Chapter 614: The Floating Castle
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 614: The Floating Castle
The capital of the Mage Federation, the Floating Castle, is as elegant as a moon adrift in the endless sky. A celestial fortress gliding silently and gently across the heavens, it is both the capital and the symbol of the Mage Federation. The formidable magic that elevated an entire city to a constellation in the sky speaks to the immense power and greatness of the nation.
The unenlightened who crawl upon the earth gaze up at the sky and yearn for the Floating Castle. Only mages are worthy of ascending to it. And so, the common folk desperately bear children and teach them magic, for it is the only path to a higher station.
It is said that water and people both pool in low places, but that is merely because the law of gravity draws all things downward. The Floating Castle, which twists the very law of gravity, was an El Dorado where the highest knowledge and power gathered.
And I was… falling toward that very castle.
“Aaaaaahhhhh!”
My scream echoed as I hurtled through the air. A harsh wind tore at my body relentlessly. At this speed, I should have been slowing down, but instead, I was only getting faster.
Reverse Gravity. A high-level spell even among white magic, it inverts the direction of gravity affecting the caster.
Simply put, it’s a spell that makes you fall away from the ground.
Wouldn’t that mean you’d leave this world entirely?
Exactly. There is no ground to stand on in the sky, so you just keep rising forever without hitting anything. It’s a problem if your mana runs out midway and you fall, and an even bigger problem if it doesn’t. You’d be flung into the distant void of space, your body never to be recovered.
For that reason, Reverse Gravity is considered an extremely difficult and impractical spell, more trouble than it’s worth.
However, when it comes to reaching the Floating Castle that drifts at the edge of the sky, there is no better magic.
“The Floating Castle wanders all over the Mage Federation. Searching for its unknown location with flight magic is a waste of mana and time. Following the celestial trajectory in reverse is the most logical path.”
Lankart explained leisurely as he adjusted our direction. Like a comet streaking diagonally across the sky, the three of us were also ascending at an angle.
Even as we pierced through the clouds, our speed showed no sign of decreasing. The air grew thinner, yet the wind grew more intense. Gasping for breath, I sputtered.
“Lankart, the wind is too strong—heck!”
“What was that? I can’t hear you very well. If you have something to say, save it. We can talk it over once we reach the Floating Castle.”
“No, that’s not it! I said the wind is too strong—gasp!”
But my voice was swallowed by the fierce wind, failing to reach Lankart up ahead. He took no special measures, perhaps believing I would be fine even in such an extreme situation.
This was the problem. Lankart was a mage. Not just any mage, but a master sorcerer who had awakened to his own Unique Magic, on top of mastering both white and black magic. It would be faster for him to count the things he couldn't do than the things he could. Even while being whipped by the violent wind, he remained perfectly composed.
And Lankart had no doubt that I, whom he acknowledged, was on a similar level. He was convinced that whatever hardship befell us, if it was a problem he could solve, I could overcome it as well.
That must be why he pushed me into the Abyss. Ah, if I’d known this would happen, I wouldn’t have bothered trying to be number one. I just had to go and provoke his strange inferiority complex.
Hmph. Just as I was debating whether to just endure it with my regeneration…
“Skyblade Art, Gentle Breeze.”
A short slash swept past my eyes. It was thanks to Shei’s Chun-aeng, which had parted the oncoming wind and seized the air.
Phew. I was saved. I never knew breathing could feel so gratifying. Feeling much more comfortable, I spoke with my now-free mouth.
“Wow. You saved my life. Thanks, Shei.”
“…Hmph. It wasn't specifically for you. I needed to block the wind, too.”
‘And I couldn't just watch you shiver the whole way.’
What is she talking about? Her words and thoughts are completely different. She just said it wasn't for me.
I respect others’ privacy, but such an obvious lie just makes me want to expose it.
“Come on. You did it for me, didn’t you?”
“What? You’re mistaken.”
“Mistaken? Then where did you pull that Chun-aeng from? It was floating around protecting you until now. You used your power because I was cold.”
“…Huh?”
‘Is… that right? No. I was just, well, I owe him, so I was just paying him back….’
What? So she didn't say it consciously, but just blurted it out of embarrassment without thinking? Good grief. Speaking faster than you think is a talent in itself. Is it because of that Heavenly Counter whatever?
“I’m not arguing, I’m thanking you. It would be a shame if you showed you cared and it went unnoticed. Thank you, Shei.”
“…Uh, yeah. Well. If you’re grateful, I have no reason to refuse. Keep it in mind.”
“The old you wouldn’t have lifted a finger whether I was cold or not. Looks like traveling together has socialized you a bit. I’m deeply moved.”
“I’ve always had social skills! It’s just that… until now, I didn’t find you all that trustworthy!”
That means you find me trustworthy now. She’s embarrassed, yet she says something even more embarrassing. The virtuous thing to do here would be to let it slide without pointing it out, but…
“Hmm? So you find me trustworthy now?”
Why would I? It’s for Shei’s own good to clear up these misunderstandings quickly before they pile up.
Shei flinched, realizing what she had just said.
‘Hmm? Is Hughes trustworthy? It’s not that I don’t trust him… but he has helped me over and over. He didn’t betray me even when I was at my weakest. Across both timelines, before and after my regression, he’s been my most supportive ally. He is… trustworthy, isn’t he?’
“…Uh, well. I guess so….”
Shei was not used to hearing or saying such mushy things. Her voice trailed off. I pressed my advantage.
“You guess so? Hoo. So I’ve become someone trustworthy to you, Shei. This is also deeply moving. I’ve only ever been told I’m all talk and not to be trusted.”
“As if! That’s enough! If you don’t need it, I’m dropping the Gentle Breeze!”
“What? I never said I didn’t need it. I said thank you. Why are you getting so defensive when I’m gratefully accepting it?”
“Because you keep picking at everything I say!”
“I was just being honest about my feelings. Aren’t you the one being defensive, Shei?”
“Shut up!”
“Abubububub! Gack, I can’t—!”
Wait. If you suddenly withdraw Chun-aeng, I can’t breathe! No, more than that. It’s harder to breathe than before? What in the world is happening?
Clutching my bursting chest, I looked around.
Just a few minutes ago, the view had been a dreamlike scene of a golden sun shining over a sea of clouds. The land far below was as small as a toy, like looking down at a map, and in the distance, mountain peaks pierced through the clouds. It was a landscape full of strange and beautiful sights.
But in the short time I’d been talking with Shei, the scenery had completely changed.
The first thing to change was the color. Beyond blue, beyond indigo, a void-like azure, nearly black, filled the space above. No matter how far you fell, no matter how deep you sank, that color seemed like it would never change. An endless void you could fall through for eternity stretched out above me.
From the ground, the clouds had been part of the sky, but that was no different from a frog in a well judging the heavens. Looking down from this altitude, the clouds were more like a white hemline gently brushing over the earth. Rain and lightning were nothing more than beads of sweat and static electricity. The nature I had once revered as the grace of the Sky God seemed so, so trivial from this height.
What were the heavens, really? Could one call mere clouds, rain, and lightning the heavens? When they couldn't even dare to embrace the round curve of Mother Earth below?
Let alone… when a far, far more distant journey remained overhead, one that could not be reached even in an eon?
Insignificant.
The way humans were revered as the lords of all creation.
The way the clouds crawling at our feet were praised as the palace of the Sky God.
This thin, empty sky, which ended after a brief ascent.
And the ignorance of humanity, which had never reached its end.
Compared to the cold, empty truth, it was all utterly insignificant.
“Celestial trajectory locked. Reverse Gravity, end.”
Lankart’s murmur transcended space and reached me. A moment later, the magic that had been making me fall upward ceased, and our bodies began to fall once more toward the distant Mother Earth.
The sacred body of Mother Earth traced a round, gentle curve. Perhaps that was why our falling trajectory was also a curve, not a straight line. Maybe we had always lived in a world of curves. It was just that human knowledge was too shallow and fragmented to perceive it as anything but a straight line.
Breathing was no longer the issue. Shei spread Chun-aeng into a sphere, enveloping the space around us. She pulled me inside and shouted.
“Hughes! Hold on tight! If you let go, you’ll be lost!”
Since we were following the same trajectory, I wouldn’t get lost, but I needed the air Chun-aeng provided, so I held onto Shei. Meanwhile, our bodies moved in an elliptical orbit along the curved horizon. Were we going up, or were we going down? It was hard to tell anymore, and it didn’t really matter.
We were simply moving. That was all.
Admiring the cosmic scenery, struggling to preserve a handful of air, falling in an ellipse, and floating in the void free from gravity.
After moving for a long time without needing to distinguish one from the other…
I spotted the Floating Castle, jutting out from between the clouds.
The encounter felt like a miracle. To come across the Floating Castle, a mere speck in this vast universe—what else could you call it but a miracle?
“The Floating Castle…”
Even Shei, who feared nothing in the world, was overwhelmed by the sight, filled with a sense of awe. I deeply understood her feelings.
However, having also read Lankart’s thoughts, I was relatively free from such sentiments. This grand trajectory, which had seemed so mysterious, was now within my realm of understanding.
“We’ve arrived.”
Lankart muttered as the Floating Castle grew close enough to be seen with the naked eye. I narrowed my eyes and took in the sight of the castle below.
The Floating Castle, said to have been built by the Golden Lord himself, was just as beautiful as the stories claimed. The entire city was built upon dark, monochrome stone, with five towers standing tall as if guarding it in a pentagram formation. The intricately intersecting roads looked just like a magic circle, and the gold and pure silver packed in between them were dazzling.
The magical castle boasted a mysterious and beautiful majesty, blending naturally into the backdrop of the sky.
And in the center of the Floating Castle, a tower so immense it dwarfed the other five came into view. A verdant light of mana flowed along its surface.
That must be… Babylon, where the Mage King is said to reside.
As the Floating Castle drew nearer, Lankart’s expression soured with annoyance.
“Is it because I adjusted the trajectory? What a pain. Huey, get ready to defend.”
“Huh? Me? Defend? How?”
“Figure it out.”
Just as Lankart waved his hand dismissively, the five magic towers moved in unison. They aimed precisely at us, like they were watching uninvited guests, and began to gather multicolored light. A powerful glow of mana, visible even from this distance, condensed within them. Having gathered their power, the magic towers fired beams of light toward us.