Kindness is the Pinnacle of Arrogance

[Greetings, esteemed citizens of the Floating City! Urgent Announcement. A dark mage has escaped from the Security Bureau! We are releasing their description below. Any citizen who witnesses this individual is urged to subdue them immediately or report their location to the Security Bureau!]

An avatar, a girl with pigtails sculpted from light magic, diligently broadcasted the news. My face, taken from some unknown time, was plastered large and bold beside a detailed list of my supposed characteristics.

Originating from the Military Nation. Possessing paltry magical power. Subjected to a ‘Bio-Interface Insertion Procedure,’ etcetera. Quite specific, rather distinctive information.

“Never had a bounty on my head before. This is the first time I’ve been so… famous.”

I was attempting a disguise, but someone with a keen eye could apprehend me right this instant. Yet, no one seemed to notice.

Or rather, no one even considered it.

“Say…”

I scanned the surroundings of the notice board, muttering to myself.

“Does no one even care?”

The mages didn’t give it the slightest consideration. Only a few glanced at the pigtail girl avatar out of curiosity, immediately averting their eyes without seemingly retaining any of the broadcast’s contents.

Lost within profound indifference, the little pigtail avatar pathetically repeated her ignored warning.

I questioned Lancart.

“Lancart, is the Floating City normally like this?”

“Like what, precisely?”

“…You didn’t even notice, did you?”

Indeed, had he been paying attention, he wouldn’t have let me wander right past my own wanted poster. I pointed towards the avatar, and only then did Lancart acknowledge its presence.

“That avatar? They use those to disseminate announcements across the city. Mages are thoroughly indifferent to matters outside their own interests, so they employ exaggerated forms like that one, hoping to at least catch someone’s eye.”

“Even considering that, they seem remarkably apathetic.”

“Anyone with above-average intelligence understands that fixating on a virtual construct is rather… peculiar. It’s only natural.”

Dangerous words there. One can indulge in a bit of immersion, you know.

“That’s not what I meant. My face is on that wanted poster, remember?”

“Bounties? I’ve had a few myself; nothing to fret over. Mages are rational creatures, and if they encounter someone clearly superior, they bow their heads and seek guidance. Offer them just a sliver of your wisdom, and they’ll fawn over you like hounds.”

“As if I possess any wisdom to bestow.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose.

Lancart Spender. A peer from my days at Hameln Military Academy, who betrayed the Military Nation with dramatic flair and threw himself into the Magical Federation. A prodigy who awakened his own Unique Magic at the tender age of thirteen.

How did I, then, become friends with such a genius? Simple.

I pretended to be his equal.

Lies are always uncovered, they say, but I am a mind reader. By simply reading and mimicking the thoughts of the genius Lancart, I could receive the same treatment as one. What if I were to add my own perspective, taking a step forward? I would become a genius greater than himself.

And so, Lancart became steadfastly convinced that I was a genius that surpassed him. Though, mind reading *is* my power, so… genius it is.

“Wizards, fine, let’s say they’re indifferent. What about the other commoners?”

Lankart answered my question as if it were obvious.

“Commoners? There’s no way anything like that would be on the Floating City.”

“The raison d’être of class is exploitation. Even wizards must need someone to clean or run errands, isn’t that why they created a commoner class?”

“Unnecessary. Commoners and such. At least, on the Floating City, there’s no place for commoners to stand, no air for them to breathe.”

“Turned into quite the chosen one since I last saw you.”

“Chosen ones aren’t made. They’re born that way. Even back in the Military Nation, it was only you and I who weren’t foolish. The rest were, frankly, beneath contempt. Wouldn’t you agree?”

I must clarify that this is Lankart’s personal opinion and far from my own. You’ve got some dangerous ideas there, buddy.

“And this Floating City is proving that commoners aren’t necessary to live. Look.”

It was as Lankart said.

A wizard walked down the street and arrived at a building. There was a door on the first floor to welcome visitors, but his destination was higher up. The wizard tapped the ground with his staff, and gravity warped, instantly sending him to the fifth floor.

A hungry wizard poured milk crystals onto a bowl and sprinkled crumbs over them. Then, he tapped it with magic, and the milk crystals melted, the crumbs absorbed the moisture and swelled, turning into cereal. The wizard slurped down the cereal.

A wizard reading a newspaper tore out a page and levitated it in the air. Then, he took out a jewel from his pocket, attached it to his staff, and scattered light. The flashing light permeated the paper, and the ink became a shadow, etched into a small bead as if sucked in. In an instant, the wizard, having extracted his news snippet, burned the rest of the newspaper and walked away.

Magic filled the entire world. The boon of magic offered convenience simply because you knew how to use it.

Gravity, light, wind, crystals, space. The Floating City was truly a city of magic.

“Wizards staying in the Lower World employ commoners, I hear. But even that is impossible on the Floating City. The mysterious magic that fills the Floating City would cause accidents if you couldn’t sense the flow of mana.”

“Don’t the wizards here keep servants?”

“Archmages or Tower Lords might take on disciples. But there’s no inherent hierarchy among the chosen. Anyone can awaken their unique magic, and they are the master of that unique magic.”

Commoners are foolish. Chosen ones are wise. And no further distinction is needed between commoners and chosen ones.

That was the rule governing the Floating City, and as far as the Floating City was concerned, it was true. It was nearly impossible to live here if you hadn’t awakened your magic.

Lankart scoffed and continued.

“I don’t agree that there’s no hierarchy among the chosen, but I can’t deny that these guys are better than the idiots back in the Military Nation.”

You’ve found the land where you belong. Good for you.

I internally gave Lankart my well-wishes and said, “Then what about the people who will help us? Are they superior?”

“On the superior side. Even though he’s right-handed.”

“More than you?”

“Not yet.”

Lankart readily admitted.

‘Not yet,’ he said? That’s practically a declaration of surrender for Lankart. It took him almost a year to admit defeat to me (or rather, to my mind-reading). Getting his acknowledgment isn’t easy.

“Surely not as much as you. That betrays a certain lack of ambition. You aren’t making any effort to become more enlightened, are you?”

“Such harsh words, Runcart? Considering the time and expense I’ve put into looking after you, you hardly have the right to speak so.”

Just then, a voice chimed in. It had to be the acquaintance Runcart mentioned, the one who was supposed to ‘help us.’ I turned towards the sound.

Runcart’s acquaintance didn’t look like a mage at all. Bright and cheerful was more like it.

A mage with long, slender limbs. Her short, blue hair looked as cool as its color, and plain gold earrings sparkled on her long ears. Judging by the lack of gemstones, they were purely for fashion.

Her wide-legged pants, resembling a skirt at first glance, and the snug-fitting gloves complemented her blue shirt perfectly. Behind the lightly tinted sunglasses perched on her fair face, translucent eyes were just visible.

I was rather surprised. That a mage, of all people, would care about how they looked.

And moreover.

“Hughes, this is the helper I mentioned. The Azure Tower Master.”

A mage of the Azure Tower Master’s caliber, one who had mastered unique arcane arts, pursuing fashion!

“Elicia Celsius. Though at the Floating City, I’m more often called the Azure Tower Master. It’s a pleasure to meet you, friend of ‘that’ Runcart.”

The Azure Tower Master offered me her hand with a refreshing smile. Feeling somehow compelled, I dazedly took it, shaking it. Whether it was due to magic or her constitution, I felt a chill through the glove.

I wasn’t the only one taking stock. The Azure Tower Master glanced at my wrist.

“So, you’re the dark mage who escaped. You gave the Security Bureau quite the headache, or so I heard?”

“I had no choice. I apologize for the trouble I caused.”

“Aha ha! It’s quite alright. The Security Bureau needed a good jolt. There’s a distinct lack of tension in the Floating City, what with it only housing the chosen few. May I call you Hughes?”

Her sociability was off the charts. Almost overwhelming. I carefully laced my reply with a hint of rejection.

“That’s a name I used back in the days of the military nation. I go by Huge now.”

“What a pity. It was a fine name. Though, I suppose you had no choice but to abandon it, considering the terrible things the military nation did. I personally found the events at Hameln deeply regrettable.”

“Pardon?”

“That’s the biggest problem with dark magic, isn’t it? It can be strengthened by using the lives of others. That makes dark mages so very susceptible to corruption… But I respect you for defying that taboo and leaving.”

Elicia continued the conversation, seemingly genuinely distressed. I was rather taken aback by Elicia’s probing questions.

Did she know about the Hameln incident? How much did she know about me?

No. The Azure Tower Master, Elicia Celsius, was the head of the Floating City’s Intelligence Agency. It was her job to understand and gather information from outside the Mage Federation, and she likely knew next to everything about magic-related matters. Having interacted with Runcart, it wouldn’t have been difficult for her to learn about the Hameln incident.

Just, purely.

“Hey, Runcart!”

I was overwhelmed by this mage’s un-mage-like sociability!

“You’re the one who introduced her! You take the lead now!”

It was exhausting trying to talk to someone so outgoing when I wasn’t even close to them! When I called out, Runcart replied, sounding reluctant.

“I don’t particularly want to. It’s draining.”

“Aren’t you getting sucked dry, too!”

“You as well? How curious. My estimation was that the two of you were of a similar ilk.”

“This person and I are of different genres! I possess a natural, blending-in charm, while this one has a forcefully-wedging-in kind! It’s a unilaterally draining structure for me!”

“Ah ha ha! What an amusing simpleton. Uttering such burdensome words right in front of someone’s face. I, for one, would feel rather slighted, wouldn’t you say?”

The Azure Tower Lord tilted her sunglasses, a faint smile playing on her lips. Her mere presence seemed to cool the surrounding air.

More popular with women than men, this was the Azure Tower Lord, Elisha Celsius.

The magician Shay had recalled, the one likely to lend a hand.

She couldn’t fathom what kind of eccentric magician would actually offer help, but after meeting her in person and glimpsing her thoughts, it became clear.

‘The simple-minded are helpless. For they are foolish. And who willingly chooses to be born foolish?’

Was it kindness? Humility?

Nay. The Azure Tower Lord.

‘Ah. The more I know of the world beyond the Floating Fortress, the more I understand how teeming it is with foolishness. So much so that it is considered ‘normal.’ Therefore, I ought to be kind to them. Imparting a sliver of knowledge to the simple, that must be a praise to my resplendent intellect.’

Among the magicians labeled as eccentric, she was a certifiable mad one!