Chapter 606: Wolf-Shaped Puppet
That morning, Tauro and his party finished their rounds of greetings in the royal capital and finally set out on a journey toward the southern region.
On Tauro’s shoulder sat Pella, the slime emperor, and Seth was traveling with them as well.
However, the wolf-shaped puppet created the previous day was nowhere to be seen.
Apparently, Tauro had stored it in [Magic Storage].
Instead of taking a shared carriage heading south, Tauro’s group left the capital on foot.
“By the way, our first destination is Leader’s new territory, the Giro Sugar territory, right?”
Ankh asked Tauro, as if confirming something.
“Yeah. Oh, we’re far enough from the capital now, so I guess this spot is fine.”
As Tauro said this, he took the large wolf-shaped puppet he had created the day before out of [Magic Storage].
On its back were five saddle seats with backrests, each equipped with seatbelts.
Without needing to be told, the wolf-shaped puppet crouched down and waited for everyone to climb on.
“Alright, everyone, hop onto the wolf-shaped puppet—Garo.”
As he said this, Tauro took Aeris’s hand and guided her onto Garo’s back.
“Garo” was the name Tauro had given the wolf-shaped puppet.
“Are we seriously riding that? A shared carriage would’ve worked just fine…”
Ankh had clearly anticipated this, which was why he had asked about their destination earlier.
“Oh, come on, Ankh. Just accept it and get on. There’s no way Lord Tauro’s idea could ever be wrong!”
Zion, a devoted follower of Tauro, urged Ankh with complete confidence.
“But still… Seth’s going ahead on foot with the male and female puppets, Adam and Eve, so that’s fine—but even then, the five of us together are pretty heavy, aren’t we?”
“Well, given its size, it should be fine. The real question is how comfortable the ride will be,”
said Ragune, gently stroking Garo’s back like an animal before mounting.
“If it’s uncomfortable, we’ll switch to a carriage at the next town, so don’t worry.”
Tauro smiled at the reluctant Ankh and urged him to climb aboard.
“…Alright, alright. Everyone’s getting on without hesitation… I just feel bad for Garo, carrying all five of us…”
Ankh seemed to be projecting his own feelings onto Garo, worried that the puppet might suffer under their combined weight.
Muttering complaints under his breath, Ankh climbed on. Once everyone was seated, Garo rose lightly to its feet.
Then, with a small bark, it started running with everyone on its back.
Riding Garo proved even more comfortable than they had imagined.
Each of Garo’s strides was long, almost as if the puppet were flying through the air. Whenever its feet touched the ground, the impact was gently absorbed before it sprang forward again, making the ride remarkably smooth.
“…This feels like we’re flying…”
Even Ankh couldn’t help but voice his amazement at Garo’s light, bouncing strides and wind-cutting speed.
“This is amazing! At this rate, we’ll be able to visit all sorts of places quickly!”
Zion raised her hands joyfully, feeling the wind as Garo dashed forward.
“You’re right! I never imagined we’d experience such a sense of speed,”
Aeris said honestly, enjoying the excellent ride from behind Tauro.
“This might be just as comfortable as riding on a dragon’s back!”
Ragune said it half jokingly, but since she was one of the dragonfolk, everyone thought it might actually be true.
Along the way, they caught up with Seth and the others who had gone ahead. Tauro briefly stored them in [Magic Storage] again, then continued south along the road on Garo.
As they passed other carriages, passengers screamed or shouted in surprise—but seeing people riding on its back, they seemed unsure whether to treat it as a dangerous creature or a safe mode of transport.
“So, Tauro—what are Garo’s features exactly?”
Aeris called out to Tauro, who was seated at the front.
He had said the previous day that he would explain Garo’s abilities during the journey.
“Oh, right. Well, I built Garo large enough to carry all of us, but I also tried a few new things. For example, you might’ve noticed that Garo can make simple sounds. I created vocal cords using a magic stone. It’s still a prototype, so it can only make wolf sounds, but that’s enough for basic communication, right? In the future, I’d like to improve this so Seth can talk too, but that’s going to be pretty difficult.”
“So basically, Garo is a wolf-shaped puppet specialized for transportation?”
Aeris asked.
“Oh, and for the time being, Garo’s mouth has a mechanism that can emit shockwaves. Also, the mysterious material from Babylon used throughout its body is different from the material used for Seth from the Dungeon of Beginnings. This one is more elastic, so it absorbs impacts—that’s why the ride is so smooth.”
“Yeah, it really is comfortable. It’s firmer than real animal hide, but not so soft that a blade could easily cut through it,”
Ankh said, rubbing Garo’s back to see how it felt.
“Lord Tauro, how intelligent is Garo?”
Zion asked, curious about their new companion’s intelligence as she touched its back.
“When I created its core, I imagined a loyal wolf. Plus, I can share thoughts with it, so I’d say it’s about as smart as anyone. Right, Garo?”
After answering Zion, Tauro called out to Garo.
Garo happily responded with a “woof!” and suddenly sped up even more.
“Whoa! That speed’s too much—the wind’s intense, Leader!”
Ankh laughed as he warned him.
As if responding, Garo returned to its original speed and continued running.
“Garo is so smart!”
Zion said happily, delighted to have a junior companion in “Black-Gold Wings” after Seth, almost like a proud senior.
When Tauro and the others heard this, they exchanged smiles, finding the moment heartwarming.smiles, finding the moment heart-warming.