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The Scales that Announce Global Upheaval – Part 09

Meanwhile, in the distant Theocracy of Bios, on the outskirts of the holy city Agiapole…

Inside a tent, several magic lamps illuminated the space as bright as midday. Around a long table sat various Beastmen—leopard, wolf, turtle, and bird. A rather diverse group.

“With that, the compensation for those who lost their lives in the advance party is settled. Any objections?”

Silence fell.

“None?” asked the only human present.

“I believe this is acceptable. Though everyone here probably just wants this long meeting to end.”

“Hey, old turtle! You can’t expose us like that. We were stifling our yawns because Jillarte is working so hard.”

“You weren’t stifling anything. You were yawning wide.”

“Huh? No, I wasn’t. You wanna go, fleabag?”

“Oh dear, wolves are always quick to fight.”

“I wasn’t talking to you, birdbrain!”

As the representatives of the Chelonians, Lycanthropes, Pantherans, and Avians bickered, the lone human—Jillarte—let out a small chuckle.

The Confederacy of Einbiest was a loose federation of minority races—mostly demi-humans—inhabiting the central wilderness of the continent. To become the leader of this federation, one needed to prove their strength in the Rulers Rumble tournament.

The current leader was a lion Beastman named Gerhardt Vatex Anchor, but Jillarte, despite being human, had fought well in the tournament and was appointed Deputy Leader.

“Sorry for the long meeting,” Jillarte said. “But we must properly compensate those brave souls who ventured first into the Great Labyrinth of Runay-aas and perished.”

“We get it. We need to give money to the bereaved families. Though, they went in willingly, so there’s a part of me that thinks we don’t really need to do this.”

The Lycanthrope representative’s words reflected the general sentiment of Beastmen. Fighting and dying by choice was a blessing and an honor.

However, the reality was that they had families left behind, and creating a system to support them was crucial. In the past, Einbiest would have left it up to each tribe, but now they were moving towards paying compensation.

“Then the meeting is adjourned,” Jillarte said. “Thank you for attending.”

Relieved, the representatives filed out of the tent.

Einbiest is changing, Jillarte thought as she watched them go. The thought of everything we need to consider gives me a headache.

The Confederacy of Einbiest, while resembling a nation, barely functioned as one. Because of this, many Beastmen had been abducted and enslaved by the neighboring Theocracy of Bios.

To liberate them, Einbiest organized an army and now camped right near Agiapole. They had entered a ceasefire and secured reparations and the release of the slaves, marking a significant victory for Einbiest.

In the midst of freeing the slaves, the Great Labyrinth of Runay-aas had suddenly appeared, unleashing a horde of monsters. Jillarte and her comrades were forced to fight these monsters, as Bios no longer had the strength.

With the potential for endless monsters to emerge, they sent an advance party into the dungeon. Gerhardt enthusiastically led them but disappeared for nearly ten days before returning, battered. Somehow, Silver Face had also been fighting in the labyrinth.

Gerhardt had received treatment, but many injuries couldn’t be healed with healing magic alone, so Jillarte planned to give him a month of rest. She had been worried sick that he might die, which was a concern both as deputy leader and a comrade.

Jillarte sighed. “Anyway, I’m glad. As long as the leader is alive, we can manage.”

Having a symbol of strength like Gerhardt was incredibly beneficial for establishing Einbiest as a nation.

Though Jillarte once aimed to be the leader, she acknowledged Gerhardt’s charisma. Given the Beastmen’s traditional values, introducing new systems under Gerhardt’s leadership would be more effective as well.

“The troubles never seem to end, do they?”

Jillarte, thinking everyone had left, let her guard down, only to realize the elder of the Chelonians was still there. Not because he wanted to remain, but because he was too slow to move.

“Well… it’s my job.”

“The words of an old turtle might not mean much, but I think you’re doing an excellent job as deputy leader.”

“Thank you.”

This elder often listened to Jillarte’s concerns and provided valuable advice, which was a great help.

“By the way, Deputy Leader, the Great Labyrinth had caused a delay, but once things settle down, I assume preparations to return to Einbiest will resume?”

“Of course. We need to leave some people here, but the road to complete slave liberation is still long.”

The treatment of Beastmen in the Theocracy of Bios varied, and some had even amassed wealth despite being slaves. These individuals preferred to stay in Bios.

Moreover, Bios had a vast territory, and confirming the locations of all Beastmen took time. Many people hid their ownership of slaves.

Pope Luvain, the head of Bios, had promised to fully support the liberation of demi-humans, but he had only recently become Pope and needed time to consolidate his power.

Due to these various circumstances, it was clear that it would take years to identify and assist all demi-humans wanting to return to Einbiest.

Thus, the majority were set to return first. And then the Great Labyrinth appeared.

“Is that acceptable to you?” The elder’s eyes, hidden under his long, white eyebrows, twinkled.

“Hmm? What do you mean?”

“I thought perhaps you might have some reason to stay behind.”

“Reason?”

The first thing that came to Jillarte’s mind was Silver Face. Although she had heard he was fighting, she hadn’t seen him. If she had, she would have definitely called out to him and rushed over with all her might.

Silver Face had been acting alone and had already headed for the capital of Ponsonia.

“No… I have none.”

She respected and admired him. She even had feelings for him. Thinking of Silver Face—Hikaru—warmed her heart.

Of course, she did wonder why he didn’t get in touch and just left, but she understood that he must have his reasons.

“I see.”

The elder seemed somewhat disappointed. He had guessed Jillarte’s feelings and planned to give her time to search for Silver Face.

“Let’s start preparing for our return tomorrow. Hm?”

Suddenly, the ground shook.

“Elder, was that…”

“A tremor. A small one, though.”

Jillarte immediately recalled the massive earthquake that had accompanied the appearance of the Great Labyrinth of Runay-aas. That earthquake had caused many tents to collapse and injured many Beastmen. When it subsided, a gigantic mountain had appeared nearby.

Wondering if it might be happening again, she stepped outside the tent. Soldiers who had also felt the tremor were looking around, but nothing else had changed.

A cold, winter wind blew through the night. The mountain bathed in moonlight—the mountain that encompassed the Great Labyrinth—stood there quietly, towering over everything.

---

In the end, even after the Grand Elder’s speech that day, Hikaru never received a summons from the elders, no matter how late it got.

Feeling neglected, he grumbled irritably, “Should I just go over there myself? Where’s the bathroom in this place anyway?”

Just then, Renka arrived with a foldable bed and towels, and showed them to the lavatory and washroom.

“Sorry about that. Those old people don’t mind making you wait a few days.”

Her regretful tone made Hikaru unable to stay angry.

If tomorrow was not an option, Hikaru decided to let it go. Granryuk had warned him not to expect much from Ultimate Mirk, but right now he wanted every little bit of information. Since Man Gnomes supposedly had a much longer history than the human race, a researcher might know something.

Hikaru and Paula ended up sleeping in the assembly hall. The beddings were thin and hard, but for adventurers, having a bed alone was more than enough. With the temperature just right—neither hot nor cold—they anticipated no trouble sleeping.

“Good night, Paula.”

A screen provided privacy between their beds. Renka, despite her youthful appearance, was incredibly considerate.

As they turned off the lamp on the table, the only source of illumination was the faint light filtering through the high skylight. It was nearly pitch-black.

“Um… Lord Hikaru,” Paula called. “Can we move the screen?”

“What?”

When Hikaru sat up, his Mana Detection sensed Paula doing the same.

“Oh, s-sorry! I guess you wouldn’t like that, huh!?”

“I mean, the partition is supposed to be for you.”

“I… well…” Paula hesitated.

Surely she wasn’t afraid of the dark. She was an active adventurer.

“I get the feeling that you might leave again,” she mumbled.

Hikaru gave a start. Using the spell for crossing worlds, only Hikaru and Lavia traveled to Japan. Afterward, the warehouse they used for the spell was demolished, leaving Paula wondering if she would ever see them again.

“I do have a lot of things I wanted to talk to you about,” Hikaru said.

About their experiences in Japan, about Soaarunay Saak, and everything in between. They had briefly touched on these topics but never delved into details.

Hikaru got out of bed and moved the screen. It was pitch black, so it hardly made a difference, but it was the gesture that mattered.