What Changed in Pond, and What Didn’t – Part 08

The nation of Ironforge, Dodorono explained, lay west of Bios, bordering the Confederacy of Einbiest.

“Why Bios?”

“My brother lives there. He could use his connections to find a secure way to transport the Progenitor’s Shield to our homeland. You’ve met him, haven’t ya?”

Hikaru nodded. Dodorono’s brother, much like him, was a fashion-obsessed blacksmith. Unlike Dodorono, though, his brother wasn’t allowed by their family to pursue tailoring, so he’d stuck to wielding a hammer instead.

“If you’re transporting it, that does seem the safest option,” Hikaru admitted.

“So, here’s the thing. Would you mind coming with me?”

“What?”

“You’re an adventurer, aren’t you? If you deliver the Progenitor’s Shield, not only will there be a reward, but the nation should cover the transportation costs. We could even make it an official commission through the Adventurers Guild.”

“Yeah… I’m not sure.”

Money wasn’t an issue for Hikaru, but drawing too much attention definitely was.

“I see. You’ve got your hands full already.”

“Sorry.”

“No, no, don’t worry about it. I just traveled all the way to Vireocean, so I figure I should keep moving while I’m still sharp. It’s a shame I won’t get to use the rare materials I gathered to make clothes, but for the Progenitor’s Shield, that’s a small sacrifice. Honestly, I’m swamped too, but I s’pose it can’t be helped.”

Huh?

“Ah, I really don’t want to return to Ironforge, but with the Progenitor’s Shield here, I don’t have much of a choice, do I? I’ll just have to chalk this up to fate. I mean, it’s not like I was the one who found it.”

Hm?

“Uh, Dodorono? Are you, by any chance, asking me to come with you?”

“No, no! I’d never impose on someone as busy as you.”

“…”

“I just thought… it’d be nice if I didn’t have to handle this alone, ya know?” he added, sneaking hopeful glances at Hikaru.

“Hikaru.” Leniwood placed a hand on Hikaru’s shoulder. “When Dodorono gets like this, he’s impossible to deal with.”

“Yeah, I can see that.”

It wasn’t like Hikaru picked up this massive shield because he wanted to. He didn’t even know it had any value. Still, he could somewhat understand Dodorono’s feelings.

Dodorono was a Dwarf, a race that valued blacksmithing above all else. Once he awakened to a passion for fashion and dresses, it became difficult for him to live in the realm of the Dwarves, so he ended up drifting all the way to the Kingdom of Ponsonia.

Now, he was being forced to abandon his beloved craft—and the materials he had painstakingly procured—to return to a place he didn’t want to go back to. A little grumbling was understandable.

“Fine,” Hikaru relented. “I’ll accompany you to your brother.”

“Really? Oh, thank you! I’m just a weak, helpless Dwarf, after all.”

Dodorono’s tone was dramatic, but his relief was obvious. Perhaps he was feeling anxious about transporting the Progenitor’s Shield all on his own.

“What are you blabbering on about?” Leniwood cut in. “Just because Hikaru is a nice kid doesn’t mean you can take advantage of him.”

“No, no, it’s fine,” Hikaru said. “I also have some business in Agiapole.”

“Business? You don’t have to force yourself, y’know.”

Hikaru was curious about what the Four Eastern Stars were up to. So much so, in fact, that he had considered using the Black Wedge Gate to go and check on them.

“Seriously, being too nice can bite you on the butt,” Leniwood added. “The shield’s incredible, sure, but if it’s a Dwarven treasure, let the Dwarf handle it.”

Hikaru chuckled awkwardly. “I appreciate your concern.”

“Concern? Hah. Let me tell you something, Hikaru.”

“Wh-What is it?”

Leniwood grabbed Hikaru’s shoulders, his expression suddenly grave. “If you come across any interesting weapons, you have to show them to me.”

“…”

“You’re just as exhausting, Leniwood,” Dodorono sighed. “I guess this means I’ll be heading to Bios too.”

“Hm? What do you mean?” Hikaru asked.

“While I was in Vireocean, I met an elderly lady named Talis. She mentioned she was heading to Agiapole. We traveled together to the royal capital, but she went on without me. I should’ve joined her then.”

“Bad timing,” Hikaru said. “Maybe we’ll catch up to her along the way.”

“Maybe. All right, then. I’m counting on you, Hikaru.”

“Got it.”

And so, Hikaru set his sights on Agiapole.

---

However, he couldn’t just head straight there. Lavia was still in the capital.

“Hikaru! What’s going on? Why are you in such a hurry?”

Lavia, as usual, was surrounded by stacks of books, deeply engrossed in her reading at the Four Eastern Stars’ apartment in the royal capital, when Hikaru burst into the room. Paula wasn’t with him.

“Actually…”

Hikaru quickly explained the situation.

“I see. It’s someone who helped you out before, right? Then, let’s help them.”

Lavia immediately agreed to head to Bios.

“Could you get ready? Dodorono and Paula are waiting at the carriage stop.”

“Okay.”

Used to preparing for travel, Lavia packed her things and was ready to leave the apartment in less than thirty minutes.

“Has anything changed here while I was away?” Hikaru asked on the way. “I heard the number of adventurers in the capital keeps dropping.”

“Yeah. The Adventurers Guild is swamped. They’re struggling to manage all the pending commissions with fewer adventurers around.”

“I see. Maybe we could handle a delivery or two for Bios while we’re at it.”

“Well, that’s about all there is.”

Though the chaos from the recent Fire Drakon hadn’t entirely subsided, the vast city had already regained its life. People still needed to work and make a living, after all.

That’s good. The Fire Drakon’s never coming again, so they can rest easy, thought Hikaru, the one responsible for the two Fire Drakon incidents.

“Actually, there’s something that’s been bothering me,” Lavia said.

“What is it?”

“While you were in Pond, I went to check the Black Wedge Gate.”

“Oh?”

Hikaru had lent Lavia a Tally to activate the Black Wedge Gate, a long-distance teleportation device. The Tally was borrowed from Yoshino, a researcher in the Man Gnome Village. It was originally kept in the research facility’s secret vault.

The Tally given to the Four Eastern Stars was found by Hikaru in the deepest level of the Great Labyrinth of Runay-aas. It was burned, but Yoshino had repaired it. To return the adventurers they had rescued to Bios, they needed to pass through the Black Wedge Gate.

“Did something change?”

“Hmm. The gate itself looked the same, and it didn’t look like anyone’s been there.”

There were several Black Wedge Gates in the Man Gnome village, each connected to a fixed destination. The village served as the main hub, so if Hikaru wanted to use the Black Wedge Gate to go to the holy city of Agiapole, he would first have to use the gate in the royal capital to travel to the Man Gnome village, and then use the gate there to get to Agiapole.

“Well, if it looked the same, what’s the problem?”

“I tried using the Tally, but the gate didn’t activate.”

“What?”

“Oh, it’s not like I was trying to go to the Man Gnome village. I was just curious, so I tried using the Tally.”

Hikaru stopped in his tracks, and Lavia did as well.

Even in the backstreets of the royal capital, there was a constant flow of people, typical for a city of this size.

“What does this mean? We were able to come here from the Man Gnome village, but we can’t go back? Is it one-way now?”

“I don’t know. Maybe the Four Eastern Stars can’t return from Agiapole either because the Black Wedge Gate won’t activate.”

That’s very possible, Hikaru thought.

“Then all the more reason to head to Agiapole. They might already be on their way to Ponsonia, and we could run into them along the way.”

There were several routes to the Theocracy of Bios, but most adventurers and trade caravans stuck to one main path. If the Four Eastern Stars were on their way here, it was highly likely they would meet up with them en route.

“I guess even without Dodorono involved, we were meant to go there anyway.”

“Maybe so.” Lavia chuckled softly and slipped her hand into his. “When we get to Agiapole, can we visit lots of bookstores? It’s such a historic place. I bet they’ll have some fascinating books.”

She seemed genuinely excited about the trip to Agiapole. Although Hikaru didn’t know why the Black Wedge Gate wasn’t working, their mission hadn’t changed. And Lavia’s words reminded him to enjoy the journey.

“Of course,” he replied.

In moments like this, Hikaru felt grateful. No matter what challenges lay ahead, he was sure he could overcome them with Lavia by his side.

“I’d like to try Agiapole’s traditional cuisine,” he added.

“Really? Isn’t their famous food just simple meals prepared for monks?”

“Exactly.”

“Are you trying to cultivate virtue now?”

“That not a bad idea, but I’m more curious about how it compares to Japanese vegetarian dishes. Don’t you think that’d be interesting?”

“Oh, you’re right. I kind of want to visit more Japanese temples now.”

“I got you. Once we meet up with the Four Eastern Stars, we’ll have to figure out a plan for getting back to Japan.”

“Right!”

Before long, the carriage station came into view. It was strange how a chore could suddenly turn into an exciting trip.

Because Lavia is here.

After being separated between Japan and this world, Hikaru was overjoyed to have her with him again.

Paula and Dodorono waved upon spotting them.