Shouji looked over the chart containing the times of the high and low tides but was unable to decided on a departure time.

Their plan relied on using a boat to invade the "Sloop Magic Chemicals" factory, but according to the sea charts, the surrounding sea was full of reefs. During the low tide some rock formations could appear and rub against the underside of the boat. If they ran aground then their plan would come to nothing.

Going during the high tide would be for the best.

Still, going in the dead of night, there was the danger of encountering fishing vessels.

Maybe they should take a roundabout path by going far out to see and then approaching in a straight line.

"Shouji. Anything but a timed bomb is not going to work. Even if we wanted to do use a remote-controlled device, the building materials of lots of facilities like this one have magic lines throughout. At my level I can"t guarantee that it would work."

Bando called out to Shouji who stood at the pier gazing at the horizon.

A white haze caused the line to grow blurry. In a few hours rain clouds would draw near and release a skin numbing rain from their dark insides.

"… Understood. We"ll take the C route."

"I had an idea. We should use the rail car intended for cargo. The tracks are made to run through the entire premises. Sort of an on the grounds train. We should employ this to transport the drums. We had planned for Stark to carry them, but since they weigh three hundred kilos, from a realist"s point of view, I don"t think that is going to work."

"Couldn"t we just use a push cart?"

"Instead of human power we should use mechanical powered means. That way is more rational."

In his oil smeared, dirty-looking, outfit, Bando wiped off his sweat covered forehead with a towel.

Stark and the two others had just finished loading their tools onto the boat. Shouji had intended to help out, but the others wanted him to keep his strength for battle.

Bando stood next to Shouji, he stealthily took out some chewing tobacco from his pocket and put it in his mouth. This wasn"t the same tobacco as they had smoked yesterday. This was the very lowest quality of tobacco. For his friend"s sake, Shouji acted like he did not notice. That Bando"s financial circ.u.mstances were bad was obvious from his appearance.

Bando had also gotten thinner since the time of their ‘eat or get eaten’ army days. It made Shouji very sorrowful. He was reminded of the time he fell into ruin.

He had gone from being a gentleman in a warm and clean long coat to a wanderer in tied together worm-eaten old clothes. His back had been to the wall.

The friends he had trusted had turned their backs on him, and the party that should have been held on his release never happened. The man he had trusted to be a true friend had never answered his letters. n.o.body helped him in his troubles.

Deep sadness and flames of anger had simultaneously came to him, and when the tears of humiliation dried out, days spent dazedly viewing the sky were his everyday life. He felt like he had been left behind by time itself.

"Shouji. There"s something I want to discuss."

"Yes?"

When Shouji came back from his reverie, Bando had an unpleasant look on his face. In hesitation he glanced at the surface of the sea. Flotsam and pieces of wood had gathered at the concrete wall.

"… Doldo has that type of figure. Is it not dangerous to have him along on this trip?"

"Is that the only reason?"

Shouji was suspicious of this discordance.

Doldo and Bando had never interacted much, and their hobbies and preferences differed.

Shouji"s face stiffened.

Someone who would cut off a friend for profit was not a buddy of his.

"I have no problem with him being a part of the potion business. Adding him to what will naturally become a successful business is completely fine with me. But this time is different, isn"t it? In a group robbery speed is king. He is unsuited for it."

"Do you want him to do an athletics test or something?"

The sharp voice shut Bando up. He could tell from the voice that he had entered dangerous territory.

"No, I just… wanted to say my piece. I understand, Shouji. I only said it for the sake of increasing our chance of success. After all, if we"re going to do some work… we would want it to go well, right? That is all."

His response came in a low and dejected voice. To give him a sense of security, Shouji put his had on Bando"s shoulder.

Shouji needed to show that he acknowledged Bando"s complaint.

"Bando. That Doldo appears like he might screw up and be slow is obvious even to me. After all he looks like an oil barrel on legs. But it would be wrong to take away his motivation by never giving him the chance. Do you understand? You must believe, Bando. I believe in both you and Doldo. Don"t become a man of negativity. If you do, sooner or later you will come to hate the world you had built for yourself."

The "Sloop Magic Chemicals" factory had an exclusive defense magician.

Her name was Holly Detromics. A talented woman at the age of twenty.

She had wanted for nothing since her birth into a prominent n.o.ble family. Blessed with talent that allowed her to be independent and a n.o.ble personality, she tragically absorbed herself in working for her wages.

Every now and then she felt like she had been thrown in prison.

This was caused by the towering outer wall running along the outer circ.u.mference of the ma.s.sive factory. It was said to be a breakwater against large tidal waves, but wouldn"t it be more proper to call it a castle wall? The bulky grey stone wall gave off an exaggerated spirit of absolutely not allowing anyone to see what was on the other side.

"… The feelings of wanting to escape are growing."

Even though the ocean was just outside, neither the rumbling of waves nor the roar of the sea could be heard.

Holly liked the sea and was disappointed that she could not view it from inside the walls.

The feelings of hindrance towards the walls were just Holly"s personal feelings. The young factory workers living in the on-campus lodging house seemed to consider the wall a perfect place for free climbing.

On their days off, she frequently observed them clambering up the colored rubber protrusions with anti-slip powder on their hands. It was their way of overcoming their lack of exercise.

The unathletic girl watched the energetic youngsters with bitter feelings and she sent cursing thoughts towards them.

"… Gotta get to work."

Today"s patrol duties awaited her.

She could not just focus on resenting the wall.

Her place of work, the "Sloop Magic Chemicals" factory was vast beyond reason.

The facility included s.p.a.ce for future construction, and it had enough area to house three or four farming villages inside.

*Sigh…*

The towering mountain range of gigantic structures on site was overwhelming.

The first thing to catch your eyes was the ma.s.sive chimney on top of the high temperature furnace. It was tall enough for her to worry about it receiving lightning attacks from the G.o.d of the sky.

Next was the group of metal towers. The distillation towers that purified alchemical raw materials could be said to be the face of the factory.

There were several of them, and each of them was excessively tall.

At ground level was a crowd of mechanical device installations, but they were messy. The extensive number of pipes running through the facility were covered in dust and had the stagnant color of rust.

The maintenance platforms forming a skeleton around the facility were a bit of an attraction. The windy working s.p.a.ce had operation boards arranged at even intervals. Every now and then she would see an operator tripping over one of piping ducts stretched around the pa.s.sageways.

The impellers pushing the chemical liquids through the pipes were noisy.

The warning signs on the outdoor chemical tanks covered in liquid proof materials made her shiver.

"Just looking at it, I feel like I am getting covered in oil and smoke… For a naturalist like me, this place is painful."

— Holy"s rough perception of the plant"s manufacturing process was as follows:

The ma.s.sive amounts of liquid dissolved, pre-processed, alchemical materials from each facility flowed to the reaction furnace. There it became various kinds of potions and refined materials.

That was the limit of the layman, Holly"s, understanding of the inner workings.

In her thoughts was "They sure make tons of stuff", it was a very deep and profound feeling.

As she gazed upon the black smoke coming from the chimney as a geyser, Holly clearly felt the wave of industrialization in the alchemical industry.

The growth of the economy meant an increase in material resources.

An industrial revolution was underway in Errorknife.

"Lulu. Al. Tora. Was there, like always, nothing out-of-place today?"

So they would not be in the way, the summoned beasts, that had returned from the premises, bounced on the very edge of the work road while approaching Holly.

They were three slime type monsters.

Their surfaces were covered in moss-like growth, and their insides were mud colored, but their cute eyes were their charm point.

Holly felt her heart soften.

Her slimes were sullied by dirt, sand and waste oil, so those that were unable to discern their true form called them Deadly Slimes, but she did not pay those people any heed.

In truth, her summoned beasts were not slime type lifeforms.

They were a miniscule lifeform, a fungus, with the ability to a.s.semble, that she had called from the other world.

For the sticky fungus to be covered in mud and dust was natural.

They could make their own food through photosynthesis. They were great because they developed on their own, without a.s.sistance from her.

The slimes jumping around went in front of Holly and invited her on a walk.

"… Okay. I gotta walk on my own legs, instead of just letting you guys patrol."

Holly agreed in a gentle voice.

As she walked with her summons, the eyes of the pa.s.sing operators followed her.

It was both because the view of a summoner leading her familiars was a rare sight, and because Holly"s appearance was excellent.

She had her waist length brown hair tied in a ponytail and she stylishly wore a decorative stole.

Her cool eyes were distinctly gallant, and the line from her cheeks to her jaw was well-balanced and smooth.

Her arms and legs were long and slender, but she had a tight figure which protruded where it should protrude.

Her melancholic atmosphere was the only flaw in her appearance.

She gave the impression of a dark beauty.

Her brisk, lively movements in her summoner’s outfit were out-of-place, though.

There were also people who called out to her in loud voices and waved their arms at her… But to the shy, reserved and easily fl.u.s.tered Holly, returning their greetings was the limit of her abilities.

During the day, everyone at the factory worked busily.

From the specially made machinery all over the place, the sounds of seething steam and the rumbling of motors rang out without end.

On the aerial tracks that weaved across the facility, the freight carts ran through the air.

In the start she found this boisterousness curious, but she had become used to it.

Holly had been dispatched from the magicians" guild to defend this vast factory where about a thousand people worked.

The hired armed security, who were all silent, rough-faced, muscular men, did not show good faces when seeing Holly loitering around.

Therefore she seemed to shrink her body and place her summons between herself and the outside world, as she made her rounds of the factory.

"Lulu. Sometimes I feel like I am all alone, even in this facility so full of people. The magicians" guild only sent me, but I have only been made to do clerical work that I have no interest in. The head of security gave me a booth, but I haven"t been given any tasks worth doing. He just wants me to stay put. What a cruel story. I"m sure n.o.body expects anything from me here."

The three slimes stopped moving, and as if saying "Oi oi, it has started again" they exchanged a look. They started to shake the tops of their "heads" at her.

That"s not true. You"re wrong. They seemed to be saying.

Slimes are unable to use language, but are able to show emotions with their expressions.

Listening to their mistress" grumbling was another one of their duties.

"I have to greedily cling to my monthly salary. As long as I work here I will be able to live by my own power, without relying on my parents. I have no problems earning enough for me to survive on, I can live a life of small luxuries. Every day all I do is sip coffee and read the newspaper, I always go home right on time. My soul"s n.o.bility and sense of morality are being peeled away. I know that, but I don"t have the courage to break away from this life. How depraved my aspirations have become! Where did my dreams of attaining greatness on the path of summoning go?!"

The white colored Lulu and the black colored Al, the summons that only Holly could tell apart, both closed their eyes and did a make-believe kiss.

It took a while before Holly was able to figure out what they were attempting to express.

"Get married? You"re telling me to find my purpose as a woman there. I am indeed twenty. A suitable age. But, I always find issue with men"s morals. All men try to appear like mandarin ducks, but in truth they all want to become like eastern spot-billed ducks. Do you understand? I don"t want to simply be one of three females following a male."1

As if saying "Say that once you"ve actually succeeded in getting a lover", the spot patterned Tora leapt and hit Holly"s leg with his body.

His rubbery texture never changed.

He had a soft bounciness, there was no pain from his strike.

"… I know. Aah, I"ll make a correction to what I just said. It was an overly narrow way of thinking. I really have no guts. When I go home to my parents next time, I will take it up with my father. It would be nice if I could find a middle cla.s.s man who could accept the existence of you three. Candidates? Hahaha, I can pick and choose. I am popular, you know. Afterall, my parents are rich. With money I can entice whatever man I want."

Not knowing that her discussions with her employed summons appeared creepy to onlookers, Holly neared the end of her daily patrol.

But right then, right on her route, from a loading area at the side appeared a cargo horse carriage and then it stopped.

Five ruffian-like security guards, armed with batons and gun belts, appeared in succession.

They looked to be guarding some sort of freight.

The tall, broad-shouldered, stalwart men noticed Holly and turned grim faces towards her.

Pierced by their daunting gazes, Holly froze on the spot.

The image of security guards in Holly"s memory was that of elderly men, but these men"s presence felt like they might have been specially chosen amongst soldiers.

Dispatched as the only defense magician for this large-scale factory, Holly was an elite amongst magicians.

She had confidence in her anti-personnel battle strength.

But being glared down by these savage men, her instincts as a woman caused her to become frightened.

Normally she would have taken her distance or retraced her steps before they got close, but this time her luck was bad.

"Well, well, if it isn"t the magician. Do you mind getting out of our way?"

"Unlike you, who looks so leisurely, we"re busy here."

"Or do you perhaps want to walk with us? It"s fine, you can walk with me."

The security guards were rudely approaching Holly.

With gazes that seemed to make fun of a frightened little deer, they vulgarly brought their faces closer to her chest area.

Holly"s nervousness reached the climax.

The slimes bounced around intensely in indignation.

One of the men reached out to grab her slender shoulder, but then he alone seemed to suddenly restrain himself.

His eyes lost their focus, the muscles in his face twitched violently and his legs trembled disorderly.

"Na, ah, ah."

"What"s wrong?"

His groaning voice and suspicious behavior told them that an abnormal situation had occurred.

Worried about their comrade they called out to him, but the eyes of the man who had touched Holly rolled back into his head and he lost consciousness.

Without warning the man collapsed.

On the skin on the back of the man"s hand was a creepy purple mark.

The bizarre circ.u.mstances caused the situation to stiffen. Gulping at the terrible spectacle, the four other men stared cautiously, with astonished eyes, at Holly, who had realized her own mistake and taken a step in retreat.

"So, sorry. I, I will be taking my leave."

She turned on her heels in a panic. Bringing along her pet summons, Holly left the location in a run.

The t.i.tle she had received from the creator was, "The Invisible Summoner" Holly Detromics.2

As an A-cla.s.s magician her field of study was summoning magic.

Her personality was bashful and her hobby was to write research papers.

Her summoning sometimes spontaneously activated in self-defence, and fungi from the other-world would eat into the target of her attack.

Because of that invisible violence she was treated as one of the most brutal magicians by the magicians" a.s.siciation.

Heavy clouds dominated the sky. A freezing breeze blew over the sea. The twilight embracing the air turned ever darker as the moonlight was unable to shine through the clouds.

The gangsters silently boarded the boat and grabbed the oars. Crossing the waves and reaching their destination required a measure of heavy labor. The breathing was rough and their limbs shrieked as their physical strength was whittled away. However, the sense of duty did not disappear from any of their expressions.

The only source of light in the dark night was the flame burning at the top of the lighthouse. The copper-golden fire, that the lighthouse keeper could never let go out, was a saving grace for those that were offsh.o.r.e.

In the dead of night, the sea had a repulsiveness similar to the mouth of a monster.

Their vision was of no help, and since their boat lamp was unlit, they were never quite certain that there was anybody by their side. Tossed around by the crests of the waves, the boat felt awfully unstable, and the fear of capsizing never quite left their minds.

Right now, the only thing resounding was Stark"s concise man-of-the-sea helmsman"s orders.

Their loosely circling navigation on the open sea showed signs of ending after several minutes of silence.

"Change of course. Starboard, stop rowing."

The bow of the ship tilted to the side.

While pretending to be fishing in his boat, that morning Stark had precisely ascertained the positions of the reefs.

There was no longer a need to fear the sharp rocks poking through the water surface in the valleys of the waves. As long as nothing unforeseen happened there was absolutely no way they would run aground on the reefs.

The bank they had decided to disembark upon was troublesome to reach because of the sea"s return waves. The rebounding splashes soaked their bodies and stole away their body heat.

The unperturbed Stark quick-wittedly tied the end of a rope into a hoop, and threw it towards a tapered rock.

The hoop caught on to the rock and his strong arms pulled them to sh.o.r.e. They tied the boat to the rock and as the mooring was completed, Stark turned to Shouji.

"Quik. I leave it you from here."

"Yes, leave it to me. From here on I will give the directions."

The eyes dyed in madness shone slightly. They seemed to leave tracks in the darkness when he moved about. Cracking his neck, Shouji let the shape of his mouth slacken as he admired the castle in front of them.

From the top of the wall gentle magic light radiated. It was a tall and solid bulwark made for the purpose of rejecting invaders. The structures made from a mixture of concrete and plumbing poked their heads over the wall.

The memories from his time as a soldier were revived.

The sweet feelings of intoxication during the a.s.sault. Through the unforgivingly pouring rain of lead and magic bullets, his destination was the position of the enemy shoulders carrying long spears and rifles.

The strife amplified the efficacy of his potions. There were individual differences in the way magic power toured a person’s body, so for there to be fluctuations according to the users mood was only natural.

There had never been a scientific treatise on the matter, but that was what Shouji believed in.

Translator notes

[1] Ok get this, I did some research and apparently the mandarin duck is monogamous, and the eastern spot-billed duck lives in colonies, so draw your own conclusions