The Magic Federation is a nation that looks down on commoners and treats mages well. Due to the nature of magic, those who are more outstanding are usually stronger, making magic a symbol of power and authority in the Magic Federation.
The background behind the creation of such a culture seems... not solely because of surviving in a harsh environment with magic.
"When you say 'bring down,' you mean dropping 'Pride'? The star of destruction at an altitude even higher than the Floating Castle. If it falls, it won't just end in a disaster."
"Yes. The White Tower Lord spoke about 'Pride,' right? It's good that I don't need to bother explaining. Usually, it's a headache trying to gauge the other person's intellectual level and explain things accordingly."
The Demon King said with a refreshed expression.
"If 'Pride' falls, the earth's crust will shake, and volcanic eruptions and earthquakes will occur. The ground will constantly cave in, making it impossible to build anything on it. The existing order built on a solid foundation will become useless, and only the Magic Federation, protected by the Floating Castle, will remain as the sole nation. The world will be reorganized according to the standards of the Magic Federation."
"If 'Pride' falls, its aftermath will affect the Magic Federation too. The Magic Federation, located in the northeastern part of the continent, will receive the least impact from 'Pride's' shock, but various extreme weather events and climate changes will sweep through the Magic Federation's territory. Will the Magic Federation still be fine?"
"What's the problem? There's an Ark right here."
Ark. A lifeboat to save humanity from destruction. The collapsing and ruined earth. And the castle in the sky, far away from the earth. The Floating Castle.
I wondered why humans as rational as mages would show the pinnacle of inefficiency.
"I wondered why such a grand facility like the Floating Castle was needed. It was to keep a distance from the land where 'Pride' will eventually fall."
"It's not just for that. It's cool, isn't it? It's a symbol that motivates the chosen people and lets the commoners know their place."
"Romance is important. It implants the desire for magic into the humans of the lower realm."
It is cool, but they took that into consideration? It feels alien.
"An artificial sun, gravity anomalies, the five towers responsible for life inside the Floating Castle. And numerous convenient facilities and magic tools... If only the food problem is solved, you could roam the sky forever. What about food?"
"What did you think when you saw the top of the Babel Tower?"
A vast grassland exposed right below the artificial sun. I wondered why such a space was there.
"...A farm created using spatial anomalies. The preparation is perfect."
"There's no one to work, so I haven't touched it yet. If we put commoners on the Ark, we have to bring in farmers first. Mages can't do such menial work, can they?"
It's said that there are many mages in the Magic Federation, but that's only compared to other countries. They alone cannot form a society. Someone has to do the odd jobs, and it is inefficient for mages to do them.
The Demon King planned to put odd-job workers on the Ark called the Floating Castle. The place they will stay is likely near the shell of the Floating Castle, a cramped and densely packed residential area. Dark and narrow rooms untouched by the artificial sun will become their quarters.
This is no joke. His plan was concrete and realistic. From the very beginning, it felt as though everything was designed to fit this place.
"I'd say the preparation is perfect. It seems like it wouldn't matter even if 'Pride' falls right now."
"You noticed right away!"
"Huh?"
"Here. Take it!"
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The Demon King took out a rolled-up piece of paper from his bosom and threw it to me. I unrolled the paper. Drawn inside was a magic circle so complex and elaborate that it was hard to take in at a glance. Certain parts were so detailed that even I couldn't immediately understand them upon seeing them.
"A scroll?"
"I'm sure you'll be satisfied once you see it!"
"Why are you giving this to me?"
"Two questions, I see. I'll answer them separately. Because, it's probably because you climbed this Babel Tower. Since you've already grasped the essence of spatial magic, you'll be able to easily interpret the magic circle. If you interpret the magic circle, the path to the Demon God will open."
It's not easy. It's difficult. But there were plenty of hints.
The laws governing the Floating Castle are gravity anomalies and spatial anomalies. The inside of the Floating Castle has an anti-gravity structure, and inside the Babel Tower, various spatial distortions are occurring.
Is the spatial distortion caused by the Demon King's unique magic? Or is it caused by Saint Rene's relic? Perhaps it's both. Just as the relic of the Celsius domain was used by the mage of the Celsius family, utilizing unique magic paths of the same lineage creates an enormous synergy.
However, there is one thing that cannot be explained in that case.
The gravity anomaly filling the Floating Castle. This power that allows people to live with their feet planted on the shell of the Floating Castle.
Where on earth is the source of this power?
And what does that power have to do with spatial magic?
"And I'll answer the second question. It's not just for you."
"Pardon?"
"This scroll has been given to everyone you brought. I'll also hand it to the Red Tower Lord who will arrive soon. Anyone who has reached the top of Babel, the center of the Floating Castle, is qualified to obtain this knowledge."
"You've been with me the whole time, Demon King, when on earth... Ah."
He wasn't just by my side. It was a pointless question.
I can see space fluctuating around the Demon King. His surroundings were connected to different spaces.
Lankart, Shea, and Hilde climbed up with me. Since I didn't hide my route, the Blue Tower Lord and Avangard might have followed along behind.
"Distance means nothing to you who controls space. Since you are here while also being there, Demon King."
"That is so. For your information, I am also having a pleasant conversation with Lankart. He was the sorcerer closest to me until you came. I believed that if any mage reached this place, it would definitely be him. You coming here was my happy miscalculation!"
The Demon King showed respect and care for Lankart. It was a little different from how he enjoyed watching his other disciples fight and beat each other up.
It's likely because Lankart is a spatial sorcerer. The world of his right-hand man is not simply a metaphor for human affairs.
"So it's not a rare scroll. What on earth is the magic contained in this scroll?"
"You don't know even after looking at it?"
"It's so densely packed that it's hard to even look at. I'm smart, not sharp-eyed."
"Ah. That could be a problem. They say you only see as much as you know, but you can't apply such a saying to a blind person."
"My eyesight isn't so bad that I'd be compared to a blind person. Not everyone can look at a magic circle and immediately understand it. Is this even a proper magic circle? Compared to the complexity of the magic circle, there's too little mana."
"It is magic. Its name is Meteor."
"Aha. Meteor."
...What? Meteor? I have a bad feeling about this.
"And the reason there's so little mana is because this magic is closer to 'summoning' something that already exists. It takes effort to lift a stone up there, but dropping a stone that has already been lifted is very simple, isn't it."
"No, wait a second. Then this is literally a humanity extinction switch, and you're saying you handed this out to everyone who climbed the tower?"
So Ruel's words were true. This is crazy. This scroll is literally a humanity extinction switch, isn't it? Should something like this even exist?
"Is it okay to hand something like this out?"
"It's easy if you know the principle. Anyone can do it if they have learned a little gravity magic."
"The fact that anyone can do it is exactly the problem! Why would you even need such a magic in the first place? What I need is the knowledge of the Demon God! I climbed the Gate of Ascension to see Saint Rene's relic and gain teachings from it!!"
"You asked two questions at the same time again. Did you aim for it? The cost-effectiveness is good. I'll only answer for this time."
The Demon King raised a finger and said.
"I cannot give you Saint Rene's relic. It's not me being spiteful. It's because I don't have it."
"Huh? Who has it then?"
"Saint Rene's relics are scattered all over the world. You should know it too."
Rene's pocket? But Rene's pocket is not just one. Moreover, there are many kinds. It could be in the form of a pocket like Shea, or a space where everyone can come and go like an attic. It could also be an invisible warehouse that stores items, like the Celsius family vault.
And probably all those sub-spaces are connected. I said,
"The sub-space inside Rene's pocket itself is the relic."
"Most of them are meaningless empty spaces. But there is just one, a key that reaches her relic. Not a key that connects to an empty space like other pockets, but one that possesses the power to cause a distortion in space itself. I didn't know its true identity either... until your comrade set foot on the Floating Castle."
My comrade, huh...
Rene's pocket is merely a key connecting to an empty space. But the one connecting to Saint Rene's relic is said to possess the power to manipulate space.
Tch. There just happens to be a treasure I know of. You hid it well. Since the relic itself didn't manifest outside the sub-space, I couldn't read it either.
I wonder if I was too immersed in mind-reading.
"And second. Saint Rene is not the Demon God. The Demon God's relic is up there."
"'Pride'."
"The Demon God who decided to leave the ground filled with fools, and watch from the empty, distant universe."
Ah. I understand. What I have to do.
I grabbed the scroll. The bizarre mana lingering in the magic circle writhes. The equations are complex, but the mana contained within is extremely sparse. Because the magic itself already exists. And this is merely a trigger.
Seeing my figure, the Demon King smiled as if he was very pleased and had been waiting for it.
"I really like how quick you are to understand."
Riiip.
I tore the scroll right there.