Chapter 15

After sunset, the golem car carrying us proceeded through a canyon region that cut straight through the forest.

Considering the danger, we didn’t set up camp.

Monsters were prowling all around us.

In fact, ever since I had blown up the mantis, we had encountered a wide variety of creatures. Small demons called goblins, boars that wouldn’t stop charging even after taking a direct hit from an explosion, carnivorous plants that extended vines to entangle anything that got close, and even turtles that flew by spinning at high speeds—it was a veritable monster parade.

I felt like I could make a fortune if I captured them and opened a circus.

Naturally, in an environment where one encountered such creatures, casual camping was out of the question.

The golem car could move using the mana in the air as fuel and was capable of autonomous driving.

Since there was no need to stop anywhere, we decided to keep moving.

The headlights at the front of the vehicle sliced through the darkness of the night.

Currently, we were driving along a riverbank.

Thanks to the moonlight, the surroundings were visible, albeit hazily.

The forests to our left and right were shrouded in complete darkness.

As expected, trekking through that would involve too high a risk.

Fortunately, following the river provided the shortest route to Eurea.

I whistled a tune inside the car.

At my side, I kept my rifle and my bow and arrows.

I left the window open so I could attack at any moment.

Monsters appeared and disappeared like ghosts.

According to Alice, individuals capable of destroying the golem car’s armor weren’t exactly rare.

Once again, I thought about what a harsh world this was.

It was truly the law of the jungle.

By the way, through the battles along the way, Alice had reached level 28.

She started at level 21, so I thought it was only a jump of seven levels, but apparently, that was considered a significant surge by general standards.

Although I had only tasked her with magical support, it seemed she had gained more than enough experience points.

It was a good thing for Alice to become capable of self-defense.

I had no intention of treating her like a princess.

At the end of the day, we were partners with aligned interests.

I intended to protect her as much as possible, but unforeseen circumstances were a part of life.

It was best if she could survive even without my backup.

‘I’ve never been very good at escort missions, though…’

While grumbling internally, I crossed my arms and watched the scenery outside.

It was very quiet.

I had kept the hard rock music turned off since we left the city.

If I let that kind of high volume blare out, it would attract monsters in no time.

However, with this continued silence, I was starting to get sleepy.

That said, I couldn’t exactly just go to sleep.

As long as I didn’t know when a monster attack might occur, I had to stay on high alert.

I’d wait until dawn, at least, to take a nap.

Suppressing a yawn, I happened to glance at Alice in the passenger seat.

She was performing magical alterations on the bombs I had made.

Apparently, she wasn’t just increasing their power but also adding what she called “elemental attributes.”

She claimed this would make the bombs effective even against opponents who were resistant to physical destruction.

Just in case, I made sure she was careful not to cause an accidental detonation, but so far, there were no signs of that happening.

Alice was a skilled mage in her own right.

It didn’t seem like something I needed to worry about.

Taking the opportunity when Alice paused her work, I struck up a conversation.

“By the way, have you decided on a method for the destruction of the world yet?”

“No, not yet. Destroying the world with certainty is very difficult. The wars of the Age of the Gods are proof of that, as they failed to sever the history of humanity. It seems fragile, yet it’s stubborn.”

Alice spoke with a look of frustration.

She really seemed serious about wanting to destroy the world.

She was definitely crazy.

“World destruction, huh? I’ve never even thought about plotting something like that.”

I pondered the idea deeply.

“World destruction.”

It was a term I only ever heard in anime or manga.

I never dreamed that the day would come when I’d meet someone who genuinely aimed for that, let alone that I’d be the one helping them. It really hit home just how far I’d come into another world.

Alice believed my skills would be useful. However, was world destruction actually possible? The scale was entirely different from blowing up a single city. It was undoubtedly an act of insanity.

Still, I was curious. It was likely my instinct as a bomber. I wanted to see the kind of bomb that could destroy a world. I didn’t want to die in the process, but since I intended to return to my original world before the trigger was pulled, there was no real downside for me.

At the very least, it would be an excellent way to kill time until my return. By forming a cooperative relationship with Alice, I was also getting closer to achieving my own goal. It wasn’t a bad deal.

“I have a few ideas, so I want to travel around and conduct experiments. It looks like I’ll be needing a lot of help from you, Jack.”

“Don’t worry about it. We’re in this together. Oh, and while world destruction is important, don’t forget about the return magic, okay? It’s a matter of life and death for me.”

When I said that, Alice put a finger to her lips and smiled. Her eyes seemed to see right through me.

“Of course. If I neglected that, you wouldn’t help me anymore, would you?”

“Yeah. I absolutely hate being taken lightly. If you did, I wouldn’t just stop helping—I might even have to make things a little unpleasant for you.”

I stroked my rifle and let the corners of my mouth turn up. My eyes didn’t join in the smile as I stared intensely at Alice.

A silence drifted through the car.

After letting a good ten seconds pass, I relaxed my shoulders.

“—I’m joking. I’m soft on women and children, you know. My conscience would get the better of me; I couldn’t do a thing.”

“That was clearly not a joke… but fine. I have no intention of betraying you. I look forward to working with you.”

“Same here. I’m counting on you.”

I moved to shake her hand, but Alice suddenly raised one of hers. Her palm was facing me. She had a look in her eyes as if she were expecting something. Though her expression was lacking in variation, her request was easy to guess.

I gave a wry smile and struck my palm against hers.

“There, the high-five you wanted. Not sure why, though.”

Alice fell into thought for a moment before tilting her head slightly, looking unsure of herself.

“A commemoration of confirming our partnership…?”

“You’re the one who said it, yet you’re asking me?”

“But it’s important, isn’t it?”

“I suppose so.”

I laughed at how utterly serious Alice was. Somehow, it felt like we were finally starting to break the ice. It was a very good trend. For a long-term cooperative relationship, it was better to build at least some level of trust. A duo pursuing only profit would eventually collapse.

In the end, humans are creatures with hearts. You can’t live on cold calculation alone. The balance with the emotional side is what matters.

“I’d like to hear stories about the world you came from, Jack. Would that be alright?”

Alice brought up the topic abruptly. it was clearly a bit of small talk. Even though she seemed fine, perhaps she was also starting to feel bored with the current situation.

“The world I was in, huh…”

I hesitated, wondering where to start. I had no shortage of stories, but I wondered if Alice would even find them interesting. While thinking about my old world—which already felt so distant—I absentmindedly looked out the window.

And then, I noticed something strange.

“Hm?”

A black shadow was floating in the night sky. The shadow grew larger and larger as its wings beat up and down. It was approaching us in a straight line.

“Whoa, you’ve got to be kidding me.”

I slammed on the brakes and brought the golem car to a halt. Grabbing my rifle, I glared ahead.

The massive shadow landed roughly fifty yards in front of us. An earth-shaking tremor vibrated through the soles of my feet. I felt cold sweat trickling down my back.

The shadow was about the size of a small passenger plane. To describe its appearance simply: it was a lizard with wings and fangs. It had sleek blue scales that reflected the moonlight. A pair of crimson eyes looked down at us. Inside its mouth, I could see flames smoldering.

“That’s a dragon—a living disaster and the absolute predator of this world. It looks like we should probably run.”

Ignoring my stunned state, Alice spoke with perfect composure.