Chapter 51 : First Return (2)

Meanwhile, Priest Cadon, who took over the labyrinth temple instead of Priest Arthur, let out a deep sigh.

‘I’m tired.’

I clearly woke up after sleeping, but the fatigue still hasn’t lifted.

This fatigue has accumulated while managing the temple, so it seems like it won’t go away unless I rest for a few days.

‘How did Priest Arthur endure this?’

When he first came here, the situation was probably much worse than this.

The new management methods he developed are impressive, but what’s even more surprising is that he managed to run the clinic without any problems.

Even in the Holy Empire’s capital clinic, patients aren’t seen with this much difficulty.

I can’t even imagine how shocked he must have been when he first assessed the situation.

‘We can’t let this patient influx become a frequent problem.’

The healers’ fatigue levels were extremely high.

Normally quiet, but suddenly, patients pour in.

To treat them, I have to think several times more complexly than usual.

‘Still, thanks to the high level of the priests, nothing major has happened.’

From what I hear, these are the priests that Priest Arthur taught.

It’s not unusual for a chief healer to take on disciples.

But Priest Arthur didn’t just pass down teachings to a few disciples; he shared all of his knowledge with every working priest.

‘I was wondering why he did that, but it turns out he had no choice if he was going to run the clinic.’

Of course, it was possible because Priest Arthur was responsible and kind.

In most situations like this, they would have sent numerous requests to the Church for priests and only treated the patients they could manage.

If they continue to send more priests from the Church, the chaos will gradually settle down.

Of course, the situation of the patients who have not been treated and left unattended must be ignored until the clinic stabilizes.

‘I was the one who failed to properly see Priest Arthur.’

Although I’ve served Bishop Haman for a long time and learned a lot, I still feel that I am lacking.

I thought I had developed a keen eye for people, but I am still lacking.

Now, having realized Priest Arthur’s worth, look at Bishop Haman.

There was a reason why he was so overly attentive to Priest Arthur.

‘I’ve been looking at the world through a blindfold for who knows how long.’

Today, I gave thanks for the enlightenment I had gained and took a moment for prayer.

Taking time for reflection before starting the actual treatment was a very important thing.

After a devout prayer time, I made my way to the clinic.

And as soon as I entered, I heard a voice calling for me.

“Priest Cadon! There’s a big problem!”

“Is it a serious patient?”

The priests wouldn’t have gathered so urgently for something trivial.

After spending the morning in reflection and regaining my composure, I felt confident that I could handle any patient that came in.

“I thought it would be best not to touch it recklessly, so I had no choice but to wait for you, Priest.”

“I see. Well done. Let’s take a look.”

It was always more certain to see the patient’s condition with your own eyes than to hear a hundred explanations.

As I moved, I was able to hear more detailed information about the patient.

“I’m not entirely sure, so I’m hesitant to say this, but we suspect it might be a curse.”

“This isn’t the first time someone has been cursed inside the labyrinth, is it?”

“Correct.”

If it were a regular curse, the patient wouldn’t have come running to me at work.

As the priest had said, the situation was unusual, and the patient was trapped in a secluded place, cut off from the outside world.

The holy knight was guarding the door, but it didn’t seem easy to keep the patient from coming out.

Bang! Bang! Bang!!! Bang! Bang! Bang!!!

“Open the door!!!!!!!!”

From inside, a voice full of excitement and rage echoed.

The voice, consumed by anger, was so chilling that just hearing it sent shivers down my spine.

“It wasn’t like this just a moment ago…”

“You’re trying to kill me, aren’t you?! Do you think I’ll just go down easily?! I’ll kill you all!!!”

Bang! Bang! Bang!!!

The door shook as if it were about to break.
Fortunately, the room had been made into a containment cell, so it was holding up.
By the way, I heard the door was made of iron.

“We’ll go in first. The patient’s condition is very agitated, and you might face harm if you enter alone, Priest.”

“I’m truly grateful for your help.”
I readily accepted the holy knight’s assistance.

“But didn’t the patient come to the clinic voluntarily? Why is he yelling like that, demanding to be let out?”

I was concerned whether something forceful had taken place while moving him to the containment cell.

“When he arrived with his companions, he was fine. But once he was about to receive treatment, he suddenly rejected it violently and his attitude became increasingly aggressive. The priests noticed something was off and asked for my help to move him to the containment room more naturally.”

Crash…

“Eek!”

“Hiik!”

When there was no response from the door, it seemed the patient’s anger was being directed elsewhere.

It sounded like he was throwing and smashing things inside.

“If he were in his right mind, he wouldn’t dare do such things inside the temple.”

No one would want to end up on the blacklist by doing something like that.

Being on the blacklist affects not just the person, but their family as well.

“Where is the companion who came with him?”

It seemed best to assess the situation more carefully before entering to treat him, as long as there was no immediate danger.

“He’s over there.”

Looking in the direction the priest pointed, I saw a man standing with a pale face.

“Excuse me.”

“Ah, y-yes, Priest.”

“The patient currently in the containment room…”

“When you first brought him here, what was the reason for bringing him in?”

“He said he was feeling sick and kept dozing off, so I thought something was off and brought him in by force. But why is he like this? He’s not normally like this. He’s someone who never raises his voice, you know.”

His hands were trembling, clearly shaken by his companion’s changed state.

“Is he completely different from usual?”

“Yes, yes. He’s usually so quiet. No matter what anyone says, he’s the type to just laugh it off, a carefree guy.”

“Was there anything unusual in the labyrinth? We believe there’s a high chance that the patient has been cursed.”

“C-cursed?”

He didn’t seem as shocked as I expected when I mentioned a curse.

‘It seems he had a hunch.’

There was definitely something he was hiding.
If this weren’t an epiphany, I would have pressed him and tried to get it out of him, but…

“It seems like you have something to say. For the sake of your companion, could you please tell us in detail?”

“Well… I mean… I…”

It seemed difficult for him to speak up.
If it were something he could speak proudly about, he wouldn’t have shown this hesitation.

“I… I don’t really know. I wasn’t with him the whole time. I think maybe, while I wasn’t looking, he touched something he shouldn’t have.”

After a long period of hesitation, the man ultimately chose to hide something.
It seemed like this kind of situation couldn’t be resolved easily.

“I understand this is a difficult thing to say, but it won’t be easy to treat your companion unless we know what caused it. We need to know for certain what the cause is.”

“I’m sorry I can’t be of more help.”

“…Understood.”

He seemed to be on the verge of saying something, but, frightened, he gave up.

What good would it do to pressure the man who was about to speak but gave up in fear?

If it turned out to be a real problem, I could always investigate where the man was from and find out what he had been involved in.

“Now, I should go in.”

“Yes.”

The holy knight opened the iron door.
As soon as the door opened, the man inside lunged at the holy knight.

“Ughhh!! Die!!!”

Before entering the containment room, the man had been searched for weapons, but he still tried to attack the holy knight with his fists.

The holy knight easily blocked the furious attack.

“I’ll subdue him.”

The holy knight struck the man’s legs, causing him to kneel, then grabbed the back of his head and forced him to the ground, binding his hands behind his back.

Once the hands were restrained, the knight perfectly controlled the thrashing legs, lifted the man up, and placed him on the bed.

“Die!! Diiieee!!! Kyaaahhh!!!”

“I’m not sure if it’s a curse or if a demon is possessing him.”

His eyes were bloodshot, filled with madness, while snot and saliva streamed down his face.

Despite thrashing around and injuring himself, the man paid no attention.

The holy knight, without mercy, firmly subdued the man’s struggles.

“What made you so angry?”

“AAARGH!! You’re going to kill me, aren’t you!! AAARGH!!”

“I’m a priest. I would never kill someone who came here as a patient.”

“It hurts!!! It hurts!! Let me go!! Please, save me.” Now, he suddenly started crying.

“He seems completely consumed.”

“Yes. It looks that way. He’s in a state where communication is impossible. We’ll have to start treatment now.”

It didn’t seem like there was any more time to waste.

Moreover, since entering the containment room, there had been an extremely unpleasant smell coming from the man’s body.

‘What does it mean for such an unpleasant smell to be coming from him…?’

I knew well what kind of situation was accompanied by such an unpleasant smell.

As I approached, the smell had intensified to the point where my nose stung.

To prepare for any unforeseen circumstances, the holy knight continued to restrain the man’s body, while I injected holy power into him.

“AAARRGH!!!!!!!!!!”

As the holy power entered his body, the man’s skin broke out in red, blotchy patches.

“AAAHH! IT HURTS!!!!”

The man’s screams echoed loudly through the clinic.

Holy power was an infinitely beneficial force for humans.

“Endure it. You must endure it to survive.”

The one who cried out in pain wasn’t the man.

Something unholy that had taken root in the man’s body was thrashing about, imitating him.

‘This energy…’

It wasn’t enough just to expel the unclean thing from his body; I needed to find the source.

If the cause wasn’t removed, similar patients would keep being brought into the clinic.

“Ghh… Aaahhh…”

The man’s screams gradually grew quieter over time.

Part of it was due to his voice growing hoarse, but more so because as his body was purified, the twisted forces that had controlled his mind were starting to recede.

The red blotches on his skin were also slowly fading away.