The one-hour ride to the village only took around twenty minutes for the truck.

“This is quite convenient,” Feodora said, despite gripping her seatbelt. The dirt road linking the city and the village was smaller compared to the one they went through before, so William drove slower. It was still much faster compared to a carriage.

“And the world you came from has tons of these things?” Lily asked, her hand on the window sill. She leaned her head out of the truck, breathing in the fresh air. “It’s a completely different sensation compared to the carriages here.”

“Do you have no fast-moving objects in your previous world?” William asked. Feodora shook her head.

“If there are, it usually means death. Some of us have enough magic power to fly, but they are rare. I would also like to add that having someone else control your life feels different to yourself controlling it.”

“So you want to try driving?”

Lily jerked her head, eyes sparkling.

“Yes, please!”

“I can teach you. How about you, Feodora?”

“Not yet. I will trust you on that one.”

William was a truck driver, after all. He had more experience when it came to driving compared to the two. Still, his truck was automatic, so it should be easier to teach them.

“Were you used to driving at these speeds in your previous life?” she asked.

“With this truck, I usually drove much faster. With faster vehicles, I can go twice this speed.”

“Twi- Twice!?” Feodora seemed genuinely shocked. It was the first time he heard her stutter like that. The fact that she kept her flat tone was impressive.

Could she not use any other tone?

She looked like a normal human other than the cat ears and the sharp but round eyes. She should be able to talk like a normal human.

“TWICE!? THEY CAN GO TWICE!?” Lily screamed, letting out an entirely different tone to Feodora.

“Yeah. Some go three-time-”

“I WANT TO GO THERE!”

William covered his ears. “Yeah, I know, I know.” He wasn’t sure what else he could say, but it did manage to calm Lily down, somewhat. Lily looked out the window, and pushed her upper body out, letting the wind mess her hair. “Faster!” she said. Feodora visibly shook, but she didn’t say anything. William let out a sigh, pushing the gas slightly farther down. The truck moved forward, the speedometer spinning to the right.

“I… I do not think I can ever hope to live in your world.” Feodora murmured, holding onto her seat.

“You want to know something scarier?”

Feodora gulped.

“For some people, going twice as fast is still slow.”

“... Really? I found that hard to believe.”

William glanced at Lily, not wanting her to hear the secret he was about to whisper.

“Some go four times as fast. Some professionals work in closed circuits, and they can go up to eight times as fast.”

Luckily for him, his words weren’t accompanied by another scream. Feodora’s face, meanwhile, went pale. William could only imagine how she would act if she knew the speed military fighter jets flew at.

“Ah, but don’t worry, this truck can’t go that fast.”

“This… truck?”

“Yes. The top speed of this truck is slow compared to those vehicles.”

“Understood,” she looked visibly relieved. William found it interesting how she, with her stoic expression, could react this way. He understood that despite the differences, she was still a human, but seeing her expression…

She’s cute

William slapped his cheeks, returning his concentration on the road. This world may not have wild motorcycles or drunk drivers, but getting distracted was still as dangerous, especially considering the tiny road they were on.

“By the way, Lily.”

“Yeah?” Lily pulled her body back into the truck.

“Just curious, but why didn’t Feodora have an adventurer card?”

“Umm…”

“Despite you already meeting her, giving her a name, even.”

“I may have taken a few shortcuts…” She twiddled her fingers.

“... You freeloader.”

“I am NOT!”

After a few more seconds of driving, the village appeared from behind the tree cover. Wooden and timber buildings rose from the lands.

“Looks like a peaceful village.”

“Should we bring the truck in there?” Feodora asked.

The truck no longer used diesel but instead normal water. William didn’t know if this had anything to do with it, but the truck’s engine was not as loud. It also no longer spewed smoke from its exhaust. It looked entirely different from a magic carriage, but there were some similarities as well, considering the amount of magic, or since this was a gift from the Goddess herself, the amount of divine power working within this vehicle.

“What do you think?” William asked back. They already saved a lot of time from using the truck to travel instead of a regular, horse-drawn carriage. They could afford some time to hide the truck somewhere and walk the rest of the way on foot. But at the same time, they couldn’t keep hiding the truck. Bringing the truck and explaining it as a magic carriage seemed plausible since magic did exist here. The fact that it wasn’t widely used also helped them explain away the weirdness of the thing, as the average person wouldn’t question how it worked.

Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

It also improved their reputation. The ‘Magic Carriage Wielder, William Ari’ or something like that. William needed to build his reputation up fast. That way, he could take on quests far higher in rank compared to him, get proven that it was him, then accept the reward, all to be spent on delicious food. He would save up some money to build a business, his own logistic empire. That would leave him with no financial issues, and he could blast his railgun and eat as much chocolate as he wanted.

After all that thought, he decided to bring his mind to reality and ask the only local in their group.

“What do you think, Lily?”

“I think it’s fine. They’ll probably ask questions, but people are respectful of others' belongings.”

“I can use my shield magic to protect our truck.”

“Okay, let’s go, then,” William slammed the gas and the truck jumped forward.

“Nyaa!” Feodora let out a cute little squeak as the truck raced toward the village.

* ••

“Are you alright? Sorry about that.”

“No, it is fine… hah… why… why do I feel… excited?”

“Excited?” William asked, keeping his eyes on the road.

“Looks like someone started feeling the fun.” Lily elbowed Feodora in her sides. “Couldn’t we go faster, though?”

William shook his head in response. The truck was much wider compared to the average carriage, making it quite tough to drive on this world’s roads that were clearly not ready to accept foreign, heavy vehicles. It could still fit, leaving space for pedestrians to the side, but it forced him to be extra careful.

“Like… going so fast, is fun.”

“You get it!” Lily beamed, looking toward William.

“Glad you think so, but be careful. Don’t go too fast.”

“I will not.”

“Aww…”

“So, want me to teach you sometime?” he asked again, now that Feodora changed her mind.

“If you are willing, then yes.”

“This is so exciting!”

“Alright. I hope you’re also willing to teach me magic.”

“Of course. That is essential to the three of us. My request is entirely for my cause, a selfish request.”

“I don’t think that’s selfish. Besides, if anything, I think it’s better for a human to have some selfishness. Not a lot, but definitely need some.”

“I see. In that case, let me selfishly ask for you to teach me how to drive the truck.”

“Request granted. Now, let’s go get those kittens.” William stopped the truck and pulled the parking brakes. He turned off the engine and got off. William made sure the truck wasn’t blocking the road, albeit it clearly gathered the attention of the villagers, and made his way to the house they stopped in front of.

William took a glance at the other two before knocking on the door.

“Excuse us,” he called. An old lady, maybe in her sixties, came out, carrying a cat with her.

“Oh my…” she let out a gasp.

“Good day, my name is-” William was about to say, but the lady went past the three and took a good look at the truck parked in front of her home.

“My goodness. What in the world is this?” She took a look around the truck, examining it from every angle.

“Umm… Excuse us,” William called out to her.

“Ah, I’m terribly sorry, I didn't notice you there.” The lady corrected her glasses and stood in front of the three.

“Aww… a cat. Meow.” Lily approached it, but the cat hissed at her, stopping her in place. It looked like a normal cat, far different from Feodora, who was a lot more human than a cat.

“That’s alright. My name is William, and this is my adventuring party, Feodora and Lily. We’re here for the quest.”

“Ah, thank goodness! My dear kittens had run away from me during a thunderstorm, and I’m now terribly worried about them. Can you please help me look for them?” As if to confirm the lady’s words, the cat in her hands let out a meow.

“Can you tell us where you last saw them?”

The lady invited them into her house. They went past the building’s living room and into her bedroom. She then pointed out her bedroom window.

“They ran that way.”

William approached the window and took a look. Beyond the house was a wide field, and at the end of that field was what looked to be a kind of forest.

“Can you tell us what your kittens look like?” Feodora asked.

“There are three of them. One is orange, the second is white with black dots, and the third is black.”

“Understood, we will do our best to get them back home safely.”

“I’m counting on you.”

“Oh, by the way, do you mind if I leave my tr- magic carriage in front of your house?”

“I don’t, and I’m sure the people won’t.”

“Alright, thank you.” The three left the house. Before setting off on their epic journey to find the lost kittens, Feodora stood in front of the truck. Using her magic, a purple glow engulfed the vehicle, protecting it from harm. Unlike before, it wasn’t in the shape of a dome, but instead, it followed the truck’s outline.

“This one looks different?” William asked curiously.

“This is a lightning shield. It will momentarily stun anyone who touches it. I purposely made it the same shape as the truck so people can pass.”

“You’re really impressive, Feo!”

“Thank you, but I do not think it is that great.”

“Thanks, Feodora.”

With the truck safe, they followed the street and headed to the fields behind the lady’s house.

* ••

“You have any ideas about where they are?” William asked. They walked through the dirt pathways in between the fields. The plants planted there seemed to be paddy, reminding him of his homeworld.

Mom and Dad took me to one…

The entire scenery looked similar to the farming villages back on Earth. He had just arrived here, leaving Earth not long ago. He still felt the excitement of a new story, a new world. A new adventure where he could fire his railgun as much as he pleased. But, would there ever be a time when he wanted to return? Going back to that world where he only built scale model kits of massive guns?

“William, something on your mind?” Lily asked, stopping in front of him, waiting for him to catch up.

“Hmm? It’s just… this scenery reminds me of my previous world.”

“Your world has these kinds of fields as well?” Lily asked. “It’s just some fields, though.” Lily took a look around. “Nothing special.”

“Just reminds me of my homeworld, that’s all.”

“I don’t think we have time to reminisce. Let’s finish the quest, then you can reminisce as much as you like,” Lily said, walking forward once more. William shrugged, following after her. Being the local, Lily was the one most accustomed to the way this world worked. She was also an adventurer, so she probably handled these kinds of terrain before. Straight behind her was William, who was the slowest one. He was accustomed to Earth’s asphalt, or at least paved roads, so he was the one most careful. Feodora took on their rear guard. The likelihood of them getting attacked was incredibly small, but not impossible. That or she wanted to act as his guard, in case he fell into the water underneath.

“How about you? What is your world like?”

Feodora stopped. She took a breather, inhaling the fresh air.

“... No, my previous world didn’t have anything like this.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. There is only destruction as far as my eye can see. The air stinks with blood and flames. Seeing this before me… it is a blessing in of itself.” Feodora let out a thin smile, letting her hair float in the wind.

William looked at the scenery. It was indeed beautiful. A distant mountain, some shacks scattered here and there, the nearby forest, the white puffy clouds floating in the air, the fresh calm breeze, it was all beautiful. Yet, what to him was a sign of beauty, to Feodora represented freedom and a happy life, a blessing. Something the past her could only imagine enjoying.

“Say, Feodora.”

“Yes?”

“This is only the beginning. I hope you prepare yourself, because we’re going to see a lot more beautiful scenery, ones much better than this one!” William said with determination. Feodora’s smile widened, captivating William.

She’s beautiful.

“Thank you, William.”