What Can Be Obtained from the Labyrinth (3)
"Where did you get something like this?" I was astonished because it was an item I'd never heard of in my life. If this were possible, there was no way I wouldn't have known about it. Priests are the type to never miss out on any luxury, so they would have secured any object that aided in utilizing abilities at all costs.
"Are you going to keep acting mysterious? These are items from inside the Labyrinth!"
"These are Labyrinth items?" Good items like this come from the Labyrinth?
"Even though you're a priest, isn't this a bit too careless? Living in the Labyrinth City and not knowing about something like this is unacceptable!"
Of course, while living in the Labyrinth City, I had heard talk about the items that came from the Labyrinth. I also knew that items from the Labyrinth were setting the trends. It was just that I hadn't had the chance to encounter them personally, so they felt unfamiliar. Even though I knew about them, I wasn't so familiar with their existence that I could immediately identify one the moment it was produced.
"I've heard that special items come from the Labyrinth. I just didn't realize this was one of them."
"You really gave me a fright. I thought you truly didn't know. These days, people's eyes are rolling back in their heads over these things, and they say the number of people wanting to enter the Labyrinth is overflowing. It's not for nothing that those people are staking their lives to go inside."
Anyone listening would think he had been inside the Labyrinth himself.
"By any chance, is Your Highness also aiming for items like these and wishing to enter the Labyrinth?"
"Of course. While searching through the Labyrinth, there might be an item that can lift my sister's curse without necessarily having to kill that monster."
It seemed she thought that obtaining an item capable of dispelling any curse might be better than searching for a monster whose location was unknown.
She has a point.
Even in my opinion, Princess Reciel's plan seemed far more feasible than blindly searching for the monster. Unlike her first impression of seeming immature and young, Princess Reciel—who had witnessed her sister's crisis with her own eyes—had become quite composed. At the very least, she knew exactly what she had to do.
At this level, I felt it would be all right to support Princess Reciel's request.
When I first heard the news that the paths inside the Labyrinth had completely changed, the only thought that came to mind was so this was it. It felt like the inevitable had finally arrived. I should have noticed from the moment Priest Arthur suddenly suggested I meet with the bishop.
Priest Arthur truly did everything he could for me.
The Holy Empire hiding information and reaping enormous profits from it was nothing new. In a situation where he knew the Labyrinth's paths would change, if he had learned of my circumstances, he would have wanted to convey this fact to me.
I kicked his goodwill away with my own feet.
Who could I blame? That things had become so twisted was largely my own fault for rejecting his kindness.
"Will you be accepting Princess Reciel's proposal?"
I was flustered by Priest Arthur's sudden question.
"It's disconcerting to have you ask me something like that."
"I didn't think I'd be the one saying something like this."
"Did Reciel ask you to?"
"From what I can see, Princess Reciel's plan has the highest chance of curing Your Highness."
Having already suffered a bitter experience from rejecting his advice once, I was reluctant to ignore his words a second time.
"Do you also think I should accept what that child is planning?"
"Probably. There isn't a better option, is there? The time others let slip by and Your Highness's time are not the same. It must be used far more valuably."
Organizing a subjugation force wasn't something that could be done in a day or two. This time, in our haste, we had sent them into the Labyrinth without proper preparation and suffered a setback, hadn't we? For the next one, I intended to send them after making thorough preparations.
The problem was that my lifespan was decreasing in real time because of the curse. My sister must have suggested using that medicine—which the imperial family could only use once—out of worry for that very reason.
"Do you not realize how absurd a suggestion my sister made?"
Sleeping for a year was a matter that required taking on many risks. Moreover, what if something happened to that child while I could not protect her?
"If the situation grows worse than it is now, I intend to enter the Labyrinth myself. However, because that would require asking a favor of you, I could not make the decision lightly."
"It would be a request to accompany you into the Labyrinth, I suppose."
"That's right."
Priest Arthur understood what I was getting at without me having to say it outright. It would be no easy thing to accept. After all, it amounted to burdening the priest with danger in order to save my own life.
While I waited for his choice, the priest said something unexpected.
"Did you not know?"
"??"
"Princess Reciel was thinking of taking me as one of the Labyrinth team members."
"You entering the Labyrinth? Did that child force you by any chance?"
If that were the case, I planned to summon Reciel at once, scold her sharply, and order her to return to the imperial palace immediately.
"No. She asked very politely. And in my humble opinion, Princess Reciel's plan seems to be the only way to save Your Highness, so I agreed to cooperate."
"Didn't you say you were afraid of entering the Labyrinth?"
Through our various conversations, we had exchanged many words about the Labyrinth. I clearly remembered him saying that the people who bravely entered the Labyrinth were truly remarkable, and that he himself was too scared to even consider going in.
"Choosing the method that seems to hold the most potential among the ways to save Your Highness is only natural."
"......"
My head grew complicated as I looked at the priest—no, the man—who smiled brightly and said he had made that choice to save me.
All this time, because he was a priest, I hadn't suspected anything of that sort.... Could it be that I was turning a blind eye to this person's feelings?
I don't know why I didn't notice. Seeing Reciel so full of confidence, I should have realized something was strange earlier. A priest risking his life to save a princess from another country? It made no sense. Such a sacrifice would be impossible without another reason.
...He had feelings for me.
The interest he had shown me all this time had not been simply for the sake of a patient. Suddenly my face burned.
What do I do?
It would be better for both of us if I continued pretending not to know, just as before. A priest and a princess—it was an utterly impossible relationship, wasn't it? Besides, now was not the time for me to be peacefully dating. Even with my eyes wide open, I was under the threat of assassination, and I lived with the constant danger of a curse that could kill me at any moment.
Romance at a time like this? It doesn't make sense.
Even for the sake of the future, I could not casually enter a romance with just anyone.
If he were a cardinal, there might be some possibility, but...
As soon as I thought about a romance with him, more than ten reasons why it was impossible came pouring out one after another.
"Your Highness. Your Highness?"
"Ah! I'm sorry. I was lost in thought for a moment."
"Please reconsider going down into the Labyrinth yourself. It's too dangerous. If the curse erupts while you're being attacked by monsters, it will be disastrous. I'm not confident I can fully manage Your Highness safely inside the Labyrinth."
"The priest wishes for me to sleep in a safe place."
But my hesitation in deciding was not without reason.
"If I disappear from sight, people will come looking for me. Then, if I still do not appear after some time, they will turn their attention toward Reciel."
That child was not someone who could hold them back alone. If she were capable of that much, I would have handled it myself long ago.
"I must protect her. It's not something that child can bear alone."
"Why do you think she's alone?"
"If not alone, then?"
"Don't I exist? The person who wishes for Your Highness to make a full recovery."
Yes, he would do his best to save me. But in the end that too would become a debt. Since I could not accept his heart.
"You're saying you will stop those people and protect Reciel?"
"I believe that deciding to enter the Labyrinth together to lift Your Highness's curse is essentially the same as boarding the same ship. Protecting her is only natural."
"Protecting Reciel will be difficult enough, but with me added as baggage? Can you guarantee you can protect both of us?"
It was not something a mere priest could promise. What if Reciel was attacked by assassins? The interior of the Labyrinth was not safe. There might be threats from monsters or a traitor within the team. Furthermore, the imperial palace could apply political pressure on that child. Reciel was too young and knew too little to endure all of that.
Besides, she would also have to protect me. How could that child manage everything?
Even if the knights continued taking turns protecting us as they were now, their persistence meant the defense could be breached at any time. And I had no desire to be pointlessly murdered in my sleep.
This should be enough to make him give up.
But he possessed a stubbornness that surpassed imagination.
"There is a way. I can provide a place where you can safely hide your body while you sleep. I can guarantee that external access will be completely restricted and that you will face no threats."
"......"
Was such a thing possible?
"From what I heard from Princess Reciel, when you take the medicine, your entire body stops as if paralyzed. Your muscles don't atrophy, you don't gain weight, and you don't need to eat. Is that correct?"
"You heard quite a lot in detail. That's not something just anyone should know."
Priest Arthur looked flustered at my words.
"I suppose I'll have to have a word with her. But it is as your sister said."
"Then, wouldn't it work if you stayed in a completely sealed place where no one could touch your body? Beneath the Labyrinth Temple there exists a secret location. It's a place the person in charge of the construction company told only me about. It's a Panic Room prepared for any unforeseen situation. Since the construction supervisor has gone elsewhere, I'm the only one who knows of the Panic Room's existence."
"......"
"If you take the medicine and sleep there, Princess Reciel will be able to focus solely on finding and killing the monster, won't she?"