“Priest Arthur.”
“Yes, Your Highness. Shall I tell you?”
“…Alright.”
Although she still seemed reluctant, it appeared she couldn’t refuse her younger sister’s earnest request.
The priest explained the situation regarding Princess Kanabi’s condition to Princess Lasiell.
When Princess Lasiell heard about Princess Kanabi’s condition, she furrowed her brow and became angry.
She was upset, asking why Princess Kanabi had endured in silence until her condition worsened.
“If you’re sick, you should show it! Why are you being so foolish and just enduring it? No one will acknowledge you for doing this!”
“I didn’t endure alone. The priest came frequently and helped alleviate the pain. Whenever it got bad, he would come without fail and take such care of me. Thanks to him, I didn’t even realize how much I was suffering.”
“I’ll definitely help you break free from this curse.”
Princess Lasiell gripped Princess Kanabi’s hand with both of hers and closed her eyes, as if in prayer.
Seeing the sisters relying on each other to survive in the harsh environment of the royal palace brought a warm smile to my face.
Inside the labyrinth, there were still many rare and special items that had not been uncovered, so it was likely that they could find something that would help break Princess Kanabi’s curse, just as Princess Lasiell wished.
“We’ll carry out the plan on the day of the least traffic at the temple. Most people will be gathered in the prayer hall, so there will hardly be anyone else around.”
Everyone would be busy praying, making it easier to avoid attention.
“The team is almost ready. We just need the priest to join us.”
Princess Kanabi’s preparations were complete, and Princess Lasiell mentioned that all the promised team members had already arrived at the labyrinth and were waiting. The only remaining task was for me to join them.
“The bishop you were expecting should arrive soon.”
It wouldn’t take long.
We had finally obtained the delicious jar of honey, and surely we couldn’t wait any longer to eat it, right?
I had expected the bishop to arrive soon.
But before long, I received news that was completely different from what I had anticipated.
“What? He passed away? The bishop?”
The story was so absurd that for a moment, I couldn’t process it.
The priest who had come to deliver the news seemed exhausted, his face full of fatigue.
Seeing my surprise, the priest offered a more detailed explanation.
“On his way here, he encountered heretics. He said he would deal with them, and then…”
“Of…!”
Why did it have to be heretics?
Our denomination doesn’t just label anyone as a heretic and persecute them.
The officially recognized heretics worship evil gods and harm others.
I had thought things had quieted down for a while, but I couldn’t understand why these heretics had to cause trouble right on the bishop’s way to the labyrinth.
“What happened to the heretics?”
“They were all killed, and in the end, the heretic leader detonated themselves along with the bishop. It happened in the blink of an eye. I tried to stop it, but by the time I regained consciousness, everything was already over.”
The shock from the heretic leader still seemed to be haunting the priest.
“…I’m sorry. You must be shaken up, but thank you for delivering the news. I will pray for the bishop’s soul, that it may rest beside the Sun God.”
It must have been overwhelming for the priest, having lost the bishop they served so suddenly.
Still, they had come all the way here to deliver the news to us, which showed incredible mental strength.
“…Thank you.”
For a moment, the priest’s eyes reddened, overcome with emotion.
He quickly swallowed his tears and spoke.
“Ahem, I intend to return to the Holy Empire immediately. Is there anything you would like me to convey?”
There were things I wanted to say. For instance, when would our temple’s bishop be sent back?
But considering the priest had not yet fully processed the loss of their bishop, asking such a thing seemed too harsh, so I kept it to myself.
“Ah… no. There’s nothing. I’m just sorry I couldn’t attend the funeral because I can’t leave my post.”
“No, it’s fine. The bishop’s funeral and the heretic issue won’t be resolved in a day or two. But I’m relieved. Thanks to you, the priest is leading the temple well, so it won’t be a huge problem even without the appointed bishop.”
No! That’s not something to relax about!
If we just stay passive, we’ll end up in trouble.
“Speaking of which, I had scheduled something because I thought the bishop would be coming. What should I do about it?”
“Pardon? A schedule? I’m not sure what it’s for, but you might want to cancel it if possible.”
“This isn’t something I can just cancel. It’s related to diplomacy with the Deltrak Empire.”
“Ah…!”
Upon hearing the mention of a diplomatic schedule, the priest’s face showed the clear signs of dismay, realizing how difficult the situation had become.
“This is a tricky situation. A diplomatic schedule can’t be canceled easily… Is there anyone who could help at the temple?”
“There are two senior priests, but… I can’t leave it to them.”
“Your skills are so exceptional, it seems you’ve been asked to take this on yourself.”
It wasn’t that I was asked to take it on—I was stripped of it.
I didn’t feel the need to bring up the unpleasant truth, so I responded with a half-hearted smile.
“Well then, how about they take on your diplomatic duties in your place?”
“This request was made specifically for me, so I can’t back out.”
“Hm.”
“Hmm….”
Diplomacy or the temple.
Both were choices I couldn’t dismiss easily, so I was left with no easy solution.
“There’s only one option. We need to ask someone we can trust. If you really can’t find anyone, the central authorities might urgently send someone, but I can’t guarantee they’ll arrive quickly.”
There were many who were eager to seize any opportunity, trying to take advantage of the situation.
Rather than causing unnecessary trouble by bringing in someone from an opposing faction, most would prefer to manage things internally with those they already trusted.
And, as expected, my guess was right.
I received word from the priest who had returned to the central authorities—sending a bishop right away would be difficult.
For me, who needed to enter the labyrinth immediately, this was like a bolt from the blue.
Have you ever had a moment where you knew there were choices, but it felt like none of them were available to you?
That’s exactly how I felt right now. Two choices lay in front of me, but sadly, I couldn’t choose either one.
“Are you troubled?”
While I was absentmindedly sitting by the fountain, someone sat next to me.
Turning my head, I saw that it was Priest Cadon.
“Priest Cadon?”
“You look troubled. You couldn’t focus in the prayer hall, either.”
“I’m sorry.”
I splashed my face with cold water and sighed.
Being dazed wouldn’t solve anything.
“Of course, it makes sense. It was such an unexpected loss. We’ve lost a great star far too early.”
I hadn’t met him personally, but I had heard of his reputation.
He was highly respected by many priests.
Since he was also an old friend of Bishop Haman, I thought Priest Cadon might know something about him.
“Is Bishop Haman alright?”
“He doesn’t show it, but I think he’s struggling. Losing such a close friend takes a toll.”
Since Bishop Haman couldn’t travel to the funeral, he held a small memorial service for his friend during the prayer time.
It wasn’t a death from illness, but a martyr’s death, so the congregation willingly attended his service.
Everyone truly mourned his righteous death.
“He’ll need to get back on his feet soon.”
“This isn’t the first time something like this has happened. He’ll be alright after a few days of mourning. But why do you look so troubled, Priest Arthur?”
“I think it’s because I was looking forward to seeing his face, and also… I have a bit of a tricky issue.”
“A tricky issue? Can I ask what’s going on?”
Should I ask Priest Cadon for help?
If I could get him to temporarily take over the labyrinth temple, my worries would be neatly resolved.
He probably wouldn’t stay long, but at least we could hold out until a new bishop arrived.
Moreover, he could also help calm down Princess Lasiell, who was eager to head into the labyrinth.
“I need to enter the labyrinth because of diplomatic issues with the Deltrak Empire. But since the bishop has passed, there’s no one to take my place at the temple.”
“Oh dear…”
“I need a new bishop to come, so I can leave with peace of mind.”
If nothing else works, I would have no choice but to entrust the temple to Priest Ando and Priest Chilan and leave.
The problem was, both of them had experience leading the temple before, but they had failed so badly that I had to take over again.
It would be a bad precedent to reassign responsibilities to someone who had been stripped of their position, and it could create more problems, so I honestly wanted to avoid that.
“I know it’s not exactly proper to ask this, but… would you be able to take over the labyrinth temple for a while?”
“I’m part of the subjugation squad. My job is to assist Bishop Haman.”
“…I see.”
“There’s still some time before the next subjugation squad is formed, so I think I can take over for about a month.”
A month!
‘Even a month is better than nothing.’
If he agreed, I would be grateful, no matter how short the time.
“I hope I’m not causing too much trouble.”
“It’s fine. I have experience running temples, so it won’t be that difficult. And maybe I just like the new management approach you suggested—it doesn’t seem like it’ll be hard to implement. It’s also valuable to get some experience now in case I have to run the temple later.”
Priest Cadon comforted me, saying that he wasn’t only doing it for me but also for his own benefit.
Having gained a month’s time, I could only hope that a new bishop would be chosen soon in the capital.