A new treatment method is needed.
The treatment I am currently providing to Princess Canabi is not even sufficient to maintain her current state.
But there is no new treatment method available.
The knowledge bestowed by the Sun God was not enough to handle the worsening curse.
‘It’s been a while since I felt this incompetent.’
I prayed earnestly, but it was no use.
It felt embarrassing to keep pleading without achieving anything.
‘If I’ve accomplished something, then I can ask for rewards.’
Perhaps when you’re still a minor, it doesn’t feel awkward to beg like you would to your parents. But as you grow older, it’s bound to feel more awkward.
‘Besides, I’ve already received so much knowledge I haven’t even used yet.’
Having received so much, it feels shameless to ask for more.
As I was pondering what to do, a thought suddenly crossed my mind.
…Do I have to beg for answers from them for the rest of my life? Can’t I figure it out through my own research?’
Doing something like that might get me labeled as eccentric.
But I wasn’t the only one who had thought of such an idea.
There was someone who had developed a new treatment method entirely on their own.
‘Cardinal Caria!’
A great figure from history whose name always appears in biographies of extraordinary individuals.
Among Cardinal Caria’s achievements, I remember there being a record that he developed a treatment method on his own.
With no immediate solutions at hand, the only option was to try doing what that cardinal had done.
‘But how do I even start this?’
Cardinal Caria has been deceased for a long time.
Starting from scratch is no easy task.
In fact, it’s possible that the monster might die before I even figure out a treatment method.
‘If that happens, it would actually be a relief.’
Still, attempting something—anything—seemed better than doing nothing and passively waiting until it’s too late.
That’s how I justified my decision.
“I believe a new treatment method is necessary.”
“A new treatment method?”
Princess Canabi tilted her head at my words.
“Did the divine promise to grant you a new treatment method?”
“No, I plan to try finding one myself.”
“Yourself?”
“It will be a difficult task, but I thought it might be better than doing nothing.”
Princess Canabi’s reaction wasn’t favorable.
I didn’t expect her to be overjoyed, but I thought she might see it in a positive light. Her expression was grim, and it stung a little.
Still, I spoke without revealing my hurt feelings.
“With the current method, I won’t be able to completely rid you of your pain in the future. Isn’t the curse worsening?”
Even with treatment, her condition would improve slightly only to deteriorate again.
That’s how dreadful the curse placed on her was.
“Don’t priests treat patients using methods granted by the divine?”
“Most priests do treat patients that way.”
“Have you ever developed a treatment method before?”
“No, I haven’t.”
It wasn’t something to admit proudly, but I couldn’t lie, so I answered honestly.
“You’ve never done it before, and yet you’re saying you’ll create a new treatment method just for me?”
“Waiting for the divine’s help is no longer an option because your condition is worsening.”
“Why?”
“Pardon?”
“All I ask of you is to buy me time. Even just doing that would be enough, and no one would criticize you for it. I don’t understand why you would go out of your way to spend your precious time trying to heal me. It seems like a pointless waste of time.”
In truth, the temple was still busy.
The reason I could visit the princess’s hospital room so often was that I was cutting into my personal rest time.
Whether she knew this or not, she didn’t seem to grasp the fact that I was sacrificing more for her sake.
She likely thought that just continuing with the current level of support would have sufficed, as she was already prepared to make generous donations in return.
If it had been another priest in my place, they probably would have done exactly as Princess Canabi suggested—maintain the status quo and wait for divine intervention.
They wouldn’t have bothered to go out of their way to take on something they hadn’t been asked to do.
But I wasn’t like the other priests, was I?
This is who I am.
“How can the time spent for a patient be meaningless? Healers have a duty to do their best to cure their patients’ illnesses.”
“Are you saying you’re looking for a new treatment method purely out of obligation?”
“Of course.”
Is that strange?
So I gave her a somewhat superficial excuse.
“Well, given your esteemed position, I can’t help but be more attentive.”
Especially considering the magnitude of her donations.
Thanks to Princess Canabi’s contributions, our temple’s donation rankings soared almost overnight.
Granted, it did make things more complicated, as many bishops started eyeing the labyrinth temple greedily. But ultimately, all of it was credited to me, and I couldn’t help but be thankful for that.
“While I do think we should treat someone of your stature with special care, if someone else were in a similar situation, I would still attempt the same approach. I swear it upon the Sun God.”
For a priest to swear by the Sun God meant there wasn’t even a shred of falsehood in their words.
Even corrupt nobles wouldn’t dare invoke such an oath lightly.
There was once a corrupt priest who broke their oath dozens of times and ended up dying of heatstroke—ironically, inside a freezer filled with ice.
“…I see.”
“Pardon?”
“A healer says they want to cure their patient. How could I, as the patient, possibly stop them? Do as you wish.”
“Oh! Thank you for allowing me.”
I was relieved that she gave her consent, as I planned to bother her frequently in the process of researching new treatments.
If we hadn’t built some rapport beforehand, this would’ve been out of the question.
Ever since Princess Canabi learned about how I nearly died after refusing a rogue’s proposal, her attitude towards me had shifted significantly.
While not perfect, she seemed to have developed a sense of “trust” in me, and she began interacting with me more comfortably.
‘It’s not blatantly obvious, but things have changed.’
Although not as strong as the loyalty shown by her knights, there was definitely rapport between us as healer and patient.
And it was undoubtedly that rapport at work now, enabling her to agree to something that others might have laughed off as absurd.
Of course, it was a bit disappointing that I could sense her expectations for me weren’t very high.
“It’s I who should be thankful. You’re choosing to do something for me that you don’t have to.”
“I wouldn’t dare ask you to expect too much.”
“Even if things don’t go well, it’s fine. Just do your best without feeling pressured.”
Instead of demanding reassurances or success, Princess Canabi was encouraging me to ease any burden I might feel.
“I’ll do my best.”
Her apparent lack of high expectations only fueled my determination further.
In fact, there was a reason I mentioned this to her before starting.
‘Because the situation feels so overwhelming.’
I needed a solid determination to see this through.
Without the urgency of the situation, I might try a few times and then give up.
However, having told the princess about it meant I couldn’t just keep it to myself—I had to at least pretend to make an effort, right?
Telling her was my way of pushing myself harder.
Still, her completely lackluster response was a bit disappointing.
If she had shown some expectation, the sense of responsibility might have driven me to work even harder.
‘For now, this much is enough.’
Standing at the starting line, her reaction was enough to fuel my motivation for now.
Having declared to the princess that I would develop a treatment tailored to her and confidently left after the treatment, I returned to the temple only to sigh once again at Sir Rafael’s absence.
‘Where should I begin?’
The starting point.
I had no idea where that was.
Honestly, I felt utterly lost.
I’d never considered developing a treatment method before.
‘Is this what they call a leap into the unknown?’
What confidence did I have to suddenly declare to the princess that I would create a treatment method?
Regret was already creeping in.
Then, a sudden thought struck me.
‘When in doubt, isn’t it best to follow in the footsteps of predecessors?’
The problem was that Cardinal Caria had passed away long ago.
After much deliberation, I decided to visit Priest Ando.
“Is there any way to find books about Cardinal Caria?”
“Books about Cardinal Caria…?”
If I went to the city, there would surely be plenty of books related to him.
But I couldn’t leave the labyrinth temple right now.
That’s why I sought out someone who might have such books.
“I happen to have Cardinal Caria’s autobiography. Would that suffice?”
“Yes, that would be great. Ideally, I’d go look for them myself, but…”
“If Priest Arthur isn’t here, the place would be in chaos.”
Priest Ando fully understood why I couldn’t leave.
“Yes, so I was wondering how I could get my hands on a book.”
“Why not try requesting help from the guild?”
“The guild? Do mercenaries handle such things too?”
“There are various grades of mercenaries. Low-grade mercenaries often take on minor tasks like that. However, since buying books can be quite expensive, it’s better to find someone trustworthy.”
Priests are paid quite well.
After all, a wealthy theocracy would never treat its priests poorly.
So buying books wasn’t a financial issue for me.
However, for a low-grade mercenary, the money meant for buying a book might be tempting enough for them to run off with it.
That’s why he advised me to find a reliable mercenary.
“Got it. I’ll make time to visit the guild.”
“By the way, why are you looking for books about Cardinal Caria?”
“Well, I learned about him briefly during my studies as a child, but as you know, we didn’t study him in depth. I find myself regretting that now, so I thought I’d take the chance to read up on him during my free time.”
Priest Ando couldn’t hide his pleased smile.
It seemed my words struck a chord with him.
…