Chapter 6 : A healer who dislikes training (6)

A chill ran through me. A dagger had struck my heart.

I couldn’t open my mouth so easily.

“Brother.”

I hate people like him.

“To get to the point, it’s impossible to ‘lend’ the priests to you.”

“Mages are hired with money, so who says you can’t hire a priest?”

“We have dedicated our lives to the god.”

“Oh, I see. Then let’s do it like this. I’ll make a generous donation and take them with me. Wouldn’t that be acceptable? It’s a show of sincerity to the god, so won’t he allow his sons and daughters to work hard?”

He was playing a predictable word game.

“I’m sorry, but we can’t accept donations in exchange for services.”

“There are plenty of patients around here who receive treatment through donations. Are we going to keep repeating this?”

“Let me clarify once again: long-term assignments are not possible.”

An ominous feeling swept over me.

Could he be the only one with this idea?

With just a little thought, anyone could come up with something like this.

If you bring a healer into a labyrinth party, they can provide immediate treatment, right?

Then you could hunt a bit longer, and the safety level would increase significantly.

It’s a brilliant and effective method.

‘For the adventurers, that is.’

The issue is that there’s no reason for a healer to go to such dangerous places.

Moreover, even if the adventurers protect them, there’s no guarantee that stray attacks won’t target the healer.

The real problem lies with those at the top.

Some nations might officially request it.

They might ask to ‘borrow’ healers, like this guy.

Would the money-crazed old men of the church really accept the absurd idea of long-term healer rentals?

‘It’s fifty-fifty.’

In the end, I had the feeling that healers would inevitably be permitted to enter the labyrinths.

‘If too many people die in the labyrinth, the church won’t be able to protect the healers.’

How long can the church shield the healers?

‘Let’s quickly rack up my mission points and get out of here.’

My goal was to earn as many mission points as possible before any order came down to send healers into the labyrinth.

‘Just endure a few more months.’

Surely, even the church can last a few months.

Though it’s a bit tough, I couldn’t help but feel it was the right decision to volunteer for the advance team.

“In the future, if anyone like that comes by, don’t hesitate. Just firmly tell them it’s impossible.”

“Yes, it was challenging, but thank you for helping.”

“If they keep bothering you after you refuse, then call me.”

I can’t just leave troublesome people to the novices, can I?

Though it’s ‘temporary,’ I decided to keep a close eye on these novices until the bishop in charge arrived.

“It’s about Priest Arthur.”

“Yes?”

One of the healers, who was, as usual, deeply engrossed in her studies, suddenly brought up ‘Priest Arthur.’

“Isn’t he so handsome?”

“…!!”

“!!”

A casual remark had caused quite a stir.

Coincidentally, five of the eight healers were young women in their twenties.

They were devoted to the god, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t get married.

At their age, it was impossible not to be curious about romance.

“Sister, do you think so too?”

“Honestly, it’s hard not to think he’s charming, isn’t it?”

The youngest head healer, no less. His name carried weight that couldn’t be taken lightly.

I’d heard that many superiors had their eyes on him because he was such a promising genius.

“It’s clear he didn’t achieve the youngest head healer title for nothing. Watching him up close, I realized just how amazing he truly is.”

I’d heard rumors about him here and there.

It was hard to understand why such a remarkable person wasn’t in the city but rather in a small village.

‘Could he be staying in this underdeveloped village on purpose, as part of his training?’

I can’t describe how shocked I was when I found out that Priest Arthur had volunteered for the labyrinth advance team.

“To be honest, I was really worried. There were so many bad rumors. I know we shouldn’t get swayed by gossip, but I thought there must be some reason those rumors started.”

But the Arthur I met in person was completely different from the rumors.

“It must all be nonsense spread by envious people.”

“That’s right! People who haven’t experienced Priest Arthur firsthand might get swept up by those rumors, but those of us who have know it’s not true.”

“Moreover, he doesn’t ask for anything in return and kindly teaches us.”

Honestly, I couldn’t deny that a major reason why we thought highly of Priest Arthur was due to his teaching.

Since we treat patients using the healing methods given by the god, there are inevitably differences in the knowledge each person possesses.

Naturally, the more capable the healer, the more methods they know.

Senior priests had put their heads together to compile a book of knowledge, but it’s impossible to fit all human ailments into just a few volumes.

Gaining advanced medical knowledge was no easy feat.

“The trauma-focused medical text we’re studying—did you see the author?”

“Oh! I was shocked too when I saw it. I thought I was the only one who noticed and kept quiet.”

“Why? Is there something wrong with the author?”

Most seemed aware of the author’s identity.

“It’s Bishop Saul, isn’t it?”

“Him? So what?”

“Oh, come on. You really don’t know? Bishop Saul was once extremely famous for his former occupation.”

The two who didn’t recognize the author’s name were dying to know more.

“If you tell me this time, I’ll definitely remember it.”

“Though he’s retired now, he was once a renowned inquisitor. His appearance alone made heretics tremble in fear.”

“!!!”

An ‘inquisitor’ is tasked with rooting out heretics and demons—a figure so rare that a regular priest might never meet one in their entire life.

“I couldn’t understand why the youngest head healer would be in such a small village, but it seems he really was undergoing training. If I had the chance to learn from him, I’d gladly stay in the countryside.”

The opportunity to serve a former inquisitor as a mentor wasn’t something just anyone would get.

“So this medical text is truly a high-value book, then?”

“Of course. People would pay any amount to get their hands on it.”

“And Priest Arthur willingly offered this medical text to us for free?”

The healers paused to reflect, clasping their hands in prayer for him in a moment of silent gratitude.

“Do you think Priest Arthur is aiming for the position of Cardinal?”

“Cardinal…”

The rank just below the Pope, a position that held immense honor and authority.

Only a faithful clergy member, respected by countless others and renowned worldwide, could be worthy of that role.

Gulp—

In the minds of the healers, Priest Arthur became someone they needed to impress.

But even without such speculations, everyone already held a deep affection for him.

Just giving out medical texts would have been enough to move them, yet he even encouraged them to come to him with questions and showed them kindness.

It wasn’t just talk—when I actually went to him, he genuinely taught me things I didn’t know. Sometimes he even gave us food, and if that didn’t increase our admiration for him, it would be strange.

“Is there something we can do for him? He works so hard, and we haven’t done anything for him, which doesn’t sit well with me.”

“Exactly. I’ve wanted to do something for him too, but since we don’t have much to offer, it’s been hard to act on it.”

“What do you think he might need?”

Priest Arthur was so capable, so intelligent.

We wanted to surprise him with a gift, but unfortunately, no good ideas came to mind.

In the end, the healers had to conclude the conversation by deciding to treat him well in their own ways.

Our novice healers have been acting a little strange lately. It seemed to be because the day when the labyrinth would open was drawing near.

They stuck close to me and showed an unusual amount of interest.

‘It’s driving me nuts.’

It seemed the novice healers… were they scared? Or maybe worried? I felt unsettled too, so it made sense that they would be even more so.

The guy who had asked to ‘borrow’ a healer was still lingering around our temple, probably because he hadn’t given up yet.

The novice healers seemed anxious about him, which was why they kept clinging to me. It looked like I’d have to give him a stern warning.

‘Where does he get the nerve to think of taking these novices?’

They were so fragile that a slight squeeze could make them burst.

Even if they’d come here with ambitions, it wasn’t easy to muster the courage to enter a labyrinth.

If it were up to me, I’d like to reassure them, saying surely the church wouldn’t forcibly throw us into the labyrinth.

But because the possibility wasn’t zero, I couldn’t voice it.

“I wish the bishop would hurry and come and do something about these novices.”

Not to mention dealing with that hyena prowling around unnecessarily.

I’d been left to take care of the novice healers by chance, but I was eager to pass this heavy burden on to someone else.

If I were ambitious, I’d have seen this as an opportunity to play political games, but that kind of hassle wasn’t my style.

Moreover, I still lacked the capability to look after and protect others.

‘Is this why the bishop told me I still had a long way to go?’

Trying it myself, I realized just how difficult leading people truly was.

With growing respect for the bishop, the day when the labyrinth would open was fast approaching.

“Why is that day already here?”

Where did my ten days go?

Spending my time comforting the trembling novices, the days flew by, and soon it was the day the labyrinth would open.

The only noteworthy news was that additional people had arrived from the church.

‘The problem is that none of them were from our side.’

There were no regular healers, head healers, or even a bishop.

‘Is it even possible that this honey pot still has no owner?’

With the situation like this, I couldn’t shake off the uneasiness.

Could the hive I was thinking of be something other than a honey pot?

It was absurd, but I had no grounds for complaint.

As time passed swiftly, the day finally came when the labyrinth would open without the bishop.

Could it be because a divine oracle had descended, marking an unusual occasion?

“Is it even right to call this dawn?”

An astonishing sight greeted me from early morning.

It was indeed morning, but the sky remained dark.

The sun hadn’t risen.