Serena and the Mysterious Labyrinth - Chapter 343

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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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343. Prison Break Veteran (1)

The attention of the living turned to the lion.

The drug dealer who had tattooed his record of being imprisoned twice looked away and replied curtly.

“Nope.”

‘I figured as much.’

Asking someone with prison experience if they’d ever attempted a jailbreak was quite a leap.

It was like asking someone who went to school, ‘Since you attended school, have you ever dropped out or been expelled?’

Just as Serena was about to ask for information about real-world prisons, the undead crone continued speaking.

“That’d be a bold-faced lie.”

“Huh.”

“Grandmother, you’ve done jailbreaks too? Wow, I acknowledge you as the second authority in the field.”

“I’ve done jailbreaks, so why can’t I be first?”

“I told you. If you get caught, you’re a novice.”

Olive swept her short gray hair back with her fingers, showing off.

While curiosity and goodwill appeared in Olive and the Number Siblings’ eyes, wariness grew in the eyes of the law-abiding ordinary citizens.

Especially Grey’s gaze toward Krom was quite impure.

An expression of looking at a pathetic human would be appropriate coming from the Empire’s genius Grand Mage, but it was quite irritating coming from the Grand Mage’s illegitimate child.

“Uncle.”

It was so irritating that his nephew(?), Prince Willow, stepped forward to tell him to manage his expression.

Grey closed his eyes and concentrated for a moment, then returned with bright, lively eyes that were somehow 2 percent lacking.

“Given the situation, having someone with experience isn’t bad. Besides, since we’re dead, the laws of the living are meaningless anyway. We might be able to borrow wisdom from Grandmother Krom to conquer the 12th floor.”

“I thought you were a smart kid, but you’re just a know-it-all. How can I give jailbreak advice for a prison I’ve never seen?”

‘Ah, that’s right.’

Grey, who always attacked Serena with valid points, lost his words when attacked with valid points by none other than an undead ex-criminal (with jailbreak experience).

Serena took out the magic map with a hopeful heart.

“Would it be difficult even looking at a prison map?”

“I can’t read maps.”

“The Labyrinth Deity gave you a map too? You should have shown us that first!”

Olive excitedly snatched the magic map from Serena’s hands. Looking at the 12th floor map that was almost completely drawn except for the north wing, the guide let out a roar of joy.

“There are treasure chests too! What a windfall!”

Contrary to the speechless old man, Krom, who had been hesitant, found her voice.

“Map or whatever. Each prison has different escape methods. To use the methods I’ve used or learned, I need to see it. If I don’t go, I won’t know.”

Seeing is believing. The guide, unable to take her eyes off the magic map, asked Serena.

“So is grandmother coming to the 12th floor too? You said grandmother doesn’t count toward the party size, so I’m fine with it~ We have a map too~”

It wouldn’t affect the labyrinth difficulty by increasing the conquest members, and since she was already dead, the guide didn’t need to worry.

Moreover, looking at the map, wasn’t the prison structure quite simple!

Olive’s reaction was favorable.

“I thought it was worth trying at least once.”

Count Randy was also curious about how an undead would operate in the labyrinth.

“What? Wouldn’t starting with the 12th floor be dangerous?”

“…I’d like to oppose this too.”

The two knights opposed Krom’s participation, but for opposite reasons.

Ralph was worried about Krom, while Count Alpha was wary of Krom.

Serena asked for the opinions of the two most important people. Let me correct that. One person and one body.

“Neet. Would it be okay for Krom to go to the 12th floor? Tell me your honest thoughts.”

Neet glanced around at the adults, then trusted the princess and revealed her honest feelings.

“Cough. If Grandmother Krom says it’s okay. Then it’s fine. Cough cough.”

“Krom. Do you have the will to go?”

I asked without much expectation, but surprisingly, Krom readily stepped forward.

“I can’t give great help, but. If needed, I’ll go.”

Since the parties involved also gave permission, there remained one important issue to confirm for Krom to join the 1st conquest team.

“Neet. Could you supply mana even when separated from Krom?”

“Cough. I don’t, don’t know. Cough. It might work. Or it might not.”

“That’s fine.”

Countess Nex, who had been listening to the conversation beside Neet, brought over a magic device.

“I made this magic device thinking such a situation might arise someday. When you insert a magic stone, it supplies the magic stone’s mana to the bearer.”

“Wouldn’t mana absorption be blocked since it’s not the contracted necromancer’s mana?”

Grey, who had been speechless after hearing valid points, regained his senses and interfered when it came to his area of expertise.

The frail, sickly noblewoman welcomed the genius old man’s point gladly.

“Good point, Grey. Fortunately, there’s a solution for that too.”

Countess Nex took out a small glass vial the size of a pinky finger. Inside the vial was a dark red liquid.

“This is blood I collected bit by bit from Neet’s wounds. If you periodically drop this blood on the magic stone, the mana in the magic stone will take on Neet’s mana characteristics, allowing Krom to absorb it.”

Collecting Neet’s blood was already disturbing, but using that collected blood for magic sounded truly dangerous.

Everyone in the lobby was shocked by this different side shown by the sickly royal mage.

Hana immediately embraced her sick sibling.

“Hiiiiiik! Neet! The Countess took your blood and collected it!”

“Cough. Yes. Cough. The Countess told me in advance she would collect it. Cough.”

“Uung? Uuung?”

“Duri is asking if that’s really okay? I don’t think it’s okay though?”

“Cough. She said it’s not black magic but a production method written in theory books.”

Since Countess Nex had told Neet in advance why she was collecting the blood, only Neet was calm about it.

Even if she explained the reason, to not care about having one’s blood collected.

Serena was surprised by Neet’s boldness.

“You’re using the caster’s blood but it’s not black magic?”

“Necromancers, due to their nature, need a lot of blood and flesh when crafting magic devices. Since Neet bleeds constantly without self-harm, I’ve been collecting it in advance for when it’s needed. It would be wasteful to throw away hard-to-obtain materials. So don’t worry, Grey.”

“Hmm. Yes. That’s rational, Countess.”

Blood that flows anyway, let’s collect it since we need it vs. collecting a sick child’s blood in advance feels wrong.

In the battle between the old man’s reason and emotion, reason won.

But not everyone achieved victory of character like the old man.

Especially Neet’s family – Hana, Duri, and Sesi – expressed displeasure.

“Ugh. Is Neet really okay?”

“Cough. Yes!”

“Our Neet has become strange since learning magic?”

“Uuung!”

“It’s a bit scary, but if Neet says it’s okay, then it’s okay!”

The Number Siblings respected the person involved’s opinion.

Though all four had different blood flowing through them, their family relationship was the most moderate among the families in the lobby.

“Oh my. Among alchemist secrets, there’s a method to extract and store blood soaked into bandages. If you’d told me earlier, I could have collected more blood.”

“There’s such a secret method? I didn’t know.”

“Should I bring Neet’s bandages to the Count before washing them from now on?”

“Please do that.”

Lavenda was also confused, but since they were only collecting naturally flowing blood rather than squeezing the sick child’s wounds, she judged it acceptable and promised to bring the bandages to the alchemist’s workshop before washing them.

“Just one drop. When the blood completely dries, drop another drop.”

Countess Nex instructed Krom on how to use the magic device.

Some turned away in horror just from looking, while others watched with curiosity as blood drops fell on the magic stone.

Countess Nex also gave instructions to the 1st conquest team for emergency situations.

“If Krom becomes unable to move, gather the body parts, place the magic device on top, sprinkle blood evenly, and if possible, collect everything in one place for transport.”

“Wow, scary scary~”

The guide, who had plenty of experience scattering dismembered corpses throughout the labyrinth but no experience collecting dismembered corpses in one place and sprinkling blood on them, exaggerated her fear.

“Cough. Please take good care of Grandmother Krom. Cough.”

Even Olive, who had been acting dramatic, couldn’t continue her act after seeing Neet’s truly sparkling eyes visible between the bandages.

“Don’t worry! Even if Grandmother gets smashed to pieces, I’ll gather up every single finger without missing one!”

“I will protect you so that doesn’t happen!”

Ralph also firmly resolved himself. Seeing this, Krom spoke.

“Stop talking nonsense and just worry about your own lives, you living folks. I’ll take care of my own corpse when I’m dead.”

***

The stairs leading down to the 12th layer.

Perhaps because the guide had earnestly insisted that they must listen to her words in the labyrinth, Krom was quiet.

“Those who are not imprisoned will not be attacked by monsters unless they attack first, so enter the prison and investigate first. Those who are imprisoned should not move rashly and must wait until contact comes from those who are not imprisoned.”

In Serena’s opinion, the reason Count Randy and Count Alpha died in the previous cycle was because they forced their way into the prison.

Serena subtly passed along information so the two could quickly apply for visitation.

Not knowing the reason, Olive laughed at the Princess’s naivety.

“Contact? Princess, surely you don’t think visitation is possible just because it’s a prison-type labyrinth? Besides, only high-ranking people can visit in the first place!”

“Don’t act like you know when you’ve never even smelled prison air. Visitation is possible for everyone.”

“Eh? It’s possible in Heuji? I heard someone I wanted to meet briefly was in prison, so I tried to visit but they said it wasn’t allowed?”

“Prison culture must be different in each country, wouldn’t it?”

“As far as I know, visitation is possible in most Empire prisons too. Was the person Olive wanted to meet a serious criminal? I’ve heard that prisons housing only heinous criminals don’t allow visitation.”

“Yeah! A really fucking bad bastard! I was asked if I could stab him gently with a knife and stir it around softly!”

She thought there might be an amateur among her acquaintances, but it turned out to be an assassination request.

Count Alpha, stressed by having another dead criminal added to the party, hardened his handsome face.

“…Prisons that house such people prohibit even family visits.”

“Ah, I see! I thought even the prisons in Heuji were nice places to live~”

Heuji was a good place to live.

Whether it was to flatter Serena, the Princess of Heuji, or genuine belief, she couldn’t tell, but it wasn’t bad to hear.

However, even that supposedly good place to live, Heuji, had prisons, escaped convicts, drug dealers, and drug addicts.

And Serena was currently going down the stairs hand-in-hand with a drug dealer she had vowed never to associate with in her life.

‘I have no choice. There’s no guarantee I’ll be imprisoned with Krom. Even knowing it might not work, I have to try.’

Krom had made great contributions by helping Serena and Ralph eliminate Lucas, and had also brought drugs into the labyrinth.

It was uncertain whether the labyrinth prison would only apply the murder charge or add drug possession and place her in a different cell.

The bigger variable was that Krom was deceased.

Not being counted as a party member meant something else entirely.

‘It means they don’t treat her as human. If she’s judged as a summon or an object, I need to be holding onto her.’

Since there would be no reason to charge a summon or ‘something that used to be a person’ with crimes, there was a high possibility Krom wouldn’t be imprisoned.

To borrow the wisdom of the experienced escapee Krom, that might actually be better.

“End of the stairs! If I get locked up, you absolutely must come visit me. Got it?”

Olive stepped onto the 12th layer while pretending to cry, saying ‘Sob sob, I’m going to prison!’

The party was enveloped in light, and when they opened their eyes, they were in a familiar cell.

“Princess!”

Ralph’s familiar voice could be heard. Also, Serena’s right hand remained cold.

It was because she was holding the cold hand of a corpse that had lost the warmth of a living person.

“Krom.”

“What.”

The undead crone’s gruff response sounded particularly melodious.

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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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