Volume 3 Chapter 5 The Journey to the Grand Church
"Whoa, it's so much faster when you're driving, Master!"
A huge iron box with giant tires barrels forward.
If the ground's a bit rough, magic built into the tires reshapes the terrain, so the inside doesn't shake.
In other words, you can tell exactly where it's been... but they don't seem to care.
The iron box just keeps tearing through.
"I don't even know how much time I've put into learning to drive this base... It's been so long, but this speed... it makes me lose my confidence, honestly."
"Tiaris, you're wasting your time thinking that way, especially when it's against Master, right?"
"Yep~. It's because Master's insane that no normal Tiaris could ever compare~."
"Aren't you kind of trashing both of them, pretending to back them up, Ulrika?"
"Not at all, Master~."
Outside the window, a vast plain whizzed by—backward, at an insane speed.
And yet, inside, not a single shake. Unnaturally smooth.
"Barely any motion. Look, my card tower's still standing."
"Built a five-layer tower while we were chatting. You're too good, Rangella."
The space was wide, plenty of room for the six of us.
Felt more like a living room than a vehicle—even had a table.
And there was Rangella, building a card tower, earning a side-eye from Tiaris.
"Honestly, I'm bored. Heading to the Grand Church, but nothing to do in here. Ellie's asleep on Cindy's lap, looking happy. Even *she's* taking it easy."
"True, but..."
"ZZZ...."
Tiaris glanced at Ellie, snoozing peacefully on Cindy's thighs.
Ellie loved cuddling up to Cindy, probably obsessed with her plump, curvy body.
With Ulrika, though, it was different. Ulrika seemed a bit annoyed, and Ellie could sense it, so she didn't push.
At night, she clings and won't let go ── Ellie says she's got the kind of body you just want to hold tight ── but during the day, it's mostly Cindy she's stuck to.
"I've been picking up newspapers on the road, and... well, you can really feel the bad vibes toward the master."
Suddenly, Rangella peeked at the newspapers she'd gathered.
"Yeah, it seems like a lot of people are onto the Great Church's scheme to spread bad rumors about the master. They've got a history of targeting certain individuals."
"But there were also a lot of people saying, 'I don't think the master's a bad person, just don't drag me into it.'"
Since they're traveling in a runaway metal box, the 7 of them have already passed through countless towns and villages.
They've been collecting newspapers along the way, and the hate for Horace is strong.
But now, even with that 'wanted poster' out, fewer people are claiming Horace is the bad guy.
Still, the Great Church is running a 'negative campaign using golems,' and it's having an effect.
Not only are fields and facilities being destroyed, but more people are growing 'suspicious' of magic tools and golems.
The reason for this mess is definitely because 'Horace did something the Great Church hates.'
Now, the towns and villages that were attacked are just 'collateral damage' in their plan.
So, the affected towns and villages can't just cut ties with the Great Church.
Many people think, 'Out of sight, out of mind,' and they don't want to get involved.
A lot of them have blamed Horace too.
In every town and village they pass through, Horace fixes what he can, but his expression never changes when he's being accused.
"...Did you see the master's face while they were saying that?"
"I did~. He stayed completely expressionless the whole time~"
"What do you mean?"
"The answer is simple. Master, who's been running the show alone in the royal capital for ten years, had to learn how to deal with hundreds of complaints every day... and how to make sure the other person's arguments don't mess with her head."
"Is that even possible?"
"Well, you're talking about someone who even turned his own bones into a golem for strength, right? If he can do that, messing with his mental state isn't out of the question. He has to, or there's no way he could handle hundreds of complaints a day."
"I see... that makes sense."
"Yeah, I can understand why he'd get fed up with the royal capital."
Horace doesn't get mad, no matter what someone throws at him.
He doesn't care about whether someone's argument is right or wrong.
But he's still human, and there's no way he'd stay completely indifferent to everything someone says.
Lately, with everything going on around him, he's been sighing a lot more.
So yeah, there's stuff he can't handle anymore.
But when it comes to just "arguments"──especially when the person making them doesn't even pay a cost and expects Horace to do all the work──his expression stays completely blank.
"Ten years... huh. That's a long time."
"Yeah. Too long. If there was any way to take it slow, he'd probably do it, but... looks like the world doesn't want to let that happen. It's all about going in fast and taking everything down at once. The strategy is to wait for the right moment... and yes, the master shares some of the blame here."
"But still, it's mostly his fault."
"I don't know... everyone's just so... clumsy."
Everyone nodded in agreement with Tiaris's words.
...Even while this conversation was going on, the iron box was still headed toward the Grand Church.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!