Chapter 15
**Huji Labyrinth ā Floor 1 (Part 4)**
“What a shitty guy!”
“How could he say such a thing!”
Everyone forgot their exhaustion and were outraged at Double Hanson’s (the real one’s) words.
“To be honest, my brother had never properly taken care of the nephews since he was always going back and forth between Huji and Kizen. They were weekend spouses!”
Ralph explained that his sister-in-law had given birth and was staying at her parents’ house in Kizen.
Hearing that she didn’t live in Huji, Serena felt somewhat relieved. The quadruplets probably weren’t caught up in this disaster.
“And then he kept spouting nonsense about how he was dying from being so busy during the founding festival, how he hadn’t slept for two days, how he wanted to heal by watching the kids at home… Before I knew it, I was wearing my brother’s clothes and had come to Huji.”
Since he was here anyway, he decided to give his brother the time to heal by watching the kids, as he’d wished. Ralph impersonated his brother. He was immediately caught by Double Hanson’s colleagues, but when he told them about his brother’s atrocities, they all let it slide.
Anyway, his identity was solid, and since he was a squire in training, he had combat ability and legal knowledge. If anything, a prospective knight was more impressive than a soldierāhe was overqualified.
They were already short-staffed anyway, so why make a fuss? Ralph Hanson continued working as Hanson Hanson.
“I was constantly nervous and anxious in case my identity was exposed. Now I feel relieved!”
Ralph Hanson. Not a soldier, but a squire to a knight, and 16 years old this year.
*’So he wasn’t just young-lookingāhe really was young.’*
His face full of freckles, and the awkward smile he made now that the tension was gone and he was embarrassed about deceiving everyoneāall of it suited his age.
*’He’s the same age as Seraph.’*
She wondered if her clueless younger brother was safe. Serena prayed that her blood relative was also alive and healthy, like Ralph.
“I believe Her Highness will show leniency!”
Ralph’s eyes sparkled. Serena smiled softly and nodded. Ralph excitedly raised both arms again.
“Can we go out now?”
“Let’s look around first.”
Since they’d won the battle, it was time to collect the loot. The party looked around. With the subordinates gone and the leader rat’s corpse left alone, the door at the far end of the stone chamber was most noticeable.
“There’s a door over there.”
The door inside was smaller than the stone door and had a doorknob. It couldn’t hurt to be careful. Following Serena’s instructions, the party checked for traps.
“It seems clear.”
“Surely there won’t be another one of these guys waiting, right?”
Chrome pointed at the leader rat’s corpse and frowned.
“Let’s hope not.”
Ralph, still riding the high of victory and full of energy, carefully opened the door. Behind it was a room with a chest and a set of stairs.
“It’s not an exit.”
“There’s no magic circle either.”
“So Floor 1 isn’t the end. I see… Vieta was said to be unusual…”
“But there’s a treasure chest, at least.”
Despite having defeated the floor boss, the party didn’t receive the reward they most hoped for. Everyone, including Serena, was disappointed.
“Ahem.”
Serena cleared her throat audibly to draw attention. It was too early to be disappointed.
*’I never expected an exit to appear on Floor 1. We’d have to go at least 3 floors.’*
The princess comforted her exhausted, injured, and disappointed party. As the fear and excitement of battle faded, their bodies began to ache all over.
“It’s too early to be disappointed. We were flustered, but the battle wasn’t that difficult. I’m sure everyone thinks they can fight better and with fewer injuries than this next time, right? We’ll do that on the next floor. Floor 2 will probably be similar to here.”
Courage and hope filled everyone’s faces.
“Everyone’s injured, so let’s treat our wounds first. Rest is also important if we’re going to the next floor.”
The party was battered and torn from being bitten by the rats. Ralph, who had fought with the rat swarm clinging to him, was in the worst condition.
His earlobe had been gnawed off, and he was covered in wounds where flesh had been gouged and torn.
“Ugh, weren’t you in pain?”
“As a squire, getting hit is part of the job. I’m used to pain.”
*’How much do they beat him?’*
Just how much did they have to beat him for “getting hit is part of the job” to come out so naturally? After checking everyone’s injuries, Serena nodded.
“We need to use the potion.”
“Huh? But you should use that, Lady Serena!”
“Of course I’ll use it too. For small wounds, we’ll use herbs.”
“Wouldn’t it be better for Her Highness to use it and save the rest?”
“I’m fine! I can just apply saliva!”
“This much will heal if we apply some charcoal or ash.”
*’Heal? It’ll fester.’*
Serena was about to give a speech about the fantasy world residents’ lack of medical knowledge, but stopped.
*’Medicine? I don’t know jack about it.’*
The only medical knowledge Serena had was to wash wounds clean and apply disinfectant. Apart from the disinfectant being replaced by charcoal or ash, she wasn’t much different from Chrome. Also, the people of this world didn’t need to know such things.
*’Because holy magic exists.’*
In this world, gods clearly revealed their presence by granting holy power. There were so many gods and their lineages were so complicated that it rivaled some island nation she’d known in her previous life.
With so many gods, there were also many clergy who could use holy magic. They traveled around receiving donations or proselytizing, healing people’s injuries in the process.
Because it was advantageous for evangelism, most holy magic had good healing capabilities. If a wound was left to fester? Just visit a temple or priest famous for healing magic.
If you were in a remote area with no temples or priests nearby, or if the wound was urgent? Use a potion.
Of course, potions were very expensive and ordinary people could hardly even touch them, but most village chiefs would keep at least one bottle for emergencies. They’d use it in a hurry and spend a lifetime paying it backāor pass the debt down for generations.
A wound that a shabby low-grade potion couldn’t heal? If there was no priest nearby, you were already dead.
Serena’s party was trapped in the sealed space of the Labyrinth.
They had many small wounds that could worsen if left untreated, but they were at a level that could be completely healed with a low-grade potion.
If they didn’t use the potion now, when would they?
“Even if it was just a rat, it was unclean, and since you were bitten by an undead, you shouldn’t leave it be. There’s even a story that those bitten by the undead become undead themselves.”
“Is that true? I’ve never heard that.”
Getting bitten by a zombie and turning into one was the standard rule, but apparently not in this world. Serena felt the cultural difference.
“The wound could become poisoned, so wash them clean and apply the potion in order from the deepest wounds. Use herbs for shallow ones.”
Before returning to the lobby to treat wounds, Serena had Ralph open the treasure chest behind the doorāthough calling it a treasure chest was generous, as it was a rather shabby wooden box.
“It’s potions!”
Fortunately, there were three bottles of low-grade potion inside. They no longer had to worry about applying charcoal mixed with saliva due to a shortage of herbs and potions.
*’Isn’t there anything else?’*
In games and novels featuring labyrinths, it was standard to scavenge materials or equipment from a boss’s corpse. Just in case, Serena examined the pulverized leader rat corpse.
There was nothing.
*’No magic stone either? Really?’*
Serena irritably rifled through the leader rat’s corpse. Philia was shocked by the bizarre sight of the princess expressionlessly rummaging through an undead corpse.
“Lady Serena must be very tired. She’s under too much stress. What if she becomes like Her Highness the Crown Princess?”
“I’ll stop her, Countess.”
“She mustn’t become like Her Highness the Crown Princess.”
Serena’s mother had been a madwoman. Chased by madness, she had ultimately taken her own life.
Ralph and Chrome, who knew this fact, were horrified that this was something a handmaiden would say to the princess she served.
The foreign massage therapist, who didn’t know this fact, simply noted in her mental notebook the additional information that the princess was vulnerable to stress.
“Your Highness?”
“Hm? Ah, don’t be alarmed. I was just looking for anything useful.”
“Please let us do that. We’ll be your hands and feet whenever you command, Your Highness.”
“Since you might miss items imbued with magical power, I searched myself, but… there’s nothing.”
*’Cheap bastard.’*
If this were a game, she’d have at least gained a level. At the very least, an achievement notification would have appeared for defeating the first boss.
But this was reality, so there was nothing. And since it was undead, they couldn’t even use the meat or hide.
*’Filthy cheap bastard. Filthy undead.’*
“I see. It’s a shame something this big has no use. Its tail is huge, but it’s rotten, so it’s a waste. In Vieta, it could have sold for a high price.”
“The rat’s tail?”
“Yes. In Vieta’s Labyrinth, they dry and sell rat tails as lucky charms, but supply can’t keep up with demand.”
Lavenda shyly revealed a secret of Vieta’s tourism industry.
“So they mix in some ordinary rat tails too, and the bigger the tail, the more they can sell it for. I’ve never done it myself, but there were quite a few kids who made pocket money that way. They said just setting traps at rat crossings without spending much time was quite profitable.”
Rats in tourist areas that grew plump and fat eating leftovers from tourists.
Vieta caught those rats, maintained hygiene, dried their tails, and sold them as “Labyrinth Rat tail” lucky charms to make money.
Everyone was happy except the deceived foreign tourists.
What about the rats being unhappy? The rats were also happy because they could eat their fill until they were caught.
“In Vieta, how did that shepherd boy catch something this dangerous all by himself?”
“It probably wasn’t undead. Only regular Labyrinth Rats and Labyrinth Slimes appear in Vieta’s Labyrinth.”
Lavenda said she had clearly seen Labyrinth Rats happily running on wheels in the Labyrinth rest area. Unlike the rats they’d encountered here, their fur was glossy and plump.
“He probably finished it off in a swift strike before it could call its subordinates. I also succeeded with the first strike, but…”
If it had been a regular leader rat, it would have died instantly, but unfortunately it was undead, so it didn’t die and summoned its subordinates. The party had also fallen into confusion, startled by the undead rat legion spawning from the corners.
“As Her Highness said, it wasn’t that difficult of an opponent. Next time, I won’t act so foolishly.”
After reviewing the battle and reflecting, they searched the boss room a little more. They looked for hidden passages or treasure chests but found nothing.
—
The party returned to the lobby. The lobby was still bright. It felt like so much had happened, but in reality, not that much time seemed to have passed.
Everyone washed their wounds and applied the potion.
“Philia, apply the potion more carefully. You don’t want scars.”
“Same goes for you, Lady Serena!”
“I’ll carefully take care of both of you.”
Serena, whose face was practically national property, and Philia, the most beautiful woman in Huji, received special attention.
Lavenda also had her many wounded hands treated. As a massage therapist, her soft hands without a single hangnail were her livelihood, but after gripping and swinging sword hilts and getting bitten by rats, her hands had become rough.
“Since we have more potions now, apply it to Lady Serena’s feet too. Okay?”
“I hate repeating myself. You know that, right?”
After treating everyone’s wounds, they had used two bottles of potion, leaving two remaining. They decided that Serena and Philia would each keep one bottle in their pockets.
The two with the least injuries carrying the potions was practically favoritism. Philia, unaware of this, puffed up with indignation.
“When we get out of here, I’m definitely going to put Lady Serena in a bathtub full of potion. I’ll ask *him* to fill it to the brim with only Landriol’s finest top-grade potions.”
Philia revealed the first thing she would do after escaping the Labyrinth. Plunging the princess into a hot potion bath!
Top-grade potions from the Landriol Workshopānever mind a princess, even an imperial princess would find it hard to afford such luxury, but Philia burned with determination to make it happen.
“Don’t misunderstandāPhilia said she’d pay for it with her own money. As a Huji royal, and as the only woman of the Huyaim family, I maintain appropriate dignity with moderate luxury, but I’m not at the level of the Countess of Randy.”
Serena made excuses to prevent any potential red spears (misunderstandings) from flying. Fortunately, the others didn’t know the price of Landriol Workshop’s top-grade potions.
“I heard Landriol’s potions are hard to come by.”
At least Ralph seemed to have heard something, but he didn’t know the price. Serena vaguely said there was a way.
“We’re commoners so it’s fine, but you two have had a hard time.”
“Chrome, you’ve also worked hard at your advanced age. But how old are you…?”
“A bit over fifty.”
Still younger than sixty, but at over fifty, it was an age where limbs ached too. Chrome took out the frozen rat meat, pondered, then seasoned it with salt and pepper, skewered it, and roasted it.
With three large rats, five people could eat their fill and have two left over. But the problem was what came after.
“There’s no more food left.”
After the meal, Chrome’s flatly spoken words weighed heavier than a death sentence. Serena’s appetite, which had been craving carbohydrates, plummeted. It was the same for everyone else except the princess.
“If we go down the unexplored paths, there will probably be more Labyrinth Rats. I’ll go catch them.”
“I’ll go too. There might be more herb patches.”
“Before that. It’d be better to take a quick look at the lower floor first. Labyrinth Rats might appear on the lower floor too, and there might be a suitable resting place like here.”
Now that they’d finally found stairs, it would be a waste of time to search the unexplored areas of Floor 1 for food.
“What about the cart? Leave it here?”
“Let’s leave it for now. If we find a suitable place on the lower floor, it’d be better to bring it down then.”
“Hopefully the rats don’t mess with it.”
Ralph picked up his wooden sword and Chrome gripped the spear. Chrome wasn’t used to the spear either since it was her first time using it, but it was better than nothing.
The party passed by the leader rat’s corpse.
*’If only that bastard hadn’t been undead, we could have eaten the meat. Filthy cheap rat bastard, I was horrified to meet you, and I never want to see you again.’*
“Oh! My sister-in-law packed something just for me!”
Before going down the stairs, Ralph smiled brightly and pulled something out. It was a small piece of candy. There were five, so everyone could have one.
They weren’t in a position to refuse, so they thanked him and put the candy in their mouths.
The stairs were steep, and they didn’t know what awaited them below. Whether there would be an exit on the lower floor was uncertain, but the candy in their mouths was sweet. Saliva filled their mouths.
—
*Serena and her party descended to Huji Labyrinth’s Floor 2 and were annihilated.*
