Rumble— Rumble—
“What an incredible dark cloud.”
Could the dark cloud cover the sun?
I think I would say yes if asked, as I’ve seen the sun completely obscured by the clouds.
A morning devoid of light was enough to instill fear in people. Everyone was in shock at the sky they saw upon waking up.
“Priest, the… the sun hasn’t risen. Is this okay?”
People who couldn’t overcome their fear flocked to the temple, filling the prayer room to the brim.
Seeing them trembling with unease, I felt the need to somehow calm them and send them home. Usually, when something big happens in the village, the church is used as a shelter, so it was understandable that they had gathered here. The issue, however, was that this place was not equipped with proper shelter facilities.
In other words, there was nothing beneficial about gathering here.
“Do not be afraid. The sun has simply turned its gaze elsewhere for a while.”
When humans face an unstoppable disaster, the only entity they can rely on is God.
“Since things are as they are, though it’s early, let us take a moment to pray.”
We spent time praying together to offer solace to the anxious people. Of course, no miracle occurred just because everyone prayed fervently; the sun did not suddenly rise. The sky remained covered in dark clouds, not allowing even a single ray of light to touch the ground.
‘This is bad.’
We are a cult devoted to the Sun God.
Yet, the sun hasn’t risen in the sky.
‘What does this mean? Need I spell it out? It means we’re screwed.’
The reason our theocracy could act as a tyrant among various nations was because we had the Sun God as our patron.
But now, with the sun gone from the sky, it’s as if we’ve lost that support.
In short, while I appeared calm outwardly, in truth, I’d been shivering with fear since earlier.
Rumble— Rumble—
“Ugh.”
“That sound again.”
One cannot simply spend the entire day in prayer.
The people who had managed to calm down a bit after praying frowned at the loud noise coming from within the labyrinth.
“As you all know, today is the day mentioned in the prophecy. What is happening now is merely the miracle of the labyrinth’s seal breaking. Don’t be too alarmed; brace yourselves. The Great One will protect us.”
It’s not that I don’t want to run upon hearing that sound, but as a priest, I had to maintain my dignity. I couldn’t show any fear, nor did I consider abandoning this place.
“What if the door opens and monsters come out?”
I could see some people contemplating whether this was their last chance to escape.
Watching movies, I never understood why people wouldn’t run in dangerous situations; now, being in their shoes, I get it.
How can you make the choice to run based on a future that hasn’t even happened yet?
In this kind of situation, it’s better to stand and fight than flee.
“If monsters emerge, it’s even more critical to hold our ground. If they break free and spread elsewhere, many lives will be lost. If monsters appear, they must be killed here.”
Although I wasn’t the one fighting, it felt right to say this since, after the battle, we would all have our hands full with work, so I spoke confidently.
“Oh, Priest! We just came here to build; how can we fight monsters?”
“You’ll have to do something. If monsters appear, I’ll be the first to stand at the front.”
“What are you saying, Priest? You can’t do that. No, I’ll do it instead!”
“Together, if we all combine our efforts, we can overcome this.”
Rumble— Thud!!
The loud noises from the labyrinth were gradually subsiding.
I felt a strong sense of foreboding in the silence that followed.
“Hm? Who is that?”
While everyone held their breath, keeping watch at the entrance of the labyrinth, a group began to approach closer. It was baffling that anyone would dare make such a bold move when no one knew what might burst out once the door opened.
‘Those guys who act so rashly are always the first to die.’
I was wondering if I should offer my condolences in advance, but the people around started murmuring. Listening to their conversations, it seemed they were marveling at someone in amazement.
‘Who are they looking at like that?’
Hidden behind the crowd, I couldn’t see who they were looking at…
“To think there would come a day when we’d see a royal in person.”
“Right? She’s truly beautiful, absolutely stunning.”
“Hey! Calling the princess ‘beautiful’? What if someone hears you and you get dragged off?”
“But, honestly, she is beautiful.”
The words of the people belatedly entered my ears.
It seemed that the person I was seeing was indeed who I suspected.
Frankly, she had an appearance that could only be explained by being of royal blood.
Glossy blonde hair, skin as fair and smooth as if soaked in milk, and sparkling eyes that seemed to hold the sky within them.
The question was why she had come to this place.
‘Was she sent here as the person in charge?’
They had sent a member of the royal family as the person in charge, while we… well, what were we doing?
Even though we’re from a theocracy, it seemed problematic that a person in charge had not yet been sent.
“Still, it’s somewhat reassuring. If someone so extraordinary is here, it must mean this place is safe.”
People who had been unable to shake their fear even after endless prayers began to quietly leave the temple upon the royal’s appearance.
As I watched them depart with awkward expressions, I kept a close eye on the royal. I was curious about what they intended to do in front of the still-closed labyrinth.
“So this is the newly built temple?”
“Yes.”
I wondered if they had some kind of plan, but unexpectedly, the people who had been camped out in front of the labyrinth dispersed.
And they headed straight here—to the new Sun God Temple.
With people crowding around the temple, I couldn’t avoid stepping outside. As soon as I did, one of their group approached and asked me.
“Are you the person in charge here?”
“Yes, I’m currently managing the temple temporarily.”
“This is Princess Kanabi of the Deltrak Empire.”
“May the blessing of the Sun God be with you. It’s an honor to meet you, Princess Kanabi.”
Princess Kanabi stared intensely at my face. So intensely that it was almost uncomfortable.
“?”
As I blankly met her gaze, she finally spoke.
“I look forward to working with you. Especially, I’d like you to take good care of our empire’s people when they come.”
“Yes, the Sun God will willingly embrace those in need.”
“Oh, I thought it might be the case, seeing as you’re here temporarily. So it’s true.”
“??”
Princess Kanabi’s cryptic words left me bewildered.
“It’s been a while since I’ve met someone so naive. To be direct, I mean I’d like our empire’s people to receive priority among the guests at this temple.”
“We provide the utmost care for any patient who comes to the clinic, regardless of who they are, so you don’t need to worry.”
Though I didn’t understand her at first, I soon got the gist.
Princess Kanabi was essentially asking that if there were two critical patients—A and B—the person from the Deltrak Empire should be given priority in treatment.
Not only that, but she probably wanted me to assign a highly skilled healer to anyone from the Deltrak Empire. I never expected to receive such a proposal, especially after making it clear that I was only here temporarily, not as the official person in charge. Later, when the actual person in charge arrives, she’ll likely have to make the same request again. Why bother with this extra hassle?
‘As soon as I step out from under the protection I had, things like this start happening.’
Though this level of corruption might be mild, it was a fresh shock for someone like me who had spent life solely tending to patients. Bishop Saul, who had silently shielded me all this time, must have encountered many unpleasant affairs tangled with such dirty dealings. Some might have taken advantage of these shady opportunities for personal gain, but the Bishop I knew would never dip even a toe into such filth.
‘The more upright one is, the more they’re harassed.’
Until now, I’d lived under the Bishop’s protection, shielded from these under-the-table dealings. But it seemed that I’d need to adapt a bit. If I acted like a sheltered flower here, it was clear that my rookie healers would suffer in my stead. Just as Bishop Saul had protected me, I had to protect the younger healers.
And this sort of thing wasn’t entirely foreign to me.
‘Because I’m someone who’s lived through reincarnation.’
Social interactions? I’d dealt with enough in my past life to be utterly sick of it. The reason I reacted so naively to Princess Kanabi’s request wasn’t that I didn’t understand—it was just that it had been so long since something like this happened to me in this life.
However…
‘I think there’s a bit of a misunderstanding here, but I might as well play along.’
I figured that being misunderstood in this situation wasn’t necessarily a disadvantage.
‘Actually, in this case, it might be the best course of action.’
It’s one thing to turn down a proposal from a regular person, but it’s quite another to reject one from a royal. Rather than risk offending her, playing the innocent who couldn’t grasp her intent seemed the safer route. A single misstep could put me on a royal’s bad side; better to just look like an idiot.
“This reward should be satisfying enough,” said Princess Kanabi, gesturing to her subordinate, who handed me something.
A little voice inside me wondered about the amount inside the white envelope, but I squeezed my eyes shut, reciting a prayer to banish the temptation. Whoever ends up in charge here, it certainly shouldn’t be me accepting that envelope. Getting tangled in this sort of thing is a surefire way to ruin a life.
“Ah! A donation is always appreciated,” I said, putting on an innocent face as I rushed inside to retrieve the donation box.
“Please place it in here!”
As I stood there with the heavy donation box, smiling brightly, the expressions on their faces were priceless. The entire group, including Princess Kanabi, looked flabbergasted, unable to close their mouths. Their gazes practically screamed, “Who would be stupid enough to put a bribe into the official donation box?”
But I kept smiling resolutely.
‘If I say I didn’t understand, what can they do about it?’
Since it wasn’t going into my pocket, I obviously couldn’t fulfill Princess Kanabi’s request.
“…I think we’ve seen enough here. Let’s head back,” she finally said, clearly exasperated by my ‘innocence.’
“Yes,” her subordinate replied.
Just as he was about to put the envelope back in his pocket, Princess Kanabi stopped him.
“Wait, what are you doing?”
“Yes?”
“Place it where it belongs.”