It Was Time You Saw the World

This place was safe from the corruption of eldritch horrors. Another reason was that he had Tentacle Big Brother around, so no horror dared come near him at all.

If someone else had advanced somewhere else, it would never have been this easy.

In fact, they would barely stand a chance of surviving. After all, Sequence 8 was arguably the most dangerous stage of the early ranks.

If a Sequence 9-Mystery Seeker-was merely a candle flame in the night,

then after advancing to Sequence 8-Listener-that candle flame would become a massive bonfire, lighting up the long night around it.

And with a bonfire that big, wasn't that practically calling out to the horrors roaming the night, "Come on over, handsome! I'm right here!"

Thus, almost everyone advancing to Sequence 8 would draw a whole swarm of horrors. There were virtually no exceptions, unless you had some way to keep them out.

Sequence 8 was called Listener precisely because people at this stage, unless they took measures to block them out, could hear the horrors' twisted, bizarre murmurs almost every night.

Many low-ranking sorcerers were affected by horrors at this stage, driven mad, and ultimately devoured completely.

None of that was anything Eros needed to worry about, though. He was actually starting to feel grateful that Tentacle Big Brother had set his sights on him.

After all, Wendy had also advanced to Sequence 8, and her fragile state every night gave him a glimpse of just how terrifying those horrors were.

Even if the horrors didn't look frightening, having them spout random garbage inside your head every night could still drive you insane.

Tentacle Big Brother was much better. Ever since Eros had told him off-or rather, roasted him-a year ago, he had stopped laughing altogether. Every night, he just quietly peeked around.

He merely looked a little creepy, but that wasn't much of a problem anymore. Eros had already learned how to censor what his eyes saw.

Then, one evening when Eros was feeling that his future looked bright, Barbara stared at him with a calm expression.

Was there something wrong with me today?

Just as he was about to ask that question, Barbara said calmly,

"It was time you saw the world. Throughout history, no saint has ever emerged from a life of comfort."

Eros froze for a moment. So there wasn't anything wrong with him after all.

But from what Barbara had said, she wanted him to go out and gain some experience?

To be fair, he really hadn't left the ducal estate in all these years.

Everything he knew about this world came from books or his elders' teachings. Her words couldn't help but stir his curiosity about the world outside.

After all, this was a world entirely different from Earth, and not just in its technological development.

It also had a supernatural side that Earth lacked. Even deities truly existed.

At lunch the next day, he brought it up at the table, saying that he wanted to venture into the outside world and gain some experience.

Duke Renka and Estelle both hesitated and gave no answer. Duke Renka said he would consult the elders.

After lunch, Duke Renka went to discuss it with the elders, while Wendy sidled up to Eros and said excitedly,

"I want to go too! I want to go too!"

Estelle looked at her two children, at her daughter who was now as tall as she was and her son who had already grown much taller, and sighed softly.

They didn't have to wait long before their father came striding back, with a whole crowd of elders following behind him. Good grief, every last one of them had come.

The moment the elders saw Eros, they all began trying to dissuade him at once.

"No, it's too dangerous out there. What's wrong with staying with the family...?"

They said a great deal, but it all amounted to one thing: he should just stay home.

Whatever he wanted, the family could get it for him. What did he need to go out for?

They couldn't help it. After all, he was the family's only child with a mythic bloodline, and he had been personally baptized by a great being and recognized by their ancestor's divine artifact.

With such extraordinary talent, why wouldn't he stay home and focus on cultivating? What if he went out and ran into danger? No, that simply wouldn't do.

Eros didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Left with no choice, he could only repeat Barbara's exact words.

A few elders flushed, stammering, "A s-saint?" More of them, however, simply exchanged bewildered looks.