Chapter 658: I'll Give You the Floating Castle
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 658: I'll Give You the Floating Castle
I'll give you the Floating Castle.
The statement was as absurd and unrealistic as promising to pluck a star from the sky. Perhaps that was why neither Shei nor Elcia took my words at face value.
Elcia, in particular, dismissed it as a joke in poor taste.
"Even if this is a verbal agreement, it is still a contract, Hughes. I will interpret any unclear or misleading language as an attempt to deceive me."
"Is that so? On the contrary, it is filled with consideration for you. Can you not feel it?"
"What consideration can be found in lies and deceit? True consideration comes only from conveying knowledge in clear language. If you do not wish to sow discord among allies, speak plainly."
There are such things as white lies in the world, but those are stories best told to innocent children. Elcia staunchly refused my consideration.
I suppose it can't be helped. If that's what she wants, I'll have to be harsh.
"Alright. I will explain it step by step. Once you've heard everything, you won't be able to back out. So, use your imagination and grasp the meaning at the opportune moment. I will stop my explanation then."
"I don't know what you mean by that, but I will listen."
"Your goal is to obtain one of Rene's Pockets, is it not?"
"Yes."
‘The key to our family treasury was taken, but I was promised its return for helping with this matter. Just obtaining one more key from the Mage King would be a boon for House Celsius. If we can connect the spaces with two keys, handling the ice crystals will become much easier.’
This much we both already knew.
"The Shrine of the Divine wants Rene. Not Rene's Pocket, but the Divine itself."
"...I had anticipated as much."
It was a radical goal, but not a surprising one. It was a well-known fact that the Shrine of the Divine coveted the Divine. This was well within the scope of what Elcia could have predicted.
"However, the Mage King only ever offers Rene's Pockets. We don't know how many there are, but instead of teaching us how to fish, he simply pulls a single fish from his net and hands it over."
"Even if the Mage King is a teacher to all, he is under no obligation to reveal such a dangerous and high-level magic of spatial manipulation to the public."
‘Then again, there’s no reason for him to hide and monopolize it, either. Not unless the Mage King wishes to safeguard his own authority.’
A flicker of doubt crossed Elcia's mind.
In the Mage Federation, knowledge was power. It was only natural for the Mage King to monopolize the knowledge of spatial magic. Revealing it could endanger his life and authority. Hadn't House Celsius done the same?
But it was one thing to do it yourself and another to have it done to you. Though I had said nothing more, a seed of resentment began to sprout in Elcia's heart.
‘…If we could integrate that knowledge with the superior rules of Celsius, we could unlock limitless possibilities. For the sake of progress, he could simply make it public, like gravity magic. I don’t understand why the Mage King is hiding it.’
Having planted that seed, I smiled to myself and continued subtly.
"Correct. We have no choice but to watch and learn on our own. The question is, how does one watch, and how does one learn…?"
The Divine was the Unique Magic of a human who had grasped the world's fundamental truths. It was a profound knowledge discovered by a single, miraculous genius in all of history.
How could anyone figure it out when it was being so thoroughly hidden? Learning to fish? In terms of difficulty, it was comparable to catching a Leviathan. The word 'impossible' was a more fitting description.
And yet.
Since someone had already found the Divine, what if we were to simply follow in their footsteps?
"Perhaps, in a way, taking a fish from the net is a method of fishing, wouldn't you say?"
"...The net?"
"And to do that, we would need to find the moment the Mage King reaches into his net."
‘Does he mean to target the moment the Mage King retrieves one of Rene's Pockets? Does he even know what he’s saying? Climbing the Tower of Babel is a monumental trial in itself. It is another realm entirely. Only a chosen few can even set foot inside.’
Babel.
The largest and most magnificent tower, piercing vertically through the Floating Castle.
It was the castle's very core. The Tower of Babel, whose peak was the nexus that generated the reverse gravity holding the castle aloft. It was said to be a tower that reached God, but no ordinary human could approach it.
The reverse gravity intensified the closer one drew to the core, and a distorted space guarded it like an impenetrable barrier.
Only the Mage King could reach it.
Therefore, Rene's Pockets had to be there as well.
"Are you saying you intend to climb Babel? Your resolve is impressive. Well, the Shrine of the Divine has many talented individuals like you. I will be cheering for you. I pray you don't all get yourselves killed in the Tower of Babel."
"Praying won't be enough. You should prepare. For the one-in-a-million chance that we succeed, and for what might happen when we do."
Just as the Celsius Domain had its rules, so too did the Floating Castle. Rules so arcane they defied even a sense of wonder.
"The rule of the Floating Castle is reverse gravity. That power keeps the castle afloat in the high heavens and allows people to live with their feet planted on its walls."
"I am aware of the Floating Castle's rules. I was taught there for a time. You need not explain; I know them well."
"The rule itself is not what's important. What if what happened in the Celsius Domain were to happen in the Floating Castle as well?"
At that, Elcia fell silent. She had finally realized the audaciousness of my thoughts.
‘The rules of the Floating Castle are twofold. One creates reverse gravity within it, and the other… keeps it floating in the air.’
"As it happens, the Floating Castle has currently descended upon the Celsius Domain. What if, by some chance, we were to tamper with its rules and it could no longer fly?"
‘Gifting the Floating Castle… Don’t tell me he means…!’
Then the Floating Castle would be grounded in the Celsius Domain.
The Floating Castle would become fixed to a single city, like any other castle. The Mage King, the five towers, and countless mages would be stranded in the domain. If it were to fall from the sky, it would be a catastrophe, but to be grounded from its current descended state would be a windfall.
‘The Celsius Domain would effectively become the capital of the Mage Federation!’
Had the balance of power been close enough for the Floating Castle and the Celsius Domain to be rivals, she might have hesitated. Two powers cannot coexist in one land.
But the difference in strength between the Floating Castle and the Celsius Domain was like that of heaven and earth, even with the castle on the ground. There was no room for a power struggle. Simply having that immense knowledge and magic close at hand would be an enormous gain.
After giving Elcia enough time to think, I hastily retracted my words as if it had been a slip of the tongue.
"Oh, my. What a terrible thing to say. Surely, such a thing would never happen."
"That's right. Such a thing must not be allowed to happen, not even by a one-in-a-thousand chance."
The Shrine of the Divine was going to cause some kind of incident in the Floating Castle. Their target, after all, was not the Celsius Domain, but the Mage King's Babel.
Any incident that occurred within the Floating Castle would be to the benefit of Celsius. Elcia understood this.
This should work. I held the key out to Elcia.
"Here is the key to the Celsius treasury I was holding for you."
"...Hmph. It has merely returned to its rightful place."
Elcia accepted the key nonchalantly. It seemed her interest now lay elsewhere, far beyond the returned key.
"Although House Celsius was defeated and is complying with your demands, we will not betray the Mage King or the Floating Castle. Whatever the Shrine of the Divine chooses to do is no concern of ours."
She was drawing a line. In other words, she would not interfere with whatever we did. And she would help, so long as she could maintain her distance.
"However, it would be improper to let such distinguished guests stand around like decorations. If you have nothing to do during your stay with House Celsius, would you perhaps help us refine the magic we plan to demonstrate at the cultural exchange? We would be honored to learn from you."
So she was giving us work while also creating a pretext for us to participate in the exchange. She was being quite proactive in her assistance.
"We will be in your care, members of the Shrine. I shall leave you to rest. Please, make yourselves comfortable by the fireplace."
Elcia was about to rise from her seat when she paused, as if remembering something, and looked back at me.
"Elisha... she is no longer with you, is she?"
The Blue Tower Master? Right. According to Lankart, she left not long after joining.
It seems she's still concerned about her younger sister. I gave a natural nod.
"Yes. It is a shame. Losing a talent of her caliber was a great loss to the Shrine."
"...She has always been like that. She runs away at the most crucial moments. It was probably for the best for all of you."
"Is there a story behind that?"
"A story? Do I need a reason to speak ill of my own pathetic sister?"
‘Unable to control her power over the ice crystals, she fled to the shadow of the Mage King… and now she has fled from the Shrine of the Divine as well.’
So something did happen. Well now, shall I read a little deeper?
It seemed the Blue Tower Master would be deeply involved in this affair.
‘She ran away from the family, claiming she didn’t want to turn anyone into a memory… and yet she’s accomplished nothing. Hmph. Fine. At least she won’t be leaving any mementos of herself behind.’