Retaliation (3)
The Holy Empire began recalling priests stationed in various countries and closing temple doors in earnest. This was separate from the unanimous agreement to follow my opinion.
“What? Why is the door closed?”
“They’re shutting down the clinic? Until when?”
“You told me to come for treatment today, but now you’re closing the door?! How is that fair?!”
As expected, once the clinics closed, all sorts of problems erupted. This was precisely why the Holy Empire had wielded absolute power for so long. There was simply no viable replacement.
“What’s all this about?”
“Is it because the other countries expressed their displeasure with the Holy Empire last time?”
The citizens weren’t fools. They quickly figured out why the Holy Empire had suddenly resorted to such tactics.
“They really went this far just because we complained a little after they squeezed us dry?”
The neighboring nations were utterly shocked by how fiercely the Holy Empire reacted to what had been nothing more than mild expressions of discontent.
“The Holy Empire always acts so lofty, but I guess they’re not much after all?”
The higher-ups probably never imagined public opinion would turn against them like this.
“Why did you have to provoke the Holy Empire and cause this mess?!”
Most of the people with sick family members reacted this way. But for those without ill relatives, this incident became an eye-opening moment where they finally learned just how much bullying the Holy Empire had inflicted on neighboring countries over the years.
“It really has been too much. Just look at what they did when the Labyrinth opened. I had no idea our kingdom was being pushed around so one-sidedly.”
“It’s pretty despicable. And these are supposed to be people who follow the will of the gods.”
“Still, not every place closed their doors.”
“There are still some that are open?”
“Yeah. The really critical ones kept operating. Thanks to that, patients are flooding those locations like crazy right now.”
What surprised me most was that not everyone had meekly obeyed the orders from above. Some places were openly defying the command and continuing to run their clinics.
“So the Holy Empire isn’t going completely off the deep end.”
The refusal of a few key locations to join the strike helped soften the voices of those criticizing the Holy Empire. Of course, it wasn’t enough to prevent their image from crumbling entirely.
‘I’m a little moved, actually.’
I’d heard so much about the corruption of the priesthood, yet it seemed there were still people with clear consciences. Several days had passed since they defied orders and kept the temple clinics open. The healers were practically dying from exhaustion due to the flood of patients from all over the country, but they showed no sign of closing their doors just because of the command.
“Rest is important for all of you. Even if there are patients waiting, do not work overtime. You must leave on time according to your scheduled hours. Divine power only recovers when you rest properly.”
I knew it wasn’t easy to walk away from patients right in front of you, but since every single healer was valuable, letting someone collapse from overwork would create an even bigger problem. That’s why I repeatedly emphasized the importance of strictly following designated work hours.
I knew that someday the higher-ups might retaliate for this incident. But there were simply too many things demanding my attention right now to sit around anxiously waiting for it.
‘It was my choice, so I have to bear the consequences myself.’
I took on all the patients our priests couldn’t handle, and I set a firm cutoff for appointments using a waiting list so that no one exceeded their working hours. Of course, some people who got cut off right in front of them would protest, but when I explained that healers were human too and needed rest to replenish their divine power, they would shut their mouths. Since there was nowhere else for them to receive treatment, they seemed to understand that causing a big scene might get them kicked out entirely. They tried not to make too much trouble.
‘The Holy Empire’s image has taken quite a hit.’
Of course, they had no choice but to nod along in front of me. What they said behind my back was anyone’s guess.
“How long do you think this will last?”
Even though I had taken every measure I could, the healers’ fatigue was growing day by day. The line of patients who had heard the rumors showed no sign of shrinking. The fact that patients from other regions were taking priority over those who had actually returned from the Labyrinth was another problem that needed solving.
‘There’s nothing more absurd than missing the treatment window for an emergency patient because you’re busy seeing someone with a cold.’
While I fought desperately against the endless wave of patients, feeling like I was shaving away my own lifespan in the process, international relations were descending into complete chaos. Nothing seemed to be going right.
“From what I’ve heard in the rumors lately, it seems the higher-ups are panicking because things aren’t going as they planned.”
Closing the clinics had certainly delivered a massive shock to the neighboring countries. The problem was that the Holy Empire itself had received just as big a shock in return.
“We’re the ones taking all the risk by keeping things running, but the higher-ups are scrambling to take credit for it.”
“And that’s not all. I heard they’re urgently calling back all the priests who were resting and ordering them to go do volunteer work to repair their image.”
The priests who had finally gotten a break and were busy planning trips returned with sour expressions. Those who had already left on vacation were apparently rushing back after receiving urgent messages. Despite their hardline response, the Deltrack Empire and other nations had banded tightly together in a policy of non-response. It seemed the Holy Empire was now trying to shift public opinion through acts of service.
“It’s not like we followed the order to show off. As long as there are no disadvantages, that’s enough.”
Since we had acted while prepared to face consequences, and given how things had turned out, the higher-ups probably couldn’t openly punish me. If this whole affair could end without any retaliation, I would welcome it with open arms.
“I’ve been quite disappointed by many things because of this incident.”
The younger, untainted priests still believed the Holy Empire was as holy and pure as the teachings they had received as children. They saw it as baby chicks gradually growing into proper chickens. After all, only children could believe that fairy tales represented the entirety of the world.
I was curious what kind of reaction the neighboring countries, who had been startled by the Holy Empire’s hardline response, would show.
“I thought it would last about a week at most. But the situation looks pretty bad right now, doesn’t it? That probably means it’ll take even longer before the order gets withdrawn, right?”
A priest had asked me the question, but truthfully, even I had no idea when the situation would improve. For now, the Deltrack Empire would do everything possible to prevent any agreement between the Holy Empire and the other nations. If they were the type to tuck their tails after a single counterattack, they never would have started this in the first place.
“What are you doing?”
“Ah, you startled me. Master?”
“Oh my!”
“Where have you been? You’ve only just returned?”
While I was talking with the priests, my master suddenly appeared out of nowhere. A few days ago he had vanished without a word, and I had been completely bewildered about where he might have gone. His return was just as abrupt as his departure.
“Cardinal Saul!”
The priest I had been speaking with widened his eyes at my master’s sudden appearance.
“It’s good to see you. Have you been well?”
“I was upset! You left without even sharing a single meal with us.”
“Things got busy, so it couldn’t be helped.”
“You must have been incredibly busy. Everything’s been such a mess lately.”
The priest generously forgave my master for breaking their promise and excused himself, saying we should talk privately. Thanks to that, I was able to speak with my master comfortably and immediately asked what I was most curious about.
“May I ask what you’ve been doing?”
“There’s nothing to hide. I went around persuading the temples to prevent them from closing their clinics.”
“!!”
I had no idea that the handful of temples that had continued operating despite the Holy Empire’s orders had done so because of my master’s efforts.
“You handled things very well on your own. I’m impressed. Truly impressed. Whoever raised you did an excellent job.”
He said he had gone around persuading the clinics that absolutely could not be allowed to close. Because of past connections, they had apparently decided to follow his opinion.
“So the real hero behind the scenes was you, Master.”
“At first I tried to prevent the order from being issued at all. But it didn’t work. They asked what a guy like me was doing butting in. Heh heh.”
My master laughed like a child, genuinely amused, saying it was the first time he’d heard such provocation.
“It felt very strange to realize that we’ve reached an era where people no longer recognize me.”
Were you really that famous?! For some reason, I felt like I knew far too little about my own master.
“Anyway, since they wouldn’t listen, I had to step in personally. It was quite the hassle.”
“You’ve worked hard.”
“That’s not what’s important right now. There’s something I need to tell you…”
My master seemed to have a dry throat. He rubbed his neck, so I offered him the coffee I was holding.
“Here, drink this. I’ve only taken one sip.”
“Oh~ Thank you.”
After gulping down the coffee, my master continued.
“While I was dealing with the bastard who asked who I was, I happened to overhear that they’re preparing an order to remove you from your position as the person in charge of the Labyrinth Temple.”
There were so many things to point out. I had thought that because the situation was turning unfavorable for the Holy Empire, talk of retaliating against me had disappeared. Apparently that wasn’t the case. And hearing that he had meticulously taken revenge on the priest who had ignored him even in the middle of all this chaos made me realize once again just how formidable my master’s personality truly was.
“So I crushed every single one of those bastards who were trying to pull that crap.”
“Pardon?”
“How could I, as your master, just sit still while someone tries to mess with my disciple? I came here to tell you not to worry and to relax. I was afraid you’d be losing sleep over useless concerns and soaking your pillow with tears.”
“...I don’t cry over things like this. What exactly did you do?”
Knowing my master’s personality, if he had taken care of it, he definitely wouldn’t have done it halfway.
“How I handled it? Simple. I dug up their entire personal histories and threatened to expose all their corruption. It turns out the higher-ups connected to that guy were the same ones trying to discipline you.”
He grinned, saying how lucky it was… I couldn’t quite decide whether I should purely rejoice at this situation.