Rebuilding a Kingdom - Chapter 15 (Patreon)

Trial Run of the Magic Vehicle
The barrel containing the miasma water was moved from the Royal Castle to the dwarves' workshop due to Sister Emily's opposition.
Emmy and I carried one barrel into a room in the workshop and decided to inspect the miasma water.

We uncorked the barrel and transferred the water into a glass tank.

The miasma water was a transparent pale green color and had a rich forest scent.
So far, we felt no physical discomforts, and it seemed that it wouldn't be harmful to the body if not consumed.

"Now that we've brought the miasma water, how do you plan to conduct the experiment?"

"If my idea is correct, the miasma water should emit a small amount of noxious gas, or decayed mana. So if we put a magic stone into the miasma water, it should start a reaction, and mana should be released from the magic stone."

"I see, so that's how we can extract mana from the magic stone."

"That’s just my idea, though. We won't know if it's correct until we try the experiment."

"Then let's give it a try."

I nodded vigorously at Emmy’s smile, took out a leather pouch from my pocket, and tossed the magic stone inside into the tank.

Light began to emit from the magic stone submerged in the water.

Seeing the light, Emmy’s face flushed with excitement as she clasped her hands in front of her chest.

"It's beautiful!"

"It seems like the experiment was successful. Now that we've extracted mana from the magic stone, we need to think about how to transfer this mana to a machine."

"Huh? We could just use this water directly. Enclose the water with metal and make the part that conducts magic out of Mithril. Then the mana will flow to the machine from there."

I hadn't thought of using the miasma water directly.

Upon hearing Emmy’s words, I suddenly realized.

Surrounding the magic stone filled miasmic water with metal and using it... That's just like a battery, isn't it?

"Perfect! With this, we can create a machine that will astonish even the Elfast Magic Kingdom!"

"That's great, but stop shaking me!"

Emmy, whose shoulders I grabbed and shook, screamed.

Emmy and I left the room and called the dwarves in the workshop together.

Then, showing the dwarves the design for the magic vehicle drawn on parchment, we asked for their cooperation.

The dwarves, who had been idle since coming to the Capital, eagerly began making parts for the magic vehicle.

A week later, a prototype of the magic vehicle was completed.

The shape of the magic vehicle resembled a lorry from my previous life in Japan.

Since there was no material similar to rubber for the wheels, we used leather from monsters.

Since there were no suitable materials for the windows, they remained hollow, so there still was much room for improvement.

We couldn't run the magic vehicle inside the Capital, so we asked the Royal Knights to pull it with a carriage and transport it outside the Capital.

Emmy, Sister Emily, Brother Adel, Brother Roland, the guards from the Royal Knights, and I, gathered near the outer wall of the Capital to conduct a test run of the magic vehicle.

"Can this metal cart really run without horses?"

"In theory, it should be fine. Even if the experiment fails, the magic vehicle just won't move, so there's no danger."

"In that case, I'll join the ride too."

"I'm getting on too."

Thanks to Sister Emilia’s comment, it was apparent that the test drive plan changed, and she and Brother Adel joined Emmy and me as passengers.

I took the driver's seat, Emmy sat in the passenger seat, while Sister Emilia and Brother Adel got into the back seats.

I gripped the steering wheel with both hands, placed my foot on the accelerator, took a deep breath, and pressed the magic vehicle’s start switch.
The car rattled, and the gears moved from the drive unit—it seemed like the startup went well.

When I pressed the accelerator deeply, the magic vehicle quietly began to move forward, gradually picking up speed.
Excited voices came from behind as Sister Emilia and Brother Adel expressed surprise.

"It's moving! Don't go too fast!"

"Ian, this is amazing! It's faster than a carriage!"

There's no speedometer, so I don't know the exact speed, but it was only about 20 kilometers per hour—still, that must feel fast compared to the average carriage speed of about 10 kilometers per hour in this world.

Since there were no asphalt roads in this world, it would be dangerous to increase speed on rough roads like ours.
Therefore, the magic vehicle’s speed was designed not to exceed about 30 kilometers per hour.

I pressed the accelerator and, at a top speed of 30 kilometers per hour, circled the road surrounding the Capital.

When I returned to the open space, Brother Roland and the Royal Knights stood there with astonished expressions.

After finishing the test drive and getting out of the magic vehicle, Brother Roland ran up excitedly.

"Ian, this is an incredible invention! This vehicle will surely astonish the Elfast Magic Kingdom."

"It makes me happy to hear you say that."

As you and Brother Roland talked, Sister Emilia and Brother Adel, who had gotten out of the magic vehicle, also approached, tousling my hair affectionately.

Finally, I broke free from the trio and ran over to Emmy, who was smiling.

"Congratulations on the success!"

"It's all thanks to your design, Emmy."

"No, if it weren't for your ideas, I couldn't have made it alone."

"Well then, here's to both of your success."

"Yeah."

We high-fived and lightly embraced each other.

Now that the test drive was successful, all that’s left is to turn it into a marketable product.
Sounds like an exciting journey is ahead of us!