The next morning, in the stables…

Straf is standing behind an odd construction, leaning into an open compartment behind it, fiddling with a complex assembly within. The whole object appears like a downsized cart with no yoke.

「Straf, good morning-」

Cycelia says when she sees his focused face. Her eyes turn to the cart-like object. Affixed to its front, there is a thick, black spare wheel with no spokes.

「That's a car!」

She excitedly exclaims, pointing at the metal cart as if it were some rare beast that she spotted in the wilderness.

「Yes it is. I'm glad you remembered, Lia. Good morning. Good timing, too. I was about to go and wake you.」

He nods, replying with a smirk, then greets her. His hands move to the top of the rear compartment's cover.

Thud.

He noisily swings it shut, and walks to the left side of the car. Cycelia approaches his side as he looks it over.

「It looks like you're feeling better now, too.」

She says as she looks at Straf's very lightly pleased face. He turns his eyes to her, side-glancing at her, and his brows rise a little.

「I was feeling fine…」

Straf dismisses her remark, shrugging.

「…Can you guess what time period it's from? I'll give you a hint… States at war, but not warring states.」

He asks, and hops over the door into the open-top car's driver seat. It bounces slightly left and right from his suddenly added weight.

「Umm…」

Cycelia tilts her head, taking in the whole of the car's construction. She recognizes most of the telltale elements. Like most cars, it possesses a windshield, a steering wheel, at least one seat, though this one in particular seems to have four in total. It also appears that there is a folded frame in the back that would allow draping a cloth roof over the car, almost like a regular wagon that Cycelia is used to seeing, but the cloth is currently rolled up and secured. The chassis is rather boxy, far from being streamlined, and there doesn't seem to be much focus on comfort.

「…The Second World War?」

She replies with an uncertain voice, furrowing her brows. Straf raises his in response, nodding in approval with a lightly surprised grimace.

「Nice. That's correct, Lia. Were you guessing?」

He asks, looking at her smiling face.

She nods and shrugs her shoulders.

「…Kubelwagen, type 82. Not the best, the fastest, the greatest… But certainly cool as fuck, and very iconic. How'd you guess? Something must have lead you to that answer.」

Straf explains, then leans onto the driver's side door with his elbow.

「It just seems like your favorite part of history, so I guessed it would be something from that time.」

Cycelia spreads her hands, then returns a warm smile.

「…Well, you're not wrong. It certainly was a short, but very complex and intricate moment in history with a lot of moving parts… And absolutely everyone got some screen time…」

After a brief moment of silence with a tight-lipped grimace on his face, he shrugs and nods in agreement, spreading his hands before returning them to the cord-wrapped steering wheel.

「…Hop in.」

Straf nods his head at the seat beside him.

Cycelia walks around the car's front, then stops by the passenger side's door. She blinks her emerald eyes at the seat, and the limited space she has to somehow climb into it.

「Huup…」

With her movements somewhat restricted by her coat, she tries to swing her leg over the door, resting her hands on it for balance.

「Ah, hold on!…」

Pointing his palm at her, Straf halts her attempt to hop in. Though confused, she aborts it and backs away.

Cla-clunk.

Straf leans over towards the passenger's side, and pulls at a handle. The door's latch makes a loud noise within itself, and he pushes the door open for Cycelia, swinging it towards the back.

「…Here. The doors open. They thought of that, too. It's a car from the hamburger country, after all.」

He says, straightening out to let Cycelia enter as the designers likely intended. She sits down in the quite regular, and not bucket-like seat. She gently pulls the door shut.

「…Harder, Lia. This thing was made for war, it can take some abuse. I don't want you falling out mid-ride.」

「Huh?」

Straf says, nodding at the door. Briefly confused, Cycelia blinks at him for a few seconds, before looking at the handle on the door. She pulls it, pushing the door slightly open.

Thud.

Cycelia pulls the door shut, this time with more force. She looks at Straf, and he nods his head lightly in approval.

「There we go… Ah, quick clarification… It's from the country the hamburger originates from, not the one that made it really popular…」

He explains with his index finger extended, leaning in slightly towards Cycelia. Surprised by the abrupt proximity in the rather cramped vehicle, she leans away a little.

「Uh-huuhhh… The one with warring states…」

Cycelia nods gently with her brows furrowed.

「No- Well, yes, but-」

As the semantic vagueness grows, Straf begins stumbling over words.

「…We really should stop calling every single period of civil unrest in my world warring states. While not incorrect, that basically applies to nearly every event of its history.」

He sighs, and looks at Cycelia with a tight-lipped grimace on his face, straightening out.

「Right…」

She nods, though her brows remain furrowed.

「Also, if the hamburger country people heard you conflate them with the country that made this car, and they saw a very pretty girl greet them with an arm salute, they'd probably be very upset.」

Straf adds, briefly spreading his hands before returning them to the steering wheel. One of them slides down to the ignition. Confused, quizzically Cycelia raises her hand. Straf glances at her.

「Don't, Lia. In this car, with these clothes on, we'll have no excuse…」

Seeing her slowly raise her hand further, he shakes his head, stopping her. Cycelia slowly lowers her hand back down, far from it reaching the status of a salute of any kind.

「…By the way, I didn't have time to test the engine. If you heard some noises coming from the stable at night, that was me carving out the magic channels into its guts.」

Straf says, turning his eyes to his fingers on the key in the ignition.

「The engine?…」

She tilts her head, furrowing her brows.

「Yeah. Cars have engines in them, and they're powered by little explosions. If you hear a big explosion in the back, that means it didn't work. Let's see…」

Straf nods, glancing at her, before returning his expectant gaze to the ignition and turning the key.

Vrrvrrvrvrrvrrrrrrrrooooooom!… Vrrvrrvrrvrrvrr…

For a few seconds, the kubelwagen shakes terribly with enough force to threaten its own disintegration. After a moment, the vibrations calm down, and a soft purr of the engine fills the air.

「…It didn't explode?」

With the car now only mildly vibrating as it idles, Cycelia looks towards its engine in the rear.

「So far.」

With a satisfied, tight-lipped grimace on his face, Straf nods in reply.

「That's not very reassuring…」

Cycelia's face gains an awkward, lightly concerned grin.

「Well, on the bright side, if it does explode now, it'll likely fuck up just the engine, rather than the whole car. Let's see if it moves…」

Vrrrooooooommmmmm!…

The engine roars loudly, but the car remains stationary as Straf pushes on the pedal. Cycelia's large emerald eyes look over her shoulder towards the source of the noise.

「…Right. Yet another reason why no one's gonna steal this thing…」

Straf remarks with a tight-lipped grimace, and pushes another pedal with his left foot. He then yanks at the stick between him and Cycelia, shifting it into a specific position.

「…Manual gearbox.」

He adds, glancing at her. He releases his foot from the pedal, adding only minimal pressure to it as he pushes on the once-gas pedal again.

Vrrrrroommm…

「Wah!…」

Though the force is very gentle, Cycelia gets pushed back into her seat, mostly due to the experience being very new to her. Straf steers the car out of the stable onto the city streets outside.

「What is that?…」「…Why is it moving? Where's the horse?…」「…Is that magic? It has to be.」

Driving slowly and taking care not to run anyone over, the onlookers stare at Straf and Cycelia in the car as they roll pass, scratching their heads as to why and how it's moving.

Vrrroooooooommmmm…

「You know, I put a lot of effort into making the engine parts actually work. Otherwise it'd sound like an electric, and I don't think I'd be able to forgive myself for that.」

Straf remarks as the car accelerates slightly on a short straight.

「…Are you not going to wear your hat, Straf?」

Cycelia asks while Straf takes a turn. Though the morning pedestrian traffic is heavy, the people instinctively move out of the way just like for a horse and a cart.

「Hm? Nah, that furry asshole frayed it and stomped it flat. I don't want to just throw it out, and I don't have the manual skills to fix it, so I'll just hand it to a tailor.」

Straf shrugs, nonchalantly replying as he drives through the dense crowd.

Mere moments later, in just a fraction of the time it would take for them to walk there, they pass by the statue's feet. They remain its only element still on its large pedestal.

Vrroommm…

「…Cars are pretty fast. Do you think we'll make it to an inn before it gets dark?」

Cycelia remarks while looking over her shoulder at the statue they left behind, then turns her smiling face to the driver.

「Pft…」

Straf scoffs, gaining a large grin on his face as he approaches the city gate. The two guards standing at its sides exchange nervous and puzzled glances when they see the kubelwagen.

「What?」

Cycelia tilts her chestnut head, blinking her emerald eyes at Straf. He speeds past the guards and takes a sharp turn onto the stone highway, shifting gears.

「…Watch.」

Vvvvvvrrrrrrrrrrrrrrroooooooooooooooooommmmmmmmmmmm!…

Straf turns his grin to Cycelia, and stomps the pedal to the metal. Cycelia gets squeezed into her seat again, and there seems to be no end to the acceleration as the engine roars.

「…Cars are really fast!」

She exclaims with a nervous grimace as the roadside trees speed past them. Straf chuckles.

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「Yeah, they are! We'll be back in the capital in a few hours!」

He nods, shouting over the noise of the engine and the wind.

「A few hours!? In the capital!?」

Cycelia's brows rise, and she blinks her huge, mildly frightened eyes full of disbelief at him.

「Yeah!… Assuming the gems don't run out of magic juice!… Or the engine explodes!」

Straf replies, grinning ear to ear as a needle in the center of the dashboard reaches the highest number.

Vrrrrrrrrrroooooooooooooooooommmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!…

「…Is this safe!?」

Cycelia asks while Straf navigates the winding road. The city behind them is already growing distant.

「Uhh… Not all that much! But the weather is good, the road is straight, and there's no traffic!…」

Straf replies, shouting through the noise. His gaze momentarily drifts upwards.

「…Now that I think about it, that's actually the most common conditions for a traffic accident! But I'd consider myself a better driver than most, so relax!」

He adds, and nonchalantly shrugs his coat-covered shoulders.

Vrrrrrrrrroooommmmmmmmmmmmm!…

「Uh…」

Cycelia glances ahead at the narrow, eye-of-the-needle like road. Two continue to shoot past the roadside trees while the engine roars.

「…Straf, could you slow down!?… Just a little!?… To be safe!?」

She asks, then curls her lips inward as her nervousness becomes more and more obvious.

「Relaaaax! When we have some time, I'll show you a plane! I think you'll like it!… It's even faster than this!」

「It's even fa-!?」

Cycelia gasps in shock at Straf's claim, then lowers her gaze into her lap, trying to ignore everything speeding past their sides.

《…Why are men like this!?》

She thinks, jittering heavily in her coat. She notices some buildings in the corner of her vision, but they're quickly gone in a blur.

「Eh?… Eh!? We're already here!?」

Cycelia shouts in shock, gripping onto her seat as she looks at the village they dropped the traveling peasant off at.

「Told you! We'll be back in a few hours tops!… Want to make a detour to the Academy of Magic so I can rip the headmaster's beard off for making me an archmage!?…」

Straf smirks, quickly side-glancing at her before returning his eyes back to the road. They continue onward. The needle in the dashboard remains at its rightmost limit…

…

An hour later, on one of the highways…

Vrrrrrommm!… Vrrrrrrrrooooooooommmmm!

Like a rally driver, Straf navigates the winding forest road with ease, deftly spinning the cord-wrapped steering wheel. Cycelia sits entirely stiff in her seat, staring ahead.

「…You know, I think I figured out a solution to the old peoples' retirement problem!」

Straf suddenly speaks, glancing at Cycelia.

「W- What is it!?」

She asks, then shivers, wincing when she catches a glimpse of just how fast the trees are moving.

「Let them trade stocks! Pay 'em a one-off fun money stimulus… Meaning, just hand them free money, with the intent that they try and make more on stocks!」

「But what if they don't know how to!?」

Cycelia asks, staring dead ahead with a tight-lipped grimace.

「That's their own problem! I could probably print some educational pamphlets to teach them the advanced concept of 「buy low, sell high」 and such! A village only needs one big winner!」

Straf shrugs his hands, briefly taking them off the steering wheel. Cycelia's emerald eyes snap wide open, and she lets out a relieved sigh when they return to their spot.

「Huh?… Straf, there's someone on the road!」

Her chestnut head perks up, and she points dead ahead at three figures standing in the way.

「I noticed!… Bandits! You better duck a little, Lia!…」

Straf shrugs, apparently unbothered by the distant obstacle. Lightly confused, Cycelia ducks her head deeper into the car, covering it with her dainty hands.

「…The kubelwagen has been engineered to make short work of them!…」

「Huh!? Short work!?」

Cycelia's jaw drops, and her emerald eyes widen in response to Straf's proud declaration.

「…I have high trust in the durability of steel-chassis vehicles!」

Vrrrrrrrrrrooooooooooommmmmmmmmm!…

He adds, and steps on the formerly gas pedal with a wide, malicious grin on his face.

…

A few moments earlier…

Three masked men are kneeling by the roadside, hiding amongst the bushes.

Vrrrroommm…

An odd sound echoes off the trees, causing their heads to perk up.

「I think I heard something…」

One of them says, and sneaks a quick peek at the road past the tree they're hiding behind.

「…Yeah! Someone's coming! It's a cart!…」

Though masked, the man's cheek rise into a hidden grin. The two other men glance at each other, caressing their daggers' edges with anticipation.

Vrrrooomm…

「…Alright, listen up. Take their shit, turn out their pockets, don't stick 'em unless there's no choice. We don't want to leave a trail of bodies behind. Bodies are bad for business. Got it?」

「Right…」「Right…」

He turns to the two and explains. They both nod in sync.

Vrrrrroooooooom!…

「Alright… When they're close, jump out and block the way. Make it obvious you mean business, but don't be too scary. You need to give off an aura of a man of business…」

The leader leans back onto the tree, and tries to take another cautious peek.

「…What is that sound? That doesn't sound like horses.」

One of the masked men remarks, furrowing his brows.

「I don't fuckin' know, maybe it's their piece of shit cart creakin'-」

Vrrrrrrrroooooooooommmmm!…

The leader shrugs, glancing at the two, but then the odd sound draws closer.

「…Alright, fuck it. Just jump out and wait for them!」

He stands up, and gestures the other two to follow him. He runs out onto the road, brandishing his shortsword, but his shoulders slump when he realizes the travelers are farther than he thought.

「Eh? Didn't that sound a little closer than this?」

The other man comments, glancing at the other two as they stand side by side and block the road.

「Doesn't matter! Just stick to the plan! Show 'em you mean business! They'll have to stop if they don't want their horses poked!」

The masked leader shakes his head and waits with the blade of his shortsword resting in his other hand.

Vrrrrrrrrroooooooooooommmmmmmmm!…

「…Where's the horses, though?」

One of the men asks, realizing that the cart is apparently being pulled by nothing at all.

「Uh… Just stick to the plan! They have to stop!」

「What if they don't?-」

「Shut up! Stick to the plan!」

The other man asks, but the leader quickly barks back, shutting him down. They stand in the way of the oncoming cart, staring at it with menacing eyes. A woman riding it points at them.

Vrrrrrrrrrrrrroooooooooooooooooooooommmmmmmmmmmmm!…

The odd noise grows louder. The menacing gazes of the two men at the sides turn somewhat nervous.

「Uh… Are you sure they will stop?…」

「Just block their fuckin' way!…」

The leader repeats, staring at the travelers with a sharp gaze. The two men at his side gulp.

VRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMM!…

「He's not-」

「He's not stopping!」

The two men declare as the grinning driver speeds towards the three. Their leader loses his confidence and takes a step back.

VRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOMMMMMM!…

「Shit!」「He's going to run us over!」「Fuckin'-!」

Their initial steps backwards turn into haphazard, disorganized, and panicked flailing of arms as they hesitate in which direction to run.

「Jump! Jump!」

One of the men screams, and the three leap out of the way towards the forest.

VRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!…

「…Bring a machinegun next time, fuckeerrr!…」「Straf! The road! Please!…」

The driver shouts at the three men and points his middle finger back their way with a grin on his face. The chestnut-haired woman in the cart screams at him, wide-eyed and pale.

Vrrrrrrrrrroooooooooooommmmmmmmmmmmmmm!…

After a moment, the driver and the cart disappears behind the trees, continuing along the forest road. Breathing heavily, the three masked men stare down the road in silence.

「…You said this would be easy money!」

One of them says as they stand up.

「That's… That wasn't normal! I've never seen this shit happen before!」

Their leader explains, throwing his hands aside, still wide-eyed and in shock.

「Fuck this! Easy money my ass! I'm going back to pickpocketing! I'll take the dungeon over being fucking flattened any day!…」

The second man exclaims, and rip his black mask off his face, storming away. The first one sheathes his dagger, and jogs up to join him.

「Wait! Let's do another one! The next one is gonna be normal!」

The masked leader pleads with his arms spread, but the two show him their middle fingers as they're walking away.

「Fuck off! Find another idiot to be your roadblock!」

One of them shouts back, and shakes his head. The leader throws his hands up in frustration, unsure what to do next…