Chapter 52 : First Return (3)

Finally!

I was overwhelmed with emotion to be standing under the bright sunlight.

I thanked the Sun God for guiding us safely out of the labyrinth and exchanged greetings with my companions.

We had all formed deep friendships thanks to sharing life and death together.

That’s why it took so long to say our goodbyes.

“Arthur, the priest.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Can I see you for a moment?”

“Yes.”

Princess Lasiell led me to a quiet place.

“The first expedition yielded no results. Honestly, I was confident, but I never thought it would end so anticlimactically.”

“Don’t be disheartened. This is just the beginning.”

I don’t know how many more times we’ll have to enter the labyrinth, but it would be difficult if I already started feeling pessimistic.

“What my sister said seems to be true. The labyrinth isn’t a place you can break through just because you’re strong. For the next preparation, I plan to be more prepared for traps. And that’s exactly what my sister was worried about.”

“Bringing a new outsider into a team that was already made up of trustworthy people means there’s a hole in the team.”

Princess Kanani’s biggest worry was an internal spy.

If it weren’t for that spy, Princess Kanabi wouldn’t have been cursed, and the second expeditionary team that was sent out could have caught the monster and solved the curse.

“The internal traitor was something even my sister couldn’t catch, so I’m really worried if I’ll be able to find the right person…”

“Didn’t you choose someone who wouldn’t betray you?”

“That’s right. I mostly chose people who are tied to me in some way. Betraying me would be like throwing away their own life. So, even if they wanted to betray me, it would be impossible.”

“Isn’t it because you chose people you’re close to, people you trust won’t betray you?”

Princess Lasiell smiled faintly with her young, angelic face, as if mocking the idea.

“That’s not it. My sister blindly trusted people without any reservations, and look at what happened to her. How could I possibly trust people fully?”

“…”

It was saddening to realize that a member of the imperial family, someone of such high status, could harbor such deep distrust and negativity toward humans. This attitude was not only tragic for those who were distrusted by her, but it would also be a terrible thing for herself.

Humans are social creatures, after all, and mutual interaction…

It was saddening to realize that a member of the imperial family, someone of such high status, could harbor such deep distrust and negativity toward humans.

This attitude was not only tragic for those who were distrusted by her, but it would also be a terrible thing for herself.

Humans are social creatures, and they experience a range of emotions through interaction with one another.

But if the princess grows up like this, how lonely would she be?

At least she had someone to share her emotions with.

But would Princess Kanabi alone be enough?

The problem is that Princess Kanabi also has an immense distrust of people.

Even if the two of them spent time together, they would be trapped in a small space, living their lives without realizing that it’s a well, unaware of the bigger world outside.

The two of them needed to meet more people and gain experiences in order to grow.

It’s too much to shut the door entirely just because they’re afraid of getting hurt.

‘It’s probably because they don’t have an adult to guide them.’

The method of survival being isolation is quite tragic.

I want to change both of them, but for now, it seems like I need to fix Princess Lasiell first.

While the companions grew closer and formed bonds, none of them dared to approach Princess Lasiell.

‘Come to think of it, I was mostly alone when we entered the labyrinth.’

She didn’t say it out loud, but she clearly gave off the vibe of not wanting anyone to get too close.

The only people she spoke to and spent time with were the “childhood friends” she had mentioned once before.

It seemed that, thinking they wouldn’t be able to venture deep into the labyrinth with just her childhood friends, she had recruited some more skilled people from different places.

However, there was a problem in that she had hired them for help, only to then discriminate against them.

‘If the team atmosphere continues like this, it will eventually split into two factions.’

One faction of nobles gathered around Princess Lasiell.

The other faction of skilled people gathered around the leader.

Even though everyone should be coming together, the subtle discrimination and distance between them was not something to be pleased about.

Moreover, from what Princess Lasiell had said, it seemed that the people gathered around the leader had their own reasons for not betraying the princess.

‘The division between the “haves” and the “have-nots” is already clear.’

I wasn’t trying to completely deny the class system.

But for a group to start dividing from the very beginning like this was something that should be avoided, for the sake of the future.

‘If I solve one problem at a time, Princess Lasiell will eventually be able to walk the right path.’

The first thing I needed to do was change the fact that Princess Lasiell and her childhood friends were being so distant and indifferent to the rest of the team members.

The only fortunate thing was that they didn’t show that attitude toward me.
They likely respected me because I was a priest.

“Then, are you planning to find someone to filter out traps, someone who also has a reason they can’t betray you?”

“Yeah, that’s the plan. But it’ll take some time. It already took a long time to gather the current team. And the position that was just vacated will need to be filled as well.”

“Then… the second expedition will be quite a while away.”

“Yeah. Until then, please take good care of my sister.”

I fully understood what it meant that Princess Lasiell, who doesn’t trust people easily, had entrusted my sister’s safety entirely to me.

“Yes. I understand.”

The small trust reflected in the girl’s eyes.
I felt that I had to do my best to ensure that trust wasn’t betrayed again.

The first exploration of the labyrinth passed by in a blur.

“Arthur, Priest!!”

“Are you okay?”

“You didn’t get hurt, right?”

Even when I tried to recall what had happened, my memories were a chaotic mix, leaving me feeling confused.

“I’m back safely.”

“How was the labyrinth?”

“Did you see any monsters?”

It wasn’t entirely meaningless, though.

Entering the labyrinth not only granted me new knowledge from the gods, but also greatly increased my divine power.

The saying that my growth would accelerate by several times wasn’t a lie.

‘It’s too dangerous to force anyone, but for someone with ambition, they really should experience the labyrinth at least once.’

Moreover, I became much more adept at handling divine power than before.

While it was a bit disappointing that I gained more knowledge related to combat buffs rather than healing knowledge for treating patients,
‘Still, being able to use divine power for buffs has made hunting much easier.’

It wasn’t until a full month later that I finally returned to the temple.

The sight of the temple staff welcoming me naturally brought a warm smile to my face.

“Is it a Yeti?? How big is it?”

“It’s probably about four times the size of Priest Lumi.”

“Yikes!”

“Oh my God, may the gods…”

Everyone was incredibly curious about the labyrinth.

Priests and nurse-priests with no patients to attend to gathered around, eagerly listening to my stories about the labyrinth.

“I’d never want to go to a place like the labyrinth!”

“I want to go! It sounds so fascinating.”

“Are you really going? I heard the expedition team supports those who want to join.”

“Hmmm… Priest Arthur, do you think it would be okay for me to enter the labyrinth?”

“I received new knowledge from him this time. If you master that as well, I think it should be fine.”

“You received more knowledge?!”

I didn’t intend to boast, but the priests couldn’t hide their envy at my words.

“Looks like the god has been keeping an eye on you, Priest Arthur.”

While it could have been a stroke of luck once, receiving knowledge from him twice could never be explained by mere chance.

“I didn’t mean to say it, but the knowledge I received this time is related to buffs, and it’s nothing special.”

It’s basic knowledge that you can learn in a regular combat priest curriculum.

Still, the envious gazes from those around me never disappeared.

“Even if it’s basic knowledge…”

“It’s the fact that he saw it as necessary and granted it to you that makes us envious.”

“You’re not still being watched, are you? Everyone knows that envy and jealousy are the seven deadly sins, right?”

“Who would dare have such feelings toward Priest Arthur? He’s done so much for us.”

It seemed that the knowledge I had shared without reservation hadn’t been in vain.

They were cautioning each other, saying that they needed to restrain any negative feelings, just in case of any potential situations.

“When’s the next expedition to the labyrinth?”

“You’re not going again right away, are you?”

“Our priest needs some rest…”

While I was being welcomed by the priests,
Priest Cadon, having heard the news of my return, approached me.

“You’ve returned.”

“Priest Cadon!”

Priest Cadon seemed to be exhausted, with fatigue clearly visible on his face, probably from taking my place.

I had heard that more priests had been sent to support, making things a bit easier for him…

“Are you okay?”

“Huh? Shouldn’t I be the one asking that?”

“You look more tired than I do after returning from the labyrinth.”

Priest Cadon gave an awkward smile, as if hit by a moment of realization, then said,
“It’s been a month full of thoughts and worries.”

“It might be better to go inside and talk.”

I was really curious about how Priest Cadon had ended up in this state.

“I must be such an inadequate person. I was confident that I could fill in for Priest Arthur, but after trying it myself… How did you manage to endure all this, Priest Arthur?”

“What do you mean by ‘endure’?”

“Right now, this temple is being run abnormally. Over 100 patients are flocking in at once, aren’t they? I’ve never heard of a temple dealing with such an outrageous number of patients every week.”

Priest Cadon hadn’t experienced this kind of situation during the handover, so he only heard about it. The overwhelming busyness and difficulty…

“If the Holy See knew about this, they would’ve set up a branch by now. Just adding more people wouldn’t have made this possible.”

But our temple was managing just fine.
When I looked at Priest Cadon with that meaning in my eyes, he spoke as if he were about to lose his mind.

“The problem is that the system you, Priest Arthur, created has made this impossible situation possible.”

We were struggling, but somehow, we were still able to treat patients.

Knowing that the system was running smoothly, the Holy See had no reason to spend extra money to create a branch.

“Did I do something wrong…?”

“I’m not sure…”

“It’s not that you did something wrong. You’re just too capable. I managed to survive for about a month, but I’m not sure how another person in charge would handle this.”