First Labyrinth Exploration (4)
The white fur, which looked deceptively soft at first glance, bristled sharply like needles. Its red eyes burned with pure murderous intent, and its gaping mouth revealed rows of razor-sharp teeth that reminded me of a shark’s maw. Anything caught between those jaws would undoubtedly be shredded to pieces, no matter where it bit.
It’s huge.
The monster’s size far exceeded my expectations. I’d assumed it would be roughly the size of a large dog, but that guess had been completely off. This thing could rival a full-grown bear. Its paw alone was larger than a human face, and those long, hooked claws inspired genuine terror at the thought of being impaled and ripped apart.
“So that’s a monster…”
“Please step back a little further, Priest.”
“Y-yes, of course.”
It wasn’t an order to advance, but to retreat, so I obeyed without hesitation. After moving a good distance back, the entire battlefield came into view at once.
I hadn’t known the party’s skill level when I joined them, but the group I’d entered with was clearly no ordinary team. They were handling those massive white-furred monsters with alarming ease. And there were two of them, not one.
No matter how I look at it, making this look so effortless doesn’t make sense.
When people make difficult tasks appear simple, it’s because they’re true experts. And right now, every member of the party fighting these monsters looked like a seasoned professional.
Fwoosh—! Fwoosh!
Flames erupted around the monsters. Creatures that had only ever lived in snow-covered plains were thrown into confusion by the sudden fire attacks. Thanks to her fire spirit lineage—which made her resistant to the cold—the hunt was proceeding remarkably smoothly.
When its fur began to singe and the pressure became too much, the monster seemed to decide enough was enough. It raked the ground several times before suddenly charging forward. Somehow it had accurately identified the one creating the flames and was now barreling straight toward her.
Sizzle~! Guwooooo!!! Thud, thud, thud, thud—!
The monster charging through the wall of fire was incredibly threatening. Each time its massive paws struck the ground, the earth trembled with a deep thud. Just watching from a distance made my heart clench.
The woman herself, however, didn’t seem the least bit frightened by the beast rushing toward her. She calmly extended her hand, and from her palm a massive jet of flame shot forward like a laser.
Fwoosh!
Like a wild boar being roasted alive, the monster collapsed with its entire body engulfed in fire. Even as it burned, its lungs still worked; it thrashed desperately in the snow, trying to extinguish the flames.
The rest of the party had no intention of letting it recover. They charged in with long spears and drove them deep into the creature’s body.
Thud!!
Guuuuurk!!!!
“Ugh.”
I was used to the sight of blood, but watching steel sink into living monster flesh was still unsettling.
I need to get used to this.
One monster went still after being impaled, but the second surprisingly dodged the next spear thrust. The fire had extinguished too easily in the snowy environment. Realizing close combat was dangerous, it switched tactics.
“Snow?”
It rapidly packed the snow into balls and began hurling them wildly in every direction.
The man guarding me pushed me further back, then stepped forward with his shield raised. One might be tempted to laugh off snowballs, but that would be a fatal mistake. A stray clump that missed its target slammed into a tree, snapping the trunk clean in half. If one of those hit a person’s head, it would surely shatter their skull.
Boom! Bang! Boom!!
The snowballs that struck the shield exploded with sounds like cannon fire, as if they were steel spheres.
“Aaaack!”
Several people who failed to dodge were sent tumbling across the ground. They weren’t killed like the tree, but their bones had almost certainly shattered.
If the monster was resorting to long-range attacks, we couldn’t simply stand by.
“Are you all right?”
Once the party re-engaged, the man who had shielded me asked after my well-being.
“Yes, I’m fi— Whoa!”
The monster slammed both fists into the ground, producing a tremendous crash. The impact made the earth shake as if an earthquake had struck.
“Please be careful.”
“Whew, thank you.”
I hadn’t realized simply watching a battle could be this nerve-wracking.
This is no joke.
Cold sweat ran down my back. I would have to witness these fights until I grew sick of them, but would I really be able to survive in the middle of such chaos?
Slash—! Crunch! Crack!
The white fur gradually turned crimson. Even with two monsters they had been struggling; now that one was gone, holding out any longer was impossible. The party swung their weapons mercilessly to pierce the thick hide. Eventually the creature curled in on itself, letting out pitiful, agonized cries.
No one reacted to the monster’s desperate screams. It seemed I was the only one who felt any pity for them.
They didn’t stop attacking until its breathing finally ceased and silence fell.
Thud—!
Only after all resistance vanished and the monster went limp did they drive a sword into its heart to confirm the kill. Only then did the party lower their weapons.
“It’s dead.”
“Good! Well done.”
“Check the corpses.”
As the combat team, drenched in sweat, stepped back, the porters moved in. Porters played a vital role in any party. They carried heavy loads to preserve the fighters’ stamina and, once battles ended, gathered useful materials from the monster corpses.
Everyone was doing their assigned tasks, so I needed to do mine as well.
“Is anyone injured?”
“……”
“……”
My job was treating people. I’d seen more than a few injuries during the fight, so I expected people to come forward in droves once I offered. Yet strangely, no one immediately stepped up.
Even Princess Rasiel seemed to notice the odd atmosphere. She tilted her head and asked, “I thought quite a few people were hurt. Why isn’t anyone getting treatment?”
“…Please treat me.”
Only after the princess spoke did a few people finally come forward.
Are they still wary of me?
I couldn’t understand what there was to be cautious about when it came to receiving healing. As I treated those who had stepped up, I heard bickering from the side.
“Hey! Why are you asking him to fix a scratch like that?”
“Because it hurts, that’s why! It might look fine, but I think the bone’s broken.”
It was one of the men who had been hit by the snowballs earlier. His colleague seemed to be trying to stop him from seeking treatment.
I guess I have no choice.
In this situation, I would have to approach them myself.
“It looks like you’re hurt. Could you tell me where it hurts?”
“…It’s nothing. This guy is just being a big baby.”
Even with me standing right there, his colleague still tried to prevent him from receiving treatment, offering an obvious lie.
“It’s better to show me even small wounds. If you hide them and they worsen, they become much harder to treat later. If anything feels even slightly off, please tell me. I can take a look.”
“I’m not exaggerating! I really think the bone might be broken!”
“If getting hit by snow breaks your bones, shouldn’t you be reborn as a different species?”
“Tch!”
“Where exactly were you hit?”
“My arm.”
Since I couldn’t tell whether the bone was broken or merely cracked just by looking, I channeled Divine Power into his arm to examine it.
“It’s broken.”
“See! I told you it was broken! How many times do you think I’ve broken this arm?”
His colleague looked sheepish after hearing my diagnosis and took a step back.
“Can you heal something like this? I heard it takes a lot of effort.”
“It’s not difficult, so don’t worry.”
After checking his condition, I added a bit more Divine Power to mend the broken bone.
“Whoa, that feels nice. The pain’s fading. You’re really good at this!”
He seemed pleased as the pain in his arm gradually disappeared and gave me a thumbs-up with a satisfied smile.
“Could you try moving your arm? Gently, please—not too forcefully.”
The man answered with an energetic “Yes!” and moved his arm.
“It doesn’t hurt at all!”
“I’m glad. Are there any other discomforts?”
“There’s a bit of bruising here… but that should heal on its own with time.”
“Would you like me to check it again?”
The remaining Divine Power after mending the broken bone would take care of the minor injuries as well.
“Huh? It’s gone!”
“Then there’s nothing else bothering you?”
“No, I’m fine! Thank you! Hey, you’re hurt too. Go ask him.”
“M-me?”
The colleague who had tried to stop him from getting treatment flinched noticeably at the suggestion.
“Is there somewhere that hurts?”
“Well… it’s not that there isn’t, but it’s a bit embarrassing to show the Priest…”
“Please don’t think of me as unapproachable. I didn’t follow the party into the Labyrinth for no reason. If anything is causing you discomfort, please call for me without hesitation. I’ll do my best to help, no matter how small the issue.”
“……”
He fell silent for a moment, seemingly deep in thought, before speaking.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t say those things because I thought badly of you, Priest. I was worried that bothering you with minor wounds would annoy you, so I tried to stop him.”
“It’s all right. That can happen. From now on, please don’t stop anyone—encourage them to come to me quickly. That would make me much happier.”
At my response, the man’s face turned red and he nodded. Then he suddenly grabbed my hand and declared, “If anyone dares to bother you in the future, Priest, just call for me. I’ll punish them on your behalf!”
“Pardon?!”
“I think I misjudged such a kind person and held unnecessary prejudice. I’m truly sorry. Even though I knew there must have been a reason you joined late, I still harbored bias without realizing it.”