Chapter 30

The dragon skeleton, Tensho-go, continued to run further and further west. Along the way, Senior Tototo and I swapped seats at the helm several times.

“Our company rules prohibit a single driver from running for more than two hours straight. If you try, the Tensho-go is programmed to come to a forced halt,” she explained.

“This company really is strict about that sort of thing, isn’t it?” I replied. I suppose President Kelkel would never allow anything resembling a “black company” practice.

“Driving for long periods causes your concentration to slip, and you get sleepy. Especially when you’re running far from the main roads; the scenery doesn’t change much, so it’s even easier to nod off.”

“I can see that. This country really does have a lot of plains.”

It was currently my turn at the helm. I was now capable of driving alone without any dangerous slips.

“Usually, I have to stop the Tensho-go every two hours just to rest, but with two drivers today, it’s incredibly efficient! At this rate, we’ll arrive way ahead of schedule!”
Senior was in a great mood; I could tell by her voice. She seemed to be the type whose emotions came out quite directly—the polar opposite of Senior Farphistanya. Not that one is better than the other, mind you. If Senior Farphistanya ever shouted “Yay!”, it would be terrifying. I’d probably suspect she’d been possessed by an evil spirit.

“Ahhh, this feels just like a road trip. It’s been a long time since I felt this relaxed. I haven’t had a decent drive in ages…”

Sitting beside me, Senior looked as though she was lost in thought. I suppose a lot happens when you’ve lived for over ninety years.

“Did you have a lot of… history, Senior?”

“That makes it sound like our company is just a collection of problem children.”

“Ah, I didn’t mean it like that… it’s just that both I and Senior Farphistanya were ‘picked up’ after failing our job hunts…”

“To be blunt, my problems were on a completely different scale than yours. And they were entirely my own fault…”

Perhaps I had pried a bit too much. I seem to have a habit of doing that.

“Hey, there should be a spring around here. Let’s pull over for a break.”

“Eh? Ah, yes…”

Once I spotted the spring, I slowly brought our speed down to zero. I was impressed she knew exactly where it was in such a monotonous landscape.

●

The spring was a natural rest area where quite a few wild animals had gathered. We hopped down from the dragon skeleton and let out a long stretch.

“My shoulders are pretty stiff…”

“Driving builds up stress unconsciously. You’re moving something this massive at high speeds, after all. Your brain is constantly worrying about what happens if you hit something.”

I used to think transporting goods was an easy job, but it’s nothing of the sort. It feels less like moving cargo and more like handling human lives.

“Well then, let’s eat,” Senior Tototo said, pulling out a lunch box.

Gah, I didn’t prepare any food…

“Wasn’t lunch supposed to be sourced locally? I thought we’d stop in a town and eat at a restaurant…”

I had heard that the town of Nargul, which we were passing, was famous for its deep-fried delicacies, and I’d been hoping to try some.

“Ahhh, going into town means slowing down, and then you have to park outside the gates… it ends up taking way too much time. Running through the countryside is much more relaxing since there are fewer accidents.”

“True. If something like this strolled through a town, it would cause a massive scene.” It seemed the convenient dragon skeleton had its downsides.

“Here, you can have this. I have bread too,” Senior Tototo said, handing her lunch box to me.

“No, I couldn’t! That would be way too rude!”

“It’s fine! We have plenty of food stowed away inside the Tensho-go. We even have dried pasta that you can eat just by adding hot water.”

Dried pasta is a portable ration that’s too hard to eat raw, but becomes edible after adding hot water and waiting three minutes. However, it tastes worse than real pasta and isn’t particularly cheap. Since I never went on long trips and had meals provided at the dorm, I never developed a habit of buying it. There’s even a sort of urban legend that if you eat nothing but that, your health will collapse and you’ll pass out.

“Master, let us accept her kindness. If we remain hungry, it will put an awkward pressure on Lady Tototo,” Cerulia advised.

“I see… I suppose if the roles were reversed, that would be uncomfortable. Alright, I’ll accept it this time.”

“Exactly! You’re the junior, so it’s okay to lean on me. Make sure to share some with Cerulia-chan, too. If it’s not enough, I’ll give you some bread.”

We sat in the shade of a tree near the spring and began a slightly late lunch. Senior Tototo’s lunch box showed an incredibly high level of “domestic skill.” Even though it was for herself, she had arranged the side dishes to look like rabbit faces. There was a wide variety of items and a high ratio of vegetables.

“To be honest… I feel completely defeated,” Cerulia murmured. She couldn’t make a high-spec lunch box like this yet. She was good at home cooking, but a lunch box required a different kind of attention to detail. “I am still lacking in my training. I must work harder to truly capture Master’s stomach…”

“N-now then… let’s just enjoy Senior’s lunch first…”

The taste was also top-tier. With her twin-tails and skills like this, she seemed like the type who would be very popular with men. However, Senior looked strangely lonely as she munched on her bread. The conversation didn’t really pick up. I doubted she was in shock from her lunch being eaten, so I wondered what it was.

“I’m going to go for a short walk. You two take your time eating.”

With that, Senior disappeared into a small patch of woods. Where there’s a spring, there’s usually a forest. But something about her behavior felt off. I pulled a simplified map from my pocket. I had researched our route the day before, as not knowing the geography would hinder my driving.

“Honestly, the public safety around here isn’t great. The map says this is a high-frequency area for bandits. It’s a bit dangerous for a beautiful senior like her to go walking alone.”

There was still a little bit of lunch left, but—

“I think we should go look for her.”

I stood up.

“Understood! Let’s go! I will follow Master anywhere!”

Cerulia and I headed into the forest after our senior.