Holy Empire Subjugation Force (3)
She's really going to regret this. Princess Canaby's wariness toward me was understandable since we hadn't built any rapport yet. After all, it wasn't causing any major problems with her treatment. Still, I never expected the side effects of an untrusting relationship to surface in a situation like this.
Let's think positively. She had already sent people into the labyrinth to hunt monsters. Even if she learned the truth, it might not change anything.
There was no point in getting anxious and ruining my own condition. This wasn't just anyone—it was the princess who had been cursed. They would surely be pursuing every lead with everything they had. Besides, there was still plenty of time before the labyrinth's interior changed again.
It can't be helped. I'll have to tell Bishop Haman that things didn't work out.
If they could kill the monster before the terrain shifted, there would be no need to meet Bishop Haman in an uncomfortable way. Forcing someone to do something they disliked was equally meaningless, so I decided to accept Princess Canaby's choice.
"The priest seems to be doing something strange. Are you alright with that, Your Highness?"
The knight's question drew a small laugh from me.
"He told me to meet the bishop. He claimed he was the best person to treat me, yet I didn't expect him to change his attitude the moment the bishop arrived."
"Shouldn't we issue a warning?"
If it had been anyone else, I would have ordered them to deliver one. But with the priest, it didn't seem necessary.
"It's fine. The priest is simply naive."
"It could be an act of feigned innocence."
"I don't believe so. That sort of thing can't be calculated. Even telling me to meet the bishop must have come from a genuine belief that it would help me."
"Doesn't the fact that he pressured you to meet the bishop strike you as suspicious? A bishop from the Holy Empire is highly likely to be entangled in politics."
"The bishop is indeed suspicious, but I have no desire to doubt the priest as well. If he were someone's spy, I would have died long ago."
"......"
"He's simply naive. I can't get angry at someone for being used by others. It was precisely because of that naivety that I was able to trust him and entrust my body to his care. Where else would I find such an innocent priest?"
If I chose to save myself, there was nothing I couldn't do. But then how would I fill the resulting vacancy, and how much time would the verification process take? Rather than bear those burdens, it was far better to protect the naive priest myself.
"Protect the priest."
"...Yes, Your Highness. I shall obey."
"Prejudice blinds us to what is right before our eyes. Act wisely."
"I will be cautious."
Once the knight had withdrawn and I was left alone in the hospital room, my gaze settled on the flowers that were beginning to wilt.
How long has it been since someone gave me flowers with pure intentions?
I don't particularly like flowers. I had intended to refuse this time as well. But the look in the priest's eyes as he offered them made me accept without thinking. I even smelled their fragrance. It wasn't a conscious decision. For most people, inhaling the scent of gifted flowers is the most natural thing in the world, but for me it was something else entirely.
Ever since that incident as a child, the mere scent of flowers made me nauseous.
I was around ten years old. A child I often played with gave me flowers as a gift. The poison they carried was absorbed through my breath, and I nearly died.
At first I believed it was an accident born of ignorance. That was how the incident was officially concluded. I could detect no falsehood in my sister as she wept, clutching the hand of the girl who had barely survived, apologizing over and over.
Or so I thought.
Though I woke safely, the poison's aftereffects left me bedridden and delirious. Late one night, my sister came to my bedside and whispered into the ear of a girl too weak to open her eyes.
Don't wake up. Just die.
I was too terrified to open my eyes. After repeating the death wish several times, my sister slipped away quietly. The next day she appeared before me as if nothing had happened, and the disgust I felt made me vomit on the spot.
Through my sister's betrayal I learned what power truly meant, and what it signified to be born into the imperial family.
Even after I drove her from the palace, the scent of flowers still turned my stomach.
So why had I been able to smell the flowers that priest gave me?
I hadn't placed much meaning on the fact that he visited my room often and we spent time chatting about trivial things.
I thought it meant nothing, but perhaps I was wrong. Have I grown weak again?
When I was young, I formed attachments too easily and it always caused problems. After experiencing affection, betrayal, and sorrow, I had hardened my heart. Be cold. Trust no one. Expect nothing.
The curse has made me vulnerable once more.
The priest's unique atmosphere had probably contributed to the situation. There was something about him that put people at ease. My wariness melted away so easily that I sometimes found myself wondering later why I had shared certain stories.
Other priests had similar auras, but never to that degree. With him the effect was especially strong.
That was why the knights watched him so closely. They must have found it strange that I, who kept everyone at a distance, had grown close to him so quickly.
I hope he doesn't disappoint me before the treatment is complete.
Once I was fully cured, I would reward him generously for his efforts. But receiving that reward would not be easy. The fatal flaw was that he must not yield to any temptations around him until the cure was complete.
"Excuse me. Are you Priest Arthur?"
"Yes, that's correct. How may I help you?"
A suspicious-looking man had come to find me.
"I have something to tell you, Priest."
"I'm on duty at the moment. Will this take long?"
"No, it won't take much time at all."
"Then I'll make a little time during lunch."
"Understood. I'll wait until then."
It was eleven o'clock now and lunch was at noon, so he only needed to wait an hour. That was roughly the same as the waiting time for patients at the temple, so I thought nothing of it. At the time I had no idea what business he had with me, so my mood was light.
But when lunchtime arrived and I met him, I received a proposal so absurd I could never have imagined it.
"I know that Princess Canaby is hospitalized here."
"...Pardon?"
"I'd like you to tell me which room Princess Canaby is staying in."
"Excuse me?"
The moment the stranger mentioned Princess Canaby, I realized something was very wrong.
"I'm sorry, but I don't understand what you're talking about."
"You seem surprised, but please don't worry. We have no intention of harming you, Priest. We already know that Princess Canaby's knights have been coming and going from the temple."
That meant they were certain she was here. Even so, I decided to keep pretending I knew nothing. Wasn't the reason Princess Canaby couldn't go out to see the spring flowers because of people like this? Anyone who stopped others from living like human beings could hardly be called good.
"I don't know where you're from or why you're asking for such information, but I cannot disclose personal details so casually."
Asking me to reveal the room where Princess Canaby was hospitalized?
What exactly are you planning to do with that information?
I nearly asked the question but pressed my lips shut.
Hearing the answer would only make things worse.
Just imagining it sent chills down my spine. These people weren't looking for her room out of concern for the princess. I had noticed how cautious she was and assumed there was a reason. Now that someone was actually searching for her, the thought was terrifying.
"If you tell us, we'll reward you handsomely. How about this much as a down payment?"
The man held out a money pouch. Whether it was Princess Canaby or the people of that empire, I couldn't understand why they were so fond of handing over pouches of coins. I felt a pang of regret that I couldn't bring out the offering box right then and there.
"I'll say it again. I cannot hand over personal information."
"You'll change your mind once you see it, Priest."
"Since I won't be accepting the money anyway, there's no point in looking. I'm fine, thank you."
"I understand that your conscience is heavy. But simply telling someone the location of a hospital room isn't such a terrible sin, is it? It's only a room number."
Yes, all I would be giving was a room number. But what would happen once they had it?
What if they send an assassin after a princess already weakened by a curse?
And if her knight failed to stop the assassin and someone died because of it, that blood would be on my hands for accepting a bribe and revealing her location.
"Revealing the room won't cause any major incident. Even if something does happen, it wouldn't be your responsibility, Priest."
Yet the man, claiming to understand my heart, continued trying to tempt me with bizarre and illogical persuasion.
"Which deity does the believer follow?"
"I naturally follow the Sun God."
"Then, believer, how many times a day do you pray? Do you visit the temple at least once a week?"
"My work keeps me busy, so I can't visit as often as I'd like. But this isn't really the time for—"
"Please attend as frequently as possible. The confessional is always open to the faithful."
"...Pardon?"
I offered the flustered man a polite bow and rose from my seat.
"If you'll excuse me, I must return to my duties."
"You're refusing? Without even looking at the amount?"
The man stood and followed me, then upended the pouch. Coins cascaded onto the table with a loud clatter.
"Does this not move your heart? Surely this amount would sway anyone?"
"......"
They weren't gold coins—platinum coins rolled across the table. The last time Princess Canaby visited she had given me a check, something normally used only in transactions between nations. Now these people were handing out platinum coins by the pouch. If they had so much money they didn't know what to do with it, they should have donated it to the temple instead of making shady offers. At least this incident had made one thing perfectly clear: the Deltrack Empire really was a house of madness.
"I don't know what you mean by 'sway.'"
"Priest!"
Before I realized what was happening, the man had moved with blinding speed to block my path.