WeTried Translations

Translator: Hydrogen B

Editor: Hydrogen B

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Chapter 692: All Mages of the Floating Castle, Lend Me Your Strength

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Having changed into a nurse's uniform, Hilde successfully finished treating the Green Tower Master.

Cardinal Elton should have handled the treatment, but he needed to mourn the fallen holy knight. Besides, the Green Tower Master would have found it difficult to entrust treatment to an unfamiliar man. Hilde volunteered instead and, as a master of qigong, treated the Green Tower Master with ease.

"Why are you dressed like that, though?"

"First, hygiene. Second, personal preference. Father especially likes it, you know?"

"Who? Hughes?"

"Yes! If you're interested, try approaching Father in a nurse's uniform sometime. He might see you in a different light."

"Should I? ...No, I shouldn't. Hmph, I'm not interested!"

Hilde had been about to pass it off as a light joke, but paused when Shei's reaction was noticeably different.

"Hmm? Shei, haven't you gotten softer than before?"

"Not really?"

"It can't be helped. After traveling around with Father for so long, you must have grown attached. Even you ended up giving yourself to Father."

"I didn't give myself to him! More importantly, what do you mean, 'even me'? Did you do something to Hughes?"

"See? You're paying attention to different things than before."

It was more surprising that Shei still had not realized it. Did Shei truly not know, or was Shei pretending not to? Hilde considered the latter a possibility. Maybe that was how Shei had managed to remain at Hughes's side.

Shei still seemed displeased with Hilde and snapped at her.

"You're one of the military state's Six Generals. Shouldn't you return to the military state?"

"I often go out on assignments too. I use my ability to watch other countries and steal their information. That's the advantage of a position where your identity has to remain hidden. No one nags me even if I don't show my face for a few months!"

"Ah, so you're here to steal information from the Arcane Federation?"

"That's part of it, but there's something more important."

"Hughes?"

So Shei knew. Hilde muttered quietly, then smiled with confidence.

"Yes. Father will become the military state's king."

"Why do you like the idea of a military state's king so much? What does Hughes have to do with a country like that?"

"There are plenty of reasons. Unlike other countries, the military state has no king. But that's only a difference in form and method. Every country needs a king, and a king needs a country. They're a perfect match, so all that's left is the ceremony!"

"There's another King of Humanity."

"I've already chosen Father. I like Father's way of doing things."

"Hughes's way? Dumping things on other people and running away? That's not a very good way."

"Well, that part does worry me."

Hilde shrugged.

"His eye for selecting talented people, or people suited to a role. Not a king's power, but his ability to distribute responsibility. Passing the buck. You could say it's a ruler's greatest virtue."

Passing the buck? That was an absurd phrase. While Shei was briefly left speechless, Hilde looked into the distance and murmured.

"And this is only my prediction, but that King of Humanity probably can't become a leader."

"Why?"

"Because that King of Humanity is the Beast King. The finest of humans. Can a superhuman greater than a single country truly govern that country well?"

* * *

While the Cyan Tower Master gathered forces, the Demon God Temple focused on other work.

"I'm here."

"You're late, King of Humanity! You should've come sooner!"

The group that pursued the laws of the world was a research institute for Demon Gods. They studied every kind of Demon God and researched their uses. Their goals differed, but they all shared the desire to overcome their limits through Demon Gods.

Though this observation may be a little biased, the Red Tower's mages made up a surprisingly large share of them.

Flora, a disciple of the Red Tower and a member of the Demon God Temple, was a mage. Her innate arcane was Afterburner, an ability that reignited what had already burned.

She approached me as though we were close.

"Hey, King of Humanity. I've come up with a really good idea! You can grow plants with Druidism, right? Then this will be easy!"

"No."

"I haven't even said anything yet!"

"You want to grow plants from ashes, then burn them again."

"How did you know?! Can you read my mind or something?!"

How did she know? Did she read my mind?

"You only ever think about burning ashes again. It was easy to predict. The idea isn't bad. If you could make plants bloom from ashes and burn them again, you could create the Eternal Flame, the Red Tower's long-cherished goal."

"That's exactly it!"

"As if that would work. If it did, slash-and-burn farmers would already be using the Eternal Flame. On a three-year cycle, at least."

Did these people think plants grew by themselves?

"Most of a plant is made of water and air. Starting from a seed, it absorbs water and air to form stems and leaves. To accelerate that process, you need enough light, the right environment, and mana. Plants don't grow for free."

"But the plants you showed us grew without any cost."

"That's only possible because it's a Demon God's power. Do you expect me to stand there and make them grow constantly? I can't do that."

"Tch."

The Red Tower's long-cherished goal, the Eternal Flame.

It was a product of the laws of the world. By linking different Demon Gods and causing them to interact, they wanted to create an eternal flame that would continue burning without anyone touching it after it was first lit.

Some were captivated by the very idea of infinity. Some wanted to warm the frozen northern lands. Others wanted to share that flame with humanity.

Their reasons differed, but the Red Tower's mages burned their souls and knowledge alike to obtain the Eternal Flame.

Flora, also a disciple of the Red Tower, cooled as quickly as she had flared up. She sprawled limply across the stone floor and sighed.

"Ugh... Is the only way to create the Eternal Flame still the Tower Master's 'Sun in Her Palm'...?"

That was also why the Red Tower Master wanted to obtain a Demon God. Honestly, it was the closest path.

There was a bigger problem right now, though.

"Where is the Red Tower Master?"

"Uh... How would I know...? Didn't you know?"

"Am I the Red Tower Master's butler? How would I know every little thing?"

"You aren't?"

"No. And since she still isn't here, she's probably receiving space magic from the Demon King. Let's hold the meeting ourselves for now."

"So you did know..."

"I guessed."

What we needed now was not the Eternal Flame. Or perhaps we did need it, but it was only a means.

Ignoring Flora, I immediately climbed onto the platform and began speaking.

"All right. You've all heard, so you know our objective is simple. We must catch up with a meteor falling at nearly thirty kilometers per second and shatter it into small pieces, so it causes as little damage as possible on the ground. For reference, the meteor is two kilometers in diameter. It may also be carrying a Demon God."

The room fell silent.

Thirty kilometers per second. It sounded familiar enough at first that it was hard to grasp. Even thirty kilometers per hour was a respectable running speed for a human.

That distance, not in an hour, but in a second?

Lord Johannes spoke pessimistically.

"It would circle the planet in twenty minutes. The floating castle can't catch it."

The spy sent by the Cyan Tower Master had some nerve sitting here so openly. We had agreed to cooperate, so it was fine.

"Right. Honestly, we won't be catching it. We should get to its path ahead of time and wait."

"Waiting changes nothing. How will you shatter such a huge meteor falling that fast? Surely you don't intend to block it with the floating castle."

"That's right."

"Hm?"

"We'll block it with the floating castle. Otherwise, there'd be no point."

This time, the room erupted in commotion. Voices flew from every direction, asking whether I was insane, whether I had a grudge against the floating castle, and whether I planned to create flames through frictional heat.

What, did they think I would snipe it from far away? Innate arcane didn't have that wide a range. At that distance, I couldn't project enough power properly either.

"Of course, we won't collide with it directly. That would be nothing but a pointless death. According to the calculations, we'll skim past 'Pride' with barely a graze."

"And if the calculations are wrong?"

"A calculation error means we die. Do you expect to survive after making a mistake?"

"That's too extreme!"

I understood the anxiety. I really did.

Lankart did not.

"Hey. Then you do the calculations. If you're scared of making a mistake, don't make one."

Lankart's invincible logic could not be refuted until Lankart made a mistake. While Lankart made trivial calculation errors, Lankart never made a fatal one. Lankart ignored insignificant details, but handled important things meticulously.

Lord Johannes groaned.

"...A meteor that large won't be the only thing falling. Smaller meteor fragments will break off and pour down like rain."

"The other mages need to stop those. We don't have time to worry about the small ones."

"Fine. Let's say that works. Then can you shatter a meteor over two kilometers in diameter?"

"We have to."

"It isn't as easy as you make it sound. A meteor isn't just a lump of rock."

Lord Johannes traced a magic circle on the table with a finger suffused with mana. The table, shaped and worked with mana, formed a structure with a crystalline arrangement. Naturally, that structure was imbued with mana.

"Mana dwells in matter. In the distant void, the meteor is the only place mana can settle. A meteor that has wandered through orbit for so long possesses otherworldly mana. We have no idea what variables may arise."

Lankart scowled in my place as he answered.

"Variables? At most, it'll be mana. We can adjust as we go. Aren't you confident? Why are you whining so much?"

"I'm being cautious about everything! A single mistake could put everyone in danger! I don't know why the Cyan Tower Master accepted this with such confidence, but this is an impossible mission! Completing it is nearly impossible, and failure will bring every kind of criticism!"

"Why are you worried when the Cyan Tower Master is handling it?"

"I taught that child, if only briefly. The Cyan Tower Master is talented, but taking on such a crushing duty is too much! The Cyan Tower Master is still young!"

Honestly, Lord Johannes was overprotective and worried too much.

"Young, but exceptional."

Someone's voice echoed through Rene's Attic. The Cyan Tower Master and the Red Tower Master emerged side by side through the fireplace. The Cyan Tower Master removed her sunglasses and tucked them into her front pocket.

"Johan, thank you for worrying about me, but I'd rather you use that concern to help stop 'Pride.' I'm the only one who can solve this problem."

"Tower Master..."

"Trust me. Trust the student you taught."

The Cyan Tower Master declared it confidently. With the Cyan Tower Master so certain, no one could urge her to give up. That would mean giving up on both the Cyan Tower Master and the world.

With stubbornness cast aside, Lord Johannes looked far older than before.

"...Hoo. If the Tower Master is that confident."

"I'll repay your faith."

The Cyan Tower Master answered with an elegant bow. Lord Johannes groaned and turned away, unable to return the Cyan Tower Master's confident smile.

Had Lord Johannes known her true thoughts, there would have been no such easy retreat.

'I'm sorry. I'm not confident either. I'm terrified of what will happen below if we fail. But I have to do this.'

That was why the Cyan Tower Master had returned to the Demon God Temple.

Flora looked at the Cyan Tower Master with displeasure.

"Aren't you the former head of the Demon God Temple? What are you doing here?"

"I'll use this place as a temporary headquarters. There aren't many places where everyone can gather so quickly."

It was difficult for the leadership to gather in one place within the enormous floating castle. Even with resonance crystals, rapid exchanges of opinion were difficult. Yet Rene's Attic, with its entrances connected to the same space, allowed them to meet and talk whenever they wished.

It was rational, but it did not account for objections from the original members of the Demon God Temple. Flora ran to the Red Tower Master.

"Tower Master, the former head came here and told us to give up our place. The Cyan Tower Master wants us to join some ridiculous mission about 'Pride' or whatever. What should we do?"

The Red Tower's long-cherished goal was the Eternal Flame, and the Red Tower pursued that goal through the Demon God Temple. They did not need to fight 'Pride.' There was no reason to.

Especially not Fahrenheit, whose lower-realm territory had already been destroyed.

Still, the Red Tower Master lowered her voice slightly and asked me.

"Hughes."

"Yes."

"Is it true that there's a Demon God within 'Pride'?"

"Yes. I'm certain."

Actually, if it wasn't inside 'Pride,' we wouldn't be able to find it at all. That was why it had to be there, right?

"And that Demon God is the Demon God of gravity?"

"Yes. It's a Demon God that realized the attraction of all things."

"So it wasn't the Demon God of space. Rene wasn't a Demon God."

The Red Tower Master had sought the Demon God of space. Space magic was needed to link together the laws of the world, and to light the Eternal Flame, she had to overcome the limits of flame.

Now that Rene had been revealed not to be a Demon God, there was an error in the Red Tower Master's calculations.

"Even so, gravity will lead you to enlightenment. No, you should have been aiming for the Demon God of gravity from the beginning. Because..."

"The reason the sun can shine forever is gravity."

"Correct."

The Red Tower Master wanted to obtain the Eternal Flame. The Eternal Flame she pursued was the sun. She wanted to compress flame and create a cycle of fire that burned and consumed itself.

"Still... I can see it. I can see a flame burning endlessly. If I get just a little closer, I can grasp it."

The Red Tower Master still had fuel left to burn. She was flame itself, and giving up would only come once there was nothing left to burn.

The Red Tower Master clenched her fist.

"I'm afraid of death."

"Yes?"

She did not look afraid at all, but I nodded anyway.

"I'm afraid that, if I die, my flame will never burn any further. I'm afraid this flame and desire will burn incompletely and leave behind residue. That's my only fear. Everything has already burned away. Nothing precious remains. All that's left is the afterimage of the flame that burned my territory and vanished."

She sought the Eternal Flame to survive in the frozen land. Then the entire territory burned down. It had been necessary, but it ended in a terrible result. Was that the Red Tower Master's responsibility? Was it the Red Tower Master's sin?

There was no one left to ask that question. All the Red Tower Master could do now was produce a result. If she gave up after making such sacrifices, she would have used her territory as firewood and gained nothing.

"We destroy 'Pride' and obtain the Demon God."

Whoosh. The Red Tower Master's body burst into flame once more. Her top burned away in an instant, but she did not care. As though burning herself with her words, she shouted.

"Seize the laws of the world! The Demon God Temple will not grant your long-cherished goals. Instead, it will give you the strength to achieve them!"

The Red Tower Master shouted, radiating an overwhelming presence.

With that, the Demon God Temple's intentions were decided. This was a group that had never hesitated to do anything in pursuit of Demon Gods. Anyone who opposed this would not have joined in the first place.

Thus, every force within the floating castle came together as one.

Footnotes:

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