The beast carriage requested from the Crafter’s Guild, primarily built by Feana, consists of a main body, a chassis, and a hull.
This is currently a prototype, so cypress wood is being used. However, if the test ride goes smoothly, it’s planned to be built with sacred wood.
Normally, the chassis and hull are supposed to be stored in the main body’s designated storage space. However, they are having trouble developing the hull, so that part isn’t finished yet.
Fortunately, or perhaps not, they won’t need the hull for the Instant Labyrinth they’re scheduled to visit tomorrow. Therefore, the plan is to test ride with just the main body and chassis.
The main body’s lower deck is a Mirror Room, which is more than twice as spacious as the beast carriage we’re currently using.
I, having been promoted to an S-rank Crafter, mostly forced the application of Mirroring.
The lower deck area is 20 square meters, and with Mirroring applied at 50x magnification, the Mirror Room boasts an astonishing 1,000 square meters. It feels a bit too large, but I suppose larger is better than smaller.
To understand the limits of Mirroring, I had Flam, who was promoted to B-rank Crafter, try it out too. It seems we can assume that 30x is the maximum for High Crafters and 50x for Ancient Crafters. I couldn’t achieve anything more, no matter how hard I tried.
The main body, chassis, and hull are connected using a connecting mechanism and further reinforced with Locking, a new Supplication Magic Fiana developed. Thanks to this, there’s no worry of the main body shifting, and we can also lock storage bags and Mirror Bags, which is a big plus as it prevents others from using them.
Regarding the Mirror Room, it includes five 50 square meter bedrooms, one 40 square meter servant’s room, five 40 square meter guest rooms, a 100 square meter living room, a 20 square meter toilet, an 80 square meter bathroom, and a 10 square meter kitchen. The remaining 300 square meters are allocated for familiars and summoned beasts, doubling as a courtyard. The reason for five bedrooms is to accommodate important figures like Emperor Reinhardt, as in this case, and potentially for future Union members. Once the sacred wood beast carriage is completed, one of the bedrooms will likely be a VIP room.
The guest rooms are intended for use during Alliance activities. In our previous Alliance, we found that when moving with multiple beast carriages, we had to match their speeds, which slowed down the entire group. Additionally, each beast carriage had to maintain its own guard, making it inefficient. Since it’s confirmed that we of Wing Crest will be a main force in Alliance, I thought it might be better to prioritize efficiency.
Undine Maran, the Vehicle Chief of the Vehicle Creation Department, to whom we’ve made the request, has gladly agreed to a test ride in the Instant Labyrinth, so we can use it without hesitation.
Ah, the Vehicle Creation Department is the division responsible for building vehicles like beast carriages and ships. That’s about all they handle, but they also take care of maintenance. Since it requires knowledge of not only exteriors but also interiors, the Crafters belonging to the Vehicle Creation Department are generally skilled. However, even with their expertise, developing the hull has been difficult, so I truly regret how much I asked of them.
As a compromise, I suggested making the hull even larger to ensure buoyancy and placing the main body on top of it, but they told me they are already implementing that. At this point, I have no idea what else can be done. I feel like there was something important related to ships… I can’t recall what it was, but I think it had something to do with proportions?
Putting aside the proportions for now, after obtaining the consent of the Crafter’s Guild, we boarded the prototype beast carriage and headed for Float. Emperor Reinhardt, H.R.H. Elis, and H.R.H. Maruca were waiting at Amagi Castle after preparing their gear, fully anticipating our arrival. Were they that excited?
“Wh-What an incredible beast carriage.”
“Is it a beast carriage, or more like a ship?”
“And it’s so big.”
The King and Queen exclaimed in surprise upon seeing the prototype beast carriage. Looking at it from the outside, it does resemble a ship that travels on land, so an odd impression is understandable. All of Wing Crest, including Ed and the others, are participating. Ed, Marina, and Feana, who are Crafters, also aim to level up and evolve if possible. Feana’s younger sisters, Fiana and Reina, have finally reached level 14 and level 12, respectively, which is appropriate for their age. I didn’t want to leave them behind, and they seemed interested in the labyrinth, so we decided to bring them along on condition that they don’t overexert themselves. I certainly didn’t expect the King and Queen to join, so I was quite surprised when I met them at Float. The room assignments are one room each for us, Ed and his group, and Raus’s group. The four butlers will be in the servant’s quarters, Emperor Reinhardt and his party will use one of the bedrooms, and Fiana and Reina will use the remaining bedroom.
“Alright, let’s depart. Jade, your turn.”
“Quack!”
Jade, having been called, let out a cry and pulled the beast carriage, advancing through Float. The wheels are custom-made by Fiana, using the leather of a Grand Deathwurm. Given the size of the prototype beast carriage, one wheel is attached to each side of the front and middle sections, and two wheels to each side of the rear section, totaling eight wheels. The main body’s increased size has proportionally increased its weight. However, by applying wind attribute magic, we’ve not only succeeded in implementing brakes for downhill travel but also in reducing the weight by blowing wind from the wheels, making its usability similar to ordinary beast carriages. Each wheel has an independent suspension with dampers, ensuring a supremely comfortable ride. Although the people of Float are looking at it with astonishment due to its ship-like appearance.
“Not only the Mirror Room, but the cabin is quite spacious too.”
“Yes, and we can also go out onto the deck, so it seems to relieve the feeling of being cooped up while traveling.”
“This is a test ride, but we’re here to assess the ride comfort, including that.”
After looking around the entire carriage, including the Mirror Room, Marina provided supplementary explanations to Emperor Reinhardt and H.R.H. Elis in the cabin. The cabin itself is similar to that of an ordinary beast carriage, but Flam applied 30x Mirroring to it, making it 30 square meters, larger than that of a typical beast carriage. We had to create stairs to access the Mirror Room below the deck and the observation deck above, which is why we could install slightly larger stairs. Of course, besides the usual entrances on the sides, the front door leads to the front deck and driver’s seat, and the rear door leads to the rear deck. The front deck, including the driver’s seat, is about 5 square meters, while the rear deck is 10 square meters. It also serves as an entrance for familiars. With retractable chairs and a table, it can comfortably accommodate about six people. In fact, H.R.H. Maruca is currently relaxing there with Ludia and Athena.
The Emperor and his party seemed curious about the usability of the observation deck and the lifespan of the wheels. These prototype wheels, made from Grand Deathwurm hide, probably aren’t a good reference.
“I heard it can also be used as a ship, but since it’s assumed Eos will be transporting it, isn’t that unnecessary?” H.R.H. Elis voiced a frank question, but that’s not the case.
“It’s true that for just traveling, that would be the case. However, if we intend to carry out requests in Veil Lake, a ship is indispensable. In fact, we used to rent ships from the Trader’s Guild for such occasions.”
“Ah, I see. But even if I understand that, how will it move? You haven’t formed any familiar contracts or summoning contracts with aquatic monsters, have you?”
Just when I thought she understood, she pointed out the biggest problem we’re currently facing. I’ve been pondering this as well. For the Helios Orb’s ships, smaller ones might use oars, but they are generally pulled by monsters. Similarly, the ship owned by Feel’s Trader’s Guild was towed by two Preciser creatures. Therefore, this beast carriage is also designed with the premise of being pulled by familiars when utilized as a ship. However, all the familiars and summoned beasts we have contracts with—Hippogriff Philius, Hippogriff Philia, Carbunculus, Ice Rock, War Horse, and Battle Horse—are exclusively terrestrial monsters, meaning we cannot have them tow a ship. We are considering forming a familiar or summoning contract with Preciser, but Mana only wants to form contracts with monsters she is compatible with. Furthermore, a familiar contract can only be made with one monster, so everyone is hesitant. Thus, as a workaround, though not exactly a “trick,” we are considering using magic stones imbued with wind attribute magic to force it to move.
“That’s quite a brute-force approach.”
“I won’t deny it. With familiars, there’s the issue of who will be the contractor, and summoning isn’t something that can be done lightly either.”
Having evolved into High Hunters, everyone is considering forming familiar contracts in the near future. However, in a typical city, the available options are limited to Battle Horses, Grantpus, Wyverns, and Preciser, so they are struggling to decide. Athena and Eos are Dragonian, and there’s also the matter of them not being able to use familiar magic, let alone Bestowed Magic or Summoning Magic. It’s understandable given that they can transform into dragons as a last resort.
“Speaking of which, Brother Rai, didn’t you say that the Head Hunter’s Masters and P-rank Hunters from various countries would be coming?”
“Ah, that matter. Yes, they did. I showed them the magic stones of Demise Species and even bestowed weapons made of Jade Silver and Blue-Gray Iron, forged by my father.”
They’ve already arrived? The last one to arrive was Valentia, which was because we were staying. That was three days ago, and they are apparently already on their way back. I would have liked to meet them, but there’s nothing that can be done about it.
“Also, Hilde will be coming at the end of this month. I received a letter stating she wishes to celebrate Mana and Prim’s marriage and Yuri’s engagement.”
Hilde, if I recall correctly, is the Queen of Torencia and like a sister to Prim and Mana?
“Sister Hilde?”
“Yes. Torencia also received news of Prim’s passing. It was recently announced she had defected to Amister, and Prim also sent her a handwritten letter, didn’t she? She apparently wanted to come sooner, but skirmishes with the Solemne Army dragged on, making it difficult to find the time until now.”
I see. Torencia is the country farthest from Amister but also the closest one. It’s possible that its status as a respectful ally stems from the fact that its founding mother, the first queen, Ancient Vampire Eliel Minato Torencia, was born in Amister, and subsequent Torencia Royal Families have treated the Amister Royal Family as their suzerain. Kazushi-san, who married Eliel-sama, apparently appeared on Aura Island when he was transferred to Helios Orb. At the time, one of the three existing kingdoms tried to subjugate Kazushi-san using enslavement magic, which led him to leave Aura Island and head for Amister, where they met. However, the destruction of one of the kingdoms by the Demise Species Slume Lord plunged Aura Island into war. Kazushi-san, returning to Aura Island to save those he cared for, and Eliel-sama, who accompanied him to help, eventually unified Aura Island and founded the Torencia Phantom Kingdom. The country’s name is said to have been given by the then-king of Amister, which might also be a reason for their respect.
“I was planning to pay my respects eventually, but I never expected her to come.”
“Indeed. However, during this time of year, the seas of Torencia are covered with ice, making it impossible for Solemne to advance. So, she likely decided to take advantage of this period until spring.”
The reason Torencia has been able to repel Solemne’s invasions for so long is largely due to its environment. Torencia is known as the Land of Snow; much of its territory is covered in perpetual snow, and it even snows in the summer. Furthermore, nearly half of Aura Island is the Golud Great Glacier, which includes Mount Seryado, said to be the territory of the Slume Lord. Thus, they need to divert forces to watch over that area. Solemne is aware of the Slume Lord at Mount Seryado, and more importantly, since the Praia Desert, which constitutes a quarter of Solemne’s land, is inhabited by the Demise Species Antlion Empress, they understand the risks of advancing near Demise Species better than any other country. Consequently, Solemne has never attacked from the sea beside the Golud Great Glacier. Moreover, Torencia’s Saber’s Guild, like Bacion’s Holiner’s Guild, is a knightly order close to the Order’s Guild, possessing high capabilities and the advantage of terrain, making it difficult for Solemne to attack as usual. Even so, this time the conflict has lasted longer than initially expected, so we can’t be too optimistic. Ah, the Saber’s Guild refers to the Torencia Knights. Many of the Orders who crossed to Aura Island with Kazushi-san and Eliel-sama formed the core of this group, and in their honor, they established it as the Saber’s Guild. Therefore, the Saber ranks are very similar to those of the Order’s Guild, with G-rank Sabers, who hold knightly titles also present in Amister’s nobility, being equivalent to unit commanders.
“Emperor Hildegard also wants to meet Yamato.”
Seriously? Well, I am now married to Prim and Mana and engaged to Yuri, so I can understand why the Queen, who is like a sister to them, would want to meet me.
“I have a strange sense of déjà vu,” Prim muttered, though I couldn’t quite catch what she said.
“In that case, should we head there again at the end of the month?”
“Please do. They can only stay for about a week at most, so we don’t have time to send a messenger.”
Word has it that Torencia’s winter is milder than Amister’s, but they’ll have to avoid flying over Solemne and the Golud Great Glacier, making the journey longer than usual. In that case, why don’t we escort them? It might require an overnight stay in Liberta, but if we transfer to Alka, there will be no need for vigilance, and above all, it’s safe. Besides, although Torencia’s architectural style is the same medieval European as Amister’s, its culture is a blend of Japanese and Western, so I’ve always wanted to visit.
“That might be for the best. We’ll have Eos fly us, but given past incidents, Solemne will hesitate to attack a Dragonian, and with two Ancient Classes as escorts, it’s safer than returning normally.”
“If Solemne does attack, we can use that as an excuse to crush them.”
Mana enthusiastically agreed, as did Prim. However, Prim’s words contained a slightly ominous nuance. On my part, I’m not exactly opposed, but…
“It would be best to avoid that. That country believes that anything goes to win, and ultimately to unify Helios Orb. To that end, they naturally twist information and even invent justifications for their actions. Their invasion of Torencia, for instance, is based on the flimsy pretext that Aura Island was originally Solemne territory.”
Retisencia is targeting Mylight for a similar reason, but in Solemne’s case, it’s not something we can simply dismiss as a lie. The fact is, one of the three kingdoms that existed on Aura Island seceded from Solemne. While claiming the entirety of Aura Island might be an exaggeration, it’s undeniable that Solemne once held territory there. Furthermore, Solemne’s military power rivals that of Amister, making them a very troublesome nation, unlike the purely verbal Retisencia. Their relations with surrounding countries are at an all-time low after expelling the Guild, and this lack of diplomatic ties makes it difficult to gauge Solemne’s internal affairs. While Solemne’s issues are largely unrelated to Amister, they are not entirely disconnected. Attacking Torencia, our most friendly nation, implies they are prepared to confront Amister as well. If Liberta or Valentia were to fall, they would border Amister, making a direct attack possible. Solemne’s claim is to unify the Philia Continent and counter Abyssinia, but ultimately, it’s about territorial expansion. Moreover, looting is reportedly occurring in occupied cities and villages, so from my perspective, they are simply a hegemonic state. Personally, I believe they should be destroyed sooner rather than later, much like Retisencia.
