Golden Light (1)
"Huh?"
Ordinary, common, everyday divine power shines with white light. Even heretic inquisitors, who wield destructive forces through divine power, normally emit a white glow when using their abilities. So why—
"Why is this golden?"
Why had my color changed?
The moment I released divine power to heal my teammate, sparkling golden particles burst forth and seeped into his body. The divine power, unmistakably special to any observer, instantly expelled the Evil God's energy dwelling within him. In my own case, the pain had been severe because my divine power and the Evil God's energy had clashed inside my body, but those treated by me now felt no such agony—the overwhelming divine power had driven out the corruption before pain could even register.
'I don't think I used that much power.'
Having gained the ability to heal teammates in a single stroke was certainly cause for joy. Yet the fact that my divine power had transformed into something so conspicuous was far from welcome. If it sparkled like this, what would patients think?
"Why is it doing this?"
"It seems to be because you received the divine power of the holy relic."
Well, that was the only explanation that made sense.
"Will it stay this strange?"
"I don't know. At least it looks far more impressive this way."
"Does healing really need to be this flashy?"
In truth, it wasn't only the color that had changed. As I continued treating the other teammates, I could clearly sense the difference growing more pronounced.
"Is it very inconvenient?"
"Actually, the effect is much stronger than when I treated them myself. I knew I could heal them, but it took far less effort than I expected."
I had thought my own ability had grown stronger, but that didn't seem to be the case. The divine power I was using now wasn't the power I had accumulated—it was the power granted by the holy relic.
The flashy effect wasn't from my original strength either, but from the relic's influence.
"...So every time I use the divine power from the holy relic, this effect will activate."
Superior results were welcome, but... how was I supposed to use this in daily life? Surely all manner of troublesome rumors would follow.
'What if I stored the divine power from the holy relic separately from the power I collected myself?'
I couldn't keep using this ostentatious divine power. I had to find a way.
"Mmm…."
"Kuuung…!"
Once all treatments were finished, the teammates began to stir from sleep. Their recovery speed was remarkable, likely due to the holy relic's exceptional divine power. What would have happened if I had tried to heal them with my own?
'The holy relic truly lives up to its name. It defies common sense.'
Only now was I beginning to grasp what I had obtained. I had known the holy relic was an important artifact, but having never used or even closely examined one, I hadn't understood its true value. Accidentally surviving and gaining the relic was a life-altering event that had turned my world upside down.
'Just how does He plan to use me, giving me something like the holy relic?'
I already felt I was experiencing far more than I deserved. Yet God, as if that weren't enough, had bestowed this absurd treasure upon me. It wasn't that I disliked the relic's gift of boundless divine power.
'This can't possibly be free.'
God clearly intended to use me in far more varied ways. I had thought the knowledge granted to me was meant only for uncovering traces of heretics hidden within the Labyrinth.
"Huh...? Priest Arthur?"
"How is your body?"
While lost in thought, the first teammate I had treated opened his eyes and regained his senses. He glanced around in confusion before spotting me and visibly relaxing.
"I'm fine, but where are we? This isn't outside, is it?"
"Yes. We're in the city."
"This isn't the afterlife, right? Honestly, I haven't lived very piously, so I didn't expect a priest to greet me after death."
"I'm still very much alive in this world."
"Phew~ I really thought I was done for, but you saved me again, Priest. Thank you. I don't even know how many times I owe you my life now."
"I only did what I was supposed to do. Besides, I received plenty of help from all of you this time."
The situation was far too complicated to explain everything here.
"What happened to the others?"
"As you can see, they're all being treated and recovering. Once they're fully healed, they'll wake up one by one."
"Ouch, my head…."
Sure enough, the patient beside him groaned and opened his eyes, his face twisted in pain. Out of habit, I moved to use divine power on him, then stopped.
'It'll stand out if I use it now.'
There was no helping it. His body was already filled with divine power; the headache would fade naturally with time. He would suffer until then, but it couldn't be helped.
"Ugh, where is this?"
"They say it's outside."
"Outside? Outside the Labyrinth?!"
"Yes."
"Looks like we made it."
"We must've all died. The leader probably handled everything."
"That may be true, but... Ah! Priest! Are you all right? You've woken up!"
"Yes, I'm fine."
From the way he spoke, he must have been contaminated after I collapsed.
"What do you mean by that?"
"You were taken down first, so you wouldn't know. The Priest was hit just like you."
"The Priest was hit by that horrible thing?? But how is he so fine?"
"Something like that happened. It's too long to explain everything now. Just know that Priest Arthur overcame it because he's Priest Arthur."
Explaining in detail would be far too complicated. I also couldn't speak freely without knowing how many teammates were aware of the holy relic.
"Ah! As expected of a priest who follows Him, he overcame even that pain. You're incredible. I regret slacking off on my faith. I should've been more diligent..."
Starting with the late-repenting believer, the other teammates woke up one after another. They were startled to learn they were outside the Labyrinth, then checked their conditions and sighed in relief. After enduring such terrible pain, their safe recovery naturally brought them comfort.
"Thank you, Priest."
Every single person who had been struck by "that" offered their gratitude without reservation. They all said that when the Evil God's energy had dominated their bodies, they had felt the terror of death. Having survived what they believed was certain death, their joy was greater than usual.
"Ah! That's right. What happened to the assassins?"
The newly awakened teammates were clearly curious about how the situation with the assassins had unfolded. Among those present, only Sister Melody knew the full details. But she had been too concerned about my condition to speak. She merely said that everything had been resolved and that everyone had escaped safely without dying.
"Several were captured and sent to the Holy Empire."
Unable to withstand the teammates' gazes any longer, Sister Melody finally spoke.
"Weren't many others injured?"
What the teammate truly wanted to ask was whether anyone had died.
"I heard there were no deaths."
I answered first to ease their worries.
"As Priest Arthur said, there were no deaths."
"It's amazing that everyone made it out alive in that situation. We're fortunate."
Hearing once more that the teammates had escaped safely brought me relief as well. Having only just woken up and come straight here, there was much I didn't know.
"We can't just keep taking hits like this, right? Prince Loras needs to take responsibility for what he did."
Anger toward Prince Loras, who had sent the assassins, finally surfaced. Wanting to repay harm in kind was only natural.
"I heard this isn't the first time Prince Loras has used assassins. It seems related to internal affairs of the Deltrack Empire, so I didn't hear the details."
"Ah— I'm sorry. Now that I think about it, I was asking you about something like that, Priest."
"If your condition is fine, can we be discharged?"
"Discharge isn't possible yet. We need to observe your condition for about a day."
I firmly shook my head and refused. Since I had started working immediately after waking, I could feel Sister Melody's sharp gaze. If there was any excuse for that look, it was that I possessed the ability to treat and examine my own body.
"Could you ask someone who's woken up to explain the situation in my place?"
Sister Melody's patience was clearly wearing thin now that treatment was complete. Rather than continuing to worry about the patients here, I needed to show I was taking care of myself. Thanks to the teammate who readily agreed, I was able to leave the room.
"Now you need to rest."
"Got it. I'll rest. It's not that I didn't want to rest."
I obediently followed her back to the room where I had been hospitalized.
"Please sleep. Sleep aids recovery."
"I'm not sure if I'll be able to sleep, but I'll try. What will you do while I'm asleep, Sister?"
"I'll stay by your side."
"I thought so. As expected, don't do that. There's a bed right next to mine, so lie down and rest too. We only just came out of the Labyrinth—you must be exhausted."
I said, pointing to the bed beside me. If I didn't speak up, she was the type who would stand guard in front of my room like a holy knight and spend the entire day there.
"I'm fine."
"I'm not. My mind is so uneasy I won't be able to sleep."
"...Understood."
She accepted without argument when I said I disliked it. She seemed to know I meant it sincerely.