Although I knew it wouldn’t be a good answer, I told the princess everything in my head without any filter. This was because the curse couldn’t be resolved with a simple exorcism spell.
No matter how she got cursed, it was clear her luck was terrible.
From what I knew, the first thing I had to do for Princess Canabi was to make her fully understand just how serious this curse was.
Of course, she must have already realized it, struggling as she was. But since the situation would worsen tomorrow compared to today, I decided to give her all the information.
“If you want to live, you should immediately send people into the labyrinth. They must find and kill the monster that cursed you. Only then can the curse be lifted.”
The princess had to endure until the monster was killed. But I wasn’t sure if Princess Canabi could hold out.
“I heard you’re the most skilled, but apparently not? Are you just blaming your incompetence?”
“Hm… I suppose you could see it that way. Just because I can’t do it doesn’t mean other priests can’t, after all. Visiting the Holy Land to seek another priest’s help is indeed one way.”
I readily acknowledged her criticism.
“You’re agreeing too easily. I thought you’d be offended.”
“What use is pride when someone’s life is at stake? If stepping on my pride can save someone, then go ahead and trample it. I don’t mind.”
“…You truly are a priest, aren’t you?”
“Pardon?”
Princess Canabi, who had been speaking strangely, asked again.
“Do you still think killing the monster that cursed me is better than going to the Holy Land for help?”
“Yes. That would be better.”
There were likely many excellent priests in the Holy Land who could lift the curse. They might even perform the exorcism effortlessly. However, based on the knowledge planted in my mind, the best course of action was to kill the monster.
“…Then we’ll do as you suggest.”
“You’re not going to the Holy Land?”
Princess Canabi made an unexpected choice.
“Going to the Holy Land would take too much time. But doing as you say will save time.”
Searching for the monster in the labyrinth wouldn’t be easy, but it seemed she calculated that it would take less time than traveling to the Holy Land.
There was another reason I didn’t recommend seeking another priest.
“I’ll do my best to help you endure until then.”
The truth was, everything I told Princess Canabi came from the knowledge that the Sun God had planted in my mind.
Right now, it was just her problem, but eventually, patients carrying all sorts of curses from the labyrinth would start appearing.
Although this knowledge was in my head, it was so faint that I wasn’t even aware of it unless I consciously drew it out. At least now, I knew we had to prepare in advance.
‘Curses cast by witches can be lifted with simple exorcisms.’
Until now, basic exorcism skills learned during training were enough to resolve issues. Witch curses had been so weak that it was hard to distinguish them from superstition.
But this monster’s curse wasn’t something basic training could handle.
‘This is a real curse.’
The methods in my mind were meant for “real” curses. The problem was that none of those methods could resolve this curse.
I came here confidently, only to find myself unable to solve it, which was unsettling.
Still, the good thing was that I could at least tell her how to break it—by killing the source of the curse.
‘If my abilities were stronger, I could’ve done it myself…’
It was unfortunate, but I decided to do what I could.
“I’ll start the treatment.”
After the treatment, Princess Canabi seemed to feel somewhat better and turned on the lights in the room.
Bathed in the bright light, she looked just as dazzling and beautiful as before. Even someone unaware of her status would think she was a noblewoman at a glance.
Even without her clothes and accessories, the atmosphere around Princess Canabi made her seem extraordinary.
‘Do we even have a priest skilled in exorcism?’
Exorcism wasn’t even part of the required tests for becoming a healer.
‘I guess we need to start training healers to specialize in curse treatment or request experts to be dispatched.’
What would we have done if this situation had hit us out of nowhere?
‘And of all people, the patient had to be the princess.’
Thinking about how my shortcomings could have ruined the reputation of the Holy Land was terrifying. I couldn’t help but admire the foresight of the one who had prepared us for such a future.
Even after the treatment, Princess Canabi wanted to know more about the curse affecting her.
‘If the symptoms get worse over time, how bad will it get? Finding and killing that thing will take a long time since it’s deep inside the labyrinth.’
Since she chose not to go to the Holy Land, she had to endure until the monster was dealt with. Naturally, she wanted to know just how much worse it could get. I had no reason to withhold information, so I told her everything.
‘As time passes, the curse will spread to your brain, causing hallucinations, delusions, depression, and other mental symptoms that will gradually destroy you. The longer you endure, the more severe the aftereffects will be.’
Even if the curse were lifted, the damage it caused wouldn’t magically disappear.
‘Your body will be left in shambles.’
Of course, with my continuous care and treatment, I could slow down the physical and mental damage. But even then, prolonged exposure would eventually wear her down.
‘So, don’t skip treatments. Come regularly. Hospitalization would be best, but since you don’t want that, we’ll have to make do.’
Princess Canabi laughed, saying she’d never met someone who spoke so bluntly to her.
‘If what you say is true, there won’t be much left of me.’
‘I’ll do my best to minimize the aftereffects, but if this drags on, I can’t make any promises. So, please act as quickly as possible.’
I wondered if I had been too honest.
Telling a terminally ill person in detail how they would suffer in the future was no different from torture.
If she had taken it as mockery, I wouldn’t have had an excuse.
But Princess Canabi didn’t get angry or offended by something so trivial.
Instead, she laughed heartily, saying it was amusing.
“I’ll consider hospitalization positively.”
Thanks to my blunt words, Princess Canabi left saying she would think seriously about getting hospitalized.
For someone who initially had no intention of being hospitalized to reconsider, I felt my straightforwardness had served its purpose.
“Priest Arthur, that person is here again.”
That person?
While I was lost in thought, an uninvited guest arrived.
“I’ll handle it.”
“Isn’t it exhausting to deal with him every time? Wouldn’t it be better to blacklist him and ban him from entering?”
“To us, he might just be a stubborn man we’d rather not deal with, but to his companions, he’s probably a reliable leader.”
He was someone who persistently visited the temple to “borrow” a priest for the safety of his comrades.
Although others had made similar requests, he was the first to continue asking even after being refused.
“You’re here again today.”
“I’d be a little hurt if you sounded too reluctant.”
When I didn’t answer and merely smiled, the man continued.
“I won’t be able to come for a while. I’m heading back into the labyrinth.”
“I pray for your safety.”
“Don’t just pray. Lend me a priest.”
“As I’ve told you multiple times, it’s not possible. Unless the person in question volunteers, we can’t forcibly send a priest.”
“So, you’re saying it’s okay if someone volunteers?”
It seemed I had misspoken.
The man seized upon my slip and wasn’t about to let it go.
“Should a priest express their desire to go, we would still need to inform the Holy Land and consult whether it’s permissible.”
Even if a willing priest were found, the Holy Land would never approve.
This wasn’t an issue that could be considered a mere individual action.
Allowing a priest to enter the labyrinth would give the Holy Land an opportunity to demand exorbitant compensation from neighboring countries.
Thus, fulfilling this man’s wish to bring a priest into the labyrinth would require immense time and complicated procedures.
‘And they wouldn’t entrust a priest to just any team.’
At the very least, the team would need to be from a well-known mercenary guild.
“So, it’s a matter of going through complicated procedures, huh?”
“Yes. That’s beyond my authority to decide.”
At the very least, it would require a bishop to even bring up the issue to the higher-ups.
“I’ll be back after the labyrinth, then.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
I couldn’t tell him not to come back.
“This is for the donation box.”
“The donation box is in front of the altar, but since you seem busy, I’ll place it there for you.”
“You’re surprisingly stubborn despite not looking like it.”
The reason he handed it directly to me instead of putting it in the donation box was likely to bribe me.
But any bribes I received in this role went straight into the donation box.
Even the bribe Princess Canabi had given me ended up there, so it was even easier to do the same with bribes from others.
Watching their frustrated faces when they saw their bribes go into the donation box was oddly satisfying.
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