True Magician

Chapter 73

An unknown place.

The teleportation circle spit me out on some mountainous terrain I'd seen from the palace window, and without thinking of anything new, I simply walked forward.

Occasionally I came across small groves or swamps along the way, but in the distance I could clearly see a mountain range whose spires were covered in mist. From there, the water was clear and crystal-clear, and I could even see small fish jumping out of the water.

In addition to them I could see forest dwellers: deer, wolves, bears, and similar animals that one might find on Earth. However, some of them differed in size and coloring.

To summarize, the path I was walking along showed nature untouched by man. No roads, concrete buildings, piles of people and anything that could spoil the aesthetics.

The feeling that could be used to describe it all was tranquility. I would even call it, true tranquility. It's about the same feeling one gets when contemplating the traditional Japanese courtyard of a traditional Japanese house.

I took a deep breath of air soaked with the smell of fresh dew and began to think, still pacing nowhere.

Now that I had information about this world, I could focus on what was important. Zelretch hasn't given me a single clue, and the cause of the cataclysm could be anything at all.

It would be a good idea to talk to some Apostles to understand the situation, or better yet, to the gods of this world themselves. Maybe I should even try to study the Gate, since it's the most direct manifestation of 2nd magic.

Speaking of the Gate. It's odd that the local gods don't do anything with them. As Pina explained to me, they've been there for a month or so, and there's still no movement from the higher powers. The Empire's being run over by a rolling stone, after all.

Magic versus science, huh? Sounds like something trivial, but interesting at the same time. But here, given the concentration of mana in the air, the second adjective can be safely thrown out. Although, it's worth mentioning that I still don't know if Alaya or Gaia exist here.

I don't know how much time passed, but my musings were interrupted by a lurching sound, as if someone was either too tired or dying. Thinking that since I wasn't too busy at the moment, I headed in the direction of the sound. And I was greeted by a picture that one would see quite often. In manga, of course. And, more often than not, to create some sort of dramatic effect.

On a small lawn surrounded by tall trees, a man was lying face down on the ground. His once whole clothes of a linen shirt and pants had naturally turned to rags. Blood, which had already formed a small puddle beneath him, was dripping from his shoulder and head. Claw marks were visible on his back. Massive claws, as if they belonged to an animal the size of a man or even larger.

Three huge marks stretched from his neck right up to his tailbone, and the bleeding circle, clearly carved into his skin before the blow, formed some sort of ominous symbol with them.

Heh. Why do I feel like I've stumbled upon something important?

I slowly approached the barely breathing man and carefully turned him over. As it turned out, his face had taken quite a beating as well. His left eye socket was empty, his nose was broken, and there was a hematoma all over his right cheek.

- "Help... me..." he mumbled, spitting up blood as I examined him.

- "Where'd you get beat up like that? Don't tell me you wanted to fuck a dragon? A young one, too."

- "P... please..."

I was silent for a few seconds, then extended my free hand.

CLICK