Tou No Madoushi Chapter 29

The factory was awfully quiet, because the workers were, while getting on with their various tasks, at the same time lending one ear to the elite n.o.bles and listening in on their conversations.

Of course, everyone was curious as to why elite n.o.bles would go to the factory in the first place.

The elite n.o.ble kids however were unperturbed by the attention they were attracting, and conferred amongst themselves.

"Even so, it's such a mess".

"It's dirty, for one thing. Let's go a different route".

"We can't. We have to pa.s.s through this area if we want to make it to the laboratory before cla.s.ses start".

"But it's so crowded and cluttered, There's nowhere to even put your feet".

For some reason they seemed to want to pa.s.s through the factory's work area in order to use the elevator on the other side.

However to get there, they would have to pa.s.s through areas of the factory cluttered with rail car tracks, mult.i.tudes of various parts and equipment, magic tools, and of course on top of that were the workers themselves. All these things hindered their pa.s.sage.

Raising her hand as she spoke, a young female student with chestnut-coloured hair spoke up.

"Ok, listen up everyone! I have an idea".

Lynn found himself stealing glances over at the girl. Her light, luscious chestnut hair had caught his eye. He couldn't help but stare.

"Why don't we all think up some way of getting to the other side… Using magic".

"Let's make it more interesting! Let's make it a contest to see who can think of the best idea", someone suggested,

"You want to make a wager while we're at it?" The girl asked, intrigued. "Then how about the winner receives a magic ring from everyone?"

"Good idea! Count me in", someone shouted.

"Forget it. We'd just get in trouble later", came the objection of one student.

Disregarding the lone student who had objections, one kid spoke out addressing the girl with the chestnut hair.

"Then you'll be the judge".

"What? How's that fair?", a different girl grumbled in dissatisfaction.

Listening to their conversation, Lynn felt excited. They appeared powerful. He was intrigued as to what kind of magic they would use.

"Then I'll go first".

One of the male students stepped out to the front of the group.

"This is easy. We should simply make a bridge to the other side".

Taking his staff in his dominant hand, he brought its base crashing to the ground in one swift movement, so that a noise rang out off the cold hard floor. He then chanted an incantation.

"Earth. Rise."

Responding to his incantation, the factory floor began to swell and rise. It started forming the shape of a bridge.

The rising floor began at the floor just in front of the base of his staff. Gradually, the rising floor morphed into an ever longer bridge that began to span the distance over to the other side.

As the bridge advanced and began to take shape, the magic tools and manufacturing parts that lay in its way on the factory floor were knocked over and swept away, leaving destruction in its wake.

The factory erupted in panicked cries.

Equipment and metal parts were flung left and right, which caused a domino effect as yet even more objects were struck with kinetic force. The carnage reached all the way to where Lynn and Theo's work area was.

"Those b.a.s.t.a.r.ds. What the h.e.l.l do they think they're doing!" Theo shouted above the noise and ran over to their completed goods.

However he didn't make it in time. The goods toppled to the floor with a loud crashing sound. Sparks flew as the metal sheeting skidded across the cold floor.

The bridge was now spanning half the distance across the factory, and was still making steady progress toward the other side.

The one who had chanted the incantation to manipulate the floor watched on, proud.

"Ok, looks like that'll do it".

Just as he spoke those words, the bridge's projection stopped in its tracks. Some of his peers called out in surprise.

"Wh- what?"

"Did he run out of magic?"

"No, I think it's the floor. There's not enough ma.s.s to complete the bridge. It looks like any more and it'll collapse from being too thin".

"How strange… I really thought it'd reach the other side".

"It's because you didn't calculate it properly!"

The n.o.ble students were completely indifferent to the screaming voices and carnage of the factory. Instead their attention was on the magic as they judged and talked about how it went wrong.

"Now it's my turn!" Shouted another. "Wind".

The second student had stepped up and chanted an incantation. A gust of wind began blowing through the factory, at first as a light breeze, but within seconds its intensity had intensified. Manufacturing parts and tools were whipped up and sent flying in every direction.

A second wave of screams erupted, resounding across the whole factory.

The workers scrambled to find cover from the gale and deadly debri. They did their best to protect their head with their arms.

Lynn shielded Ketra and covered his own face as best he could.

"What do you guys think? This should clear a path".

However the wind only cleared away the lighters objects. Heavier objects made of metal still remained in their path, scattered every which way.

"It's completely hopeless".

"Hmm. Maybe it's a little more difficult than I antic.i.p.ated. I wonder… What should we do?"

After the second student, no one else seemed to think they could solve the problem so easily. They began discussing the problem with each other.

"The ground is a no-go. Same for wind. Any other ideas?"

"What if we were to fill the whole place with water, effectively creating a lake? Then we'd cross to the other side in a boat".

Panic broke out among the workers at this latest suggestion. If the place was flooded, many would certainly drown. The factory was no longer a workplace, but a place of crisis. There was real mortal danger.

"Where would we get enough water?"

"We'd create it".

"No way. With your magic capacity, it would be the most you could do to fill a bathtub".

"Hmm. For a second I thought I was on to something there".

"Rejected," said the chestnut-haired girl, "think of something else".

Sighs of relief rippled through the factory. For now it appeared they had escaped a fatality crisis, but there was no guessing what would come next.

The factory workers contemplated what course of action they should take. Should they get out of the factory as quick as they could? Should they seek cover? Should members of work areas on the peripheral sections, which remained relatively unscathed, simpy resume work?

The workers held their breath as they listened to what the elite n.o.bles would do next.

The students talked of all sorts of ideas, but they didn't seem to be able to find a plausible idea.

They were full of academic gossip, but their ideas resulted in nothing more than empty theories that didn't amount to any useful results. They lacked the ability to properly apply their magic effectively.

Their conversation reached its natural end, fizzing out, and after several long moments a girl stepped forward.

It was the girl with the chestnut-colour hair, who had begun the contest in the first place.

"Hey what are you doing?"

"Have you thought of something?"

"I'm going to make a bridge that connects to the other side", she answered simply.

"We already tried that. There isn't enough material. Where will you get enough material from?"

"I'll get it from light… And a little bit of water. It should be enough to suffice".

She reached out into the empty air before her with one hand. She was wearing a ring. From where Lynn was standing, he could see its blue jewel.

Is she going to use ring magic?

He watched her closely.

She began reciting an incantation. A white light began emanating from her ring. The light, diffused in the medium of the moisture in the air, split into seven colours, and traced an arc across the factory. Before long a bridge made of the light of seven colours spanned the length of the factory.

"Can we actually cross that?" Someone asked, eyeing the bridge suspiciously.

In response, the girl who made the bridge stepped up onto the first step, demonstrating its st.u.r.diness. She began climbing up the steps of the first section of the bridge. As she walked her footsteps rang out. 'Kon kon kon'. She was able to walk across it just as if it were a real bridge.

She walked like that, suspended high in the air, supported by her bridge of light, as if it were nothing.

"My G.o.d… Is it really Illia's victory yet again?"

"How unbearable. Really…"

Letting out sighs of defeat, one by one they followed her onto the bridge.

One of the factory workers muttered under his breath incredulously.

"What the h.e.l.l… They're walking on light" 

The n.o.bles proceeded along the bridge, care-free, and paid no mind to the damage below them. The scene was likeable to a kind of juxtaposition of the gap which existed in their society.

For the ones down below, it was all they could do to wriggle among the wreckage and stare up enviously.

For a while the workers gazed up at the beautiful bridge and the students who were walking across it, fascinated. But before long they rea.s.serted their focus on the reality of the situation that faced them.

They had quotas to meet. The work areas affected had to salvage what they could, and somehow or other get to work in order to make their deadlines. They would have to gather up their manufactured goods, parts, magic tools, and in some cases remake them.

There were several different reactions among the workers. Some were in a daze at the sight of all their hard labour, undone right before their eyes. Parts were strewn everywhere. Some were taking their anger out on their colleagues, out of frustration. Some were arguing with other groups, and some were curled up in b.a.l.l.s on the floor, grimacing from various injuries.

As various groups worked to gather the parts and goods that belonged to them, they inevitably clashed with other groups as they got in each other's way, which led to even more quarrelling.

The workers jostled and wrestled with each other as they worked to desperately recover their belongings, and clear away debris. Workers shouted at each other, and fights broke out.

The factory floor was in complete turmoil.

Next time… Chapter 29, 'Market Failure'.

This is day #4 of a 5 part release marathon. Read more about it .