Chapter 43…………………………
Beneath the note containing the brief message lay a sheet with the sanctuary’s blueprint.
Above ground, the sanctuary looked ordinary, but underground, it was a maze.
Jurgen bent slightly, examining the map, and let out a deep sigh.
“Even looking at the map, it’s complicated. Why on earth would they build a maze under this sanctuary?”
“Indeed,” Sonia replied.
“The healing priests must have been out of their minds.”
“I’m a healing priest myself, you know?”
“I’m talking about the old healing priests. So, it’s not you, Priest Sonia.”
I ignored his comment and continued studying the map.
I’d never seen a sanctuary with a maze before.
At the very center of the labyrinth was a symbol shaped like a star.
I recalled the words written on the prayer board from earlier:
“A priest who wishes to gain the power of healing must prove their courage in a prepared trial.”
Could this maze be the trial site?
I glanced at the edge of the map.
In Korean, it said “For the Trial Supervisor”. Next to the star, it read “Pass”.
‘What is this, it looks like a doodle!’
It seemed like someone was playing a prank.
Still, a thought crept into my mind:
If the real prayer needed to awaken divine power was located at the star, shouldn’t I trust this cross-section and head there for final awakening?
But who knew what dangers awaited in the maze’s center? I hesitated.
Jurgen, holding a lit torch high, peered into the distance.
“Priest Sonia, which way do you want to go?”
“For safety, toward the exit.”
“If you’re thinking about safety, you should abandon the exit.”
“Why? Is there something there?”
He paused briefly, then lowered the torch to his chin and began speaking.
The shadows cast over Jurgen’s face made him look eerie.
“Priest Sonia, have you ever heard of the King Spider of the Western Continent?”
“…You don’t mean there’s an actual king spider?”
“It’s the largest I’ve ever seen. You can even see the nasty bristles on its legs clearly. Ugh, it’s disgusting.”
“….”
“Want to see them? There are many of them.”
Jurgen grinned and waved the torch.
King spiders were carnivorous and would attack humans.
They were so sluggish that they usually didn’t attack unless provoked, but it was still terrifying.
“Don’t!”
I grabbed his cloak in frustration. Luckily, Jurgen stopped.
“There are so many of them that even breaking through with a sword would be difficult. Since that’s the case, let’s head toward the star. There are no visible webs there.”
“Understood! L-Let’s go!”
Jurgen glanced at the thoroughly frightened Sonia.
In truth, there were no king spiders underground.
Instead, the place was filled to the ceiling with human bones.
The grotesque sight kept me awake for days, so I made sure Sonia didn’t look.
‘Seems like a massive slaughter occurred in this sanctuary…’
The abandoned skeletons were all dressed in priestly robes.
Since its founding, the Magnus Kingdom had never been conquered.
Yet here were the remains of steadfast kingdom priests, discarded like trash.
In the history Jurgen learned, there was no record of such a large-scale massacre.
Whatever had killed them seemed to have been near the exit. All the skeletons faced away from the exit, reaching toward the star-marked symbol.
This implied that the mechanism for survival lay inside, meaning heading toward the star, rather than the exit, was correct.
Jurgen looked at Sonia, who clutched her cloak tightly.
She was terrified of spiders. Seems she had chosen the wrong excuse.
“They do eat people, but if you don’t touch the webs, they’re docile.”
He tried to reassure her, but she looked even more terrified.
“Eat people…?”
“Uh… don’t be too scared. Think about the reward!”
“Reward?”
“This is an ancient sanctuary, right? We might discover a relic or something.”
“….”
“If we find a relic, we’ll be promoted. Could be a good opportunity!”
Even if there were no actual relics, perhaps there was a prayer board to awaken healing powers.
Since we had decided to go toward the star, I steeled myself and walked, trying to push thoughts of spiders aside.
Some time had passed since the priests and scholars handed Jurgen and Sonia the blueprint.
Outside the sanctuary, commotion arose as the royal knights hurried in.
“His Highness the Prince!”
The knights on guard greeted Shane.
“We see the Little Sun of the Empire!”
Shane raised one hand.
“Who is in charge here?”
“I am the head of security for the Healing Sanctuary of the Empire.”
“I heard a healing priest has fallen. What is the current situation?”
The head of security explained that the sanctuary’s underground was a maze, and the blueprint had been handed to Sonia and Jurgen.
Shane frowned.
There was only one map. He couldn’t just unleash the knights into the maze blindly.
‘So we just have to sit and wait?’
If an accident had happened, they would have waited quietly—so why were they moving about?
Tsk. He clicked his tongue and issued an order.
“Control the priests.”
“We’ve already captured Priest Wind.”
No wonder the emperor heard first, before the patron deity.
Shane received the next report: since the only blueprint was given to Sonia, the knights had no choice but to search.
“Find the exit the scholars mentioned!”
Not long after giving that order, they located the exit.
Heading there, Shane felt a familiar sensation.
‘This must be the place.’
A hut introduced by the mage tower lord.
“Centuries ago, the mage tower conducted experiments here. It’s a good place to execute Your Highness’s plan.”
The hut was secret, not marked on any map.
It had an immeasurably deep basement filled with old corpses.
It had been abandoned for centuries, making it ideal for conducting clandestine work.
‘I never checked inside before.’
Blocked by bones, he had never confirmed it—now it was connected to the Healing Sanctuary.
He had to make sure it was the right place.
Following the knights, Shane headed to the exit, trailed by the wind-affinity priest.
As the only wind priest in the sanctuary, Shane brought him along to prevent mischief. The priest looked displeased.
Shane’s aide whispered:
“Your Highness, the priest looks exhausted. Continuing like this may cause objections from the kingdom.”
“It’s for safety, so there’s no problem.”
Seems a bit forced.
Following the knights, they walked some distance until they found a small building.
Vines covered the exterior, barely maintaining its shape.
The knights drew their swords to cut the tangled vines, revealing the small building. Shane frowned slightly at the familiar hut.
‘It’s been a while…’
After alchemical work with the mage tower’s power, he hadn’t returned here for years.
All evidence had been destroyed, so it shouldn’t matter to anyone, yet here he was, confronting it again.
“Open it.”
The prayer room door swung open.
Instantly, a loud crash echoed as countless bones tumbled out.
“Ugh!”
The startled knights stumbled backward.
Shane snatched a torch to illuminate the interior.
The door leading to the underground maze remained wide open, blocked by piles of bones.
It looked exactly as it had years ago when he had first abandoned it. Shane muttered irritably:
“Can we even get through this?”
The interior was so clogged with bones, moving properly was difficult.
Just as Shane pondered, a knight rushed up.
“Your Highness, we have a problem!”
“What now?”
“D-Duke Lyndmere has arrived at the sanctuary!”
Why was that illegitimate child here?
Shane frowned, leaving the hut behind and hurried to the sanctuary’s chapel.
When Shane arrived, Schwartz quietly looked down into a gaping, black pit.
The face of the filthy bastard looked exactly like his own, as if staring in a mirror.
This infuriated Shane further.
“Schwartz! This is my jurisdiction. Leave immediately!”
Ignoring Shane’s shouting, Schwartz asked the scholars around him:
“You there.”
“…Y-Yes, Your Grace!”
“Sonia fell here?”
“Yes, along with Sir Jurgen.”
“Jurgen?”
“He is a holy knight of the kingdom.”
“Seems like a man’s name.”
The scholar, wary, nodded.
“Yes.”
Schwartz disliked Jurgen, whom he had never even seen.
He wanted Sonia by his side as soon as possible to rid himself of this unpleasant feeling.
He activated his dark powers.
Shadows enveloped him like black wings.
Overwhelmed by the sight, everyone stepped back.
