The Scales that Announce Global Upheaval – Part 01

“This world had once been destroyed,” the Man Gnome explained.

Initially, it sounded absurd. If it had been destroyed, how could people and animals still exist? But more precisely, he referred to a great war in ancient times that nearly wiped out this world.

After that cataclysmic conflict, a small number of humans, Man Gnomes, Elves, Dwarves, and various other races, flora and fauna and monsters, survived. Over countless years, they thrived and reached the present day.

No one knew exactly how long ago that great war had occurred. There were no records from back then. Everything was destroyed in the war and worn away by time. However, a few remnants endured.

The Black Wedge Gate was one such artifact. And the massive seal discovered in the great pit beneath the Theocracy of Bios was likely another.

The Man Gnomes were among the few races to inherit memories of the war. They prioritized ensuring such a cataclysm never happened again.

The factions in that ancient war were those who sought advancement through souls and those who pursued it through magic.

The Man Gnomes were custodians of souls, believing that excessive use of magic disrupted the world’s balance. Their rationale was that magic influenced the nature of elementals and such, imbuing pure magical energy with attributes such as fire, water, holy, or unholy. This world lacked a system to recirculate such a process, so altered magical energies could gradually destabilize the world, affecting souls as well.

Hikaru couldn’t confirm this, but one example came to mind. Performing the spell for crossing worlds required elemental magic stones for a supply of magical energy. Because these stones possessed singular attributes, the spell for crossing worlds was incomplete. It was one-way; one could travel from here to Japan, but not vice versa. Hikaru speculated that elemental magic stones with singular attributes distorted the power that drew souls together.

Mana was an ethereal substance flowing through the air, and the Man Gnomes asserted it was far more abundant in ancient times. Millennia of magic and sorcery usage had depleted it to its current state.

The Man Gnomes deemed it crucial to restrain the excessive use of magic and mitigate its impact on souls to preserve balance in the world.

It’s like Earth’s oil resources, Hikaru ruminated.

In contrast, opposing factions championed magic’s supremacy.

The Saak family, descendants of the brilliant sorcerer Runay-aas o Saak, upheld such beliefs. They aimed to recycle altered magical energy and even manipulate souls through their studies of magic and sorcery.

For centuries, the Man Gnomes and the Saak family stood in opposition. The Man Gnomes evaded the watchful eyes of the Saak family within their hidden village, while the Saak family operated from their stronghold, the legendary Great Labyrinth of Runay-aas, beyond the Man Gnomes’ reach.

To adventurers, the Great Labyrinth of Runay-aas seemed like a fairy tale, but to the Man Gnomes, it was a real and present danger.

However, a time came when the Great Labyrinth of Runay-aas vanished. Its legends grew more embellished, becoming an actual myth.

Moreover, dungeons across the continent, powered by immense sorcery, likewise disappeared. Their entrances and existence became concealed from the outside world.

With the disappearance of the Saak family from the stage, the Man Gnomes’ adversaries vanished too. The Man Gnomes sought to influence nations across the continent to manage magical energy through souls, so they tried to seize control of the state. This was also why the emperor of the Quinbrand Empire was a Man Gnome.

With the Saak family gone, the Man Gnomes enjoyed an era of peace.

But now, they faced a crisis—the resurgence of the Great Labyrinth of Runay-aas and the reawakening of dungeons worldwide, which consumed massive quantities of mana. The Man Gnomes considered it a grave situation and prioritized investigating the cause of these dungeon revivals.

They quickly realized the connection to the unsealing of the great pit beneath the Holy City of Agiapole. To investigate the matter further, they had no choice but to ask those directly involved. And that was Silver Face. They searched for him, but his elusive nature made him difficult to track down. Then, they detected significant magical activity in the capital of Ponsonia and arrived to find Silver Face there.

This place lacked a formal name. It was simply referred to as a village or hidden village, the Man Gnomes’ one and only stronghold.

It was hard to believe the Man Gnomes possessed such advanced technology as a warp device, but certain aspects made sense.

The Man Gnomes operated in the shadows of history. Emperor Kagurai of the Quinbrand Empire and Unken in Ponsonia Kingdom’s Pond were both Man Gnomes. Unken not only held the title of Adventurers Guild Master but also played a role similar to a spy, coordinating with Man Gnomes in the Quinbrand Empire during the unrest in the Theocracy of Bios.

Information gathered in the empire flowed back to the hidden village. With the Black Wedge Gate, intelligence gathering was straightforward.

Long ago, Funai ventured out from the hidden village. His inventions—particularly the soul card—were groundbreaking and had the potential to reshape this world’s very fabric.

Funai himself was undoubtedly a genius, but Hikaru also believed that growing up in a village with such advanced technology definitely had some influence.

Over the centuries, this hidden Man Gnome village had quietly kept itself away from the stage of history. Being here now made Hikaru keenly aware of the weight of its past.

It was more appropriate to call it a village rather than a town. It was quite small.

The buildings here had shapes Hikaru had never seen before. Some were cylindrical, others rectangular, but none taller than two stories. Their walls were all coated in the same material, a strange color blending green, brown, and gray. Yet, it didn’t feel oppressive; every door and window was wide open.

Do they not have roofs here?

From what Hikaru could see through the windows, there seemed to be no ceiling inside. He spotted the streaks of light that spilled into this vast space.

Maybe they don’t need roofs because it doesn’t rain here. There’s no wind either. It’s like living inside a gigantic house, partitioned off for different uses.

Intricate patterns were carved into the walls, depicting Man Gnomes holding staffs and various animals and plants. It was incredibly detailed but seemed randomly placed across the walls. Even the roadside had finely crafted stone statues scattered about. There were just so many of them.

It was curious how the place maintained enough brightness. Multiple beams of light streamed down from various angles, reflecting all over and illuminating the village thoroughly.

With this amount of light, not many large plants would likely grow, but there were still shrubs everywhere, and moss covered everything except the sidewalks made from the same material as the outer walls.

“Slimes?!”

Between buildings, there were gooey, jelly-like objects moving slowly. Hikaru had expected such creatures in a world of swords and magic, but hadn’t encountered any until now. They were said to inhabit the underground of human cities.

“Yes,” the Man Gnome said, as if it were natural for slimes to be around. “We’re turning down the next street.” Then, he turned right at what seemed to be the central square.

Guiding Hikaru and Paula was a Man Gnome who appeared to be in his forties. Despite looking the youngest, his actions suggested he was the leader.

“…”

“…”

Hikaru and Paula exchanged looks. There was no point being perplexed here, so they followed behind.

In the center of the square stood a huge crystal pillar, casting soft, rainbow-colored light on the surroundings.

There was no one around. They hadn’t met anyone. It didn’t seem like an abandoned village, as laundry hung from upper floors and backyards.

Hikaru kept using Mana Detection but felt it wasn’t working well. If it indicated no one, that would be fine, but normally, there should be magicules, the smallest units of mana, flowing in the air. Not sensing even that made him wonder if his Mana Detection was unusable.

“Where are the people who live here?” Hikaru asked.

“Hmm? Ah… Everyone is out working,” the Man Gnome replied. “It is the duty of every Man Gnome to be assigned a role and fulfill it.”

Out working. Did that mean they were outside the village? That would explain why there was no one around.

But it was quiet. Too quiet. Hikaru couldn’t help but feel like he was in a ghost town.

Further ahead from the square, a circular building appeared. Its double doors were wide open, and since there was no roof, the interior was brightly visible.

There was a round table in the center, and several Man Gnomes seemed to be busy at work. Finally, Hikaru could hear noise and people’s voices, giving him an odd sense of relief.

Noticing their approach, they stopped working, surprised. One of them—he looked to be in his forties but was probably over a hundred—hurried over, carrying documents in both hands. He looked somewhat like a civil servant, but his attire resembled a haori and hakama. The fabric was stiff and tea-colored, with simple patterns on the sleeves and hem.