Elsia is a magician of the lower realm, but she once ascended to the Floating Castle. Like the Azure Tower Lord, she too was a Magus, and if not for the duty of guarding her territory, she would have received treatment comparable to a Tower Lord of the Floating Castle. She had the qualification to seek teachings from the Demon King.
This is an exchange meeting. When magicians of the lower realm display magic like child's play toward the Demon King, the Demon King gives them magic with a benevolent smile, like giving pocket money to a grandchild. Though there is a difference in status, there is giving and receiving, so it is called an exchange meeting.
It was just that the magic Elsia requested was so unexpected.
"Spatial magic? Not in Babel, but in the Celsius territory?"
"That's a magic even the Floating Castle can hardly handle."
"You want to handle that in the lower realm?"
The magicians participating in the exchange meeting murmured. Their gazes toward Elsia, who dared to request the Floating Castle's secret arts, were not kind.
At that moment, the Demon King raised his fist and grasped the empty air.
Just that alone, and all magicians had no choice but to shut their mouths and watch the scene.
Among the magicians who stopped as if they had made a promise, the commoners tapped their suddenly unresponsive magical tools.
"...Huh? Wait a moment. The magical tool isn't working."
"What? That can't be. It should be working."
"Just a moment. It seems the Celsius family is agitating the rules. In about 10 minutes, the magical power will return!"
They say you see as much as you know. So the commoners who couldn't see anything spoke with calm composure and continued to enjoy the exchange meeting.
Those who know can only swallow their anxiety and look up at the Demon King.
The magical power that had permeated the exchange meeting was grasped by a single person's hand and could not move. Magicians with the ability to sense magical power trembled at that bottomless power.
The Demon King caused a magical stillness and spoke.
"Handling the ice crystal is something that requires risking danger! If you can use spatial separation, it would be easier to handle the ice crystal, wouldn't it? The approach itself is worth praising!"
"Though it may be a magic beyond our station, it will be a great leap for Celsius. Then Celsius will be able to make a greater contribution to the Floating Castle. I pray that the Demon King will not consider our request impudent."
"Indeed. How could it be impudent! Seeking new knowledge—how could that be impudent! I'm merely curious. Celsius, who sent out the Azure Tower Lord out of fear of the ice crystal, would use the ice crystal so boldly!"
Elsia's expression froze. It seemed as if the Demon King had grasped not just space, but even her expression. The Demon King seemed to have seen through her inner thoughts, yet also seemed to know nothing.
"Elisia, who handled the ice crystal, was too outstanding a talent for you to harbor. The ice crystal is not that finicky a power, but the rules of Celsius affect the ice crystal, so it must be difficult to even dare to control that variable. I understand. You can't blame the vessel when the water overflows."
"...I apologize."
"But now the vessel says it will receive more water anew. Should I rejoice at this? Or should I think the vessel has cracked and the water is leaking?"
Is he probing while knowing? Or is he asking out of curiosity because he doesn't know?
The Demon King's age exceeded a hundred. Since the moment he appeared in the world, he was the Demon King, so his actual age must be much greater. I don't know how he maintains his power and youth, but what is certain is that he is utilizing means that even I cannot see through.
If it were simply about using magic well, that wouldn't be it either. He was the one who established the system called the Magus Federation on this frozen land, bound it into one, and reigned in the Floating Castle with the respect of all.
Even shallow, capricious, and unreadable human minds would be a realm of knowledge he could learn and study.
"Anyway!"
Elsia trembled with fear, hoping it wouldn't show, and bowed her head. The Demon King left her as she was.
"There's a misconception. I did not hide spatial magic! Even now, you can learn spatial magic. Perhaps you've already learned it! The reason you can't use it is because you haven't reached it!"
"...We are foolish and have not yet grasped the teachings bestowed by the omnipotent Demon King."
"If I were truly omnipotent, I should be able to teach foolish disciples as well. Hahat! But even I couldn't do that! The same lesson leads to different realizations for each person!"
...But.
What if the Demon King is so thorough and cunning, and sees through everything with spatial magic? That would mean he's implicitly condoning the actions of the Demon God Temple even while knowing of them. In that case, challenging the Demon King means following his will, so that's fine.
What if the Demon King is merely a good-natured person who is sloppy but benevolent, constantly leaking knowledge and clues? The chances of the Demon God Temple succeeding increase significantly. In that case, challenging the Demon King incurs no loss, so that's fine.
In the end, if you want to change something, you have no choice but to challenge.
"However! Though I may not be able to lift all of you to the top of the Babel Tower! I will prepare a tower for you to climb! For that is the duty of a master!"
The Demon King laughed heartily and pulled his clenched fist back.
And a great change occurred in the Floating Castle. A hole was pierced in the Floating Castle, which had been maintaining its altitude precariously on five legs, and a middle leg rose up. A tower much larger and thicker than the other legs emerged from the Floating Castle and attempted to violate the land below.
If one were to compare that to a human body, it would be either vulgar or filthy—either of the two expressions. Fortunately, it seemed I was the only one who had conjured such a brazen imagination.
"It's a new tower!"
"Much bigger than the Five Towers!"
Screams of people could be heard. They weren't screams of fear; strictly speaking, they were closer to cheers. The mysterious change shown by the Floating Castle was an amusing spectacle for the citizens including magicians, and it also meant the Floating Castle was more closely connected to the earth.
However, for some—the center of the Floating Castle and the sixth tower.
Those who knew the meaning of Babel could never laugh it off.
"It so happens the Celsius family hasn't undergone the Dragon Gate examination! Since we're at it, let's handle the troublesome matters all at once!"
Rumble rumble rumble.
The Babel Tower rose upside down from the Floating Castle and embedded itself into the earth.
Ordinary towers are built layer by layer from bottom to top, but the Demon King's tower hangs down from top to bottom like a rope. The method of creation is reversed, but isn't what matters the purpose rather than the method?
A large tower appeared in the Celsius territory.
The Demon King shouted with a voice that reverberated throughout the entire space.
"Hear me, all commoners of the Celsius territory! I have lowered the Dragon Gate! Those who wish to escape the lower realm and become dragons, climb the Dragon Gate!"
The Dragon Gate is a test for beings of the lower realm to ascend the Floating Castle. Fitting for the Magus Federation that likens layer-by-layer accumulated knowledge to a tower, they often create the Dragon Gate in the form of climbing a tower.
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The problem is that the tower is the Demon King's Babel Tower.
"The magic this Dragon Gate will test is! Spatial magic!"
It means testing the qualification to enter the Floating Castle with the theme of magic that no one has learned.
Elsia asked in surprise.
"Then, does this mean you will only transmit spatial magic to those who climb the tower? Not to Celsius?"
"I mean I will transmit it only to those who have the qualification to learn. Of course, I also hope that will be Celsius!"
However, the Dragon Gate is a position where talents gathered from all over the world hope to climb. Since they compete for limited positions, they often clash with each other, and death incidents occur frequently.
Until now, Elsia hadn't paid much attention to the Dragon Gate. The outstanding talents raised by the Celsius family would ascend to the Floating Castle through recommendations anyway, and the Dragon Gate was where the miscellaneous fish they couldn't catch would climb. It wasn't something the Celsius family needed to worry about.
The Dragon Gate sounds nice in words, but in reality it's a chaotic and turbulent arena of fierce struggle.
Wandering magicians roaming the world, mercenaries who came to get a share, and lowly people who learned qi techniques yet covet magic participate to disrupt order and employ cowardly schemes. They ambush and eliminate their competitor magicians solely to climb the Dragon Gate. Naturally, talented magicians who should enjoy glory die.
Therefore, the descendants of noble families do not climb the Dragon Gate. Only those from outer districts or mayflies from the frontier would come to participate.
However, now that the Demon King has put spatial magic as the prize, Celsius also had to participate in the Dragon Gate.
The same went for me.
Shea, looking at the towering Babel Tower, spoke.
"The Dragon Gate? Then things have become easier."
"Easier?"
"Yes. Our original plan was to chase after the Demon King to get clues, and find and extract the relics of René that the Demon King had hidden, right? But if it's put up as the reward for the Dragon Gate, it gives us time to find clues while climbing the Dragon Gate. Right?"
That's obviously illegal. They might have to fight not only the Demon King but the entire Floating Castle. However, since the Celsius family demanded knowledge itself, the Demon King also brought out spatial magic instead of René's pocket.
Moreover, this is legal, and it's easy to find other collaborators. He's set the stage. Shea's thinking was correct.
However.
"I'm not sure. Is setting the stage necessarily a favor?"
"Huh? Isn't it convenient?"
"Not necessarily. We, who originally intended to rob the Demon King's house, have suddenly ended up competing with other people because the stage has been set."
"Other people? Who?"
"Well."
I glanced toward those who would become our new competitors.