“Too many patients are dying. I can’t help but wonder if I could have saved them if I were as capable as Father Arthur. They desperately begged for help….”
Just because I had entrusted surgical training to Priest Chilan didn’t mean I intended to step back entirely.
I had a duty to teach the novices who had mastered the basics and were moving on to the next level.
But lately, it felt like I was doing more psychological counseling for the novices than actual training.
“The reason so many people are dying lately is that they are venturing deep into the labyrinth. They come back with fatal wounds. How can we possibly save everyone?”
It had been quite some time since the labyrinth had opened.
Day by day, the city near the labyrinth was developing as more and more people flocked to it.
What had once been a small village was now growing to a scale comparable to that of a city.
A marketplace was established, a mercenary guild was built, and restaurants, general stores, weapon shops, and inns began to appear.
Where people gathered, money flowed, and where money flowed, more people gathered.
As a proper environment formed, countless people entered the labyrinth.
And due to greed, many pushed themselves too far, losing their lives or returning with grave injuries.
“I hear that the entrance to the labyrinth has already been mapped out and cleared to some extent. Now, people are forced to explore uncharted areas. They have no choice but to go deeper and deeper.”
The deeper one ventured into the labyrinth, the crueler it became. That was to be expected.
“It’s only natural that the deeper you go, the more dangerous the monsters become. So, there’s no need to blame yourself.”
Listening to the patients’ tales of adventure, it was clear that the traps alone were incredibly deadly.
The issue wasn’t a lack of skill causing patients to die—it was that people were entering extremely dangerous areas without adequate preparation, sustaining severe injuries.
A clever novice seemed to quickly grasp the meaning behind my words, looking somewhat encouraged.
Yet, even so, the novice clenched both fists tightly.
“But isn’t that too cowardly of an excuse? No matter what kind of wounds they sustain, I want to become a healer who can treat them all.”
Honestly, I was shocked.
How could they say something so boldly?
‘Who raised this kid?’
It was me.
I raised them!
A wave of pride swept over me.
I had no idea when this fledgling, who once chirped naively, had grown into such a true medical professional.
They say kids grow up fast—looks like it’s true.
“I’m sorry.”
The novice seemed dejected, probably because he thought he had gone too far in resisting my words.
I shook my head to dispel any misunderstanding and replied.
“Not at all. If anything, I should apologize for saying that. I thought you needed consolation, but it seems you needed something else instead.”
“I know it’s presumptuous, but I want to learn more. I want to save people.”
This wasn’t just a chirping fledgling anymore—it was a rooster crowing boldly.
I nodded readily.
If the level of patients continued to rise, then we just needed to improve our knowledge and skills accordingly.
It wasn’t an impossible task.
“Of course.”
“In that case, should I start with prayer?”
Huh? Prayer?
I was puzzled as to why he brought up prayer, but he began to explain.
“I thought the Sun God might find my efforts commendable and grant me more knowledge.”
Surprisingly reasonable logic.
Finding the novice’s creative idea endearing, I chuckled as I responded.
“Haha, you’re right. In that case, I’ll join you.”
As I continued teaching, it was inevitable that my own pool of knowledge would eventually run dry.
Seeing their enthusiasm and desire to improve, I couldn’t just remain complacent as their mentor.
It was only a matter of time before I ran out of things to teach.
‘A teacher has their pride!’
So, I decided to pray along with them.
After all, it was true that I needed more knowledge to guide these fledglings properly.
A faint voice whispered into my ear.
At first, I couldn’t make out what it was saying.
The quiet murmuring was irritating, furrowing my brows instinctively.
It was strange not to feel annoyed when something was disturbing my sleep.
But the whispering continued relentlessly, repeating the same words over and over.
As if demanding that I remember them.
~^KB*mamm X PX
Stop it.
It’s noisy.
I get it, okay?
NAKBжmammXPX
What are you even saying?
The sounds grew increasingly clear.
‘Am I supposed to remember all that? All of it?’
The incessant repetition of the whisper felt like it was forcing something on me.
‘Fine, I’ll remember it. Just stop now.’
It seemed intent on not letting me go until I memorized everything, so I had no choice but to commit every word to memory.
My head throbbed with pain.
Yet, I felt an overwhelming sense that it was something I had to do, so I focused all my effort on memorizing it.
Finally, when I had committed every whispered word to memory—
I jolted awake, sitting upright in bed.
“Gasp!”
It was a dream.
…What was that?
I panted heavily, swallowing hard as I tried to process the knowledge flooding my mind.
“Ah….”
Even though I had slept, I felt utterly exhausted.
It was as though I hadn’t rested at all—my head spun with drowsiness.
Rubbing my face with dry hands, I got up and splashed cold water on my face.
As the chill woke me up completely, I realized what had happened.
“Wow, that was fast. Not even express shipping moves this quickly. And why was it so much at once? Couldn’t it have been spread out? Ugh, my head.”
Receiving it all in one go felt like my head was about to split.
“Not that I’m complaining, of course. Ahem!”
I hastily backtracked, worried that if I sounded ungrateful, I might not receive anything next time.
Still, the sheer pain of it had me grumbling a bit, though I was genuinely grateful for the flood of knowledge.
Thanks to it, treating patients would be much easier moving forward, and I now had plenty to teach the novices, alleviating my previous concerns.
But still—
“This is amazing.”
It had to be a sign that what I was doing had gained favor.
Unless it were truly extraordinary circumstances, the Sun God wouldn’t have directly delivered such knowledge to me.
‘I must be doing well.’
No less than the Sun God had endorsed my actions. That thought lifted a weight off my chest, especially after receiving permission to turn the temple into a hospital.
‘If the Sun God was this capable of expressing approval so clearly, I should have made the change sooner. Why didn’t he intervene earlier? Given how many zealots claim to act in his name, this would’ve silenced them.’
If the Holy Nation were to find out that I had received a reward for my work, it would cause a massive uproar. As a theocracy worshiping the Sun God, there were plenty of fanatics who would attempt to move mountains—literally, from the east to the west—just because they believed it was divine will. For someone to receive such a direct reward was practically unheard of, guaranteeing chaos.
‘Let’s keep this quiet for now.’
Revealing this prematurely would only lead to someone else taking credit for my efforts. Plenty of opportunists would try to claim the glory for themselves.
‘No way I’m letting someone else take credit for my work.’
If I kept achieving results, the Sun God would reward me again, and then I could share it with the Holy Nation. Until then, I’d work with even greater determination to develop this place further. Now that I had a clear reason to push forward, it was time to roll up my sleeves and get to work.
Despite the labyrinth being open for a long time, the initial large-scale subjugation force that entered on the first day still hadn’t returned. They were the first to explore its mysteries, and since they had gone in with substantial supplies and manpower, most expected them to return after at least a month.
And as expected, today marked almost a month since their departure.
“Priest! Priest!! People are coming out of the labyrinth!”
The novice ran around excitedly, spreading the news, leaving me puzzled.
“Who came out?”
“That royal!”
There was only one person here who could be described as royalty.
“Are you talking about Princess Canabi of the Deltrak Empire?”
“Yes! She’s out!”
“I see.”
The excitement must have been due to the large subjugation force exiting the labyrinth. Given the sheer number of people who entered, it was only natural for their exit to be just as massive.
Which meant—
“!!!”
This was no time to remain calm!
“Get up immediately and call every healer you can find! Right now!”
“What?”
“Hurry! We don’t have a moment to lose.”
“O-Okay!!”
If the large subjugation force was emerging, it meant a large number of injured people were being transported here.
No wonder things had been strangely quiet with no patients today!
“Everyone, emergency! This is an emergency!! Patients are going to flood in. Stay alert and prepare yourselves!”
“Patients? An emergency?”
The priests, who had been resting due to the lack of patients, jumped to their feet in shock. However, seeing no sign of patients at the temple entrance, they looked at me with suspicion.
“They’ll be here soon—a massive number of them. We need to prepare before they arrive. Let’s start by creating space.”
When dozens of patients poured in, the first step was to triage based on the severity of their injuries.
Was that all?
We also needed to secure space for them to wait while receiving treatment. Medications like hemostatics for emergencies had to be prepared as well.
Before long, my prediction came true.
“Patients incoming!!”
“What in the world is this?”
With booming voices, a wave of people—dozens, no, likely over a hundred—flooded the front of the temple.
The priests, finally understanding why I had been in such a frenzy, asked in trembling voices.
“All of those people…?”
“They’re the Deltrak Empire’s subjugation force. They’ve just returned after completing their expedition into the labyrinth’s depths. Naturally, they’re gravely injured.”
“But isn’t it a bit much for so many of them to show up at once?”
“What can we do? All they want is for their wounded bodies to be treated.”