Kays Translations

Chapter 152: The Magical Vehicles Roll Out

The morning after receiving the report from Benedict regarding the sacred objec, Isamu and his companions gathered with their magic vehicles in the front yard of the lord’s mansion.

There were three vehicles in total: the prototype Black Cat, a modified cargo vehicle turned bath vehicle, and a standard cargo vehicle.

“Hmm, it’s strange to have carriages without horses…” 

Selfers muttered, making a sour face as he looked at the three vehicles parked in the yard.

“Haha, it’s true that we’ve always had horses around before. When you see a lot of horses, it feels like you’re about to go on a long journey.” 

As Isamu said, the front yard was usually crowded with numerous horses whenever they went on long trips to places like the Innocenti frontier or the royal capital. This time, with fewer vehicles and no horses, it felt quite lonely.

“Isamu-sama, the loading is complete.”

“And the final inspection of the magic vehicles is also finished.”

Felix, who had been loading the cargo, and Eto, who had been inspecting the vehicles, reported to Isamu.

“Understood! Well then, father-in-law, mother-in-law, we’re off. Thank you so much for the help with the magic stones.”

Isamu responded to the two and then bid farewell to Selfers and Nicolette.

“Hehe, it was nothing, just a bit of stocking up.”

“Indeed. Compared to all the help you’ve given us, this is nothing at all.”

The lord and his wife replied with smiles.

Recently, the price of certain magic stones had suddenly skyrocketed. Specifically, the supply in the mid-northern regions, including Klauffeldt, had sharply decreased, making them difficult to obtain and causing market prices to surge.

There was no problem with earth magic stones from the direct sales route in the Innocenti territory or ice magic stones from Chartreuse, with which they had various connections. However, the supply of other magic stones had decreased significantly. The worst were fire and wind magic stones, each produced in only one place within the kingdom. The fire stones came from the Yadelude territory, and the wind stones from a count aligned with the anti-royalist faction.

Initially, they had grudges against each other, and after the royal tournament, where they were thoroughly defeated, they resorted to taking real action after Isamu rejected their invitations. The quantities and prices of goods essential for daily life were regulated, but the flow of goods after the initial wholesale was not.

The anti-royalist merchants likely stopped the flow of both types of magic stones to the mid-northern regions. Other magic stones’ supplies were also probably stopped, but they came from multiple sources, so the effect was expected to be temporary.

In truth, the lord and his wife had been quietly increasing their stockpile of magic stones for over half a year. Initially, they started by buying more fire stones, which had become popular due to the development of magic stoves, and later expanded their purchases to other types of stones as Isamu developed new magic tools and deciphered more magic circles. They stopped stockpiling earth stones after forming a connection with the Innocenti margrave, but continued buying other stones.

Moreover, after forming their faction, they encouraged other noble families to stockpile and made agreements to share resources in case of emergency.

Recently, Isamu increased the purchase of wind stones after starting the development of magic vehicles, focusing on the medium-sized ones, which had low supply.

“If you hadn’t stocked up in advance, we wouldn’t have been able to travel by magic vehicle, and the newly popular magic stoves would have gone unused.” 

Isamu said, bowing his head sincerely.

“Haha, well, it’s the wisdom of age, I suppose? If the supply stops, the citizens would suffer. With our current stock, we can last for three months on reserves alone. By then, we can procure supplies from the Zambrotta Company.” 

Selfers replied, laughing.

The Zambrotta Company, despite being blocked domestically, could eventually procure supplies from the neighboring country, albeit at a higher cost.

“Also, we’ll be able to get some wind stones at the places you’re visiting, so there’s no need to worry about that.” 

“Thank you!”

“Take care on your journey. Anne, be careful too.”

“Yes, Mother.”

Thus, Isamu and his group, with a bit of turmoil, set off on their journey, seen off by the lord, his wife, and the knights.

—

The route Isamu and his group planned to take started at Viscount Jansen’s territory, then down the Lusarsa River to the Balsham frontier, followed by a descent down the Metre River to the Eriksen territory. From there, they would travel by land to the Innocenti frontier, and then return along the Lusarsa River.

The convoy sped through the forest, led by Isamu driving the Black cat. Though it was essentially a four-seater, they had distributed the luggage among other vehicles, allowing Anne, Eto, Willem, Karina, and Rudolf to ride along. Karina and Rudolf sat in the cargo area, which was structured like a minivan and relatively comfortable.

The second vehicle was the bath magic vehicle driven by Liddell. It looked like a regular cargo vehicle but had a bath installed, with the interior almost identical to the bath carriage. Marcella and Ulysses rode along.

The last vehicle was the cargo magic vehicle driven by Felix, accompanied by Mizeroi and Tiramisu, chosen to prevent Tiramisu from driving without a license. Most of the luggage was in this vehicle.

“Amazing, I can already see Telni…”

Anne muttered as Telni came into view ahead of the Black Cat. They had left Klauffendam about two and a half hours ago, including one rest stop, making it a two-hour journey to the border town of Telni. This was about twice as fast as a horse-drawn carriage, which took half a day.

“Yes, it seems we’re traveling at about 15 melters per hour (1 melter = 1 kilometer). 

Isamu said, smiling as he noted the expected performance.

Though they could have taken a break in town, they decided to pass through Telni to avoid causing a commotion with their magic vehicles, and continued into Viscount Jansen’s territory.

An hour and a half later, they saw the small town of Badalona in Jansen’s territory. A carriage journey would usually involve an overnight stay here, but the magic vehicles bypassed it, stopping at a rest area without other carriages for a late lunch break. They idled the vehicles at minimal power to avoid high energy consumption on restart.

“Traveling on the highway with these vehicles really makes you realize their incredible potential.” 

Felix said solemnly to Isamu while sipping soup heated by a magic stove.

“We’ve done many test runs, but actually traveling from town to town feels different.” 

Isamu replied, dipping his bread into the soup.

The group now fully realized the vehicles’ remarkable speed as they traveled familiar routes at an unprecedented pace.

“Even though the lighter magic vehicles will be slower, their mass production and deployment will be revolutionary.” 

Tiramisu said, looking thoughtful.

“The driver’s seat is practically indoors, so it’s a different kind of fatigue compared to horse-drawn carriages.” 

Tiramisu and Lidil also looked deeply moved.

After a 30-minute break, they resumed their journey. They took another break after three hours, arriving in the evening at Yanseil, the capital of Viscount Jansen’s territory, with their magic lanterns shining brightly. They had informed their arrival time, so a knight hurriedly approached their stopped vehicles.

“Isamu-sama, Anne-sama, and everyone, welcome to Yanseil! You must be tired from your journey.”

“Ah, Commander Reynald! I’m honored by your personal welcome…”

Isamu realized the knight was the commander of the knights, Reynald, who had come personally to greet them.

“So this is a magic vehicle… I saw it move earlier, and it really operates without horses…”

To avoid causing a stir, they had informed allied lords about their magic vehicles in advance. Despite being informed, seeing the real thing left a strong impression on Reynald.

“How would you like to proceed? You could drive straight to the manor, but it would attract quite a bit of attention…”

The route to the lord’s manor was straightforward, but it required traveling down the main street, which would undoubtedly draw attention.

“Hmm, even if we tried to hide it, word would spread quickly. Plus, we’re all quite tired from our first long trip with the magic vehicles. Could you guide us straight to the manor?”

Although they had taken breaks, driving an unfamiliar magic vehicle for half a day had left them quite fatigued, particularly mentally. While they would still need to keep watch in shifts even at the manor, it would be much safer than parking outside.

“Understood! We’ll surround you with horses and guide you, so please follow us. Oh, and…”

Reynald suddenly seemed hesitant, a stark contrast from his previous demeanor.

“Is something wrong?”

“Ah, well… If possible, I was hoping… that you could let me ride in one of the magic vehicles…”

Reynald replied hesitantly, making Isamu look at him quizzically.

“Eh! I see. Sure, no problem! My vehicle is quite cramped, so would it be alright if you rode with Felix?”

Isamu was momentarily puzzled but quickly agreed with a laugh. While it was still too early to let citizens from other territories ride, it wouldn’t hurt to let a knight captain from the same faction experience it. It would also help familiarize them with the vehicles for future collaboration.

“Wow, it really moves without horses… This is the magica vehicle…”

Reynald, riding in the cargo magic vehicle, was in awe. He ignored the silent pressure from his accompanying knights, wondering why only he got to ride. Though they drove slowly, led by knights on horseback, the unique sound of the wind-powered vehicle initially unsettled the horses. However, they soon adjusted thanks to their training as warhorses. Isamu realized they might need to slow down and minimize noise when passing other carriages in the future.

“Welcome, Isamu-dono, and Anne! Orhime looks as lively as ever. We have some great poultry ready for dinner tonight!”

Upon arriving at the Viscount Jansen’s manor, they were greeted by Dafyyd, the lord.

“It’s been a while, Dafyyd-sama. We’ll be staying overnight.”

“Good evening, Uncle Dafyyd. Thank you for having us.”

“Chirp~”

They exchanged greetings, and Orhime chirped and settled between Dafyyd and his wife, Nebula.

“Ufufu, Orhime, you’re as adorable as ever. Welcome, Isamu and Anne. Make yourselves at home.”

Nebula greeted them while gently petting Orhime.

“So this is the magic vehicle. I’ve heard about it, but to see it actually move without horses… And it’s faster than a carriage. Incredible.”

Dafyyd approached the vehicle, knocking on it and peering underneath, clearly fascinated.

“And why did you come out of the vehicle, Reynald?”

Dafyyd asked, surprised to see Reynald emerge from the vehicle.

“I was on standby inside to respond immediately in case of any trouble!”

Reynald responded without a hint of shame.

“As if you’d be able to handle anything from inside… Good grief…”

Dafyyd sighed, and Isamu spoke up.

“If you’d like, would you like to ride with us to the docks tomorrow morning? We’d need to arrange a pickup, though.”

“Really? That’d be great! Oh, could Nebula join us too?”

Dafyyd scratched his head, asking hopefully.

“Sure, that’s fine. Let’s head there together in the morning.”

“Thank you!”

“Thank you, Isamu!”

Dafyyd and Nebula beamed, clearly excited about the new experience. It seemed their interest in something that could potentially change the world was strong.

After being shown inside and taking a break, they had dinner and then moved to the lounge to discuss business.

“These are the first of the new household shrine furnishings. We can’t increase the number too quickly, so we’re starting with these three.”

Nebula presented a bed, a sofa, and a fireplace, all intricately crafted.

“These are fantastic. The bed can be customized with sheets and pillows. I think they’re great, don’t you, Isamu?”

Anne asked Isamu, her eyes sparkling with excitement over the high-quality furnishings.

“Yes, they’re excellent. Truly remarkable craftsmanship.”

Isamu examined each item closely as he responded.

“Thank you. I’m sure the craftsmen will be pleased to hear that. We’ll begin shipping them as soon as they’re produced.”

“Thank you very much.”

“Oh, and we also made this. What do you think?”

Nebula placed a larger item on the table, resembling a small room with a bay window—a new household shrine.

“This is…! A new household shrine… And it can be connected and expanded, right?”

Isamu immediately grasped the concept upon seeing it.

“Exactly, Isamu. The original one was nice but a bit plain without windows. So, we made this with windows. But it would be a waste to throw away the old ones, so we made them connectable.”

It was practically a dollhouse now.

“That’s a great idea. If you can mass-produce them, it might be good to expand the lineup quickly…”

“Really?”

“Yes. If this catches on, others will imitate it. But if we have a wide variety already available, it will be harder for new entrants to compete. We should also consider strategies for cheaper knock-offs.”

“Understood. I’ll discuss this with the workshop and see how we can proceed.”

“Thank you for the effort. Now, for our part. Anne, could you bring it out?”

“Sure.”

At Isamu’s prompting, Anne retrieved three packages.

“This is incredible!”

“Wow! This is amazing!”

The Jansens exclaimed as soon as they saw the dolls.

“These are custom-made dolls based on Aunt Nebula’s previous suggestion. As it wouldn’t be appropriate to make dolls of others without permission, these prototypes are modeled after myself, my mother, and Isamu.”

Anne-Marie explained as she placed three dolls on the table. She gently set a small deity figure next to Isamu’s doll, which was sitting in a traditional pose.

“The craftsmanship is extraordinary… These are unlike any dolls we’ve seen before…”

“Whoa, can this one move too?”

Perhaps feeling hesitant to handle Nicolette’s or Anne-Marie’s dolls, Dafyyd picked up Isamu’s doll and was astonished.

“These are intended to be one-of-a-kind, fully custom-made pieces. The production method will remain a closely guarded secret, so they will be expensive. Initially, we plan to offer them exclusively to nobles.”

“With this quality, they will undoubtedly sell, even at a high price…”

“Thank you. I’d like the first official piece to be made for you, Aunt Nebula, as it was your idea that inspired this. Of course, there will be no charge.”

“Yes, I would love that.”

“Understood. We plan to handle these through the Nashara Trading Company, but we will start on yours right away. My mother and a craftsman will visit you soon, so please look out for them.”

“I understand. I’m looking forward to it.”

Nebula replied, smiling happily.

That night, after bathing in the bath installed in the magic vehicle, Isamu and his group enjoyed a relaxing evening drinking with the Jansens before going to bed.

The next morning, as promised, Isamu and his party gave the Jansen couple a ride in the magic vehicle. They then left the town of Jansel to head down the Lusarsa River.

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