The Third Princess's Bombshell
The bombshell from Canaby’s younger sister was only just beginning.
“Help me.”
“Pardon? Help with what?”
“I’m going into the Labyrinth!”
The moment those words left her mouth, I slapped my forehead. “If that’s the kind of help you want, I’m afraid I cannot cooperate.”
“You said we have to enter the Labyrinth to cure my sister. So why are you refusing to help?”
“The Labyrinth is a place where even trained soldiers fail to survive. What are you going to do if something happens to you, a young princess, once you’re inside? Princess Canaby will be furious when she hears about this.”
It would be far more helpful if I assisted in organizing the expedition team instead.
“Hmph. Follow me! You probably won’t believe me unless I show you myself.”
Show me what, exactly? The little princess’s confidence was only making me more anxious.
“Where are we going?”
“Stop talking and just follow.”
“……”
I couldn’t exactly refuse when she told me to follow, so I trailed after her. She left the temple and headed deeper into the darkening forest.
“Why are we coming all the way out here…?”
“Because no one can see us.”
Was she dragging me to a secluded spot just to beat me up? A sigh escaped me at the little princess’s wild temperament. My steps grew heavier with every passing moment until she finally stopped.
“This is good enough.”
Beside her stood a boulder larger than her entire body. The girl smiled with satisfaction and gave it a few light taps.
“The Labyrinth is a place even trained soldiers can’t withstand, but I came here to show you that I can handle it. What you’re about to see is a secret of the imperial family, so keep it to yourself. Understood?”
I had zero desire to learn any imperial secrets. I wanted to ask if she really had to show me, but I kept my mouth shut. Something told me that if I protested, the little princess would demonstrate her displeasure directly on my body.
“Just because I’m young doesn’t mean I’m foolish enough to insist on doing the impossible. I wasn’t raised in a flower garden. Everything I do has a reason.”
The little princess clenched her fist and slammed it down on the boulder.
“Wait—!”
I lunged forward to stop her, afraid she would hurt herself, but her small hand struck the rock without the slightest hesitation. What could a tiny fist like that possibly accomplish? At most, she would only bruise her own knuckles.
KWAAAANG!
Instead, what reached my ears was the deafening sound of solid rock shattering against solid force. The sight before me matched the sound perfectly.
????
“Hmph!”
The boulder crumbled apart. It split cleanly in two, then fractured into countless smaller pieces that scattered across the ground. A massive rock wouldn’t suddenly shatter on its own, which meant the princess’s fist had done this.
“That strength… how…?”
Had the little princess tricked me somehow? Maybe the boulder was already cracked and she was just pretending—
No, that’s impossible.
I had seen the perfectly intact boulder with my own eyes only moments ago. The scene before me could not be fake.
“The blood of our imperial family is special. Every royal is born with one unique ability. I was born with this power. It grows stronger as I age. With this strength, no monster inside the Labyrinth can stand against me.”
So she had a foundation for her confidence after all. It was a relief to know she wasn’t making a reckless decision without any thought, but that didn’t make me any more willing to help her.
“Raw strength alone isn’t enough to kill monsters.”
“Do you really think I haven’t trained the power my bloodline gave me? I could defeat someone like you with a single finger. Care to test it?”
I didn’t need to experience it firsthand to know she was telling the truth. Lose to one of this girl’s fingers? I had more than enough confidence in that outcome.
In the end, I changed the subject. “…May I ask what kind of help you expect from me?”
She probably wanted me to help persuade Princess Canaby, right?
“I’m going to form my own party for the Labyrinth!”
“And?”
“I want you to become one of my party members.”
“……”
What kind of fresh new request was this?
“Have you forgotten that I am Princess Canaby’s personal healer?”
“I know. That’s exactly why I’m asking you to become my comrade. Because I can trust you.”
“If I leave my post, Princess Canaby will suffer for it.”
It seemed she wanted me to keep this secret, but I knew it would be difficult to persuade her without speaking the truth, so I was honest. “I have to treat her multiple times a day. How could I possibly leave?”
Even if I handed her over to another priest, would she trust them so easily? It had taken me a long time to build that kind of trust with her. Another priest would face even greater resistance. Princess Canaby, already so weakened, could not endure that kind of mental strain.
“I have a solution.”
“Are you planning to summon another priest to treat her in my place?”
“My sister doesn’t place her trust in just anyone. She wouldn’t welcome another priest.”
As expected of her sister, she understood Princess Canaby better than I did. But if she knew that, why was she so determined to drag me into the Labyrinth? I couldn’t understand it.
“Then…?”
The princess, who had spoken so boldly until now, suddenly hesitated.
“Our imperial family possesses a special medicine that only royalty may use.”
Some kind of panacea? No—if it were, she wouldn’t have asked me to accompany her into the Labyrinth.
“It’s a medicine that halts the body’s functions for a set period of time.”
“!!”
If it could stop bodily functions, it could also halt the curse’s progression.
“How long can it stop?”
“There is one pill for my sister and one for me. Each pill can stop the body for one year.”
“So two years total.”
Find the monster inside the Labyrinth and kill it within two years.
Wouldn’t spending two years searching the Labyrinth for the monster be more effective than trying to find a cure from scratch?
No. I couldn’t afford to be optimistic. I had to prepare for every possibility. Trying both approaches seemed wisest.
“It is an extremely precious medicine—only one dose may be used per royal. My plan is to kill the monster within one year and lift my sister’s curse. If I bring a priest she can trust and who possesses real skill, our chances of success will rise dramatically.”
The little princess seemed convinced that because she knew the monster’s habitat, one year would be more than enough. To someone viewing the situation so optimistically, I couldn’t bring myself to say that even two years might not be sufficient. I had already stretched the truth with Princess Canaby. I couldn’t tell the little princess the same.
“This is not a decision I can make alone. I will need Princess Canaby’s permission as well as approval from the Holy Empire.”
“I will pay the Holy Empire whatever price they demand. And you as well, of course. On the honor of the Empire. On my name—Reciel!”
So the little princess’s name was Reciel.
“Therefore, I beg you. Please enter the Labyrinth with me.”
I understood the circumstances, but my doubts had not been fully resolved.
“I’m sorry, but that alone doesn’t answer all my questions. It would be far easier to bring other priests. I’m curious why you’re willing to expend such a precious medicine just to take me.”
She probably didn’t know yet that the Labyrinth’s layout changed. Under normal circumstances, the logical choice would be to leave me behind and bring another priest to hunt the monster.
“…You really don’t let anything slide, do you?”
Reciel glared at me with clear resentment.
“Isn’t my life on the line as well?”
“I will protect you no matter what happens! Ugh… to explain this, I’ll have to reveal the imperial family’s shame…”
Why did that imperial family have so many secrets and so much hidden disgrace?
“We’re already entangled beyond escape. Just tell me.”
I already knew how dysfunctional that household truly was.
“…Fine. It would be unfair to ask you to risk your life while hiding the truth. The reason we had to retreat without killing the monster was because of interference from traitors within our own ranks.”
“!!”
“What happened to my sister from the very beginning was also caused by internal betrayal. If not for them, she never would have been cursed. Someone continues to plot her death. That’s why I need someone I can truly trust.”
It seemed the same faction that had approached me was still tormenting Princess Canaby. I hadn’t realized they were also responsible for sabotaging the second subjugation.
“……”
Now I understood why the princess was so determined to recruit me specifically.
“How do you plan to gather the rest of the party?”
“My childhood friends are on their way here. I can trust them. Though I won’t let my guard down completely, of course.”
The situation was incredibly complicated. Nothing was more dangerous than traitors from within. Since internal betrayal kept ruining every attempt, it would indeed be better for Princess Canaby’s most reliable allies to take direct action.
I was supposed to persuade her to give up, but somehow I’ve been the one convinced instead.
It also showed just how dire Princess Canaby’s condition had become if she had to rely on this girl.
In the end, I gave an answer that was practically permission.
“If you obtain permission from both the Holy Empire and Princess Canaby, I will enter the Labyrinth with you.”
“Truly?”
“Yes. But only if your preparations are absolutely thorough. If you try to enter with half-hearted arrangements, I will refuse.”
I had grown close to Princess Canaby. I didn’t want her to be consumed by the curse and die meaninglessly.
“Of course! Don’t worry!! I’ll prepare everything properly and return for you. Wait for me until then!”
Persuading Princess Canaby would be difficult. Negotiating with the Holy Empire to take me into the Labyrinth would be even harder. Forming a team completely free of traitors would be nearly impossible. After all, you can see ten feet into water, but you can never truly see one foot into another person’s heart.
Yet because her desire to save her sister burned so fiercely, Reciel was overflowing with determination. It seemed she would resolve every obstacle, secure permission, and come find me in no time.
Of course…
Reality is never so kind.
Just as I expected, Reciel’s plan ran into countless obstacles.