Chapter 619: To Escape, First You Must Be Trapped
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 619: To Escape, First You Must Be Trapped
Even the mages were stubborn when it came to black magic. My request for a lawyer, Shei's protests—none of it made a damn bit of difference.
“Oh, right. State Standard Magic is a type of black magic that uses one's own body as a sacrifice. I forgot.”
“I forgot too! No, wait, I never learned anything but State Standard Magic in the first place!”
I didn't want to be a black mage either! If you think about it, the Military State is the one at fault for teaching black magic and calling it Standard Magic!
“Just hang in there for a bit. I'll find Elisha and explain the situation. You should be able to get out. Just rest until then.”
With those words from beyond the bars, Shei left. I cried out in despair from inside my lonely cell.
“Let me out! Even an ignoramus doesn't deserve this!”
“Visiting hours are over. Ignoramus, follow me.”
A mage from the Security Bureau grabbed me roughly. Bound in ropes, I couldn't resist and was dragged away.
The Security Bureau mage who dragged me to a special cell tossed me inside and grumbled.
“Haa. Lankart again? Last time he brought an ignoramus who uses Qi Arts. Now a black mage. What does he think this Floating Castle is?”
“What's wrong with black magic?! If that's all you ever learned, of course you're going to use it! What kind of crime is that?!”
“What kind of crime, you ask? Such foolishness, typical of an ignoramus. It's why you learned something as dangerous and meaningless as black magic in the first place.”
If there was one decent thing about the ‘Chosen’ of the Floating Castle, it was that they never skimped on explanations. The ‘Chosen’ mage spoke as if bestowing a lesson upon an ignoramus.
“To use your body as a sacrifice, you must first turn it into a ‘catalyst.’ You have to create a channel for mana to flow to cause a phenomenon. In other words, all black mages are homunculi who have modified their own bodies.”
“Body modification? What kind of slander is—!”
Ah, right. The bio-receptor. Don't citizens of the Military State undergo a procedure to implant a bio-receptor in their wrist once they reach a certain age?
Damn it, Military State. What have you done to me?
“A black mage who uses their body as a catalyst is like a walking explosive. Who knows what kind of magic they'll cast using their body as the medium? If one were to sneak up and unleash some wicked spell at the cost of their life, not even a master mage could guarantee their survival.”
“I have no intention of doing anything like that! Besides, I have so little mana that even with black magic, I can only cast Workaday-level spells!”
“And how are we supposed to believe that? We'd have no way of knowing unless we dissected you.”
If I could cast Tactical-grade magic by sacrificing my body, I would've done it long ago! I don't even have that kind of power!
“Furthermore, to dabble in the forbidden only to hit a ceiling at the Tactical grade… If that isn't foolishness, what is?”
There are countless types of magic in the world and just as many ways to classify them, but the most widely known classification is as follows.
Evocation Grade. Magic that reproduces a simple phenomenon.
Workaday Grade. Magic that weaves phenomena together for use in daily life.
Combat Grade. Magic capable of harming an opponent in battle, not for daily use.
Tactical Grade. Magic powerful enough to face multiple people or tactical weapons.
Strategic Grade. Magic that can single-handedly change military doctrine, comparable to an entire army.
And War Grade. Grand magic that can start or stop a war, depending on its use.
The Military State roughly assigned numbers to these, classifying them from Level 0 to Level 5, but it was little more than renaming a pre-existing concept. Even so, the only one to reach Level 5 was a single Mage Marshal of the Six Generals, and even that was arguably an exaggeration, simply branding her brutishly scaled-up magic as something more.
But even the Military State's strongest mage pales in comparison to those in the Mage Federation.
“White magic is more refined, more systematic, and far superior. Every mage residing in the Floating Castle can wield magic up to the Strategic Grade. And unlike black magic, they don't have to offer up their own lives to do it.”
Black mages use their bodies as catalysts, but the human body isn't actually a very valuable catalyst. It's just convenient and slightly faster to cast with.
That's why a black mage can never achieve true greatness. Even the most renowned mage officers of the Military State are limited to Tactical-grade magic.
But that's the perspective of the Mage Federation's Chosen. In the Military State, where the vast majority are untalented and ordinary, even that limited power is an incredibly sweet fruit.
“This was forced on me by the Military State! If I could have learned white magic, I would have!”
“That's why you're still alive—because you didn't turn to black magic of your own free will. But regardless of the reason, the fact that you are a black mage remains unchanged.”
Giving me a look mixed with contempt and pity, the Security Bureau mage locked the cell with magic and said.
“A black mage's path ends in one of two ways: either they burn their body as a sacrifice for a single, final spell and die, or they find someone else to use as a sacrifice instead.”
With that quiet warning, the mage tapped the bars of the cell.
Mana swirled out from the bars, and my body lifted into the air. I flailed, but my feet and fingertips found nothing to grasp.
A gravity barrier? At this rate, I can't touch the floor or the ceiling. I tried to move as if swimming, but some unknown force kept pulling me toward the center of the cell. It felt like being trapped in the middle of an antlion pit.
“Wait! What's going to happen to me?”
The Security Bureau mage didn't even glance at me as he spoke.
“An investigator will question you, and then you'll be exiled from the Floating Castle. Spend your time regretting your foolishness while you contemplate the Arcane arts your magic could never hope to reach.”
What, exiled?
…That's not so bad.
With that, the Security Bureau mage left. Alone in the special containment cell, I carefully assessed my situation.
Alright. I was locked in solitary, just as planned. An anti-mana barrier is sealing away all mana, but it has no effect on me. This body doesn't have any mana to begin with.
The problem is this gravity barrier. It's simple but surprisingly tricky. Since my body is floating, I can't use the Gon Qi Art. It might be different if I had something to grab onto, but right now, I'm suspended in mid-air, completely stuck.
I'm in heavy cuffs, and there's nothing to grab nearby. It's a daunting prison, and I have no idea how to get out. Just what you'd expect from the Mage Federation's Floating Castle.
“Alright.”
First, the cuffs. The cards are in my pocket, but if I can't get them out just because my hands are tied, I can't call myself a magician. I nudged a clip I'd set with my waist and leg, and a card popped out. I subtly maneuvered it between the cuffs.
The mana-infused cuffs enveloped my hands. If I tried to force them open, a spell would activate and crush my hands. To remove them safely, I'd have to painstakingly dismantle them, but that's a petty trick for my weaker, past self.
“Elixir.”
Using the Divine of Alchemy, I transmuted the entire set of cuffs. The heavy metal scattered, replaced by cards of equal mass. The spell engraved on the cuffs crushed my hands, but…
“Whew.”
My hands regenerated as if nothing had happened. Now free of the cuffs, I scanned my surroundings.
There doesn't seem to be any surveillance. Before me are solid iron bars. But the real problem is the gravity barrier preventing me from even reaching them.
I can't block it, and I can't escape it. I reached out, but my arm only grew heavier the further I extended it. I threw a card. It cut through the air, stopped as if caught in a net, and then flew back at me. I ducked, and the card shot to the other side, repeating the same motion.
“Hmm. So that's how it works.”
Can't touch the floor, can't grab anything. Anything I throw just bounces back. It feels like I'm trapped in an invisible bottle.
But… if it comes back…
“Lightning Spool.”
I grabbed the heavy cuffs with the Lightning Spool and spun them around and around. When the rotation reached its peak, I hurled the cuffs outward with all my might. Just like the card, the cuffs flew a certain distance before gradually slowing down.
Just as the cuffs came to a complete stop, I yanked them back. They shot back like an arrow, flying past me to the other side.
A little farther than before.
“If energy is conserved, it means I can eventually escape by repeating this motion, like swinging on a swing set.”
I timed my pulls perfectly. Each time, the cuffs flew farther. Swinging in an ever-widening arc like a pendulum, the cuffs suddenly didn't return, instead falling with a thud.
They had escaped the gravity barrier.
“Whew. So that's the range? In that case.”
From within the fallen cuffs, the Nine of Spades began to glow. Using the card as a medium, I summoned the power of another Divine.
“Tree of Genesis.”
From the symbol on the Nine of Spades, grass roots sprouted. The lush roots grew out, anchoring themselves firmly throughout the prison.
“Hup!”
Using the rooted cuffs as an anchor, I pulled with all my strength. If I kept this up, I should be able to break free of the gravity barrier….
But as I strained, I realized I'd made one miscalculation.
“Whoops! I forgot I'm weak!”
There's no way I can escape a gravity barrier with my pathetic strength! I should've just used the swing method to launch my own body out! What should I do? Change plans now?
“Nngh. This is kind of disappointing... Huh?”
As I was thinking that, the direction of the gravity pulling on me shifted. I had escaped the barrier. I crashed hard onto the floor and rubbed my tingling head, muttering.
“What the. That was doable?”
Easier than I thought. I managed to escape with my own pathetic arm strength? This is less of a barrier and more like a piece of exercise equipment.
…No. That's not it. Hmm.
Once past the gravity barrier, the rest of the escape is easy. Cut through the bars with a card, pick the lock. All I have to do is get out of the Security Bureau.
“Gaia Ego.”
Most of the Floating Castle's structures are made of meteorite. It's a bit unusual, but a meteorite is still a rock. Using Earth Art, I dug a hole and escaped the Security Bureau, pulling myself up not far from the building.
“Phew. Escape successful.”
The Floating Castle's prison was tricky, but not enough to hold me. Feeling a sense of satisfaction, I wiped the dust from my face and thought about what to do next.
“Let's see. What's next on the agenda…”
Well, that's a no-brainer. What else is there for me to do in a foreign place like the Floating Castle? I muttered with a cold smile.
“Time to go see Lankart. That son of a bitch.”