The Elevator Within the Star Land
There is a spell known as Crowdy's Moving Pen. It requires only two things: a sheet of paper to write on and a mage capable of casting it. While most students favor tiered magic for its ease of learning, straightforward use, and obvious power, this is one of the few special spells that many still consider worth mastering if given the chance.
Chrome watched in admiration as a detailed map of the building's interior drew itself naturally across the paper Pino held, as though an invisible pen were gliding over the surface.
"Wow, you handle that thing like a pro. If you can't picture the pen's movement perfectly in your head, it usually ends up as total scribble."
Pino answered as if it were nothing special. "It's just sketching a few lines following the path we've already walked. Way easier than scribbling down Professor Neville's endless lectures. More importantly, what is this place? Don't tell me it's some kind of dungeon."
"Hard to say. I'd rather not meet whoever has the power to install something like this inside an otherworld within the Star Land."
From the outside it had looked like a stone building, but the interior was dominated by metal. Everything except the floor—walls, doors, every surface—gleamed with a silvery luster, completely free of dust or even the smallest scratch. Unlike the countless golems standing guard outside, the inside contained only branching corridors, a few rooms with wide-open entrances, and what appeared to be two doors at the far end of the central hallway.
Chrome pulled out the communication magic tool he had already synchronized with the mana signatures of the party waiting outside. The connection indicator lit up almost the instant he sent the signal, as if they had been expecting it.
Nothing special out here. Waiting around gets boring, so we're poking around without provoking the golems. How's it looking inside?
"Completely the opposite—there isn't a single golem in here. We're about to start checking the rooms."
Keep an eye on the hourglass. We still have to plan for the return trip.
The exchange held no major information, but it was important for confirming that both sides were safe. Once it ended, the group examined their surroundings once more. The open rooms were utterly empty, as though someone had swept them clean in advance. Multiple laps along the corridors revealed nothing noteworthy either. All that remained was whatever lay behind the suspected doors at the end of the hallway.
The reason they could only call them "suspected" doors was their highly unusual appearance. A thick silver-glowing plate crossed in the middle by a straight, narrow gap. It could have been two rectangular panels pressed face-to-face or one enormous plate split by a single crack. The students offered their guesses one after another.
"Those grooves at the top and bottom make it look like it slides sideways."
"But it looks really heavy, doesn't it?"
"Hang on… nope. This thing isn't moving an inch."
"What if we slip a blade into the gap and try to force it?"
"Try that and the knife will be scrap metal before you can blink."
While the others experimented, Chrome stayed silent, lost in thought.
This looks exactly like an elevator entrance.
In a world where trains and telephones were considered ordinary under the banner of "magic," and where ancient civilizations had once thrived, it felt a little late to raise such objections. Still, seeing something so blatantly modern inside a building that resembled an ancient temple left even Chrome momentarily stunned.
The black plastic-like panel where a switch should be is probably a touch interface. Does that mean the golems outside are basically android stand-ins?
The more he examined it, the stranger the place became. Yet the same could be said of the exterior. Countless gold and jewels had been scattered carelessly across the ground out there. Even so, Chrome felt no attraction to any of it. It wasn't the smug claim of someone who had already earned plenty of money. He had called it suspicious when speaking with his classmates, but there was an even more important reason.
The golden mist. The very marker that had helped him earn money so reliably until now was completely absent this time. That meant the gold and gems were either fakes or objects that could never be taken outside the Star Land, no matter what method was used.
In contrast, a faint trace of that same golden mist was leaking from beyond the elevator doors.
I'll just casually touch everything like I'm investigating, and "accidentally" activate it.
The moment Chrome moved to carry out that plan—
-Beep!
A sharp mechanical tone rang out as the doors slid open to both sides.
"Huh?"
Leaving the dazed Chrome behind, the students immediately began chattering with growing excitement.
"So that black panel itself is a magic tool. The instant we touched it, it absorbed a tiny amount of mana and an arrow appeared."
"One arrow points up, one points down. The building is clearly taller than one floor, yet there are no stairs. Maybe this box is how we move between levels?"
"Looks like some kind of pulley system."
"There's another black panel inside. I bet that's what controls it."
Chrome could only blink as the group not only opened the door but immediately began analyzing its function. Ligret walked over to him.
"What are you doing?"
"…Reflecting on some subconscious prejudices I didn't realize I had?"
"I was starting to worry you were sick, but you're just being yourself."
"Isn't this the part where you say 'what kind of nonsense is that'?"
"Nonsense is your default setting."
Chrome staggered as though hit by vertigo. Ignoring him completely, Ligret grabbed his arm and dragged him into the elevator.
When he touched the panel inside, light bloomed across the previously pitch-black surface and unfamiliar characters rose into view.
3 — Management Office. Key Required.
2 — Private Room. Do Not Enter.
1 — Entrance Floor.
B1 — Underground Passage. Proceed with Security Guard.
Pino let out a long sigh. "Learning the imperial language is already painful enough, and now we've got these insane letters tormenting us too."
A support-department student spoke hesitantly. "It looks like ancient Asteros script… but I can't be sure."
"Don't the priests know that stuff? You're in the support department and you don't recognize it?"
The combat student’s remark made the other boy flare up. "Just because support courses overlap with Star God Church teachings doesn't mean they're identical. Most priests don't know much ancient language either. Maybe the elite temple knights would, but that's a different story."
"Then Midas, you…"
All eyes turned to Chrome, but he spoke first. "What happened earlier was pure coincidence. I didn't understand what the golem was saying and respond accordingly, so don't get the wrong idea. I have no clue what any of this says."
The golden mist drifted both upward and downward, meaning there would be something worth obtaining no matter which direction they chose.
"What are you hesitating for?" Ligret said bluntly. "We'll know once we visit each one."
Her words were simple and direct, yet they cut straight to the heart of the matter. Since their goal was investigation, they would have to visit both places eventually. The only question was the order.
Just as the group reached toward the button for the second floor, Chrome’s communication tool rang again.
Midas, you there?
"We still have time before the scheduled check-in. Did something happen outside?"
Until just a moment ago the golems were still gathering, but now their numbers have stopped increasing. Actually, it feels like they're decreasing...
Chrome tilted his head. "Decreasing? You mean they're disappearing?"
Not exactly. It seems like some have moved elsewhere. We're already surrounded and there are so many of them that losing one or two barely makes a difference. It could just be my imagination. Any changes on your end?
"We're investigating what appears to be a facility that lets us travel to other floors. We'll start with the second floor. Let me know if you learn anything else about the golems' movements."
Understood.
After ending the call, Chrome sank back into thought.
The golems have gone somewhere else…
The first possibility that came to mind was that the golems had decided the students posed no real threat and were slowly lowering their guard. But Chrome didn't think that was likely. If the students had all been captured and neutralized, that would be one thing. As it was, the students were still watching their surroundings carefully. They could cause a commotion at any moment. It made no sense to simply leave opponents like that and walk away. Even if the golems had somehow judged them harmless, the logical step would be to lift the encirclement entirely. There was no reason to split their forces—leaving some behind while sending others elsewhere—unless they had a specific need to redirect troops.
Guess we have no choice but to investigate.
This time Chrome firmly pressed the button for the second floor.