It wasn’t possible to ask patients to stagger their visits considering the clinic’s circumstances.
Everyone would feel as though their own wounds were the most painful and severe.
Besides, it’s likely they had all been injured for quite some time.
‘It takes time to escape the labyrinth, after all.’
Inside the labyrinth, they must have used emergency alchemical medicine to treat their injuries.
‘As if applying ointment would heal such wounds.’
Of course, these weren’t the kind of injuries that ointment alone could fix. The fact that it could even serve as a hemostatic agent was remarkable.
Having left their wounds untreated for so long, they must have felt uneasy.
They likely wanted to know if they were truly alright.
So, it was natural for them to seek proper treatment as soon as they emerged.
“They’re here, they’re here. Ugh, there’s so many of them.”
“Looks like we’re not getting any sleep tonight.”
“Sun God… grant me the strength to endure this.”
Even though preparations had been made in advance, the clinic quickly became chaotic due to the lack of time.
The air buzzed with commotion.
“Patients with bone issues, please come this way!”
“This patient’s condition is severe. Can we treat them first?”
“This one’s barely hanging on to life! Just hold on! How did you manage to endure like this until now?”
“I held on with potions.”
“Is this the time to be so calm?! Somebody, call Priest Arthur!”
“Priest Arthur!!!”
Cries calling for me rang out from every direction.
“Priest, please take a look at this patient!”
Multiple people, each with different patients in front of them, were calling for me.
I was handling cases that other priests couldn’t (or wouldn’t) treat, which made the calls for me all the more frantic.
I wondered why I was the one being singled out when there were other senior healers around.
But then, I also thought, ‘If I don’t do it, who will?’
‘Could it be that this situation was foreseen, and that’s why knowledge was crammed into me?’
If it weren’t for the knowledge urgently imparted in my dreams, could I have handled this today?
No, I would’ve been running in circles, panicking over my lack of knowledge.
‘Why was it given to me all at once?’
I should have trusted without doubt.
There was a hidden meaning in all things done by Him.
Feeling gratitude and respect for his greatness and consideration, I offered a short prayer.
Of course, it was a simple prayer muttered silently to myself.
Right now, my body needed to be busy treating as many patients as possible.
“I’m here! I’ll handle this now!”
“Phew~ We’re saved. Please take over.”
One by one, I tended to the patients.
“Next patient!”
“Yes! Please take care of this one. They were bitten by an insect, but it seems serious.”
“Oh dear, their skin is rotting.”
“Ugh… it hurts so much. Please save me.”
I lost track of time.
Immersed in treating patients, I worked tirelessly.
Even after seeing dozens of patients, calls for me echoed from every corner.
It was astonishing that so many people managed to make it out of the labyrinth in their current condition.
The most surprising cases were those who seemed like they should have collapsed long ago yet had endured until now.
‘Are these people zombies?’
It was abnormal for people who should have succumbed long ago to still be holding on.
‘Well, it’s good that they’re alive.’
I chose to see the positive side of things.
Patients showing resilience meant that, despite the overwhelming chaos, we could resolve all issues if we worked methodically.
“I thought I was fine and almost didn’t come. But if I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have woken up tomorrow morning.”
“Exactly. You shouldn’t neglect injuries just because they don’t hurt. That’s when things get truly dangerous. If it hurts, at least you know you need treatment, but if it doesn’t, you won’t even think about seeking help.”
I offered some light scolding wrapped in praise to a patient who had nearly died without realizing it, then moved on to the next.
As I continued diligently treating patients—
“Arthur, you might want to step aside for a moment.”
“Yes! What’s the situation?”
“Not a patient. Someone is here looking for you, the person in charge.”
“?”
Hearing that someone was asking for the person in charge, I tilted my head in confusion.
Surely, they knew how incredibly busy I was. Who would summon me in the middle of this chaos?
“I can’t step away right now. What should I do?”
“You have to go.”
“Huh? I have to?”
“Yes.”
Priest Chilan, unusually firm, urged me to leave my patients and go.
‘Is it someone that important?’
Then, Chilan leaned in close and whispered into my ear.
“They’re an envoy from Princess Kanabi of the Deltrak Empire. You must go.”
“!!”
I quickly understood why Priest Chilan had been so insistent about me going.
“Even so, I need to tend to the patient I was seeing before I leave. Surely, they’ll understand that much.”
How could I just leave a suffering patient right in front of me?
Moreover, the patient’s injuries weren’t something I could entrust to someone else.
The number of severe cases was higher than expected, and I couldn’t ignore them, which delayed my arrival at the location Priest Chilan had mentioned.
When I finally entered the designated room, I saw two knights sitting upright, looking like they could wield a sword with unmatched skill.
Judging by their expressions, they weren’t too pleased about the wait.
“My apologies for making you wait. I couldn’t leave immediately because I was attending to patients.”
“…Are you the person in charge?”
“Yes, I’m the one in charge.”
They seemed slightly doubtful, probably because of how young I looked.
“The matter is urgent, so I’ll get straight to the point. Please recommend the most skilled healer here.”
“Could you tell me what kind of illness or injury they’re dealing with?”
Even if they wanted the most skilled healer, it wasn’t that simple. Each healer specialized in different areas.
“You just need to recommend the best healer.”
“To recommend the best healer, I need to know the nature of the illness. Each priest excels in treating specific types of conditions.”
The knights exchanged uneasy glances.
They probably expected me to comply immediately and weren’t prepared for this level of scrutiny.
But I wasn’t planning to change my stance.
In the end, the knights relented.
“…We need someone skilled in detoxification or purification treatments.”
“Ah—!”
Of course, it had to be this.
“I understand. Let’s go right away.”
“Pardon?”
“That’s my specialty.”
“”
Luckily, the knowledge generously granted by the divine was abundant within me.
“Where should I go?”
“Ahem, they’re waiting nearby.”
One of the knights, looking somewhat like he’d been swindled, led the way.
He wasn’t lying.
The person waiting for me was in a building right next to the temple.
“I’ve brought them.”
“Let them in.”
“Please, go inside.”
The knight opened the door, and as I stepped in, I saw a woman sitting in the dimly lit room.
Why was the room so dark?
Hesitant, I moved further in.
“You… we’ve met before.”
Even in the shadows, she recognized my face.
“Yes. I didn’t expect to meet you again, yet here we are, Princess Kanabi.”
Princess Kanabi had left a rather strong impression on me the first time we met.
She had abruptly thrown a white envelope at me during that encounter, making it quite unforgettable.
I’d already suspected that she might be the injured person.
The fact that they were discreetly seeking a healer suggested that the wounds must be severe.
“First, I’ll conduct a diagnosis, if that’s alright with you.”
Without wasting time, I decided to assess her condition immediately.
“Go ahead.”
“What symptoms are you experiencing?”
Princess Kanabi took a moment to gather her thoughts before speaking.
“I suppose I should start by showing you this.”
Without hesitation, she unwrapped the bandages around her left arm.
To be honest, even after unwrapping the bandages, it was too dark to see clearly.
However, by infusing a bit of holy power into my eyes, the darkness ceased to be an issue.
Though I couldn’t use this ability for long, it was sufficient to examine the injury.
“Please excuse the lack of lighting. My head hurts far too much.”
“Does the pain intensify when exposed to light?”
“How should I put it…”
After hesitating, as if finding it difficult to explain, Princess Kanabi finally spoke.
“Yes, it does. Everything becomes clearer.”
Becomes clearer?
Was she saying she didn’t want to see the wound?
“Hmm, your arm is turning purple.”
“Yes. Since the injury, the color has darkened gradually.”
“How long has it been like this?”
“Fourteen days.”
“You’ve endured impressively.”
“If it weren’t for this injury, I would have stayed in the labyrinth longer. Such a pity.”
“Returning was the right decision. It looks severe. I’ll examine it now.”
I took hold of her left arm and focused.
‘Let’s see, what are you exactly?’
The diagnosis was startling.
“This is…”
“Is it bad?”
Princess Kanabi, noticing the grim look on my face, sensed the ominous nature of the situation.
“It doesn’t seem to be a simple poison.”
“If not poison, then what is it?”
“It’s a curse.”
“…A curse? The kind witches are said to use?”
Princess Kanabi’s expression showed her disbelief.
“It was a monster that did this to me.”
“Indeed. Fascinating. It seems monsters are capable of using curses as well.”
While curses are often grouped together as a field, this was entirely different from the kind of curses witches typically employ.
A witch’s curse couldn’t cause such severe torment.
“The most pressing question is whether it can be cured. Is that possible?”
“Did you kill the monster that cast this curse on you?”
“No, unfortunately, it escaped.”
I had anticipated as much—that the monster was still alive.
Knowledge about the curse surfaced in my mind. If the monster had been killed, the issue would have resolved itself.
“In that case, there is no way to break this curse. It can only be lifted if the one who cast it is killed.”
“!!”