Chapter 69
Chapter 69
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 69
Chapter Title: Arrival on the Floating Isle
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We arrived at the Warp Gate.
It was a building that gave off a strong circular vibe, like a temple with tons of pillars and almost no walls, completely open to the air.
After getting off the carriage and waiting a bit, two people came rushing out from inside the building, panting heavily.
They were obviously mages.
One of them, a middle-aged man with a balding head, wiped sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand and spoke.
"My apologies for keeping you waiting, Sir Gold."
"No issues with the transfer?"
"Yes. We can depart immediately."
Ooooh...
Finally heading to that island in the sky.
"If you're here on business for Prynar Academy, it might be tough to get in right now."
"Hm? Why's that?"
"I'm not entirely sure, but it seems there was some kind of incident. I heard that even those staying in the dorms during break got relocation subsidies and are housed elsewhere."
"An incident at the academy...?"
Gold's eyes narrowed.
The fidgety mage must have thought he was angry.
He looked disappointed, but it wasn't anger.
Gold's straightforward demeanor came with an air of nobility that made even small gestures intimidating to others.
"Sir Gold, there's no need to rush today. I'm fine with it."
Gold let out a thoughtful hum before speaking.
"Mm. It's a shame, but unavoidable. Open the gate, then?"
"Y-yes, of course!"
The mage bowed low while sneaking a glance my way.
As if to say, who the hell are you to stand level with Gold?
But soon enough, the mage came to his own conclusion, his eyes widening in surprise.
"Could you be Sir Dre?"
"That's right."
"O-oh! Indeed! Finally meeting the man of the rumors in person!! Welcome, Sir Dre! Ah, my name is..."
"There'll be time for that later. Open the gate now."
"Yes, sir!"
The mage dashed off, and the apprentice-looking one scurried after him.
You could've at least let him finish his sentence.
"No need to rush like that."
"Mm. That was my call. Sorry if it bothered you, brother."
"No, not bothered at all."
But what kind of judgment was that?
"They're capable mages who've reached a certain level. But they're frustrated at not being allowed into the academy. Some try pulling strings through students just to get in, so to them, you—a qualified instructor—must look like a lifeline."
Ah.
So he saw me as a connection.
"It wouldn't be a huge problem, but it'd definitely get annoying. That's why I stepped in—sorry about that. I'll leave it to your judgment from now on."
"No, thank you for the appropriate handling."
It was a bit surreal.
These guys groveling before Gold were surely in enviable positions socially. Like salarymen at a major corporation back in my old world?
For them to suck up to me just because I had instructor credentials—it felt so disconnected from my old life that it was fascinating.
Anyway, that's beside the point.
What would warping feel like?
I was excited for the view up top, but also curious how we'd even get onto that floating island.
Gold was looking around curiously.
This must be familiar scenery to him—what was new?
"Something wrong, my lord?"
Kaishir and the two knights on escort duty approached Gold.
Gold wore a satisfied smile.
"No, just thinking of a certain loudmouth who talks big."
"......"
Surely not... Gold.
El said she'd come, but she wasn't here, so he wasn't relieved about that, was he...?
Less than a minute later, the mage came running back.
He was heaving so hard it was pitiful to watch.
"Gate activation ready...!!"
"Got it."
Gold, clearly used to this, navigated without any guidance.
Following behind him led to a spacious chamber.
The room was bathed in emerald light, its glossy walls apparently made of stone.
Four pillars engraved with geometric runes shot beams of blue light toward the center, converging to form a portal about 4 meters high and 2 meters wide in the middle.
That was the warp gate.
It swirled like a vortex—fucking cool.
"Walk straight in, and you'll arrive on the floating isle."
"Is the portal safe?"
"Of course! I've read the records of how much blood and sweat the ancient mages poured into making warp magic safe—it even made me respect them."
"Hoo."
"Well, it would've been impossible without Parfe, one of the Ten Heroes, the Hero of Wisdom."
Parfe...?
Sounds delicious.
Since she was involved with warp gates, probably a mage.
Before coming to this world, I'd watched some intro videos for the lore, but I didn't see any mages.
Or did I? There was that tiny one blasting magic from the sky—too small to even tell the gender.
Anyway, irrelevant now.
My full attention was on the warp gate.
First, Gold strode forward confidently and grinned.
"First time warping, eh, Brother Dre?"
"Yes."
"It'll be fun."
Gold stepped in without hesitation, followed by Kaishir and the knights.
I didn't follow right away—instead, I examined the runes on the pillars.
These were definitely runes from the lore, right? Hoo. Hmm.
"Um, Sir Dre?"
"Ah, yes. Sorry."
The mage's tentative call from behind snapped me out of it.
I guess my habit of inspecting every little detail in games makes me poke around everywhere.
I'm not the only one, right?
Even in the main story, you check dead ends or random spots just in case.
Only after looking around a bit more did I feel satisfied.
As Gold said, this wasn't a one-time visit—time to go.
With that, I stepped into the gate.
Just my foot in, and it felt like a cool breeze blowing.
My heart pounded.
Thrilled, I threw my whole body in.
Kuuaaaaa!!
"Ooh."
The one and only time I'd been to an amusement park in my life.
And the only ride: the Blue Dragon roller coaster. Felt exactly like that.
Difference was, the park one ripped your stomach apart, but this was just comfy and fun.
Then, a sense of incongruity hit.
This sensation enveloping my body was unmistakably Prynar.
.....
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Skill: Understanding of All Things activated.] ..... ..... Interpretation result: High probability that your hypothesis is correct… With the system's confirmation, I recognized a certain fact.
[O Chosen One.]
?
[Always cheering for you…]
A woman's voice...?
Kuaaht!
The floating sensation vanished the moment I registered it as someone's voice.
Before my eyes stretched a circular rift in dimensions, revealing a new landscape beyond.
Similar to the previous chamber, but different color.
The departure room had been emerald; this one was closer to reddish-brown.
I pondered for a moment.
That voice...
Definitely familiar, but whose? From where?
No matter how I racked my brain, nothing came up.
Not a strong memory, I guess...?
Whatever.
Maybe just a hallucination.
I considered warping back to check, but it felt bad to keep Gold waiting longer.
If it happens next time I use a warp gate, I'll investigate properly then.
Got some unexpected info too.
Might come in handy someday.
Assuming those managing the floating isle and warp gates permit it.
"Brother! Get out here!"
Gold's voice broke my reverie.
Research later—floating isle exploration first.
"Coming."
Stepping out of the circular rift brought me to a room the same size as before.
The moment I emerged, a low rumble echoed behind me.
Looking back, the warp gate shrank smoothly until it vanished completely.
"Warp gates guzzle mana. Can't keep 'em open forever."
"I see."
"Follow me then, brother. Can't enter Prynar Academy, but this floating isle has plenty to see."
Beginners like me could only tag along with the guide.
Once I get free time later, I'll roam solo.
Like heading to the edge to confirm if this space really floats.
No sense of floating now.
It looked huge from the ground, so maybe obvious, but hard to believe this was airborne—felt no different from solid earth.
We stepped outside.
Warp gate buildings all look the same—temple-like structure identical to the last.
But the instant we exited, I couldn't help but gape.
I hadn't thought the only highlight of this fantastical skyborne land would be the academy, but this exceeded imagination.
For starters, the architecture was extraordinary.
Not just tall—designs wildly imaginative, a joy to behold. Some paths connected directly to buildings.
Seemed like all sorts of shops: restaurants, clothing stores, general goods, even flower shops—pretty much everything.
Up to here, it'd feel like a stylish city.
But this is a fantasy world, right?
Vwoom. Vrooom.
People riding pillar-like cylinders or saucer-shaped objects zipped through the sky.
Not just people—owls, critters resembling mini-dragons flew about, fireworks popping occasionally. Silent ones, even.
Most striking: a small lake floating in the sky.
No misstatement.
A massive volume of water hovered midair, koi swimming within.
Of course, they swam without hindering sky traffic, barricades around the lake.
Glancing down, fountains sprayed—not just upward, but scattering every which way, regrouping, oozing into shapes.
Dozens of them, spewing and morphing in unison—dazzling and captivating.
Far off, a massive stone statue like a stone giant.
Not just a statue.
It moved, slowly but surely. Unfurling its huge fist to the ground, lumbering around, planting the other hand.
Probably giving someone a ride, like I thought.
People were diverse too.
Expected students since it's academy-adjacent, but all races, traditional garb everywhere.
Looked like average folk, but considering the warp gate mages couldn't enter, these were all accomplished types.
"This is the shopping district."
"Here?"
"Not bad, right?"
"...Yes."
I was impressed.
Even the entrance was this much.
Honestly wanted to explore all day.
But Gold had something specific to show today...
"Anyway, breakfast time."
We'd skipped morning meal to eat here on the floating isle.
"Yes."
"Know a good spot. You like sweets, brother?"
"Yes."
Can't get enough.
Said there was a ride to the place with decent comfort, but I opted to walk.
Fantasy rides are cool, but right now I wanted to stroll and sightsee.
Maybe sensing my excitement, Gold chuckled and agreed.
As we walked, he explained various things.
"Academy students don't need to descend to the ground or Sers—everything's here. Even those warp gate mages can access up to this point."
"I see."
Staff could enter, so my guess about them being big shots was off.
"But even getting this far requires qualifications. All meet certain standards—like rank 5+ adventurers, completed quests, donations, that sort."
My thinking wasn't entirely wrong.
Seemed ordinary at a glance, but all capable folks.
"Impressive people. No bad apples trying to sneak into the academy?"
"Of course there are. But every last idiot tastes bitter defeat."
"I see."
"The academy's protected by powerful barriers—only students, instructors, and permitted personnel can enter. Almost none breach even the weakest one."
Barriers.
The familiar ring made my heart race again.
"Curious."
"Yeah. Me too. With barriers like that, what incident forced students out of dorms and restricted access until repairs?"
He mentioned that earlier.
I'd brushed it off, but it seemed serious to Gold.
Walking, we passed that stone giant.
Gold called it a golem. Up close, over 20 meters tall, hands freakishly large.
As I'd guessed, it loaded people onto its hand, encased them in a shield, and ferried them to upper or lower building levels.
Fantasy elevator!
"We'll ride it shortly."
"Sounds good."
Gold noticed my intense staring and accommodated.
Trying to play it cool, but it looked too damn fun—can't help it.
Wonder how it works.
Kaishir side-eyeing me like a country bumpkin was noticeable, but fuck it—who cares about stares.
While gawking, we reached the target shop.
Impression: upscale teahouse.
The fairy-tale kind.
Fairy lights actually fluttered about.
"Drinks here are top-notch."
"I see."
Gold wasn't much of a glutton.
For him to endorse it this highly built expectations.
Then.
"Isn't that Gold?"
A somewhat languid voice made Gold turn. I followed suit.
There stood a beauty in a very appealing outfit: white shirt with three buttons undone, cleavage peeking.
That's a uniform, right...?
Looked like standard school attire at first, but magical runes flickering on the shoulders marked it unusual.
She wasn't alone.
A dozen or so girls around her, all in matching uniforms, exuding varied vibes.
From demure glasses girl to ones radiating average high schooler energy.
Hmm...
Plain high school types are the toughest for me to deal with...
All pretty, but the one who spoke to Gold stood out most. Still, not on El or Clarit's level.
Ashita goes without saying.
Among them, a stunning blonde with vertical rolls looking haughty—o-ho-ho laugher type. Get the vibe?
Other girls clustered around the first speaker and her, so those two were leaders.
The languid beauty looked fatigued; the o-ho-ho girl fanned herself leisurely with a smug smile.
...Huh?
Wait, that first girl and the roll-curl one. Seen them somewhere?
"You seemed busy lately."
The weary beauty continued her earlier question.
"Yeah, Laiyet. Long time."
Laiyet... Laiyet...?
...Ah.
That face.
The languid beauty and the o-ho-ho girl—I remembered.
Characters from the setting materials.
Sub-heroine types.
I must've stared too hard, 'cause the vertical-roll girl snapped her fan shut with a tak, pointing at me.
"Who's that guy?"
Didn't say it, but I could hear: Kept staring, it's creepy.
Gold grinned at her question, pointing at me.
"You've heard of him, I'm sure."
"Us?"
"Yeah, Laiyet. This is the one taking over swordsmanship instruction starting next semester."
"......Ah."
Laiyet narrowed her eyes; the vertical-roll girl went wide-eyed. Then they chorused.
"Outsider Dre."
I'd unexpectedly met students I'd be spending time with—or teaching.
As that thought hit, their gazes shifted.
It was an unexpected look.