On The Road

Pulling up beside them, Leo opened up a compartment from the side and jumped off his invention. He was eager to display his vehicle to the team at a closer view.

Standing at a height that almost reached their shoulders, this special vehicle, which Leo constructed within these last couple of days, held six identical wheels underneath that granted it sturdy mobility. The upper portion intended for passengers to sit on resembled an open roof merchant's cart, with the edges of the exterior being rounded for less possibility of accidents. Fitted inside were six comfy seats lined in rows of two.

Interestingly, at both the front and back ends of the upper portion, there were extended protrusions facing outwards, ending in the shape of a trapezoidal prism. They had matching widths along with the rest of the vehicle, appearing to serve some kind of particular purpose.

Every inch of this invention, save for the seats, appeared to have been constructed out of grey painted steel. Even the wheels were no exception. There weren't any visible seams that could be detected on the outer surface, giving the impression that this unique carrier was directly carved out of a giant block of metal.

Leo's teammates took a couple of moments studying this strange object. Initially, they all wondered if their friend had bought a wooden cart and retrofitted it with metal sheets. But upon taking a closer inspection, they could sense some hints of magical enchantments coming from underneath the outer surface, proving that it was indeed a magic item.

"Did you really put this thing together by yourself?" Alex asked, wondering if this was the surprise their friend had previously wanted to show them.

"Yup!" Leo patted the side of the vehicle. "I mainly used steel which I've carefully enchanted to create a personal carrier for our entire team."

"But just where did--"

"Let's not continue to stick around here," Leo interrupted, hurrying his friends to gather their luggage. "We've heading over to Everrain, right?"

Remembering their current mission, the rest of the adventurers decided not to discuss here any further and moved to bring their stuff along. But no sooner had they done this did they suddenly realize a problem.

"Um, Leo." Judy raised a hand. "I don't think there's enough room."

Judging from this vehicle's interior, if they were to put all their bags inside, they would likely have to squish themselves through the seats. Although it would still be doable, the lack of comfort could be a concern for a long journey.

Leo casually pressed one hand onto the metallic surface of his invention and briefly released some mana. Almost instantly, the trapezoidal protrusion at the back end suddenly opened up.

"You can put your stuff in there." Leo indicated to the end of the carrier. "I've already done it myself."

"Oh?" Sarah's curiosity was raised upon witnessing part of the carrier transform.

Being the first to take a peek, she found that the back protrusion was actually a hollow compartment. Inside were a few bags that had already been neatly placed, no doubt belonging to Leo. They were eventually joined by Sarah's own luggage.

Following Sarah, Alex and Judy repeated the same actions, feeling a little reluctant at first due to being instinctively wary of an unfamiliar magic item. Once everybody was finished, the compartment closed again.

"Alright then." Leo gave a reassuring smile. "There's nothing to worry about. You guys can relax and sit anywhere you like."

Transferring mana again, he opened several small doors at the side of the carrier facing the guild's entrance and gestured his teammates to get in.

Being the team leader, Alex took the first lead and decided to enter the middle row of the carrier. Judy came next, and, after some deliberation, chose to join Alex at an adjacent seat.

After that was Sarah, who moved to sit in the front.

"Eh, Sarah," Leo tentatively called out, reaching out a hand while still positioned near the guild.

"Yes?" she turned to face him. "You should hurry up or you'll be left behind."

Leo's expression turned helpless at the reply.

"It's not that." He tried explaining, "You see-- that seat is where I need to be to control the vehicle."

"Oh, I had already guessed that," Sarah reassured with an excited nod.

Leo cocked his head, becoming thoroughly confused.

"Huh? Then--"

"I just want to try my hand at driving for a change." She turned back around and put her hands on the hood of the carrier. "You can teach me along the way."

Her eyes sparkled like a toddler enjoying a newfound toy. Leo's mouth opened in shock, becoming speechless at her uncharacteristic brazenness.

Sitting directly behind, Alex and Judy exchanged small sighs as they attempted to convince their friend to be more responsible.

"Hey now, I think it'll be safer to let Leo take the reins." Alex tried persuading her using logical reasoning. "He was the one who invented it after all, and we don't know if there are any other hidden features."

"Let's not dawdle any longer," Judy urged. "Besides, just how much time do you think you'll need to be able to drive this thing safely? Especially in a street full of people with other carts and carriages?"

"But--" Sarah revealed a sad expression. "I've always wanted to try driving..."

"I'll teach you tomorrow after we go on route today," Leo quickly suggested as he motioned to step onto the carrier. "Just please be patient until we get closer to our destination, okay?"

Sarah eventually gave in, and reluctantly shifted to the other front seat, granting him access to steer.

"That's a promise?" she asked him seriously once he sat back on. "You'll swear it to the Gods?"

Leo subtly leaned his shoulder to the side as Sarah directed a passionate gaze in his direction.

"Yes..."

----------

The journey out of Victoria City came smooth and without incident. Although the team attracted much curious attention, it didn't affect their travel.

Right now, the vehicle Leo was controlling was following along a paved roadway. Signs placed on the path would occasionally pop up at specific intersections, coinciding with the markers on the map the team was using for directions.

With nothing much to do, each individual simply idled by doing their own activities.

At the start of the journey, Alex closed his eyes and rested on his seat, but still strained his hearing to remain alert for any unexpected ambush. It was said that, if your luck was bad, you might end up encountering some cutthroat bandits lying in wait, or you could come across paths with a wandering monster that managed to stumble its way onto the road.

Sarah would sit back serenely and enjoy the view of the sights around her. The environment surrounding them was a mix of trees, grass, and flowers, highlighted from above by a clear blue sky. Sometimes, when she got bored, she would come to observe Leo from the side to get a deeper understanding on how he managed this vehicle.

This routine would continue on for a whole hour.

"So, how long is the trip going to take exactly? I kind of forgot," Judy suddenly asked, wanting to make casual conversation to further pass the time.

Leo, who had a map beside him as he was driving, responded to her question with a rough estimate, "It should take about three days to reach there on your usual magic carriage, assuming nothing surprising happens along the way. But I've designed this carrier to be able to travel at an even faster speed, so the time should probably be a little less than that."

During the days in which he worked on constructing it, Leo made sure to add as many useful features as he could with the intent of adventuring in mind. At the moment, however, they were moving at a moderate pace, mainly due to his current lack of experience in manning it.

'Once I get a better feel of this,' Leo thought deeply to himself, 'I should try increasing the vehicle's velocity.'

After a few more minutes, Alex decided to initiate his own conversation.

"I've been meaning to ask this earlier, but where did you build this thing Leo?"

"Huh?" Leo suddenly stirred out of his stupor. "What do you mean?"

Alex leaned forward from his seat and explained, "From what I know of, there aren't many places in the city which can be accessed by outsiders for constructing magical items. Most of them tend to be situated within the control of specific guilds or other organizations."

'Ah, so it's that.' Leo understood.

"I did have some trouble finding a place to use at first," he admitted, "but fortunately there was someone who was willing to share the additional space he already had. It's thanks to that man that I was able to start working on my magical invention."

"Oh?" Judy, who was sitting beside Alex, grew interested in this discussion. Joining in, she asked, "So who was this person?"

"Uh..." Leo rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "When I was wandering around the city trying to find somewhere I could access, I happened to try my luck at his workshop. This person is the blacksmith you are all familiar with."

"You mean... Mad Beard?!" Judy exclaimed in shock.

"Yeah." Leo suddenly started taking considerable interest in focusing on the road. "I didn't think he'd really agree, but he actually gave me permission once he heard my situation."