"Lo-Lord Jin Nidou! W-what on earth is this!?"
As expected, Jin and his party were stopped at the Imperial Palace entrance by the gatekeepers, who stared at them in wide-eyed astonishment.
"It's a horseless carriage. We call it an 'automobile.' The vehicle behind us is a gift intended for Her Majesty."
"I-is that so? At any rate, please wait just a moment!"
The gatekeeper wasn't sure if he should simply allow an automobile—a contraption he had never seen before—to pass just because it was Jin's work. One of the guards hurried off to confirm with a superior.
While they waited, Jin found himself peppered with questions from the remaining gatekeeper.
"How does it move without a horse?"
"How fast can it go?"
"Is it easy to operate?"
He was asked a variety of things, but the question that actually made Jin the happiest was:
"Do you think someone like me could ever own one?"
It was proof that there were people who found the technology interesting and felt a desire to possess it.
They must have been waiting for about ten minutes.
"Jin-dono, my apologies for the delay! Gatekeeper! There is no issue! Let them through!"
Flora, the female royal ritter, came running up to grant them passage.
"I am terribly sorry for the inconvenience, Lord Jin Nidou!"
The gatekeeper saluted Jin and his automobile. Jin gave a simple nod in return and started the engine.
"Edgar, keep it slow."
"Yes, certainly."
Since they were within the Imperial Palace grounds, Jin kept their speed only slightly faster than a walking pace. Flora stayed beside the automobile, keeping up with a brisk walk.
"Jin-dono, please park these 'horseless carriages' in the carriage lot."
"Understood."
Following her directions, they parked both vehicles in the area reserved for carriages. Leaving their management to Edgar, Jin, Elsa, and Reiko followed Flora to meet the Empress.
"Jin-kun, I saw you from the window. You’ve certainly made something fascinating."
The Empress's first words were immediately about the automobile.
"Yes. One of them is a gift for Your Majesty."
"Truly? I’m delighted. I’ll have you show it to me properly later. But first, I must give you these."
The Empress signaled with her eyes to the Chancellor sitting beside her. He held out two sheets of parchment.
Incidentally, the "wood-paper" that the Shouro Empire had begun importing from Mitsuho was starting to circulate, but it was not yet used for official public documents.
"This is the visitation permit for Mitsuho, and this is your identification card."
"Thank you very much."
Jin expressed his gratitude as he accepted the documents.
"Now then, Jin-kun, show me this 'horseless carriage' you’ve brought!"
Whether she was aware of the Chancellor and Flora sighing beside her or not, the Empress stood up from her seat with great enthusiasm.
"...And this is the 'horseless carriage'?"
Jin, Elsa, Reiko, the Empress, the Chancellor, and Flora had gathered at the parking area at the edge of the square in front of the Imperial Palace.
"It is called an automobile. This one here is the vehicle intended for Your Majesty. This part is the passenger cabin..."
As Jin provided a general explanation, the Chancellor let out a voice of admiration.
"Oh... this is magnificent."
The design was elegantly refined.
"If I may have your permission, I would like to attach this emblem."
Jin showed them the Drei Schwerter—the three crossed swords of the Imperial Family Crest. Naturally, the Empress had no objections, and Jin quickly fixed the emblem to the car.
"Is it safe?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. In fact, we drove here from my residence just now without any issues. If you like, I can demonstrate how it moves."
Jin decided to have Edgar drive the automobile he had built for his own use.
"Edgar, take a lap around the square and come back."
"Yes, certainly."
The automobile started smoothly.
"My, it really is moving without a horse!"
"Hmm, it doesn't seem to go particularly fast."
The Empress and the Chancellor watched with curiosity. Flora, having already run alongside it, was no longer surprised. After a few minutes, the automobile driven by Edgar completed its lap around the palace square and returned to them.
"As you can see, there is no danger. Please, I invite you to take a test drive."
As soon as Jin said the word, the Empress looked toward the Chancellor and Flora with an expression of pure impatience.
"Well? Chancellor, Flora, what do you think?"
"Y-Your Majesty. Please, by all means, step inside."
Flora, the female royal ritter, climbed in first and offered a hand to assist the Empress. The Chancellor followed after her.
"Jin-dono, I ask that you join us and provide further explanation," the Chancellor requested.
Jin and Reiko boarded last. Since there were two rows of three-person seats, Flora sat on the front right, the Empress in the center, and the Chancellor on the left. In the second row, Jin sat on the right and Reiko on the left.
"The driving is handled by a golem specialized in the task. Please give your destination instructions verbally. For instance, 'Slowly go around the square once.'"
<Yes, certainly.>
The golem responded concisely, and the automobile began to move.
"It’s moving. The ride is quite pleasant."
"Indeed, one can hardly feel any vibration."
The automobile traveled across the palace square at about five kilometers per hour—roughly the speed of a brisk walk.
"It’s essentially the same as giving directions to a coachman on a carriage."
"I see. I wonder, can it go any faster?"
"It can. Please, try giving it a command."
"Understood. 'Drive a little faster.'"
<Yes, certainly.>
Following the acknowledgment, the speed increased to about ten kilometers per hour.
"Oh, it's faster now! How much speed can it actually reach?"
"About twenty kilometers per hour. Roughly the same as a standard carriage, I suppose."
While the definition of "standard" was somewhat vague, long-distance carriages in this world generally averaged ten to fifteen kilometers per hour. The primary reason was the lack of paved roads. While a carriage could hit forty kilometers per hour for short bursts, the physical strain on the horses and the vehicle itself made it impractical for regular use.
"Even so, this is marvelous. How long can it run continuously?"
"We haven't performed a limit test, but as long as nothing breaks, it should be able to run indefinitely. It's equipped with a mana server, so there's no concern about running out of mana."
"My... incredible."
"Truly impressive."
The Empress and the Chancellor hummed in thought as they gazed out the window.
"The view is lovely, and the ride is comfortable. It's superior to current carriages in every way. I suppose the only drawback is the cost?"
"That is true," Jin replied. "The materials alone for one of these cost over a million Toll."
The Chancellor let out a sound of disbelief.
"Jin-dono, that must be just the cost of parts. Since it was crafted by your own hand, the labor alone should be worth double, triple—no, five times that amount."
"Is that so...?"
The Chancellor insisted that because it was a custom piece by Jin, a Magi Craft Meister, the brand value alone would mean a single vehicle would be worth no less than five million Toll—roughly fifty million yen.
When traveling long distances, the care required for a living horse—water, fodder, rest, and grooming—was a massive undertaking. With an automobile, all of that could simply be ignored. Jin estimated that the vehicle could likely run for ten thousand kilometers without needing maintenance.
"I suspect only the wheels will eventually need replacement."
No matter how much they were Reinforced and Toughened, they were still made of wood, and thus had their limits.
"I have included a full set of spare wheels just in case."
Since the wheels were fifty centimeters in diameter and only five centimeters wide, a full stack was only twenty centimeters high. They were stored neatly in a compartment under the floor to save space.
"The pilot golem has been programmed with the knowledge to perform these maintenance tasks."
"You really have thought of everything."
By the time they returned from their lap around the courtyard, the Empress was thoroughly satisfied.
"There is still room for improvement, of course. If you notice anything that could be better, please do let me know," Jin added, making sure to keep expectations realistic.