Chapter 666: Tower of Babel, Floors 3-6
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 666: Tower of Babel, Floors 3-6
When I reached the 3rd floor, a group of paladins was facing off against a party of mages. They were aspirants for the Gateway from the neighboring Decibel territory. The six mages seemed to have known each other before coming here and were well-prepared, but even so, they paled in comparison to the paladins.
The outcome was obvious. But the mages, unwilling to give up on the Divine, prepared to cast their spells in resistance. The paladins raised their mirror-like shields in response.
Just as the two groups were about to clash, I stepped in.
“Does it make any sense for us, who have climbed this tower following the teachings of Saint Rene, to fight amongst ourselves to obtain our goal? Every single person’s strength is precious. Let us not fight, but cooperate and ascend the tower together.”
The mages were weak. They had no choice but to accept my mediation.
Paladins are paladins. They could not refuse my mediation.
Of course, the mages judged my words to be a lie, but I saw through their magic with ease and gave them a warning: their spells were nothing more than child’s play, and the only reason I wasn’t crushing them was for Saint Rene’s sake.
“In the spirit of Saint Rene, if you pursue knowledge peacefully, I will share that knowledge with you.”
And so, the mages from the Decibel territory joined us as well.
The puzzle on the 3rd floor was to find a focal point using spatial curvature. With the mages from Decibel now with us, we used sound reflection to find the answer in minutes. Having realized the importance of cooperation, the paladins proceeded to the next floor without complaint.
Similar events continued to unfold. Stronger and more experienced mages appeared as we ascended, but they all yielded to the power of a group that now numbered over twenty. A few mages resisted, but Shei and Lankart swiftly subdued them before they could be killed.
The defeated also surrendered and joined our party. It was better to live than to die, after all. A rational decision.
By the time we reached the 6th floor…
“There are already fifty of us.”
Shei said, her expression a mixture of pleasure and dismay.
Fifty people were sharing food and taking a short break. The mages walked around the tower, identifying and discussing the puzzle, while the paladins mediated whenever the mages’ voices grew too loud.
Order had emerged even in this hastily formed assembly. The competitors, having already formed a group, chose to cooperate to overcome the present hardship instead of eliminating one another.
“How about it? It’s a much better sight than everyone killing each other, isn’t it?”
“It’s better than that, but is this really okay? There’s only one Divine, and we don’t know how we’re supposed to obtain it.”
“Who obtains it and how isn’t important. We should be thinking about sharing the knowledge gained in the spirit of Saint Rene.”
“You really plan on sharing?”
“Of course. Have I ever monopolized knowledge?”
Have I ever obtained a Divine and monopolized or hidden it? If anything, I’ve spread it around.
Shei seemed to know that, as she could only sigh.
“Right. Let’s just get to the top and see.”
“Climbing the tower is the most important thing.”
“By the way, aren’t you going to solve this floor’s puzzle?”
“Lankart already solved it. He’s just thinking about how to implement the solution.”
For some reason, Lankart had been proactively solving the puzzles since the 3rd floor. Thanks to him, I’ve been able to take it easy and slack off.
Shei asked with a suspicious gaze.
“And what are you doing?”
“Me? I’m just waiting for a bit.”
“For what?”
“For the people who will be coming up here.”
No sooner had I finished speaking than a door opened in the ceiling. Nearly ten mages flinched a beat too late and came tumbling down.
We were fine, thanks to the sturdy paladins leading the way, but the newcomers seemed flustered by the unexpected fall. The first mage to fall chanted a spell.
“Anti-gravity!”
A slow landing. It was a survival spell that mages from the Floating Castle, who lived amidst distorted gravity, had to master. The mage, having cast such a high-level spell with ease, let out a sigh of relief. Then he noticed the dozens of people and jumped in surprise.
“Huh?”
He must not have expected to find so many people on the 6th floor; he was purely overwhelmed by the crowd, shrinking back. My role was to soothe him before he started spamming attack spells.
But his face was somehow familiar.
“Huh? Avant-garde?”
At that, Avant-garde flinched like a small animal, then spotted me and scurried over in a hurry.
“Hu-Hughes?! What are you doing here?”
“What do you mean? This is the Gateway.”
“Ah, right. That’s right…”
“Anyway, I should be asking you. What are you doing here, Avant-garde?”
Why was a mage who already lived in the Floating Castle climbing the Gateway? This was just kicking away the ladder.
Avant-garde answered hesitantly.
“Well, the Tower of Babel is a tower that even we haven’t been able to climb. Babel is a repository of all kinds of knowledge collected by the Mage King. We can’t just give up on that, can we?”
“Even so. Isn’t it dangerous?”
“…Huh? Are you worried about me?”
Avant-garde didn’t answer my question and just giggled. I heard someone click their tongue, and Lankart glanced over before muttering, “Of course,” and turning his head away.
Cardinal Elton approached and asked.
“Do you know each other?”
“Yes. He’s my senior from the year above me.”
“Hmm. If he’s an acquaintance, there shouldn’t be any trouble. I’ll leave it to you.”
The paladins, who lacked magical knowledge but possessed anti-magic and holy power, acted as a sort of security force. They had approached in case a conflict broke out, but now they dispersed again.
Avant-garde muttered as she watched them.
“Paladins?”
“Yes. We ran into them on the way up and decided to travel together until we climb the whole tower.”
“Is that okay? I mean, there’s only one of Saint Rene’s relics, right?”
“We can’t share the relic, but we can share the knowledge. I can’t promise the relic to everyone, but I will share the rewards of having climbed Babel.”
“Interpreting the relic won’t be that easy. There are many cases where you can research for years and come up with nothing. I-I was like that too, before you came.”
“That won’t happen to me.”
“Hmph. So full of yourself…”
But Hughes might actually be able to do it. His ability to interpret magic was second to none. If Hughes interprets it, maybe I’ll be able to understand that magic too.
Sorry, but I don’t know about that yet. If Rene isn’t a Divine, her Spiritual World might not remain in the relic, or if I can’t read the Mage King’s thoughts, I might not be able to understand it. Please bear with me.
“You came with people too, Avant-garde.”
“Ah. These people are…”
Avant-garde glanced at me but didn’t finish her sentence. It seemed there was something she couldn’t say. Of course, with my mind-reading ability, I had already seen through it.
They’re other mages from the Crystal Tower, gathered to search for the Divine’s relic. There’s no rule saying we can’t enter, and we agreed to research it jointly if we obtain the relic. But the fact that we came down here is a secret for now.
The relic of Rene, the presumed Divine of Space, offered as the prize for the Gateway. This was a treasure any mage would covet. A mage from the Floating Castle yielding for the sake of their juniors? That would be the most irrational action of all.
Though not everyone was here just to claim it.
“…”
Hughes’s claim about sharing knowledge is probably not a lie. Lankart and Shei could have defeated everyone individually before they banded together. The moment he united them, making them a more difficult opponent, his actions gained a sense of sincerity.
Among the group of mages from the Crystal Tower, there was one person mimicking the appearance of a tall, slender man, their skin covered in a thin layer of ice that distorted their appearance and scattered light as a disguise.
Hughes. Your intentions are good. As the King of Humans, you wouldn’t hesitate to be generous to your people.
The Blue Tower Master. Elisha Celsius.
One of the five Tower Masters of the Floating Castle, and one who once belonged to the Shrine of the Divine and glimpsed the secrets of the world.
And the mastermind who sent Lord Johannes as a spy.
But you must not trust all humans. There are humans in this world who should not be trusted. There are those hiding in the shadows who would turn knowledge meant to be a blessing for all into a curse and a source of fear.
Hiding her identity with the White Tower Master’s light magic—a mask of white light that distorted light to alter her appearance—she had slipped in among the mages of the Crystal Tower. Judging by the fact that even Avant-garde didn’t know, she must have prepared a false identity from the start.
The Blue Tower Master toyed with her light magic, silently surveying her surroundings. The paladins, the mages, and the mercenaries. After scanning them all, she calmly concluded her thoughts.
The best outcome is that no one obtains it. The next best is that the paladins take it. There are no other options. No matter how bad the situation gets, the Shrine of the Divine will never obtain that knowledge.
It was something I had already read with my mind-reading.
Lord Johannes is the Blue Tower’s master. If he was acting as a spy, the information would surely be passed up to someone above him. That would naturally be the Blue Tower Master or the Mage King.
But the Mage King had no need for a spy. He was practically omnipotent. Besides, wasn’t the reward for the Tower of Babel offered by the Mage King himself?
That left only one possibility.
The Blue Tower Master had come to the tower as expected, and now things were about to get a lot more interesting.
“Hey, Hughes.”
“Whoa!”
Just then, Shei poked me in the ribs. Startled by the sudden attack that even my mind-reading couldn’t predict, I twisted my body.
Shei pouted and said.
“What are you dawdling for?”
“What? When was I dawdling?”
“Right now.”
“Does it look like I’m dawdling? I was persuading the newcomers, wasn’t I? I’ve been doing the same thing from the 2nd to the 5th floor!”
“You know him. You could have just wrapped it up quickly instead of dragging it out.”
I’ve been talking so much already! On the 5th floor, I spent nearly an hour mediating between people who were about to tear each other’s throats out. This was nothing!
I was speechless at the absurd interruption. Avant-garde, on the other hand, seemed to have found something to say.
“Y-You’re the one dragging things out…! We haven’t seen each other in a long time, why are you interrupting?”
“Interrupting? I should be the one saying that. We need to climb the tower, what are you going to do just holding him here talking? You should be thinking about solving the 6th floor’s puzzle. Are you just going to leave it to Hughes without even trying?”
“Urk…! What about you! Why are you even here if you’re not solving the tower’s puzzles!”
“M-Me? My role isn’t to solve puzzles.”
“What kind of excuse is that! You’re the one who’s just been clinging to Hughes to get this far! You couldn’t even climb the 1st floor on your own!”
“Hughes is my comrade, so we’re one and the same!”
“Why only you? Then I’m one with Hughes too!”
Hey. Why are you two fighting over my body? I have no intention of sharing a body with anyone.
“Huey. I’ve solved it. I’ve created a pseudo-gravity space with a spherical magic circle, so we should be getting a reaction soon…”
Lankart, having solved the tower’s puzzle, stopped in his tracks with an annoyed expression.
“Another woman?”
“It seems so.”
“You solve that problem on your own. Don’t let it get to me.”
“You worry too much. Have I ever pushed my problems onto you?”
“…True. The fact that you can solve even problems like that is what makes you you.”
Lankart sighed and snapped his fingers.
The 6th floor was a section with shifting gravity, much like the Floating Castle. Lankart found the inflection point in the fluctuating gravitational field and activated a magic circle. The distortion created a hole in space, and beyond it, a staircase appeared.
“Ooh. It worked. So it was a gravitational inflection point problem after all…”
A paladin who saw the door open got to his feet and muttered.
“Is this the 7th floor now? Where the hell does this thing end?”
“Since it’s a tower, it’s probably ten floors.”
“Why? Other towers have more than ten floors, don’t they?”
“Ten floors doesn’t simply refer to the number of levels. A change in the number of digits signifies the need for a concept on a higher dimension, one that transcends existing concepts.”
A mage who overheard his muttering explained in a lecturing tone.
“Before the concept of numbers existed, people needed fingers to count. But once all ten fingers were used, they couldn’t count any further. Numbers were born to overcome that limitation. The number 10 signifies a state that transcends existing concepts.”
“So you’re saying Babel will also have ten floors? Are you sure?”
“…I’m not sure.”
“Jeez. It’s just a guess, then? Whatever, let’s just go up.”
They seemed to have gotten quite close for how little time they’d known each other. Considering that mages and clerics differ on a fundamental level—that is, their views on the existence of gods—this was great progress.
As before, the paladins entered first. The priests and Cardinal Elton followed, and the remaining mages gathered their belongings and moved. Just as the group of nearly sixty people was about to move…
“Stop!”
“It’s an ambush, prepare yourselves!”
Clang.
The sound of clashing blades. Screams and shouts echoed from beyond.
At the same time, a dizzying scent wafted over. The smell of poison and blood crossed the space. Cardinal Elton urgently threw himself inside, and the priests clasped their hands and began to pray.
The tense mages raised their staves and pointed them forward. I, too, pushed past the others, my body taut with tension.
And there…
“Heeh. You all smell so… fresh. It’s disgusting.”
“There are a lot of them. It’d be best to thin the herd a bit beforehand.”
A group of mercenaries armed with swords, spears, and flails stood waiting, reeking of the coppery scent of blood.