Chương 40: Father Phineus

Laemno walked through the Inner Monastery's opulent corridors, shadowed by Maia and an armored guard.

After following the Adonal Virgin's instructions, he stopped in front of an isolated entrance, beyond which he could see a small office.

A large man in his forties, with a balding head and a prominent blond beard with streaks of gray, was busy going through piles of papyri and parchments, adjusting the pair of spectacles over his green eyes every now and then. He didn't notice their presence.

Laemno knocked on the unlocked door to attract his attention, but the man dismissively waved his hand.

"Not now. I have a thousand things to do, and none of them include idle chatter," he declared. "Unless the Pontiffs themselves are calling for me, go away."

"Oh. My apologies, Father Phineus," Laemno said, taking a rueful tone. "I must have come at a terrible time."

The man seemed to pause for a moment after hearing Laemno's youthful voice.

Slowly but surely, as if dreading the truth, he raised his head over the mountain of tomes, looking at the entrance. The color drained from his face when he realized who was at the door, and he immediately jumped up.

"H—...Honored One!" He went around his table, greeting Laemno with a confusing mixture of bows and gestures of respect. "My deepest apologies! I didn't know it was you. I... I would have never expected you to visit these parts of the Inner Monastery."

Laemno smiled, extending his arm for a handshake. "I was heading for the courtyard when I stumbled on your office. I'm taking it upon myself to greet everyone who has been working diligently for the upcoming Sacrificial Ceremony. I hope, and I daresay, it will be remembered in the realm of the Gods Beyond."

"Ah. Ah. Yes, of course, Honored One. I thank you with all my heart." Father Phineus' eyes widened as he reverently shook Laemno's hand. There was a glint of piousness in his gaze but also something far more sinister, hidden deep within. "I never imagined I'd get to live this day."

He stroked the back of Laemno's hand, a flushed streak of red coloring his cheeks. It made Laemno nauseous, but he stifled his reaction, retracting his arm with a calm expression.

Oh, so he's one of those types.

By all standards and measures, Laemno was objectively beautiful. His appearance reflected features that seemed to escape the bounds of human charm—characteristics that would easily earn him the qualification of divine without so much as a second glance necessary.

Still, he was only eleven years old, and that beauty hadn't bloomed to a point where it could be lusted for. Nevertheless, Father Phineus struggled to contain his perversion, and his panting was all but obvious. Laemno saw it in his eyes—if he could, the man would have defiled him then and there.

Creepy bastard, Laemno inwardly cursed.

"Leave us for a moment, please," Laemno addressed the guard and Maia.

They both nodded and closed the door behind them, though they probably were ready to return at once if they heard anything suspicious.

"Is something the matter, Honored One?" Father Phineus was confused, though there was sickening anticipation bubbling within him.

"Yes." Laemno took a breath, quieting his emotions for the sake of his task. He spoke the following words in Heriperan, "You will now obey me, Phineus."

Earlier in the morning, after leaving his chambers, he had experimented with some details about his hypnosis spellcraft, namely with the armored guard accompanying him. The keyword needed for instilling the hypnotic cue had to be voiced in an occult language, and in Laemno's case, it was Heriperan.

Before that, talking in the common tongue had no effect whatsoever, meaning he could smear a target with the hypnotic substance in public, continue interacting with them normally, then speak the keyword when out of everyone else's earshot.

Laemno had already marked Father Phineus with the substance when they shook hands. Uttering the command in Heriperan once put the hypnotic cue in place. Twice, and it would activate the hypnosis, plunging him into Laemno's control.

He raised his palm, revealing the ink-drawn symbol. "Obey."

Father Phineus' restless hands finally went limp, and his entire body seemed to ease into a half-awake stupor. "With body and soul, Honored One."

"Who are you?" Laemno asked.

"Phineus of Priene, Honored One. I am but a humble keeper of the Great Sanctuary's Inner Monastery."

"Do you know everyone's current location within the Monastery?"

Phineus nodded before grabbing a particularly intricate piece of papyrus from his office table. He extended it towards Laemno. "This should be today's schedule. The slaves aren't mentioned, but most are tending to the courtyard's garden, cleaning the corridors, or working in the kitchens. There should be eighty of them, at most."

Laemno took the schedule, carefully going through its content. Most of it comprised a vague map of the Inner Monastery, with names plastered on various locations. In the upper corners, the daily tasks were numbered with a group of names listed for each assignment.

There was no information about the three magi from the Luminous House, and he couldn't find anything on the three members of the Gilded Watch guarding the underground passageway. Still, the former problem held little importance for the moment, while the latter could be solved by asking Maia.

"This will be extremely useful," Laemno rolled the papyrus and slid it under his sleeve. "You'll continue working as if nothing happened. Try to avoid as much contact as possible with the clergymen from the Luminous House without incurring their suspicion. Understood?"

"Understood, Honored One," Father Phineus bowed, then crawled back to his table, pouring all his attention onto his parchments.

Laemno left the office in a hurry, heading for a corner of the inner courtyard where he would spend half the day. His plan was simple—with a ratio of five slaves for each clergyman within the Inner Monastery, the idea was to put as much of the former as possible under his control.

Slaves were the backbone of Hierapetran society, as they were in charge of most of the manual labor and menial tasks. To a citizen, they were invisible pieces of property and tools of convenience, which meant they were easily forgettable.

Since they worked in every part of the Great Sanctuary, their presence would inquire no suspicion nor prodding—the perfect targets for Laemno's hypnosis spellcraft.

However, it would be strange for the Celestial Offering to walk amongst lowly slaves and initiate physical contact with every one of them. Hence, he had ordered Maia to bring them to him in small groups, away from the prying eyes of their supervisors.

By noon, he had already emptied two-thirds of the flasks for the hypnotic substance, bewitching every slave working in the Inner Monastery. The spellcraft was activated, and they were instructed to continue their tasks until a specific signal was given.

With that done, the primary preparations for Laemno's plan were ready.

Three days remained before his escape.

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