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Pressed by the expedition into Hedin Forest, which was now only a few days away, Lynn busied himself in preparation by buying what he would need .

Theo was reading out loud from a notepad, double checking the stores they would visit .

“Emergency rations for 7 days, a magic beast purpose set of Kariginu gear [1], emergency medical supplies, an emergency smoke candle, a magic beast purpose magic ring… A food provision store, a gear store, a pharmacy, a tool shop… The ring though we’ll have to get in Allfrid . For that shall we drop in somewhere on the way back from cla.s.ses tomorrow?”

He had accompanied Lynn on his shopping trip .

“Thanks for helping me out like this” .

“Don’t mention it . The hunting party is a big deal . We’ll have to go all around Renryll though . If we were in Allfrid we’d be able to get everything in a department store” .

Renryll didn’t have anything like a department store, so they would have to go around to each individual store to get all the essential items .

In the end it took them all day to finish their shopping .

“Hey, don’t you think it’s about time we moved?”

They were walking back to the Rat’s Nest when Theo broached the subject . He spoke slowly and deliberately .

“Move?”

“It’s like this… We’re always moving between the academy, the factory, and our room right? So we always have to use the elevator . If we move to Allfrid, and find new jobs there, we’d be able to do everything in Allfrid . I’m tired of spending lots of time on the elevators every day” .

Theo had a particular aversion to the idea of wasted time and commuting . He made it a kind of policy to minimise any wasted time and energy expenditure .

However those didn’t seem to be the only reasons he wanted to get away from Renryll . Lynn had the feeling he also wanted to quit his current job at the factory .

Since the incident at the factory, where the elite n.o.ble students had wreaked havoc, Theo’s relations.h.i.+p with the supervisor had become sour .

The supervisor didn’t agree with the way Theo had dealt with things that day, and he subsequently began criticizing each and every one of Theo’s decisions . Theo had to fight him over ever smaller and smaller details, and so they were always arguing .

Theo was discontent with the situation, and soon began grumbling and complaining in his characteristic frank nature .

“Why are we even working at a place like that?” He let out a loud sigh before continuing . “They pay’s s.h.i.+t . The work itself is s.h.i.+t . And thanks to that, the bosses are s.h.i.+t . I really want a different job . If only we had something else lined up, we could quit as soon as possible…”

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Lynn’s days were spent worrying about Theo and the reckless remarks he made right in front of the supervisor .

“Hey, I’m serious . We should just do it- move . Renryll isn’t good for shopping, and the commute is such a waste of time . The time we waste we’d be better off spending doing something else, or studying” .

“But Allfrid’s cost of living is really high . Our wages won’t be enough to live on . We wouldn’t even be able to afford the rent” .

At first Lynn had fallen in love with Allfrid’s stylish streets, but the minute he saw the price of rent, his face had gone pale .

Allfrid’s cost of living was 2 or 3 times that of Renryll .

He expected the magic tools and whatnot that could only be bought in Allfrid to cost a lot, but he was surprised when he learned that even the daily necessities cost considerably more .

He was baffled as to why prices in general would differ so greatly just based on where a place was . He couldn’t understand it .

Moreover, there wasn’t even such a big difference in the average wage from Renryll .

“I’ve found a share house that we could afford . There’s a couple academy students I know who wouldn’t mind the four of us living together . If we split the rent between us, it wouldn’t be so different from what we’re paying at the moment . And I’ve got an idea for what to do about the other daily living costs . C’mon, let’s do it!”

“Hmm” .

They had just reached the door to their dorm . They were talking in front of their door when suddenly they heard Kunol yelling as she knocked on the door to the room next to them .

“Moris! Moris! You have a letter about your debt! You haven’t paid rent for 3 months either, have you? Unless you get your act together soon, you’re going to be in some serious trouble . I know you’re in there Moris . Moris! Come out here right now, Moris!” .

Kunol’s knocks became increasingly violent as she shouted and pounded on their neighbour’s door .

“That woman sure is annoying”, Theo said as he gestured towards her with his thumb .

“Yeah…” .

Their neighbour Moris had a gambling problem, and word was he was up to his neck in debt after going on a persistent losing streak .

For a while now he was holed up in his room, and no one had seen him come out .

That’s the reason Kunol was there every day, pounding on his door .

Lynn and Theo had grown weary of the noise of Kunol yelling and banging on their neighbour’s door .

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The walls were thin, and Kunol would often try to get Moris to open up even in the middle of the night . Because of this, time and time again Lynn and Theo were awoken from sleep by Kunol’s angry voice and incessant knocking .

“Fine . To tell the truth I’ve been wanting to move to Allfrid as well . Let’s do it” .

Although Lynn had his reservations about the idea, he gave in and decided to go along with Theo’s plan .

The next day, Lynn and Theo put in their notice for their contract for the Rat’s Nest, and packed up their most important luggage, and crammed themselves into an elevator .

Thanks to a stroke of luck, they had found office positions in Allfrid that were hiring people who could read and write magic .

This month they would work extra s.h.i.+fts in the factory, before quitting and working in Allfrid at the start of next month .

In their luggage trolley, they had packed their clothes, books, equipment and fixtures, their everyday miscellaneous personal items, as well as food .

“This way we can live in Allfrid on Renryll’s cost of living . If we do a bulk shop once a month it won’t even take that much time” .

Lynn nodded .

They had timed it so that they rode the elevator at a time when it wasn’t busy .

Their luggage, which was packaged and wrapped up and stuffed onto their luggage trolley, was easily twice their height and width, but using their ma.s.s staves they were easily able to move it .

“Right, let’s go . To floor 67, Academy City Allfrid, District 28” .

After Theo recited the incantation the elevator roared to life, and short upwards .

As the elevator whisked them up, up and away to their new life in Allfrid, Lynn felt elated .

“We’re nearly there now”, Lynn murmured .

There was a coloured symbol that indicated the floor and line the elevator was pa.s.sing through . As the elevator pa.s.sed through different sections of the tower Lyn watched its colour change .

They were pa.s.sing from the grey line onto the red line, which told them they had ascended above the fiftieth floor .

“Ahh, finally we can bid farewell to Renryll . Huh? What’s with you, go away” .

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Theo, seeing a fairy lurking around their luggage, drove it away with his staff .

Scared at his rough tone, the fairy quickly disappeared somewhere, out of sight .

Lynn tilted his head . Fairies appearing out of seemingly nowhere was a regular occurance in the tower . What was not a regular occurance, however, was a fairy appearing suddenly and coiling about your luggage like that .

To Lynn it almost looked like the fairy was trying to warn them about something .

“Hey, we’re here!” Theo said .

Just then the number in the elevator showed 67 . They had arrived at their destination . Floor 67, Allfrid City, District 27 .

When the elevator came to a complete stop, a painful, high pitched beeping sound rang out, and they heard the doors locking not once, but twice . They tried to open the door, but no matter what it wouldn’t budge .

“What’s happening?”

Theo cursed in frustration .

“Maybe it’s a malfunction? For f.u.c.k sake, do some maintence on these elevators once in a while! We’re in a rush and this happens…”

“You two! Hold on for a moment please” .

A number of wizards dressed in black robes had opened the doors . They were clearly from the a.s.sociation . Lynn felt relief at the sight of them, thinking they would be able to alight immediately .

However in the next moment they had moved to restrain them both .

“Hey, what are you doing?” Theo shouted in alarm .

One of the black-robes tutted in disapproval as he cast an eye over their luggage .

“This is against the rules” .

“What!?”

“It’ll be a levy of twenty thousand legika . Each” .

“What the h.e.l.l?” Theo yelled, his voice hysteric .

“That much? Why do we have to pay money?” Lynn asked in protest .

“You get taxed if you use a pa.s.senger elevator to transport cargo that weighs more than the regulated amount” .

“Taxed?”

“That’s right… So, that will be twenty thousnad legika” .

Theo, desperate, tried to object .

“But why? The elevator’s only operating under our magic . On what basis are you taxing us?”

“Well the thing is, the elevators incur costs for maintenance and management . You’re riding for free, but we wouldn’t be able to let you do that if we didn’t charge you for the luggage” .

“What? But, twenty thousand legika… That’s like five times the value of our luggage! Say what you like but that’s way too much” .

Theo’s voice trembled with anger .

“Listen here, if you’re not going to cooperate with us, we’ll have to take you before the court”, one of the black robes said threateningly .

One of his colleagues added, “I take it you two are students, aren’t you? You have no grounds for protesting the tax . You’re already clearly breaking the law . It wouldn’t be out of the question to have you made ineligible for an academy degree . Do you understand?”

The other one took back over .

“You’re already paying a lot for tuition, aren’t you . If you don’t cooperate with us now, your parents’ burden will only increase . Don’t you feel bad about that?”

Lynn let out a sigh .

I see . So it’s because of the taxes up here that the price of commodities in Allfrid is so high .

“Theo, let it go . Our only option is to pay the tax” .

“d.a.m.n it”, Theo muttered .

In order to start their new life in Allfrid, and not drown in the higher price of living, Lynn and Theo couldn’t avoid having to hold down two jobs- their new jobs and their factory jobs .

Next time… Chapter 32, ‘The Forest of Magical Beasts, and the Princess”

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