Serena and the Mysterious Labyrinth - Chapter 45

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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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45. Dud (2)

In this world too, some countries have customs of intermarriage between noble and common classes. While Heuji has no such intermarriage customs, royal marriages are originally the highest form of diplomatic activity. Most royalty married royalty from other countries.

In Serena’s case, since Heuji’s royal bloodline had dried up, many people hoped she would marry domestic nobility rather than foreign royalty and remain in Heuji.

The Empire’s 5th Prince was the young man with the highest probability of becoming Serena’s husband even amid such public opinion.

He was the same age, handsome, sociable, and a wonderful groom candidate with both inherited wealth and future inheritance. His maternal family also held the Empire’s greatest power, with his maternal grandfather being an archmage.

When the Empire subtly brought up marriage talks, Heuji received it positively. If Serena were to marry foreign royalty, the 5th Prince was the best choice, and how wonderful that they proposed first.

In fact, Heuji half-considered the 5th Prince as Serena’s groom. This National Foundation Day, the Empire sent the 5th Prince as a congratulatory envoy to accelerate the marriage talks, seemingly hoping that love and passion between young men and women would bloom beyond just political marriage.

‘We’re doomed.’

The reason? Didn’t I mention it earlier? The 5th Prince is a pedophile.

Moreover, he cherishes his beautiful boy Grey so much that, not wanting to be separated from his beloved boy, he committed the outrageous act of including the boy as a servant in the envoy while coming to meet his potential wife.

The nobles who were considering Serena’s marriage prospects found the latter more offensive than the 5th Prince’s sexual preferences.

They decided to overturn the marriage talks that had been proceeding behind the scenes, crying ‘He’s disrespecting our Princess!’ They planned to immediately overturn the marriage talks once the Imperial envoy returned.

Serena was equally dumbfounded. While greeting, conversing, eating together, dancing, and taking walks, the 5th Prince acted as if he had fallen for Serena at first sight.

But what? He brought a beautiful boy?

Serena enthusiastically mocked the 5th Prince with her maids, who had been staring at her chest but actually preferred flat chests. They mocked him again and again.

While homosexuality could be understood as personal preference, boy preference was child abuse. Even in this medieval fantasy-like world it was criticized, and as a modern soul, she absolutely could not tolerate it.

A victim of power. A pitiful child. A victim of child abuse. That was Serena’s honest feelings about the beautiful boy who had been dragged to Heuji with the status of the 5th Prince’s servant.

‘That kid’s luck is really terrible too.’

Caught in a pedophile’s eye, dragged into an envoy he didn’t need to join, and then swallowed by a labyrinth. They say beauty is ill-fated, but this young child’s fortune was extremely harsh.

‘Still, he’s brighter than expected.’

Whether he was naturally bright, had no particular complaints about his situation having been born and raised in a class society, or was deliberately pretending to be bright, Serena had no way of knowing.

The best consideration Serena could offer was to pretend not to know unless he revealed it first.

The unlucky child, Grey Ash, returned with a dejected expression that made his previously bright demeanor seem meaningless. He looked so dispirited that his small body appeared even smaller.

“This can’t be…”

“Don’t be too afraid, young master. The Princess will find a way out for us.”

“Yes? Yes. That’s right, sister. A rescue team will surely come to save us.”

“It’s dark there, so don’t stay there. Come here and warm yourself by the fire. Shall I give you some warm water?”

Lavenda kindly guided the child to a prime spot near the campfire. Since the best spots were occupied by patients, Grey sat awkwardly smiling among the patients.

“Your Highness… will he be alright…”

‘The victim is worrying about the perpetrator.’

Whether it was Stockholm syndrome or the child’s kind heart, she couldn’t tell. Serena’s twisted inner thoughts suggested it might be performative worry for show.

Serena decided to ignore all the suspicions that came to mind. What good would it do to suspect this unlucky, pitiful child?

Whether Lavenda knew the rumors or not, she gently comforted the child.

“His Highness the Prince will be fine too.”

“But there are poisonous monsters, right? On the 1st Floor.”

“These people were defeated by the Floor Boss on the 5th Floor. It seems people nearby fall together, so if there were guards around His Highness, he should be fine.”

“The 5th Floor? I just woke up and haven’t been with you sisters for long…”

“I also learned this after coming here, but they say that can happen in labyrinths. Space and time get twisted.”

“Right. They say it’s common in labyrinths, so don’t be too scared.”

Olive and Ying wandered the 2nd Floor for about 10 minutes before meeting, but Grey, who was drawn later, says he just woke up recently.

‘I hope time is stopped for those who haven’t been drawn.’

She had worried that the 100,000 people who could be drawn were dying little by little, but fortunately that didn’t seem to be the case. The Princess was relieved that even newborns and critically ill patients could be freed from the labyrinth without dying.

“We’ve been here for three, four days?”

Dying and regressing made the dates confusing. When Serena furrowed her brow, Lavenda informed her.

“Four days if midnight has passed. I’ve been marking each time the day changes.”

Lavenda pointed to the lobby wall. As she said, three lines were drawn there. Lavenda added one more line.

“Thank you for letting me know, Lavenda. Please continue marking as days pass.”

“Yes.”

He says only a few minutes passed for him, but these strangers say they’ve spent four days.

Perhaps overwhelmed by that fact, Grey said nothing. He kept his head down and didn’t drink the water Lavenda gave him, gripping it so tightly with his small hands that they turned white.

Serena offered her cheat key, partly to divert the child’s attention elsewhere.

“Then let me introduce the others. This is my maid, Countess Philia Landriol. Her husband Count Randy is from the Empire, so you might know him.”

“Hello.”

Animals and children are more susceptible to beauties. The beauty cheat key Serena ambitiously offered worked in a different way.

“Aunt! I really wanted to meet you!”

“Aunt?”

Not maternal or paternal aunt, but uncle’s wife – that meant he was speaking to Philia, not Serena or Lavenda. Philia blinked her eyes that were colder and bluer than the inside of broken glaciers. Her silver eyelashes that moved each time she opened and closed her eyes fluttered like white butterfly wings.

“Are you talking to me?”

“Yes, Aunt. Count Randy is my uncle.”

“He said he was an orphan with no family.”

Count Randy, Philia’s husband, was originally from a humble baron family. His family’s fortunes declined from his great-grandfather’s generation and heirs became scarce, leaving only young Count Randy when it collapsed.

Count Randy built up the family through self-made success, but having no one to share wealth and glory with, he was lonely until he met Philia and promised to grow old together.

There was no way Philia, his wife, wouldn’t know what Serena knew. When Philia looked puzzled, Grey explained further.

“We’re distant by blood, and my grandfather taught magic to uncle. Since uncle follows grandfather like an adoptive father, he becomes my uncle.”

“Magic? I think I heard there was a teacher he thought of like family…”

Philia searched her memory, then looked at Grey’s deep ash-colored hair and eyes and clapped her hands.

“Right! He said there was an old man with a terrible personality! The old man’s personality was so terrible that he got cursed at so much, but his hair didn’t even turn gray and he stayed healthy!”

“Hahaha, uncle really! Even though he’s a married adult, he’s so mischievous!”

Grey’s face momentarily contorted but was covered by a bright smile.

“I see. If you’re his nephew, you’re my nephew too.”

“Yes, Aunt!”

Grey smiled brightly as if truly happy to meet her. Philia smiled awkwardly in response to her nephew and took out the candy Lucas had given her to shut her up. She had kept it all this time because the candy was too precious to throw away, even though she wanted to discard it because Lucas was annoying.

“Want some candy?”

“Thank you!”

Having sealed the child’s mouth with candy, Philia turned her head and confessed to Serena in a small voice.

‘What should I do, Lady Serena. I really dislike children.’

‘It’s okay. I dislike them too.’

Though she was a poor aunt and poor adult, the reason Philia said this was because she realized that Grey, being her nephew and a young child, was her responsibility.

The previous Philia would have completely ignored it, saying ‘Nephew? So what?’

In the extreme situation of the labyrinth, she dislikes and feels burdened by the young nephew but tries to take responsibility. This was considerable progress.

Serena patted Philia’s shoulder with half pride and half encouragement for the future. Philia leaned close to Serena like a puppy craving touch.

‘Count Randy’s nephew…’

Count Randy was no ordinary backing. He was very reliable backing. To think that a child who was the nephew of such a count could become a victim of power.

Serena shuddered at the merciless noble society and ethics of the Empire.

‘Looking at him continuously, he seems to be deliberately pretending to be cheerful.’

Pity washed over her like a tide. Serena once again wished for the 5th Prince’s miserable death.

‘Go wander the deep labyrinth and become monster food!’

“Grey, you must have been scared being separated from your acquaintances alone, but it’s fortunate you met your aunt. Rely on and follow her like a parent.”

“Yes!”

“Let me finish the introductions. That lady is Miss Lavenda Fury from Vieta. The one lying to your left is my knight, Sir Ralph Hanson, and the ones lying to your right are, in order of closeness to you, Olive and Ying. They’re Labyrinth Explorers. They’re employed by me to help conquer the labyrinth.”

Grey, who had been blowing on the warm water Lavenda gave him to cool it, looked up.

“Employed?”

“Since the exit is blocked, we’re trying to find an escape route while conquering the labyrinth.”

“Did these adventurers claim that and ask to be employed? So you went to the 5th Floor and got poisoned?”

“Since we’re all trapped and need to find an exit, I employed them.”

“Your Highness the Princess did?”

Grey’s reaction was subtle. He seemed to think Serena had made the wrong choice. If Serena had suddenly been swallowed by a labyrinth and heard that the princess she met there was stepping forward to conquer the labyrinth, she would have thought similarly.

“I’m worried too, but I couldn’t stop Lady Serena.”

“Countess, young master. Don’t worry too much. The Princess even defeated a Minotaur on the 2nd Floor.”

“A Minotaur appeared on the 2nd floor?”

Grey was so shocked he looked like he might faint. He was so surprised that he jumped up from his prime spot.

“That can’t be right. Didn’t you mistake it for a monster similar to a cow? Or did these adventurers claim it was a Minotaur? They must have been trying to deceive you and your aunt with lies!”

You’re being fooled!

A victim of child abuse shouted that the sisters he’d only recently met were being scammed.

Seeing is believing. Serena didn’t say much and showed Grey the horn weapon. Seeing the horn tied and secured to the spear shaft with rope, Grey let out a groan.

“It really is a Minotaur horn…”

Grey sat down dejected, just like when he confirmed the exit was blocked.

“Don’t be too afraid. Lady Serena will take care of all these trivial monsters.”

“A Minotaur on the 2nd floor…”

Philia’s awkward comfort couldn’t soothe the terrified child. Serena focused on a different point.

‘He’s certain it’s a Minotaur just from seeing the horn?’

As Grey said, monsters resembling cattle exist besides Minotaurs. Yet Grey was certain the horn’s owner was a Minotaur just from seeing the horn attached to the weapon.

‘Did he memorize a monster encyclopedia?’

Sometimes there are children who, when fixated on a particular field, memorize things so thoroughly they put doctors to shame. They can identify car models just from seeing outlines, determine species from footprint fossils or bone fragments, and recite long scientific names.

If Grey was obsessed with monsters, he could recognize them just from horns. It’s certainly possible.

‘He seems to know more about labyrinths than I do, so why is he 0 stars? Even Philia is 1 star.’

Philia, who does nothing but look pretty, is 1 star, and Lavenda, who supports the party with massages and handles all sorts of chores, is also 1 star. At 12 years old, while young, it’s old enough to help with household tasks.

Wondering if there might be a transparent star I missed, I looked above Grey’s head again. There was nothing.

‘Even Philia is 1 star… Could Philia have gotten 1 star because of the money she has?’

If she got 1 star considering her gold and treasures, then Grey should also be 1 star since he has other potions besides antidotes, shouldn’t he?

‘Ah, I don’t want to use my brain but you keep making me.’

My second life reincarnated as a princess. I wanted to live easily and suck honey, but I never expected to be blindsided after 18 years.

‘Whatever, I don’t know. No matter how much you roll a stone head, it’s still a stone.’

A genius can deduce someone’s profession and purpose just from mud on their shoes.

An ordinary person like Serena doesn’t know unless spoon-fed. Even when foreshadowing is laid out, if it’s too subtle, she can’t notice. Serena decided to set aside her questions about 0 stars and think about something else.

‘Should I recruit one more person or not.’

The dud Grey had antidotes and various potions, so the urgent fire was put out. But a dud is still a dud. 0 stars is still 0 stars. A child is still a child.

‘Our combat power isn’t lacking.’

Thinking of Olive who easily defeated the labyrinth frog, the party’s combat power isn’t insufficient. In the end, what’s lacking is equipment.

‘Then would it be better to do limited recruitment?’

In that case, doing limited recruitment with a low chance of getting equipment might be the better judgment.

‘Is there no equipment in the shop?’

Though I don’t have shop coins, I searched through the product window with the mindset of collecting coins for that goal if there’s something needed. The smithy only cost 3 coins, but it required both a blacksmith and metal, so it was excluded.

There was a treasure chest that randomly produced equipment at regular intervals, but it required 100 coins.

‘That means I can’t spend even 1 coin until I clear 100 floors. Surely this labyrinth doesn’t have more than 100 floors, right?’

Fear crept in, and looking at other products, some required over 1000 coins.

‘Even so, 1000 floors is a bit much… Is it because you can multiply coins with the roulette?’

While my left eye remained open, time steadily flowed. Ying, Olive, and Ralph regained consciousness and woke up in that order.

Ying woke up but made no sound, so Lavenda only realized she was awake when she saw her eyes open.

“Ugh, the paralysis hasn’t fully worn off.”

“My neck is stiff.”

“Don’t move suddenly and wait until I massage it out for you!”

“Lavenda, who’s that kid?”

“Your lifesaver. If Gray Young Master hadn’t had antidotes, you all would have died.”

‘Right. I’ve decided.’

Serena spun the roulette.

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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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