The Fourth Girl Finally Discovers the Truth – Part 04

“Lord Silver Face,” Paula said.

Hikaru gave a small nod. The woman he had spoken to at the Adventurers Guild would be able to return home using a stagecoach or some other means. The matter regarding her commission had been left in the air after the commotion, so it was bothering him a bit.

“You’re quick to take action,” Hikaru said. “I expected nothing less from the deputy leader.”

“Quit messing with me. I can’t compare to your profound insights.”

“You give me too much credit.”

Jillarte’s straight gaze and dreamy smile caught Hikaru off-guard. Back on Southleaf Island, she had told him she loved him.

“I think about him every day, and I’ve spent countless nights just longing for him. But I can’t express my feelings to him yet. He’s done nothing but help me, and I’m not worthy of standing beside him.”

These words she had said not to Silver Face, but to Hikaru.

“I will better myself. And when I can take pride in who I’ve become, I will come see him. No matter where you are in the world, I will find you.”

Jillarte knew Hikaru was Silver Face when she said these words. To her, Silver Face had become an almost sacred figure, beyond mere respect or affection.

“Once the roads to Agiapole are accessible, you can make progress in your investigation into demi-human slavery within Bios.”

“Exactly. Even though the dungeon is now floating above us, our top priority remains the liberation of our comrades.”

“I see.”

Hikaru stared intently at the map. The hollowed piece of land was vast, covering an area comparable to a small territory.

“I can’t believe there’s no need for preparations or dry runs before lifting something this large in the air,” Hikaru muttered offhandedly.

Jillarte’s breath caught.

“Hmm? What is it?”

“Well… It might not be significant, but three nights ago, there was also a tremor.”

“Oh?”

“It was so brief that I didn’t pay much attention to it and forgot about it until now, but there was a tremor.”

“Three days ago, huh?” Hikaru thought for a moment. “No good. There’s too little to go on.”

“I’m sorry. But it really might have been just an ordinary tremor.”

“Why do you think so?”

“Well, it didn’t feel like it was the dungeon shaking. It was something different.”

“Hmm?”

Given the timing, one would think the dungeon was the cause, but Jillarte didn’t seem to think so.

“What am I even saying? It had to be the dungeon.”

“Just to ask, if it wasn’t the dungeon, what do you think did shake?”

“I… don’t know.”

“Hmm.”

Even Hikaru, who had experienced many earthquakes in Japan, couldn’t tell which direction the tremor came from. So it wasn’t unreasonable for Jillarte to say she didn’t know.

“But I have a feeling it was in the direction of the Holy City.”

“The Holy City?”

“S-Sorry. I want to help you, but I’m just making things confusing. Please forget what I said.”

“No, hunches in times like this can’t be dismissed. Besides, it’s not about who helps whom. Our goals are pretty much the same: to solve that ridiculous phenomenon, right?”

Hikaru looked up from the map and smiled.

“This isn’t the only place we can get information. It might be a long shot, but it’s better than not asking at all. If the tremor came from the Holy City, then I’ll talk to the top officials there.”

Hikaru decided to return to Agiapole with Paula.

---

The grand conference room of the Tower was in chaos.

High-ranking clergymen had gathered, engaging in heated debates, but no conclusions or effective measures emerged. It was understandable, considering no historical records mentioned how to deal with a flying island.

Luvain listened to the priests’ discussions while holding documents.

Everyone was serious, doing their utmost to ensure the Holy City wouldn’t suffer significant damage and that the believers would be safe. Their efforts were truly appreciated.

“Let’s take a break,” Luvain suggested. The priests fell silent, waiting for his next words. “Stay on high alert through the night. I want the temple guards, knights, and soldiers to rotate their rest periods to ensure constant vigilance.”

“As you command.”

“Have the watchtowers report every hour, noting any minor changes.”

After the priests nodded, Luvain left the conference room and returned to his private quarters.

The room, with only a large table, a desk, and a bed, was utterly austere, lacking any decorations.

It was long past sunset, and it was almost midnight.

Luvain held back a sigh. If he sighed now, all the fatigue he had been suppressing might flood out.

He looked out the window. The flying island was visible, illuminated by the moon.

The worst-case scenario was the island falling on the Holy City. If that happened, the thousand-year-old city would be destroyed overnight.

The discussions had centered on how to assess the situation in the sky and how to attack it, but no good solutions had emerged. The altitude was too high.

The only bit of information was a rumor about a small tribe in the Forestia Federation that tamed giant birds. But it was unclear if they could fly that high. Even magic and siege weapons couldn’t reach it.

It made him realize how powerless they were against something flying in the sky.

“Times like this…”

Luvain found himself thinking of him again. Silver Face might come up with an idea they hadn’t thought of.

He knew he was overestimating and fantasizing too much, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

“You seem tired.”

The voice from behind startled him. He wondered if he was hearing things. Even after turning around and seeing him, he thought it might be a hallucination.

Silver Face was sitting in the chair at Luvain’s desk.

“Did you think I was dead? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“Well—no, it’s just that your appearance at this timing seems too convenient. Are you real?”

“Do you think there’d be two shady guys in masks out there?”

“Are you calling yourself shady? Are you, by any chance, the reason the dungeon floated into the sky?”

“…”

“…”

“I wanted to ask something.”

“What was that dead air? I was joking, but was it actually the truth? I see. Then it’s no wonder you appeared before me.”

“You looked all serious in that meeting, but now you seem happy.”

“Me… happy?”

Luvain finally realized that his tense face had relaxed, and he was faintly smiling.

The priests, who only knew the unwavering, emotionless face of the Pope, would be surprised to see the very human expression he was currently wearing.

“Shall I make some tea?”

“Don’t bother. Having the Pope make tea for me is hardly a point of pride.”

“I just feel like having some.”

Luvain used the magically heated water to make tea. It had been a long time since he made tea himself. At least since becoming Pope, he had been constantly tense, and tea had been far from his mind.

“The current master of that dungeon is Soaarunay Saak, a descendant of Runay-aas o Saak, from whom the Great Labyrinth of Runay-aas got its name,” Silver Face explained as the tea leaves steeped.

“Is that true? Well, it must be, if it’s coming from you. But why are you giving me this information? Is it out of guilt for what you did? No, you wouldn’t do that.”

“Keep your thoughts to yourself, will you? I appreciate that you’re quick on the uptake, but seriously, what kind of person do you think I am?”

“You’re my partner in crime. You can’t be a saint.”

Those weren’t words that should come from the Pope while wearing a gentle smile.

Partners in crime. Indeed, the former Pope had been poisoned with an enhanced version of the Accursed Toxin by Silver Face. And Silver Face had provided Luvain with the means to cure it. But Luvain chose to let the former Pope die.

Because of the poison, and because he didn’t heal him, the former Pope passed away. Without the poison, or if he had been healed, the former Pope wouldn’t have died.

Luvain called this a collusion.

“I’m giving you information because you might have intel that I don’t.”

“Why are you so interested in the Great Labyrinth of Runay-aas? It’s not your concern, is it?”

Luvain poured tea from the teapot and offered a cup to Silver Face.

“It does concern me somewhat. Haven’t you heard from the Four Eastern Stars?”

“The Four Eastern Stars. Ah, the adventurers. I heard they killed a chimera on the sixth floor, and I rewarded them for it.”

“I see.”

Silver Face nodded, confirming that Luvain didn’t know he had rescued Selyse after she fell from the sixth to the seventh floor.

“Well, my motivations aren’t important. All you need to know is that we both want to solve the flying dungeon issue. I gotta say, this tea is delightful.”

“It’s my favorite blend. Anyway, are you looking for a way to get up there? Do you wish to enter it directly?”

“That would be ideal.”

“There’s currently no way to get there.”

Luvain mentioned the small tribe rumored to tame giant birds, but Silver Face agreed it wasn’t feasible.