Chapter 187
The inside of the automobile was much larger than it looked from the outside.
It was all thanks to internal expansion magic—one of magi-engineering’s proudest achievements. Because of that, even if Mehen, myself, and the entire childcare unit got in, there was still room to spare.
“Wow, the inside is even nicer.”
“How many layers of magic are on this thing?”
“Right? Shock absorption, shake prevention, noise isolation, automatic temperature and humidity control… it’s covered in every spell imaginable.”
Watching the childcare unit chatter excitedly reminded me of the mages who bragged that once cars made it into the world, the whole continent would go wild.
“So, Mom, do you think this can flip the world upside down?”
“Well, at least Albrecht will be flipped upside down.”
Mehen snorted and patted my head.
“When they bragged about a revolution in transportation and a new symbol of wealth, I wondered if it was all exaggeration….”
He narrowed his eyes—like someone calculating costs—and I burst into laughter.
“It’s kind of a shame Dad isn’t here.”
“……”
“He really should have seen this.”
Mehen’s expression instantly curdled.
“Where do you think Dad is right now? Do you know, Mehen?”
“Who knows. Probably off somewhere making trouble again.”
I couldn’t help laughing at Mehen’s sharp tone. My dad’s favorability just plummeted.
The whole scene felt strange and joyful.
We came back from the Tower with a lot of magical items, but unfortunately, none included the elixir recipe.
Even if it existed, we probably wouldn’t be able to make it anyway.
[Currently Applied Blessings]
-
Authority of Slumbering Sloth
-
???’s Authority (Temporary)
The status window was still like this.
I stared at the word “temporary.”
Cheyen wouldn’t do something kind like this again, so once that temporary blessing ended, I would fall sick again.
There was still so much I wanted to do.
I needed to visit the secret archives and grab Mek by the collar, I wanted to see the automobile demonstration the Empire was planning soon, and I wanted to see El Sionel completed.
And Fession…
‘The mages said they’d try to find a cure, but…’
I couldn’t just cling to that alone. I was a practical person.
If there was no clear cure for my illness, then shouldn’t I do what I could while I was alive?
My previous life taught me that all that remains in the end is memories.
The violin duet I practiced with Mom, the fish-shaped buns Dad bought me, the rare trips to the seaside just for a change of mood.
Back then, they didn’t even feel special. But later, they were my comfort.
I tugged Mehen’s sleeve, and he looked back at me. His pale green eyes were full of questions. I smiled.
“Let’s go on a trip.”
“A trip?”
“Yep. A trip.”
All of a sudden, I wanted to see the ocean.
“…I’ve never been before.”
The last outing we took was Sharit. Mehen’s cheerful face dimmed in an instant, and he looked at me with deep tenderness.
“Let’s go. On a trip.”
He answered without hesitation, and I grinned.
“Let’s go by car!”
“But who’s going to drive this?”
Everyone turned their eyes to one person—Ben, the coachman with 30 years of carriage driving experience. He bowed.
“Please give me three months!”
* * *
In the end, we decided we would go without the automobile.
…Well, that’s what we said.
“Aether…”
Wuuuung—.
“Don’t pretend you’re innocent. What are you doing?”
Why could I feel Aether’s presence inside my car?
Wuuuuuuung—.
“You’re saying it’s not you? Since when do you lie? Just like I can feel your energy, you can feel mine. Remember?”
Ever since Aether saw the car blueprint, it had wanted the car, but I never expected things to escalate like this.
It had begged, “Just let me swallow one thing.”
“How did you even do this? No—why are you doing this? You’re a weapon.”
To me it appeared as a violin, but strictly speaking, Aether was a weapon.
Why was a car being treated like a weapon…?
“What are you going to do if you swallow my only car?”
Wuuuung!
Aether argued fiercely—listing all the benefits of swallowing the automobile.
“You’ll drive it for me…?”
…That might actually be good.
* * *
“Wow! Cars can do this too?!”
“It’s moving without a driver!”
The childcare unit was deeply impressed.
No. The car isn’t impressive. Aether is weird.
Even Mehen was amazed.
“You can do this with magic?”
“Well… maybe…?”
Aether was made with magic, but still… this felt like cheating.
A car with no driver was speeding smoothly over an unpaved road.
The world’s first self-driving AI automobile.
Humanity tried so hard to reach this point—and I achieved it first, in another world.
Wuuuuuung!
Aether was thrilled, humming nonstop.
Shut up, you damn thing.
* * *
Aether loved its new form. It had wanted the car from the moment it saw it, and now that it had transformed, it was even more ecstatic.
“Uh, someone’s coming!”
“We’ve got guests, girls! Time to work.”
“Shall we rob them today too?”
Roads in this world weren’t safe. Bandits avoided organized patrols, occupied parts of the road, and robbed whoever came by.
“Huh? That thing’s moving without horses.”
“And it’s really fast.”
“It’s already here?!”
The bandits gathered early when they spotted us from far away, but before they could even form a blockade, the car was already almost upon them.
And—
“It’s not slowing down!”
“W-WAIT!”
The car didn’t stop.
Panicked, the bandits fled at the last second.
They stood dumbfounded as the car zoomed past.
It was gone from sight within seconds.
Aether was disappointed. If the bandits had stayed in the way, it would have just run them over.
But a new threat appeared.
Grrrr—
A wild monster!
With no intelligence and only instinct, it charged the moment it saw the car.
If this were an ordinary carriage, the horses would panic and overturn.
BRRRRMMMM—!
Aether accelerated.
CRASH!
The beast was hit head-on and thrown aside. The car didn’t even shake.
Meanwhile, inside, Arelline was sleeping in Mehen’s arms, and the childcare unit was playing cards.
Every time we crossed forest or plains, monsters jumped at us, but the car never stopped.
Ensuring user safety while eliminating hostile enemies—
what a perfect weapon.
Wuuuuuuuung!
Aether thought proudly:
It truly had obtained the best weapon.
* * *
Our destination, reflecting my sudden wish to see the ocean, was Sagret—a coastal tourist city north of the capital.
Even though it was a tourist city, there was no warp gate, so normally people had to take a mana-train.
But we had a car, so it didn’t take long.
“Six hours. That’s about an hour faster than the train.”
“We didn’t stop at any stations.”
Everyone seemed satisfied with the very first automobile trip.
I slept the entire time.
“…?”
Was the car… dirty?
Maybe it was just my imagination.
“Food! Let’s get food!”
“They say Sagret’s grilled fish is amazing. Should we get lobster too?”
“I heard the Grimel soup here is famous. We have to try it!”
Yuni and Rena flipped through the tourist pamphlet as they shouted.
Mehen was busy inspecting the inside and outside of the summer villa we rented instead of a hotel.
“…Huh?”
The moment I stepped into the lobby, I saw a familiar emblem of scales.
So the mysterious noble whose villa we rented…
was from Sperrom?
This… didn’t feel good.
While I glared at the Sperrom crest, the childcare unit fiercely debated where to take me first.
“They say this is the best spot to see the Seviro Bridge.”
“And this hill overlooks the entire city beautifully!”
“Come on, milady! Let’s go!”
Why was everyone so excited?
I guess childcare without vacations had burned them out. Their energy was so high today, it was hard to keep up.
“Please enjoy yourselves. I have some work to— huh?”
“Work later!”
I grabbed Mehen by the arm.
“Well, well. Never thought I’d live to see the day Arell scolds me.”
“We came to have fun, so have fun!”
“Yes, yes. Then what shall we do?”
“…”
Even I didn’t know. I hadn’t played much in either life, so my imagination was limited.
When I couldn’t answer, Mehen smiled and gently suggested:
“First, shall we go eat?”
“Yeah.”
…What do people even do for fun?
It shocked me to realize…
Other than eating delicious food and seeing pretty things, I couldn’t think of anything.
“What do people normally do when they play?”
I looked at Mehen for help.
He shrugged.
“Even if you look at me like that, I have no idea either.”
Right—he was a workaholic too.
