“It seems like the issue of entering the labyrinth is something that needs to be decided at a higher level. I’ll bring it up for consideration.”
Since I’m feeling the danger, they’ll probably agree that there should be at least minimum entry requirements.
However, I had a feeling that the coordination process wouldn’t be easy.
In certain games, guilds control access to hunting grounds or even collect entry fees. Though I proposed it, once the idea reached those in power, it was out of my hands.
Besides, even if I hadn’t suggested it, it was bound to happen eventually.
“Thank you for listening to my opinion.”
“You’re no ordinary person; you’re Priest Arthur. Thanks to Priest Arthur, we know that the temple is running smoothly despite all the hustle and bustle.”
I’m just an ordinary chief healer.
But hearing that they’re considering my opinion just because it’s coming from me made my head spin.
At this rate, I might end up responsible for this temple situated in this accursed place—a terrible prospect.
I came here to reap the double merit points, not to throw myself into the middle of this chaotic situation and get torn apart.
“Will the bishop come?”
“Probably, wouldn’t he?”
Even though people are reluctant because of the labyrinth, it’s a prime opportunity for those with ambition.
There have been countless people offering bribes for favors, just like the donations I received from Princess Kanabi last time.
For someone greedy for money, it would be hard not to welcome the position of bishop of the labyrinth temple.
The fact that no bishop has been appointed to such a coveted position means only one thing.
‘There are too many people vying for this position.’
That’s why no bishop has yet been appointed because of all the power struggles.
The opportunity is ripe; who wouldn’t want to seize it? Moreover, it’s not a one-time opportunity; the benefits will only grow over time.
With such a prized position being contested, there was no way the matter would be resolved in a day or two.
‘There’s bound to be another chief healer among the additional personnel.’
It’ll take some time before a bishop is appointed, so there was only one thing I could do here. When another chief healer arrives—
“Pass it on.”
I’ll pass on my duties to them!
Then I could relatively regain my freedom.
“Priest! Additional personnel have arrived!”
It was delightful news.
I was treating a patient whose leg had been cut from thigh to ankle and he almost jumped up, ready to stop the treatment.
“Understood. I’ll come out when I finish treating this patient.”
“Yes!”
The novice priest rushed out, and I focused on treating the patient’s leg.
“I never knew a leg could turn such a color.”
The patient couldn’t hide his anxiety throughout the treatment.
If things had gone wrong, his leg would have had to be amputated, so it must have been quite an emotional experience.
“I think you should thank your companions. They tied up your leg and carried you here. If they had been even a little late, the poison would have reached your heart.”
I’d mentioned it before, but divine power isn’t a cure-all.
Once the poison spreads to the heart, it’s nearly impossible to save the person.
Even if we managed to save him, there would be severe after-effects.
This wasn’t an ordinary poison; it was a powerful monster poison, which made it even more serious.
“Ugh… I’ll thank them for sure. I want to thank you too, priest. I’ve led a hard life, so I’ve been treated by other priests before. When I saw my injury, I was sure I’d lose my leg. But you saved it. You didn’t just save me; you saved my whole family, who depend on me. Thank you”.
Dealing with difficult patients sometimes drains me, and I occasionally feel disillusioned with this job.
But, even so, it’s people like this that make me proud of my work and keep me from giving up.
As the patient said, saving one life has far-reaching effects.
If this man had lost his leg today, there wouldn’t have been many things he could do on one leg.
“A breadwinner who can’t bring in money—a fatal issue in this world.”
“I just did what was necessary.”
After receiving his thanks with a smile, I paused for a moment before speaking.
“But, for the sake of your family, wouldn’t it be better to consider a safer job?”
“Pardon?”
He looked startled, as if he hadn’t expected me to say something like this.
Although I knew it was an intrusion, my recent worries flowed naturally into the next words.
“Recently, there have been so many people who come back injured from the labyrinth. Treating them makes it hard not to worry.
If they came all the time, I wouldn’t be so worried, but eventually, some of them just stop coming…”
And what could be the reason for them not returning for treatment?
I’d like to think they chose to give up on the money from the labyrinth, but it was likely because most of them didn’t survive.
…
The patient’s face grew pale.
He wasn’t foolish; he must’ve realized that they hadn’t returned because they were dead.
“I’ll think about it carefully, Priest.”
“Sorry if I disturbed you with my words.”
“No, I know you’re saying it out of concern. I’ll be back next time.”
“… ”
Saying he’d return meant he still planned to go back into the labyrinth. It sounded like he was saying he’d make it back alive next time.
Once his treatment was complete, I headed to the temple lobby, where people were bustling around.
“I apologize for not being able to see you right away. I’m Chief Healer Arthur.”
As I approached them and spoke, a portly priest with a bright smile stepped forward.
“Oh! Brother, we’ve been waiting. Haha, I heard you were busy, but there are indeed many patients.”
He seemed to have looked around while waiting for me.
“It’s only been a short while since the labyrinth opened, but there are already so many injured. We’re even setting up new beds because we expect more patients.”
“You’ve done a lot of hard work. Now that we’re here, you needn’t worry anymore.”
The friendly man who greeted me was another chief healer, Priest Chilan.
At last, the chief healer I’d been eagerly waiting for had arrived!
“How many people did you bring?”
“Five apprentice healers, ten healers, and two chief healers—myself and Priest Ando.”
What fantastic news!
Who would’ve thought that two chief healers would come!
That meant a total of 17 additional personnel had arrived.
With this number, it was nearly on par with a temple in a large city.
‘It looks like I’ll finally get some rest!’
We might even be able to work in two or, if lucky, three shifts.
There was hope!
It was clear that the divine had not abandoned me.
“I didn’t expect so many of you to come. Now, I can finally feel at ease. Haha!”
From their clothing alone, you could tell these priests were from the big city, exuding an aura of wealth.
Our Palmore Church isn’t poor, but neither do we live extravagantly. Their attire, though, practically overflowed with affluence and ease.
Since priests from the city naturally had high skills, I felt even more relieved.
“Could you show our priests where they’ll be staying? They must be tired after the long journey.”
“Yes!”
I asked the little novice priest with a look of relief, and she gladly accepted my request.
Her eager chirping of assurance was endearing, but I had duties to attend to, so I led the two chief healers away. I needed to sit them down in the meeting room I’d been using temporarily and share all the work I’d been handling until now.
‘A smooth handover is crucial to avoid problems later on.’
The reason I brought them to the meeting room was precisely for the handover.
“Since you’ve just arrived, you probably aren’t familiar with the situation here. I thought it would be best to brief you in detail, so I arranged this separate meeting.”
I thoroughly explained everything, from the current number of patients coming in daily, the types of treatments we’d been performing, to the remaining supplies. I left no detail out.
Just in case they tried to bother me even after the handover, I’d kept all this information documented. If they had any questions later, they could check the records and find everything they needed.
“Truly impressive. I didn’t expect you’d have managed everything here so efficiently.”
“For now, it seems the number of patients will only increase, not decrease. The current support staff alone might not be enough.”
“So, you’re saying we’ll need even more personnel here.”
“Yes, the labyrinth is still chaotic both inside and out. We need to be as prepared as possible.”
“Understood.”
I took a deep breath.
Now, this was the important part.
“I’ve been overseeing this place temporarily, but now that you two are here, I’d like to hand over my responsibilities and return to my previous work. Would that be alright?”
“Pardon? Then, the management…?”
“You’re both far more experienced than I am. It wouldn’t make sense for me to keep managing this place.”
The two chief priests looked startled, as if they hadn’t expected me to take this approach.
“Does that bother you?”
“No, not at all.”
“Haha! You’ve done such an excellent job that I feel a bit pressured, but I’ll do my best to lead well.”
Though they were initially surprised, both of their faces brightened as they grasped the situation.
It was obvious they found me admirable.
“Of course, with both of you here, I trust you’ll manage things even better than I did.”
“Hahaha! To think we’d find such a remarkable junior here. It feels wonderful to have met someone like you.”
They’re clearly thrilled not because I’m a remarkable junior but because they see me as an easy target.
“Though, I wonder, do we really need both of us in a management role?”
“Seems Priest Ando agrees with me. As the eldest, perhaps I should take on the responsibility here?”
Did I hand over the role too easily?
Now it seemed they were starting to get on each other’s nerves.