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No Matter the Distance

The council chamber in the Man Gnome village had, for decades, been a space for the elders and the Attending Awl to discuss village matters. Today, however, it felt incredibly cramped with the head of the Ultimate Mirk’s research institute, the representative of the Dung Star farmlands, the master of Wright Nook, the head of the Whorl Kindle workshop, and the Distant Girdle all present.

“We haven’t had such a gathering since the chaos in the Quinbrand Empire,” said the muscular, bald representative of the Dung Stars.

“Wasn’t it Distant Girdle’s Unken who resolved it? Gotta clean up after yourself, I suppose,” said the scrawny master of Wright Nook, his arms crossed and a towel twisted into a headband on his head. “Quinbrand’s troubles began due to internal division within Distant Girdle, which caused us to lose control of the empire.”

“L-Let’s not talk about the past. It might trouble the current Distant Girdle,” admonished the unusually plump head of Whorl Kindle, wiping his face with a cloth. He was an odd fellow who spent all his salary on snacks.

In the village, everything from food to goods was provided and shared within the community, but a small part of their earnings was theirs to spend freely. The workshop head diligently saved his to trade for foodstuff brought by the Distant Girdle.

“Oh, we don’t really—”

“Shall we begin the discussion?”

Before the Distant Girdle could finish, the elders, accompanied by the Attending Awl, entered, making the chamber feel even smaller.

“The reason we’ve gathered everyone today is because of the Great Labyrinth of Runay-aas taking to the skies, as reported by Distant Girdle. Please explain in detail,” said the Grand Elder.

One of the Distant Girdle bowed slightly. He was Raikun, a Distant Girdle who had been in the holy city of Agiapole with Raiga.

As Raikun described what he had seen, the council chamber buzzed with tension. The Distant Girdle were skilled at conveying vivid descriptions of what they witnessed. The atmosphere was one of disbelief, which was understandable. A floating dungeon—such a thing was unprecedented.

The Man Gnomes, who lived in the mountains, had a deep understanding of underground structures. But the sky was different. The sky was an unreachable place, home to the gods. Many races, not just the Man Gnomes, held this belief.

“Is the Saak family trying to become gods?!” The farmland representative’s remark caused further commotion.

“Silence. How can we, the representatives of the village, lose our composure?” The Grand Elder’s words restored calm.

“But if they fly, there’s nothing we can do. They might find our village eventually,” said the master of Wright Nook bitterly.

“Our great ancestors may have foreseen this. Research Director, make that ready for use.”

“Understood.”

The Ultimate Mirk’s director, who looked like a red demon with his spiky hair and flushed face, finally spoke. He hadn’t said a word since arriving.

“What exactly are you referring to?”

Most in the room did not understand the Grand Elder’s instruction.

“This is something only three of us in Ultimate Mirk, including myself, knew about,” the director explained gravely. “Aside from us, only the elders were privy to it. Because it wasn’t necessary for anyone else to know about it. Information that is only to be used in an emergency. Information that should never be used.”

The Man Gnomes swallowed hard.

“You already know about the ancient relics such as the Black Wedge Gate and the Balancer. But there are others, kept hidden because they are dangerous, to be used only when truly necessary. That is, when the location of the Great Labyrinth is confirmed.”

Everyone understood that the time was now. The Great Labyrinth was in the sky. Its location had never been so clear in the long history of the Man Gnomes.

“The relic is called the Star White Wedge. And it is our decisive weapon.”

---

Meanwhile, at the camp of the Confederacy of Einbiest’s army on the outskirts of Agiapole.

Dawn was breaking, and the eastern sky was tinged with red hues, purple clouds drifting lazily. The cool breeze carried dampness with it.

“Ugh, so boring.”

Gerhardt emerged from his tent. Due to his near-death condition, the physician had ordered him for complete bed rest and abstinence from alcohol, so he had nothing to do but sleep, awakening at dawn.

“Fuck that dungeon.”

He looked up at the floating island. It was impossible to miss, with its black bedrock.

“Huh?” Suddenly, he noticed something. “Is that thing moving?”

It seemed to have shifted northward, away from the holy city, since he had last seen it before going to bed yesterday.

“Hey, is anyone there?! The island’s moving! Lookout! Hey!”

“Milord, what’s the matter?” A Beastman soldier, who had been on patrol all night, arrived. “The island looks the same as always.”

“You idiot. You’ve been staring at it all night, so you wouldn’t notice a slight change.”

“Huh? Why ask me, then?”

“Hey, Jillarte, wake up!” Gerhardt barged into a nearby tent.

“Huh?” Jillarte rose from her bed. “M-Milord?! You can’t just come in here without asking!”

Jillarte, dressed only in a thin shirt and shorts, turned red.

“The island’s moved! Go look!”

“What?”

Jillarte slipped on her sandals and stepped outside the tent. She looked up at the floating island.

“What do you think?”

“Now that you mention it, it does feel like it’s moved. I’d say a little less than a hundred meters.”

Jillarte sensed the same thing.

“Is it drifting with the wind? I can’t tell, but for now, we’re lucky it’s not heading towards the holy city.”

“But Milord, there’s a commercial city north of here. We haven’t freed all the Beastmen we can from there yet.”

“Tch, if it crashes there, the damage would be enormous. Check the map!”

“Yes, sir! Wait, you’re supposed to rest!”

“Shut it! I don’t have to fight. Come quick!”

The two headed towards the tent where the operations headquarters were located.

As soon as dawn broke and the movement of the floating island was confirmed, the information reached Pope Luvain at the Tower in the Holy City of Agiapole.

Thus, the Tower was thrown into an uproar. At the same time, a Man Gnome stationed in the holy city, Raiga, also noticed the movement of the island. He hurried back to the village through the Black Wedge Gate.

---

By the time the Einbiest camp, the Tower in Agiapole, and the hidden Man Gnome village were in an uproar, Hikaru was already far from the Great Labyrinth of Runay-aas.

“Ugh. Too early in the morning for that. I barely slept,” Yoshino complained, leaning on Granryuk’s shoulder for support.

“Are you all right, Lord Silver Face?” Paula asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Hikaru replied. “You two didn’t have to come, you know.”

Hikaru hadn’t slept either, but he was still walking steadily. Perhaps it was because he had found an objective or was encouraged by Lavia’s use of the spell for crossing worlds in Japan.

“Don’t say that,” Granryuk said. “Besides, Yoshino and I wouldn’t have much to do staying in Agiapole.”

“I appreciate Yoshino’s help, though.”

Thanks to her, they had deciphered the document found in the deepest part of the Great Labyrinth of Runay-aas. Even though they didn’t gain much information, Hikaru appreciated her efforts and couldn’t treat her coldly or send her back to the hidden village.

“I’m warning you: what I’m trying to do is pretty dangerous.”

“I get that,” Granryuk said.

“I know it’s dangerous, but as a member of Ultimate Mirk, I’m interested about this method to get to that floating island.”

“This is the room,” Hikaru said as they arrived at their destination.

They were currently back in Ponsonia’s royal capital. Using the Black Wedge Gate while sleep-deprived made the nausea worse, but it allowed them to travel instantly from Agiapole to G. Ponsonia.

They used the Tally that Yoshino had taken to open the Black Wedge Gate. The carbonized token they found in the labyrinth was still being restored, so its time to shine would come later.

“Just so you know, I didn’t make this mess,” Hikaru said as they entered the apartment of the Four Eastern Stars.

Granryuk looked puzzled, but when he saw the disordered interior, he understood.

The Four Eastern Stars had left Agiapole and were heading back here, but it seemed they hadn’t arrived yet. They avoided the clutter and went to an inner room.

Hikaru was after his own belongings. All the things he didn’t need to take to Japan as an adventurer had been left in this empty room.

“Here it is,” Hikaru said, retrieving Lavia’s staff.

“What’s that?” Granryuk asked.

“It’s what we need to fly,” Hikaru explained.

Earlier, when Paula told him that he had flown before, Hikaru remembered. Only once—yes, just once—he flew through the skies, riding on a giant creature.

“Do you see the grooves carved into this staff? And this fine fiber wrapped around it?”

“I see them… but what is it?”

“It’s drakon hair, from its mane.”

“Drakon?” Granryuk repeated, baffled.

“Like the drakon from fairy tales?” Yoshino asked. “The one from myths?”

“Yes, that drakon. I once rode on one.”

The two Man Gnomes were shocked, while Paula was nodding.

She had also seen the drakon fly. In a dungeon near her home village Cotton-elka, not far from the royal capital, a drakon held captive in the deepest part was freed and flew into the sky. That drakon flew to the royal capital, G. Ponsonia, and demanded the king’s abdication. Paula later learned that Hikaru orchestrated all of this.

“I’m gonna summon the Fire Drakon.”

The drakon could easily take him close to the floating island. And it understood human language. The problem was how to summon it.

I just have to try. It’s the most reliable and quickest way.

Hikaru gripped the staff, believing that at the end of this journey, Lavia was waiting.