Serena and the Mysterious Labyrinth - Chapter 51

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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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51. Heuji’s Labyrinth 3rd Floor (1)

“The Minotaur’s heart is a precious material, but it’s rotted away, what a waste.”

The Minotaur had begun to decay, and many parts had disappeared due to the Labyrinth’s restorative power, so they could only salvage some hide and bones.

Count Randy expressed great regret.

Count Randy designated the gold-rimmed chest that had contained the magic map on the 1st floor as a material storage container. He organized non-perishable materials like bones and hide in the storage.

“Please give me all the gold coins and magic stones we find during future explorations. I need them as alchemical materials.”

Magic stones were consumed every time Count Randy performed alchemy. Considering the price of magic stones, it was a complete loss, but the current party desperately needed equipment for today rather than wealth for the future. Everyone agreed.

‘Oh god, I’m dying.’

Only after the situation was somewhat sorted out did Serena have the leisure to catch her breath. It had been a day full of many events.

‘I summoned Grey during dinner time, but now it’s completely night.’

The campfire Serena had purchased softly illuminated the lobby that had become night. Serena and the others resumed their delayed meal.

After finishing the cleanup, it was so late into the night that it was close to dawn. It seemed like daybreak would come soon.

“I’ll wake you when morning comes, so Lady Serena and Madam, please rest now.”

“Aren’t you tired too, Count?”

“I wandered around for about 10 minutes before meeting you all. I’m fine.”

Night had visited this lobby more than three times. Yet Count Randy said only 10 minutes had passed since he entered the Labyrinth.

‘I heard about it, but it’s really fascinating and scary.’

She truly realized that the Labyrinth was a place where space and time were distorted.

‘Even if I realize it, what can I do. Let me just sleep.’

Serena lay down covered with the world’s most expensive blanket that Count Randy had made by consuming massive amounts of magic stones and gold coins on crude cloth and leather.

Despite being the world’s most expensive, it was no different from an ordinary blanket. It was slightly heavy, and the parts touching her skin were a bit rough, but it was warm.

A savory smell came from the bread hung on the drying rack to dry, and a fishy smell came from the frog meat spread out to make jerky.

Just yesterday, she had slept embracing Lavenda and Philia, trembling with anxiety and fear because Ralph, Olive, and Ying hadn’t returned. But all of that had become nothing.

‘It feels strange.’

After trembling for almost a week, the boss battle viewing, teleportation magic circle, poisoning, the strange rumored kid, and Count Randy all happened in succession, making her extremely tired.

Before falling into the Labyrinth, she had run away because she was too tired, but now she was more tired than then.

She was so tired that she couldn’t fall asleep.

‘Ugh. I want to sleep.’

The tomb she had thought was better than stone floors was still bare ground compared to a bed, and the blanket Count Randy had newly made was heavy and hard compared to a feather comforter.

Without pajamas, sleeping in the clothes she was wearing was too uncomfortable.

Though not at the level of the princess in the story who couldn’t sleep because of a single pea despite dozens of mattresses, Serena was also a princess. The fatigue she had used as a sleeping pill to fall asleep seemed to have backfired.

Even her delicate body began to complain of aftereffects from going down the stairs. Muscle pain started, making it impossible to sleep from the pain.

‘There was a method to fall asleep instantly. Lie down comfortably, relax your body, and breathe slowly…’

She stopped tossing and turning while ignoring the pain, lay straight, and tried the method for falling into deep sleep, but it had no effect.

Still thinking it would be better than doing nothing, she continued trying when she sensed movement.

‘Two?’

Not one person, but two were moving. A door opened and then closed.

‘Going to the restroom?’

Move in groups of two or more even when going to the restroom. Olive had earnestly requested this when joining the party.

Serena opened her eyes to check who was moving. Count Randy, who should have been standing guard, was nowhere to be seen.

‘Grey is gone too.’

If no one else was missing, she would close her eyes again and try to sleep, but of all people, Count Randy and Grey were gone.

‘Did the two go to have a conversation?’

Serena pondered for a moment, then got up from her spot. She was about to move alone when Philia, who had been sleeping beside her, groaned and woke up.

“Where are you going?”

“Restroom.”

“Let’s go together. Mmm.”

Philia couldn’t even open her eyes but flailed her arms in the air trying to grab Serena. Serena took such Philia’s hand and pulled her up.

“Let’s walk quietly since I don’t want to meet rats.”

“Yes.”

Philia walked stealthily as Serena said, with a face still half-asleep.

***

Count Randy and Grey were having a conversation at the crossroads, not having gone far. Fortunately, they didn’t seem to notice Serena’s approach.

When Serena stopped walking, Philia followed and stopped without saying anything.

‘Completely authoritarian.’

Count Randy stood at attention like a disciplined soldier in front of Grey, nodding enthusiastically every time the child said something. The hierarchical relationship was perfectly established.

An adult who couldn’t make a peep in front of a child. It wasn’t a strange sight in a class-based society, but if the adult was an uncle and the child was a nephew, if the adult was a genius alchemist and the child was a servant, then the dynamic was strange.

Seeing this bizarre dynamic, Serena recalled how the bad rumors about Grey and the 5th Prince had started circulating.

‘Right, that’s how it was. A servant said they saw the 5th Prince kneeling before a page.’

Regardless of sexual orientation, it was common to have young pages and maids for reasons of etiquette and early education. Some people even brought in pages just because they were cute.

So when the 5th Prince suddenly included a young servant in the delegation, no one found it strange at the time.

But the moment a palace servant, who was using a restricted area as a shortcut while dealing with the influx of distinguished guests, witnessed the 5th Prince kneeling before the young servant, the story changed.

The servant was greatly shocked by the unimaginable insubordination, the attitude of the Prince and Grey who took such insubordination for granted, and the two who somehow seemed very intimate.

It didn’t take long to report to his superior, who reported to his superior, who then reported to Serena.

‘They insisted it wasn’t a normal relationship. They were certain it was a romantic relationship.’

The Chamberlain who made the final report to Serena was very displeased that the only princess of House Huaim’s prospective husband had brought an inappropriate lover all the way to Heuji.

The Chamberlain didn’t control his subordinates’ tongues, and the rumors spread naturally.

‘It doesn’t seem to be a romantic relationship.’

Judging by Count Randy defending with his arms because he didn’t want to be hit by the staff he had made, the 5th Prince must have had similar circumstances.

The child’s personality was extraordinary. It was just like watching Seraph when he was young.

Serena canceled the curse she had cast on the 5th Prince.

‘Sorry, 5th Prince. But it was understandable to misunderstand.’

“Ahem.”

Serena made her presence known before Count Randy got hit. She pretended to be sleepy like Philia, while looking around warily for Labyrinth Rats, pretending to discover the two.

“Count? Grey?”

“L-L-L-Lady Serena, where are you and Madam going?”

“Restroom.”

“We’re also on our way to the restroom. Let’s go together.”

Count Randy linked arms with Philia, who was still half-asleep, and led her to the restroom.

“I’ll escort Your Highness the Princess.”

Serena yawned long and took Grey’s small hand. Perhaps because of the hardships in the Labyrinth for several days, the child’s hand felt particularly soft and smooth.

‘Baby skin.’

Being the Grand Mage’s grandson, how preciously must he have been raised? Serena relaxed her grip, worried her broken nails might hurt the child.

***

The next day. Having gone to sleep late the previous night, the party woke up around lunchtime. After finishing their breakfast-lunch meal, Count Randy made an announcement.

“I will also help with the Labyrinth conquest.”

“I appreciate the sentiment, but aren’t you a scholar, Count?”

Count Randy was a tall young man, but he wasn’t the physical type.

Alchemists had to conduct in-depth research on materials, so they were all laboratory types. Both Count Randy and his wife had slender builds.

‘I acknowledge his determination, but with the 3rd floor difficulty already increased, I can’t add more baggage.’

So thought the princess who was herself baggage.

Fortunately, the alchemist hadn’t expressed his intention to join the party with the plan of becoming baggage.

“To learn alchemy, you must also learn magic, so I learned the basics. I only reached the 2nd tier, but having learned the basics thoroughly, it should be useful.”

Depending on the types of magic one can cast, even a 2nd tier mage can be quite active. Count Randy suddenly rolled forward to prove his solid foundation. He shot a mana bullet forward.

“Ha! Did you see that?”

‘Really proper?’

It really was proper, but that was the proper way for a combat mage. There was no need for a precious alchemist to enter battle, yet he had built this as his foundation?

Moreover, it had been several years since he learned it, but his body still moved naturally. It was proof that he had repeated the training enough for his body to react automatically even after years had passed.

“Nice~”

Olive whistled. She seemed more impressed than with the princess who could cast 3rd-tier ice arrows while standing still.

“The Count was quite a versatile person.”

“It’s nothing special. My magic tutor was extremely strict and combat-oriented. Really…”

Count Randy’s eyes became distant. He trembled as if just remembering it was terrible.

“It was really hard enough to kill me.”

Following Count Randy’s distant gaze, Grey was at the end of it. Grey smiled brightly while tearing into frog jerky.

“Grandfather is the continent’s greatest mage!”

“Of course! That goes without saying. Not just the continent, he’s a Grand Mage who will remain in history! He’s been the imperial mage since the previous Emperor’s time, and he’s a truly wonderful person who once taught the current Emperor! Hahaha!”

“Hahaha!”

From morning, nephew and uncle laughed energetically.

“But why didn’t you tell me such things? You only cursed, so I thought you had a bad relationship with your tutor.”

“Hmm, my lady. That’s because… I was worried it might burden you. You were happy that I was an orphan with no family, so wouldn’t it be burdensome if an elder suddenly appeared?”

Normally here, it would be proper to say she’d be happy that her husband who was an orphan had a teacher-like family member. However, Huji’s greatest beauty wasn’t that kind of person.

“Yes. It would be burdensome.”

Wow.

The companions who had been focusing on their meal, finding it awkward to join the nobles’ conversation, exhaled in admiration. Count Randy nodded without showing any surprise.

“Right? My tutor has the temperament to understand such things, so I didn’t mention it. I didn’t hide it on purpose, my lady. I have nothing to hide from you. I could even open my chest to show you.”

“You don’t need to show me. Sound is enough.”

Philia leaned over and put her ear to her husband’s chest. People slowly chewed their bread and carefully swallowed, worried about disturbing Huji’s greatest beauty as she closed her eyes and listened to her beloved’s heartbeat.

Philia opened her eyes and separated from her husband. People breathed heavily as if released from hypnosis.

“My standards got too high because of the Countess, what am I going to do now. Wow, my heart is racing.”

“I thought my heart would stop from being so dazzled.”

The beauty in her loving husband’s arms was beautiful enough to adversely affect hearts. The victims expressed their respective feelings and reflected on their fortune of being able to see Philia up close.

“Uncle is really lucky. Aunt must have been really popular.”

Normally one should say Philia was lucky to have obtained the continent’s genius alchemist, but since Philia’s beauty was close to continental-level rather than just Huji’s greatest, even the nephew said his uncle was lucky.

Count Randy, seemingly aware of his own fortune, smiled broadly without hiding his joy and happiness.

“The 5th Prince and the Princess will become a harmonious couple like Uncle and Aunt, right?”

‘Suddenly promoting the 5th Prince here?’

Serena’s eyebrows twitched as Philia opened her mouth.

“The marriage proposal with the 5th Prince is.”

Serena quickly poked Philia’s side and flicked her finger. This was a signal that this topic should never be brought up again.

Serena moved to handle the situation before others, especially Grey, became suspicious.

“The 5th Prince is of course a wonderful person. There must be many princesses other than me who have marriage proposals, and how many in the Empire must admire His Highness. Among them, there might be someone who has captured the 5th Prince’s heart. Since royal marriages are matters of national importance, I’m worried you might be disappointed, Grey.”

“That’s not true! I guarantee that Your Highness the Princess will marry the 5th Prince! Absolutely! You two really suit each other well!”

‘That marriage proposal that just needed documents made and stamps affixed. It fell through because of you.’

Serena couldn’t bear to tell the truth and smiled a gentle princess smile.

“I want to see a baby between you two soon!”

‘A child wanting a child.’

Originally, children do like babies. Not knowing that the marriage proposal ended because of him, Grey’s premature celebration was outstanding.

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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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