Serena and the Mysterious Labyrinth - Chapter 97

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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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97. Remarkable Improvement

Serena’s party was stable but lacked offensive power.

Would the newcomer fill the lacking offensive power?

Serena looked at the door on the opposite side with subtle anticipation.

The door opened and Olive appeared first.

Olive spotted Serena and waved her hand with a bright smile.

“Wow! Princess! You’re alive!”

“Is Lady Serena here? Oh! Lady Serena! Are you safe?”

“Princess! Waaah! I was really scared! I’m sorry!”

“All limbs intact? Then that’s fine.”

At the sound of Serena’s voice, Count Randy came running with tears streaming down his face (for real).

The Young Knight also ran over with reddened eyes, not to be outdone by the Count.

The Taciturn Archer and Prince Thief followed behind them.

“Lord Seraph! You’re safe!”

“I’m glad you’re unharmed.”

The party that had been traveling with the Princess welcomed the Princess, while the priests who had been following the Prince welcomed the Prince, reorganizing the party.

The alchemist’s million-gold hands swept over various parts of Serena’s body.

She endured it without brushing away the touch that was checking for injuries.

“Waaah, Princess! *sob* I! I unnecessarily suggested we check the lower floor! *sob*!”

Ralph knelt before Serena and apologized outright.

Since the floor was hot and could cause burns, Serena had to quickly help the boy stand up.

“Lady Serena. I’m glad you’re safe. Really glad.”

“Waaah, I was so scared wondering what would happen if something happened to the Princess.”

“Calm down. I’m fine. I met the priests right away and traveled with them.”

“Now, now, both of you calm down. Everyone’s safe without anyone missing. That’s what matters. Yo.”

When Serena looked at Olive, the guide blatantly avoided her orange eyes while scratching her cheek.

“I never thought a forced party dissolution section would appear so early. Who would have known. Right? Yo? The Princess didn’t know either. Hahaha!”

Let’s just get a taste of the lower floor.

Olive, who had persuaded the Princess along with the Knight to cause this mess, laughed awkwardly.

Knowing this wasn’t something to brush off with laughter, her laughter gradually grew quieter until.

“I’ve committed a mortal sin. As a guide, I made the wrong judgment. I beg for your mercy.”

It ended with honest apology and admission of fault.

It was so like Olive to not want to accept punishment gracefully, which made it easier to forgive her instead.

“I too, as the party leader, failed to make the right judgment and succumbed to temptation, so I won’t blame you all. However, let’s be more careful in conquering the Labyrinth from now on.”

“As expected, the Princess is merciful and generous! Unlike that prince from a country that starts with ‘heu’ and ends with ‘ji’!”

“A guide who should lead the party on safe paths suggesting dangerous paths first! You’re not qualified to be a guide!”

Having heard the entire conversation on this side, Seraph’s scolding came down.

Olive hugged herself and shuddered.

“I really don’t get along with that prince. The Princess is the best. Yo.”

“Insolent thing! If this weren’t the Labyrinth, I would have dismissed an incompetent thief like you immediately!”

“Ah, yes yes. I was wrong.”

Olive covered her ears with both hands, then ran away saying she would search the carnivorous tree corpse.

In the place where the guide left, another guide-cum-prince-cum-pickpocket approached.

“Fire that thief immediately or kick her out! She’s completely incompetent, insolent, and rude!”

“Hmm. You look healthy.”

Though his long platinum hair was cut short at the neck, judging by his temperament and voice, her sibling was very healthy.

The way he was passionately arguing while even spitting on his sister’s face suggested his journey here had been smooth.

Now that she knew her sibling was safe, Serena’s gaze turned a bit late to above her sibling’s head.

Her sibling’s star count, which she hadn’t been able to check when they met before because she was too surprised and excited.

Seraph Parkling Huaim was a 2-star human with two yellow stars and three gray stars.

‘Seraph is 2-star? Why?’

The flower trash she had always thought was incompetent was 2-star. Serena was quite shocked.

‘The same grade as Krom, who was secretly competent? He was incompetent as a prince but competent as a thief? His family business didn’t match his aptitude?’

The prince who was second in the succession line of the Hoji throne was a promising thief. Serena was dumbfounded.

‘Good dexterity, quick movements, high luck. Perfect thief stats.’

Serena gripped her bag tightly to avoid getting pickpocketed again.

Seeing this, Seraph remembered what he had done when they parted (pickpocketing) and fled among the priests.

Muffin saw Seraph and screamed.

“Ah! Lord Seraph! Your hair got shorter!”

“It got burned so I cut it.”

“Ugh. What a waste.”

Still, as a potential fiancée candidate, Muffin was most interested in Seraph.

Serena let the thief escape and asked about something else.

“Whose magic was the fire that killed the carnivorous tree?”

She had hoped to meet a newcomer, but everyone who came through the door was a familiar face.

At the Princess’s question, the alchemist raised his hand.

“I did it.”

“Count Randy also defeated the Floor Boss leading to the Winter Garden. Magnificent.”

“Wow, a genius is a genius. The Princess should have seen it directly. It was really spectacular. Yo.”

Ralph looked at the Count with admiring eyes, and Olive, who was searching through the tree debris, gave a thumbs up with her soot-covered thumb.

“Count Randy’s handiwork?”

“It was the Count’s and my achievement.”

Seraph, hiding among the priests, stuck out only his head and spoke.

“Including Seraph too?”

“Lord Seraph obtained several elemental essences from treasure chests. I combined them with attack potions I had through alchemy.”

Before coming down to the 4th Layer, Count Randy had spent time attached to the alchemist workshop Serena had purchased. He must have crafted attack potions then too.

Fire essence met a genius alchemist. The result was fierce flames that completely burned down the Leader’s Chamber.

“Wow, when the Count threw the potion, the Floor Boss just died. But the fire was too strong, so after that we just opened the door to check the position, threw the potion, and closed the door. We did the same this time and waited for the fire to go out. Yo.”

When entering combat with a Floor Boss, the Leader’s Chamber door locks and won’t open. She wondered how they got out, but apparently the Floor Boss died in one hit.

‘Killed in one hit? Isn’t that too strong?’

“Even though I lowered the output, the firepower was still too strong. I should have broken the fire essence into smaller pieces…”

“An ordinary alchemist can only summon ordinary fire even using an entire fire essence. Good fire can be recognized just by looking at the extinguished remains. Your reputation as a genius alchemist was no exaggeration.”

As a Knight of the Fire God, perhaps she liked the flames Count Randy created. Marine praised Count Randy.

Count Randy was used to receiving so much praise that he remained calm, but then awkwardly smiled upon seeing the vow of silence necklace around the Knight’s neck.

‘That’s just decoration.’

Not only was he reliable for recovery potions, but he even had the offensive power to take down Floor Bosses in one shot.

Serena suddenly didn’t envy the 5-star Monk anymore. She was really happy to have a 5-star Alchemist.

“That pays for the bag.”

Seraph said curtly. Count Randy brightened up.

“Elemental essences are precious treasures, but if Lord Seraph says so, I have no choice.”

True to being a believer of the God of Gold, Count Randy couldn’t refuse a deal with enormous net profit.

But perhaps feeling guilty about just taking the essence, he proposed something else.

“Instead, if you need any items, I’ll craft anything I can make through alchemy.”

At the alchemist’s words, the priests’ eyes turned.

“Please change my shoes to more comfortable ones!”

“Rather than alchemy, I’d like to receive some food. It would be good if we could each carry a water bottle.”

“Are cooking utensils like pots and frying pans possible too?”

“Could I ask for clothes to change into?”

“There are plenty of clothes here, so I’ll adjust the sizes for you.”

A second alchemy boom swept through Heuji’s Labyrinth.

***

The party decided to rest before entering the central area.

Though the acrid smell of burning and flying ash hindered their breathing, they spread blankets and sleeping bags in the leader’s chamber since it was safer than outside.

People moved busily, each finding their tasks to do. No one was resting.

Except for the Princess and Prince.

As always, the royal siblings were excluded from meal duty.

While Serena glanced around, wanting to help even a little, Seraph boldly lay down on the blanket.

Achoo!

Then he sneezed after inhaling the swirling ash.

Every time the Prince sneezed loudly, ash and dust scattered, creating a vicious cycle that irritated their respiratory systems.

‘Tsk tsk.’

Serena looked at her sibling with disdain and helped him up.

Perhaps not wanting to sneeze more, Seraph obediently took his sister’s hand, stood up, and leaned against a corner of the leader’s chamber.

“Serena.”

Ash had gotten in, making Seraph’s eyes bloodshot and his voice watery.

Perhaps because of this, he overlapped with the image of her young sibling hiding in the labyrinth garden.

Seraph frowned his handsome face and spoke as if displeased.

“Why did you come in so dangerously? Do you want to die?”

“Are you one to talk?”

Do you want to die?

It wasn’t something the incarnation of sudden death, who had died in various ways each time, should say.

Seraph, as always, looked Serena over with dissatisfied eyes.

“Count Randy was spouting nonsense about you being chosen by the Labyrinth God and receiving divine revelations.”

“Don’t insult God. And it’s true.”

“Puhaha! You?”

Seraph pointed at his sister and mocked her.

Then, even though Serena hadn’t moved, he got scared on his own and pulled out a shield to defend his upper body.

‘Where did that shield come from?’

When Serena shot him a look of disdain, the shield disappeared from the Prince’s hand. More precisely, it returned to bracelet form.

“Is it real?”

“What about that thing on your wrist? Is it a magic tool?”

“Yeah. It’s a magic shield.”

Seraph pretended to treat the bracelet-form magic shield as nothing special, while stroking his wrist so Serena could see it well, showing off.

“I heard treasure chests poured out.”

“You heard that story too? Yeah. I got it as a reward from a treasure chest. This and various other things.”

Seraph seemed happy to have something to tease his sister with, showing off his shoes, belt, and so on.

“Serena, you were right. The labyrinth is dangerous. But that dangerous labyrinth seems to welcome me quite well.”

Serena narrowed her one eye and glared at the magic tool equipment Seraph was showing off.

Setting aside the magic sword at his waist that was originally a magic sword, there were shoes, belt, and even unfamiliar earrings.

The Prince was wrapped in expensive magical equipment that was more valuable than when he was a prince.

Serena was so envious her stomach twisted.

‘I’m the one blessed by the Labyrinth God, so why does he have better treasure chest luck?’

At this point, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call him the Labyrinth God’s favorite.

‘Is being faithful to desires the key?’

Seraph’s desire to kill Richard. For that, he needed powerful magic tools.

Was the labyrinth providing what the Prince’s honest and simple desires required?

But for rewards to be good, the labyrinth’s difficulty had to be high.

So far it was the early 10th floors and he traveled with 5-star priests, so it was fine, but what would happen if they went deeper?

“Seraph.”

“Don’t say it. I won’t listen.”

When she tried to nag her sibling, he anticipated it and struck first.

Even when Serena raised her eyebrows, Seraph didn’t run away or protect himself with his shield.

Instead, he gazed at his sister with slightly sharper and darker eyes.

Perhaps because he had quit drinking since entering the labyrinth, his complexion was surprisingly good.

Being a bit thinner made his already distinct features even sharper, and perhaps thanks to exercising while only eating chicken, his posture improved, making him look taller too.

‘Did he really grow?’

No. Seraph’s height was similar to before. Even while sleeping during the day and drinking and gambling at night, the Prince had grown steadily thanks to inheriting tall genes.

The reason such a Prince’s gaze was always below the Princess was simple.

In front of family, especially in front of his sister, the Prince could never hold his head up straight.

But now Seraph straightened his back and shoulders, lifted his chin, and looked straight ahead, meeting his sister’s eyes.

Serena was slightly surprised by her sibling’s eye level becoming similar to hers.

“No matter what you say, I’m going to chase after Richard and kill him.”

“I’m not saying don’t take revenge.”

‘The problem is that even if you kill Richard in the labyrinth, he won’t die.’

Serena also didn’t want to stop her sibling’s revenge, especially since he had witnessed Grandfather’s murder.

The problem was that her sibling didn’t know Richard could regress.

‘Should I tell him? Would he believe it?’

To her current sibling, whatever Serena said would feel like lies to prevent him from entering the labyrinth.

Her sibling’s will for revenge was firm, and neither the perilous labyrinth nor the bland chicken diet could break the Prince’s resolve.

She considered using force to tie her sibling down, but seeing her sibling at eye level made that feeling disappear.

“Seraph.”

“It’s useless to stop me. You’re the one who should stop coming down dangerously.”

“That’s not it.”

“Then what?”

“Don’t trust the priests too much.”

The priests weren’t accompanying the Prince truly for Seraph’s sake, but for the will of the god they served.

She warned him in advance, worried that her sibling, who suffered from severe affection deficiency, might not know this fact and become attached to the priests only to be disappointed.

Then her sibling’s beautiful face contorted.

“Do you think I’m an idiot? That kind of thing…”

Seraph gritted his teeth and lowered his head. Just when their eye levels seemed to match, the Prince’s gaze turned downward again.

“I already know.”

Serena simply reached out and stroked her sibling’s shortened hair.

The Prince’s hand moved as if to swat away Serena’s touch, but ultimately couldn’t bring himself to do it and accepted her gesture.

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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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