Serena and the Mysterious Labyrinth - Chapter 290

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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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290. The Old Man Crying in the Labyrinth

The soul of Stollen Baker, who had been subjugated by the terrifying Shadow Tiger, could be saved.

Ralph’s face lit up at the faithful servant of darkness’s assertion.

“Really? How can we save Count Baker?”

He had worried they might only say it was possible without revealing the method, but fortunately the Archer wasn’t so heartless.

Ying slightly furrowed her smooth forehead, wrinkle-free like a sculpture. She seemed to be searching her memory.

“To subjugate souls, the Shadow Tiger needs the corpse’s head. It cuts off the prey’s head and stores it in its lair to use them as servants. If you retrieve the head from the lair, you can liberate that head’s soul.”

Stollen received his head! Stollen is now a free soul!

In Serena’s mind appeared the image of the Pink Fungus joyfully holding his own head with both hands.

Since Serena disliked the raisins in stollen, she had no intention of eating it even if it were free.

“So we just need to steal the Knight’s head without fighting the tiger?”

Olive stood in a crooked posture and summarized Ying’s story. Ying just nodded as if she had finished today’s conversation.

“Hmm~ It’s better than fighting the tiger. But we don’t know where the lair is.”

“Since the Shadow Tiger is the library’s librarian, it must be in the library!”

“Who doesn’t know that? The question is where in the library~ We only found the stairs on the 8th floor~”

The 8th floor of Heuji’s Labyrinth was a library where conversation and even magic incantations were forbidden due to usage rules. Since the entire party found it frustrating, they had only found the stairs and left many areas unexplored.

“The librarian’s lair. Wouldn’t that be the staff office?”

“There’s no obvious location. We need to re-explore the 8th floor.”

“But there’s that fox brat holding out in the library. Has it gotten over its grudge by now?”

Stealing the severed head from the lair. Perhaps thinking it was better than facing the Shadow Tiger, the assault team members began adding their opinions one by one.

‘I never said I would save him.’

If left alone, the mood would flow toward rescuing Stollen’s head and liberating his soul. Serena didn’t want that.

‘That’s not what’s urgent right now. We can liberate souls after escaping the labyrinth.’

But if she interrupted the smoothly flowing exchange of opinions, everyone would realize the Princess had no intention of rescuing Stollen’s head.

‘It’s fine not to save him since he’s a betrayer. But if I directly say I have no intention of saving him, people naturally feel it’s heartless.’

This was exactly when she needed a perceptive subordinate. Philia, who was perceptive only toward her master, was about to shout on Serena’s behalf, ‘Are we discussing saving a betrayer now! There must be more urgent matters!’ when a pained scream came from below.

“Aaaaah!”

It was Grey. The Grand Mage of the Empire’s illegitimate son clutched his head in agony, running his fingers through his ash-colored hair that resembled his father’s.

“Grey? Are you hurt somewhere?”

Grey didn’t answer Sister-in-law’s question and ran toward the Archer with trembling hands.

“How! How do you know! Do you know how much I suffered to catch that Shadow Tiger? I only learned the Shadow Tiger commanded the dead after losing 7 knights! How does Sister Ying know all this!”

Saying he caught the Shadow Tiger, then calling Ying sister.

It was a bizarre way of speaking that made it unclear whether he truly intended to hide his identity or not.

Not content with using bizarre speech, Grey threw himself down in front of Ying and flailed his limbs. Grey threw a tantrum like a child begging to get a dog.

“Why does Sister Ying know so much! Why do you know everything I’m hearing for the first time! If you know so much, why won’t you teach someone who wants to learn! That’s wrong! I want to learn!”

As he rubbed his back against the floor and flailed his limbs, his shirt rode up, revealing Grey’s pale belly.

“Gasp.”

Prince Willow and Count Randy covered their eyes and turned their heads, unable to bear watching. Olive judged this was beyond mockery and opened her round eyes even wider.

Even considering Grey’s physical age rather than mental age, it was truly shameful behavior. But the old man in a child’s body continued his tantrum as if this disgrace was nothing compared to learning.

“If you don’t want to tell me, you could at least briefly mention what literature or experience led you to know! Why won’t you even do that! And!”

Grey’s arrows of resentment, which had been directed at the Archer while lying on the floor wailing, poured toward others.

“Why doesn’t anyone find this strange! Why! Why! Sister Ying is weird! Suspicious!”

‘Oh, the same observation as the Count. That’s why smart guys are…’

Serena was dim-witted and knew Ying’s identity, so the suspicion was diluted. Objectively, Ying was indeed suspicious.

‘She’s suspicious, but you don’t notice until someone points it out.’

Even now. Everyone who heard Grey’s wailing made expressions like ‘Now that you mention it, that is suspicious?’ and looked at the Archer.

Despite all eyes focusing on her, the Archer made no particular protest or excuse. She maintained her characteristic expressionless silence.

How many minutes passed like that? Olive scratched the back of her head.

“Zero is eccentric, but this place is full of guys like that. Is it so strange that Zero knows something the young master doesn’t? People naturally know and don’t know different things.”

An experienced labyrinth adventurer being well-versed in monster information was a good thing, not a flaw.

When Olive broke the ice, others nodded in agreement.

“Olive is right. Ying has a lot of experience and expertise, which is very helpful!”

“Information gaps between field work and management are common.”

“Grey is certainly a genius, but he has arrogant aspects. It’s arrogance befitting his talent, but sometimes it’s worrying.”

“It’s okay, Countess Nex. As his sister-in-law, I’ll teach him well.”

Grey seemed to regain his senses at Philia’s voice, sweet as jade beads rolling on a silver tray, and pulled down his shirt to cover his belly.

He even had the wisdom to stand up on his own before Sister-in-law could grab his ear and drag him up.

“See? It gets glossed over again.”

Ying, who had been looking down expressionlessly whether Grey rolled at her feet or exposed his belly, finally spoke.

“It’s all the power of darkness. Interested?”

Grey, who had gotten up from the floor, brushed the dust off his body. Neet helped brush the back where the boy couldn’t reach.

“I’m more interested in Sister Ying’s knowledge than darkness.”

“Ahem. Ying. Why don’t you teach Uncle the knowledge you have? If you share your precious knowledge, it would be a great help for labyrinth survival. I’ll compensate you, of course.”

“Oh! Count me in too! His Highness will pay my tuition too!”

When Prince Willow, unable to bear Grey’s disgraceful behavior, stepped in for the old man, Olive shrewdly jumped in.

Since the more you know about labyrinths and monsters the better, Serena also agreed.

“I also request it. Please bestow your knowledge upon us.”

Since entering the labyrinth, the Archer’s probability of granting the Princess’s requests was 90 percent. The missing 10 percent was when she ignored requests to talk more.

A hint of confusion appeared on the face of the Archer, who had silently accepted even the Princess’s command to cut her own throat with a dagger.

“That’s difficult.”

“Do you wish to monopolize the information?”

“That’s not it. I don’t deliberately hide information. I just speak when I remember.”

Hearing Ying’s explanation, Serena recalled situations when the Archer had shared advanced information.

‘She would talk after situations ended, or suddenly blurt things out. Was she just speaking when memories came to her?’

“Please organize and tell us those things you remember!”

To Grey’s request, Ying answered firmly.

“That’s difficult.”

“Why!”

At the Archer’s short and firm refusal, Grey’s eyes flickered as if he might throw himself on the floor again. Ying admonished the arrogant child.

“Vast unorganized information is like a flood. When necessary information comes to mind, I’ll share it immediately. No payment needed.”

What’s a day? The Archer, having exhausted a week’s worth of conversation, tried to return to a corner of the lobby.

“Wait! Even if there’s a lot of information, Neet remembers everything, so-“

Grey reached for Ying’s left hand to stop the departing Archer.

Smack!

Ying struck Grey’s hand away so fiercely that onlookers flinched.

Grey rubbed his reddened hand.

Ying stared at the old man with her characteristically deep, dark eyes and warned.

“Don’t carelessly touch my left hand.”

“Zero’s right~ You shouldn’t carelessly grab someone of the opposite sex’s hand.”

Olive, perhaps afraid Grey might throw himself on the floor and expose his belly again, tried to gloss over it with a joke.

As Grey continued rubbing his struck hand with a dumbfounded expression, a hoarse voice was heard.

“Cough. Sister Ying probably didn’t do it on purpose either. Cough. She was startled because you touched a painful spot.”

“A painful spot?”

Neet, who had excellent memory but lacked various experiences, seemed to think that just as she had bandaged her wounds, Ying had bandaged her left hand because it hurt.

‘Neet’s bandages and Ying’s bandages serve different purposes.’

If Neet’s bandages served their original purpose, Ying’s bandages were fashion items expressing personality. Even the colors showed a clear difference.

‘Where in the world are there pitch-black bandages?’

It was still too early to tell Neet the truth about the bandages wrapped around Ying’s left hand.

‘She should be at least Ralph’s age.’

Grey touched Ying’s injured hand, causing Ying to flinch and swat it away in surprise. Just as they were trying to wrap up the situation, Neet made a tearful expression and continued speaking.

“Cough. Sister Ying, the area covered by your bandages has increased. Did your wounds get worse from fighting in the labyrinth? Don’t you need to apply medicine?”

‘The area covered by bandages has increased?’

Neet never forgets what she sees and hears once, like a machine. Surprised, Serena looked at the archer’s left arm.

Above the black bandages tightly wrapped from her fingertips, the upper part was hidden by her clothes and couldn’t be seen.

Neet pointed to her shoulder and informed the group about the range of bandages she had seen when Ying took off her clothes.

“Originally the bandages only went up to here. Cough. But now they’ve moved up this way.”

Maybe she just wrapped them a bit more than usual since they were fashion bandages. Serena was thinking this when she corrected her thoughts after seeing Ying’s reaction.

Ying furrowed her brow and made an excuse to Neet.

“I was careless.”

Careless, she said. At Ying’s statement acknowledging her injury, Ralph was surprised and worried about the archer.

“Don’t tell me you injured your shoulder?”

Originally, archers are prone to shoulder, elbow, and finger joint injuries by profession. The Hunter, who knew how to shoot a bow, chimed in.

“Did you hurt a ligament? Can you draw the bowstring? Shoulder joints are flexible but that makes them easy to injure, so you have to be careful.”

Ying shook her head, dismissing everyone’s concerns.

“I was careless. I can shoot my bow, so don’t worry.”

To prove she was fine, the archer picked a cherry from the mysterious fruit tree. Then she placed it on Olive’s head.

The Guide protested vehemently at this act with obvious intent.

“Zero! Why are you putting it on my head!”

“Curly hair is stable for placing round objects.”

“Forget it!”

Everyone who saw the two bickering couldn’t help but laugh. The Number Siblings in particular burned with jealousy.

Grey alone didn’t laugh and muttered quietly with a serious expression.

“The area covered by black bandages has increased?”

The Princess didn’t miss the Old Man lost in thought by himself.

‘Something seems to have occurred to him. I should have Count Randy get it out of him.’

Serena thought about the task to assign to her loyal retainer and intentionally changed the subject.

“We too must resume labyrinth conquest from tomorrow. Everyone prepare yourselves.”

The next day. The Princess and the 1st Expedition Team once again set foot in the 41st Floor Commander’s Room of the 11th Layer, where so many events had occurred.

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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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