For the next three days, Lawrence continued to train vigorously throughout the rest of the duration of the Academy’s spring break, despite the protests of both Aria and Corinne, who wanted him to rest.

  “I think we should end it for today,” Bernard suggested with a satisfied look on his face.

  He was calm and unbothered, unlike Lawrence, who was dripping in sweat that seeped into his training wear and panting heavily like a dog.

  “I…think…so…too…” He responded between exhales.

  I’ve never worked out this hard in my life. It feels like all of my muscles are on fire. It doesn’t help that they were already sore the first time we started training…

  Corinne arrived with a glass pitcher filled with ice water and two cups. She set the cups on the nearby round metal mesh table.

  “Well done, Master Lawrence.” She praised as she poured water from the pitcher.

  Once she finished, Lawrence quickly grabbed the cup and guzzled the chilled water in just a few seconds. He sighed with contentment and set the cup down, making the ice clink.

  The maid refilled it while the young amber-eyed mage-in-training wiped off the remaining sweat on his forehead.

  “I think I’m going to take a bath.” He said with a wry smile.

  “Just wait a moment, then, I’ll prepare it for you.” His maid responded and held up the refilled glass of water to him.

  After he took it, she swiftly left the training area, water pitcher in hand. Lawrence looked back toward Bernard.

  “I think I’m going to do some shopping today!” His master spoke, almost as if reading his pupil’s mind, in a lighthearted tone. He approached Lawrence and rested his hand on his shoulder briefly, and added, “You’ve done well. Take the rest of the time to rest up.”

  “Of course, teacher.” Lawrence held his hand over his heart and bowed slightly.

  Bernard had a contented grin on his face as he began to leave. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Lawrence lingered in the training area for a moment longer, taking in the chirping of birds frolicking in the trees and bushes nearby. He could hear the distant neighs and grunts of horses as they clomped away.

  In the Old World, it’s hard to appreciate the things around you. Especially if you live in a big city, you really can’t enjoy nature as much as you can now.

  He looked upon the light blue ocean above with an endless stream of pure white clouds swimming within. The sun’s blinding gaze caused him to squint a bit.

  After taking in some more fresh air, Lawrence left the training area, glass of ice water in hand.

  …

  Lawrence let out a heavy sigh as he lowered himself into the heated bath. The warm water soaked into his skin, slowly dissipating the aching in his muscles.

  I have to go to the academy tomorrow, since apparently it’s the last day of spring break.

  He slowly sank deeper into the water.

  Would’ve been nice to have transmigrated a few days sooner. I hate school.

  After a few moments of lamenting, Lawrence picked up a rough yellow sponge and soaked it in the nearby bowl of soap. He began to scrub himself thoroughly, removing the oil and grime from every orifice of his body.

  He stood up, let the water and soap foam fall off, and drained the bath. After changing into a new pair of clothes, he headed downstairs and into the kitchen in search of something to eat.

  “Master Lawrence, how may I assist you?” The head chef asked boastfully as he stroked his tiny handlebar mustache.

  “I’m just looking for a snack. No need to worry yourself.” Lawrence responded candidly, flicking his hand gently.

  The head chef stopped stroking his mustache, at a loss for words, as the family head began to rummage through the cabinets.

  A lot of stuff I don’t recognize…I’m not sure I wanna ask him after shooing him away.

  The kitchen held a lingering tenseness as Lawrence sighed heavily. The head chef stiffened his shoulders in response.

  “I think I’ll just go out and find something. It’s a nice day out, anyway.”

  “Understood, sir…” The chef said despondently.

  If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  Without another word, Lawrence left and made his way towards the front iron gate. The armed guard dressed in a navy blue uniform and a longsword sheathed at his side opened the gate and let the head of the family through.

  Lawrence tipped his half top hat at a middle-aged couple heading his way on the sidewalk. He then softly whistled an unknown tune as he felt the warmth of the sun.

  It’ll probably take me around twenty minutes on foot to get to the Chromel District. Maybe I shouldn’t have brought this jacket…He thought to himself as he lifted one arm to examine the weighted black wool sleeve.

  Sweat had already begun to form underneath his clothing despite only having walked for a few minutes. Lawrence loosened his tie slightly to give himself more breathing room as he crossed the intersection of Rocfor Lane and Finnicker Way.

  As he continued his journey, Lawrence began to sweat a bit more. Having had enough, he took the heavy jacket and hung it securely around one arm.

  He turned onto Powell Dr. and saw two men in attire out of place with most passersby. They seemed more akin to rugged adventurers or mercenaries.

  One lugged around a heavy greatsword on his shoulder while the other donned a simple longsword. Their clothes were slightly ragged and dirty, but it didn’t seem to bother them.

  Lawrence furrowed his brow and increased his gait to follow them out of curiosity, discreetly.

  “We’re going to need to find more people to tackle the labyrinth. I heard the one in Audren has had irregular activity…” The man with the longsword said.

  Labyrinths? I remember them being vaguely mentioned in that history book.

  “Do you really want to go to that one? I heard the Hunter Guild issued a level 1 notice because of it.”

  The former nudged his teammate’s side with his elbow. “Come on, the more dangerous it is, the better they loot. That’s labyrinth hunting 101.”

  “But still, you know why I’m hesitant. The last group we took along with us ended up getting killed by that demonic minatour…”

  Lawrence had been so invested in their conversation that he hadn’t even realized he’d already arrived within the Chromel District. The two swordsmen entered a wooden building in front of him, where several flags flew a black-and-red compass insignia with a sword piercing it.

  A man with glasses wearing a white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and a gray flat cap stood a few meters away with a stack of folded leaflets cupped in one arm while he waved around one with the other.

  Lawrence approached the man, who held out one of the leaflets.

  “Young man, are you interested in the Labyrinth Hunter’s Guild?”

  The amber-eyed Blackwood took hold of the leaflet and quickly skimmed through it.

  “Through the power of the Labyrinth Hunter’s Guild, you can embark on adventures in ancient ruins to immerse yourself in the treasures that lie within!”

  Lawrence quietly snorted and continued reading.

  “You may ask, what are labyrinths? They are ancient ruins of civilizations constructed by our ancestors, the Praestrurics. Labyrinths were designed to shift in structure to combat invaders constantly, but that won’t stop you, a budding adventurer ready to tackle their first challenge!”

  Structure shift? Is that magic related? That’s the first time I’m hearing about that. If magic truly does affect the labyrinths, then I’d believe they came from the previous eras. Lawrence thought as he rubbed the base of his chin between his index finger and thumb.

  “The labyrinths are thought to have some sort of connection to the Leylines, much like the Divine Towers. As such, this connection attracts the manifestations of demonic spirits. The stronger the connection, the more powerful spirits appear.”

  I know the Leylines are deeply rooted in magic and act as the world’s veins. Some people say that to understand the Leylines is the become closer to the Principles. So, then, the labyrinths are definitely magically powered, but claiming that you can become closer to god, what a farce!

  Lawrence lifted his head briefly in the direction of a horse neighing loudly after two carriages came close to crashing into each other. He ignored the distant arguing as his eyes returned to the leaflet.

  “To ensure the safety of all Labyrinth Hunters, all hunters are categorized into different ranks based on strength and contribution. From the lowest, starts at Topaz, then Quartz, Amethyst, Sapphire, and at the top, Onyx. All labyrinths are rank-locked and, at a minimum, are open at the Topaz level to ensure no civilians accidentally wander in.”

  “Um…” The man with the leaflets called out.

  Lawrence furrowed his brow and looked up.

  “Sorry, I wasn’t expecting you actually to read the whole thing. So, are you thinking about joining?”

  What did you expect when you handed me this leaflet? Lawrence internally fought not to utter the remark and instead let out a wry smile. “I’ll think about it.”

  He turned around and walked away, going through the leaflet one more time, and heard the man behind him softly suck his teeth, but ignored it.

  With any luck, if I keep training, I become strong enough to become a Labyrinth Hunter and come across the ruins of Urgan’s labyrinths in hopes of finding what Lawrence was looking for. Hopefully by then, I’ll be able to ascend the Inverted Spire. Once I make it there, hopefully, I’ll find my answers to this convoluted existence, and maybe even a way back home so I can reconcile…

  Lawrence sighed as he folded up the leaflet and shoved it in his loose jacket pocket. His stomach rumbled a bit in reaction to the sudden aroma of grilled steak enthralling his nostrils.

  “Alright, alright.” He patted his stomach.

  There were several restaurants and cafes on each side of the street. Lawrence furrowed his brow as he gazed at the placards above the restaurant entrances.

  He chose five random restaurants and lifted one finger.

  Dore ni shiyou kana…kamisama no yuuto ori…Lawrence internally sang a children’s song from his youth as his finger floated from each restaurant in between each word.

  His finger landed on a small cafe on the corner of the street across the way. His stomach growled once more, persuading him to pick up the pace.

  I sure hope that establishments have health regulations, otherwise I might die of a heartattack in case I decide to become a glutton now…