The Princess's Admission
The bishop lifted his head at Senior Healer Priest Cardon's words. "Where is the person in charge?"
"He's coming right over there."
A young priest and a holy knight who hardly looked like official representatives approached. The bishop's brow furrowed. "Hmm?"
He had heard that the one managing the Labyrinth Temple was young. Because no bishop had been appointed yet, a young priest had been temporarily placed in charge. Still, he hadn't expected someone this young.
"Are you the senior healer?"
"Yes. I'm known as the youngest senior healer."
"Ho... You must be quite capable. To already be responsible for a treatment center of this scale at your age. Strong backing, I assume?"
"I understand he is neutral."
"Neutral? How did someone like that end up in the position?"
"Luck played a part, and perhaps it was because he was neutral that they assigned him there."
The bishop nodded, convinced by Cardon's explanation. "Indeed. Being neutral would make him easy to remove."
"Even so, leaving him in charge indefinitely does cause some unease."
"Of course. At that age, holding on will be difficult. We must do our best to ensure a bishop is appointed quickly."
He had not volunteered for the subjugation force and its heavy responsibilities for nothing. He had come because he knew he would receive rewards commensurate with the risk. In truth, he had pretended ignorance in front of Priest Cardon, but his real aim in coming here was the bishop position at the Labyrinth Temple. If the subjugation force carried out its mission successfully, he intended to claim that merit and take the seat for himself. The position was attractive enough to justify taking on dangerous work.
Cardon was no doubt pretending otherwise, but he would surely aim for the same seat if the chance arose. They could not afford to let their guard down and treat each other as true allies. That was why he had acted as if he knew nothing of the situation around Cardon. It would be disappointing if the man saw through it, but if the performance succeeded, it might lull Cardon into complacency.
This guy is no pushover either. His poker face is excellent.
No matter what was said, Cardon remained impassive or pretended to cater to his whims. The bishop shook his head, unable to read the man's true intentions.
Before the subjugation force arrived, I began treatment with my usual vigor.
"Priest Arthur! Priest Arthur!"
"Yes?! What is it!"
"That person is here!"
At the code phrase we had established among ourselves, I nodded quickly and hurried off. It meant that Princess Canaby—who had left after saying she would consider hospitalization—had arrived at the temple and was calling for me.
"Have you been well, Your Highness?"
I exchanged a brief glance with the now-familiar knight standing outside the single room and stepped inside. The room remained dark, lights deliberately left off. The only sign of life was Princess Canaby's ragged breathing.
She must have sensed my entrance, because she spoke at once. "Can you begin treatment immediately?"
"Yes."
Her condition seemed considerably worse. Just as I had predicted, the intervals between her visits to the temple were growing shorter. She had lasted several days after the first treatment, but now she appeared nearly every other day. If the cycle continued to shrink, the treatments would eventually lose their effectiveness.
"How is the monster subjugation progressing?"
"It is proceeding well."
People in high positions like the princess seemed extremely reluctant to share personal details. My questions never received concrete answers. This was the moment when rapport with the medical staff became essential.
"Could you describe how the curse effects are manifesting?"
"Is that truly necessary? I believe I told you last time."
"I must always observe your condition with great care. It helps with treatment, so I ask for your understanding."
She sighed. "I hardly know where to begin. For one thing, I see things that do not actually exist."
"Hallucinations again."
I had suspected as much the moment I noticed the lights were off. Princess Canaby struggled with hallucinations more than anything. The curse seemed to know this and attacked that weakness relentlessly.
"They behave like living people and speak to me." Her auditory hallucinations were equally vivid. "Sometimes my left arm hurts as if it is about to tear free. Other times I feel so cold it is as if I have been frozen solid."
"Are you keeping the lights off because of the visible hallucinations and voices?"
"Yes. If I refuse to be swept up in them, it is better to pretend I neither see nor hear anything."
"Even with the lights off, you will still see and hear them, won't you?"
"Correct. I still see them. But it is better than when the room is brightly lit. The worst part is daily life—distinguishing what is real and what is not becomes nearly impossible."
"In fact, you sometimes appear in my hallucinations. You sweetly tempt me, promising to treat me. I cannot help but fall for it."
"I appear?"
"I cannot tell you how relieved I am that you are a stiff, boring man. The version of you in my hallucinations always tries to seduce me. That is how I recognize it at once—because you would never behave that way."
Though we had not known each other long, we had reached a point of mutual understanding.
"Of course."
"That is why I often hope you appear as a hallucination. Whether illusion or reality, you will ease my discomfort."
It was both easy to distinguish and, if real, would result in actual treatment. A patient tormented by hallucinations, and all I could offer was temporary relief. The thought weighed on me.
"I will begin treatment now."
I took her left arm and channeled divine power.
"...Ugh."
Even as I worked, she refused to show any sign of pain. The words slipped out before I could stop them. "There is no one watching. You need not hold it in so tightly."
"?"
"Enduring pain is admirable, but I believe it would be all right for Your Highness to let some discomfort show. Forgive me if I have overstepped."
Royal or not, she was still young. Someone in her twenties was little more than a child. Even if she was mature for her age, it was hardly strange to show pain at this level of torment.
"To dare suggest a member of the royal family show signs of pain. You have considerable nerve."
"Relaxing your mind will aid the treatment."
"If I display weakness, it affects the soldiers."
"The person before me is not a princess but a patient. I am obligated to say whatever will help that patient's treatment. Besides, none of Your Highness's soldiers are present."
This was a private room in the treatment center. Who would dare intrude?
"You would find it tiresome if I showed unsightly signs of pain."
"Not at all. If a patient is suffering, I must observe them even more attentively."
After learning of her curse, I had gathered every scrap of information I could from those around me. The knowledge granted by the Sun God had shown me a method, but I believed that deeper understanding would help her further. Despite my efforts, results had been disappointing. The curse adapted to divine power and continued to threaten her body, while I had yet to discover a clear, fundamental cure. In the end, all I could do was wait for that true resolution.
"Haa..."
As divine power flowed into her, the tension drained from her body. Her face already looked much improved.
"I will turn on the lights now."
Click—
"How do you feel?"
"...I see nothing at all."
After scanning the brightened room, Princess Canaby let out a long breath. "Much more comfortable, yes?"
"Yes. I feel as if I might live after all."
"Your symptoms appear severe today. Are you still unwilling to consider hospitalization?"
Hospitalization would allow constant monitoring and make the symptoms far easier to endure.
"My duties keep me busy."
"No matter how busy you are, you must look after your health. The moment anything feels even slightly wrong, you should make time to come. The intervals between treatments are shrinking rapidly. No matter how urgent your work, health must come first. At this rate you may collapse while working."
"...Collapsing would be inconvenient."
I had imagined royal life must be easy and comfortable, but seeing Princess Canaby taught me otherwise. She seemed to endure a great deal, constantly aware of those around her.
"Very well. I will be hospitalized."
"!!"
She had agreed?
"However, the only person permitted to enter my room is you. No one else."
She meant to receive all care exclusively from me. That would mean forgoing the usual assistance of the nursing priests.
"In return, I will pay a fair price. If you want money, you shall have it. If you desire something else, I will grant it."
Being able to request a favor from royalty in exchange for diligent treatment would be an enormous gain. After all, my position left me unable to protest even if she offered nothing but a donation.
"It is only what I should do. There is no need for you to feel burdened."
If the compensation involved granting a request rather than simple payment, I had to admit it was tempting.
"I cannot offer nothing when you are providing such convenience. It would discomfort me to exploit valuable personnel for free. Moreover, if I give nothing, I cannot trust you."
Not trusting me meant she could not entrust me with her treatment.
"I understand. I will accept."
Since she could only entrust her care with peace of mind if I accepted her compensation, I had no choice but to agree.
"How will you handle meals?"
"My knights will bring them. Must I follow a special diet because of the curse?"
"Not necessarily. However, I would ask that you focus on healthy, easily digestible foods."
"I will do so."
She answered readily, as if adjusting her diet posed no great difficulty.
"No other symptoms?"
Since this was a VIP patient, I asked once more in case anything else troubled her.
"...Is it possible to treat insomnia as well?"
Insomnia? With hallucinations, auditory disturbances, and constant pain, it was no wonder sleep evaded her.
"Did you suffer from insomnia even before the curse?"
"Mildly. Alcohol allowed me to sleep. Lately, however, even drink is useless. Medicine worked only at first, then lost its effect."
Her original mild insomnia had worsened dramatically because of the curse. While one might dismiss insomnia, lack of sleep quickly erodes mental resilience.
"You must not drink alcohol. Anything that clouds the mind is the worst possible match for this curse."
"Yet without it I cannot sleep."
"I will prescribe sleeping pills."
Better to take medicine than drink until sleep came. Most ailments yielded to divine power, but unfortunately I possessed no knowledge that could cure insomnia.
"Drinking is unhealthy. You must recover properly. If it is truly difficult... perhaps you might attend the night prayer service?"
"Night prayer service? You wish me to pray to the god for sleep?"
"Yes. It will help you have pleasant dreams."
"......"
Princess Canaby stared at me as if she could not believe what she was hearing. I met her gaze with all the sincerity and devotion I could muster. At last she relented.
"What if they consider it impertinent to pray for something so trivial?"
"Trivial? Some pray for clear skies tomorrow, others for their family's health, still others for success in their endeavors. Praying for good dreams is hardly strange."
"I appreciate the suggestion, but I must decline. Instead, I will do my best to avoid alcohol."
I wondered how long that resolution would last. Already tormented by hallucinations and voices, sleeplessness would only multiply her suffering.
"Since you have promised not to drink, I will pray for Your Highness to enjoy peaceful rest."
The princess smiled, saying she rather liked the idea.
After leaving the single room, I let out a quiet sigh of relief where no one could see.
Why am I so tense? It was only ordinary conversation.
Did all members of the royal family carry that kind of atmosphere? Now that I had become Princess Canaby's primary healer, I would need to grow accustomed to her unique presence, yet it did not seem it would be easy.
"Priest Arthur!"
"Yes?"
"The subjugation force has nearly all arrived!"
Royals one moment, the subjugation force the next. My forehead felt feverishly warm. I let out a small sigh.
"I suppose I should go out."
"Yes. Lord Lapel arrived first and is waiting."