After eating a simple meal and making his way out of the forest, Ethan found a road lined with countless wagon tracks. Although the map he’d looked at the day before didn’t show such detailed paths, just knowing the direction was enough.

Ethan walked carefully along the wagon tracks. Large stones had been cleared away, and the dirt road, where even grass couldn’t grow, was littered with small pebbles.

The ground, packed with dozens, hundreds or even more wagons, was barren of any vegetation. The middle of the road was dry and hard, but the narrow paths on either side, shady and damp, splashed mud onto Ethan’s boots as he walked.

He looked around under the bonnet, taking in the surroundings with curiosity. The tree lines were slightly raised, as if the road had sunk like a ditch. On either side of the dry ground, tall trees stood like sentinels, their lower branches trimmed as if carefully pruned.

As If’s gaze wandered, her eyes turned to the wide road where there was still plenty of space. But Ethan continued to walk awkwardly along the edge of the path.

“Why don’t you go over there?”

“Because that’s where the wagons go.”

At that If tilted her head from side to side, then opened her mouth.

“I know what that is. It’s a box on wheels pulled by a horse, isn’t it?”

“What?”

‘What had I just heard?’

One of Ethan’s eyebrows shot up in confusion.

Seeing Ethan’s reaction, If tilted her head again.

“Isn’t it?”

A box pulled by a horse… Well, it is pulled and it has wheels. There are many different kinds, but if you wanted to explain it in the simplest terms, that wasn’t entirely wrong.

Still, somehow… it just felt wrong.

“Pfft.”

Ethan burst out laughing at the childish explanation.

“Why are you laughing?”

If pouted, her lips jutting out in a sulky expression.

“Where did you hear such an explanation?”

“From a book. I thought it was amazing that they used wheels.”

“What would you use if not wheels?”

“Gravity and magnetism. Sometimes tension, too.”

In the case of maglev trains, they use magnetic force, and gradients rely on gravity. All transport, regardless of size or shape, has been done with maglev trains.

“But how does it move without wheels?”

“It doesn’t roll. It floats.”

Ethan could easily imagine a floating wagon. After all, he’d just seen her fly through the air – so a car that floated didn’t seem too far-fetched. If you took away the wheels and the horses… it was just a box.

“That sounds practical. You wouldn’t have to stick to roads. And there wouldn’t be any accidents.”

Wagon accidents happened all the time. Especially with large wagon or powerful horses, it was difficult for the coachman to see everything around him, so small children or elderly people with slow reflexes were often hit.

If the person hit was a commoner, it was bad enough, but if it was a nobleman and they died – that was the end of it. For something that happened so often, the aftermath was rarely handled well.

“Accidents?”

“Yes, when people get hurt or killed by those things.”

Ethan explained, now used to breaking down a single word to make it understandable.

It happened sometimes – even though they could communicate, there were times, like now, when she didn’t know certain words. Probably because she had never had a reason to use them.

“There is no such thing.”

While poorly maintained machines might break down, any errors were checked and corrected in real time – there was no way for a problem to go unresolved. It was a world where the concept of “accidents” had disappeared, where powers like magic could be used without mana, and where the limits of life no longer existed.

“A real utopia, huh?”

A world where people could live in the greatest happiness possible – more tangible than a heaven that could only be reached after death, but still an unrealistic dream.

It was a word Ethan had heard somewhere before, but never managed to say out loud.

His lips twisted slightly. The smile he had worn until a few moments ago faded, replaced by a wave of bitterness.

Clop-clop.

At the sound of hoofbeats approaching from behind, If turned to look.

Ethan, pushing If’s head down, continued to walk casually, not breaking stride.

“Hey, you there!”

Tch, so they had business on this side.

Ethan pulled down his hood and turned his head.

The wagon, which had slowed and come to a halt, was clearly made of sturdy wood, and looked solid and well built at first glance.

The man in the driver’s seat was dressed in well-worn but fine clothes.

Having quickly worked out who the man was, Ethan replied curtly.

“Got business with me?”

“That’s Grip’s fur, isn’t it? If you’re wearing that, you must be a pretty skilled mercenary. And if you’re going this way, you’re probably going to Alcate. How about that? That’s my destination too. If you take me there, I’ll pay you fifty silver coins. It’s not much, but I’ve got some food with me, so I’ll pay for the wagon and the food as well.”

Just as the merchant said, Ethan made his way to Alcate. It was crowded enough to hide in, and he needed to see if any news had come out while he was out of contact.

On foot it would take at least a week to get there from here, but by wagon it would take three or four days.

Considering there was no wagon fare, food included, and fifty silver coins on top of that – it was a good deal.

Ethan thought about his nearly empty pockets. He had brought some small, portable byproducts of magical beasts, but since he hadn’t found a proper place to sell them yet, he hadn’t been able to exchange them for money. The coins he’d taken from the corpses in Belphirn weren’t worth much either.

It would take some time, but for an escort job, this was a short and well paid offer.

After a moment’s thought, Ethan finally spoke.

“If we can arrange sleeping and eating separately, I’ll accept. As you can see, I have a sick lady with me and she needs care.”

“As long as it doesn’t interfere with the escort, that’s fine. I won’t be out of the wagon much, so there’s nothing to worry about.”

“Well, if that’s all right with you, then sure.”

***

If stared intently at the wagon.

There were no androids or machines here – how could something like this have been made by human hands?

Long, seamless circular wheels with spokes connecting from the centre. A wooden box mounted on four wheels. A massive canvas stretched across the top.

How had they managed to cover it with cloth so high up without any kind of gravity control device?

From inside the goods came out one by one.

She took the spoon Ethan had handed her, sipped at the soup and turned her gaze back.

The wagon was fascinating, but the horse standing beside it was just as strange.

The two horses, untied from the wagon, were grazing on the grass nearby.

Piles of dung had accumulated under her legs – green clumps of undigested hay sticking out as if they had been eaten.

Noticing where her gaze was fixed, Ethan sighed and gently turned her head away.

“Don’t stare at that while you’re eating.”

“It’s just… fascinating.”

There hadn’t been any animals where she’d come from.

Before she could answer, Ethan put another spoonful of soup in her mouth.

From the wagon, the merchant, Deverick, had his arms full of bundles and parcels.

Rustle.

“Here we go! I happened to have some women’s clothes with me.”

Deverick spread a large cloth on the ground and laid out several items of clothing he had taken from the wagon.

Ethan’s eyes fell on one of them.

Sensing his interest, Deverick beamed and began to proudly show off his wares.

“These are lined with Rurik fur, so they’re nice and warm. The outer fabric is the famous Adria cloth – tough and durable, perfect for travelling. You won’t find anything better.”

Ethan ran his hand over the clothes as he listened to Deverick.

Just as Deverick had said, the lining was Rurik fur, densely packed with a soft texture that felt smooth against the skin.

“It’s also enchanted with a cleaning spell, so if it doesn’t get torn, it’ll last a long time. And something like this should be warm enough to wear on its own.”

“Oh, if it has any magic in it at all, I guess it’s quite expensive.”

“Normally it would cost two gold coins.”

Deverick said, lowering his voice slightly.

“But since you took on this sudden escort request, I’ll let you have it for one gold and seventy silver. How about that?”

Though he claimed it was a discount, the original price was steep to begin with.

‘Sure, you want to cheat me because I’m a mercenary, huh?’

Ethan grinned crookedly.

“How is anyone supposed to travel without ripping it? And besides, how many travelling women are there for you to sell such a product at that price?”

An ivory dress below the knees, with an overdress tied at the front like a corset – the basic outfit of a common woman.

For working commoners, dozens of thin layers to pile on are far better than a single warm outfit. Especially when the price is more than twice what an average family spends in a month.

And women who travel long distances are usually mercenaries. What mercenary would wear such a light, flowing skirt instead of armour?

From the looks of it, it was probably a bad mistake.

When Ethan hit him right where it hurt, Deverick’s face twisted in frustration.

“Argh, fine! One gold coin and thirty silver!”

“And you think that’s fair? You know how cheap Rurik pelts are.”

Rurik, a rabbit-like creature, was easy to catch and sold for a relatively low price. Since Ethan dealt with magical beasts, he was well aware of the current prices for such materials.

“Well, it can’t be helped. You know how expensive Adria cloth is, ahem.”

“A gold coin,” Ethan said firmly. “But I’ll throw in some dried spinum berries and Grips teeth. I’ve got a lot to buy, you know.”

At Ethan’s offer, Deverick’s mind began to work quickly, calculating the value.

Spinum, a plant-like magical beast, was hard to find because it was almost indistinguishable from ordinary trees – spotting one was harder than actually catching it. Its berries were prized for their excellent flavour and scent, used in everything from food to perfume.

Famous for its fur, Grips also had extremely hard teeth, which were often used to make daggers.

Having completed his mental calculation of the combined value of the two items, Deverick broke into a broad grin.

“Well, what could you possibly need? Lucky for you, I’m on a supply run, so I’ve got plenty in the back!”