The Only Way to Reach the Flying Island – Part 03

The light from the campfire cast a warm glow on Paula’s face as she lay wrapped in a blanket.

January nights were cold, but the chill of the Quinbrand Empire, located north of the Kingdom of Ponsonia, was even harsher. The ground was frozen, and frost covered everything. Amidst this cold, a small campfire burned in the shadow of a large rock.

Hikaru shivered and added more branches to the fire.

After passing through the Man Gnome village and traveling north through the Quinbrand Empire for four days, they arrived in an uninhabited wilderness.

Barren land described it perfectly; only dry grass grew sparsely, the trees were withered, and a bit further ahead lay a mountainous area with exposed rock faces. Hikaru knew the Kingdom of Ponsonia had rich lands, but he hadn’t realized how desolate the Quinbrand Empire became the farther you got from the capital.

But this was the direction they needed to go. They were circling around the floating Great Labyrinth of Runay-aas.

“They’re sleeping well.”

Seasoned travelers, the four members of the Four Eastern Stars slept soundly even in the desolate outdoors. Hikaru was surprised that Serika, also from Japan, was the first to fall asleep.

Although they were groggy after passing through the Black Wedge Gate, the sight of the Imperial Capital made them believe in the teleportation device’s effectiveness. Serika had marveled at the technology, calling it super-advanced. And she was right. It was as if it had skipped several stages of development. Even the Man Gnomes, who owned the Black Wedge Gate, did not understand how it worked.

“Oh, you’re awake?”

Selyse stirred and sat up. “Y-Yeah. Should I take over the watch?”

“It’s fine. My shift just started.”

Hikaru had removed his mask since all the Four Eastern Stars members already knew he was Silver Face.

“Um…”

“Hm? What is it, Selyse?”

“Well, it’s just… you talk differently without the mask.”

“I suppose.” It was embarrassing when someone else drew attention to it. “This is who I really am.”

“I see. Yes, that makes sense.”

“What is it? You’ve been acting strange lately. Do you have something on your mind about me?”

“I-I’m not acting strange. Absolutely not.”

Selyse, flustered and definitely acting strange, came around to sit across the campfire from Hikaru.

“Do you want some tea?” Hikaru asked.

“I’d like that.”

Selyse watched closely as Hikaru began preparing tea. She was clearly acting strange. The other members of the Four Eastern Stars seemed aware of her behavior but said nothing. It was odd.

“Here you go.”

“Th-Thank you.”

Steam wafted from the tea. She carefully brought it to her mouth.

Eh, it’s fine, I guess. It’s weird, but not really harmful or anything.

This was far better than when she would put on inscrutable smiles. One crafty person to deal with—Pope Luvain—was more than enough.

“We’ve already come this far, but may I double-check something?” Hikaru asked.

Selyse placed her cup on her lap. “Hm? What is it?”

“We’ll be directly under the dungeon tomorrow. To be exact, we’ll likely be waiting for the dungeon to come to us. Our plan is quite reckless.”

“I understand. We’ll be flying, right?”

“Yes. Since we haven’t tried this before, there’s a chance we might fail. Even if we manage to fly, if we can’t land in the dungeon, we could die.”

“Indeed.”

“You seem remarkably calm about this. Is this the so-called readiness of an adventurer?”

Selyse chuckled softly. Her breath was visible in the cold air. “I just believe.”

“You believe that I’ll pull it off?”

“No, I believe in you.”

“Me?” Hikaru looked puzzled.

“You said you’d take on the challenge and try to succeed. It’s not about my readiness as an adventurer. I believe in your determination.”

“Why do you trust me so much?”

“Look at what you’ve done. You showed me Japan through the spell for crossing worlds. You introduced me to a teleportation device. Not long ago, you obtained the antidote for the Black Rot—the Accursed Toxin—and prevented further victims in the Empire. These are not feats of an ordinary adventurer. If you were given an adventurer rank, you’d be A… no, S.”

Rank S, a level considered mythical, was held by only five people on the continent.

“You’re overrating me.”

“Your humility despite your skill is very admirable. And you…”

“Hmm?”

“Never… mind.”

She had nearly said, “You saved my life in the dungeon, killed a giant dragon in no time, and took down a massive golem,” but stopped herself. Instead, Selyse looked away, her cheeks flushed and ears bright red.

“Was the tea too hot?” Hikaru asked.

“It might have been.” Selyse smiled softly.

A brief silence followed, but it wasn’t an awkward one. The fire crackled gently, sending wisps of smoke into the night sky.

“I think… I think the Four Eastern Stars shouldn’t come along,” Hikaru said.

“Do you think we’ll drag you down?”

“That’s not what I meant. Like I said, this mission is dangerous and highly unpredictable. I can’t be responsible for your safety.”

Selyse shook her head. “You don’t need to take responsibility.”

“Because adventurers are responsible for their own well-being? Still, it bothers me. That’s why I gave Sara a few items.”

Hikaru had given some of his belongings to Sara, another scout. These were items he had procured from Kelbeck of the Thieves Guild in the satellite town of Pond.

This mission was fraught with so much danger. He had to do anything he could, or he would regret it later.

“Going to Japan might be important for Serika and the rest of the Four Eastern Stars, but you already have each other,” Hikaru said.

“And you’re different?”

“Yes.”

“Is it because of Lavia? No…”

Selyse looked pained and lost in thought. Hikaru couldn’t quite grasp what was troubling her.

“Selyse?”

“I was going to die on the 7th floor of the dungeon. You saved me. So, there’s no problem with me risking my life for you, is there?”

“I don’t want that.”

“You’re probably thinking that if it were just you or just Paula, you’d be fine. In short, you see us as a burden.”

Selyse hit the nail on the head. Nevertheless, Hikaru couldn’t help but notice the edge in her words.

“Seriously, what’s going on with you? You’ve been acting weird these past few days. The Selyse I know wouldn’t have said such things. You would have said whatever it took to confuse me in order to get what you want.”

“…”

After a pause, Selyse spoke up. “Marius quit being an adventurer.”

Marius was the leader of the Rank A party Azure Blade Nebula. Despite losing his magic sword the Blue Flash, Selyse had planned to give him a replacement with similar capabilities. But since Marius retired, the sword ended up with Selyse.

“He had come to terms with his feelings. He probably had many regrets and unresolved issues, but he still moved onto the next chapter of his life. I believe he felt he had completed his journey as an adventurer.”

“…”

“If I don’t join you on this mission, I know I’ll regret it forever. Especially if you get seriously injured. I’d regret it for the rest of my life. I don’t want to live with such regrets. And I believe that’s the Selyse Lande you know.”

She stared straight at Hikaru. Her eyes reflected the fire’s glow.

Hikaru sighed quietly. “Fine. I give up.”

Selyse chuckled. “I’m glad you understand. And you can stand to count on me more.”

“I can’t just—”

“You can. You saved my life, so if you don’t demand a lot more from me, it hurts.”

“Hm?”

Hurts what? Hikaru wondered. Her pride?

Selyse rose. “I’ll sleep a bit more. Thanks for the tea.”

“O-Okay.”

She handed the cup back to Hikaru and returned to her blanket. As she wrapped herself up, Hikaru was left alone again.

“She’s a stubborn one.”

Hikaru reflected on Selyse’s comment about regret. He felt the same way about the Four Eastern Stars. He didn’t want to drag other people into his problems. He couldn’t take full responsibility.

But Paula was a different case. She wouldn’t hesitate to risk her life for Hikaru, and he’d do the same for her. Lavia likely felt the same about Paula. All three of them were bound by fate. One could even describe them as accomplices.

“Adding four more would be too much.”

Hikaru added a few more branches to the fire, then stood up. Sitting still in the cold night had left his knees, back, and hips stiff. He stretched, groaning softly, and moved away from the others.

A slight breeze was enough to steal the warmth the fire had given him. The wasteland stretched endlessly, and the sky seemed incredibly vast. With a new moon out, the surroundings were pitch dark, but an unbelievably beautiful starry sky spread out above him.

Selyse had been oddly emotional earlier. Hikaru didn’t understand why, but it was clear that she had already decided to follow him, fully aware of the risks.

Hikaru’s top priority was using the spell for crossing worlds—reuniting with Lavia. This hadn’t changed. Since their goals aligned, he decided not to dampen Selyse’s resolve anymore.

“Lavia.”

Hikaru closed his eyes tightly, recalling the last time he saw Lavia. That was when Soaarunay—Ayano Sasakura—used a mana crystal in Mt. Midori to cast the spell for crossing worlds.

Lavia was likely safe. It felt like she used the spell for crossing worlds in Japan the other day. On her own. Hikaru had no idea how she managed it, but Lavia had accomplished the seemingly impossible.

“We’re connected.”

Even when worlds apart, their bond endured. This fact was a pillar of strength for him. No matter how reckless it seemed, he would enter the Great Labyrinth.

“Lavia, there are so many things I want to tell you, so many things I want to see and foods I want to try.”

When Hikaru first came to this world, it was Lavia who had helped him. They had traveled to many places and ran into various incidents. Together, they had overcome many challenges. He had expected her to continue walking by his side, and she likely felt the same.

“I feel like half of me is missing.”

The wind blew through the hole in his heart.

Even though they had split up before, they had never been this far apart. Lavia was currently farther away than the stars in the night sky.

“We’ll get through this. We can overcome it.”

Hikaru clenched his fists.