13th of December, the Year 1911 of the Hallowed Calendar.
Laemno went through his morning routine with Adonal Virgin Maia, starting with a bath, a hearty breakfast, and the hypnosis of a few key individuals, namely the temple guards and clergymen that took care of the Inner Monastery's reserve.
By the time he had finished, the spellcraft concoction used for planting hypnotic cues was all but exhausted.
With every slave in this section of the Great Sanctuary under his control, he could most likely storm his way through the underground passageway before anyone could notice. He had ordered Maia to prepare a map or at least some instructions so he could navigate within the tunnels.
Moreover, since he planned on fleeing Hierapetra altogether, he also needed a lot of supplies, which was why he hypnotized the inventory keepers.
In prevision for his journey, he had spent most of last night studying Hierapetra's geographical landscape. Unfortunately for him, little was mapped, and even less was known about it.
The Kingdom of Stars and Astrologers, as known by the general public, actually referred to the network of numerous cities within its borders, which encompassed simple towns to walled agricultural settlements and even mining fortresses near the Nameless Sierra.
Unlike Laemno's previous world, it was rare for people to adventure beyond their fortified homes, as the wilderness was particularly hazardous.
In that aspect, he had learned something important.
While the knowledge of magi and Sorceries was a tightly-kept secret, the existence of various mystical creatures hostile to humans was, by itself, common knowledge. Of course, they weren't aware of their categorizations, such as Eidolons, Natural Spirits, or Dead Spirits. Instead, they used the word kakodaimon—meaning evil spirit in Heriperan—as an umbrella term for all inhuman entities that weren't animal or divine.
The kakodaimones prowled the wild lands outside Hierapetran cities, and local wisdom made it taboo to venture beyond their confines.
The sole exception, and the only thing connecting the various towns, was the Hallowed Road, a path made of pale stones that the Goddess of the Celestial Sphere Herself had consecrated.
It was wide enough to allow two carriages to circulate side by side, stretching from the western edge of the nation to the eastern one and occasionally branching out to connect the isolated cities.
Thanks to the Goddess' influence, the Hallowed Road was shunned by mystical creatures. Even the notoriously aggressive Eidolons rarely approached it, as the last recorded attack occurred decades ago.
This doesn't bode well for me, though. Assuming I manage to get away safely from Priene, I'll have to survive in an extremely dangerous environment until I reach Sethia. Even then, there are no guarantees I'll find an inhabited settlement quickly enough.
Furthermore, this is information accessible to the general public. The Temple of Stars, which has magi able to fend for themselves in the wilderness, may have more detailed maps and much better knowledge of the area.
Aside from known landmarks, I can only use the Hallowed Road to orient myself, but sticking close to it means a greater chance of getting caught before I leave Hierapetra.
Laemno pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to calm yet another headache. He had been suffering a lot of those ever since his transmigration, and there was no sign of them getting any better.
There's also the unresolved issue of the first assassin, who will be more likely to attack me now that only three days remain before the Sacrificial Ceremony. The second "assassin," or helper, seemingly dipped after giving me the notebook.
I don't know what game the Grace of Blossoms is playing, either. There's still the option of using the triangular mirror, but I'm afraid of the price it'll demand this time...
The pit of his stomach tightened from anxiety, and he felt himself becoming more and more nauseous.
This is too much... Maybe I should just give up. I was merely a desperate guy back on Earth, barely educated. I don't know what or who brought me here, but expecting anything other than failure seems inane in this situation. Plus, that thing I saw...
He recalled flashes of the flow of Mana, its colorless tendrils spreading like a plague-bearing horror, and the intense malice they oozed. He could still feel it in his bones—the palpable, hateful craving for this world and its intention to corrupt everything in its path.
That brief glance at the reality of magi had been nearly enough to break his mind, and it haunted him yet in his dreams.
Laemno's goal had always been the freedom to live his life as he wished, to make his own choices without the burdens of poverty and despair. When he first came into this world, he thought he might have a chance to accomplish his wish, but the following experiences proved otherwise.
That thing... the flow of Mana. It seemed alive... worse even, it had a will of its own. I could feel its malevolent intent to my core. It was constantly spreading, entangling anything and everything within its reach.
Knowing that it exists, how many years will pass before it devours me alongside all of humanity?
Cowering in fear of its endless expansion is akin to shackling myself and waiting for madness to stifle my mind—the same as in my previous life. I'd rather die than live that way again.
But the only other choice is to confront it... to attempt becoming a magus. It scares me. Gazing at its depths convinced me that things worse than death do exist, which terrifies me even more.
What will happen to me if I'm engulfed by its corruption?
Can I... can I truly do it? Can I brave that incarnation of malice without losing myself in the process?
He then remembered his conversation with the Grace of Blossoms, Anthea. He saw her ethereal expression once more, creasing into a look of contempt and disdain as she ridiculed his yearning for a normal life.
The next moment, her face changed into countless others—the innumerable people in his old world who had looked down on him for his attempt at a dignified existence, all because he had been given an unfortunate circumstance by fate.
Damn them... all of them.
He recalled his bubbling anger, driving him through hunger and pain to subsist, to endure, to advance. He had been spiteful, working hard in the hopes that one day, he would save his family from their mockery and return their scorn tenfold.
Back on Earth, it had ended tragically for him, but here? Now?
It's too soon to give up. He steeled his resolve.
I'll show her... and them. I'll show them all. I'll face the flow of Mana head-on and survive this endeavor. I'll grasp whatever fate gives me and claw my way out to a decent life.
I promise myself that, at the very least.