Mages were stubborn when it came to black magic. Whether I requested a lawyer or Shei vouched for me, it didn't do a shred of good.
"Ah, right. Regulation Magic was a type of black magic that uses your own body as a sacrifice. I forgot."
"I forgot too! No, in the first place, Regulation Magic was the only thing I was ever taught!"
I didn't want to become a black mage either! Come to think of it, the Military State was the bad one for teaching black magic as if it were Regulation Magic!
"Just wait a little. If we find Elisha and explain the situation, you should be able to get out. Until then, just rest."
Having finished speaking from beyond the iron bars, Shei left me behind. Alone in the cell, I screamed in despair.
"Let me out! Even for a prole, this is too much!"
"Visiting hours are over. Prole, follow me."
The Security Bureau mage roughly dragged me away. Bound by ropes, I couldn't resist the force and was dragged along.
The Security Bureau mage who dragged me to the special room tossed me roughly into the cell, grumbling.
"Haa. Rankart again? Last time he brought in a prole who used Qigong, and now a black mage. What does he take this Floating City for?"
"What's wrong with black magic! If the only thing I learned was black magic, of course I'd use it! How is that a crime!"
"How is it a crime? A fool's foolishness, I see. That's why you learned such a dangerous and meaningless magic as black magic."
If there was one decent thing about the Floating City's "Chosen," it was that they never omitted an explanation. The "Chosen" mage spoke as if imparting a lesson to a lowly prole.
"To use your own body as a sacrifice, you must first turn your physical body into a 'catalyst'. You have to create a pathway for mana to flow in order to induce a phenomenon. In other words, all black mages are homunculi who have modified their own bodies."
"Body modification? That's a baseless accusation...!"
Ah, right. Bio-terminals. Citizens of the Military State receive a procedure to implant a bio-terminal in their wrists at a certain age, don't they?
Damn it, Military State. What the hell did you do to me.
"A black mage who uses their own body as a catalyst is like a walking explosive. How could anyone know what kind of magic they'll cast using their body as a catalyst? If they sneak up and cast an evil spell at the cost of their life, even an Archmage couldn't guarantee their safety."
"I have no intention of using anything like that! In the first place, I have barely a sliver of mana, so even with black magic, I can only cast Daily Grade spells!"
"How can I believe that? There's no way to know unless we dissect your body and carve it out."
If I could wield Tactical Grade magic at the cost of my own body, I would have done it long ago! I don't have that kind of ability!
"Moreover, the magic gained by touching a taboo hits a limit at only Tactical Grade. If that's not foolishness, what is?"
There are many magics in the world and several ways to classify them, but the most widely known classification is as follows.
Phenomenon Grade. Magic that reproduces a simple phenomenon itself.
Daily Grade. Magic that weaves phenomena together and processes them for everyday use.
Combat Grade. Magic of a level that can harm an opponent in battle, not for daily life.
Tactical Grade. Magic possessing the power to deal with multiple humans or tactical weapons.
Strategic Grade. Magic that can overturn military doctrine single-handedly, comparable to an entire army.
And War Grade. Grand magic that can either start or suppress a war depending on how it is used.
The Military State arbitrarily assigned numbers to these, classifying them from Level 0 to Level 5, but in truth, it was closer to simply renaming pre-existing concepts. And despite this naming system, only a single person had ever reached Level 5—the Six-Star Demon General—and even that felt a bit overhyped, merely wildly expanding the scale of the magic.
Yet even the Military State's strongest mage paled in comparison within the Magical Federation.
"White magic is more precise, more systematic, and more outstanding. Every mage residing in the Floating City can wield up to Strategic Grade magic. Unlike black magic, they do so without sacrificing their own lives."
Black mages use their own bodies as catalysts, but the human body is actually not that valuable of a catalyst. It's just convenient to use and has a slightly faster casting speed.
Because of that, black mages can never achieve greatness. Even the renowned magic officers of the Military State are limited to Tactical Grade magic.
But that was from the perspective of the Magical Federation's Chosen. In the Military State, where the vast majority were ordinary people without talent, even that power bounded by limits was an incredibly sweet fruit.
"This was forcibly drilled into me by the Military State! If I could have learned white magic, I would have!"
"That's why you were allowed to live. Because you didn't touch black magic of your own free will. But whatever the reason, the fact that you are a black mage doesn't change."
The Security Bureau mage, giving me a look mixed with contempt and pity, locked the iron bars with magic and spoke.
"A black mage's end is one of two things. Either burn your body as a sacrifice to cast a single spell and die, or find someone else to sacrifice in your stead."
Warning me in a low voice, the mage tapped the iron bars.
At that, mana swirled around the iron bars, and my body floated up into the air. I tried struggling, but there was nothing to grab under my feet or at my fingertips.
A gravity barrier? Like this, I couldn't touch the floor or the ceiling. Even if I tried to move as if swimming, some force kept pulling me back to the center of the cell. It was like falling right into the middle of an antlion pit.
"Wait a minute! What's going to happen to me?"
The Security Bureau mage spoke without even glancing my way.
"After the investigator interrogates you, you'll likely be banished from the Floating City. Experience the mysteries your magic could never reach, and regret your foolishness."
What, banished?
...That's fine by me?
The Security Bureau mage left after saying that. Left alone in the special management room, I carefully assessed my condition.
Alright. I'm locked in a solitary cell as intended. The anti-magic barrier is sealing my mana, but it actually does no harm to me. This body didn't have any mana to begin with.
The problem is this gravity barrier. It's simple, but unexpectedly tricky. Since my body is floating in the air, I can't use Gon Qigong either. It would be different if there was something to grab, but right now I'm hanging in mid-air, unable to move an inch.
I was also wearing heavy shackles, and there was nothing around to grab onto. It was a prison that left me completely at a loss as to how to get out. As expected of the Magical Federation's Floating City.
"Heave-ho."
Let's get these shackles off first. The cards are in my pocket, but if I can't take them out just because my hands are tied, I can't very well call myself a magician. I touched the clip tucked by my waist and leg, and a card popped out. With a slight flick, I slipped it between my wrists and the shackles.
The mana-infused shackles were wrapped tightly around my entire hands. If I forced them open, the magic would activate and crush my hands to a pulp. To remove them safely, I would have to carefully disassemble them, but that was a petty trick for the weak me of the past.
"Elixir."
Using the demon god of alchemy, I transmuted the shackles entirely. The heavy shackles scattered, replaced by cards of the same mass. The magic engraved on the shackles had crushed my hands, though.
"Phew."
My hands regenerated as if nothing had happened. With the shackles off, I looked up and down with my eyes.
There didn't seem to be any special surveillance. All I could see in front of me were sturdy iron bars. However, more than the iron bars, the problem was this gravity barrier that prevented me from reaching them.
I couldn't block it, and I couldn't break through it. I reached my hand out, but the further I extended my arm, the heavier it became. When I threw a card, it flew through the air, stopped as if caught in a net, and then flew back to me. I tilted my head to dodge it, and the card flew to the opposite side, repeating the exact same motion.
"Hmm. So that's how this structure works."
I couldn't step on the floor, and I couldn't grab anything. Even if I threw something, it just bounced back. It felt like I was trapped inside an invisible gourd.
But... if it comes back to me.
"Lightning Lasso."
I caught the heavy shackles with the Lightning Lasso and spun them around and around. When the rotation reached its peak, I forcefully threw the shackles outward. Just like when I threw the card, the shackles advanced a certain distance and then gradually slowed down.
When the shackles came to a complete stop, I pulled hard on the lasso again. The shackles shot back like a bullet and flew past me to the opposite side.
A little further than before.
"If energy is conserved, it means that if I repeat this like riding a swing, I can eventually escape."
I pulled the shackles in time with the momentum. Each time I did, the shackles flew further out. The shackles, swinging in wider and wider arcs like a swing, suddenly stopped returning and dropped with a clatter.
It had escaped the gravity barrier.
"Phew. That much? In that case..."
Between the fallen shackles, the Nine of Spades glowed. I called upon the power of another demon god, using the card as a medium.
"Tree of Origin."
From the crest drawn on the Nine of Spades, grass roots grew. The lushly grown roots took firm hold all across the prison.
"Hup!"
I used the rooted shackles as an anchor and pulled with all my might. If I kept pulling like this, I should be able to escape the gravity barrier...
While exerting force, I realized one miscalculation.
"Oops! I forgot I'm weak!"
There's no way I could escape the gravity barrier with my pathetic strength! I should have just used the swing tactic earlier to send my body out! What do I do? Should I change my plan even now?
"Urrgh. I'm lacking a bit... Huh?"
While thinking that, the direction of the gravity pulling me shifted. I had escaped the gravity barrier. Hitting the floor hard, I rubbed my numb head and muttered.
"What? That wasn't so hard."
It's nothing special compared to what I thought. I can escape with my pathetic arm strength? It's more like exercise equipment than a barrier?
...No. That's not it. Hmm.
Once I escaped the gravity barrier, breaking out wasn't difficult. I cut through the iron bars with a card, and picked the lock roughly. I just needed to get out of the Security Bureau.
"Gaia Ego."
Most of the structures in the Floating City were made of meteorites. It was a bit heterogeneous, but meteorites were still rock. I dug a hole using Earth Arts, escaped the Security Bureau, and stood up not far away.
"Phew. Escape successful."
The Floating City prison was tricky, but it wasn't enough to hold me. Feeling proud, I wiped the dust off my face and recalled what I had to do next.
"Let's see. What I have to do now is..."
Well, there's no need to even think about it. What else could I do in a foreign place like the Floating City? I smiled coldly and muttered.
"Rankart. I need to go meet this son of a bitch."