Chapter 618: The Ignorant Have No Rights
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 618: The Ignorant Have No Rights
What? The Floating Castle is going to fall?
No wonder. She seemed so reluctant even after we came up to the Floating Castle. You can't build a nest on a broken branch. And on top of that, it's going to be attacked by the Sword Saint? That's far more terrifying than falling from this altitude.
We can deal with a fall, but a single strike from the Sword Saint? We can't.
Alright, I've made up my mind. Let's just finish our business here quickly and get out.
‘Huh? Wait a minute. Come to think of it, this is the Floating Castle before it falls, right? This might be our chance. We might be able to stop the Great Descent, or at least weaken it.’
Do you have mind-reading powers or something? How can you change your attitude on a dime, the very moment I change my mind?
Shei softened her tone and said, "Fine. Since we've come this far, I'll cooperate with you."
The Green Tower Master narrowed her eyes at Shei's sudden change in demeanor. It wasn't because she was being cooperative.
"You ignorant people are obligated to cooperate with us. To frame your duty as if it were a favor... you don't know your place. Are you expecting some kind of special treatment?"
"You should treat us well. The information we've brought is about the Divine."
And at the word Shei tossed out so casually, the mages were horrified.
"The Divine?!"
"How could an ignorant person know of that being!"
Even for mages living in the Arcane that was the Floating Castle, the name of the Divine carried great weight. In fact, their deeper knowledge of magic seemed to make it weigh on them even more heavily. The mages, who hadn't paid us much mind while escorting us, now gathered together and began to whisper.
"Lankart. So he was chasing the Divine after all."
"Was the rumor that he belongs to the Shrine of the Divine true?"
...Uh oh. Did she say something she wasn't supposed to? Sorry, Lankart. Shei's the one who spilled the beans. I'm not responsible.
"Whatever information you ignorant people have brought, my duty remains unchanged. My directive is to arrest you and hand you over to the Security Bureau."
Shei's words created such a stir that even the single-minded Green Tower Master hesitated for a moment. Yet Shei, the one who'd said it, remained perfectly calm.
"Information about the Divine isn't their jurisdiction, is it? Call Elisha."
A strange name left Shei's lips. It was unfamiliar and sudden to me, but not to the Green Tower Master.
"Elisha...?! How does an ignorant person know that name?"
"Yeah. She was probably with the Intelligence Bureau."
"With the Intelligence Bureau? You ignorant person. Do you truly not know who that is?"
"Who is she?"
‘All I know is that she was an agent for the Mage Federation's Intelligence Bureau, even after the Great Descent. All the other mages were picky and self-righteous, but Elisha was easy to talk to. She was the only mage I could almost call a comrade.’
"You truly don't know. That is the name of the Blue Tower Master."
"Oh? Really?"
One of the five magic towers supporting the Floating Castle, the master of the Blue Crystal Tower which handles the magic of ice and crystal. The identity of the mage who had helped Shei in her past life was the Blue Tower Master.
In other words, the Blue Tower Master was one of the most powerful mages in the world... but Shei wasn't particularly surprised.
After all, she had stood on the same battlefields as the Sword Saint and the Mage King.
"Perfect timing. Then you can just guide us to the Blue Tower."
"...Wait. This is a bit confusing."
The Green Tower Master pinched the bridge of her nose, lost in thought. The other mages were the same. They were growing curious about this unique existence named Shei.
"What is her identity? To know of the Divine, and even the Blue Tower Master's name."
"An ignorant person might know of the Divine. But knowing the Blue Tower Master's name is impossible unless you heard it from someone on the Floating Castle. Hell, even I had almost forgotten her name."
"I heard the Intelligence Bureau recruited several ignorant informants in the Lower World. Could they be them?"
"There's a flaw in your hypothesis. They say the Intelligence Bureau conceals its identity when recruiting ignorant informants. The information handled by those oblivious to magic is limited to the affairs of various nations, so there's no benefit to revealing who we are."
"No. Lankart is a Federation investigator belonging to the Intelligence Bureau. Considering he's the one who brought them, it's a possibility."
"I hear that even among the ignorant on the surface, they have their own classes. Perhaps she's an important ignorant person."
"An important ignorant person? That's like saying 'hot ice.' Instead of dividing themselves into classes, they should be spending that time learning magic to become one of the enlightened."
The mages were now ignoring us, chattering amongst themselves. Their intense debate seemed far more energetic than when they were working earlier.
This is what mages are like. Their own curiosity comes first; duty and responsibility are handled only as much as necessary. If their affiliation starts to feel like a restraint, they are ready to drop everything and leave at a moment's notice.
The world calls them antisocial, but that's a misunderstanding. To be antisocial, one must first acknowledge and accept society's powerful influence more than anyone else. Mages simply build their own worlds. They don't care whether those worlds clash with society or blend into it.
"Wait. There is one thing I must confirm."
The Green Tower Master was no different. She was single-minded, but not a stickler for principles. She was more like a civil servant trying to get her work done quickly. Though she was supposed to hand us over to the Security Bureau, her curiosity was piqued. Without a word, she aimed her umbrella at Shei.
"Shot."
A jewel flashed, and a sphere of mana shot out, aimed at Shei. It was a completely sudden and random attack. It held no killing intent, but it had enough force to break three or four of a normal person's ribs.
Of course, Shei was no normal person. The Heavenly Counter Domain technique, sensing the attack, flashed through her nerves. Before the umbrella even recoiled, Shei had already snapped her bonds and gripped Chun-aeng.
Fwoosh. A gust of wind transformed into a blade and bisected the mana sphere. Split in two, the sphere burst powerlessly in mid-air.
"What was that for?"
The Green Tower Master stared intently at Shei's Chun-aeng and the mana dwelling within it.
"The power to command the wind cannot be a Qi Art. Are you a spirit user?"
"...I don't particularly rely on spirits."
"A 'spirit' is a general term for an external power, one that is not your own will. You do not cast magic directly, but you stimulate the will dwelling in your weapon to create magical phenomena. No wonder a strange mana has been enveloping you."
Chun-aeng and Jizan were Shei's weapons, but their power was not hers alone. Shei was merely the one chosen for now; another chosen person could wield them and produce similar power. Perhaps Chun-aeng and Jizan were even being held back by the shackles that were Shei.
But using a good tool is also a skill. The Green Tower Master acknowledged Shei.
"If you have been chosen by a spirit, then I suppose you barely qualify as not being ignorant. If you couldn't understand it, even intuitively, you would never have been chosen by a spirit in the first place."
As if a great mystery had been solved, the mages began to chime in.
"Ah, a spirit user? Then she can't be considered merely ignorant."
"A little lacking to be called one of the enlightened... but she'll do."
Isn't their attitude completely different from before? When they thought she was ignorant, they just ignored her and barely listened to anything she said. But the moment it was determined she wasn't, their demeanor changed.
I'm suddenly feeling a desperate urge to climb the social ladder. I get why the people of the Mage Federation in the Lower World admire mages so much. When the treatment is this different, even someone living an ordinary life would want to learn magic.
"Still, you must be held accountable for illegally trespassing on the Floating Castle, but if you are not ignorant, we can take your circumstances into consideration. I will pass the message to the Intelligence Bureau."
"Well, I don't care what you think."
"However, that only applies to you. The ignorant person next to you has no right to walk the Floating Castle. He must remain here."
"Huh?"
This "ignorant person" is starting to feel offended. Ah, should I show off my skills for the first time in a while? I may not have much mana, but I'm great at faking knowledge with my mind-reading.
‘Ah, they don't know about Hughes, do they? He's a bit pathetic, but Hughes can use magic too.’
Finishing her rude thought, Shei pointed at me and said, "Hughes can use magic too."
"I don't sense any particular mana from him."
"His mana capacity is nothing special, but in terms of knowledge alone, he's quite formidable. Even Lankart had to concede to his knowledge."
"Lankart did...?"
The Green Tower Master's brow twitched once more. It may not have been intentional, but by mentioning Lankart, Shei had succeeded in piquing her curiosity.
"Yeah. They were in the same class in the Military State. What was it again? He supposedly beat Lankart to take first place?"
"Hoh. In that case, why don't you show us."
Is this it? My chance to show off my magic skills. The stage was set. I cleared my throat and spread my arms before the mages.
"Ahem, hem. Now, watch closely. I may not compare to the renowned mages of the Floating Castle, but I too can use magic—"
"Quiet. If you want to prove it, show us with magic, not words."
"...Right. Here I go."
So cold. But a true entertainer must turn a cold crowd's reaction into a fiery one. I formed a simple hand sign and drew up my mana in front of everyone.
"Set, Re."
I draw the mana from within my body. The Military State's standard magic is a fast and simple magic that uses the body as a medium. I'll weave this magic into a spectacle. Even the mages of the Floating Castle won't be able to resist this.
"Fahrenheit."
A flame bloomed from my fingertip. I was about to follow up by trapping the flame with wind to perform a trick.
"Whaaaaaaaat!"
Just then, the mages began to scream in unison. I was taken aback by their unexpectedly intense reaction.
"Huh? I haven't even started yet."
I just lit my finger on fire. Even a country bumpkin kid wouldn't be this surprised. What's going on? Have the mages' thresholds for shock lowered from being cooped up on this Floating Castle?
...Or so I thought, until I saw dozens of staves aimed at me and sensed that something was very wrong.
"It's black magic!"
"Arrest him!"
Huh? What? Black magic? This?
"I just used standard magic... Mmph!"
There was no room for rebuttal. A whip of mana wrapped around my body, and an invisible film was sealed over my mouth. Dozens of suppression spells bound me.
At the same time, an invisible wall surrounded me. I felt a sense of dread and reached out, but my hand was blocked by the one-way barrier, unable to move an inch.
"To dare use black magic in the holy land of white magic. How brave... no, that can't be right. Judging by your reaction, you cast it unknowingly. You were simply foolish."
Along with wariness, I could feel gazes from all around, pitying me for my stupidity. Feeling wronged, I twisted my body and shouted.
"What is this! I just showed you some magic!"
"The word 'ignorant' (愚民) suits you perfectly. Take this man to the Security Bureau and detain him. Since he's a black mage, put him in a special detention cell."
With those words, the Green Tower Master turned away as if there was nothing more to hear.
Clang. And just like that, I was locked up alone in a special cell.