Chapter 13

The golem car cruised along the highway.

Inside, I sat in the driver’s seat, gnawing on a piece of dried meat.

“……”

It was salty and incredibly tough. Calling it “jerky” didn’t do it justice; it was hard enough to beat a man to death with. Still, it wasn’t inedible. It filled the stomach and gave my mouth something to do.

“Man, I really miss booze and cigarettes…” I lamented with a heavy sigh.

This was a far more serious problem than running out of firearms from my original world. Guns were easy enough to procure from soldiers. Alcohol and tobacco, however, were a different story. I’d never be able to find my preferred brands or manufacturers here.

According to Alice, tobacco does exist in this world. The taste would probably be a step down, but I’d have to make do. I’d buy some booze once we found a place to settle. I couldn’t wait.

Beside me, Alice had a map spread out. Occasionally, she would issue commands to the golem car, which was currently on autopilot. I spoke up to kill some time.

“By the way, are we okay for fuel? I’ve just been leaving that to you.”

“Yes, it’s not a problem. I’ve designed the golems to absorb magical energy from the atmosphere. As long as we’re just traveling, we shouldn’t run out of fuel.”

“That’s handy. I wish they’d introduce that in my world.”

I watched the interior of the car while chewing the dried meat. Most of the damage inflicted by the female knight was gone. The golems had shifted their forms to effectively plug the holes.

However, the repairs were purely cosmetic. While the damage from the Magic Sword wasn’t fatal, it wasn’t something we could ignore either. It wasn’t affecting our movement for now, but apparently, leaving it alone would lead to a drop in power output or mechanical failure. Alice could fix it if she had the materials, so I wanted to secure a repair environment as soon as possible.

We were currently searching for such a place. Losing the golem car would be a massive waste. I wanted to get it serviced before it broke down completely.

I turned my gaze to the scenery outside. Under a clear blue sky, grasslands stretched as far as the eye could see, punctuated by the occasional cluster of trees. It was a monotonous view. I couldn’t help but feel bored.

Suppressing a yawn, I asked Alice, “…So, have you decided where we’re going?”

“I’ve considered the candidates, and the Independent State of Eurea is the best choice.”

“What kind of place is it?”

“A collection of cities occupying the hilly regions in the southern part of the Empire. It has a unique autonomous structure where four representatives rule over their respective territories.”

Indirect democracy? No, I had a feeling it was something different. I smelled violence. My intuition usually hit the mark in these situations. This “Independent State” probably wasn’t a peaceful place.

Sure enough, Alice added some unsettling details.

“Countless criminal organizations reside in Eurea. Public order is terrible. On the flip side, no records are kept of who enters or leaves, and anyone can act freely. There are no official knights or soldiers. It’s an ideal place to hide, don’t you think?”

“I see. I’m inclined to agree.”

I nodded at her explanation. Considering our current situation, an outlaw city would definitely be easier to operate in. Setting aside the crime rate, the ease of entry and exit was a big plus. I was getting tired of being treated as an enemy by every soldier I met. Not that I hated a good fight, but if things could proceed smoothly, all the better.

“Incidentally, Eurea’s economy seems to be doing quite well. Compared to other regions, customs duties are low, and import/export activity is high. We should be able to find the materials to repair the car there.”

“Not bad. Alright, let’s head there.”

Based on the intel, it didn’t seem like we had many other options. The possibility of repairing the golem car was the deciding factor. And if the public order was bad, it meant the land was likely ruled by the principle of “might makes right.” I welcomed that; most troubles can be solved by demonstrating a superior level of violence. It was more familiar to me than some well-behaved city.

And so, our destination was set. We began our journey toward the Independent State of Eurea.

Repairing the golem car was the top priority. Ideally, I wanted to secure a base and make some modifications to the vehicle. Secondary to that was gathering information on the other summoned individuals and return magic. Since those were my original goals, I intended to pursue them diligently.

Alice added more detail while showing me the map.

“It’s about ten days from here to Eurea. But if we cut through the danger zones, we can make it in five.”

Her finger traced the forests and valleys on the map, stopping at the city that appeared to be Eurea. It was almost a straight line. It certainly looked faster than taking the long way around the highway.

“Powerful magic beasts appear in those danger zones. It’s a path anyone who isn’t suicidal should avoid, but I think we can take it this time.”

“Haha, quite the daredevil, aren’t you? Any particular reason why?”

Alice held up three fingers in front of her face.

“There are three reasons. First, if I have you with me, we can break through the danger zones. Even a ‘Great Hero’ wouldn’t have a level as high as yours.”

“Heh, is that how it works?”

“That Knight Captain you blew up was roughly Level 70. For an ordinary soldier, reaching Level 40 is enough to earn them high praise. You’re a complete outlier, Mr. Jack.”

I was surprised by this unexpected fact. I hadn’t known. I’d never had much interest in levels themselves. I had a vague sense that I was high-level, but I didn’t realize the gap was that massive. It made sense why that gate guard who saw my status before thought it was a fake.

“The second reason for suggesting the danger zone is that I’d like to do some ‘leveling up.’ If we defeat powerful magic beasts, our levels will rise accordingly. Physical abilities are bolstered, and the amount of mana in the body increases. With our powers combined, we can definitely take them down. It’ll be useful for the future, don’t you think?”

“Hmm, you’ve got a point.”

As I nodded in agreement, I realized that, even now, I didn’t actually know Alice’s level. I immediately checked her status using my goggle-type tool.

According to the displayed info, her Level was 21. Her Karma was -5, and she had an enormous list of skills. Her level was certainly low; the difference compared to me was night and day. A small mistake could easily get her killed. That would be a problem. Alice was a precious collaborator. As it stood, she was the key to returning to my original world. With that in mind, leveling her up was essential for her survival. Better to do it sooner rather than later.

“And the third reason for recommending the danger zone is that magic beast corpses can be used as materials for bombs.”

“Oh? Now that I can’t ignore.”

I leaned forward slightly at the mention of the word ‘bomb.’ Alice continued her explanation with an air of pride.

“Magic beast corpses have various uses. Processing them into equipment is the mainstream use, but they can be bomb materials too. Some beasts have blood that acts as an explosive. If you build fragments of their carapace into the shell, they can pierce even the toughest armor. Because they have a high affinity with magic, you can even embed spells into them. It really broadens the possibilities.”

“Spoken like a true alchemist. You know your stuff.”

Kill the beasts to raise Alice’s level, and use the remains for bomb materials. What an efficient routine. If we could take a shortcut while doing it, it was everything I could ask for.

“So, what will it be? If you don’t like the idea, we can take the long way around—”

“The shortest route, obviously. It’s all upside.”

I replied instantly. I was suddenly fired up. I wanted to try making as many world-specific bombs as I could. Magic beast corpses were exactly the materials I wanted.

Now that the route was set, I noticed a minor problem: a lack of food and water. Even if we crossed the area in five days, it might be cutting it close. We’d probably make it, but I wanted a buffer of a day or two. I could hunt animals along the way, but I wanted to save as much effort as possible.

‘If only we had just a few more supplies…’

As I was thinking that, I heard the sound of engines from behind. Looking back, I saw two military vehicles approaching. Likely pursuers from the city. They’d gone out of their way to follow us—and with only two vehicles, at that. I had to admire their persistence.

“Perfect timing. The supplies have arrived.”

I brought the golem car to a halt and grabbed my rifle, making sure it was fully loaded.

“Wait here a second.”

“Okay.”

I stepped out and moved away from the golem car to avoid involving it in the fight. It would be a hassle if the chassis took any unnecessary damage here.

“Fire!”

Soldiers in the back of the approaching trucks began shooting. I didn’t mind and simply stood my ground. The bullets whistled past me or plowed harmlessly into the dirt. They were firing desperately, but their aim was sloppy. They were never going to hit me like that.

“I’ll show you the real deal.”

Smiling, I took careful aim and fired. The front-right tire of the lead vehicle burst. The truck spun out in a spray of sparks and slammed head-on into a large tree. The impact threw the soldiers from the truck bed. I tossed a tear gas bomb over there to keep them pinned.

Meanwhile, the second vehicle attempted a full-speed charge. It was already closing in; I could clearly see the bloodshot eyes of the driver.

“Hup.”

I bent my knees and gave a light leap. I nimbly evaded the charging truck and landed right in the truck bed.

“Wha…!?”

“Y-you!”

The two soldiers there froze in shock. Before they could level their guns, I beat them to death with the butt of my rifle. I reached my arm through the window into the driver’s cab. My fingers smashed through the glass and seized the driver.

“Aaaaaagh!?”

“Keep it down. The pain is only for an instant.”

I snapped the screaming driver’s neck. Immediately, the vehicle went into an uncontrolled swerve. Unable to make the turn, the body began to tilt. I jumped off just before it rolled over, sticking a forward-roll landing on the grass. The overturned vehicle began spewing white smoke. There were no survivors left there.

I headed toward the truck that had hit the tree. Three soldiers were wandering around, coughing uncontrollably. They were frantically rubbing their eyes; the smoke had blinded them. They were firing blindly and swinging swords at nothing. I shot the poor bastards one by one. I also finished off the soldier who was unconscious in the driver’s seat.

“Now then, let’s see what we’ve won.”

I hummed to myself while scavenging the trucks. Inside, I found built-in preserved rations and three-colored signal flares. I also borrowed various weapons and ammunition from the corpses. It was a good haul for the effort involved. I hadn’t had time to restock properly back in the city. Since the opportunity had presented itself, I had to make sure I got everything from the other truck too.

As I carried the gear back to the golem car, I called out to my partner inside.

“Alice! Give me a hand, would you?”

“Okay, leave it to me.”

The golem car pulled closer. A part of the body morphed into the shape of a hand and pulled the supplies I was carrying into the interior. After that, it continued to pack the loot semi-automatically. I sat back in the driver’s seat and gave a wry smile at the sight.

“With things being this convenient, it almost makes me want to learn magic too.”

“I’m sorry, but that’s impossible for you, Mr. Jack. You don’t possess a single drop of mana. To be that high-level and still have zero mana… it seems you truly have no talent for it.”

“…Thanks for the thorough diagnosis. At least now I can give up on it once and for all. Really.”

Our journey of two was off to a remarkably smooth start.