“Is the temple built in the labyrinth being well-managed?”
As the carriage began moving again, I asked the priest, Cardon, while gazing out the window.
“Yes, Bishop. I hear the amount of offerings is astounding. I was told it jumped straight into the top 50 rankings.”
“Oh, the top 50? There aren’t many priests there, are there?”
“Not even 100.”
The offerings collected from each branch were ranked, and for a newly established place to make it into the top 50 so quickly was extraordinary. Given that the temple was relatively new, the amount of offerings would likely increase further in the future.
“I heard the temple doesn’t even have an appointed overseer yet. At this rate, shouldn’t one have been chosen already?”
With such achievements, it was inevitable that a particular faction would gain influence.
“It’s a rather unique situation. The overseer is neutral, of all things.”
“A priest not aligned with any faction is in that position?”
“Yes. You see, it happened because…”
I couldn’t help laughing when I heard that a neutral priest had been appointed overseer. Apparently it was because there were too many people competing for the role.
“Hahaha!”
“Does that amuse you?”
“Of course. Doesn’t it amuse you, Priest Cardon? It’s like watching a clown performance. The priest who ended up as overseer by chance is performing remarkably well, after all. I must meet this person.”
After hearing the intriguing story about the temple’s overseer, I decided I absolutely had to see them.
“We’ll visit the temple first. Let’s head there.”
“Understood.”
After instructing the coachman to change the destination, the carriage finally came to a halt upon arrival.
“We’ve arrived, Bishop, Priest.”
“Shall we disembark?”
“Yes, let’s.”
A flurry of activity could be heard outside.
Priest Cardon was the first to open the door and step out of the carriage.
Before us stood the newly constructed labyrinth temple.
“Oh-ho.”
The temple was more impressive than I had anticipated, sparking my curiosity.
I looked forward to seeing what awaited inside.
At the same time, someone was tending to patients.
“Priest Arthur! Priest Arthur!”
“Yes~ What’s the matter?”
I really needed to tell them to stop calling for me so urgently like that. My heart nearly sinks every time someone yells for me in such a panic.
It always seemed to happen when something unusual was going on.
“The princess, Your Highness, has arrived!”
“…Princess Kanabi?”
She had finally come.
Kanabi, the princess who had vanished after saying she’d consider hospitalization, seemed to have arrived at the temple again to see me.
“Understood. Please guide her to a private room.”
“Yes.”
“I’ll continue treating the patient now.”
“Understood.”
After finishing the treatment for the patient I was tending to, I immediately made my way to where the princess was waiting.
“Greetings.”
“You’ve arrived. Please come in; she’s waiting for you.”
The knight standing guard at the door to the private room opened it for me.
I nodded in acknowledgment to the knight I’d met once before and stepped inside.
As expected, Princess Kanabi was seated in the dim room with the lights off. Noticing me enter, she spoke.
“Can you begin the treatment immediately?”
“Yes. Could you first describe your symptoms?”
She seemed to be in poor condition.
“Symptoms… Must I describe them?”
“It would greatly aid in your treatment.”
Princess Kanabi appeared hesitant to speak of the curse symptoms she was experiencing.
“You must be honest if we are to alleviate the symptoms.”
High-ranking individuals like the princess often avoided revealing details about their ailments. To do so was to expose potential weaknesses.
If word of such vulnerabilities reached their enemies, it could lead to trouble.
This was a moment that required trust—a strong rapport with the medical professional.
“I don’t even know where to begin. Symptoms… If we’re talking symptoms, I see things that don’t actually exist.”
“I see.”
Hallucinations.
“Someone who shouldn’t exist sometimes speaks to me.”
So, auditory hallucinations as well.
“There are times when my left arm hurts as if it’s about to be torn off. Other times, it feels so cold as if it’s frozen solid.”
“You’re experiencing direct physical pain as well. Are there any other symptoms?”
“None.”
“Do you keep the lights off because of the visual hallucinations and auditory disturbances?”
“Yes.”
“Do the hallucinations stop if the lights are off?”
“They’re still there, but it’s better than when the room is brightly lit. In the dark, they’re less visible.”
It seemed like the hallucinations were extremely difficult for her to endure.
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t curious about what she was seeing, but asking that would likely be rude to Princess Kanabi so I held my tongue.
“I’ll begin the treatment now.”
I grasped her left arm and started the healing process.
“Ugh… ah…”
Her condition was significantly worse than I had anticipated.
If she was already suffering from both hallucinations and auditory disturbances, it meant the curse was progressing rapidly, consuming her body.
“I’ll turn the lights on now.”
Click.
“How do you feel?”
“…I don’t see anything.”
After scanning the brightened surroundings, Princess Kanabi let out a deep sigh of relief.
“Do you feel more at ease?”
“Yes. I feel like I can breathe again.”
Seeing the princess’s complexion, which had been so pale, improve dramatically was a clear sign that she had been severely tormented by the hallucinations and auditory disturbances.
“It must have been incredibly hard to endure. Why did you wait so long to come here?”
“I was busy.”
“Regardless of how busy you were, you should have taken care of yourself. If you wait until it gets this severe again, it will only become harder to treat.”
Had she made time to visit the temple for even 30 minutes a day and received treatment from me, her condition wouldn’t have escalated to this extreme.
“Please spare just 30 minutes a day. It’ll make enduring this much easier.”
“I didn’t come here thinking of just going back. I came prepared to consider hospitalization.”
“!!”
Hospitalization?
This was someone so cautious about appearances that she had called for me separately to avoid others knowing. Even if she’d said she’d consider it, I didn’t think she’d actually decide on hospitalization.
She must have gone through an unbearable time while suffering from the curse.
“I’ll only allow you into my room. No one else will be permitted. You must cooperate with this. In return, I’ll compensate you well. If you want money, I’ll provide it. If you want something else, I’ll grant that as well.”
Being given the opportunity to make a request to royalty as compensation for my treatment was an incredible deal for me. After all, my position meant I couldn’t even complain if she had just left an offering in the donation box.
“It’s only natural for me to help. Please don’t feel burdened by it.”
“I can’t let this kindness go unrewarded. It wouldn’t be right to exploit someone who serves the gods for free. Surely, you won’t insist that this favor be treated as just another temple donation?”
“Haha, understood. I’ll accept your gratitude since I doubt you’d receive my treatment otherwise.”
Accepting the princess’s compensation would ease her mind and ensure she entrusted her treatment to me. She was clearly cautious about others discovering her illness.
“What about your meals?”
“My knights will handle bringing me food. Do I need to follow a specific diet because of the curse?”
“Not necessarily. However, I recommend focusing on easily digestible, healthy meals.”
“I’ll do that.”
It seemed adhering to dietary advice wasn’t a problem for her, as she agreed readily.
“Are there any other symptoms?”
As a VIP, I needed to ensure there was nothing else causing her discomfort, so I asked one last time.
“…Could you possibly treat insomnia as well?”
“Insomnia?”
Considering hallucinations, auditory disturbances, and pain, it wasn’t surprising that sleep wouldn’t come easily.
“Did you have insomnia even before the curse?”
“I could sleep if I drank alcohol. But these days, even drinking doesn’t help. Medicine worked at first, but it stopped being effective after a while.”
In other words, her insomnia had worsened since the curse.
People might dismiss insomnia as a minor issue, but when someone can’t sleep, their mental resilience weakens significantly.
In fact, insomnia might be one of the curse’s most serious side effects.
I calmly explained this to her, ensuring she understood.
“So even the insomnia was caused by the curse….”
“Oh! On that note, drinking alcohol is not advisable. Alcohol, which clouds the mind, is a terrible match for this curse.”
“You can’t treat the insomnia and now you’re telling me not to drink, that’s a problem.”
It would indeed be problematic if she couldn’t drink and therefore couldn’t sleep even for a moment.
However, divine power wasn’t a cure-all, and I didn’t have the knowledge to treat insomnia effectively.
“Still, alcohol is harmful. You need to recover in a healthy way. Hmm… If it’s too difficult, how about attending the night prayer service?”
“Night prayer? Are you suggesting I pray to God to help me sleep?”
“Yes, He might grant you peaceful dreams.”
Princess Kanabi seemed doubtful about my suggestion.
She stared at me as if questioning whether I was joking.
I met her gaze with as much sincerity and faith as I could muster.
Eventually, she gave up and said, “What if he finds it offensive that I pray for something so trivial?”
“Trivial? Some pray for sunny weather tomorrow, others for their family’s health, or for success in their endeavors. Praying for peaceful dreams is far from strange.”
“Thank you for the suggestion, but I’ll pass. Instead, I’ll try to avoid drinking as much as I can.”
How much she’d stick to her resolve to avoid alcohol, I couldn’t say.
Given that she was already enduring hallucinations and auditory disturbances, not being able to sleep would only amplify her suffering.
“I’ll pray on your behalf for peaceful dreams.”
“Knowing you’ll pray for me makes me feel a bit more at ease.”
As I left the private room, I quietly sighed in relief.
‘It’s just a conversation, so why does it make me so tense?’
Do all royals have this kind of atmosphere?
Since I’d be in charge of treating Princess Kanabi for the time being, I’d need to adapt to her unique presence, though I wasn’t confident it would happen quickly.
“Priest Arthur!”
“Now what?”
“Huh?”
“Ah, nothing. Why were you calling me?”
“The bishop affiliated with the Subjugation Squad has been waiting to meet you for a while now!”
First the princess, and now a bishop from the Subjugation Squad.
I felt a wave of heat on my forehead and let out a small sigh.