Serena and the Mysterious Labyrinth - Chapter 48

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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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48. Genius Alchemist (2)

Having finished her conversation(?) with Grey, it was Serena’s turn. Serena moved toward the cave with the Count to have a quiet conversation.

“I have many things I want to ask, but let me start with this. What happened at the royal palace that made you tell me to flee to the Imperial Embassy?”

What was the reason Serena left the massage parlor without properly washing? It was because Philia had been contacted by her husband and came to find Serena.

Thanks to that, Philia fell into the labyrinth together with Serena, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise. But Count Randy wasn’t a prophet, so there was no way he could have known about the labyrinth’s occurrence in advance.

In the end, something big enough for him to advise the princess to flee to the Imperial Embassy must have happened at the royal palace.

“Actually, I don’t know exactly either. I was also waiting for a guest at the royal palace when I suddenly received word to go to the Imperial Embassy. However.”

“However?”

“Someone from the Heuji royal family drew their sword and killed another member of the Heuji royal family at the royal palace. I heard this for certain.”

Serena furrowed her brow.

“Are you certain they’re dead?”

“Yes. I heard their head was severed. There’s no confusion or possibility of survival.”

“It wouldn’t be Seraph. Right?”

“…I’m sorry. I don’t know either.”

Serena covered her face with her hands and took a deep breath.

There were only five members of the royal family. You could count them on one hand.

Her brother drawing his sword to kill a relative, or having his neck cut by a relative’s sword. Which would be better?

Both were terrible to Serena, but the former would be better. If the dead person was her father or grandfather, she couldn’t truly blame her brother.

“What about Richard? What was that about Duke Oren drawing his sword and looking for me?”

“That’s also certain. After receiving word that one of the royal family members had died, I received word that Duke Oren was wandering around the royal palace with his sword drawn, looking for you, Princess.”

“Then Richard is alive.”

“Yes.”

Then the deceased royal family member was one of three. Serena’s grandfather, father, or brother.

Serena swallowed hard. A suffocating silence descended on the cave for a moment.

“It’s rude to ask questions in this situation, but given the circumstances, I dare to ask something.”

“Speak.”

“Where were you and my wife before coming to the labyrinth? I was on my way from the royal palace to the Imperial Embassy.”

“Huchien District 7.”

Count Randy’s face turned pale. If the royal palace located in central Huchien was considered District 0, then the Imperial Embassy was in District 1, adjacent to the royal palace. If the labyrinth’s creation range extended from District 7 to District 1, that was more than half of Huchien.

“Ah, I understand. Lady Serena, please don’t tell this fact to others. It would be better not to ask others where they were either.”

Depending on how much of Huchien was destroyed, Serena’s position within the labyrinth could be shaken. Count Randy knew well how dangerous the weak without combat abilities could become in a labyrinth.

“Don’t worry about that.”

Fortunately, Serena had secured the position of the most important food provider in the labyrinth. Even if it became known that all of Huchien had been swallowed by the labyrinth and the Kingdom of Heuji was on the brink of collapse, her position wouldn’t be shaken.

“Yes, you would do that, Lady Serena.”

“Do you have more questions?”

“No, I’m fine.”

“Then let me ask one more thing.”

Serena covered her mouth just in case and spoke so quietly it seemed like only her lips were moving.

“Who is that child?”

“He’s a relative of my magic tutor, a child I treat as a nephew for convenience.”

“Is he really Grand Mage Pein’s grandson? If it’s Duke Pein, I know his only daughter married the Emperor and their grandson is the 5th Prince.”

“That’s… it’s complicated to explain…”

‘Is he an illegitimate child’s real grandson?’

The Empire was more sexually liberal than Heuji, and adultery was so prevalent that it was considered natural beyond being a social problem.

There were even jokes circulating about couples fighting because one wife had seven lovers and asked her husband why he was so lacking in charm that he only had one lover, saying she was too embarrassed to live.

‘No wonder there were rumors about Mido.’

“Do you know the rumors circulating between that child and the 5th Prince?”

“Rumors?”

“The rumor that the attendant the 5th Prince keeps with him isn’t a male attendant but a male courtesan. A lover he’s so infatuated with that he brought him to Heuji.”

“What?”

Count Randy was so shocked he spoke loudly. He quickly closed his mouth and asked urgently.

“What did you say? Male courtesan? The 5th Prince?”

“The rumor spread everywhere that he’s a male concubine the 5th Prince is infatuated with, so much that he brought him to Heuji.”

“How did such an absurd rumor! No, aaah.”

Count Randy cried out silently and made a throat-cutting gesture with his hand.

“I don’t know how such a rumor started, but it’s a false rumor with zero percent truth content. Please absolutely don’t let it reach his ears. Absolutely.”

“His?”

“His Highness the 5th Prince.”

Count Randy realized his slip of the tongue and tried to cover it up, then firmly closed his mouth. Using the Count’s mistake as fuel, Serena’s mind began working.

‘If a Count who’s called the Emperor’s adopted son would refer to him as “His”…’

“Lady Serena. Knowing your intelligence, I dare to say this. You could be in danger, so you must pretend not to know.”

Count Randy served the princess like a second master to express gratitude to Serena, who had built a bridge for him to be loved by his beloved wife. Since he was warning her like this, Serena took it deeply to heart.

“I understand. I’ll just pretend not to know.”

“Yes, you must.”

“Then the 5th Prince isn’t a pedophile?”

“Absolutely not! Don’t tell me you believed that rumor too, Lady Serena?”

“I realized it wasn’t true after seeing him this time, but everyone who heard the rumor believes it. All the palace nobles, maids, servants, and attendants.”

“Ugh…”

Rumors spread easily and are hard to correct. Count Randy’s complexion turned blue.

“How on earth did such a vile rumor…”

“I don’t remember well, but didn’t it start when they suddenly added a young man of unknown status to the delegation?”

There was more to it, but she couldn’t remember right now. During the National Foundation Day period, events and people came rushing in, so Serena’s brain capacity was full from memorizing people’s names and positions.

“He came to meet me, but such a rumor! Then am I the cause?”

Count Randy’s face turning red and blue rivaled a face-changing performance.

“Hemorrhoids are hard enough to handle, but a male courtesan… hahaha, I’m dead… My teacher will kill me…”

Serena patted his shoulder to comfort the despairing Count Randy.

“Don’t be too discouraged. If you work hard and safely escape the labyrinth, that achievement will offset it.”

“Yes… you’re right. This is a labyrinth, I can’t despair over just this.”

***

After each resolved their curiosities, Count Randy pointed toward the inside of the cave.

“If we go this way, there’s an exit that’s blocked, right?”

“Yes.”

“May I take a look?”

Count Randy trusted Serena’s words and judgment like Philia did. The reason he wanted to see the debris was to check if he could open the exit with his alchemy.

When Serena nodded, Count Randy headed toward the exit. The exit was still blocked by huge rocks and debris, making it daunting to even touch.

The Count knocked on the rocks like others had done, estimated their size, and checked if they could clear the debris to get outside. As time passed, Count Randy’s face grew darker.

“I’m sorry. I cannot clear the rocks and debris with my abilities.”

“I see.”

She had hoped that the genius alchemist the Empire was proud of might have a way, but it wasn’t the case. As Serena sighed in disappointment, Count Randy pulled out various items from the bag attached to his belt.

“Communication device. Of course it doesn’t work. Emergency escape scroll. It doesn’t work. To exit from a labyrinth to the outside, you need a teleportation scroll or magical device that came from the labyrinth.”

Count Randy activated a magical device attached to his collar. It was a device that informed the Imperial army of his location at regular intervals. He didn’t know if it would work inside the labyrinth, but it was better than doing nothing.

“I don’t know about His Highness, but since Grey and I were swallowed by the labyrinth, the Empire will definitely send a rescue team. It will be hard, but you just need to endure until then. I will definitely help the Princess and my wife escape.”

Count Randy was confident that a rescue team would definitely come.

‘Because he doesn’t know that Huchien was swallowed whole, including the royal palace.’

Since the kingdom’s capital wasn’t half-destroyed but completely destroyed and swallowed by the labyrinth, even the Empire, a major gangster nation, wouldn’t find it easy to send a rescue team.

‘It would be difficult to even find the labyrinth entrance hidden by debris.’

Serena recalled the external situation she had witnessed through her first death. A giant black tower stood tall enough to pierce the sky, trampling the ruined Huchien. The tower was so large and tall it seemed visible even from beyond the mountain range surrounding Huchien.

‘If I were the emperor, I’d occupy the undefended Huji first rather than rescue the missing people.’

When they escape the labyrinth, they might find Huji already occupied by the Empire.

‘That’s something to worry about when we escape. Not something to think about now.’

When Serena and Count Randy returned to the lobby, the idle people gradually gathered around. Their eyes held faint hope.

“The genius alchemist saw the exit, right? Can we get out?”

“Is it true that alchemy can eliminate stones, not just make potions?”

An alchemist needed a mage’s talent, capital, and divine favor combined. That’s why they were rarer than mages.

Since the Empire’s genius alchemist had seen the exit, wouldn’t things be different somehow?

People harbored such expectations and gave Count Randy gentle smiles. Serena answered on behalf of her retainer to protect him.

“Alchemy is not omnipotent.”

“We could eliminate part of the rocks, but then the debris the rocks are blocking would come pouring down. We’d all be swept away and die.”

“Ugh… So we have to go down there after all.”

“Still, with Count Randy here, the conquest should be easier than before.”

“How? By making potions? This isn’t even an alchemist’s workshop, so what difference does adding one alchemist make?”

“A big difference.”

Olive, who had been disappointed after trying to see the genius alchemist’s skills, blinked rapidly as if demanding proof.

Count Randy, receiving silent instructions from Serena, demonstrated his abilities.

“Madam, please show me your feet.”

Count Randy first knelt on one knee before Philia. He had Philia hold onto his shoulder, then removed her shoes.

“How much pain you must have endured…”

Count Randy took out a potion from his bag and poured it on Philia’s feet. Seeing the high-grade potion from Landriole Workshop pour like water onto the noblewoman’s feet, Olive screamed.

“Kyaaaah! What a waste! I was wrong, so stop wasting potions!”

After cleanly treating the lady’s feet with the potion, Count Randy picked up the pretty but uncomfortable shoes.

The shoes in his hands transformed into comfortable leather footwear suitable for walking.

“What? What just happened? Did he take out new shoes?”

“I didn’t see it either. Didn’t the shoes just change? Am I seeing things?”

Olive and Lavenda rubbed their eyes. Count Randy’s demonstration didn’t stop at shoes.

“Shall I change your clothes like that too?”

When Count Randy pointed to Lavenda, Philia nodded. At Count Randy’s touch, Philia’s jeweled dress became comfortable clothing like what Lavenda wore.

“Are you actually a magician rather than an alchemist?”

Magic that suddenly changed clothes and shoes! Ralph was amazed, saying a traveling troupe magician had shown similar magic before.

“It’s not magic. It’s alchemy. A special transaction the God of Gold has granted me.”

“Changing clothes and shoes? Not making potions and such?”

“Potion making is the basics of alchemy. This is real advanced alchemy.”

Philia moved around in her new shoes and clothes. When she spun in place, her skirt puffed up like a jar then settled down. Just spinning in place, she looked like a fairy dancing.

“It’s really comfortable! Thank you, dear!”

Her giggling appearance was truly beautiful, but the genius alchemist’s skills overshadowed even Huji’s greatest beauty. Those seeing alchemy for the first time couldn’t take their eyes off Count Randy.

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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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