Chapter 5: Our Journey: Preparations Arc ④ – Skia Coffin Ele

When I went to the witch’s house, she told me it was finished.

“Gauntlets?”

“Oh my, oh my, those are almost done—just a little more.”

“Then what is finished?”

“Heh heh… what’s completed is the Skia Coffin Ele.”

“…?”

What on earth is that? I tilted my head, and the witch gave a wry smile.

“Well, well, it’ll be faster to see it for yourself.”

“…Where is it?”

“Then then, shall we go now?”

The witch pulled out a pale green–glowing orb from her robes.
That’s—right. Teleportation—
Before I realized it, I was standing in a dimly lit space.

Huge iron crates were stacked around us like mountains.
It was like a warehouse—dark, with red lights blinking here and there, unimaginably vast.

And it wasn’t just iron. There were boxes made of wood, copper, silver, gold, and even unfamiliar minerals.
Shelves of crates were arranged like a maze, with all kinds of boxes piled haphazardly.

It was like a different world made of boxes.

Ah—right. This is… Chive’s shop.

As we walked on, a lone semicircular counter appeared.
Around it too, boxes of various shapes and materials were packed tightly.

A service bell sat in the corner. The witch rang it.

Chin-chirin!

“Yeees, comiiing—gah, the witch.”

A short figure wearing a yellow robe and a deeply pulled hood popped up from behind the counter.
They clicked their tongue at the sight of the witch.

“My my, what an attitude,” 

The witch said.

“Gah! Wof!”

“Long time no see.”

“Ah—yeah. Long time…”

Chive waved awkwardly.
On their arm, the bracelet I’d given them glittered faintly.

It made me happy that they always wore it—
but at the same time, it was a little embarrassing.

“Well then, greetings are done. Chive, we’ve come to see the completed Skia Coffin Ele.”

“Ah—well—it’s before final adjustments, though—”

“That’s perfectly fine.”

“Then—this way, this way.”

Chive stepped out from behind the counter and began walking.

So what is this Skia Coffin Ele, anyway?

“By the way, by the way—apparently there was quite a commotion yesterday at the Hydrangea Grand Hall.”

“Oh yeah—the arena’s still broken, right?”

“……”

“Well well, there’s no budget. I hear the Grand Guild and Alverdo might cover the repair costs.”

“Um, I—”

“Oh, oh, Kon already paid.”

“Huh? The witch did?”

I hadn’t heard that. The witch gave a faint, bitter smile.

“Well—Wof can’t afford it, after all—still in debt, you know—”

“Ghk!”

My chest tightened. Nearly a hundred million. I still have no way to repay it.
I’m sorry.

“By the way—how much did you pay, witch?”

“Let’s see, let’s see… We split it three ways, so about fifty billion Oro, I think.”

“F-fifty billion!?”

Huh? Fifty billion? Five-zero billion?

“So that makes one hundred fifty billion total—sounds about right for that scale.”

“Well, well, now the funds are in place, but it’ll still be a long time before things really get moving.”

They were chatting like it was casual gossip—but the witch paid fifty billion!?

“U-um, witch… why would you…”

Seeing how terrified I looked, the witch blinked.

“Well of course. Cleaning up after one’s disciple is the master’s role. And Kon also bears some responsibility this time.”

“B-but—”

“Wof’s feeling responsible, right?”

“Of course!”

“Then it’s fine. Wof can just casually pay back fifty billion someday.”

Chive smiled gently.

“Huh? What? Me?”

“You absolutely can.”

Why are they so confident?
I have no idea how I’d ever earn fifty billion.
Even if I used all my past-life knowledge, it’s about as unclear as how to make mayonnaise.

“Oh my, oh my—Chive, you’re making quite the girlish face now.”

“Wha—!? ‘Girlish face’? I am a girl!”

Chive puffed up angrily.
The witch deftly patted Chive’s head with her tail—reverse fluffing.
“Stop it!” Chive protested, getting buried in tails.

Watching the two of them get along so well, I decided—for now—to seal away the thought of fifty billion in my mind.
If I keep feeling guilty, the witch won’t be able to enjoy anything either.

Then, a massive black, slender box appeared before us.

What… is this? I was overwhelmed.
An enormous black box—
and another equally huge one stacked slightly askew on top of it.

The box was trimmed in gold, with a large emblem resembling a floral cross emblazoned at the center.
It stood out. Incredibly so.

That emblem was the witch’s mark—like a personal seal in my past life.

Hm? Huh? This box… has six absurdly huge wheels.

Oh. I get it.

“A giant carriage?”

“Corre-eect!”

Chive clapped their hands.

“Wait—giant—no, this is way bigger than a caravan carriage!”

I’d spent a week riding in a caravan’s giant carriage before.
I knew what they were like.
This one was easily twice the size.

“Now then, Wof-boy. Let’s head inside.”

Pushed along by the witch’s three tails, I entered the giant carriage.
The main entrance was on the front right, with an emergency exit at the rear left.
The doors opened like gull wings, turning into stairs.

We entered from the front right.
The first thing that shocked me was how spacious it was.

The caravan’s giant carriage had decent space, but this was far larger.

On the left was a kitchen— a fully modern system kitchen, exactly like something from my past life.
Next to it, a food storage room.

Beside the kitchen was a dining room—like a real house.
The dining room was in the front section, with stairs and rooms extending from there.

There were six rooms in total.
All on the left side, with a corridor on the right—just like passenger cars on a train.
Each room had a bed, desk, window, and closet. Exactly like train compartments.

Near the end of the corridor were a storage room and a toilet.
The very back of the first floor was a bathroom.

There was a changing room and a large bath.
Amazingly, this giant carriage had proper water supply and sewage pipes.

Water came from a tank at the very top.
Waste was processed in a special tank at the lowest central point.

Apparently, it used a slime-based dissolving fluid.
It dissolved accumulated waste over the course of a day,
and the fluid was replaced monthly.

Below the bath was an ultra-compact boiler that produced hot water.
In my past life, this was normal—but in this world, it was unbelievable technology.

Then we went to the second floor.
The front section was the driver’s cabin.

It was smaller than expected, with only a pedestal and a stone.

“What’s this?”

“A communication parent stone.”

Right—a stone used to transmit voices.
There were parent and child stones; the parent sent messages to the child.
They used these to order in the VIP room at Seedle Pavilion.

“That’s all? No reins?”

“There’s no need.”

“No need?”

It’s a carriage, so horses should pull it.
Giant carriages were pulled by monster horses.
Harnesses should be essential—so what was going on?

For now, I set that question aside.

From the driver’s cabin, you could go up to the very top.
There was a circular railing—an improvised lookout.

On the second floor, the left side was a corridor, and the right side held the witch’s workshop, bedroom, and a guest room.
It was the reverse of the first floor.

At the back right were another storage room and toilet.
The toilets on both floors were aligned.

The very back of the second floor was a glass-walled observation room.

“Whoa… amazing.”

The observation room was tiered in three circular levels, with built-in sofas.
You could sit and enjoy breathtaking views.

“This part—yeah, it was really tough—getting all that glass in and everything.”
“Mm-hmm. Very good. Just as requested.”

There were also doors on both sides of the glass walls, leading to small balconies.

“…This is a moving house!”

“Yep—finally finished.”

“Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. It took a long time—almost eight years.”

“That long?”

“Yeah… it was really hard. But still—”

“….”

I’d realized it earlier too.
Wouldn’t it have been enough to just put a teleport gate in a normal carriage?
Or have a caravan or merchant heading to Heisen carry one?

The thought crossed my mind—but I shook my head.
Sure, it’d be efficient and cost-effective, but that’s not what I wanted.

I don’t want the easy way.
I want to travel.

“Well then, Wof-boy—do you like it?”

“Y-yes. It’s incredible.”

Even campers from my past life didn’t come close to this.

“Then we’ll use this to go to Heisen.”

“Huh? This?”

“Yes, yes. Kon will come along too.”

“Whaaat!? The witch is coming too!?”

I was stunned. Completely shocked.
The witch, traveling!?
She pouted slightly.

“What, what—hey, hey—does Woof-boy not want to travel with Kon? Come to think of it, you never even invited me.”

She was clearly dejected.

“No, it’s not that I don’t want to. It’s just… before, when I mentioned wanting to travel someday, you made a very obvious unhappy face and brushed me off. So I thought you wanted to stay holed up at home.”

“Ah—ah—that’s—”

“Yeah—that one’s on the witch.”

Chive shot the witch a sharp look.
The witch squirmed, fox ears and three tails flustered.

“Sniff—sniff—I-I really, really want to travel now!”

“Alright. Let’s go together.”

I chuckled at the witch, acting like a child.

“Mm-hmm!”

The witch beamed.

We stepped out of the Skia Coffin Ele.
Only fine adjustments remained—it would be ready by the day after tomorrow.

Traveling on something this huge…
Ah, it’s making me excited.

A journey.

Yes—a journey.