Luka felt that she acted like a tomboy in her appearance and speech. Jasodra's hairstyle resembled putting a bowl on her head and cutting off the excess brown hair. She confirmed his initial impression by shaking his hand firmly.
"I'm Jasodra, the leader of Team M. Pleased to meetcha," she said with a grin.
"I'm Luka Heavensfell, and I'll be in your care."
"I'm Matty. Regards."
"I want to confirm that both of you have reached level 2 proficiency in light magic?" Jasodra inquired as her eyelids twitched with concern. Her team was understaffed; consequently, it couldn't reach the daily quota set by the supervisor. If the newbies couldn't produce any food or water, Duncan played a cruel trick on her. But to her relief, the newcomers nodded.
"Excellent!" Jasodra clasped her hands together and looked at the ceiling to give thanks to Altima. "Alright, everyone. It's time for our shift at the trough. Let's go!" The leader waved her arm and walked over to Team M's workstation.
Luka saw Jasodra stand before a long, wooden trough with a pipe underneath connected to another water pipe. He noticed a glowing, white stone at the bottom of the container and pointed at it. "What is that?" he asked.
"Good eye!" the team leader praised. "That is a measuring stone. Every time we fill up the entire receptacle, the device will change color and darken. Its initial state is white, and our task is to turn it into obsidian. Once that occurs, our work is over for the day," Jasodra explained patiently.
"Unfortunately, our team is missing people with decent light magic proficiency, and we never reach the quota for that reason," someone interjected.
The leader glared at the culprit, a reed-thin man with a pointy nose. "Callen, don't interrupt me!" she admonished.
"But you wouldn't tell our newbies about us missing the daily quota, right?" Callen retorted.
"If you insist on flapping your yap, I won't give you any breaks," Jasodra threatened.
The worker sucked his teeth angrily and looked away. "Tch!"
The team leader immediately switched back to her sweet face. "Luka and Matty, please stand next to me. That would make it easier for me to show you the ropes," she said.
Luka stood to her left; Matty took the other side.
"Line up, everyone!" Jasodra clapped her hands.
Two members joined Luka's side of the container while the remaining five teammates took the opposite side.
"Excellent!" the team leader nodded in satisfaction. "Since each person has a different amount of mana, you need to notify me if you're about to run out. Otherwise, you will faint and collapse from the mana drain. Second, the higher your light magic skill level, the more volume of water you can create per casting. May I ask your proficiencies?"
"I'm level 5," Matty answered.
"9."
"Bullshit!" Trevor yelled out. "There's no way a young brat like you could be that high already!"
The rest of the group nodded their agreement. They all thought Luka was lying to impress their leader.
Jasodra clapped her hands to silence Trevor. "Luka, please show us," she requested with a polite smile.
"Sure." Luka cast Create Water. This spell creates ten gallons of water per skill level. Thus, ninety gallons appeared in the container!
Jasodra was amazed when she saw the water level almost overflowed before the liquid started draining away.
"This is impossible!" Trevor muttered with disbelief. But then he remembered Luka's claim yesterday that he cured the slum rat's mother. Trevor couldn't heal her because he possessed skill level 6 in light magic, while Advance Cure required 9th tier proficiency. Thus, Luka's feat in curing the woman confirmed his skill level. Trevor became jealous because Luka was at least a decade younger than him.
The party members watched in silence as the water level slowly lowered before the liquid disappeared from the trough.
Jasodra regained her focus and clapped her hands. "Normally, we ask each person to cast his spell in turn. I would wait for the receptacle to empty a bit before the next caster creates water to fill up the tank again. Since Luka could practically fill it up by himself, we will skip his turn. Instead, when the rest of the team takes a break, he will work solo and cast his magic until our break ends. Is that alright?" she asked.
"I don't mind."
"Even though you will be working by yourself, you are still part of Team M. Just think of this arrangement as a second shift," Jasodra said with a reassuring smile. Although the team leader felt guilty for leaving Luka out of the group activities, she had no choice. His ability to fill up almost the entire container with one spell meant that Luka should be working alone.
If Jasodra persisted in having him join their rotation, then the precious drinking water would spill all over the factory floor and create a hazard for the workers. "I will begin the spell chain, and we will rotate in a counterclockwise direction. Matty will cast his magic after I give the signal."
Luka watched as Jasodra filled the trough by two-thirds with fresh water. She raised her hand and waited until the tank was a quarter full. "Go!" The leader made a hand chop motion.
Matty's spell filled half the receptacle.
Jasodra raised her hand again. She memorized her teammates' light magic proficiencies and knew how much water each person could create per spell. The team relied on her experience to judge the water level and the next spell's available capacity.
Luka was very impressed with Jasodra because she seemed to know how much water each party member could create. With perfect timing from one spell to the next, the team leader ensured that the trough never overflowed and spilled water. The observer realized that her task was deceptively simple but required constant mental calculations.
After a half-hour, Jasodra clapped her hands. "Luka can take over now, while the rest of us take a break," she ordered. The team leader walked away from their workstation and went to the office with a proposal for Duncan. She knocked on the partition and waited for permission to enter.
The factory supervisor noticed Jasodra standing outside and invited her to come inside. "Is there a problem with the newbies who just joined your team?" Duncan asked with surprise.
Jasodra fidgeted with embarrassment. "Yes and no. Luka's proficiency is at level 9. When I tested him, I saw that he could almost fill an entire trough with one spell. Consequently, I had to pull him out of my rotation," she explained. "He's creating water now while the rest of my team is taking a breather. I'm asking for permission to have Luka take over another station and work solo," Jasodra requested.
Supervisor Duncan turned toward his secretary. "Do we have an unused trough right now?" he asked.
Leila looked through her papers to check today's work schedule. She looked at him and said, "Yes, Unit K-4 is free at the moment."
"Then we'll shift Luka over to that workstation," the supervisor decided. "Please give Jasodra the measuring device."
The secretary opened the desk drawer and retrieved the glowstone. "Here you go," Leila said with a friendly smile.
"Thank you!" Jasodra accepted the item and exited the office.
While the team leader was away, Trevor stared hard at Luka's back. He sneakily approached with ill intent. This brat sent him and his buddies to prison last week. Trevor lost his aristocratic pride because Luka reported the incident to the knights. He didn't know how his uncle convinced the pope to pull the complaint. Nor did Trevor care to know. He felt disgraced by his demotion to a lowly church apprentice and assigned to work in this smelly old factory.
Uncle Windsor warned Trevor not to touch Luka because the brat was the heir of a duke's house, as well as Altima's favored Godson.
However, Trevor didn't care because he wanted revenge and intended to push the bastard into the trough; hopefully, his tormentor would drown. As Trevor drew closer to his target, he lost awareness of his surroundings.
Suddenly, someone slapped him on the shoulder and pulled him back! Trevor angrily turned his head and found himself looking at a bla
ck gorilla; a white rabbit sat on his head.
Bel turned around and wiggled his butt.
This movement invoked a flashback in Trevor's mind, and he remembered that headbutt! The would-be saboteur became nauseous and dashed out of the factory!
"Where are you going, Trevor?" Jasodra yelled.
"Fresh air!"
Matty chuckled and applauded. "Well played," he said with admiration for the two animals. The human tried to intervene and accost Trevor, but the two stopped him first.
When Luka started working alone, he released Bel and Gripper to let them wander around and get some exercise. The mage was aware that Trevor was approaching his back and asked Bel to intercept him. This incident confirmed Trevor's intention to seek revenge against Luka. Thus, Luka decided to take direct action and remove this threat.
Jasodra approached the workstation and looked at Luka with curiosity. She didn't know what happened just now between Luka and Trevor, but the team leader noticed Trevor furtively glaring at the newcomer. "Luka, Duncan assigned you to another workstation. Please follow me," she ordered. Jasodra led him to a different section and a lengthy distance from Team M's workstation.
She checked her vicinity and saw only the rabbit and gorilla accompanied Luka. "I don't know why Trevor is hostile to you. But if he harasses you, please inform me; I will write him up in his personnel record," Jasodra said.
"Let's say we had a previous run-in," Luka replied without commenting further.
She nodded in understanding. Trevor was an arrogant aristocrat who often argued with his teammates. Thus, Jasodra wasn't surprised that Trevor had a problem with Luka, too. The team leader placed the magic stone inside the trough. "You can begin whenever you like. I will come to get you when our shift is over. Work hard!" Jasodra waved a friendly goodbye and left.
Luka began to fill up the tank with water. He settled on a new goal today: make the stone turn black. While the apprentice waited for the fluid to drain down the pipe, Luka handed a tofu pudding to Bel and Gripper. "You guys did a great job protecting my back," he complimented.
[That chicken shit couldn't beat you fair and square, so Trevor tried to backstab you. Where does the church find these losers?] Bel huffed while shaking his head.
Hoot! Gripper agreed and pounded his chest. The gorilla hoped to fight Trevor again and give him a nice pancake.
"I'm sure he will come after me again," Luka nodded.
[So what are you going to do? Will you assassinate him?] The demon king rubbed his paws eagerly to take part in outright murder.
"No, I can't do that," Luka shook his head immediately. "I will appeal to a higher authority," he added with a faint smile.
[Oh?] The rabbit's ears twitched. Bel didn't know what his disciple planned to tell the pope. Additionally, he felt this was useless because Archbishop Milstein would block any severe punishment issued by Demetrius. Bel had seen his fair share of palace intrigue in his previous life, but Bel declined to argue with Luka. Instead, the familiar preferred to sit back and watch how everything plays out.
Luka noticed the trough was almost empty and cast Create Water again to fill it up. While waiting, he took out a knife and stabbed his fingertip. As blood tricked out of the wound, the mage cast Advance Cure on himself.
Although Luka was wasteful in using this high-tier healing magic for a slight injury, he needed to cast it repeatedly to increase his proficiency further. Moreover, Luka didn't want to stand idle while waiting for the water to drain out of the container. Thus, he settled on the idea of practicing his light magic during the downtime to increase his productivity.
Fortunately, no other factory worker was nearby because an observer would be shocked to see Luka cast so many spells over a brief duration. The mage stabbed and healed himself a dozen times between each casting of Create Water. Although Luka was expending his mana faster than it could recuperate, he possessed an enormous reservoir. Each casting was the equivalent of scooping a handful of water from the sea. By the time today's shift ended, Luka used only half his mana pool.
Jasodra peered into the trough, and her jaw dropped. She slowly reached for the bottom of the tank and brought out the measuring device; its color was obsidian! The team leader looked at the young man and showed him the magic stone.
Luka nodded in empathy because he understood her bewildered reaction. After all, he didn't require a full day to turn the recording device black. More importantly, Luka achieved this feat solo.
The woman quickly recovered. "Excellent work!" she praised earnestly.
"Thank you," Luka replied modestly.
"Please return to this factory tomorrow after morning prayer services. Our team will shift to producing grain, and I'm curious to see how many barrels you can fill up alone," Jasodra said with a grin as she led him out of the worksite.
Matty waited outside the building.
She nodded at him and then reentered to hand in the stone to the supervisor.
"Hey, champ! Did you miss me?" the escort joked.
"Who would miss you?" Luka retorted. "I have cute pets to keep me company," he added while stroking Bel's soft fur.
Matty looked at Bel and Gripper and involuntarily shivered. Since he knew their personalities, he couldn't see them as cute animals. Instead, Matty was terrified of them.
Bel and Gripper savored his apparent discomfort. [You should get down on your knees, boy!] The demon taunted.
Luka smacked his head softly. "Behave!" he hissed.
The rabbit turned away to avoid looking at the big wimp.
Luka decided to go straight home because he didn't wish to be late for dinner with his mother.
The escort hovered behind him like a shadow as the group walked through the busy streets.
When they passed through the plaza, Luka stopped for a moment to look at the bell tower. He reminisced about the day he came out of a coma and found himself in a bed inside this building.
Matty abruptly asked, "Do you want to live there?"
Luka shook his head. "I'm just wondering why the church brought me to the tower while I was in a coma," he explained.
"Oh, that's easy," the escort replied nonchalantly. "The pope thought the bell tower of Lumina city was the safest place for you. You have to admit that it's a secluded building with limited entry points, making it easy to guard. Back then, we had valkyries riding pegasuses and patrolling the air space around the tower. That was a truly amazing sight for the city residents, so everyone knew you were inside," Matty recalled.
The group resumed walking in silence. Eventually, Luka arrived at the guesthouse.
"See you tomorrow!" Matty waved goodbye and left.
Chapter 90
Divine Punishment
When Luka stepped inside his residence, the servants greeted his return in unison. "Welcome home, young master!"
"I'm back," he replied with a friendly smile.
"Your bath is ready," a servant said. She followed Luka up the stairs and into his room. The maid removed his uniform and then helped him bathe. The servant also assisted him in putting on aristocratic attire and smoothed out the wrinkles. She backed away and curtsied.
"Thank you." Luka stepped out of his room and hurried down the stairs with his pets. They soon entered the dining hall. "Hello, mother!" he greeted.
"Good evening, Luka," Juliette replied as he sat down. "How was your day?" she asked while inwardly pleased that her son returned home on time today.
"It was productive. This week's assignment is to create food and water at the food factory. I met a supervisor named Duncan, who claims he attended the royal academy with my father. Do you know him?" Luka inquired.
Juliette thought for a moment before she recalled his face. "Duncan the Stern was what we called him back then," the mother smiled faintly. "He was a hard-working commoner with a serious personality. Although Duncan wasn't very talented, the students admired his diligence and trustworthiness. I was surprised when he joined the church after graduation from the ac
ademy."
"When Tsunka entered the Netherese War, I was more shocked to see Duncan join under his banner. Your dad trusted Duncan and gave him command of the bodyguards despite Duncan's commoner background. After the war ended, Duncan visited and apologized to me for failing to bring his liege back home."
"But it wasn't Duncan's fault since dad willingly sacrificed his life to close the portal with the Netherverse!" Luka recalled facts from the war.
Juliette nodded. "You're right. Nonetheless, Duncan focused only on the outcome and blamed himself for failing to achieve his goal. The food factory provides resources critical to the survival of Lumina's citizens. I'm not surprised to learn that the church assigned this responsibility to Duncan," she observed.
Luka wanted to mention Trevor von Milstein but wasn't sure how to bring up this topic.
The mother noticed her son was fidgeting. "Spit it out," she ordered in a stern tone of voice.
"When I joined my team, I saw a familiar face: Trevor von Milstein. And while I was standing over a trough and creating water, he tried to sneak up from behind to push me into the tank. But Bel and Gripper blocked Trevor and made him run away."
"Outrageous!" Juliette became furious. "That kid hasn't learned anything." She inhaled deeply and closed her eyes for a moment. "Did you do anything to him afterward?" the mother inquired.
Luka shook his head. "My team leader took me to a different workstation where I worked alone."
"Good! Don't raise your hand against that miscreant. As long as your team leader separates the two of you, it should be okay. I'll visit your godfather tomorrow and complain to him."
"No need," he responded. "Matty witnessed the incident. He will notify the pope directly."
"That's even better," the duchess commented. She didn't expect Demetrius to assign Matty to accompany her son. Juliette became perplexed at this revelation because it meant that the pope already knew Trevor would bother Luka at the worksite. Then why would Demetrius allow it? Her eyes narrowed when Juliette came up with an answer: the pope sought to use her son to create conflict with the Milstein family!
Duchess Silverblade bravely continued this line of thought and understood Demetrius' ultimate objective: remove Windsor von Milstein from his formidable position!
The Divine Summoner: Godson of Altima Page 73