Blacklist (3)
The knight’s words sent me hurrying toward the main gate, where far more people had gathered than I expected. But what caught my eye first was their appearance. It was unmistakable. They were filthy, every last one of them, the kind of grime that screamed they had just crawled out of the Labyrinth.
“Why are you keeping the patients standing out here?”
“All of them insisted on being admitted to the special ward. They said they wouldn’t receive treatment until then.”
People who had come to see Princess Canaby. And their condition made it painfully obvious what they had been doing.
Don’t tell me…
A sinking feeling settled in my gut. I already knew who they were.
They spotted me too and approached with hesitant expressions.
“Priest, are you perhaps…?”
“Are you the ones who entered the Labyrinth on that person’s orders to hunt the monster?”
“Yes! That’s us. Are you the priest in charge of treating her?”
“I am.”
There were too many ears around for this conversation. I needed to move them somewhere private, and I also needed to get the patients at the gate inside for treatment.
“Instead of lingering here, I’ll escort you to her myself. One representative should stay; the rest of you should go receive treatment.”
“Thank you for your consideration. The rest of you, go get treated. I’ll go see her and return.”
“How could we possibly receive treatment? We’ll wait until you return.”
“If you have no face left to show, then at least focus on recovering quickly!”
So it had failed after all. Of course. If they had succeeded, the curse on Princess Canaby would have vanished, and I would have noticed immediately. But until they arrived, there had been no change in her condition. Which meant they had failed.
I led the representative toward Princess Canaby’s ward. The knight standing guard flinched when he saw me bringing someone, but his face hardened the moment he recognized the man beside me. He clearly knew who this was.
“He has come to the temple.”
“Why are you people here?”
“I’m sorry, Captain.”
The knight bit his lip as the man bowed his head.
“I should have gone with you.”
“…Please kill me.”
“Enough. Don’t speak to me. Tell Her Highness.”
The knight opened the door. With a grim expression, the man stepped into Princess Canaby’s ward.
“Will you come in as well?”
“…Just in case, it might be better if I stay inside.”
I had no idea how Princess Canaby would react once she learned the monster subjugation had failed. I needed to be there to prepare for the worst.
When I entered a moment later, the man was already on his knees, speaking to her.
“I am deeply sorry. My incompetence led to failure.”
“……”
“I will accept any punishment you see fit.”
The paths inside the Labyrinth would change soon. The Labyrinth Expedition, their only hope, had encountered the monster but failed to kill it. They must have retreated thinking they could return with a larger force.
But the paths are about to change completely. What now?
Once the Labyrinth’s layout shifted, finding that specific monster again would be like searching for a needle in a desert. It would become nearly impossible.
Of all the things I desperately hoped wouldn’t happen…
My vision blurred with dizziness, yet Princess Canaby herself looked completely composed.
“How many died?”
“I am ashamed to say… half of us perished.”
“It was no ordinary beast even when we first met. It was cunning.”
A normal monster wouldn’t have been able to cast a curse like that.
“It’s not certain, but… the creature may be growing stronger.”
The man’s voice trembled with unmistakable fear.
“Growing stronger?”
“Yes. Do you remember the rumor that circulated inside the Labyrinth? The one that said killing monsters makes you stronger?”
“I remember.”
“We felt ourselves growing slightly stronger each time we killed one. And surprisingly, it seems the monsters experience the same thing.”
For Princess Canaby, who could only lift her curse by killing that specific monster, this was devastating news.
“So the longer we wait, the harder it will become to kill it.”
They needed to understand that simply killing it wasn’t the only problem. But I was the only one here who knew the full truth, so the two of them kept circling the same worries.
Watching them made my insides burn. My mouth had been itching to speak for a while now.
“I am truly sorry.”
I could understand why he had returned without killing the monster even after finding it. It wasn’t just one or two deaths—half his entire party had been wiped out.
“Enough. You can simply go subjugate it again. Focus on recovering. You’re not afraid to enter the Labyrinth again, are you?”
It seemed Princess Canaby had decided to give the knight who failed his mission another chance. Realizing what her words meant, a fierce determination burned in his eyes.
“If you grant me another opportunity, I swear I will not disappoint you!”
Oh dear.
It would be better if there were no next chance.
How were they supposed to find it? The paths had already changed.
Even if they gather more people and send them in, what can they possibly do?
If they truly cared for Princess Canaby, they should have succeeded no matter what. They should have known it was their first and last opportunity.
If they had, they would have done everything possible to kill the monster this time. The problem was that I was the only one who understood that.
Now that their first and last chance had vanished, Princess Canaby’s curse had become a long-term battle.
Does this mean her life is now in my hands?
Just thinking about it sent chills down my spine. I regretted ever claiming with such confidence that I would develop a cure. What had given me that kind of assurance?
Should I stay silent?
Bishop Haman had already entered the Labyrinth, so there was no one appropriate to consult. Priest Chillan and Priest Ando were here, but they would definitely oppose the idea. In truth, from the Holy Empire’s perspective, there was no reason to share such information with royalty from another nation.
But I had spent time with her. I couldn’t just abandon her.
I don’t want to watch Princess Canaby die.
Some priests might only do their assigned duties regardless of what happened to their patients, but I wasn’t that cold. At the very least, I hoped every patient I treated would recover and return safely to their normal lives. Of course, I excluded the truly obnoxious ones who threw tantrums or acted like they owned the place.
“Sending them in too hastily was the problem from the start. We shouldn’t have rushed them without proper preparation. Next time, make thorough preparations before entering. You will succeed then.”
“Yes! I will definitely—absolutely win next time!”
That’s what I’m saying—there won’t be a next time, you frustrating man!
I knew this would happen. That’s why I told her to meet Bishop Haman. I understood why she had to be wary of outsiders, but that caution had cost Princess Canaby far too much. Every second counted, yet the person most affected had no proper information and was wasting precious time.
“Your Highness.”
“Hm?”
“I apologize for interrupting, but this man is also injured badly enough to require treatment.”
“Ah…! I see. Thank you for reminding me.”
Princess Canaby looked startled and spoke to the man. Already ashamed from failing his mission, he shook his head vigorously.
“No, it’s fine! I don’t need treatment! I’m perfectly all right!”
“Stop being stubborn and go get treated. Only then can we continue this conversation comfortably.”
“…Understood!”
To be honest, he had come straight here from the Labyrinth. His clothes were caked with dirt, dust, and dried blood. Bruises covered his body. I had been bothered by the state he was in while inside the ward, so I used it as an excuse to send him out.
Once the man left with his head bowed, Princess Canaby let out a long sigh. It seemed she had been holding it in front of her subordinate.
“You know you need treatment as well, Your Highness?”
“Yes. I leave it to you.”
While treating her, my mind was spinning so fast that I couldn’t speak as usual. Princess Canaby seemed lost in her own complicated thoughts and remained silent as well.
“……”
“……”
We stayed quiet until the treatment ended.
“Your Highness.”
“I have no intention of giving up, so don’t worry.”
“There may not be a next time.”
“What?”
“This is related to what I told you about meeting Bishop Haman.”
Princess Canaby couldn’t hide her bewildered expression.
“You said I absolutely had to meet that person back then.”
“Yes.”
“I made a mistake. There was something you needed to tell me. That’s why you insisted I meet him. But I misunderstood and refused.”
She was sharp. Even without me saying much, she had figured out the trouble I was in.
“I was foolish.”
“Shall I explain now?”
“No. I don’t want to put you in a difficult position. I’ve already been enough of a burden.”
“This is a matter of life and death. Why are you so calm?”
“Perhaps because death has hovered over me since I was young, I find myself smiling when I’m truly facing it.”
This was hardly something to smile about.
“I will look for a treatment method.”
“Do you think they won’t be able to kill it even if we send people again?”
“…That’s not exactly…”
“Looking at your face, it seems you’re worried they won’t be able to find it, not that they can’t kill it.”
I unconsciously touched my face.
“It shows that clearly on my face? And yet you’re surprised?”
“It’s because Your Highness reads me too well. I don’t usually have such poor control over my expressions.”
Princess Canaby tilted her head at my words, then spoke.
“Well, it could be that I pay so much attention to you that I’ve become good at reading your face.”
“…Please continue sending people into the Labyrinth. I will do my best to develop a treatment method. In truth, it’s not that different from what I’ve been doing until now.”
No matter how bad the situation looked, I believed it was better to think positively than to dwell on the negatives. Even if the sky were to fall, there would still be a hole to crawl out of. The burden on my shoulders had grown heavier, but turning a relatively easy task into a slightly more difficult one didn’t make it impossible.
“Please don’t think about dying. Hold onto hope and do everything you possibly can. I will help you from your side.”
I sincerely hoped Princess Canaby would not fall into despair and give up on everything.