’s a secret.”

“No, the method aside, the time it took to dye was too short!”

The Guide, unusually making a sensible comment, caressed the darkly dyed fabric.

“This isn’t some kind of magic. Don’t tell me you also used some divine blessing or something, Zero?”

Olive’s round eyes turned to the Number Siblings, each born with their own blessing and talent.

Previously, she would have dismissed it as someone else’s business, saying ‘Divine blessing? Isn’t that something only priests receive?’ But her perception had changed due to the time spent in Heuji’s Labyrinth.

“Did Sister Ying also receive a heavenly blessing?”

Grey’s eyes sparkled 10 times more intensely than usual, as if he was determined to finally get an answer from Ying’s mouth.

Ying looked at Grey and Olive with her deep, dark black eyes, then suddenly pressed her forehead with her hand.

“Heh. Indeed, I couldn’t hide the sacred darkness that watches over me.”

Grey grimaced at the unbelievable statement coming from the mouth of the Archer who always quietly maintained equipment in the corner of the lobby.

“Huh?”

“Ah~ That again? Fine, I’ll take it as that~ You just don’t want to tell us because it’s a secret method, right?”

Olive, who had seen the Archer’s dark and darkness-filled side several times, shuddered and waved her hands dismissively. Grey seemed unfamiliar with this side of Ying and cautiously called the Archer’s name.

“Sister Ying?”

“Are you interested in darkness?”

“No!”

Grey jumped in place and ran away. Ying watched the fleeing Old Man’s retreating figure with what seemed like regret for a long time, then went to sit in a corner of the lobby. Then she retied her black waterproof bandages, which were also her symbol.

‘No matter how I look at it, it seems intentional.’

She’d been suspicious since Ying had posed for Ralph before, but now she was becoming certain. Ying was trying to look cool.

This raised a new question.

‘Does she make those chuunibyou statements because she thinks they’re cool, or is she trying to be funny?’

The Taciturn Archer herself was cool, but the chuunibyou statements were not.

‘Though that’s not what’s important. Does she intend to hide it or not?’

Wasn’t she using her power too openly when the heretics were threatening enough to put the Princess’s life at risk?

“That’s!”

“Mmph!”

Indeed, the Priest of Corruption and Fire Knight had figured out what Ying’s secret method was and were just staring with wide eyes.

Muffin bit down on a whole hard roll to prevent Knight Marin from accidentally opening his mouth and approached the servant of darkness.

After chattering one-sidedly for a while, Muffin couldn’t endure the Archer’s taciturnity and retreated.

“Ugh. If Knight Marin were as taciturn as Ying, I would have finished my vow of silence ages ago.”

The Pink-Haired Girl’s resentment flew in an unexpected direction. The Fire Knight, perhaps afraid of catching stray fire, quietly chewed his bread.

***

“Huff, huff.”

No matter how much he climbed the stairs, the scenery before his eyes didn’t change.

Prince Willow, who had barely gotten off the step mill after completing the set time, was rarely genuinely annoyed.

He seemed fed up with climbing stairs while only looking at the lobby wall.

“What the hell is this! At least if I climbed real stairs, the scenery would change! This is torture! Sirius, are you torturing me?”

“I apologize. But the effect is good.”

“Good effect my foot! Just climbing stairs makes my thighs, knees, and ankles hurt too much!”

“I have an effective muscle pain medicine. Would you like some?”

“Muscle pain medicine? There’s such a thing? Give it to me quickly!”

Prince Willow brightened up and took the genius alchemist’s muscle pain medicine, only to spit it out right into Count Alpha’s face.

“Pfft! You call this medicine? This isn’t something a human can consume!”

Count Alpha wiped the saliva-mixed medicine flowing down his handsome face.

“I’m disappointed, Lord Willow. According to your words, I and the others have been exploring the labyrinth while taking medicine that humans cannot consume.”

We endure the labyrinth while taking bitter medicine, but you spit out medicine just because it tastes bad after doing some exercise in the lobby?

At his friend’s indirect criticism, Prince Willow hurriedly downed the remaining medicine.

“Ugh. Medicine that’s good for the body is bitter to the mouth! I momentarily forgot that precious truth. Well then, I need to prepare a meal, so I’ll be going.”

Prince Willow fled because he didn’t want to hear more nagging from his friend. Count Alpha sighed as he wiped his friend’s sweat that had fallen on the exercise equipment.

He thought it would be a quiet day except for the prince spitting out medicine, but an incident occurred during dinner time.

“O Fire! In your grace— slurp!”

Perhaps Prince Willow had relieved the stress from being tortured through meal preparation, as the food was particularly delicious that day.

If even the lobby people found it delicious, how much more so for the Fire Knight who had been surviving on a poor diet.

Knight Marin, who had been enduring well while being monitored by the Priest of Corruption, unconsciously opened her mouth.

She was surprised by her own words and closed her mouth, but it was already too late.

‘To lose three whole days!’

Not only the Princess but everyone including the Archer looked at the Fire Knight with shocked expressions, but soon the reason for their surprise changed.

“The necklace time is the same!”

“But the Knight of Fire spoke! That’s strange?”

“What what? You said it was a seal given by the deity, but is it broken? Huh?”

“Olive. Don’t say such blasphemous things.”

“Uncle is right. Watch your words, Sister Olive. But it really is strange.”

Grey and Count Randy’s curious gazes fell upon Knight Marin’s seal. Knight Marin was also flustered, blinking as she stared intently at the time written on the seal.

“Phew. That’s a relief. I thought we’d lose three days.”

The strength left Muffin’s shoulders as she had raised her fist to turn all of Knight Marin’s teeth into cavities.

“It’s good that the time stayed the same, but what’s the reason?”

At Muffin’s question, the more thoughtful people each formed their own hypotheses.

“Since it was said in surprise, perhaps it was taken into consideration?”

“Hmm… No. Only screams or groans made in surprise were forgiven.”

“Me! Since the training period has been extended due to the power of great effort, maybe it’s not Fire’s judgment but Effort’s, so they were lenient?”

“Is that so? Effort is more generous. Ugh! No. I shouldn’t carelessly guess the will of the heavens.”

Muffin’s ears perked up at the Old Man’s words, then immediately shook her head vigorously. She usually complains plenty about corruption but maintains strict courtesy toward the Fire God.

“Um.”

Perhaps finding it hard to just watch her niece’s predicament, Countess Nex, who avoided conversation, spoke up.

“Since it’s silent training, wouldn’t it be okay?”

It’s forbidden to speak during silent training, but it’s okay because it’s silent training? It was such bizarre logic that one might suspect the Royal Magician of Heuji had lost her mind.

Countess Nex, who usually spoke little, cleared her delicate throat.

“The organs used for speaking are also muscles, so they weaken if not used for long periods. I once got into big trouble when I couldn’t speak after doing research without talking. The doctor told me then that even people doing silent training are allowed to pray aloud or sing hymns as exceptions for throat health.”

Since it was an experience from Countess Nex, who was nothing but bones and skin from not using her whole body muscles, it was highly credible.

“According to the Countess, was what the Knight of Fire said earlier counted as a prayer? Huh?”

Three days was too much to risk having the Fire Knight pray again to confirm the facts. Everyone just kept that possibility in their hearts and resumed their meal.

The Odd Sisters came running breathlessly to the Princess, who had returned after sharing the unusually delicious meal with those on the 10th Layer.

“Princess! Something terrible has happened!”

“What’s the matter?”

“The Knight! The Blue-Haired Knight spoke again!”

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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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