Mira continued down the castle hallway, half running on top of the red carpet with golden embroidery. It was finally time to try out her newly finished wagon in a trip. She was in unusually high spirits as she headed to the parking lot, like a child coming back from a toy store after buying a toy they really wanted.
The workers in the area that served as workshop and storage looked up to see her, a young girl that was out of place in an area usually occupied by stern and loud workers.
「Good morning!」
One of the workers turned at her and greeted her with a very loud voice. It came so unexpectedly for Mira that her shoulders twitched in surprise, but she quickly calmed down and returned the greeting. But that was only the beginning, roused by that loud greeting, the other workers moved closer to greet her too, and soon, there was a choir of greetings around her.
They had all been waiting for her. Before, they called her wagon their best masterpiece to date, and her being there meant that they would be able to see it take to the skies, so they crowded around her to witness that.
「…Good morning.」
Overwhelmed by all of it, Mira returned the greeting hesitantly.
「You’re going to depart now, right?!」
Out of the worker crowd, the manager Doug came out and looked at Mira full of expectation. At the same time, the workers turned silent as they waited for her reply.
「Yes, that’s correct.」
「We’ll get it ready for you then!」
As soon as Mira replied, the workers raised cheers as they dispersed everywhere. They were also planning on taking notes from the wagon’s performance and not only to watch.
The workers passionately shed their sweat, engrossed in their work, as Mira walked to the parking lot just outside of the workshop.
The workers took out multiple tools, some powered by Magic Engineering, as well as pinwheels to measure the wind strength and cameras to capture the moment the wagon took off. The wagon itself was also carried to an open space by the workers.
「Alright, Mira, everything is ready.」
「Mm, thank you.」
Thanking the workers who brought the wagon, Mira looked at it again, her new vehicle, and/or secret base. The white exterior reflected the sunlight, making it appear even more bright. Because of the simple ornaments and reinforced appearance, it looked like the carriage a legendary battle goddess would take to war.
Mira looked at it full of pride, thinking what she should summon.
(Hmm, I guess Garuda would be the best option after all. The others can be… a bit too noisy. Creos also uses Garuda often, so it should be familiar with this type of work as well.)
Once she had decided, Mira summoned Garuda next to the wagon. A column of light sprouted from the magic circle, a gust of wind blowing forth from it before the brightly-colored prey bird appeared. This Garuda was slightly larger than the one Creos summoned. It glistened with the lights of a king, entrancing all the workers who stopped what they were doing to look at it. Everyone there was also able to grasp what kind of person the Wiseman’s pupil was.
「Garuda, I have a favor to ask from you, is that okay?」
After Mira asked that, Garuda looked straight at her, lowered its head to the ground as if prostrating itself in front of her. As silent as Garuda was, that was still a display of loyalty and high respect. That posture made it clear that Garuda would follow any orders she might give.
When Mira spoke, the workers came back to their senses and they promptly measured Garuda. They wanted to keep the information of the Garuda carrying the wagon in their records as well.
「Good child. And well, this is my request. I’ll be going inside this wagon, while you pick it up and fly with it. Can you do that for me?」
Mira caressed Garuda’s beak as her eyes pointed at the wagon near them.
Understanding Mira’s word, Garuda stood up and lifted the wagon with its beak, returning it to the ground once it knew the weight of it. The wagon was more or less as large as a common carriage, and the materials had been chosen for their low weight, but Garuda still wanted to make sure it was something it could fly with.
Garuda looked at Mira again, moving its large head up and down like a nod, saying that there was no problem, while a refreshing and clear breeze came from it. It was happy to get assigned a new job.
「I’ll be counting on you from now on then.」
In reply to Mira, Garuda spread its wings, proud of its own strengths. Mira felt reassured by that and climbed inside the wagon.
Shoes were strictly prohibited inside the wagon, in the room replicating a traditional Japanese-style. The tatami floor could be felt much more clearly when barefoot, the softness of which made Mira relax her cheeks. Next, she opened the door leading to the driver seat and peeked out of it to give orders to Garuda. There were braces there to attach to horses, but those were not needed now. She looked at Garuda standing by in front of her and gave it her orders.
「Our destination is the Forest of the Four Seasons. It’s… that direction from here.」
As she spoke, Mira thought about the location of the forest and pointed towards it. Garuda understood the place she meant and the wind going across the open space grew stronger. Once it had finished deciding on a flight path, it prepared itself to take off.
「Miraa, have a safe trippp!」
「Take caree!」
The workers had seen Creos’ wagon many times before, so they could tell Mira was about to depart from the strong winds. They screamed as loud as they could so the wind did not drown out their voices, while continuing to record all the data they could.
「Thanks, I’ll be on my way then!」
Mira replied, waving her hand and thinking how all the people in this country were so kind.
An instant later, Garuda flapped its wings rising into the air, taking hold of the wagon from both sides and flying towards the sky. The workers cheered happily, looking Mira off until the wagon became a white dot in the sky that mixed with the clouds.
「We won’t get there in a single day, so if you feel tired we can rest at any time.」
When Arkite Castle became as small as a scale model, Mira spoke to Garuda before returning inside the wagon. The scent of soft rush1 greeted her there, which she inhaled deeply and looked at the scenery outside the window, taken in by it so much, she almost forgot to exhale the air filling her lungs.
(It looks quite different from here.)
The panoramic view from atop Pegasus or Garuda had a completely different feel to the scenic view from inside the wagon. With the window acting as a physical barrier between her and the terrain outside, it felt like a moving painting. Adding that she could move freely now, Mira thought this was the most luxurious view she ever had as she sat on the small chair.
After that, Mira spent some time sipping on sweet berry ale while enjoying the luxurious view, lost in thought pretending to search for castles atop clouds.
Once she had finished drinking one bottle, she placed the empty bottle atop the kotatsu and the papers placed on one of the corners entered her vision. Doug had said that it was the manual for the wagon. Mira grabbed the documents and started looking through them.
(That there are schematics added is really going the extra mile.)
There were detailed explanations for all the varied features and functions of the wagon she would be using often going forward. Seeing that, Mira cheered herself on as she attentively read through the entire manual.
Every part of the wagon had a description there, like how the suspended lamp used Magic Stones to lit up, just like how the Kotatsu used them to warm up. There were details on how to regulate the brightness and heat as well.
About the Thin Mist Grass growing on the top, it said she had to water it once every three days, and that adding ashes from charcoal every now and then helped it grow as well. The light from the lamp was enough for it to grow.
There were also details on how to install additional furniture, and a notice on how the earthquake resistance worked.
