episode_0043

“I haven’t seen you for a month. I came to see you off.”

“Were you planning on leaving without saying goodbye to us? I’m sad~”

“That’s right! Have a nice trip, priest.”

“Have a healthy trip!”

I don’t know when the chick priests grew up so much.

They said they would see me off while making a squeak squeak, and I felt proud and proud, so I shook their hands and hugged them.

“I’ll be back soon. Stay healthy, everyone.”

“Just a moment!”

“We saved up money and bought a gift. We wanted to help you on your long journey.”

“Is this a gift?”

I was surprised that he prepared something I could never have imagined.

“It’s nothing special. I just prepared it in hopes that it would be helpful for your travels.”

“Thank you. I will use it well.”

I don’t know what it is, but I’m touched by the gift that conveys the hearts of the chick healers.

So, with the healers seeing me off, I left the temple and headed to the meeting place.

“Sorry I’m late.”

At the meeting place, all the people who had planned to meet had already arrived.

It seemed like Princess Rasiel had rented the entire store, so there were no other customers in the store besides our group.

A number that seems far from sufficient when considering the size of the usual punitive force.

But it wasn’t just the punitive force that went in and out of the labyrinth.

If we think about cases where mercenaries or ordinary people form teams and join, our team was relatively large in number.

So, it’s not as good as the punitive force, but it’s more than a regular team.

Some might call this mediocre, but it’s amazing that we’ve gotten this far.

‘I said I would form a team of only trustworthy people who would not betray me, and that’s why I’ve gathered this many.’

They say that if you can find at least one person you can completely trust in life, it’s a great achievement. If you can do this, you can consider yourself to have lived a good life.

“Nice to meet you. My name is Arthur the priest.”

“Finally we meet.”

I was worried that they would all be young since they were all friends of Princess Rasiel, but contrary to my expectations, they were all of different ages.

The expressions of the people who greeted me were as varied as their ages.

Some people looked at me happily, some with caution, and some with trepidation.

“Nice to meet you.”

Although Princess Rasiel is the leader, it doesn’t seem like she’s entrusted with leading the group.

I first greeted the woman who appeared to be the leader.

Princess Rasiel spoke to the leader on my behalf as I was not able to adapt.

“You have to treat him well, since he is a precious priest whom we have just brought.”

However, it was not the leader who answered, but one of the group.

The person who has been displeased with me for a while now.

“Of course not. The princess made me wait for several days to bring a priest, so I have to treat him with respect.”

If words had bones, it would be this one.

He says he treasures it, but his tone is sharp and he is on the verge of getting hurt.

“Sorry for keeping you waiting for so long.”

“… Okay. I didn’t mean to apologize.”

The sharp gaze in his eyes softened a little as if my apology had worked.

Princess Rasiel’s eyes were wide open, so I don’t think she could have said anything rude to me out loud.

Wasn’t it true that she took the trouble to bring me here?

“Please sit down, your lord.”

“Yes.”

The leader pointed to what appeared to be my seat and told me to sit there.

“I thought we were going straight into the labyrinth, but we weren’t?”

“Shouldn’t we greet each other?”

“We already met and greeted each other before and became friends. But I didn’t get a chance to see you face to face.”

“Since we met like this, we will become close friends quickly.”

Being a priest is not a profession that is looked down upon everywhere you go, but that does not mean it is a profession that is welcomed by everyone.

Because of the brilliant achievements(?) of our senior priests, there were times when people who had suffered from them began to dislike and be wary of priests.

What would happen if I shouted at them in front of those people, asking them how they could dare be rude to me, a priest?

Relations with the townspeople are in shambles.

In times like this.

‘No one spits in a smiling face.’

Smiling is the best.

He laughs at all the attacks with the thought, ‘I am a fool, I am Buddha, I am the saint of the sun god!’

If the other person does not respond properly, even the one who was exerting all his strength while standing up will eventually lose strength.

What fun would it be to shadow box by yourself?

Applause requires two hands to clap to make a sound.

Afterwards, we had a meeting to exchange names with the group.

I just hope that everyone has as good skills as Princess Rasiel was confident about.

Their skills must be good for my safety to be guaranteed.

‘A wizard from the Magic Tower, a warrior from the Cayman Empire, a knight from the Deltrak Count family… .’

Princess Rasiel’s acquaintances were of unusual origins.

There are some ordinary people, but there are also quite a few people with very unique origins.

It was surprising that the ratio of people from the Deltrak Empire and foreigners was almost half and half.

‘Is it more trustworthy because they are from another country?’

Since he has no vested interest in the Deltrak Empire, the chances of him being a spy are slim.

“I am Arthur Priest. I am the chief healer. I was stationed at Palmor and was sent to the Labyrinth Temple for a while. I have been working there ever since.”

I have to go back to Palmer someday, but I’m a bit confused as to when that will be.

‘I should write a letter to the bishop.’

It might take longer than expected to get back to Palmer, so send a message telling them not to wait too long so they won’t be bothered as much when they get back.

“Now that we’re done with the name change, how about we move on?”

The leader made a proposal to Princess Rasiel.

“Okay! The timing is perfect.”

Princess Rasiel suddenly got up from her seat as if she had been waiting for it.

Everyone said that this was their first time entering a labyrinth, so they were full of anticipation.

‘I need to get dressed.’

I also decided to put on the things I had prepared before entering the labyrinth.

Pick and choose-

“No, what are you wearing, priest? You’re going to turn into a bear.”

It is currently winter in the labyrinth, with the temperature dropping below zero.

This was because the ice area moved towards the entrance as the road changed.

It is predicted that it will take well over a month just to break through the ice zone.

And I had a lot of stuff prepared to break through the ice zone.

“How much is all this? Isn’t this really expensive fur? It looks shiny.”

“I bought it with great determination because I heard it has good heat retention effects. I hope it works well.”

I guess he found it really funny to see me covered in white fur all over my body.

Since it was a choice solely for performance, I didn’t care much about the design.

“You’re a priest, so it should be fine. Is your defense good?”

“Yes. They say it doesn’t penetrate even with a sword.”

It’s a good thing I’m not the one who has to fight the monsters directly, if the person who has to fight had their whole body covered in dull fur, I would have had to hear a scolding.

After putting on the crampons on my shoes to help keep me from slipping, I could say I was completely ready.

“Where did you get scammed and buy it?”

Although his voice was a bit blunt, it was clearly a statement of concern.

It’s surprising that the person who initially gave me the impression that I was late is now worried about me.

While other people are busy preparing,

“You don’t have the eyes to see it that way. Why are you worried about how expensive that fur is?”

“Is that precious?”

“That should block most attacks. The priest prepared well in advance.”

There were people in my group who knew what fur I was wearing.

To be honest, it didn’t make sense that this fur suit could be bought with a huge gold nugget.

However, it was not a price inflated by the design cost like a luxury product with an original price of 80,000 won.

It was worth it purely based on ability.

“I was worrying for nothing.”

“Thank you for your concern. But aren’t your clothes too thin? You must be cold… .”

I wondered why he was interested in my coat, but it turned out that I hadn’t prepared my coat properly.

It was so cold in the labyrinth that I wondered if I should lend her the coat I had prepared to change into.

“Hey, I have a high body temperature, so I don’t have to wear something like that.”

“… … .”

“Really? Don’t worry, I won’t ask the priest to cure my cold.”

“It’s okay. If you catch a cold, tell me to get treated. I can’t ignore someone who is sick on my team. I’ve decided to take responsibility for your health from now on, so please tell me if you have any minor inconveniences.”

“… You have a stronger sense of responsibility than I thought.”

What on earth is my image in the eyes of these people?

There was a reason I joined late, but it was unfair.

But I didn’t want to explain it in detail.

Anyway, as we continue to work together in the future, misunderstandings will naturally be resolved.

◎ ◎ ◎

When the entrance to the labyrinth opened, I expected it to be a very profane place, as the sun was blocked out.

Whooo- Whooo-

But the labyrinth I saw with my own eyes was much more terrifying than I had expected, and it was even more ominous and murderous.

People say that they come in with their eyes rolled back because of the special items that come out of the labyrinth… .

“Can’t people sense this malice?”

“Yes? What did you say, priest?”

I got goosebumps.

Inside the labyrinth, where the cold wind was blowing, a wind that had blown from somewhere was making a strange howling sound.

Cold and malice that seeps into your bones.

It’s so disconcerting that I have to walk in here on my own two feet.

“Full of malice. There is a murderous intent everywhere, ready to kill the intruders.”

Even a common stone, if it could move on its own, would move to kill a man.

It was amazing to see people laughing and laughing while entering the stomach of a guy with a knife who was going to kill him.

It’s not just the cold that’s the problem; it’s also absurd that people are walking around in a space like this without any sense of crisis.

“Can’t you feel this? Is it just me?”

I looked around at the people around me just in case, and it seemed like no one had any idea what I was talking about.