It seems my answer helped dispel your prejudices, but honestly, it’s overwhelming to the point of discomfort.
On top of that, when the man blushed and grabbed my hand, my mood took a sharp turn for the worse.
Still, I couldn’t openly show my displeasure.
He seemed so moved and delighted; I couldn’t bring myself to pour salt on his happiness.
“I’m glad you’ve cleared up the misunderstanding. And there’s no one here who’d harm me, so your concern alone is more than enough.”
I know well that corruption among priests has become a serious issue lately, causing problems everywhere.
There was even a major uproar over it at one point, so I could only imagine how bad it was.
Although the corrupt priests causing trouble are in the minority, I heard that, after “that incident,” all priests are being condemned as if they were the same.
“Of all things, key figures got involved in a huge scandal, causing a domino effect and disgracing the nation,” I thought.
I hadn’t expected that incident to have such a profound impact.
Even when it was a hot topic, people still came to the temple clinic for treatment.
I figured it was something that didn’t concern us directly.
In hindsight, that was a naive assumption.
“Our novice priests are so kind and devout.”
No wonder the person who initially grumbled openly to me turned out to be the one I talked to the most.
“I look forward to working with you.”
Still, thanks to these people, the wariness toward me seemed to have eased significantly.
Because of the attention they drew, some even voluntarily confessed to hidden illnesses, saying they were unwell.
“Priest, please stop working and eat something. You’ve been at it continuously.”
“Oh! Is the meal ready?”
“Everyone’s already eating, but you’re the only one who hasn’t.”
Not only were there wounds from battle to treat, but many were also suffering from frostbite.
When I asked why they hadn’t shown it earlier, they said they didn’t want to bother me and planned to wait until it got worse before seeking help.
Though it annoyed me to see them blush when looking at me, the conversations weren’t entirely meaningless.
Only after finishing treatment did I finally get a bite to eat.
Sitting on a rock and eating absent mindedly, I noticed a few people quietly sitting beside me.
“Is the meal to your taste?”
“Yes, it’s fine. Have you all eaten?”
It wasn’t particularly tasty, but it was edible.
“We ate a while ago.”
The ones sitting next to me were Sam and Glen—the same ones who had firmly declared that they would protect me from anyone who tried to bother me.
“We hope we’re not making things too difficult for you by drawing so much attention to you, Priest.”
“Even though you said you’re fine, some people just don’t know their limits.”
“I’m really fine.”
“Our Priest is too kind; that might be a problem.”
“Which is why we need to protect you.”
I couldn’t quite understand what they were trying to protect me from.
“Phew~ You two should stop pestering the priest. Do you think being friendly means the priest is your friend?”
At that moment, a woman smoking a cigarette approached and spoke to Sam and Glen.
“Oh, come on, can’t we be close to the priest?”
“No, you can’t. So scram.”
Surprisingly, Sam and Glen retreated without getting upset at her words.
“Was it because of me that you argued?”
“Don’t worry about those trivial fools. Let me warn you: don’t hang out with them. They’ll just bring trouble.”
Even though her tone was sharp, I could tell she was speaking out of concern for me.
I appreciated her thoughtfulness, but I worried that her harsh attitude might cause problems with her colleagues.
“I’m fine.”
“Those scumbags are only cozying up to you because they plan to exploit the relationship later. They tested the waters, figured out you’re kind-hearted, and started clinging to you right away.”
“What’s so significant about befriending me?”
“You can’t be serious, right?”
The ultimate networking powerhouse is undoubtedly the royalty.
Right below them, however, are not the nobles but the priests.
By the time you hit your thirties, you begin to understand just how important health is.
If you’re well-acquainted with a priest, you can feel reassured no matter what illness befalls you.
After all, it would be much easier to find a priest capable of curing your disease.
“Haha, by the way, I saw you fighting earlier. You were amazing!”
“Ahem! You saw? Well, I suppose I did put on quite a show this time.”
I didn’t fully grasp what it meant to say she had the bloodline of a fire spirit, but watching her fight gave me a rough idea.
Her combat style was the embodiment of “fire” itself.
“Anyway, I came to tell you not to indulge those guys too much. It’s obvious they’re just the start, not the end.”
After giving me a blunt warning, she put out her cigarette and was about to leave.
“Where are you going?”
“I’m leaving because I’ve said what I needed to.”
“Stay here with me for a bit.”
“You want me to sit here while you eat?”
“Yes.”
“Why should I?”
“Please.”
I thought she might ignore me, but to my surprise, she quietly sat back down.
“What’s your name?”
Though we had exchanged names before, there were so many people to remember that I hadn’t retained hers properly.
“Nogi. I have a last name, but I can’t officially use it since I’m the illegitimate child of a noble.”
An illegitimate child of a noble.
Such children were scorned by nobles for having “dirty” origins, yet envied and resented by commoners for their supposed privilege and easier lives.
In other words, they were outsiders to both sides.
Because of this, few illegitimate children openly revealed their lineage.
But Nogi surprised me by proudly admitting it herself.
“Since it’s something that would inevitably come out while living together, I figured it was better for me to say it than for others to reveal it.”
“Oh.”
That made sense.
“Anyway, I apologize for being a bit prickly at first.”
Nogi extended her hand toward me.
I clasped her hand, my face showing a bit of confusion.
“I never intended to get on your bad side, Priest. It’s the patient who loses out if they upset the person treating them, don’t you think?”
She had a point. If things soured between us, it was the patient who would suffer.
While priests are meant to treat all patients equally, emotions inevitably come into play because, after all, priests are human too.
“If those guys keep bothering you, let me know anytime. Same goes for anyone else. Even as an illegitimate child, people tread lightly around me because of my lineage.”
After finishing my meal while chatting with Nogi, I gently grabbed her wrist.
“Ah!”
“Did you intentionally leave this untreated?”
“…As expected of a priest. How did you even notice? I didn’t show any signs.”
“Well, of course. It’s not like this is my first time seeing someone in pain. May I treat it for you?”
“This kind of thing usually gets better after a day of rest. That’s why I didn’t bother with treatment.”
“Even one less day of pain would be better, wouldn’t it?”
After a moment of hesitation, Nogi nodded.
“Alright, go ahead.”
As soon as I received her permission, I channeled my divine power.
If I could build relationships with people one by one like this, maybe one day, I’d be close to everyone in the group.
Some still kept their distance and watched me with wary eyes, but I decided not to rush things.
Although the snow had stopped, the labyrinth was still cold enough to make frostbite a concern.
We encountered the monsters known as “snowmen” several more times, defeating them as we ventured deeper into the labyrinth.
With no clear distinction between day and night, we used a “timepiece” to estimate when it was time to rest and set up camp at an appropriate spot.
To be honest, camping wasn’t something I was used to, so there were plenty of discomforts.
However, if I wanted to explore the labyrinth further, I knew I had to get used to camping.
“Priest, is everything alright?”
On top of that, I was in a position where people took extra care of me.
“I’m fine.”
“How about the temperature?”
“If I wrap myself like this, I’ll stay warm enough.”
At least I wouldn’t have to worry about frostbite.
Complaining about discomfort while being treated with such care would have been thoughtless, especially considering there were people sleeping in much worse conditions than me.
When you’re being taken care of, it’s important to remain grateful and humble.
“If there’s anything bothering you, let us know right away.”
“Understood. Thank you.”
Once the person checking on my sleeping arrangements left, I was finally alone in the tent.
“The first day in the labyrinth, huh?”
It still felt surreal and hard to believe.
Not only was it amazing to actually enter the labyrinth I had only heard about in stories, but seeing monsters being hunted up close was also fascinating.
“If I close my eyes, I’ll probably fall asleep instantly.”
No matter how much preparation I had done, the long walk and the tension from encountering monsters had worn me out.
I thought of Princess Kanabi, who had struggled with insomnia. Perhaps if she had spent a day in the labyrinth, exhausting herself like this, she would have fallen asleep instantly too.
And then, just as I blinked my eyes—
Thunk!
Thud!
A flash of light filled my vision, and for a moment, my memory went blank.
‘??’
When I regained consciousness, I found myself submerged in a peculiar space, as if I had fallen into a swamp.
‘What is this?’
Ordinarily, this situation should have made me feel a sense of crisis or fear, but I didn’t perceive any immediate danger.
‘Wait, are you seriously putting me to sleep like this because I wasn’t sleeping? Isn’t this a bit too violent?’
I had thought I could fall asleep as soon as I closed my eyes, but apparently, someone had decided to knock me out forcibly.
Before I could dwell on my confusion—
A sharp pain shot through my head, as if it were about to burst.
It wasn’t entirely unexpected, as I had experienced this once before.
My head was flooded with knowledge, and there was no way to resist it.
Not that anyone would want to resist it in the first place.
‘Still, it’s my second time, so I should be a bit more used to—ugh!’
Used to it, my foot.
The torrent of knowledge caused unbearable pain, twisting my body as I endured it.
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