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The Scales that Announce Global Upheaval – Part 05

Hikaru learned a lot from his conversation with Renka.

Man Gnomes, aside from those like Raiga in the Distant Girdle, seldom ventured beyond their secluded village. Non-members of the Distant Girdle might leave for work occasionally, but such instances were rare.

Their hidden village was nestled within a vast cavern, featuring workshops along its walls for crafting clothes, blacksmiths’ forges, and even farms deeper within the cave for growing grains and vegetables.

The only thing they lacked was livestock; meat and fish were brought in daily by the Distant Girdle.

Each Man Gnome was assigned work and expected to fulfill it. Apparently, they eventually grow accustomed to life devoid of much change or freedom.

Elves, with their even longer lifespans, are said to prefer a more stable, unchanging existence. I guess if you were busy every single day, you wouldn’t be able to live for centuries.

While this lifestyle seemed restrictive in its own way, Man Gnomes, straddling the line between humans and Elves, could choose to live either in a manner akin to the former or in the reclusive fashion of the latter.

“Renka, you’re still here.”

“Oh, Dad.”

Arriving at the assembly hall, Raiga frowned at the sight of Renka chatting away. He had wanted her to hurry back home after serving tea. He still didn’t trust Hikaru and Paula, and he feared they might fill Renka’s head with tales of the outside world.

“Silver Face, the elder is ready to see you. Come along.”

“All right.”

Hikaru stood up and bid farewell to Renka.

Instead of the usual meeting place of the elders, they were led to a different building. A residence.

It was larger than the others, adorned with intricate carvings covering one entire wall, depicting creeping vines. While vines might naturally grow in homes above ground, that wasn’t the case in their subterranean village.

“Raiga of the Distant Girdle reporting.”

“Ah, come in.”

The door was wide open, offering a good view of the inside, but it could be open or shut. In fact, as soon as Hikaru and Paula entered, Raiga closed the large sliding door.

There was a ceiling, and with the windows closed, the only light came from candles. Yes, candles, not magic lamps. Upon entering, they found themselves in a living space furnished with a large table. Further inside were carpets and long couches. Wall-mounted shelves showcased finely crafted vessels and several bird statues. The birds were painted in various colors, vividly highlighted by the candlelight.

“I have a hobby of collecting bird statues. If you happen to have any bird statues, I’d gladly take them off your hands.”

A hooded elder approached with a candle in hand.

Raiga mentioned meeting with the elder, without specifying the Grand Elder or the elders, leading Hikaru to assume it was a specific person. But he didn’t expect only one.

This elder was a man. Among the seven elders, four were women, including the Grand Elder, and three were men.

“Sorry, but I don’t carry such elegant decors with me,” Hikaru said.

“Is that so? With that large backpack, I thought you might have something.”

“All I have in here are essentials for a journey.”

Hikaru’s backpack was heavy. It contained clothes, blankets, and more, but it also held weapons. This mysterious backpack, deeper than it appeared, was something Hikaru had obtained in the Great Labyrinth of Runay-aas. It contained other items as well, just not bird statues.

“Well then, take a seat.”

The elder, illuminated by candlelight, appeared younger than the other elders, yet still elderly.

Hikaru and Paula settled in front of the table, with the elder seated across from them, while Raiga stationed himself at the doorway.

“First, I would like to apologize for the inconvenience. I’ve been eager to hear your story, but getting around isn’t easy for the legs of us older folks.”

“Hmm, I thought you elders were just lounging around after sending out others to do work, but you’re surprisingly respectable.”

“Watch your mouth, Silver Face.”

“It’s all right, Raiga.” The elder restrained Raiga with a single remark. “Did Raiga do something untoward?”

“Just trespassing into someone’s home. There are no doors or windows in this village, so I guess it was just a difference in social etiquette.”

“I see.”

The elder glanced briefly at Raiga. Raiga seemed like he wanted to say something but remained silent.

“Now, then. It’s about time you tell me what you know about the spell for crossing worlds,” Hikaru began.

“I was told you came to our village seeking that information. But first, can you tell me what you know about this spell for crossing worlds? The information we Man Gnomes have might end up being irrelevant.”

“Fine.”

The elder seemed unfazed by Hikaru’s imperious tone, maintaining a considerate demeanor. He could just be faking it, but he was very thorough nonetheless. Considering his attitude, Hikaru deemed it better to skip any maneuvering and get straight to the point.

Hikaru explained what he knew about the spell for crossing worlds, which was not a lot. The basic framework of this spell was published long ago by Soaarunay Saak, and he had recently put it into practical use.

The elder’s surprise was evident. “You say you succeeded in completing what the Saak family had left unfinished?”

Technically, it was Roland N. Zaracia, the previous owner of Hikaru’s body, and Queen Kujastria of Ponsonia who did the work, but there was no need to get into those details. Especially the part where the spell could send humans to another world.

“Yeah. The Saak family’s thesis was nearly complete, missing only a few steps.”

“You have more aptitude for sorcery than we anticipated.”

“I don’t care about the power struggle between the Man Gnomes and the Saaks. All I want is to live peacefully and quietly, so I’d appreciate it if you didn’t drag me into your problems.”

“Kagurai said you have no desires.”

“Calling the Emperor by name, huh?”

“He also said, ‘His lack of desire is tricky. He’s not swayed by prestige or money. I doubt anyone can make him do what we want.’”

“…”

That was quite accurate.

“By the way, did you know that the Great Labyrinth of Runay-aas has been revived?”

“I’m only interested in whether you’re willing to help make the spell for crossing worlds usable again.”

“Raiga found you because we noticed someone was trying to cross this world’s… barrier of sorts. We have a device to detect that. It senses special and powerful mana signatures.”

“Oh?”

“That lends credibility to our information, wouldn’t you agree? We want to know about the Great Labyrinth of Runay-aas. It will provide some context as well.”

“I know about it. You could say it’s been revived, yes.”

The elder nodded. It seemed the village was aware of the dungeon’s revival.

“Do you know why it was revived?”

“No idea. I’m not an expert on the Saak family. But it’s probably Soaarunay Saak operating the dungeon.”

“Is it really Soaarunay Saak?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well…”

“I’ve already given you information. You’re not holding out on me now, are you?”

“It’s not that.”

“Then what is it?”

The elder’s eyes widened. The masked boy in front of him was staring directly at him.

Despite his calm and quiet speech, the intensity in his eyes left the elder paralyzed.

He hadn’t underestimated this boy. According to Kagurai’s information, this boy had brought the Pope of the Theocracy of Bios to Quinbrand’s imperial capital, uncovered evidence of drugs distributed by the city’s nobility, and helped broker a ceasefire agreement between Bios and Quinbrand.

He possessed stealth abilities, bold decision-making, and had fought numerous battles.

The elder had initially thought Kagurai’s intel about Hikaru was exaggerated. That the Emperor was concealing unfavorable information by singing the boy’s praises. The Man Gnomes’ shrewdness and longevity led him to consider such possibilities.

When the boy appeared at the elder council meeting, he seemed arrogant but insignificant as a human. Frankly, the elder considered him unimpressive.

Yet, the intensity from this boy now was overwhelming. This Man Gnome, who had lived for over two centuries, shuddered at the boy’s presence.

“R-Raiga did inform us about Soaarunay, but Soaarunay Saak was a human. They disappeared long before I was born. They shouldn’t be alive now.”

“They might have turned into an Undead.”

“Becoming an undead monster would limit the types of magic they can use. For the Saak family, that’s more humiliating than death itself.”

That reasoning made sense in a strange way.

“Their large-scale experiment turned the southern plains of Quinbrand into a wasteland. But after that, no one knew their whereabouts or the location of the labyrinth.”

An experiment. A major accident. That incident took Soaarunay’s life, and it was the trigger that led their soul to inhabit Sasakura Ayano’s body. What a troublesome individual.