Serena and the Mysterious Labyrinth - Chapter 309

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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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309. Musk Expedition (2)

Actually, I’m not certain if it’s real nylon rope. I only knew it was synthetic fiber rope.

Since Serena had no occasion to handle rope in her previous life, she hadn’t expected rope to be this tough.

The tough rope gradually bound the monsters’ bodies.

Kweoook, kwueoeoook!

Aaaaaaaah!

As their bodies were constricted and pulled, the two monsters couldn’t regain their senses. Blood foam formed at the mouth of the deer caught in multiple snares around its neck.

“Waaah, Rani, Chicken Leader!”

“Oh my. I told you to stay still.”

“I’ll help.”

Though the rope hadn’t broken even when the monsters, stronger than humans, struggled desperately, it cut easily when a blade was applied to it.

Even Count Alpha stepped in to help rescue the monsters, but the damage was severe.

The Princess lost all the traps she had set up throughout the day, and the two monsters sustained injuries that made mountain travel impossible.

“Sob sob, I’m sorry, Princess.”

“No. I should have warned you beforehand.”

“Sob sob, should we catch Rani first? Should we catch Chicken Leader first? It’s cold here so the meat won’t spoil, so should we catch both?”

Despite having given them names, Sesi immediately thought of eating the monsters she had tamed. Serena pressed her forehead and answered realistically.

“Chicken Leader is a floor boss so it might be difficult to tame again, so treat it. Catch Rani.”

Even if they were fake labyrinth monsters, unnecessary suffering couldn’t be imposed. Count Alpha’s massive axe blade struck the white deer’s neck.

The hunter muttered while removing the bundle of rope from the body.

“The white color is pretty, but the fur quality itself isn’t good… The meat has a gamey smell and tastes worse than wild boar…”

Though he would skin it and take the meat for now, he seemed displeased. Serena thought of a new use from the deer’s head.

“Though there’s a bit of blood on the snout, the fur is white and the face is clean. It would be good to offer as a sacrifice to the God of Magic.”

“Aha! That method existed! We can sort out all the hide, meat, and bones and offer them as sacrifices when Neet learns magic!”

Meat that’s too precious to throw away but too tasteless to eat can be offered to the gods!

Serena quickly pointed out before Low could acquire bad wisdom.

“Items offered to the great ones in the heavens must be the most precious and finest things. Since they seem to prefer heads, we’ll only offer the head.”

‘Have you ever seen chicken ribs offered as sacrifice?’

Chicken ribs made by deboning chicken and stir-frying with seasoning would be welcomed by the great ones in the heavens, but offering real chicken ribs with only bones and no meat as sacrifice would be fortunate if it didn’t bring divine punishment.

“We’ll need to preserve the head well so it doesn’t spoil until we return.”

If Count Randy were here, she would store it in his bag, but it was regrettable he wasn’t present.

“There’s snow everywhere outside, so we can bury it in snow.”

“I’ll help.”

Low and Count Alpha carried the deer’s head and body outside the cave. Serena cleaned up the deer blood pooled on the floor with magically generated water.

Hana and Sesi didn’t know what to do, having made the Princess clean without proper cleaning tools.

Especially Sesi had turned pale, perhaps from receiving Philia’s intensive crash course education due to Olive’s slip of tongue.

Serena spoke to the sisters to ease their worries.

“Sesi can even tame 10th layer monsters. Well done.”

“Hehehehehehehe.”

The girl with blood-red hair twisted her body with joy upon hearing the Princess’s praise. Hana patted her sister’s back repeatedly.

“That’s right! Honestly, I thought it wouldn’t work, but when Sesi called, the deer came!”

“Hehehehehehehe, it was easy. No! It was difficult! Well, I don’t really know, but my head hurt a lot too.”

Though Serena didn’t understand how Sesi’s monster taming worked, Sesi had never hit a limit while taming monsters yet.

“It was really difficult!”

“If it was easy, you can say it was easy. If someone with talent acts too modest, it might breed resentment.”

Serena quickly added before Sesi could be disappointed.

“I’m pleased that my monster tamer has outstanding talent.”

“Ehehehehehehe.”

Sesi let out a happy laugh, overcome with joy. Her heart soared like a bird.

Low, who had quickly dismantled the deer and returned to the cave, affirmed.

“Her taming ability is indeed extraordinary. It’s just that the monsters go crazy depending on the kid’s mood.”

“Low. Watch your language in front of Her Highness the Grand Princess.”

“Oh my, I apologize. What I meant to say was, instead of easy taming, there’s also the disadvantage of being greatly affected by the kid’s mood.”

“That’s why we came to fix that!”

“Right! And when I’m in real danger, I’ll press here!”

Sesi placed her thumb on the pressure point the Mysterious Stranger had taught her. Since it was a dangerous vital point that could kill if pressed wrong, Serena stopped Sesi.

“Now, now. You must be tired, so let’s go into the mountain hut and talk.”

The snowy mountain group all entered the mountain hut. Water was boiling vigorously in a pot over the brazier.

Ying put honey-preserved quince pickles into the boiling water and handed it to the three who had struggled climbing the snowy mountain and the two who had worked hard setting traps.

She also treated Chicken Leader’s wounds, who had suffered together, and gave it melted snow water.

“Whoo whoo! The taste doesn’t match the fragrance?”

“Quince is a fruit enjoyed for its fragrance.”

“If sister Duri ate this, she would have hated it, calling it a fake fruit, right?”

“It’s fragrant and sweet, so my fatigue is relieved. Thank you, Ying.”

The mountain hut was filled with the fragrant quince aroma. Cold but fresh air rushed in through the window gap that Ying opened for ventilation.

The hunter took off his hat and wiped his sweaty bald head with a towel. He spread out a magic map to make his report.

“Today we went around this area as a test. Tomorrow we plan to go to where I previously discovered musk deer to see if there are musk deer, and set traps if possible.”

Since there was nothing Serena could help with, she listened attentively. The hunter continued explaining his plan.

“It takes half a day to get there. So I will stay at this mountain hut with Hana.”

Staying at a separate mountain hut with just the two of them. To Serena’s ears, it sounded too dangerous.

‘Wait. Two?’

Serena turned her head to look at the Odd Sisters. Hana, whose face was round and somewhat cute but had a vague impression, and Sesi, with high-saturation red hair that stood out anywhere and was a beautiful girl.

Looking at the two sisters, Sesi was overwhelmingly conspicuous.

If one sister were accidentally left out, it should be Hana who was left behind. If it were a mistake, Sesi could never be the one left out.

‘In that case.’

“Are you planning to leave Sesi behind?”

Before Low could answer Serena’s question, Sesi screamed.

“What? Why are you leaving me out? I’m really useful! You big liar! You saw everything earlier!”

“That’s right! I saw Sesi taming the deer too! With Sesi there, we could easily catch deer, so why leave her out?”

“Both of you calm down and give Low a chance to speak.”

When Serena intervened, the Odd Sisters closed their mouths. The sisters showed their dissatisfaction plainly on their faces and focused on the fake baldy.

The fake baldy rubbed his head and revealed his reason.

“First of all, there’s no guarantee that Sesi’s ability works on other monsters too. It might only work on deer.”

“That’s true.”

Count Alpha agreed, saying blood is thicker than water.

Sesi, whose self-esteem was sky-high from the Princess’s praise, protested.

“I think it’ll work on other monsters too! We won’t know unless we try! Even if it doesn’t work at first, hitting them a few times makes it work, as we confirmed with Chicken Leader!”

“Yes, it might work. This is my personal desire.”

Low bowed his head repeatedly as if seeking Serena’s understanding. The hunter’s gaze, having read the Princess’s expression, turned to Sesi.

“Whether we tamed them for slaughter or not, the initial purpose of taming monsters was to fight together. But taming them with the intention to kill from the start… it’s too hard.”

Sesi couldn’t understand the hunter’s feelings.

“Why is the fake baldy having a hard time when I’m the one taming them?”

“Don’t tell me you feel sorry for taming them to kill? How weak! So feeble!”

“Oh, is that it? Fake hunter! You’re only a hunter in name, but your mindset is fake!”

“Fake hunter!”

“Fake height, fake baldness! Fake job! Fake human!”

The Odd Sisters’ criticism poured down on Low, who had shown weakness, like monsoon rain.

Even Serena was shocked, but Low silently endured the criticism. The hunter, noticing the Princess’s gaze, smiled weakly.

“Still, please believe that my muscles are real.”

‘Just trust in muscles and that’s it?’

Anyway, the mindset of people obsessed with muscles was hard to understand.

Low, who had been silently waiting for the criticism pouring down like monsoon rain to subside, spoke seriously once the Odd Sisters stopped their reproach with dry mouths.

“I know what you want to say. It must seem ridiculous to apply hunter’s rules to fake labyrinth monsters that aren’t even real living animals. But just as you have pride as acrobats.”

“We don’t have that.”

“We don’t cultivate it.”

The Odd Sisters were too young to understand what Low was saying, and their upbringing had been unfortunate.

Low, who had been roughly rubbing his bald head in contemplation, changed his words to match the Odd Sisters’ level.

“…Just as you have superstitions you believe in, I also have superstitions I believe in as someone from a hunter background. Since the labyrinth is a terrifying place where anything can happen, it’s best to avoid things that feel unsettling.”

The Odd Sisters’ faces brightened at the explanation tailored to their level.

“Aha! So that’s what it was? We understand!”

“Wait, Sister Hana. This is suspicious. Why are you speaking strangely in simple words and getting scolded? Are you perhaps enjoying being scolded?”

“Gasp, suspicious indeed.”

“Both of you, that’s enough. Low, why aren’t you getting angry?”

“Well, you see, my lord.”

Low answered with eyes like a cow being dragged to the slaughterhouse.

“I was hoping I might get scolded less if those kids really believed that.”

The Imperial Knight’s brow, which had narrowed in anger at the Odd Sisters’ rudeness, now narrowed again in pity for the hunter.

Sometimes quiet contact provides more comfort than a hundred words of consolation. Count Alpha silently patted Low’s broad back. The hunter tapped the Imperial Knight’s thick forearm to express his gratitude.

The conversation had briefly gone off track. The Princess straightened the twisted flow.

“Will you two be alright?”

“We’ll avoid combat as much as possible, and this guy knows when monsters approach, so we’ll be fine.”

“Tch. Are you really only taking me and that lying baldy?”

“If you really don’t want to, stay here with your sibling. I can take Ying instead.”

Ying quietly nodded as if she would respond if called. Hana shook her head.

“No. We’re catching deer to make medicine for Sesi. I’ll catch it!”

“Sister Hana is so cool!”

“Hehe.”

Hana giggled while wiping under her nose.

“Since you’ll be tired if you go out again tomorrow, Hana and Low should rest now. The sauna temperature is being maintained, so use the sauna too.”

“Me! I want to use the sauna! It’s my first time! I heard it has a different appeal from hot springs!”

Hana, who had hated washing when she first joined the lobby, now had sparkling eyes wanting to try the sauna.

Serena felt inwardly satisfied as she entered the sauna attached to the mountain hut.

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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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