Although I had said hopeful words to Princess Kanabi, telling her not to give up, honestly, I felt more overwhelmed by the situation.
I still hadn’t been able to obtain Cardinal Caria’s book.
Thus, there had been no progress on the development of a cure.
“Your Highness has developed new symptoms.”
Moreover, the curse was gradually consuming Princess Kanabi’s body.
The princess, who had been suffering from hallucinations, auditory delusions, pain, and insomnia, began to show new symptoms shortly after hearing the news that the strike force had failed.
The new symptoms were so urgent that the knight had no choice but to run over and ask for help.
“Who are you?”
It was the inability to recognize people.
“It’s not dementia.”
“Huh~”
“Phew…”
After examining Princess Kanabi’s condition, I came to a conclusion.
This symptom was a temporary effect caused by the curse and did not indicate dementia.
“The curse will disappear once it’s lifted.”
On the other hand, if the curse wasn’t solved, it meant that she would continue to forget people, like dementia.
After receiving treatment, Princess Kanabi didn’t speak for a while.
It was the knight who was pacing restlessly.
“What should we do? Please tell us anything.”
The knight, asking what to do, seemed ready to jump into hell’s fire if told to.
“The princess might cause an accident because of the curse. For example, she might give orders she can’t remember. Right now, she could end up giving orders that don’t fit the situation. The problem is that you knights are so loyal, you would carry out even orders that are problematic.”
“Hmm…”
A knight lives and dies by orders.
Princess Kanabi seemed to agree, nodding her head.
“Therefore, it would be a good idea to make a habit of writing everything down. Even if you forget that you made that habit, it will still be helpful compared to having nothing.”
If the dementia symptoms worsen, it would be a good idea to record what I did on an hourly basis.
The danger lies in not knowing what I missed because it’s a disease that causes memory loss.
Records will be a huge help in confirming how serious the symptoms have become.
“I understand. I will make sure to be careful.”
“Can you really do it…?”
The knight would have to record every single move of the princess. It was a heavy burden, and it was hard to imagine how someone who wasn’t family could do that comfortably. Yet, I couldn’t ask if Princess Kanabi had family or close friends around, given the assassination risks she faced.
“I’ll handle that part.”
There needed to be some progress, but as time passed, the situation only seemed to worsen, and I found myself sighing in frustration. But what could be done?
Today, once again, I grasped her left arm and tried to find a new treatment method.
Of course, when I left the hospital, I was still empty-handed.
I received a call from the guild, asking me to come.
They had found a mercenary to take on my request.
It wasn’t a one-time deal, but a long-term request to obtain items related to Cardinal Caria, so I needed to be careful in choosing the right person.
Once again, the knight accompanied me.
Even though I didn’t ask, the knight automatically followed me.
Since I had already been to the guild once, I wouldn’t have dared to visit alone, so it worked out well.
The guild was still noisy with mercenaries.
“Welcome, Priest.”
Since the knight had been here before, he smoothly made his way through the crowd and led me to the staff.
“Priest?”
“Yes. I heard the mercenary for my request has been decided, so I came to check.”
The staff member looked at my priestly attire and was surprised, then asked me to wait for a moment before going inside.
Soon, the female staff member I had met last time appeared and spoke to me.
“Please follow me.”
I immediately followed her.
However, she was wearing black stockings, and her stunning legs and backside made it impossible for any man to avoid looking.
I tried my best not to look, but my eyes didn’t listen to me.
‘Is this temptation?’
There was no place to turn my gaze, and I reluctantly looked over at the knight, only to see his eyes fixed in a similar direction, which made me self-reflect.
‘I shouldn’t be like that.’
Had the knight’s actions not seemed so unseemly from a third-person perspective, I might have just fallen into temptation without thinking twice. Honestly, it was hard not to look, considering how blatantly she walked, shaking her hips.
As I struggled to control my gaze, I entered the room and saw a familiar face.
“Ah?”
“You…”
I was taken aback, and the knight furrowed his brow.
“Are you saying we should hire this person? I don’t approve of them.”
The knight’s reaction was understandable.
This mercenary had been on the temple’s blacklist, and they hadn’t been treated well before.
Of course, this was something the knight knew, but I had treated the mercenary’s younger sibling, so the female mercenary had no grudge against me.
If anything, she had come to support me in return for the favor.
“Is this the mercenary you’ve chosen to take on my request?”
“Yes, it seems you know each other. If you don’t like it, we can replace them, but it will take more time.”
The female staff member asked, and I shook my head.
“No, that’s not it. We just happened to get to know each other, but… I was just surprised that this person would take on my request.”
If it had been me, I would have been terrified at the thought of leaving my recovered younger sibling and would not have wanted to be apart for a while. After all, how many things would I want to do for a healthy sibling?
So I was surprised that they agreed to take on my request.
“Please reject them, Priest. They might be planning something harmful.”
On the other hand, the knight, not knowing what had happened the night before, understandably had his suspicions.
“It’s fine. This person won’t cause harm.”
“Priest, you shouldn’t trust people so easily!”
“Listen, I’m getting angry just hearing this. Do you think I’m some fool who wants to die, knight? My younger sibling is still alive, and you’re suggesting I do something foolish like that! They didn’t come to harm us; they came to support you, Priest! They’re offering to help, hoping they can even help treat my sibling!”
“…”
The knight seemed to soften a bit, as if he didn’t think her words were completely unreasonable. He frowned and glared at the mercenary.
“Then, is this the person you’ve decided on?”
The female staff member, who didn’t seem to care about our argument, asked indifferently.
“Yes. I’ll go with this person.”
This wasn’t a bad situation for me either. I believed this mercenary would do well.
Though it felt awkward saying it, I was the one who had saved their sibling, after all.
“I’m in a bit of a rush right now.”
I said, almost apologetically, to the knight, who had looked displeased with the situation.
“Yes, I’m not happy about it, but since you’re in a hurry, I’ll accept it. If they do anything strange, please let me know.”
“…If anything happens, I’ll ask for your help. Thank you.”
Though no one had told him to protect me, the knight was taking my matters into his own hands, treating them as if they were his own.
I should be grateful for this, not complain or think it’s a bother.
“Just tell me what you need. I’ll go to any place and bring it to you.”
The mercenary’s eyes were sharp.
After some hesitation, I turned to the female staff member and the knight.
“Sorry, but could you both step outside for a moment?”
“Of course.”
The female staff member quickly got up, but the knight remained silent, clearly unhappy.
Then the female staff member, taking the knight’s arm, spoke.
“You need to leave, right? Priest has asked you to go.”
“Let go of me. What are you doing?”
“Aww~ You’re so rough~ Are you always like this, even at night? That’s my type.”
“!!”
Jealous… No, wait, that’s not the issue.
Once the knight and the staff member had left, I felt a sense of relief, my anxious heart settling with only the mercenary left.
“How is your sibling?”
“She’s doing well. She’s happy every day. But she’s avoiding going out too much because she don’t want to trouble you, Priest. Not many people know she’s my sibling, so it shouldn’t be a big issue, but just in case, she’s being cautious.”
It seemed they were already being careful without me needing to tell them to.
I was thankful, but it was a bit sad that even though she was healthy again, she couldn’t fully enjoy her freedom.
And I couldn’t understand why she would take on a job that required traveling far away, leaving her sibling behind.
“If you take my request, you’ll have to go to far-off places. Why did you take this job?”
“I thought I was the right person for it. And right now, it’s better for me not to be around my sibling. If people find out that we’re family, it will raise suspicions.”
So, in order to maintain her sibling’s normal social life, she had taken on a job that would require her to be away from them.
“Did your family approve of it?”
“I only told my sibling that I’m going away to repay a debt. I didn’t mention the details.”
“At the age when they need adult care…”
Isn’t she only about sixteen?
But in this world, it wasn’t unusual for children to work for money.
Even younger children had their own jobs.
“My sibling will do fine on her own.”
Thinking back to how she had complained about the priest back then, I had to admit they seemed like the kind of person who could handle things competently.
“Given the circumstances, I understand. I’ll be counting on you from here on out.”
I extended my hand first, and the mercenary shook it firmly.
“I will do whatever it takes to bring you what you want.”
Why so dramatic?
All I asked for was a book, not something life-or-death.
“You don’t need to go that far.”
I felt like I needed to reassure them that their enthusiasm was unnecessary.