“Miss Beretta, could you please take a look at this document?” a mechanoid asked, handing Beretta a sheet of paper.
They were currently in the mansion’s office, taking care of some administrative matters.
“All right. We have made passable progress, so you can go on break. I will do the same once I am done with the document you just handed me,” Beretta replied.
The other mechanoid nodded. “I will prepare some tea so that it is ready when you are done.”
Beretta nodded. With her master having departed for a new journey, she was in charge of managing the forest’s affairs.
“I wonder where Master is now,” the other mechanoid said as she set a pot full of water onto the magic burner in the office.
“She contacted me a few days ago, and she said that she and Lady Teto were done paying their respects to Mr. Gyunton and the others,” Beretta replied, not lifting her eyes from the document. “They must be on their way to a new nation.”
Beretta’s masters—Chise the witch and her guardian Teto—had begun a new journey. Their first goal had been to travel and pay respects to the graves of the three men whose recommendation to the adventurer’s guild had made them S-rank adventurers. With that done, they were bound for a new part of the continent to discover what it had to offer.
“They mentioned wanting to visit the Sunfield Empire in the south, did they not?” the mechanoid asked.
“Yes. It is just south of Gald, and Master has never been there before, so she has decided to make it her next destination.”
The Gald Beastman Nation was southeast of the forest, while the Kingdom of Ischea stood southwest. The long and thin Lawbyle Kingdom stretched to the east, separated from the forest by a mountain range. Chise had just finished paying her respects to Gyunton in Gald, so she had decided to continue south to the Sunfield Empire.
Beretta set down the document—which she had finished reading—and peered out of the window. “I wonder what Master is doing,” she muttered, looking up at the sky.
Her beloved masters might have been far away, but they were still under the same sky. Beretta was looking forward to hearing where their journey took them and what they got up to.
Tearing her gaze away from the window, she enjoyed some tea and a well-deserved break with the other mechanoid.
✦ ✦ ✦
A gentle breeze caressed our hair as Teto and I journeyed under the peaceful blue sky. Our mode of transport of choice for our new trip was a horse-drawn little house on wheels with a semicylindrical roof. The rhythmic clip-clop of the horse’s hooves on the highway provided a soothing soundtrack to our trip...but the curious glances and turned heads of the onlookers made it hard to fully relax.
“Maybe our caravan is a bit too out there,” I muttered from my spot beside Teto in the driver’s seat. I was trying to bask in the sun, but the attention we were receiving made me feel a tad awkward.
“Teto loves the carriage Lady Witch made!” Teto—who was holding the reins—exclaimed.
I chuckled. “Thanks, Teto.”
To be fair, I could see why our caravan prompted so many double takes. First of all, our horse wasn’t exactly a normal horse. While from afar it looked just like a regular brown horse, if you studied it closely, you’d be able to tell that its body was made of stone, like an equestrian statue had stepped down from its pedestal and shaken off its rider. In reality, it was a horse golem.
“Horse golems aren’t exactly common, so I tried gussying it up to pass a little better for the real thing, but it’s not working a hundred percent, is it?” I said.
Just like I had done with Kuro back in the day, I had put an illusion charm on one of the horse golem’s accessories...but the most perceptive passersby could still tell something was amiss.
“They’re not just looking at the horse, though, Lady Witch; they’re looking at the carriage too,” Teto pointed out.
“The carriage, huh? Well, I can see why: it is a bit peculiar,” I muttered, glancing back at our caravan, which looked just like a little hut on wheels.
Looking at it, it was obvious it must’ve been quite heavy, yet it didn’t make a sound even as the horse golem dragged it along. With normal carriages, you’d hear the wheels rattle or the coach clatter as it shook over the road. But our caravan’s suspension was tricked out to hell and back.
“We’ve got leaf springs, axle bearings for smooth rotation on every wheel, and rubber tires. I threw on a couple Weight Reduction and Shock Absorption enchantments to make it easier on the horse. Put it all together and the whole affair makes for a buttery-smooth ride,” I explained.
By local standards, we were cruising around in the sweetest rig our fellow travelers had ever laid eyes on; I couldn’t blame them for feeling a little incredulous.
“The inside is even more impressive than the outside!” Teto said.
“Oh yeah, I went all out on the interior; the rest is practically an afterthought by comparison,” I said proudly.
“Nothing’s more important than Lady Witch’s comfort!” Teto exclaimed enthusiastically, and I forced a strained smile on my face.
I was definitely proud of the inside of the carriage. While the caravan was only about five meters in length and two in width, I had used a spatial alteration spell to cram a studio apartment’s worth of floor space in there, complete with a bedroom corner, kitchenette, toilet, and small bathroom. To finish it all off, I had used my magic to incorporate a water and drainage system, making our caravan a comfortable little home away from home.
“I kind of threw it together at the last minute to fill in for our flying carpet, but I have to say this caravan is pretty comfortable,” I commented.
Back when we used to be more active as adventurers, we had picked up quite a reputation, and the flying carpet we used to travel back then had become our trademark. But we were currently hiding our identities and pretending to be C-rank adventurers to avoid garnering too much attention, so we had to find a new means of transportation for our new journey.
At first, we had opted for running alongside the highway using Body Strengthening to give us a boost, and we’d either camp outside or, on rare occasions, stay at an inn for the night. But one evening, as I was setting up camp, I found myself thinking, Man, having to do this every night sure is a pain.
It wasn’t like we were in a hurry, or like our journey even had a purpose in the first place—other than sightseeing, that is. We didn’t have to be zooming everywhere. I didn’t mind us traveling slower if it meant it’d be more comfortable. And so, I came up with the idea of building a carriage that we could travel and sleep in, a bit like a camping car.
My first idea had been to make it like a real car and have it be self-propelled, but after giving it some thought, I came to the conclusion that it would stand out way too much—which was exactly what I was trying to avoid, so I went the “ersatz horse” route instead.
“We’re not going as fast, but we can travel and get things done at the same time. I’d say it’s an improvement.”
The inside of the caravan didn’t shake at all, meaning that I could do all sorts of stuff while on the move: potion making, cooking, reading... These just weren’t options on foot. Traveling while keeping the comfort of home suited my nature much better.
As I sat in the driver’s seat, mentally patting myself on the back for coming up with the idea of traveling in a caravan, I noticed a fortress in the distance. It seemed that we had reached Gald’s border.
Teto gradually slowed the horse golem’s pace and lined up behind the other travelers waiting to pass the checkpoint.
“We’re about to say goodbye to Gald for a while, huh?” I said.
“It’s a bit sad, but Teto is looking forward to seeing other countries!”
After paying our respects to Gyunton, the two of us decided to head south to visit the nations on this side of the continent. As we reminisced about our trip while waiting in line, it was finally time for our turn. The two beastmen guards—one young and one old—looked at our caravan with puzzlement.
“I’ve never seen a carriage like this before,” the older one muttered.
The two guards were so taken aback by our carriage that they were just standing there, gawking at it.
“We’re supposed to show you our guild cards and put our hands on the crime-judging jewel, right?” I said innocently to remind them to get on with it.
The younger one jumped slightly as my words brought him back to reality. “Ah, yes! This way, please. Gramps, check their carriage.”
“Aye,” the older soldier said after a long pause.
As Teto and I stepped down from the carriage, I could feel him staring intently at us. I didn’t know what he wanted, but he didn’t seem hostile, so I paid him no mind. When I glanced at him, he gave us a slight bow before going to check our carriage. We returned the gesture, then turned back towards the younger soldier, putting our hands on the crime-judging jewel and showing him our guild cards.
“Wow, you two are C-rank? You’re so young; it’s impressive,” the soldier said with a smile.
I had used my newly developed transformation spell to make myself look around Teto’s age, so I wasn’t getting the little girl treatment for once, which I was very pleased about.
We made small talk with the younger guard as we waited for the other guy to finish inspecting our carriage.