“Well, I just feel cold. How about you?”
“Same here.”
“Me too.”
It seemed like everyone was a bit surprised by my expression of disgust.
“Perhaps it’s something I can feel because I’m a priest.”
The labyrinth was definitely wearing a mask cunningly.
If ordinary people could sense the malice, they wouldn’t have dared to enter the labyrinth, would they?
I didn’t understand what the things coming out of the labyrinth meant, but now, I think I do.
‘It was bait.’
The bait that kept luring people into the labyrinth!
Realizing this made my heart drop.
Wasn’t I also drawn into that bait and entered the labyrinth?
I couldn’t shake off the feeling that I had become prey caught in a spider’s web.
“Are you alright, Priest?”
“Ah, I’m sorry.”
“Are you feeling unwell?”
The leader noticed my pale complexion and hurriedly asked. I quickly reassured them.
“No. I’m fine. I can move.”
“Shall we rest for a moment?”
“I’m really fine.”
The malice I had felt when I first entered the labyrinth had gradually faded with time, and soon, it had diminished to the point where I couldn’t feel it at all.
The chill that had made my body shudder was slowly returning to normal.
While I was recovering, the guide was busy finding the way through the labyrinth.
To enter the labyrinth, having a guide was an essential companion to avoid getting lost.
“We’ll move out. Please be careful where you step, and form a line as we move.”
At the leader’s command, the group moved efficiently.
I stood silently next to Princess Lasiell, looking confused, until I was directed to my position.
“You can follow along from this spot, Priest.”
“Yes.”
My position was at the center of the formation.
Even if a monster appeared suddenly, it seemed like the people around me could protect me.
“Since we don’t know when a monster might appear, everyone stay alert as we move. Be especially cautious as something might emerge from the ground.”
From the ground?
The ground was covered in white snow.
Hearing that a monster could emerge from it was disconcerting.
But was I the only one who was surprised? Everyone else’s reaction was indifferent.
‘Do they all have a lot of experience with this sort of thing?’
Pushing the question aside, we all began moving together.
Walking through snow takes far more effort than walking on flat ground.
I was grateful for the tools I had attached to my shoes that helped prevent me from sinking into the snow.
‘It seems like a lot of people have passed through here.’
Despite the changes to the labyrinth’s path, several footprints were visible.
It seemed that people, consumed by greed, didn’t hesitate to enter the labyrinth despite the altered conditions.
‘So, many have already gone in. What happens when we run into another group inside?’
In this lawless zone, meeting another unfamiliar group…
I doubted that we would be able to smile and easily start a conversation.
Squish, squish—
As I walked, the sound of my feet crunching the snow felt almost like music.
“Huh?”
“Could this be snow?”
Suddenly, snow began to fall from the sky.
“Snow here? But there’s no sky?”
It seemed that I wasn’t the only one who was confused by the situation.
Murmur, murmur—
Everyone had stopped walking in a flurry of panic and were all looking up at the sky, blankly.
The entrance to the labyrinth is on the ground.
After entering, the first thing you see is a downhill path.
You keep going down that hill.
Eventually, the true maze will appear before you.
Therefore, for snow to fall in a place with no sky and surrounded on all sides is completely nonsensical.
‘Even though it’s a labyrinth, this is an absurd phenomenon.’
Common sense doesn’t apply here.
Who created the laws of the world?
God.
And the labyrinth doesn’t hesitate to ignore those divine laws.
‘How irreverent. So irreverent.’
I couldn’t understand how a place like this, which directly defies God, could even exist.
“Everyone, pull yourselves together and keep walking. It’s still a long way to go.”
At the guide’s shout, the party, who had been lost in the sky, snapped back to reality.
The snow wasn’t just falling—it was being driven by fierce winds, making it clear that walking forward would become even more difficult.
The guide’s urging to hurry was no trivial matter.
We focused on walking again.
“Whoo, whoo.”
My breath was becoming heavier.
My legs were sore, and my face felt like it was painfully freezing, making me sigh involuntarily.
‘What am I doing here, hoping for riches and glory?’
Entering the labyrinth had definitely been a wrong choice.
There were many reasons to enter, but enduring this hardship made me snap back to reality.
Power is nice, ambition is fine, but isn’t living comfortably the most important thing?
‘I’ve been preparing so hard for this, yet this is the result…’
Thanks to wearing an expensive coat worth the price of gold, I could endure, but if I had to bear this cold with just my bare body, I would’ve been a burden to the group from the start.
This was a case of suffering unnecessarily. As I muttered my complaints internally, I noticed someone wearing an unusually thin coat.
‘How is she managing that? Isn’t she going to get frostbite?’
Even though I could barely endure the cold with all my preparation, I was worried about the condition of my companions who were wearing much thinner coats than mine.
In fact, someone had even taken out another coat from their bag and started layering it over themselves.
But the one who caught my attention the most was the person who, despite wearing a thin coat, was steadfastly enduring the cold.
“That brother?”
“Yes?”
I had decided not to interfere unnecessarily, but I couldn’t ignore it any longer, so I decided to speak to her.
The woman, who had initially looked at me unfavorably when we first met, seemed determined to keep her word, enduring the cold with nothing but her thin coat.
Logically, this made no sense.
“If you don’t have a coat, I can lend you mine.”
“…I never asked you to lend me a coat, Priest.”
“I just thought you looked cold. It’s not good to force yourself. What will you do if you get frostbite?”
Frostbite should never be taken lightly.
If you neglect it and miss the right time to treat it, you might have to amputate the affected area.
“Are you worried about my body, Priest?”
“You shouldn’t take frostbite lightly.”
“… It’s a little awkward when someone else worries about me.”
At that moment, someone standing next to her, who had no intention of wearing more layers, butted into the conversation.
“Why are you worrying about someone who’s been so prickly? What’s so special about her that you’re bothering to worry?”
“Stop talking nonsense and go away. Hmph, anyway, I’m fine, so leave me alone. If you don’t believe me, try holding my hand. You’ll understand why I said I’m fine.”
She took off her gloves and extended her bare hand toward me.
I couldn’t help but think, What kind of confidence is this? Still, I took off my gloves and grabbed her hand.
“!!”
“Warm, right?”
Her hand, warm with the sensation of calluses, melted away the cold that had settled into my body.
“Yes. It’s really warm.”
“I was born with the blood of a fire elemental. My resistance to cold is extraordinary.”
“Just holding hands makes me feel warm.”
It didn’t make sense that I could endure the cold in this weather just by holding hands with her.
Yet, astonishingly, the warmth of her hand was warming my entire body.
I wanted to keep holding it, but I couldn’t, so I let go.
As I put my gloves back on, she teased me in a mischievous tone.
“Your hands are freezing. Should I hold them for you, Priest?”
“I’m fine.”
“Just say it if you need it.”
“And what about me?”
“Why are you always butting in?”
Whack!
“Ouch!”
It seemed like the woman who had interrupted our conversation earlier was close to her, as they started playfully hitting each other.
How long had it been since we started walking?
“Let’s take a short break.”
At the leader’s command, everyone sat down on the ground with a thud.
While everyone rested to relieve the accumulated fatigue, I shouted loud enough for everyone to hear.
“I’ll check on everyone’s condition! If anyone’s feeling uncomfortable, come over here.”
I couldn’t go around individually looking for people to treat, so I told those who were in pain to come to me.
In comparison to my pathetic stamina, the others were much tougher.
“Oh— me. I can’t feel my toes.”
“Take off your shoes. Oh dear, your socks are too thin. Do you have any thicker ones?”
“Ugh, I completely forgot about the socks.”
“I brought extra socks. I’ll give you some.”
Socks may seem trivial, but in situations like this, where you have to walk for long periods, they play an important role.
“Everything else seems fine. Put on the dry socks after your feet are fully dry.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
It wasn’t frostbite, but it was close to it, so after treating it, it healed quickly.
“Having a Priest around makes everything so much easier and better. If I had gotten frostbite on my foot, I would’ve been suffering for days, but now I’m healed immediately.”
“Thanks to you, Priest, I’m living the good life.”
Those who had received treatment from me praised me enthusiastically.
Right, this is why I do this—being a healer.
I had to force myself not to smile, as my mouth wanted to curl up.
“If you know how comfortable it is, make sure to take good care of the Priest.”
Even Princess Lasiell praised my efforts to the group.
As praise for the healer rained down around me, my shoulders started to rise uncontrollably.
While basking in the compliments, something suddenly crossed my mind, so I decided to ask.
“But when do the monsters appear?”
We were just struggling with the falling snow and cold. But the biggest problem in the maze, the monsters, were nowhere to be seen, even after searching.
“Up until now, it was just the entrance, so there were no monsters. They probably ran away because of the human presence. But from now on, you need to be extra careful. The monsters haven’t retreated this far, and they’re probably hiding nearby.”
I hadn’t noticed due to the snowy surroundings, but it seemed we had walked much further than I thought.
At the leader’s words, everyone nodded and checked their weapons.
I, on the other hand, had nothing to check—being a Priest, I had no weapons, so there was only one thing I could do.
‘I should pray.’