Chapter 665: The Tower of Babel, 2nd Floor
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 665: The Tower of Babel, 2nd Floor
The Gateway to Success is a single, small gate through which hundreds, even thousands, of small fish swim upstream. All yearn to become dragons, pushing and striking one another in fierce competition.
Historically, the Tower of Babel had never been used as such a gateway, but what was happening inside was the same as it had always been.
Competition. A trial where participants became the problems for other participants.
Problems that arose on their own without any need for clever design, with a clear-cut system that ensured one of the two would be eliminated. It was the kind of thing an examiner would clap their hands and welcome.
For those actually fighting, however, it was a daunting prospect.
‘Three of them over there, too? I heard the Gateway to Success was an individual trial, but did they form a party? Then again, we came as a group, so it’s not that strange.’
And is that Cardinal Elton of the northern Holy Church? A cardinal, his priests, and an order of paladins?
That’s the fighting strength of an entire legion!
Cardinal Elton approached with a benevolent smile. He showed no fear or caution. Filled with boundless faith and pride in his own power, he had no reason to fear a mere trio of passersby.
And we, in turn, had no reason to fear them.
“Huh? Isn’t that the robe of a high priest? At least the rank of an archpriest. Hughes.”
“What’s someone like that doing here?”
“Maybe he’s here to find the Divine?”
That’s the problem! He’s a competitor!
Shei, who had been close with the Sanctum in a previous timeline, was happy to see the paladins. But when she sensed the hostility radiating from them, she froze. She looked puzzled.
“What’s this? It feels like they want to fight.”
“Because we’re competitors.”
In the end, only one person could ascend and obtain the Divine. Therefore, it was better if the others weren't around. Moreover, they were an order of paladins who had infiltrated the tower to reclaim a holy relic. They undoubtedly saw mages as a thorn in their side.
However, though they radiated hostility, they didn't attack first.
‘First, extend a hand to your opponent. If that hand holds a weapon, rebuke them with dignity. If they try to harm you with that weapon, you may strike back. But even then, your hand must hold mercy. As a man of the cloth, I cannot attack first.’
That was only because our opponent was a cardinal, a cleric whose piety was second to none. Had it been anyone else, they would have already started a fight. Mages were rational, and it was better to attack than to be attacked. Mages were strong in prepared battles but weak against surprise attacks.
‘I’ll grant you the first move. Go on, attack.’
Of all the groups to run into first, it had to be a cardinal and his paladins. If nothing else, their defense was among the best in the world. Wasting our strength here would be a pain.
Oh, wait a second. They won’t attack unless we attack first? This could be interesting.
While I was lost in thought, Lankart, sensing the hostility, furrowed his brow.
“Fools who believe in a god.”
Unique Magic, World of the Right-Handed.
The air began to swirl around Lankart. A spiral pattern, as if clawed by the wind, appeared on the wide carpet.
There was only one Divine, and everyone else was a competitor. It was logical to attack immediately to eliminate future threats, and Lankart had the power to do so. It was a rational decision.
As the expected response came, Cardinal Elton made a small sign of the cross and waited for Lankart’s attack.
In that tense, hair-trigger moment, I stepped forward.
“Wait, Lankart. There’s no need to fight right now.”
“Why not?”
“There’s still a long way to go in the Tower of Babel. We have to face countless trials. Wouldn’t it be better to cooperate with them for now, rather than waste time fighting?”
“?”
Lankart stared at me as if asking what I was talking about. His eyes questioned why we should bother with something as troublesome as cooperation when we would have to eliminate them eventually.
Explaining would be a hassle. I made the sign of the cross and greeted the cardinal.
“We thank you for sending a guide to us who were lost in the dark of night. Meeting Your Eminence, I feel as though I, too, have found a lighthouse in the darkness.”
Recognizing him immediately, Cardinal Elton asked with a curious gaze.
“How did you know this humble servant was a cardinal?”
“The Sanctum sends letters in the cardinal’s name every year, does it not? But the Tower of Babel appeared suddenly, without any warning. An envoy carrying a letter from Your Eminence could not possibly ascend the tower without your permission. Unless, of course, Your Eminence granted it on the spot.”
Yeah, I read his mind. Once you know the answer, you just make up a story to fit it.
“Besides, any believer of the Sky God is bound to have heard the name of Cardinal Elton.”
“…Hmm.”
‘This humble servant is not well known outside of those who have studied theology… Could he be a student of theology?’
Okay, I’ll go with that scenario.
I brought my hands together slightly in the posture of a theology student and spoke in the flat tone of someone reciting scripture. Right now, I was the very picture of a novice who had left after learning only the basics.
“I, too, am a student of Saint Rene. I have painstakingly crafted myself as a single brick to build the tower for the theology student I am. Though I cannot compare to Your Eminence, I pride myself on not lacking in my studies.”
“Ho ho. To meet one who has read the scriptures here. It is the guidance of heaven.”
“Even the finest text can only be read when there is light to illuminate it. I believe the light that illuminated my own texts has led to this meeting today.”
‘He doesn’t intend to fight? Hmmm… that’s a bit tricky.’
My polite and respectful attitude clearly flustered Cardinal Elton.
Mages were arrogant and rational. They didn’t easily reverse a decision once made, because their judgments were usually rational and accurate.
The option of temporarily cooperating with an enemy they would have to fight someday was not one they would easily choose. Especially not if the opponent was an order of paladins. For a mage to allow them to get close was to start the fight half-defeated.
‘To think a mage could be so polite and devout. If only he were as rude as the mage behind him, I could have taught him a lesson. Tsk. It can’t be helped. I have no choice but to leave them be until they reveal some other hidden motive.’
“You said you wished to ask for the way? I, too, have just arrived and have not yet assessed the situation. What is happening?”
Cardinal Elton relaxed his posture and replied.
“By the grace of the light, we reached the second floor, and this hall appeared before us. We split up to search for the stairs leading up, but they were nowhere to be found. We tried opening the door you came through, but beyond it was only an endless void. We could not step through.”
“It seems the space wasn’t connected.”
“Indeed. Utterly baffled, we decided to respect the original purpose of the chairs and tables. The moment we all sat down, you suddenly appeared from the opposite corridor.”
“Is that so? The space must be connected now. One moment.”
I turned and pulled on the door, but felt something was wrong. I had pushed it to enter, but now it wouldn't budge when I pulled. Just in case, I gave it a slight push. The space I had come from was gone, replaced by a vast, empty void.
The space it connects to is different when entering and exiting.
“It seems solving the secret of this door is the second trial.”
“This humble servant has figured that much out. The problem is how.”
“I can think of one way. It’s a Lumen magic circle that uses light.”
I pointed a finger at the ceiling. A chandelier, with each of its lights shining like a jewel, illuminated the banquet hall. When the light touched the transparent tables and chairs, it shattered beautifully, leaving a trail.
“The Lumen family, now extinct, was said to have drawn magic circles with light containing mana-light. They placed prisms as the core and used beams of light as the lines to create their magic. Their casting speed was said to be faster than any other. This is an application of that.”
Let’s see. Here and here, like this.
I dragged chairs, twisted tables, and slightly shifted their positions. As I did, the scattered motes of light gradually began to converge. It was like gathering straw with a rake or sweeping dust with a dustpan.
The paladins watched with considerable surprise as the light gradually took shape. To them, light was an object of faith, the guidance of the Sky God, not something that could be sculpted like this.
“Oho. Such a thing.”
“Could you please move aside? And if possible, stand against the wall. I need to gather all the light from the chandelier.”
“Ah, um. I understand.”
Startled by the miracle I was performing, the paladins awkwardly rose from their seats. As I methodically turned the chairs, I felt the space itself gradually narrowing.
The areas untouched by light became dark and void-like, as if space didn't exist there at all. It felt like if you put your hand in, it would disappear forever. But that probably wouldn't happen. After all, that space had clearly existed before the light was shone on it.
But was it really there?
If there is nothing to illuminate a space, how can one know that space exists?
“It’s as if… you’re weaving light,” one of the paladins muttered.
I gathered and converged the hundreds of light rays extending from the chandelier. When all the light was collected, a single, brilliant, dazzling beam was formed.
The countless rays of light reflecting off the chairs and tables gathered in the center of the banquet hall. The condensed light settled on the largest, most ornate table, shimmering like a bead.
Shei muttered unconsciously.
“It’s beautiful.”
“If we send this beam of light beyond the stairs to illuminate it, the space within will be revealed.”
As I shot the light, it pierced through the space and illuminated the void far away.
Cutting through the deep darkness that could be mistaken for a void, the light faintly illuminated a staircase.
It’s impossible to tell if the stairs were there from the beginning and we just couldn't find them, or if they appeared after I shot the beam of light.
But only one thing mattered. I had solved the problem and found the stairs leading up. That was all.
I had earned the right to proceed to the third floor.
I turned to the paladins and gave them a gentle smile.
“Now, shall we go together?”
“…Hmph!”
The tense paladins and Cardinal Elton hesitated at my words.
They must have expected me to monopolize the solution and kick the ladder out from under them. They had even planned to make the first move and push me aside. The problem was that I had offered my goodwill with a smile, which left the paladins in an awkward position.
It is unnerving to trust a stranger, even more so a competitor. But they were paladins, through and through. They couldn't act without just cause.
Cardinal Elton clicked his tongue as he watched them.
‘The paladins still lack boldness. One should respond to goodwill with goodwill, even if it is feigned. Yet, they are filled with the thought of attacking, even if they haven’t drawn their swords. Is it inevitable? The paladins are swords meant to protect the faith, so they are bound to be crushed by such a sense of duty.’
Right. And what if my goodwill is feigned? Are you going to stab me in the back?
Go ahead. As long as I have mind-reading, I won’t be caught off guard. Not that you’d be able to, anyway.
‘We’ve been completely outmaneuvered in this psychological battle. We are acting as clerics should, but that man is not acting like a mage. As long as he doesn’t try to fight, we cannot attack first. It seems we have no choice but to ride in the same boat.’
For the sake of the tense paladins, Cardinal Elton changed his attitude and spoke.
“I see now that you are a guide worth following. But I wish to discuss this beforehand. There is only one spot at the Gateway to Success, and we are many. Are you truly alright with us accompanying you?”
This was Cardinal Elton asking on behalf of the other priests and paladins. I respected his intention and answered earnestly.
“Of course. I, too, wished to be with all of you.”
“Is that so? I do not wish to show the ugly sight of a squabble with such an outstanding, benevolent, and devout guide.”
“Why must we fight? We are all merely followers of Saint Rene’s teachings.”
Saint Rene.
A saint revered by the Sanctum, and the historic master who created the system of this Mage Federation.
Despite possessing immense power to create pocket dimensions, she never used it to harm others. In an age when knowledge was heresy and scholars were branded as demons and executed, she wandered the north, sharing her knowledge. She became a great model for both the Mage Federation and the Sanctum.
I mentioned her as I continued.
“Saint Rene said that knowledge is only made complete through sharing. That applies to the magic of the tower, the mysteries of the Floating Castle, and the holy relics as well. I wish for the relics left by Saint Rene to be revealed to the entire world. If knowledge belongs to everyone, there will be no need for anyone to fight.”
“That is a dangerous thought. The world is full of dangerous and harmful knowledge, like that of the Divine or the Anathemas.”
“Perhaps. But at the very least, shouldn’t Saint Rene’s relics be treated according to her will? Saint Rene was someone who shared knowledge her entire life. Isn’t it hypocritical to monopolize that knowledge?”
“Ahem.”
Cardinal Elton was also a follower of Saint Rene’s teachings. Though he couldn’t fully agree with my words, he acknowledged that they were the righteous view.
“I have things to say on that matter, but…”
“It would be better to have a deep conversation as we ascend, rather than fight. That is the spirit of Saint Rene, after all.”
“I understand. Let us go. We are not the only ones in this tower.”
Cardinal Elton and the paladins relaxed their battle stances and moved in an orderly fashion. I let them go up first. Since I knew the solution, I could go up anytime.
“So you meant to use them as a shield? And you plan to ditch them at the last moment? Should I prepare a spell to make this place collapse from the inside?”
Lankart made a terrifying suggestion, but I immediately shook my head.
“No need. A surprise attack is meaningless against paladins.”
“Because of their Combat Foresight? I just need to make it more elaborate. A trap using this space itself would render their precognition useless.”
“No. It might work if it were just the paladins, but the cardinal is with them. It’s better not to fight, and if we must, we have to win with a direct approach.”
“Yes. I understand.”
Lankart followed my command without another word. This was why I put up with the immense burden of having him around. He trusted my judgment as much as he revered me.
Of course, the primary reason was that he was smart and knowledgeable, so I had no choice but to bring him along. Look. Lankart was the reason we solved the first and second floors.
The paladins had all gone up. We followed behind them, heading for the staircase illuminated by a single beam of light.
‘…By the way, I couldn’t pay attention to the second floor’s problem this time. It’s because I was wary of the paladins and preparing magic, but Huey realized the problem was a Lumen magic circle and calculated the answer even in that situation. It’s not just knowledge where I fall short of Huey. Huey and I have different perspectives. To catch up to him, I need to change my perspective….’
I left Lankart’s shadowy thoughts behind me.