"It's about time..." (Kaoru)
"Eh? What?" (Reiko)
"Well, we're far enough away from the town and there doesn't seem to be anyone around, so I think it's about time to get the carriage out..." (Kaoru)
Yes, we both knew how to ride horses, but traveling on horseback for days, or even dozens of days, was a bit tough. So, I was thinking to take a carriage ride. With a carriage, it's fine if it rained, and we could even sleep inside when camping. No, of course, I wouldn't let Hang and Bad walk in the rain. I'd make them take shelter in the shade or somewhere right away.
"Oh, they said something like a chariot..." (Reiko)
"No, it's something different. That's..." (Kaoru)
Yes, that was the carriage pulled by Ed. I had no intention of letting any other horse pull it.
"No, it was a single-horse ride, and it was small and narrow for two people, myself and the child Layette-chan, and there were other riders there, so we didn't intend to do anything in the middle of it all. Next time, I'd like to get one that I can relax in and even sleep in... Also, I want to be able to enter the city without drawing attention..." (Kaoru)
Yeah, the chariot was made to look so cool that it stood out a bit too much.
"Do you have any requests regarding the carriage?" (Kaoru)
"No, nothing in particular. Make it however you like, Kaoru. …Oh, of course, so that your bottom doesn't hurt." (Reiko)
As if it was bringing back some unpleasant memory, Reiko frowned and stroked her own bottom. Well, it's not like Earth's carriages were perfect either... Well then...
"Buhi (come on)! Buhi buhi (Goddess' Chariot)!!" (Kaoru)
Yes, the spell in horse language was a service to Hang and Bad. With this, they could understand that the carriage that appeared was the "Goddess's Vehicle". This time, I made it look like a normal carriage so that it wouldn't stand out, and they were worried that people would be disappointed. I felt that people might have high expectations of the carriage. And…….
Don!
Here comes the new carriage! There were small barrels filled with drinks (potions) inside the carriage. ...No, without it, the carriage itself wouldn't be a "potion container". And while its appearance resembled an ordinary small carriage, its true identity was—Most of the body structure was made from lightweight and durable carbon nanotubes. Some of them were made from titanium. Although titanium had many advantages, it was difficult to refine and process, and was expensive to use, making it difficult to popularize on a large scale. However, since I could produce finished products, such disadvantages did not matter to me. In fact, if I wanted, I could ask Celes to make a special super carriage from materials that didn't exist on Earth. But, well, I don't need to ask for that much. It's made to be impervious to arrows and spears, after all...
There was also a driver's seat, and when entering a town, the driver sat there and pretended to be a driver. Of course, in reality, it's a "voice command system." It would be lonely to sit alone, so the driver's seat was designed to seat two people side by side. The passenger compartment, which could be accessed directly from the coach, had two forward-facing seats and a rear-facing three-seater sofa facing each other and separated by a small table. The forward-facing seats even had headrests and support the whole body. Yes, you have to take care of your back. And if you reclined it all the way, you could get a good night's sleep. This way, you could sleep both when camping and when traveling in a carriage. Well, of course for safety reasons, one of us had to be awake while driving. Of course, to not disappoint Hang and Bad, the carriage had a mechanism that allowed multiple blades to pop out with the flip of a lever. Without this mechanism, the carriage would be just an ordinary one, except for the material it's made of—Well, of course the springs and body structure are different, but that's about the appearance. The blade probably has little practical use, it's just a gimmick to satisfy Hang and Bad.
This time we were using two horses, so it was still much lighter than a normal carriage, so the burden on Hang and Bad would be small. Well, it seemed that Ed didn't have much resistance to being a "workhorse" despite how much he resisted it at first, so there shouldn't be any problems. —Or maybe, Ed had foreseen this and spread the rumor that "only a divine horse can pull the goddess' carriage"? No, no, am I thinking too much? But, Ed was a pretty loyal and thoughtful guy (horse)...
Oh no, I'm starting to feel sad again... Ed would be happier if I laughed out loud at him, rather than getting sad about him. That's the kind of guy he was. After all, we'd been friends for four and a half years... Four and a half years for a horse is about 18 years in human terms. When I met him, Ed was 6 years old, which is the equivalent of 24 years old in human terms. From 24 to 42 years old, it felt like we'd spent almost our whole lives together. ...So, what were Hang and Bad's reactions?
"Ohhhh, this is the Goddess's Carriage……"
"Finally, we have become the divine horses that pull the Goddess' Carriage……"
I felt like they were sobbing with emotion... But I didn't want to lie, so I'd be honest.
"That's a different carriage from the one pulled by Ed. That carriage belongs only to Ed... So it's a new one made just for you two. So, it's a two-horse, okay?"
I wondered if they would be disappointed to hear that it was something completely different from the one their great ancestor pulled...
"What?! A new carriage just for us! That means it's a carriage just for us! After we're gone, it will be preserved forever in the Gods' Realm alongside Ed's_ carriage, and our achievements will be remembered forever..."
"Oh! Oh! Oh!"
If it makes you happy, then it's okay...
"Well then, let's go. On board!" (Kaoru)
With a shout like a hero riding a giant robot, I got into the carriage with Reiko. If we were just going straight along the wide main road, we would be fine in the cabin. Passing travelers might be surprised to see an empty cab, but it's no big deal, if I explained that the horses were well-trained, that they were controlled by a thin rope from inside the passenger compartment, and that a new type of military carriage was being tested and anyone who tried to spy on you would be considered a spy from another country, no one would bother.
We each sat down in the two chairs facing forward—those looked like gaming chairs, or maybe it's just because that's how I imagined them...
"Depart!" (Kaoru)
"..."
"…………"
"………………" (x2)
"It's not moving, you know?" (Reiko)
"It's not moving, huh..." (Kaoru)
Why…….
"Kaoru-sama, how do I pull it?"
Hang's voice came from outside. ...Ah, the horse isn't hitched to the carriage...
"...So, if you do this here, the metal fittings will come off, okay?" (Kaoru)
"…………" (Horses, x2)
After tying Hang and Bad to the carriage, I showed them how to unhook them from the harnesses themselves, because I thought it would be easier for them to use their front legs to unhook them that way, rather than unhooking them from their bodies. During the journey, we might be attacked by bandits or monsters, or the carriage might fall off a cliff. If we could detach ourselves from the harness, our chances of survival would increase. With that in mind, I installed a mechanism to do just that, but—The two dogs seem to be in a bad mood. Why?
"S-surely we're not planning on abandoning the passengers and running away or anything like that!"
Eh?
"It doesn't matter if the person carrying us is a goddess! I'm just saying don't you think we're planning on abandoning the people we're carrying and running away!"
Ah, did I hurt your professional pride? Not only Bad, but even Hang, who used polite language—for a horse—was now using slightly rough language and revealing displeasure. Yes, Ed was also really angry when I said something that hurt his pride. Ed and his family were people who valued their pride. …No, this is bad…
"T-That's not true! If we are attacked by bandits or monsters, Hang and Bad could detach their harnesses from the carriage and come right next to the passenger compartment, then we could abandon the carriage and escape on our horses! Being able to detach the carriage at our own discretion gives us more freedom, and is convenient in many ways. Yes, that just shows how much I trust and rely on you, Hang and Bad!" (Kaoru)
"…R-Really?"
"Well, if that's the case, I wouldn't be reluctant to accept that you should make the decision to separate yourself..."
...Easy. Well, actually, it's so that when we're fleeing from enemies and the carriage flips over, falling off a cliff, or getting surrounded by monsters and needed to use the carriage as a shield, or when Reiko and I had to abandon the carriage and run away, Hang and Bad could escape on their own. I wouldn't let the descendants of Ed died so easily.