The Klein Kingdom.
The day after Deus Ex Machina had leased the "bus."
"Oho, so this is the 'bus,' is it, Cowen?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. It is."
"Four wheels... no, with both sides, it has eight wheels in total. How is the ride?"
"Regarding that, we are about to put it through its paces now."
The location was the drill grounds behind the Royal Palace. There, the Magic Technology Minister, Cowen Lacca Kido, was attempting to assess its performance to determine how best to operate the "bus."
King Melikalans I arrived and looked up at the vehicle with keen interest.
Melikalans I was forty-one years old this year, in the prime of his life. He had dark blond hair and blue eyes, and his physique was lean, muscular, and well-conditioned.
"Are you going to test it with those men aboard?"
Beyond the line of the king's gaze stood twenty soldiers, having stripped off their armor.
"Yes. We intend to take it around the drill grounds for about ten laps."
"I see. I would like to watch that."
"Understood. We shall begin at once."
Cowen Lacca Kido gave a brief explanation to the king.
"The maneuvering... or rather, the driving will be carried out by a golem named 'Driver 1.' Assisting with area surveillance and supporting passengers during boarding and disembarking will be handled by another golem named 'Assist 1.'"
"Ho-hoh... This golem alone must be worth a small fortune."
Even to the king, an amateur when it came to magi-craft, the exceptional quality of the craftsmanship was immediately obvious.
Assist 1 opened the bus door and announced:
"Please, watch your step and come aboard."
Cowen gave the signal, and the twenty soldiers boarded one after another. Just as Cowen went to step on last...
"Your Majesty, what are you doing?"
"Well, I thought I might ride along as well."
"It could be dangerous, so you really should not."
"What is dangerous about it? Are we not merely driving around these drill grounds?"
"Th-That may be true, but..."
Cowen was not particularly assertive by nature. Overwhelmed by the king's sheer enthusiasm—or perhaps selfishness—he ultimately relented and permitted him to board.
Taking a seat in the very front, the king excitedly called out:
"Come now, let us see what it can do!"
Nevertheless, the highest command priority currently belonged to Cowen. Since Cowen had not yet issued the instruction, Driver 1 remained motionless.
A moment later, Cowen confirmed that all the soldiers were seated and gave the departure order.
"Departing now."
Driver 1 stated concisely, and the bus smoothly rolled into motion.
"Oh, it hardly shakes at all."
The king was thoroughly impressed.
Part of the reason the ride suffered fewer vibrations than a typical horse-drawn carriage was that the large chassis naturally produced a slower oscillation cycle. Far more significant, however, was the superior performance of the suspension system.
"Indeed, it is quite a comfortable ride."
Cowen had already deduced much of the underlying mechanics.
"How fast can it go?"
It was Assist 1 who answered.
"Yes, its standard cruising speed is approximately 50 kilometers per hour. The maximum speed reaches roughly 100 kilometers per hour."
"Ho-hoh, 100 kilometers per hour! That is faster than most poorly made aircraft or airships!"
Melikalans I seemed genuinely delighted.
"Cowen, using this bus as a reference, could our country mass-produce them?"
"Well..."
After pondering for a short while, Cowen answered:
"Replicating the exact same thing would be impossible." He continued, "You will ask why, I assume. It is because through 'imitation,' one can create 'something similar,' but never 'the same thing.'"
Cowen elaborated further.
According to him, looking at a single component alone would never reveal its tolerance—the acceptable margin of dimensional error.
"It is impossible to understand the underlying design philosophy just by examining a finished product."
He stated firmly that the only person in the world likely capable of such a feat was the Magi Craft Meister.
"The Magi Craft Meister, eh..."
Hearing that title, Melikalans I spoke with a tinge of regret:
"The predecessor... the Second Generation Magi Craft Meister, was originally in our country, or so it is said. Yet through various misunderstandings, he ultimately settled in the Shouro Empire. In terms of the continent's nations back then, he went from the easternmost edge all the way to the westernmost."
"Indeed he did."
Reaching the edge of the drill grounds, the bus slowly banked into a left turn.
"The king of that era, Alois III, was by no means a foolish ruler, they say. However, through slight missteps in his directives and the arbitrary interpretations of his subordinates, he ended up letting him slip right through his fingers."
"Yes, Your Majesty. So I have heard."
"Managing interpersonal affairs is truly a delicate matter."
"I could not agree more."
In truth, Cowen and Melikalans I were childhood friends.
Since Cowen was about five years older, they had shared an easy, familiar relationship back during the king's days as the crown prince.
Therefore, outside of official settings—putting aside whether the interior of a test bus counted as one—their speech naturally reverted to the comfortable tone of their youth.
Sensing the atmosphere, the twenty soldiers kept entirely silent, without so much as a whisper.
The bus soon approached a rough, uneven stretch of ground on the western side of the field.
"Oh, as expected, it does shake a bit here."
"Yes. Even so, traversing this rough terrain in a horse-drawn carriage would be utterly out of the question."
"Fair point."
Thanks to the eight-wheel configuration and the substantial sprung mass, the ride quality over the uneven ground remained remarkably stable.
"More importantly, we are maintaining a speed of around 20 kilometers per hour even across this rough terrain."
"Mm. Quite true."
Melikalans I noticed the feat as well.
"Over ground this rough, even a horse could likely not manage 20 kilometers per hour."
"Yes, I agree."
"Mmm... If only this could be adapted for military vehicles..."
"Your Majesty, Maquina-dono would almost certainly never permit that."
"I suppose you are right."
It was common knowledge that Deus Ex Machina desired peace. For that very reason, he had provided tremendous aid to Avalon, offering personal guidance and unstinting cooperation.
He was hardly the sort to favor any single nation.
The bus cleared the rough patch and made another sweeping left turn. Rather than tracing a sharp right angle, it followed a long, narrow triangular course, returning to the rear of the Royal Palace before coming to a smooth stop.
"Cowen, thank you for indulging me. I must return to state affairs."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
As he stepped off, Melikalans I addressed the soldiers who had accompanied them:
"Well done, everyone. Report your candid impressions of today's test ride to the Magic Technology Minister without holding anything back."
Incidentally, it was said that among the submitted reports, one soldier wrote: "I was overwhelmed with tension because His Majesty rode along with us."
"It seems the 'bus' has performed exceptionally well."
On Hourai Island, having received the status report from Driver 1 and Assist 1 via their internal manacam, Laojun began compiling the summary to relay to Jin.