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n“All clear.” Guard

n“Thank you.” Ryouma

nI was able to reach Kereban without any problems. Didn’t even get attacked by bandits or anything.

n“Would you happen to know where the Dinome Magic Tool Workshop is? It seems that’s where I’m supposed to deliver the package.” Ryouma

n“It should be in the eastern part. Go straight down this path, and on the 24th street… Erm… Actually, the directions afterwards are a bit complicated. I don’t think you’ll get it even if I tell you.” Guard

n“I see. That’s alright. Thank you for telling me that much.” Ryouma

n“Well, be careful. Ah, right. If you use the stagecoach over there, your trip should go much faster.” Guard

nI thanked the guard watching the gate and went to the stagecoach stop.

nThere was a stagecoach ready, but it had no curtains or seats. It was basically a giant wagon.

nThere was only one person inside too: the driver.

nThis is the right place, right?

n“Excuse me. How much would a trip to the 24th street cost?” Ryouma

n“24th? 2 copper coins.” Driver

n“Alright.” Ryouma

n“Get on then. It’s about time to leave.” Driver

n“Okay.” Ryouma

nAfter confirming that I had entered the stagecoach, the driver whipped the horses and set off.

n“Can’t you sell this pot cheaper?” Townswoman

n“Give me a break, lady!” Townsman

n“Hey! Don’t you stray away!” Townsman

nI watched the people in town as we passed them by.

nIt feels like there’s more people here than before, and the road is also that much more congested.

n“Where you from, boy?” Driver

n“Gimuru.” Ryouma

n“Not too far from here, eh? You sightseeing by yourself?” Driver

n“I’m an adventurer, so there’s a job I need to complete first, but I might go sightseeing afterwards. I hear there’s a fair that’s opening soon.” Ryouma

n“Yeah. It opens tomorrow. This time it’s for magic tools.” Driver

n“There are other fairs?” Ryouma

n“What? Didn’t you come from Gimuru? I’m pretty sure the fairs are popular even there. Actually, I’m pretty sure it’s popular all over the region. The fairs occur six times a year. The main products vary each time, but each time it would be held in the center plaza and stalls of all sorts would be seen here and there. It happens every year, so for us who live here, we’ve already gotten used to it.” Driver

nSix times a year? That would mean a fair every 2 months. No wonder they’re used to it already.

n“Our income gets a boost each time too, so it’s pretty nice. Hey, try to make yourselves fit!” Driver

nThe stagecoach stopped and more customers got on. This town sure is quite dense population-wise.

n“Hmm? …Grab onto something tight! This is going to get rough!” Driver

nAt that, the customers grabbed onto the edge of the stagecoach. I imitated them and held onto the edge as well, but what’s going? Is the road uneven or something?

nAs I was thinking that, a small cart passed slowly on the right side of the road up ahead.

n“Stop taking you’re time!!”

n“Walk faster, you old fart!”

nAn old man was pulling a cart with barrels piled atop of it, when a bunch of carriages driven by youths overtook him one after another.

n“Talk about dangerous…” Driver

nThe driver of the stagecoach knit his brows. Those young drivers certainly seemed quite reckless with their overtaking, but at the same time, you can’t help but agree that the old man was really going too slow. Either group could be seen as an obstacle depending on the person. I wonder who the driver wasreferring to.

n“You’re kidding…” Fellow Passenger 1

n“Is she planning to ride?” Fellow Passenger 2

nThis time it was my fellow passengers who started making a fuss.

nWhen I glanced at the next stop, I noticed a woman with the body of a sumo wrestler standing by the stop.

n“24th street… Whoops!?” Sumo wrestler?

n“GUFU!?” Ryouma

nShe put too much strength when she tried to enter the stagecoach that she ended up falling in.

n“Sorry!” Sumo wrestler?

n“It’s okay…” Ryouma

nI told her that she just startled me and I wasn’t hurt or anything, but because of that little incident, the woman ended up sitting beside me, and the already cramped carriage became even more cramped.

n“This is the place.” Sumo wrestler?

n“Thank you!” Ryouma

n“Don’t mention it. Good luck on your job.” Sumo wrestler?

nI was able to get the woman who sat beside me to lead the way. Thanks to her I was able to safely reach the ‘Dinome Magic Tools Workshop’.

nIf not for her, I might have gotten lost. I’m glad I asked for her help.

n“Item Box” Ryouma

nI took out the package and the job form.

n“Welcome! Oh, what a cute customer we have here.” Receptionist?

nWhen I passed through the door, a counter was there to greet me. Behind the counter sat a woman with a nice body.

nThe store was pretty small, though. Kind of like those stores that also doubled as one’s residence.

n“Never seen you around here. Are you a messenger? If you need a lamp, we have some over there.” Receptionist?

nThe woman pointed at the small magic tools lined up along the shelves.

nI’m not one of her customers, though, so I told her that I’m an adventurer and that I’m here to deliver a package.

n“A package?” Receptionist?

n“Yes. Could you please sign here.” Ryouma

n“Wait. Dad!” Receptionist?

n“I’ll be there! Give me a sec!” Receptionist’s Dad

nA few minutes later, a bearded man appeared

n“What’s up?” Receptionist’s Dad

n“A delivery, apparently. It’s for you, so it’s be best that you receive it.” Receptionist

n“A delivery? …Ah, a component. I thought it wouldn’t make it anymore… Here you go.” Receptionist’s Dad

nWith the form signed, the job was complete. All that’s left is to report to the guild.

n“Thank you. I’ll take my leave then…” Ryouma

n“Wait. You came all the way from Gimuru, right? At least have a cup of tea first. Nothing expensive, though. Hey, I’ll leave him to you.” Receptionist’s Dad

n“Sure, sure.” Receptionist

nAfter the bearded man said that, he went back inside. Meanwhile, the daughter was already pouring a cup of tea.

n…Well, might as well, I guess.

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n“Thanks.” Ryouma

nI took the tea and drank it at one corner of the counter.

nHmm…? This tea… It tastes like coffee.

n“Well? Do you like it?” Receptionist

n“Yeah. It tastes great.” Ryouma

n“That’s good to hear. I was a little worried since it is rather odd for a tea.” Receptionist

n“I’ve drank something like it before. Did you make it from roasted beans? Or maybe from the root of a flower?” Ryouma

n“Supposedly, it’s made from the root of a flower called Dante. I don’t know the details, but it’s supposed to be good for your health.” Receptionist

nI see. Dandelion (Dante) Coffee, huh. That sure brings me back… When I was still employed at the company, I would aways find the time to drink it everyday.

n“Where can I buy this?” Ryouma

n“You like it that much? …An old man from a nearby florist always gives me some of it, but it’s not an actual product and just something he came up with himself.” Receptionist

n“I see. Thank you.” Ryouma

nSince I know the name of the flower already, I can just make it myself. From my Earthly knowledge, dandelion coffee is made by washing the roots with water, drying it, and then roasting it… Doesn’t sound too hard.

n“Thank you for the tea.” Ryouma

n“Sorry it wasn’t much. Are you going already?” Receptionist

n“Yeah. I need to find a place to stay at.” Ryouma

nI thanked her and left the store.

nBut in the same moment I tried to turn the door knob, I felt it open from the other side.

n“Oops.” Ryouma

n“Oh, my bad—” ???

nWhen the door opened, the person on the other side and I tried to avoid each other, so we stopped for a moment. But because of that we ended up realizing who the other party was, causing us to be even more shocked.

n“Ryouma-sama?” Serge

n“Serge-san?” Ryouma

nStanding before me was none other than Serge-san.

nHe called my name too, so it’s not just someone who looks like him.

n“Good afternoon. What a strange coincidence. I did hear that you’d be going to the magic tools fair, but…” Ryouma

n“Indeed. Ryouma-sama, may I know what brought you here?” Serge

n“I had a package to deliver. Adventurer work. It was urgent, so the decision was made in haste.” Ryouma

n“What a surprise… I’m currently going around greeting some people I know. This workshop happens to be one of the workshops I’m friendly with.” Serge

n“I had no idea.” Ryouma

n“Master Serge! You’ve come at last.” Receptionist’s Dad

n“Oh! Excuse me. Dinome-dono, it’s been too long.” Serge

n“You exaggerate. It’s only been 2 or 3 months at most. You seem to be doing well, though. By the way, would you happen to know this boy here?” Dinome

nThe bearded man appeared once again from inside the workshop, and after a short exchange of greetings with Serge, looked at me with an odd gaze.

n“My name is Ryouma Takebayashi. Serge-san is a benefactor of mine.” Ryouma

n“Likewise… Dinome-done, Ryouma-sama might appear young, but he’s a person worth having a good relationship with. He’s also interested in magic tools.” Serge

n“Oh? You appraise him so highly? I’m Dinome. If you’re interested, you can take a look if you want.” Dinome

n“Would that be alright?” Ryouma

n“I’m inviting you. It’s fine. Either way, I have something to show to Master Serge, so…” Dinome

nAfter saying that, he went in without bothering to hear my reply. Serge-san followed from behind as if he were already used to it.

nI bowed my head to his daughter and followed the two of them in.

n“It’s here.” Dinome

n“Ooh…” Ryouma

nBeyond the door deeper inside was a room far bigger than anything one might have imagined from the earlier room.

nThere were four boxes with wheels attached to them. Most probably the rumored magic cars.

nVarious components and workbenches could also be seen in the corner of the room. On the other side was a large door and a wide window that’s probably meant to allow materials to be brought in and out of the room. The room was bright and open.

n“Remember. No touching. Only looking.

nMaster, over here…” Dinome

nI don’t really know where to go, though, so I think I’ll just follow Serge.

n“Is this the newest model? …It hasn’t changed much.” Serge

n“On the outside, perhaps, but on the inside… Not only is it more mobile now, it is also much lighter. Unfortunately, the main problem remains unsolved.” Dinome

n“Is it impossible to load anything onto it?” Ryouma

n“It’s fine as long as it’s light, but any more than that and it’s no good. It’s a delicate problem. And I can’t make the body any lighter without compromising the strength of the body. I can’t sacrifice safety.” Dinome

n“That is indeed the problem. Accidents happen even in races, after all.” Serge

nThis topic about magic car races would come out from time to time. Maybe they’re planning to participate. I guess you could liken the relationship between Dinome-san and Serge-san to that of a mechanic and a sponsor.

nAt first, I could still follow along, but as the conversation continued, the two maniacs started drifting off into their own world.

nI left when they started talking about the number of revolutions.

nAfter that I looked around the workshop, but honestly I couldn’t really understand much just by looking.

nJust what are they making?

nHmm?

n“This is rather… Normal.” Ryoma

nAmong the magic cars was something that resembled a normal carriage.

nWell, the only real difference was that it could accommodate a horse in front and had a seat for the driver. Maybe this one isn’t a magic car and is instead some other magic tool.

nI was curious, so I went back to the two and waited for them to stop talking for a moment.

n“Dinome-san. What magic tool is that one?” Ryouma

n“That one? That’s just a normal carriage. A neighbor asked me to fix it.” Dinome

nI could easily accept him repairing a normal carriage, but Serge-san, who knew him longer, was confused.

n“You accepting normal repair work? That’s rare.” Serge

n“Yeah, well…” Dinome

nWhile he was hesitating to talk about it, I asked Serge-san why it was so strange for him to repair the carriage.

n“He’s gotten a lot more mellow since his grandchild was born a few years ago, but he’s someone who doesn’t work on anything other than magic tools. I thought for sure he’d refer someone looking to repair a carriage to a shop that specialized in that.” Serge

n“…Actually, I need money… For my grandchild.” Dinome

nThe bearded man seemed really embarrassed to say that. His face was beet red.

n“Planning to buy him a gift? I can help.” Serge

nAs the air turned tepid, Serge-san came swinging with a proposal.

nBut the bearded man, Dinome, refused him.

n“It’s not for a gift. It’s for tuition.” Dinome

n“For the imperial capital’s academy?” Serge

n“Yeah. Actually—” Dinome

nThis guy keeps acting like he doesn’t want to talk, but it’s clear as day that he’s dying to.

n…Could he be?

n“—My grandkid is a genius! He’s only four, you know? He frequently comes to listen to us talk about work. And then my lowest ranking disciple started explaining to him like a big brother. I was wondering to myself what an apprentice was talking all big for, but then… Look at this!” Dinome

nThis guy’s gone full doting-grandpa-mode and he isn’t even bothering to hide his loose face.

nHe opened a drawer from the workbench and brought back some cogwheels, then he suddenly picked one from the bunch and allowed his mana to course through it.

n“Oho?” Serge

nThe cog started spinning. It seemed to be the same kind of magic tool Serge-san showed me a few days ago. But this one is a lot slower in comparison, and from time to time, it would stop as if it were rusted then start moving again.

n“Judging from the flow of the conversation, I take it this was made by your grandchild?” Ryouma

n“That’s exactly right, boy! Isn’t he amazing? We can’t sell this just yet, but my grandkid who’s just 4 years old actually managed to make this.” Dinome

n“He really learns fast.” Ryouma

n“I know right! I think he might’ve picked up something because I sometimes worked while carrying him on my back… It’s really shocking, isn’t it?” Dinome

n“What an enviable kid. I can’t even use enchant magic.” Ryouma

nWhen it comes to people like this, it’s best not to contest them and just agree with whatever they say.

nThat’s something I learned from my past life. As such, I ended up listening to the guy as he boasted about his grandchild.

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