“ICH!!”
“Hey! Be careful above, in the sky!”
Warnings are pouring in from all directions.
It’s already difficult enough dealing with those jumping at us from the ground, but monsters that jump high and rush at us are even harder to handle.
“Damn it, it’s so hard to see, it’s driving me crazy.”
I checked on my struggling teammates and cast a buff.
A round magic circle with white runes appears on the ground.
It didn’t shine brightly enough to light up the whole area, but it created a subtle glow that allowed me to check my surroundings.
“Good!”
“Even this much light is enough!”
With just that soft light, it was clear that there was something around.
Normally, when a fight starts, we would light a fire to secure visibility.
But in this battle, that wasn’t possible.
The monsters we were up against fed on light to grow stronger.
If it was too dark, we wouldn’t be able to see the enemy’s attacks, which would be troublesome. On the other hand, if we created too much light, it would only make the monsters stronger—an awkward situation.
In the midst of all that, once I used my buff to make it possible for us to see our surroundings, the team members were satisfied and began focusing on the battle.
“It seems like we can lure them with that light.”
On top of that, one of my teammates noticed that the monsters were being attracted by my buff.
They didn’t just like to consume light; I realized they were completely obsessed with it.
And then—
Kiiick!!
The light created by my buff was something they couldn’t consume or erase.
It seemed to be a completely opposing energy to the monsters, so they couldn’t absorb it.
On top of that, with the buff laid on the ground, my teammates were recovering a bit of health every second, which gave them the strength to push forward with their attacks.
When we discovered the way down to the lower floor, I thought we’d find the missing comrades quickly, but instead of them, we kept encountering monsters.
Even knowing they couldn’t consume the light, the monsters relentlessly craved it.
Thanks to that, the combat team was able to take down the monsters so quickly that the struggles seemed insignificant in comparison.
“They’re smaller than I expected. They looked so much bigger in the dark.”
Only after all the monsters were dealt with did we light a fire again.
As the surroundings became fully illuminated, people began to take a closer look at the monsters that had been hidden before.
“Probably, in the dark, they would’ve looked even larger.”
“Do they have names, like the Yeti?”
The creature we had encountered most often on the upper floors was the ‘Yeti,’ a large bear-like monster with white fur.
“This one is called the Shadow Goblin.”
“Oh.”
“They mostly live in caves, and, as you saw just now, they grow stronger when they consume light.”
Princess Lasiell had made various preparations before entering the dungeon.
One of them was gathering information about the monsters.
It was only natural that the more they knew about the monsters they might encounter inside the dungeon, the easier it would be for the team.
So, after some effort, she succeeded in acquiring a monster encyclopedia that contained information on the monsters that had appeared in the dungeon in the past.
The encyclopedia, bought at a high price, was proving to be worth every penny with how useful it was.
“It says here that these monsters have a large variation in danger depending on how much light they’ve consumed. We were able to deal with them quite easily. The priest’s buff played a huge role.”
“If we’d just blindly kept lighting fires because it got dark, it would’ve been much more dangerous. But the fact that you remembered right away what kind of monster they were and told us was the biggest help.”
When they first encountered the monsters, the light suddenly began to disappear one by one, so the group tried to relight the fires.
However, thanks to someone who had read the monster encyclopedia and recognized that these creatures grew stronger by consuming light, they were able to take down the monsters with just a minimal amount of light.
‘It would have taken a long time to figure out that we shouldn’t light the fire.’
Though they had successfully killed the Shadow Goblins, the expressions on everyone’s faces were far from bright.
Since Lasiell was aware of why everyone looked so down, she turned her attention towards her.
By chance, she was talking with the leader.
As Lasiell approached, she overheard part of their conversation.
“How much food do we have left?”
“It’s enough for two weeks.”
“What if we ration it?”
“We can probably last for five more days.”
“… It would still be risky even if we head back right now.”
It took them well over 20 days just to get this far.
Since they had to clear a path, it took longer, but the return trip shouldn’t take more than 20 days.
However, in a dungeon, you could never predict when unexpected events might occur, so they needed to plan their return with a generous buffer.
“You’ll need to make a decision now.”
If they returned like this, finding their missing comrades would be forever impossible.
Though, they probably weren’t alive to begin with.
“…Let’s go back.”
Lasiell couldn’t choose to recklessly search for the missing teammates and risk the lives of the entire group.
“You’ve made a wise decision. I’ll inform the team properly.”
“Thank you for your hard work.”
After finishing the conversation with the leader, Princess Lasiell’s expression was not good.
I tried to walk past without noticing, but her expression kept catching my eye, and I just couldn’t pass by.
“Your Highness.”
“… Priest Arthur.”
“Are you alright?”
“I promised my sister, so I have to overcome this.”
It seemed that the weight of death was weighing heavily on Princess Lasiell’s heart.
It wasn’t good for the one who was supposed to keep the team grounded to be showing such a downcast attitude.
Still, it seemed like she understood that she had to overcome this, so at least that was a relief.
‘It looks like she’s holding up better than Princess Kanavi worried about, though.’
If I left her like this, it was clear that it would take a lot of time for her to recover.
‘In times like this, being a priest…’
I couldn’t ignore someone who needed help.
What was the role of a priest, after all?
Listening to people’s troubles and comforting them when they’re mentally burdened— that’s the role of a priest.
‘How could I walk proudly as a priest if I turn away from what I’m supposed to do?’
Instead of criticizing corrupt priests, I needed to reflect on whether I was truly fulfilling my duties.
“How about trying a prayer?”
“A prayer?”
Given the high probability that the missing were dead, I suggested offering a prayer for their souls.
“I’ll pray with you.”
“Pray… with you?”
“I believe a prayer will bring comfort.”
The princess, who had been caught off guard by my suggestion, promised to come by later that night, saying she understood.
I believed that praying together and offering a prayer for the missing would help lift the princess’s spirits.
I worked even harder than usual to prepare a small prayer room, waiting for her to arrive in the evening.
Normally, I wouldn’t pay much attention to my attire, but today I made sure to wear the proper priest robes.
“Welcome, Your Highness.”
“… Was this really a call for prayer?”
As soon as the princess entered, she looked at my attire and asked.
“Yes! I’ve prepared everything, so please come this way.”
I couldn’t understand why she seemed so flustered— after all, I had clearly called her for prayer.
I guided Princess Lasiell into the prepared prayer room and we began the prayer.
“What should I pray for?”
“Pray about the things that are troubling you right now. If there are things you’ve kept secret from others, feel free to let them out. Sometimes, just speaking your worries aloud can help more than you think.”
Even though she was speaking to an invisible entity, there was a big difference between doing it and not doing it at all.
That’s why so many people go to the temple for confession— because it has an effect.
It wasn’t like this was Princess Lasiell’s first prayer, but the hesitation and the question likely came from not being able to easily decide what to pray about.
Princess Lasiell knelt on the cushion and sat down.
She clasped her hands together and closed her eyes, and I sat next to her, also clasping my hands.
“….”
“……”
Princess Lasiell, who had been hesitating awkwardly at first, suddenly began to pray with such focus, as if nothing had happened.
I, too, concentrated fully on my prayer, forgetting about Princess Lasiell’s presence for the moment.
My prayer was for the souls of the missing.
What troubled me most was whether those who had died in the dungeon would be able to fully return to the embrace of the Sun God.
‘Please, don’t lose your way. May you safely return to the Father.’
As I immersed myself in prayer, I hadn’t noticed how late it had become.
By the time the candle in the prayer room had melted halfway down,
Princess Lasiell slowly opened her eyes after having kept them closed for a long time.
Though I had encouraged her to pray, I hadn’t expected Princess Lasiell to focus so intently, which made me feel a sense of admiration for her.
“Ugh, my legs are numb.”
“Would you like some assistance?”
“Yes, please.”
Having knelt for so long, it was inevitable that her legs would go numb.
I helped Princess Lasiell to her feet, and she sat down in the chair.
Though she was tired from praying for so long, her expression was much brighter than it had been before the prayer.
“The weight on my heart is still there, but I feel better than before. Honestly, I’ve never prayed with this much focus before. I think I was always thinking about something else in my mind. It’s not something I should say in front of a priest, though.”
“That’s perfectly understandable. It’s alright.”
It was only natural for a child to have difficulty focusing during prayer.
After all, it wasn’t easy to explain the reason for praying to someone who didn’t even understand what God was.
Most children, in fact, came to the temple following their parents without truly knowing what they were doing.
But as they continued to visit the temple from a young age, they would gradually learn more.
“It feels like I’ve finally prayed properly. My mind is clear, and I feel awake. My heart is calm and at peace.”
It seemed that the prayer had worked better than I had expected.
“If praying is like this, I should’ve done it properly sooner. If I had known this was what prayer was, it would’ve helped me a lot in the past.”
Though her reaction was different from what I had expected, the fact that Princess Lasiell’s expression had brightened so much meant I had essentially done what I had set out to do.
Honestly, I hadn’t anticipated the prayer to have such an immediate effect. I had planned to guide her into a calm conversation afterward to help her open up and express her feelings.
But seeing the situation now, it didn’t seem necessary.
Princess Lasiell seemed to have already sorted out her thoughts and strengthened her resolve through the prayer.