Serena and the Mysterious Labyrinth - Chapter 276
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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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276. Obsessive Delusion
Outrageous rumors about himself and the Prince, plus the cancellation of the marriage proposal.
Grey, who had received two pieces of blood pressure-raising news in a row, didn’t quite reach the point of fainting from rage, but he did collapse after spitting up blood.
“Grey!”
Prince Willow rushed to Grey while precariously maintaining the secret. Serena ran over as well.
‘No, don’t die! I haven’t saved!’
Grey was an irreplaceable human resource. It would be better to start over than lose Grey like this.
“Waaah, Grey oppa is dead! Waaaah.”
Neet, who casually spit up blood whenever she was bored, burst into tears upon seeing Grey spit up blood.
Ralph’s face turned as pale as if he had spit up blood himself, and Olive, who had been rolling on the floor laughing, jumped up and stamped her feet.
“What, he spits up blood just from a little teasing? I did it on purpose, but I didn’t mean to kill him.”
Even the Guide, who was accustomed to death, seemed clearly surprised as this was apparently his first time witnessing such a death.
“I, I didn’t know they were uncle and nephew. It was a terrible rumor, but enough to spit up blood and die?”
Seraph, who had inadvertently brought down the Grand Mage with his words, was also flustered and didn’t know what to do.
Prince Willow shook the body of the child collapsed on the floor and cried out in a grief-stricken voice.
“Open your eyes. You can’t die yet. I still have… so many things I want to do with Uncle, so many things I want to say!”
The Prince’s anguished cry was no less than the grief Grey had shown when the Prince died. Thanks to this, the conflicted Princess steeled her resolve.
‘Right. Let’s die.’
So many things had happened. She was afraid of what future might come if all of it became nothing, but it was better than losing Grey like this.
“Ying!”
Serena called for the archer who always delivered death swiftly and accurately. Just as Ying drew her dagger and approached at the Princess’s gesture to kill her, Countess Nex shouted at the top of her lungs.
“Everyone calm down! Just because he spit up blood and collapsed doesn’t mean death is certain!”
It was persuasion that only someone with experience spitting up blood could provide.
Countess Nex coughed, covering her mouth with a handkerchief as if her throat hurt from shouting. A few drops of blood stained the handkerchief.
The Countess placed her bony hand on the shoulder of the Prince who was shaking Grey.
“Your Highness. I understand your feelings, but shaking him like that is dangerous. Please lay Grey down on the floor first.”p>
“Right, the Countess is correct. He’s alive, he could be alive! Yes!”
Prince Willow laid Grey down on the floor with wide eyes and an open-mouthed smile. The child’s blood-soaked front moved up and down greatly.
As Countess Nex said, Grey was alive!
He had spit up blood and collapsed, but he was alive and breathing!
“Waaaah.”
“Neet, stop crying. Young Master is alive!”
“Young Master is hurt, so Neet be quiet!”
“Hic. Quiet. Hic. Hic.”
Neet stopped crying with comfort from her sisters. But she was so shocked that she got the hiccups.
Prince Willow shed tears of joy as if Countess Nex had saved Grey’s life.
“He’s alive as the Countess said! What should we do now?”
“First, please turn Grey’s head so blood doesn’t pool and block his airway.”
“I’ll check his pulse.”
Unfortunately, all the healers from both parties were absent. Lavenda, who had some knowledge of the human body, and Countess Nex, who had related knowledge from being so sickly, examined the child.
“Should we pour a potion first?”
All the potions in the lobby had been moved to the 11th floor, so Philia took out a high-grade recovery potion from Landriole Workshop that she had received from her husband. Serena shook her head.
“Potions aren’t omnipotent.”
As her reason, which had fled in shock, returned and she thought carefully, Serena thought she knew why Grey had collapsed.
‘He collapsed because he’s a mage.’
The cause of Grey’s collapse was the flow of mana in his body reversing or becoming disturbed. In martial arts terms, it could be explained as blocked or twisted qi flow.
Don’t martial arts novels sometimes show scenes of defeating enemies through verbal sparring? Qi is closely connected to the mind. So when the mind receives shock, the qi also receives shock and runs wild.
The mana in this world had similar aspects to qi. There’s a reason meditation is recommended for mage training. A mage’s mana that has lost composure can become a blade that attacks the mage from within.
“Grey’s internal mana has reversed. He should be fine after resting for a while.”
Indeed, Countess Nex’s conclusion after examining the old man was identical to Serena’s speculation. Prince Willow immediately cleared a spot next to the campfire and brought bedding from the capsule to lay out.
Seraph, who had nearly killed the child, broke out in cold sweat and peppered the Countess with questions.
“Is there no danger to his life? Any aftereffects?”
“Grey is a child with excellent mana control. He’s just momentarily shocked now, so he’ll be fine with time.”
“Countess, would it be alright to massage around Grey Young Master’s neck?”
“Do that when Grey wakes up.”
“Hic, cough. Teacher, is Grey oppa really okay? Hic, cough.”
Neet, suffering the double burden of coughing and hiccups, asked in a small voice. Countess Nex placed her bony hand over Neet’s small one and reassured the child.
“Of course, he’s fine. Lavenda, Neet’s bandages are wet, shall I change them?”
“Of course. Neet, come here. Sister will change your bandages.”
The tear-soaked bandages felt as pitiful as tear-soaked bread. Countess Nex sat beside Grey to care for him, but her posture looked very uncomfortable.
Serena stood up and handed the Countess a low chair that had fallen on the floor.
“Goodness. I thought we were adding another occupied grave and got startled. I know it’s a disturbing rumor, but did you have to say it like that?”
Olive also didn’t welcome Grey’s death and scolded Seraph. The Prince’s eyes blazed with fury at being scolded by a thief of all people.
“I did nothing wrong! If it’s a false rumor, just clarify it! It’s strange to spit up blood without even being able to do that!”
Seraph angrily turned the tables. Having just witnessed a young child spit up blood and collapse, the gazes toward the Prince were menacing.
A headache was coming on. Serena pressed her temples. There was one thing the royalty of this world absolutely never learned in their lives.
How to apologize.
Royalty only apologized to other royalty of similar status and position when they had clearly done something wrong that anyone could see.
Of course, royalty who had never learned or practiced how to apologize properly in their lives couldn’t possibly apologize nicely to other royalty.
The continent’s history books were endlessly filled with wars and conflicts that arose because a single apology was too difficult.
Serena had thought that thanks to her care from a young age, he apologized better than other royalty, but what was this? Her brother’s apologies apparently existed only for his sister’s attention and affection.
Seraph lifted his head and glared.
“I did nothing wrong!”
“Wow. The Prince’s stubbornness is like a Minotaur’s heartstring~.”
The Guide exclaimed in admiration while glancing at the Prince. Prince Willow prioritized Grey’s stability above all and didn’t react even to Seraph’s blame-shifting remarks.
“Your Highness, that is wrong.”
There was someone else who reacted to Seraph’s blame-shifting. The Young Knight who wanted to uphold justice steeled his resolve and stepped forward before the Prince.
“What did you say?”
“Your Highness was wrong. You should apologize to Grey Young Master and His Highness.”
“Are you trusting Serena and ignoring me now? I am the next king of Huji.”
“I don’t trust the Princess and ignore Your Highness. I’m saying you should apologize because Your Highness was wrong. I don’t know the detailed circumstances, but.”
“If you don’t know, shut up.”
“Even without knowing, I thought hard about it. The rumors about His Highness and Grey Young Master are indeed unpleasant. Because they’re unpleasant, I think Your Highness was even more wrong. Your Highness spoke of the rumors where everyone could hear, and Young Master and His Highness were greatly shocked by that content. For young Grey Young Master, both the fact that such rumors were circulating and that even people who didn’t know the rumors learned the unpleasant content must have been shocking.”
As if he had truly thought hard about it, Ralph repeatedly clenched and unclenched his fists. The Young Knight mustered courage to express his thoughts to the Prince of the same age.
“Even if you misunderstood because of the rumors, you could have called just the two of them aside to talk privately. The Princess would have done that.”
“Serena, Serena, that damn Serena!”
Seraph exploded without warning. Even Prince Willow, who was caring for Grey, was startled by the volcanic eruption of anger and looked at the Prince.
“Everyone’s like that! Always Serena or Richard! Serena would have done that? Then go tell Serena! Or stop beating around the bush and say it outright! Just say you wish Serena had become king instead of me!”
“What? I didn’t mean that.”
“Shut up!”
Seraph exploded alone, vented his anger, then ran out of the lobby. When startled Ralph tried to follow the Prince, the Hunter stopped him.
“Sir Knight, please stay here. I’ll go.”
Serena also tried to go to her brother, but Grey moved his head and groaned.
“Ugh. My ears are going to burst.”
“Grey Ash! You’re awake!”
Prince Willow shed tears of joy. Following Countess Nex’s words, he didn’t touch a hair on the patient.
“Grey, are you conscious? How much do you remember?”
“Ugh. There was a rumor more nightmarish than when rumors circulated about the late Emperor, and the marriage proposal was broken because of it? Ugh!”
The old man brought his hand to the back of his neck again. Grey grumbled while massaging his own nape.
“This is ridiculous. If my body wasn’t young, I would have really died.”
The incident where the Prince of Heuji nearly killed the Imperial Grand Mage with his sharp tongue ended as an attempt. It was truly fortunate. Serena let out a sigh of relief.
“Grey oppa, hic. Are you okay? Cough. Does it hurt?”
“Oh my. I showed you something you shouldn’t have seen. I’m fine now.”
“Waaaaah.”
Relieved, Neet burst into tears of joy like the Prince. Like the Prince, Neet seemed to remember Countess Nex’s words, so she didn’t touch Grey at all and ran to hug her sisters instead.
“Ugh.”
“Grey, it’s dangerous if you move.”
“I’m fine because I’m young. So.”
Grey, who had raised his upper body, observed the lobby that had been turned upside down. His cold gray eyes touched the Prince’s tear-stained face but passed by without saying anything.
“I heard a truly nightmarish story. Is it true that there are unspeakable and outrageous rumors about Your Highness and me, and because of those rumors, the marriage proposal between Your Highness and the Princess was broken off?”
‘That’s what you’re checking as soon as you wake up?’
Since there was no reason to lie, Serena nodded. Kuhek. Grey exhaled roughly and grabbed the back of his neck.
“That’s too much! They didn’t even verify the truth of such outrageous rumors!”
Grey rolled his eyes and scolded Prince Willow.
“This is all because of Your Highness! What kind of behavior did you display for such rumors to spread!”
“Argh! Why are you hitting me! I’m innocent.”
His body was so young it was almost childlike, which seemed to be good for him. Grey jumped up and smacked the Prince on the head. Prince Willow stopped crying and ran away to escape the unjust violence.
‘He’s bullying the Prince again.’
Grey and the Prince care for each other. That’s certain. The problem was Grey’s twisted way of expressing affection.
Being stingy with praise to everyone was one thing.
‘Why does he always think the Prince is at fault? Such stubborn old man habits.’
Serena enlightened the stubborn old man who was firmly mistaken about reality.
“Grey. It’s because of how you bully and assault the Prince like you’re doing now that strange rumors spread.”
“What… did you say?”
Grey, who had been chasing the Prince with his fist raised high, stopped. His fist slowly lowered as if he had received a great shock, then moved toward the back of his neck again.
“Kuhek!”
“Uncle!”
Fortunately, Grey didn’t collapse. Having a young body was indeed good.
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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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