WeTried Translations

Translator: Hydrogen B

Editor: Hydrogen B

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 622: A Dream of Rising in Rank

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The Arcane Federation was a nation of magic, divided into the "enlightened," who had encountered its great knowledge, and the "unenlightened," who unfortunately had not received that blessing.

Surprisingly, the gap between the two classes was not all that wide.

Look at the Empire's nobles. They wielded absolute power, monopolizing strength and wealth as they reigned over the common people. To a noble, the people were nothing but stepping stones to raise themselves higher.

Look at the Blood Lords of the principality. They enjoyed eternal life through the Progenitor's blood while squeezing blood and wealth from the people to fill their own throats. To a Blood Lord, humans were nothing but livestock to be raised.

Look at the knights of the kingdom that had now fallen. They wielded their natural strength, killing the weak under the pretense of duels to obtain whatever they wanted. To a knight, commoners were nothing but plump prey.

Compared to those who ruled, drained blood, and hunted through duels,

the enlightened were simply more rational, reasonable, and wise citizens.

The reason was simple. They acknowledged that there was no inborn difference between the enlightened and the unenlightened.

Was a mage born a mage? At birth, everyone was no more than a foolish animal. Infants learned language and emotion from their parents, then grew by learning knowledge and social norms from society.

If a child raised that way encountered the great knowledge of magic and had enough "wisdom" to accept it, they could become one of the enlightened and enjoy everything the Arcane Federation had to offer.

Did children who lacked that "wisdom" suffer persecution, then? Not at all. Every system of the Arcane Federation, including its institutions, facilities, and magic tools, was open to the unenlightened as well. They simply lacked the knowledge and mana to use them, even if they wished to.

Though they enjoyed less by comparison, the unenlightened were still recognized as members of the Arcane Federation, and they and their children were given equal opportunities.

The opportunity to climb the Dragon Gate and encounter even greater knowledge.

"Respect worthy of those with intellect. That's our ideology."

With a snap of the Cyan Tower Master's fingers, the writing on the smooth crystal blackboard melted away in an instant. Having finished her summary, she dusted off her hands.

"We're different from primitive, barbaric monarchies. We don't oppress people with outdated customs and old orders. The Arcane Federation is an advanced nation built by mages with the finest minds. We don't judge people by bloodline, but by ability."

'And I am one of the five greatest geniuses in such an Arcane Federation.'

Mana perception, mana control, and magical knowledge. As long as someone had those three things, they could become enlightened and earn the right to enjoy the Arcane Federation's civilization.

The Cyan Tower Master continued, emphasizing that point.

"In other words, if you two prove your qualifications, you can remain in the floating castle."

"Aren't we already staying here?"

"You can stay because I, the Cyan Tower Master, vouched for you and you are important witnesses for the Intelligence Bureau. You're bound to me. Are you fine with that?"

"Bound to you? If it's the Cyan Tower Master, then as much as you wa... Agh!"

What was that? A gust of wind smacked the back of my head.

When I turned around, Shei was standing there with her arms folded, pretending not to know anything. The Cyan Tower Master covered her mouth and chuckled quietly before continuing.

"Hehe. Still, I can't keep mere unenlightened people who only flatter me by my side forever. If things continue like this, I'll have to send you down during the next Descent."

"The Descent?"

"When the floating castle lowers its orbit and floats near the lower world, we call that a Descent. During that time, there is much more exchange between the lower world and the floating castle. By the rules, you two will have to leave the floating castle during the next Descent."

Unless someone had been sentenced to exile, they could not simply throw them out. Yet assigning a mage to escort them down was inefficient. That was why, the Cyan Tower Master explained, they sent the unenlightened away during Descent season.

"But the Dragon Gate opens during Descent season. Every citizen of the Arcane Federation, enlightened and unenlightened alike, receives an equal opportunity to demonstrate their abilities. If you prove yourselves there, you can remain in the floating castle with pride."

There was more to investigate in the floating castle, and Shei had business with the Demon King as well. Getting thrown out now would be troublesome in many ways. I had thought of relying on Lankart or the Cyan Tower Master, but if the Cyan Tower Master felt this way, that would be difficult too.

It wouldn't be a bad idea to learn magic while I had the chance. The more skills I had, the better. Still.

"Can we really learn magic now and pass the Dragon Gate?"

"Impossible. For ordinary unenlightened people."

The Cyan Tower Master answered immediately.

"The floating castle is a place only those who have accomplished something among the Arcane Federation's many enlightened citizens may set foot in. Plenty of mages devote their entire lives to magic and still never reach the floating castle. An unenlightened person cramming their way through the Dragon Gate? Only the chosen among natural geniuses can do that."

'Like me, who awakened my innate arcane at ten and entered the floating castle. My case was a little different from the Dragon Gate, since I came here through my family's recommendation.'

...Ah, I see.

Reading her thoughts, it seemed mages from renowned magical families who awakened innate arcane entered the floating castle without going through the Dragon Gate.

Apparently, that was not a privilege but consideration, since there would be no room for anyone else if mages from famous families dominated the Dragon Gate.

Then an ordinary person like me couldn't even dream of it.

I was giving up when the Cyan Tower Master continued.

"But Lankart climbed the Dragon Gate. Though Lankart learned magic in the military state, black magic and white magic differ from the very foundation. Yet Lankart alone achieved overwhelming results."

"Lankart is a recognized genius even in the military state."

"Honestly, I was surprised. I thought that even if someone was praised as a genius in a primitive, backward nation like the military state, they would only be an intelligent barbarian. Yet Lankart surpassed the Arcane Federation's most renowned enlightened citizens and came first."

The Cyan Tower Master murmured as she recalled Lankart climbing the Dragon Gate.

Lankart ascended the Dragon Gate with dignified steps. Leaving the frustrated enlightened who had slipped while climbing beneath his feet, Lankart entered the floating castle without a care.

As though winning first place was nothing special.

"If you're the genius Lankart spoke so highly of, perhaps you might climb the Dragon Gate even after such brief instruction."

'Lankart said he was a genius greater than himself. If someone like him received the teachings of a genius like me, how far could he go? I'm simply curious.'

Ah, that was how she felt.

...Sorry. She would probably be disappointed. My pitiful body had rarely lived up to expectations.

Still, there was no rule saying I had to meet them perfectly. An opportunity was an opportunity. I decided to accept it gratefully and deeply bowed to the Cyan Tower Master.

"I look forward to learning from you, Master."

"Good, my disciple. From now on, listen to me well."

The Cyan Tower Master smiled warmly, took a jewel from her pocket, and flicked her fountain pen. Unmelting crystal grew around the blue sapphire until it formed a blue badge.

"This is the badge given to disciples of the Crystal Tower. With this, you can freely enter the Crystal Tower's training grounds and library. Be careful not to lose it."

"I'll treasure it for the rest of my life."

"Pfft. You'll have to work hard if you don't want it taken away halfway through. Now, stand up."

The Cyan Tower Master rose and pinned the badge directly onto me. After checking that it hung properly on my chest, she smiled with her eyes and patted my shoulder.

This was quite different from the military state. If a cool and intelligent master taught me while giving me a precious badge, of course I would study hard.

"What about me?"

I was in the middle of building up my respect for her when Shei spoke, looking uncomfortable. The Cyan Tower Master turned toward her.

"Your name was Shei, right? Do you want to learn magic too?"

"There's no reason I can't. Hughes is learning it too."

'This is irritating. Why? What is this feeling?'

"Mm. But..."

Trailing off, the Cyan Tower Master took out her fountain pen and replaced its ink. She pressed down a cartridge labeled "Lens," filling the pen, then drew five circles in the air. The crystallized ink became magical lenses that revealed what could not be seen.

Looking at Shei through the magical lenses, the Cyan Tower Master spoke with an awkward expression.

"I have nothing to teach you."

Surely she didn't mean she had seen through Shei's intelligence and couldn't teach her... right?

The Cyan Tower Master's lenses were used to observe mana capacity. At that moment, in the Cyan Tower Master's eyes, Shei appeared to be surrounded by more mana than most mages possessed.

"You already possess enough mana. With that much mana, you can naturally perceive mana too, can't you?"

"...I can."

'I can only do it because I acquired the Seven-Colored Eyes, but still.'

"The roughest conditions for being a mage are mana perception, mana control, and knowledge of how to use them. You meet all three conditions. Your system differs from ours, but you cannot be called unenlightened."

The Green Tower Master had also said Shei was not unenlightened. She believed that someone with that much mana couldn't possibly be unenlightened.

The Cyan Tower Master was the same.

"No, that amount of mana is impossible to obtain without learning magic in the first place."

"...Urgh."

'I did learn it... I did, but...'

"If you wish, I'll give you a badge too. But it won't help much. Once magic reaches a certain point, it's important to forge your own path."

"Y-Yeah..."

"Here."

A blue badge fell into Shei's hand as well. This badge was slightly different from the one given to me. Rather than a disciple's badge, it was an entry permit given to an outside guest.

Giving her a guest's badge rather than a disciple's was still an expression of respect. Holding the badge, Shei sank into thought with mixed feelings.

'I learned magic from you in the previous cycle...!'

Ah, really?

It seemed the Cyan Tower Master took in disciples fairly often. Well, from her perspective, regressor Shei must have looked like an uncut gem overflowing with talent.

'You taught me magic for a few months. Then you said using my head didn't suit me! You said that since I had plenty of mana, I should learn how to use it instinctively! So why did you take Hughes in as a disciple from the start?!'

Huh?

Was that slight jealousy... directed at me, not the Cyan Tower Master? Because I had become the Cyan Tower Master's disciple ahead of her?

What was that? I felt a little foolish for getting ahead of myself.

I had traveled with Shei for a long time, and we had grown close. In a way, it was only natural for her to rely on me now. When she grabbed my sleeve this time, I had become certain that she was thinking of me as more than someone to rely on, so I had planned to play things back and forth a little.

Maybe we weren't there yet.

Since my mind reading didn't work properly, errors kept appearing. If it didn't work at all, that would be one thing, but it worked ambiguously, making it even more dangerous. I shouldn't approach too hastily.

If I wanted Shei to rely on me in the next cycle too, I had to build greater trust during this cycle, when we first met.

...Ah, I was being too calculating. Relax, relax.

Shei was sensitive, so I couldn't let her notice. I should avoid being conscious of it as much as possible.

All right, back to it.

"Then, Master, I have a question. When do lessons begin?"

The Cyan Tower Master smiled like a mischievous child.

"Naturally, right now."

Footnotes:

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