Serena and the Mysterious Labyrinth - Chapter 33

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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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33. Mysteries of the Labyrinth (3)

The princess headed to the 1st floor lobby amid enthusiastic cheers. While climbing the stairs, she questioned countless times whether this was truly the right purchase.

The shop was full of items waiting for Serena’s purchase besides the tomb. From useless items like fountain color changes to survival supplies like bread trees, and products that stimulate human desires – the variety was extensive.

Should she spend precious coins that should be saved and used to buy truly necessary items just to bury a drug dealer?

If she didn’t want to see the rotting corpse, couldn’t she just move it to some corner where no one would pass by?

After countless self-questioning, there was only one answer.

She just wanted to do it.

In her previous life, Serena didn’t have money. To be honest, she didn’t really lack money, but because she felt it was a waste, she only kept Grandmother in the columbarium for exactly one year.

When the contract period expired, she brought Grandmother’s urn home from the columbarium. She placed the urn on the vanity and for the first few days, she dusted and cleaned it. As time passed, dust settled white on the urn.

If left alone, it would just take up space and be cumbersome, so maybe she should scatter the ashes on Grandmother’s hometown mountain.

She should go next holiday. Today she was tired, so next day off. Next, then next next. She kept postponing to the next day and died.

Even though it wasn’t Serena’s grandmother, she didn’t want to carelessly abandon the corpse of an old woman whose name and face she had come to know. She had been reborn as a princess and had money, so she wanted to bury her properly.

Having made up her mind, she shouldn’t regret it anymore. Serena made eye contact with her companions who were sending enthusiastic support and raised her hand high.

“The heart grieving for a lost comrade has reached the Labyrinth God! He tells me to show mercy!”

“Wow!”

“The Labyrinth God has bestowed a tomb upon us!”

Serena pretended to close both eyes tightly but opened her left eye to purchase a tomb from the shop. The product description said it could bury up to ten people.

Having purchased it, she just needed to install it in the lobby. But Serena froze after buying the tomb.

It said it could bury ten people, and it really was that spacious. She could somehow install it if she filled the entire lobby, but it overlapped with the fountain and bread tree.

‘Ah. No wonder it was cheap.’

It could bury ten people and even prevent undead transformation, yet it only cost 1 coin. She thought it was cheap because it was categorized as useless items, but it was cheap because it took up a lot of space.

‘How do I install this?’

Now she understood why lobby expansion was sold – there was a reason for everything.

No matter how much Serena rotated the tomb and changed its position, it overlapped with the bread tree and fountain, making installation impossible.

‘Did I waste my coin?’

A chilling, eerie sensation ran down her spine. Suddenly, the bitter memory of losing her emergency funds by jumping on the coin trend came to mind.

‘No, right? It can’t be. My 1 coin!’

Coins aside, what about the people waiting for Serena’s second miracle? The three who had been with her from the beginning had seen the bread tree, so even if the second attempt failed, it would be okay, but she couldn’t show failure first to Olive and Ying.

‘I can’t back down here. Something, there must be something.’

Why can’t the fountain and bread tree overlap? Don’t they have tree burials in this neighborhood? Just lay it nicely under the bread tree and fountain! Since ten people aren’t needed, can’t they give me one-person portions?

A miracle happened to Serena as she frantically shook the tomb. Her concentration briefly lapsed and her finger icon missed the tomb, grabbing the fountain instead.

‘Huh?’

Surprised, Serena put mental force into her finger icon and pushed sideways. The fountain also moved sideways.

“The fountain moved!”

“Serena-nim must have moved it!”

Judging by the audience’s reaction, it was clear that not just the virtual lobby she saw with her left eye, but the real lobby’s fountain had moved too.

‘What is this?’

Serena pressed a box-shaped button in the corner that was so small she hadn’t noticed it immediately. A guidance window appeared.

[Would you like to put the selected item in storage?]

‘There was storage!’

Now she didn’t need to be anxious anymore. Serena first put the bread tree and fountain into storage.

“The bread tree disappeared!”

“The fountain too! Is this okay?”

“Everyone be quiet! Don’t disturb Serena-nim while she’s concentrating!”

This time too, people made a noisy commotion, so she could tell that the two objects had actually disappeared.

After securing enough space to install the tomb and placing it as well as possible in a corner, she also installed the bread tree and fountain away from the tomb.

The space fit together just barely.

‘I’m going to end up sleeping on top of tombs from now on.’

When Serena opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was the tomb. Ten perfect tombs with tombstones and burial mounds filled the lobby completely. Fortunately, they weren’t fixed in a row and their positions could be adjusted.

‘I’ve placed the tomb, but how do I dig the ground?’

Thinking this, she approached closer and letters appeared above the nearest tombstone.

[Would you like to bury?]

Serena quickly pressed ‘Yes’. The burial mound opened and a coffin rose up smoothly, ready for a body. The coffin lid also opened with one touch.

‘This seems excessively convenient. But convenient is good.’

Serena massaged her shoulders that had stiffened from nervousness about failing and looked back at her companions.

“Lay Krom here.”

“Yes!”

Ralph obediently laid Krom in the coffin. The coffin lid closed with one touch again, and without needing to struggle with burial, it smoothly descended.

[Would you like to finish the burial?]

Serena pressed ‘Yes’ again. The burial mound covered the coffin and Krom’s name and birth-death dates were engraved on the tombstone. He lived to age 55.

‘May your next life be one without touching crime. Especially drugs.’

For that to happen, Serena had to conquer the labyrinth. Everyone was observing a moment of silence following the princess, but exactly one person rebelled.

“What the hell is this! Someone please explain!”

The fountain moved on its own, the bread tree and fountain disappeared and reappeared repeatedly, then suddenly ten tombs appeared out of nowhere.

Olive couldn’t believe this reality and pinched her cheeks and nose several times. Cruelly, it was reality.

“Zero, why are you observing silence too! Don’t you think this is strange?”

“It’s strange.”

“Then why are you just standing there!”

“If I stay still, I’ll be average.”

“I’d usually go along with things, but this. This crosses the line! What the hell is this! Please explain!”

Even a veteran adventuring the labyrinth surrendered to the incredible reality unfolding before her eyes. Serena kindly opened her mouth for poor confused Olive.

“Ah, this is the power bestowed by the Labyrinth God.”

“Didn’t I tell you! Unlike lowly beings like you, Serena-nim is a noble person who receives divine favor! Even seeing her receive this tomb following that bread tree, don’t you believe it! Then why do you have eyes!”

Philia stepped forward as if seizing an opportunity. Olive stammered in confusion.

“No, that’s a bread tree rarely found in labyrinths. But how did you move it and make it disappear? How?”

“Olive, since you don’t seem to understand well, I’ll show you again.”

Serena deliberately approached the bread tree and repeatedly put it in storage and took it out. This made everyone realize the bread tree belonged to Serena.

She had established herself as an important figure for the party’s survival, beyond just being a princess.

“Th-this isn’t right! I’ve been stuck in labyrinths since I was young, but Labyrinth God, divine protection – I’ve never seen or heard such stories!”

Originally, the more expert someone is in a field, the stronger their pride in their professional knowledge. As Serena was about to perform the storage show again, Ying stepped forward.

“Olive.”

“Zero, you say something too! You have more experience than me!”

“This is a labyrinth.”

Labyrinth. A mysterious and wondrous space. Where anything could happen, and where one shouldn’t be surprised by anything that occurs.

“Ugh.”

Olive seemed convinced by Ying’s words, groaning but not arguing further. Instead, she sent Serena a charming smile.

“Then! With just the princess, we don’t have to worry about food even in deep floors! We can just take the bread tree!”

From Olive’s mouth came natural respectful speech instead of the awkward honorifics she usually used. Serena delivered unfortunate news to expectant Olive.

“Unfortunately, the bread tree can only be installed in the lobby.”

“Ah why! Why why why! How come! No no no!”

Olive couldn’t endure anymore and lay on the floor flailing her limbs. Everyone looked at her pitifully and clicked their tongues.

A place where even veteran adventurers can’t accept reality and go mad – the labyrinth.

Serena felt anew the fear and thrill of the labyrinth’s mysteries.

***

“Ha, forget everything else. I’m going to believe in the Labyrinth God from now on.”

“Just believing in god doesn’t mean everyone receives favor like Serena-nim. Give up.”

“Countess, your words have been too harsh since earlier. What’s wrong with me? Huh?”

“Noble divine blood flows through Lady Serena.”

“That’s something every family in the neighborhood has if they walk around with their noses in the air. Our village chief was also a descendant of a god or something. There’s an oasis in our village, and he said the oasis god was his ancestor.”

“The House of Huaim that rules Heuji is a prestigious noble family with a distinguished history spanning over 1000 years-“

“What god’s descendant are you?”

Olive asked curiously. Lavenda, who had been silently washing the Minotaur meat in water, also spoke up.

“That’s right. I was curious about that too.”

“It must be a powerful god.”

Serena had to betray her companions’ expectations once again.

“Actually, I don’t know which god it is.”

“What? But it’s your ancestor? You brag about having divine blood flowing through you but don’t know? That doesn’t make sense.”

“It’s been over a thousand years. Many past records have been lost.”

“Ah, I see.”

Olive raised the corners of her mouth as if she understood.

“It must not be a great god then. Like some royal families over there with the god of sewage or something like that as their ancestor, right?”

When descendants of gods weren’t particularly famous or powerful, it was common to emphasize only the divinity while hiding the god’s domain of authority. It was similar to removing traitors’ and collaborators’ names from family records while still inheriting their wealth.

“Apart from occasionally having children born with orange eyes, there weren’t any particular benefits. So no one paid much attention to it.”

“Then the ancestral god must also have had orange eyes, right? Was there such a god?”

Since it was a place with so many gods, if you searched thoroughly, you’d probably find a god with orange eyes. However, none of the current party members were well-versed in theology.

Olive seemed disappointed as she cut the beef into bite-sized pieces and skewered them.

“I thought you were going to say you were a descendant of the Labyrinth God or something.”

“The Labyrinth God has bright crimson eyes.”

“How do you know? Have you seen him directly?”

Serena pointed to the statue and nodded. Olive, seeing the faintly remaining crimson paint on the eyes, made a strange sound while struggling, then came to her own conclusion.

“Let’s just say you’re a descendant of the Labyrinth God. You’re being favored like a beloved adopted child anyway.”

Olive pointed to the Bread Tree and the burial mound (hollow inside) she was sitting on. Indeed, Serena had been secretly suspecting the same thing, so she didn’t say anything more.

The freshly slaughtered(?) Minotaur skewers were tough. Philia whined that her jaw hurt, but thinking it was still better than rat meat, she chewed the meat diligently.

Serena also chewed the meat as intensely as Philia. It would probably taste good if minced with a little oil added and made into meatballs or hamburger steaks, but that was impossible in the labyrinth.

The lobby lighting dimmed. The unusually long second day in the labyrinth was coming to an end.

“We’re in trouble because we’re running low on both firewood and salt.”

If they had plenty of either one, they could have made the Minotaur meat into salted meat or jerky, they were discussing regretfully.

Olive, who had offered just a tiny bit of the most tender part to the statue while saying she would serve the Labyrinth God—barely more than a mouse’s tail—asked a question.

“Speaking of crimson in the labyrinth, Princess, do you know about the crimson key?”

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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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