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The Scales that Announce Global Upheaval – Part 04

“Did you hear, Yoshino?”

The moment her colleague from the Ultimate Mirk entered the room, Yoshino stopped writing.

“Apparently, the Distant Girdle’s Raiga brought humans with him. Two of them.”

Both wore similar outfits—pale yellowish-white coveralls—and glasses. This room, unusual in the village with its roof, had shelves stuffed with numerous books that reached almost to the ceiling. Although there was no light, the door to the adjacent room was open, revealing shelves lining the darkness. A huge archive.

Yoshino set down her pen on the stone table littered with pieces of paper.

Though they looked to be in their twenties, they had easily lived for over half a century.

“Does it have something to do with what the elders are making a fuss over?”

“Indeed. If what the elders are saying is true, it means big changes are occurring in the world, and the humans Raiga brought may have important information.”

“Is it really true, then? That mana consumption is getting severe?”

“That’s what the Balancer indicates.” The man gestured towards the room he had just come from.

It was the largest room in the Ultimate Mirk’s facility, containing a massive device resembling a sundial in the center.

A dull gold metal disk about two meters in radius, marked with gradations. Despite no one ever having maintained this metal, it showed no signs of rust or corrosion. It had been here since before these men and women, researchers of the Ultimate Mirk, were born, or even before this building was constructed, keeping its original state.

This was the Soul-Magoi Scales, referred to by the researchers as the Balancer.

At the center of the circle was a needle made of the same metal, pointing to one of the markings.

“The more the needle of the Balancer swings, the more it indicates a decrease in the total magical energy in the world… or so they say,” Yoshino said skeptically.

“We’re unable to understand the mechanism of the device, so we have no choice but to believe what our ancestors left for us.”

“Even after centuries of research, we still can’t fully understand it. Don’t you ever wonder what kind of device it is?”

“Come on now. Don’t criticize the village and drag me into it.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? Are you saying I’ll become like Ranna?”

“I wouldn’t go that far. Wait, do you also want to leave the village?”

“No, not really.”

Everyone knew about the mad scientist Ranna. Despite repeated prohibitions, she continued her forbidden research, resulting in her banishment from the village.

“I envy Raiga a little bit,” said the man. “Outside the village, they can eat and drink all they want.”

In this village, the permitted daily intake of alcohol was one cup, and meat consumption was restricted to once every three days. The variety of meals was limited. Distant Girdle members like Raiga could drink and eat as much as they wanted outside the village.

“Only those who are serious about their work like Raiga can become part of the Distant Girdle, you know?”

“I know that. I can’t imagine Raiga just drinking away outside. But still, he’s gained the freedom to drink anytime out there.”

“Freedom, huh. I wonder if Ranna had that,” Yoshino murmured.

Ranna was banished from the village, but a part of her was delighted to leave. Apparently, she had leaked various village secrets, but she probably didn’t know any truly important ones. She hadn’t been in the Ultimate Mirk for long, and the director was wary of her and her dangerous ideas.

“If Ranna were still here, she would have definitely dismantled the Balancer,” Yoshino said.

“I bet. We’re not even allowed to touch it, let alone take it apart.”

“It’s not just us; no one has ever dismantled it. It’s no wonder that even after centuries of research, we have no idea how that device works.”

“I mean, I just saw the needle move for the first time in my life.”

When reports of the needle moving came in, the elders hurried here. It happened months ago, but in a village where changes were rare, they remembered it as if it were just yesterday. Rumors about the humans Raiga brought would spread quickly, and everyone would gather to catch a glimpse of them.

In that sense, Raiga made the right decision by bringing humans during daytime. The Bees and other Man Gnomes were busy with their respective jobs during the day, leaving the residential area empty.

“Is this mana consumption thing really that important?” Yoshino wondered.

“That’s like the very basics of knowledge for us in the Ultimate Mirk. Consuming magical energy is basically pigmenting mana. And once pigmented, mana can’t be restored to pure magical energy.”

All this time, the Balancer indicated that total magical energy had slightly decreased, but now it was starting to decrease further—or so they said. All they knew about the Balancer’s usage was what their ancestors had passed down.

“But we also use magic items,” Yoshino said. “That didn’t move the needle, did it?”

“Our usage is like a drop in the ocean. If you go to the capital of the Quinbrand Empire, you’ll see magic lamps everywhere, consuming vast amounts of magical energy.”

The man had visited the capital once for work.

“But even that wouldn’t move the needle.”

“No, that’s not it. The ridiculous amount of mana used in the capital was already accounted for by the needle. The problem is that the needle moved beyond that.”

“Are you saying another city as big as the capital appeared? The imperial capital you think you know everything about after just a single night’s stay?”

“Of course not,” the man denied. “Wait, I never said I knew everything about the place. Its size is just beyond imagination. First of all, the capital has a main street so wide you can’t see the other end.”

“I’ve heard that story a hundred times already.”

“I haven’t told it that many times!”

“So? What’s your point? The needle moved one mark, and the elders panicked. How does that change our lives?”

The man sighed. “This is why I dislike researchers who rush to conclusions.”

He shrugged wearily, ticking off Yoshino. He seemed to be holding onto some information she didn’t know of and was eagerly waiting for the moment to flaunt it. If allowed, he would even prolong this moment just to relish the feeling of superiority.

“Fine. I’ll go ask the director.”

“W-Wait! That’s a bad idea!”

To the man, the director was a demon. Granted, it was mostly due to his own faults, like slacking off and missing report deadlines multiple times, or oversleeping (almost daily).

“If you don’t want me to tell the director, spill it.”

“All right, all right. Sheesh. Why are you acting so high and mighty? Listen, I only overheard the Attending Awl guys talking while they were delivering documents. Those guys live to curry favor with the elders and aim to be the next elders themselves. They’re at the core of the village’s secrets, so the information is probably accurate.”

This is quite the dramatic lead-in even for him, Yoshino thought.

“So?” she urged.

“There’s talk that the relic of the Saak family has been restored.”

The moment she heard the words Saak family, Yoshino froze. Her body trembled as if struck by a high fever, and her vision blurred.

“Hey, calm down.”

The man’s voice sounded distant, and her body tipped over.

“Hey!”

The man grabbed her arms and shook her, snapping her back to her senses.

“S-Sorry. I was just… shocked.”

“Yeah, I get it.”

“You’re hurting me.”

“Oh, sorry.”

As he loosened his grip, Yoshino exhaled in relief.

The Saak family. Every Man Gnome knew that name, and it always came with tales of their dreadful plot.

From childhood, Man Gnomes were told about the horrors of the Saak family. They were sworn enemies, having clashed with the Man Gnomes countless, hundreds of times.

For the hidden village’s Man Gnomes, the Saak name carried so much weight that it made them shudder.

“Are you saying the Great Labyrinth of Runay-aas is back?”

“Yes.”

“So that’s why the elders are panicking. But this continent has changed. Humans, demi-humans, even Elves have increased in number. Technology has advanced, and magic items have changed. What could the Saak family possibly do now?”

“But we were at war with the Saak family only a few hundred years ago.”

With Man Gnomes living for 200 to 300 years, their great-grandparents or earlier generations had fought the Saak family.

“Did other races thrive because we stopped fighting?” Yoshino asked.

“I don’t know. The elders and the old folks don’t want to talk about the war with the Saak family. It must have been a really painful experience.”

“If the labyrinth’s back, we need to know more.”

“Yeah. Well, actually, we’re still not entirely sure it’s back.”

“If we don’t have information, we can’t take any measures, so why aren’t they disclosing the revival of the Saak family to us?”

“Don’t look at me. I have no idea. But if the Great Labyrinth of Runay-aas has actually returned, maybe they brought in humans who might know something to devise a strategy. If possible, they want to lock away the Saak family and their dungeon back underground.”

“Then pretend nothing happened?” Yoshino said discontentedly.

“That sounds just like what the elders and the Attending Awl would do.”

The man shrugged again.