episode_0021

‘You’ll really regret it.’

I thought Princess Canabi was wary of me because we hadn’t built a rapport yet.

It didn’t cause much damage during treatment.

But I didn’t know that the side effects of a relationship without trust would explode in this situation.

‘Let’s think positively. You already said that you sent people into the labyrinth to catch monsters. It might not make a difference even if you know the truth.’

If you become impatient for no reason and your condition worsens, it will be a loss.

It’s not someone else, but the princess who’s been cursed, so I’ll do my best to chase after her.

Besides, there is still a lot of time left until the inside of the labyrinth changes.

‘I can’t help it. I have to tell Bishop Haman that things didn’t go well.’

If you can kill the monsters before the terrain changes, you won’t have to go through the inconvenience of meeting Bishop Haman.

Since there is nothing more meaningless than forcing someone to do something they don’t like, I decided to accept Princess Kanabi’s choice.

◎ ◎ ◎

“The priest seems to be doing something strange. Are you okay?”

The article’s question made me laugh.

“He told me to meet the bishop. He said he was the best person who could treat me, but I didn’t know he would change his attitude right away when the bishop came.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to give a warning?”

If it were anyone else, I would have ordered them to warn you.

But it didn’t seem necessary for the priest to do that.

“It’s okay. It’s because the priest is naive.”

“You could be pretending to be innocent.”

“I don’t think so. That can’t be the calculation. I think he told me to meet the bishop because he thought it would really help me.”

“Isn’t it suspicious that you forced me to meet the bishop? If he’s from a religious country, he’s likely to be connected to politics.”

“It’s true that the bishop is suspicious, but I don’t want to suspect the priest. If he was someone’s puppet, I should have died a long time ago.”

“… … .”

“Just naive. You can’t be angry at being used by someone else. Thanks to that naivety, I trusted and entrusted myself to him. Where else can you meet such an innocent priest?”

If you try, there is nothing you can’t do.

But how will the vacancy be filled in the meantime, and how long will the verification process take?

Rather than risking something like that, it would have been much better to protect the innocent priest himself.

“Protect the priest.”

“… Yes, I will obey your command.”

“When you are prejudiced, there are things you cannot see. Be wise.”

“I will be careful.”

As the article left and I was left alone in the hospital room, I began to look at the flowers that were gradually withering away.

“How long has it been since I received flowers in the purest sense of the word?”

I don’t like flowers.

So I tried to refuse this time too.

But when I saw the look in the priest’s eyes as he handed me the flowers, I ended up accepting them without thinking.

And I even smelled the scent of flowers.

It wasn’t something I did consciously.

It’s natural to smell flowers when you receive them as a gift, but for me it was something else entirely.

‘Ever since that incident when I was young, even smelling flowers made me feel sick.’

Around the age of 10.

I received flowers as a gift from someone I usually played with.

And the poison from that flower was absorbed through breathing and almost cost him his life.

At first, I thought it was an accident caused by ignorance.

In fact, that’s how the incident that day ended.

I couldn’t find any lies in my sister who was crying and holding my hand, barely able to survive, saying she was sorry.

‘That’s what it was.’

It was a late night, and I was still sick and unconscious due to the aftereffects of the poison, although I woke up safely.

My sister came to my bedside and whispered in my ear while I couldn’t open my eyes.

‘Don’t get up, please die.’

‘!!!’

I was so scared that I couldn’t open my eyes.

My older sister, who had whispered in my ear several times telling me to die, quietly disappeared.

And the next day, when he saw his sister appearing in front of him calmly, he vomited in disgust.

Through her sister’s betrayal, she learned what power was and what it meant to be born into royalty.

‘Even after being kicked out of the palace, I still couldn’t smell the flowers.’

Why could I smell the scent of the flowers that person gave me?

I didn’t attach much significance to the fact that the priest would frequently visit the sickroom and have small talk.

‘I thought so, but it seems not. Did it get weaker again?’

When I was young, I was very affectionate and always got into trouble.

I have gained a lot of strength through the experience of giving affection to people and being saddened by betrayal.

Let’s be cool, don’t trust, don’t expect.

‘The curse has made me weak again.’

The unique atmosphere of the priesthood may also have had an influence on creating this situation.

The priest had a strange aura that made people feel comfortable.

I would easily let my guard down and when we were having a conversation, there were times when I would say things that made me wonder later why I had told him that story.

‘Other priests had a similar vibe, but not to that extent, but that priest had a particularly strong feeling of it.’

That’s why the knights are wary of that priest.

People probably thought it was strange that I, who used to keep my distance from others, was quickly becoming close with that priest.

‘I hope nothing disappoints me until I’m fully healed.’

After the treatment is over, we will take care of you as much as you have suffered.

But getting compensation won’t be easy.

This was because it had a fatal flaw that required one not to give in to temptations around them until they were completely cured.

◎ ◎ ◎

“Excuse me. Are you Father Arthur?”

“Yes, that’s right. What’s wrong?”

A suspicious person came to visit.

“I have something to say to you, priest.”

“I’m working right now. Will it take a long time?”

“No, it won’t take that long.”

“Okay, let me take a moment during lunch time.”

“Okay, I’ll wait until then.”

It’s 11 o’clock now and lunch is at 12 o’clock, so I just have to wait one more hour.

I told them to do it that way because I thought it would be okay since it was similar to the amount of time patients would wait when receiving treatment at a temple.

Until then, I had no idea why this person had come to see me, so my heart was light.

But when I met him at lunchtime, I received an outrageous offer that I could never have imagined.

“I know that Princess Canabee is hospitalized.”

“… Yes?”

“Please tell me where Princess Canabi’s hospital room is.”

“Yes?”

From the moment the first man I saw mentioned Princess Canabi, I knew something was wrong.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Don’t worry, you may be surprised. We have no intention of harming you, Priest. And we already know that Princess Kanabi’s knights are frequenting the temple.”

It meant that he was certain that Princess Canabi was in the temple.

Still, I decided to stubbornly pretend not to know.

Wasn’t it because of these people that Princess Canabi couldn’t go out to see the flowers even when spring came?

Those who prevent people from living like humans are probably not good people.

“I don’t know where you are from and why you are asking for such a thing, but I cannot give out personal information without permission.”

Can you tell me which hospital room Princess Canabi is in?

‘What are you going to do with that?’

I was about to ask, but then I kept my mouth shut.

‘It’s more of a problem to hear the answer.’

Just imagining it gives me goosebumps.

They’re not going to find a hospital room for Princess Cannabi.

I thought there must be a reason why Princess Canabi was being so careful, but when someone came looking for the real Princess Canabi, I started to get scared.

“If you tell me, I will reward you generously. How about this for a taste?”

The man hands me a bag of money.

Princess Cannabi too, I don’t understand why the people of that country like purses so much.

I said, feeling sorry that I couldn’t bring the offering box right away.

“Let me say this again. I cannot give away your personal information.”

“When you see it, your mind will change, Father.”

“Why bother checking since I won’t be receiving the money anyway? It’s okay.”

“I understand that you are feeling heavy-hearted. But isn’t it a great sin to tell me where the hospital room is? It’s just the location of the hospital room.”

Yeah, all I’m telling you is the location of the hospital room.

But what would happen if I told you where the hospital room was?

‘What if we send an assassin to Princess Canabi, who is already weakened by the curse?’

And if Princess Canabee’s knight fails to stop the assassin and someone dies.

It would be my fault for taking the money and telling you the location of the hospital room.

“No big deal will happen if you tell them where the hospital room is. And if something happens, it’s not the priest’s fault.”

But this person tried to deceive me with absurd and bizarre persuasion, claiming that he understood my heart completely.

“What kind of person do you believe in?”

“Of course I believe in the sun god.”

“So, how many times a day do you pray, believer? Do you visit the temple once a week?”

“I’m busy so I can’t visit that often. But now is the time to say this… .”

“Please attend as often as possible. Confession is always open to the faithful.”

“Yes?”

I politely greeted the embarrassed man and stood up.

“I’m going to get up now.”

“Are you rejecting it? Without even checking properly?”

The man followed me, got up from his seat, and dropped the money in his pocket onto the table.

“Aren’t you still upset? Wouldn’t you be swayed by this price?”

“… … .”

There are platinum coins, not gold coins, rolling around on the table.

Princess Canabi, who came last time, didn’t give you a ‘check’ that was used for transactions between countries, but didn’t she give you these by putting platinum coins in the money bag?

If you have so much money, why don’t you just donate more money instead of just making more donations? I don’t understand why you keep making such sinister suggestions.

At least this time, I think I have definitely learned that the Deltrak Empire is a Konggaru family.

“I don’t know what you mean by shaking.”

“Priest!”

The man moved and in an instant he blocked my path.