“Sis, I have something I want to ask you.”
“…Something you want to ask?”
I wondered what kind of question she was going to ask now. The curious look in her eyes was a bit overwhelming.
“Go ahead.”
As soon as she got permission, she quickly asked her question.
“What’s the relationship between you and the priest?”
“…What kind of ridiculous question is that?”
“You two are so close.”
Close?
“Are you talking about Priest Arthur when you say ‘priest’?”
I had expected her to ask something strange, but as always, my younger sister went beyond what I imagined.
“Since you’re only meeting with Priest Arthur, it must be him.”
Is there really anything to explain about my relationship with Priest Arthur?
“We’re a healer and a patient. What else could there be?”
“That’s a lie!”
“???”
Why would she think this is a lie? We’re the ones in the situation, and that’s really what we are.
“I’ve had a feeling about this for a while. There’s something between you two, right? You can be honest with me, can’t you? I’m not some stranger.”
“There’s nothing to be honest about. What could there be between a healer and a patient? He’s a priest, and I’m just a patient.”
My younger sister, still questioning, seemed to have her own suspicions.
“At this point, I want to ask you something. What exactly do you think is going on between the priest and me?”
“You’ve been so close to a man who’s not even your subordinate! You’ve become so friendly with him, talking and laughing together. Is that normal? You’ve never done anything like this before.”
“…….”
“You were known as the ‘Ice Flower’ of the social scene, and now you’re talking so sweetly with him, even laughing. How can I believe there’s nothing between you two?”
Hearing my sister’s words, I realized that I had probably given her the wrong impression.
It had been easy to talk to him, after all.
Still, I didn’t like the fact that my sister had misunderstood so absurdly.
“Am I not allowed to have a normal conversation with someone? He’s not some imperial noble I need to be wary of—he’s the priest who’s been treating me. Naturally, I’m more comfortable with him than with anyone else I’ve met.”
“Do I not know you? Even though he’s a priest, you’re way too close.”
“Too close? I’ve only ever talked to him inside the hospital room, so I never thought about how others might see us.”
“Anyway, you really don’t have any special relationship with him, right?”
“That’s right. So don’t go around telling people otherwise. You’ll bring a curse on yourself.”
My younger sister, who had been causing so much turmoil in my mind, finally left. I was left alone in the hospital room, lost in thought.
I had never considered that I was too close to the priest.
“Do we really seem that close?”
As I thought back over the past days, I realized that these days, I did seem to laugh more often when he visited.
“How did this happen?”
It probably happened because he didn’t just treat me but also made small talk and left much later. When I was on guard, I wondered why he did that, but later on, I understood without needing to ask.
“Our conversations must have been part of his treatment plan.”
I had been constantly attacked mentally due to a curse. The priest had been using our conversations as ‘mental therapy.’
At first, we might have started with normal topics, but as we talked, he would often guide me on how to cope with hallucinations or voices.
Moreover, being a priest, he was skilled at soothing people.
“Talking with him really did help me clear my mind and feel at ease.”
I thought I had been holding up well, but I wasn’t completely unaffected.
The hallucinations and voices were constantly disturbing my mind, and if I had tried to bear it all alone, it would have been very difficult.
His treatment had been a huge help, and that was undeniable.
Although I had finished sorting out my thoughts, my sister’s words still weighed on me, and it was hard to shake off the uneasy feeling.
That unease remained even when Priest Arthur came in.
“Have you had your meal?”
“I’m tired of hospital food. I want to eat some big meat. I don’t even remember when was the last time I had it.”
As my sister pointed out, talking about whether I had eaten, how my health was, or what I was thinking today wasn’t something I often did.
I probably hadn’t had such conversations with anyone other than my sister.
“Looks like you’re craving something. I recommended hospital food, but I didn’t forbid you from eating meat.”
“I don’t like other kinds of meat. There’s a dish at my regular restaurant that I really want to eat.”
“You have a favorite restaurant?”
“Yeah, there’s no place that suits my taste like that one. I didn’t expect that the last time I ate there would be the last time.”
I wondered if the priest knew about that.
He probably didn’t.
That’s probably why he casually tried to have a normal conversation with me.
If my sister found it strange, then I guess our relationship did seem odd to others, but do I really need to change it because of that?
The idea of changing my relationship with him just because of other people’s views didn’t sit well with me.
“So, are you planning to tell me today?”
I don’t really dislike the mundane things he talks to me about when he comes.
Since my younger sibling said that, I would hold back, but I didn’t think my relationship with Priest Arthur would change much. I had to spend the whole day bored in my hospital room, and isn’t it too much for even this small enjoyment to be taken away? If the God is watching over me, I only hoped for some mercy at this point.
“It’s no use, Priest! Please help me!”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
Princess Lasiell suddenly appeared and asked for my help.
“It feels like we’ve almost made it, but she can’t make a decision. I just need help with that!”
The situation had completely changed since the labyrinth’s path shifted, and the difficulty of finding monsters had increased significantly, which Princess Kanabi was well aware of. However, that was a different issue from allowing Princess Lasiell to enter the maze.
“Wouldn’t it be better to wait a little longer? She might make a decision on her own.”
But it seemed that Princess Kanabi had no choice but to accept Princess Lasiell’s request.
Who else, other than Princess Lasiell, would desperately tackle that vast labyrinth, treating it like their own task to find the monsters?
“How long do you expect me to wait? The road ahead is still long. I can’t waste time like this. I’ve already waited so long!”
From Princess Lasiell’s perspective, it seemed that the indecisive actions of Princess Kanabi were pushing her to the brink of madness.
It was understandable, considering her beloved sister’s condition was worsening, making it natural for her to be in a state of anxiety.
She had thought to handle everything herself, but eventually, feeling helpless, she had no choice but to ask me for help.
“If I had more time, I would’ve persuaded my sister alone. I couldn’t afford to waste any more time.”
“I’m willing to help, but do you really think Princess will listen to me?”
Asking me to help with something your younger sibling couldn’t even persuade her with is already a wrong move.
“Are you unable to grasp the situation, just like your sister?”
“Huh?”
Am I the one who doesn’t understand the situation?
“Could you explain what I don’t understand?”
“You can’t get something for free.”
“???”
What is this, is she planning to take advantage of me?
I was dumbfounded, caught off guard by her sudden change of attitude.
“Maybe it’s better not knowing?”
There’s nothing that makes a person angrier than stopping in the middle of a sentence.
If the girl in front of me wasn’t royalty, I would have certainly scolded her for acting so rudely.
“You’re not even thinking about the situation at hand. Let’s talk later about it. What’s important now is persuading my sister! You’ll do it, won’t you?”
She asks me to help her after making me look like a fool?
As expected of royalty, her personality was merciless.
It was actually surprising how this could be considered mild compared to other royals.
“…You’re making me so curious but not telling me anything.”
“First, tell me whether you’ll help or not!”
“You came here to ask for a favor, didn’t you?”
“I’m not asking for it for free.”
Ah… Why am I a priest?
I just want to give her a little slap.
“I’ve prepared this, considering the reward I promised last time and the cost of helping with this task. If it were anyone else, I would have settled it with money, but giving money to a priest would be considered rude, right? So I put a lot of thought into it!”
She smiled confidently as she handed me something.
“What’s this?”
“Without any more words, just open it.”
I unwrapped the golden cloth, and compared to the princess’s confident demeanor, the items inside were rather modest.
As I looked at her in disbelief, she began explaining the items.
“The main reason for hesitating to enter the maze is concern for safety, right? So I brought something to protect you.”
It was a rugged-looking stone bracelet.
But it seemed that the stone bracelet wasn’t ordinary.
“It’s a protective bracelet that activates a shield when hit by strong external force. Although it’s a consumable that can be used around 10 times, it’s highly favored in the labyrinth. Many people have survived thanks to this shield.”
There was such high demand that even if you went with money, you couldn’t find one.
“I’ll keep supporting additional protection items after this one is used up, so don’t hesitate to use it.”
When even the princess said it was expensive, it must have been beyond my imagination.
What had seemed like a cheap item before now shimmered and looked precious after hearing the explanation.
“What’s this item?”
The expensive stone bracelet wasn’t the only thing.
It was a long object that reminded me of a staff.
It gleamed silver, with old-fashioned letters engraved on it, indicating that it might have a special function, just like the stone bracelet.
In fact, this was a truly valuable item—it was a tool that reduced the burden of using abilities. It could be applied to any kind of power, including divine power.
“A tool that reduces the burden of abilities?”