WeTried Translations

Translator: Hydrogen B

Editor: Hydrogen B

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 691: The Opposite of Pride Is Humility

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It was ridiculous.

Pride, capable of destroying this land. And the floating castle, the only hope of stopping Pride.

For all their grand names, the world's despair and hope were no bigger than pebbles against the vast sky. How futile. Two celestial bodies, each not even a few kilometers across, could bring an entire planet to ruin.

No. That wasn't right. The planet would not be ruined. Only humanity would perish. Even if every human died, even if their brilliant civilization were buried beneath clouds of dust, Mother Earth would lay them to rest in her bosom and bear her next children.

Humanity had not been chosen by any god. They had simply been lucky enough to be born, and lucky enough to survive. No noble purpose, great principle, or divine providence stood on humanity's side.

So let us struggle, ugly and desperate. Purpose, principle, providence, none of it mattered. Survival alone was enough.

"You want us to help?"

The Green Tower Master, injured in her fight with the Red Tower Master, was confined to bed. The Black Tower Master was tending to her now. Though she was pathetically wrapped head to toe in bandages, the Green Tower Master still greeted the Cyan Tower Master with her usual lofty attitude.

"We need all five Tower Masters working together to stop Pride. Eliot, Ryune. Please cooperate."

"No."

The Green Tower Master frowned.

"You rejected Master's teachings yourself, so who told you to start something you can't handle? Master did not teach us the secrets of spatial magic because our understanding was still lacking. We were striving to someday follow even in Master's footsteps. Why should we listen to someone who gave up on reaching that understanding?"

"...You never even looked our way before. Then you call for us only when you need something. You're so selfish."

"Just hand full authority over to me. Then I'll stop a mere meteor. Your innate arcane is useless outside the atmosphere anyway, isn't it?"

Unlike the Cyan Tower Master, who had stopped halfway, the Green and Black Tower Masters were still the Demon King's disciples. Both possessed spatial innate arcane and continued their training under the Demon King's guidance. They might have been hothouse flowers, but their understanding of space surpassed the Cyan Tower Master's.

Maybe that would be better. But.

"If handing over full authority would stop the meteor, I'd do it without hesitation."

The Cyan Tower Master admitted her own inadequacy, but she did not give up.

"But you, Eliot, are injured, and Ryune dislikes standing before people. The Temple of the Demon God is out of control, and there are special people like Hughes and Shei. Only I can coordinate all of them. I can't leave full authority to you."

"Then negotiations have broken down. Goodbye."

"I'm still asking you. Please help me. Help me, and the Arcane Federation."

The Cyan Tower Master lowered her head. It was hard to believe this was the same person who had always been so cool and detached. Seeing her set aside her pride, the Green Tower Master's expression softened a little.

"You said the meteor will fall on the imperial capital? I don't care what happens to a nation of fools like that. If they have any ability, they'll try to stop it themselves. The Arcane Federation is safe."

"Chaos is like the wind. Chaos that begins in the Empire will cross the border and invade the Arcane Federation, just as it did during the War of Counterfeit Gold."

"Then we'll stop it, just as we did before."

"That's right. But if we let trivial, meaningless matters hold us back, we'll never reach the truth. We need to find a more peaceful and rational way, like Master did in the beginning."

Word had reached even the Green Tower Master that the Demon King had been holding Pride in place. As someone who had stopped meteors from the floating castle, she knew exactly how incredible that feat was. She spoke with a proud expression.

"As expected of Master. To hold a meteor in that orbit all by himself... I can't even imagine how powerful his innate arcane must be, or how brilliant his mind."

She wore a dreamy, dazed expression, but only briefly. The Green Tower Master's eyes soon turned vicious again.

"If Master said he would let it fall, he must have a reason. I don't see why I should stop it."

"It's simple. Because Master wants us to stop it."

That was a fabrication, really.

The Demon King had not revealed his thoughts. I could not read them either. His innate arcane distorted space and pushed even my mind-reading out of reach.

I still had no idea what the Demon King was thinking. Only two facts had become clear.

The Demon King had kept Pride from falling until now.

And now, he acted as though he did not care whether Pride fell or not.

Honestly, I didn't understand his intentions either. His thoughts were dark and devious. Other than Shei, there was no one whose true feelings I understood less.

But the Cyan Tower Master believed in the Demon King however she pleased.

"Master taught us spatial magic. He designed the floating castle and gathered countless mages here. We built up this strength to fight Pride, just as Master has been doing all along."

"Hmm."

"And this is a test as well. Gravity magic, which was little more than a mystery until recently, has already entered the realm of magic. Many mages are drawing close to spatial magic. Now it's our turn to repay Master."

Once she framed it as the Demon King's achievement, the Green Tower Master's attitude visibly softened. She was the Demon King's disciple. Following in her master's footsteps was a disciple's duty.

"Hmph. It isn't as though I'm working under you."

"Thank you. That's enough. I appreciate your dedication."

After bowing gracefully, the Cyan Tower Master turned to the Black Tower Master. Seeing the seriousness on her face, the Black Tower Master flinched.

"Ryune. I need your help too."

"Uh... Yeah... Eliot and I come as a set, so you don't really need to ask..."

"Even so, I need your power. Vanishing Point is the closest to gravity magic. This plan cannot work without you."

"Ugh..."

The Black Tower Master shrank back, unaccustomed to being the center of attention. Still, being told that her help was essential eased her expression a little despite the pressure.

"Okay... I understand..."

"Thank you. I'll be sure to repay you."

The Cyan Tower Master held Ryune's hand tightly, then nodded with a refreshing smile. She was a woman, yet that gesture gave off the air of a prince. She was the complete opposite of me, greasy and sly as I was. I should learn from her.

"There are clerics here, so I'll ask them to treat you. Divine power is best for healing fresh burns and removing scars. I'll send a calibrated resonance crystal soon, so we'll use that to stay in contact."

The Cyan Tower Master had attended to every minor detail. She was about to leave when the Green Tower Master, who had kept watching her back, asked out of pure curiosity.

"Elisha. Why are you going so far? Why should you care what happens in that distant lower realm?"

The world would fall into chaos. The Arcane Federation would be attacked. There were plenty of reasons, but the Cyan Tower Master's reason was simple.

She could not tolerate people dying because of Pride.

Stopping Pride meant risking one's life. The Green Tower Master was asking why she would willingly take that burden on.

The Cyan Tower Master answered honestly.

"Because if we, who are more capable, don't look after them, they'll vanish too pointlessly and too easily."

Of course, the floating castle's affairs had to be handled by someone from within. Whatever the circumstances inside the castle, its people would never start by trusting an outsider like me.

Once someone capable had the will to act, everything moved along smoothly.

"The Green and Black Tower Masters will help us. That leaves the White Tower Master. Shei?"

Shei answered immediately.

"I met the cardinal a little while ago. Ruel isn't in the floating castle, but she'll help us from the ground."

"Thank you. That leaves Fahrenheit, but Master is compensating her, so contacting her right now would be difficult. I've sent official notices to all five towers through Avant-garde, so that side is handled."

The Cyan Tower Master possessed a rare talent for a mage: sociability. She actively built connections outside the tower and knew people everywhere, allowing her to gather the floating castle's strength with ease.

"There's one thing left. The mages who came from Celsius territory."

"...Yes. I had them in mind."

"The acting head of the family happens to be your older sister, Cyan Tower Master. That worked out well. Shall we go coordinate our views?"

"You have terrible taste, Hughes. You enjoy putting me in difficult situations."

"What? Family reunions are always happy occasions."

"That's exactly it."

Oh. Here she came.

Elcia Celsius. Acting head of the Celsius family, and holder of the key to the Heritage Vault.

Before taking off, the floating castle had gathered every mage it could summon immediately. All the mages of Celsius territory had boarded the floating castle. They had been summoned without knowing why, but once they heard they would be boarding the floating castle, none of them hesitated.

Elcia in particular carried herself as if the floating castle were her own home. She strode confidently toward the Cyan Tower Master. The Cyan Tower Master smiled, equal parts glad and bitter.

"You came."

"You don't even call me Sister anymore? You're still as rude as ever."

After that small contest of wills, Elcia raised her chin.

"You became the Cyan Tower Master, and now, even if only temporarily, you're the chair of the five towers. You've risen far. Since you never came down to the territory, I thought you'd forgotten all about the lower realm."

"That isn't true. I regularly send Mother word of how I am."

"Out of obligation. Why didn't you come yourself instead of only talking about it?"

"I was busy. It isn't easy for the Cyan Tower Master to leave her post for personal reasons."

"Is that all?"

Elcia and the Cyan Tower Master had been born from the same womb and raised while studying together. The Cyan Tower Master's talent might have been greater, but the ability to read another person's emotions could only be learned through experience.

An older sister remained an older sister, even as time passed. Before Elcia, the Cyan Tower Master became Elisha Celsius again. Not the cool, decisive mage, but the cautious and composed child she had once been.

"It's better if I'm not in the family you will lead."

A family had a head. Only one person could hold that position at a time. The next head would be either Elisha or Elcia. Most likely, it would have been Elisha.

Then Elcia could not become the head. She would have to become a component for the family. She would be expected to find an intelligent and talented man to marry, bear children, raise them well, and then, at the proper age, be forced to become a relic. To leave behind achievements for the family as a woman, a mage, and an arcane practitioner.

Like her father, who had become a relic.

It was the family's tradition. It was something he had wanted. One mage's wish to leave behind an achievement of his own even after death, and he had succeeded. Elisha would probably come to want the same thing. This was the Arcane Federation, a nation on an endless journey to build towers of knowledge. Everyone wished to become a single brick in that tower. Arcane practitioners could leave behind their mental images, so they feared death less.

But Elisha did not wish for her sister's death in any form. Even if it was tradition, even if Elcia came to want it.

"Who the hell cares about that?!"

Elcia shouted loudly enough to make the corridor ring.

"Who are you to decide my life too? You're my little sister. You're not my parent, and you're not my master! You're my little sister! I'm your older sister!"

Objectively and subjectively, Elisha was superior. She had more magical power, and her innate arcane was far stronger. The Cyan Tower Master was one of the floating castle's five pillars, a position far above the head of a prestigious family in the lower realm.

But when only the two of them remained, Elcia was the one above her.

"The only thing you can do for me is sniffle and say, 'Help me, Sister'!"

Elcia had worked for that moment. She did not want to lose to her overwhelmingly talented younger sister. She wanted to be needed. With that one thought in mind, she learned magic, awakened her innate arcane, and obtained the key to the Heritage Vault.

Even so, Elisha had never needed Elcia until now. She had not wanted to create a reason to need her.

But.

The sisters looked at each other. One was huffing with anger, and the other did not know what to do. This time, the younger sister needed her older sister's help.

"Help me, Sister."

"Hmph!"

Having finally gotten the answer she wanted, Elcia crossed her arms and snorted. Calling it a snort did not quite fit, though. The smile on her face looked far too satisfied.

"You're much too late. You should have told me long before now."

"I didn't have time to come down from the floating castle."

"Not that, idiot. Why are you so scatterbrained?"

After thoroughly treating her younger sister like an idiot, Elcia covered her mouth with her fan and spoke.

"Now you understand, don't you? How inadequate you are, and how much help you need! You are nothing. You're nothing but a paltry genius. Being a little smarter than everyone else doesn't mean you can live on your own! You needed me too!"

"You too, huh."

I heard that loud and clear.

Elcia shot me a glare. She silenced me with her eyes alone, composed herself, and bowed to the Cyan Tower Master.

"Hmph. Please give me precise instructions. With all my magic and knowledge, I'll become a single brick to build the tower."

The younger sister needed her older sister, and the older sister needed her younger sister. Having finally found her role as the older sister, Elcia stepped back with a broad smile.

Strength gathered one piece at a time. It was small and insignificant strength, but stacked together, it would become a great tower. Elisha could feel the strength gathering around her more clearly than anyone.

The strength to overcome Pride.

Hope appeared in a situation without certainty. Elisha opened her mouth.

"Hughes."

"Yes?"

Was she going to thank me too? I hadn't encouraged her because I wanted to hear thanks. Still, I should accept what was offered. Why else would people talk about wringing thanks out of someone? Even forced thanks are nice to receive.

"Take responsibility."

"What?"

What responsibility all of a sudden? I hadn't entered into any contractual relationship with you yet.

Elisha leaned against the wall for a moment, looking far more relieved. She seemed more fragile than when she had been full of confidence, but also far more fulfilled.

"Until now, I hadn't tried to take responsibility for anything. Not the family, not my sister, not magic, not knowledge. I'm doing it now because I've been pushed into it."

Maybe so.

The Cyan Tower Master had always stopped one step short. That unfinished story had left a knot behind, and it was still continuing even now.

"You were the one who pushed my back. You pushed Pride's back too. So you must take responsibility as well. Help me with everything you have. Don't let Pride fall to the ground."

"Why make such a big deal of it? I'm already doing that."

Pushing your back was the biggest thing I did. Look how many things got resolved after one push. I had chosen the right person.

"Would I be helping with something like this for free if I weren't sincere? Working without compensation. Doesn't that show how genuine I am?"

"Thank you. Then I shouldn't give you any reward at all, should I? It would insult your sincerity."

"No, that isn't what I meant. If I leave empty-handed, we'll both be disappointed!"

"Hehe. I'll decide after I see how you do. Are you coming? You and Lankart need to take part in the most important task."

It felt like I had been pushed just as much as I pushed her. Was this action and reaction?

It couldn't be helped. I had to take at least a little responsibility for what I had set in motion.

Footnotes:

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