episode_0047

My head hurts so much it feels like it’s going to split open.

I wanted to complain that I was sick, but I couldn’t do that because I had received a favor that others couldn’t receive even if they wanted it.

‘But it really hurts.’

Plus, when I was falling asleep, the back of my head felt cold as if someone had hit me from behind.

Surely God would not have made him grow up quickly and forcefully put him to sleep by hitting him on the back of the head?

‘… I’m a little suspicious, you know.’

As soon as I woke up from my dream, I jumped up from my seat.

When I put my hand on my forehead, I felt a warm sensation, perhaps because of the headache.

“Ugh, my head.”

When my head hurt so much it felt like it was going to burst, I resented the pain, but when I woke up and confirmed the new knowledge in my head, all my resentment melted away.

The knowledge you gave me last time was about how to treat patients at the temple treatment center, and the knowledge you gave me this time was about how priests can be more active in various areas within the labyrinth.

‘thank you.’

I was a bit confused because it was something that combat priests would learn, but it was the knowledge I needed right now.

I felt embarrassed just waiting around during a battle, but I felt like I could be proud of having played a part in the battle.

“You’re up early, priest.”

“Yes. Did you sleep well?”

Since I always wake up early for morning prayer, I naturally wake up early in the labyrinth as well.

Moreover, I couldn’t concentrate on sleeping today because of the knowledge that was injected into my head.

I felt like I needed to pray, clear my mind, and even vent my frustrations to the sun god.

“Are you praying?”

“Yes.”

It was impossible to wash my body cleanly inside the labyrinth, so I ended up washing by wiping my face, arms, and legs with a wet towel.

After thoroughly brushing his teeth, he busily created a makeshift prayer room for prayer.

If I were praying alone, I would just put my hands together and pray and be done, but I had prepared a prayer room for any potential Sun believers.

‘Unless you are a truly devout believer, most people would do it if they have it, but if not, they wouldn’t.’

That’s why we intentionally built a prayer room in a prominent location.

As I said, if it’s available, I’ll do it.

Forcing people to follow a religion is not my style.

The most ideal way to encourage people to believe is to naturally incorporate faith into their lives.

They say it’s not the strong wind that makes you take off your coat, but the hot sun.

“Priest, may I pray with you?”

“You are always welcome. Come on in.”

In this way, people around me who were praying naturally joined in.

Those who got up early prayed with me, and those who got up late showed up privately, quietly, used the makeshift prayer room, and then disappeared.

‘After all, it’s best to create an environment that is natural rather than forcing it.’

After smiling happily and eating, I went to see Princess Rasiel.

Princess Rasiel welcomed my visit and said:

“Did you sleep well last night?”

“Yes. Did you sleep well, Your Highness?”

“I didn’t sleep as well as I thought. It’s something I have to get used to, so there’s nothing I can do about it.”

Even the princess who had grown up beautifully was uncomfortable in that bed, so how could she have adapted right away?

Princess Rasiel showed her determination, saying that she would get used to it, without hiding her discomfort.

“Why didn’t you show up on the first day?”

“It wasn’t easy to find people I could trust. So I wasn’t sure if they would fight well. I can’t have my team made up of just strong idiots.”

It meant that he deliberately did not step forward because it was obvious that if he did, it would end without them even being able to work together.

“I gained some knowledge from him last night that will help me in battle.”

“… You received a revelation?”

It is a well-known fact that God gives prophecies to priests through dreams.

“I did not receive a prophecy. I was given knowledge that would help me in battle in the labyrinth.”

God’s giving of this gift may also mean that he is rooting for the future of this party.

If not that….

‘It may be that this was given to us as compensation because the future of our party is extremely difficult.’

However, I did not necessarily bring up such negative things.

Because after working as a priest for many years, I knew that there was no good that could come from saying bad things to people.

People come to the temple because they want to hear positive things.

‘I already know that reality is hard. There is no way out, so I came to the temple to seek comfort.’

How bad would it feel to come to a temple where you came to get hope only to hear bad words?

I think it is better for believers to leave the temple with a sense of comfort, even if it means covering their eyes a little, rather than facing the unpleasant reality.

Princess Rasiel also has a vague idea of how to save Princess Canabi, but she probably doesn’t want to be pointed out about it.

“It makes me feel so good to know that God is watching over us.”

“I’m glad I can be of help in battle in the future.”

“At this rate, I might be able to wake up my sister sooner than I thought.”

Princess Rasiel’s eyes sparkled.

It was a hopeless situation where she had to wander through the labyrinth until she reached another area past the snowy area, but Princess Rasiel had no doubt that she could do it.

◎ ◎ ◎

Labyrinth Day 3

You killed the monster. The priest gained new powers and the companions are more excited and wild after receiving the buff. I hope you don’t make a mistake and get seriously hurt while playing around.

Labyrinth Day 7

Encountered a ton of monsters. Fought 4 times in one day. Won all of them.

Labyrinth Day 12

I’m tired but the mood is good.

I found a treasure chest.

Nothing good came out, but everyone was excited because they saw gold bars.

There were many casualties. (Recovering safely)

It’s been 19 days since I entered the labyrinth.

Our atmosphere was really good.

This is because the skills of the team members brought by Princess Rasiel were better than expected.

I’d be lying if I said I’d never been in danger from a monster, but I’d never felt like I was in a life-threatening situation.

I don’t want to unilaterally praise myself by saying it’s all thanks to my buff.

‘They were just good at it.’

Our team was satisfied with each other’s skills to the point where we thought that with this group of people, it would be possible to solve Princess Canabi’s curse.

As many people lived together, it was not as if they never ran into each other.

But I thought that this level of conflict would naturally resolve itself over time.

‘I don’t know why you came to me and asked me to mediate.’

I guess it’s because I’m a priest.

At first, I was asked to mediate disputes, but after doing this several times, it became natural for people to come to me whenever they had a dispute.

If it wasn’t something that benefited me, I would have just done it hastily because it would have been annoying later, but seeing that their wariness toward me was gradually decreasing, I had no choice but to do my best.

‘Rather, I’m saying that I like it so much right now that it’s embarrassing.’

They kept calling me “Priest, Priest” here and there, but my attitude was so different from the first time that it was awkward.

‘What can I do if you say you like me so much? You have to accept it.’

If my influence here grows, it will be easier to receive treatment, and I will be provided with various conveniences in my life, so there is nothing wrong with that.

The 19th day passed smoothly and the 20th day of the labyrinth dawned.

◎ ◎ ◎

-20th day of the labyrinth.

Caught in a trap.

Four people are missing.

I thought I only had to be careful of monsters in the labyrinth.

However, the monster we were worried about did not cause us much damage.

Rather, what hit me so hard that my mind was frozen was the ‘trap’ that existed in the labyrinth.

The first thing to be careful of in the labyrinth is not to get lost, and the second is to watch out for monsters.

But what hurt us the most were not monsters, but traps.

‘If you die in a trap, there’s nothing even a country can do.’

What can we do if the person himself falls into the trap and moves to another place?

Even if it wasn’t that kind of trap, what if you fell on the floor with a large awl embedded in it that was laced with deadly poison?

‘How can I survive when my body has been pierced?’

No matter how great a country is, it is impossible to revive a person who has died instantly.

This is especially true here, where I am the only priest.

“I think I took the wrong path. This area seems to have more traps than monsters. Sorry.”

Although the guide belatedly admitted his mistake, he could not turn back the situation once the victim had already been found.

Not just one, but four people.

“I can’t go back like this. I have to go find it.”

“Can’t we at least find those who fell down?”

“There are a lot of traps. Even if you find them late, you’ll already be dead!”

Opinions were divided between those who said we should go find him and those who said there was no point in rescuing him since he was obviously already dead.

And after discussion, the leader and Princess Rasiel decided to take action to rescue the missing people.

What was surprising was that both the leader and Princess Rasiel had the same opinion.

‘It’s not that there’s no sense of duty.’

Even those who were against going to find her seemed to be okay with Princess Rasiel’s responsible actions.

I guess it was because of the idea that anyone could become the missing party.

Dead or alive.

Since we all agreed to go find them from above, our group dug around the area, which was littered with traps, to find a way down.

-Labyrinth Day 21

The missing person was not found.

All day long I wasted my time trying to dismantle traps.

-Labyrinth Day 22

One missing person found. Dead. Recover the body and move on.

Found a way down. We’ll start searching again tomorrow.

-Labyrinth Day 25

I think we may have to make a decision. I suggest that we give up because any further forceful actions could endanger everyone.

-Labyrinth Day 26

People are starting to agree with the idea of going back.

It’s been 26 days since I entered the labyrinth.

After six full days of searching for the missing person.

We felt limited.

As we came down, traps were traps, but more dangerous monsters than we had expected threatened us.