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The Only Way to Reach the Flying Island – Part 04

Emperor Kagurai of the Quinbrand Empire was a Man Gnome who stood less than 150 centimeters tall. Though he appeared young, he was over 70 years old. His golden crown, a symbol of authority, rested on a nearby stand instead of his head. Only Kagurai’s close aides were present in the room.

“The Great Labyrinth of Runay-aas that appeared in the Theocracy of Bios has entered our airspace and continues to move north-northeast,” one of the aides explained, standing before a large continental map on the wall. He pointed at the labyrinth’s path with a red-tipped stick.

“There have been no falling objects from the labyrinth, and since there are no major towns or villages nearby, our country is currently safe.”

“Safe? Nonsense!” barked a high-ranking military officer. “We allowed it to intrude and are still leaving it unchecked! What if it falls—”

“Stop.” Kagurai raised a hand. “Getting emotional will not help.”

“B-But…”

“I don’t think you have been negligent. Just as border checkpoints on a highway are meaningless to birds in the sky, no one can stop a floating dungeon.”

“M-My apologies,” the officer said, bowing deeply. The other military members present did the same.

“What about the movements of other countries?”

“After the first report of the dungeon’s rise from the Theocracy of Bios, nothing,” another aide answered.

Disgruntled voices rose, accusing the Theocracy of Bios of ignoring the danger that originated from its domain and bringing up the fact that they were the ones behind the Black Rot epidemic.

Under the previous pope’s orders, the Theocracy of Bios had spread the Accursed Toxin in the empire, causing many of its citizens to resent them.

“The Kingdom of Ponsonia has been providing updates on the floating island’s location. They were expecting it to pass through their territory into our country. If the floating island crashes, they request permission to dispatch a minimum military force for damage assessment and victim assistance.”

“There’s no need,” Kagurai said. “It has already entered our territory.”

“Understood. Next, there’s a message from Vireocean.”

“Oh? Do they want information?”

“Yes, but they also say they are moving troops within their country due to a restructuring and ask us not to be alarmed.”

“I don’t understand.” Kagurai raised an eyebrow.

The Great Labyrinth was flying near the border with the United Nations of Forestia in the west, while Vireocean was on the opposite eastern border. Vireocean, a maritime nation, was far from the floating island and unlikely to be affected.

“At any rate, we have no choice but to ignore it. Continue gathering information. Vireocean would not move troops without reason.”

“Understood.”

“What about Forestia?”

“They plan to deploy troops at the border.”

“I suppose that’s expected.”

“What should we do?”

“If it’s within their territory, we can’t say anything. Just tell them not to cross our border.”

“Understood.”

“Is that all? No need to report on the small countries.”

“Yes, that’s all, Your Majesty. On another matter, should we issue a statement about the Fire Drakon that appeared in the Kingdom of Ponsonia? Our citizens are anxious. Fortunately, only the Adventurers Guild knows the current location of the floating island, and information is being tightly regulated. But news as significant as the Fire Drakon spreads quickly.”

“Hmm… I have been thinking about that.”

“Does Your Majesty have a plan?”

The ministers and officials leaned forward.

“Nothing can be done immediately. We must wait for the right time.”

“Wait… for the right time?”

“Indeed. This meeting is adjourned. The head of the Imperial Household will remain. The rest of you may leave.”

“Yes, sir.”

As the subordinates filed out, only Kagurai and another elderly Man Gnome remained in the room.

“Your Majesty’s decision to wait for the right time regarding the Fire Drakon was wise,” the head of the imperial household said. “There are no records of drakons in Man Gnome history.”

“How is the village?” Kagurai asked.

“They decided to use the Starwhite Wedge due to the rise of the Great Labyrinth of Runay-aas and the imbalance in the world’s mana consumption.”

The Man Gnome village monitored the world’s magical energy. They believed that invoking magic spells and sorcery tainted mana, preventing it from being recycled. Overuse would deplete the mana in the world, rendering magic unusable.

The rise of the Great Labyrinth of Runay-aas was thought to be powered by a combination of earth and wind magic, and it consumed an astonishing amount of magical energy. As a result, the balance of mana consumption in the world had been significantly disrupted. This prompted the Man Gnome village to resume their conflict with their longtime enemy, the Saak family.

“The Starwhite Wedge?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. The Grand Elder and the head of the research institute kept it hidden as the ultimate weapon.”

“Those old foxes,” Kagurai spat, his clean-cut features twisting.

He, too, was from the Man Gnome village and had been chosen as emperor due to his exceptional abilities. The elders managed the village, but Kagurai held the responsibility of managing its influence on the continent. The fact that the village had secrets outside of his knowledge irritated him.

“Your remark is out of line, Your Majesty,” the head of the imperial household chided.

“I understand that the village is in such chaos that they can’t even make decisions about the Fire Drakon. Therefore, our empire won’t take any action against it for now.”

“I agree. Officially, we will conduct investigations and run simulations for a potential appearance in the capital.”

“That will suffice. You may leave.”

The head of the imperial household bowed deeply and left. Kagurai knew the truth. The bow was meant for the elders behind Kagurai, viewing him as nothing more than their puppet.

From Kagurai’s perspective, the head of the imperial household was a capable subordinate but also a monitor from the village, ensuring Kagurai, the emperor, did not make any missteps. As a matter of fact, the previous emperor was overthrown by Man Gnomes due to his savage tendencies.

“Unken lent a hand back then.”

Unken, a Man Gnome, had once served as an imperial spy and was currently the Adventurers Guild’s guildmaster in the satellite town of Pond in the Kingdom of Ponsonia. Kagurai highly valued Unken’s abilities and integrity, but giving him assignments when he was no longer working for the empire would prompt questions from the village.

“But Unken is not the only card I hold,” Kagurai said.

He gazed out the window to the north. Though the moonless night shrouded the distance in darkness, the Man Gnome village was undeniably out there somewhere.

---

Shivering from the cold, Hikaru woke to find frost covering the dead grass around him. The sun was rising slowly, its light weak, and a few birds flitted across the slightly overcast sky.

After preparing a simple breakfast and making sure the horses were fed and watered, Hikaru, Paula, and the Four Eastern Stars set out again.

They crossed the trackless barren land. Even after scaling several small hills, all they saw were rugged rock faces. Nevertheless, it was clear that they were heading in the right direction.

“I see it,” Hikaru said, pointing south.

Despite being far off, it was so large that it distorted their sense of distance. It resembled a mountain on top of an even larger mountain.

The Great Labyrinth of Runay-aas was floating through the sky, heading straight for them.

There was no need to check the map. The floating island would pass right above them.

“It’s coming! Get ready!” Hikaru shouted, dismounting from his horse.

The Four Eastern Stars quickly sprang into action, leaving their large baggage behind. They took out the horses’ feed, and Serika used water magic to create fresh water. The well-trained horses would remain here for a few days, and if Hikaru’s group was delayed, the horses would return to town on their own.

As time passed, the floating island loomed larger and larger. By noon, it blocked out the sun, plunging the surroundings into darkness.

“Wow. It’s huge,” Sara said, awestruck.

“It’s strange to be so light on gear for an expedition,” Sophie commented.

“We don’t have a choice, because we’re about to fly!” Serika said, excitement clear in her voice.

Hikaru let out a strained laugh. They were about to attempt something without rehearsal, with a chance of failure, yet Serika seemed thrilled.

“Hikaru, we’re ready here. What about the item?”

“It’s right here,” Hikaru said, pulling out a leather pouch.

Selyse swallowed. “Is that the item from the Fire Drakon?”

“It’s not as impressive as it sounds,” Hikaru said with a sigh. “Paula, are you ready?”

“Anytime! Even if we fall, as long as we’re not dead, I can heal us. Let’s give it our all!”

That might be possible, but no one wanted to experience getting torn apart. Ideally, Paula would say something like “I prayed to the gods for success,” but perhaps she had become unexpectedly tough.

Also, a fall from the height of the floating island would likely be fatal. There was no way to truly prepare for that.

“Hikaru, we don’t have much time.”

“Right.”

The floating island was getting closer. Its sheer size, almost comical in its enormity, became clearer as it approached. Just thinking about the mana required to keep it afloat made Hikaru’s head spin.

Though Soaarunay’s intentions were unclear—likely war—the dungeon was here. The only chance to board it was right now.

Hikaru stared at the steadily approaching island. The wind flapped his cloak.

“All right. Let’s go.”

To the Great Labyrinth.