Word of our upcoming journey must have spread, as visitors arrived at the forest.
"Master Carpenter, it’s been a long time."
"And you're looking well, Lady Crimson Flower Princess!"
Yes, it was the Master Carpenter.
Between having him build the Little Witch’s tree house and Amazoness Treant becoming his apprentice, he was one of the humans with whom I shared a deep connection.
It turned out the Master Carpenter had brought a gift for me.
"I heard a rumor that you and your friends were heading out on a trip, Lady Crimson Flower Princess, so I went ahead and built this. Please, I want you to have it."
"Um... is it just my imagination, or does this look like a carriage?"
"Of course it's a carriage! I figured that since the Lady Crimson Flower Princess isn't much for walking, a carriage would make your trip a whole lot easier!"
"Master Carpenter... You thought of that... for my sake...!"
I was deeply touched by his thoughtfulness.
Up until then, I had assumed our travel would consist of me walking while riding on top of Amazoness Treant. I never expected to be given a carriage, but it was going to be an incredible help.
However, I had to wonder.
"Master Carpenter, building a carriage isn't exactly a simple task, is it?"
He was a carpenter who specialized in houses; how had he managed to build a vehicle? Could it be that the Master Carpenter and his men were actually legendary craftsmen?
"I managed to get the carriage together, but there's just one problem..."
"A problem?"
"Well, we’re carpenters, see? We can build the wagon, but we can't exactly build a horse."
"Well, they are living animals, after all."
Horses were relatively precious and expensive. They weren't the sort of thing a group of carpenters could just give away as a gift. And, of course, no matter how skilled they were at construction, they couldn't create an artificial horse. There were no automobiles in this world, after all.
"I will... try to provide... the horse on my end."
"I'm sorry to leave it to you, but that would be a huge help. If there's anything else you need, just say the word!"
And so, I ended up in possession of a carriage—minus the horse. Since it was a covered wagon, it even had a roof. It was actually quite a luxurious piece of work.
Traveling in a carriage would significantly reduce the chances of our group being viewed with suspicion. Our party consisted of me (an Alraune), a fairy, a Treant, a Mandrake, and a witch. If the true identity of even one of us were exposed, it would be the end of our journey. Thus, a carriage was more than I could have ever hoped for.
I truly had to thank the Master Carpenter. I gave him a generous amount of Saint Nectar as a return gift before he headed back to the city.
"Now then—the problem is what to do about the horse."
With the proceeds from the Saint Nectar sales, buying a horse was certainly possible. However, the real issue was how to handle it. I had never cared for a horse in my life, and I imagined it would be too much to ask of the Little Witch or Kiri. It would be ideal if there were something that could serve as a substitute for a horse...
Just then, I heard a dull, rhythmic thudding vibrating from the distance. A giant, bipedal Wood Golem lumbered into view. It seemed it had just finished its forest patrol.
"Ah, Wood Golem, welcome ba—"
Wait, I just had a wonderful idea.
This Wood Golem was originally a Frost Golem belonging to the Demon King's Army. I had taken it over and added it to my ranks, and at that time, I had been able to change its size. If that was the case, perhaps I could also change its shape at my discretion.
"I'm sorry, Wood Golem. I'm going to... investigate your interior... for a moment."
I slid my dodder’s parasitic roots into the Wood Golem's frame. Extending the roots deeper and deeper, I eventually reached its core.
"No matter how many times I see it, it's a mystery... Why does a golem's core... possess the same power... as a Holy Relic of the Goddess?"
The energy within the core was identical to the power hidden inside the Hero's Helmet. In other words, it was a condensed mass of light magic. It was entirely possible that this golem had been created by Goddess Selene herself, though I had no idea how it had ended up in the hands of the Demon King's Army.
Regardless, if the core required light magic, that was my specialty. I channeled the nutrients I had stored through photosynthesis directly into the Wood Golem's core.
"Still not enough... more, more power...!"
"Lady Alraune, I'm home—! Wait, what in the world are you doing!?"
"Ah, Kiri... and Treant, welcome back. I'm just... modifying the Wood Golem a little."
"Modifying a golem!? Is that even possible!?"
Under the watchful eyes of Fairy Kiri and my younger sister-figure, Amazoness Treant, I continued to pour energy into the golem. Once the core reached a sufficient level of mana, it happened.
"Ah—I think... we're finally... connected."
It was the same sensation as when I had first claimed the Frost Golem's core. The shape of the core within the Wood Golem began to shift. Now, I could change its physical form as well.
"This is an order... Cease your human form... and become a horse!"
The Wood Golem's body began to warp and shift. The bipedal humanoid giant dropped down, transforming into a four-legged beast.
"It really worked. I suppose... it's always worth... a try."
I suppose you could call it a Wood Horse Golem. It was a bit on the large side, but from a distance, it should pass for a normal horse. Up close, of course, it looked incredibly suspicious.
It bore a striking resemblance to the Trojan Horse. Thinking it might be useful to have a hiding place, I took the opportunity to create a small hollow space inside the Wood Horse Golem. It was just large enough for one child, making it the perfect spot to hide Kiri or the Mandrake during cargo inspections.
Regardless, I was relieved to have secured a "horse."
"What is this!? The Wood Golem turned into a horse!" Kiri shouted, buzzing frantically around my head.
Was it really that shocking?
"Turning a giant of the Goddess into a horse... typical Lady Alraune. You're always doing the most outrageous things!"
"I'm not doing... anything that strange. We were given a carriage... so I simply made a horse... that's all."
"Normally, you can't just 'make' a horse! I've lived a long time, but I've never seen anything like this!"
Now that she mentioned it, I hadn't heard of wooden, horse-shaped golems existing either. I wondered if I could pass it off as a horse wearing wooden barding so people wouldn't realize it was a golem.
"In any case, now we can... use the carriage."
Once I hitched the Wood Horse Golem to the wagon, the covered wagon was finally complete. This was going to make traveling so much easier.
"Wait... is something still missing?"
With a horse and a wagon, it looked exactly like a carriage should. And yet, I felt as if something was lacking. What was it?
"Oh, right! A coachman!"
A carriage needed someone to sit up front. Someone had to handle the horse and guide the vehicle. This "horse" was actually a Wood Horse Golem that moved according to my will, so a driver wasn't strictly necessary for operation, but it would look far too suspicious if the carriage drove itself.
As a plant monster, I couldn't sit up there, and Kiri was too small. That left only the Little Witch...
Tug, tug.
I felt something pulling on my leaves. I turned around to find Amazoness Treant holding onto me. Moreover, her appearance had changed.
"Hey, Kiri. What's with... Treant's outfit?"
"Oh, that? We ran into the Master Carpenter earlier, and he gave her a travel robe!"
I couldn't believe the Master Carpenter had prepared a gift for Amazoness Treant as well. She had been working as a carpenter's apprentice, so they were on excellent terms. It wasn't exactly a surprise that they were friends, but seeing a Treant—who usually looked like a withered tree—completely wrapped in a robe was a strange sight indeed.
Amazoness Treant climbed up and sat on the coachman's seat of the brand-new carriage. Gripping the reins, she shot me a smug, confident look.
"Could it be... you want to be... the coachman, Amazoness Treant?"
In response to my question, Amazoness Treant gave a firm victory pose. She seemed determined to play the part of the coachman in her own way. With the robe on, she could pass for human from a distance. Her face was still visible, which might give her away, but if we found a mask for her to wear, she could likely maintain the disguise.
"Then, I'll leave... the coachman duties... to you."
And just like that, my little sister-figure was officially the coachman.
With the carriage ready and our means of transport secured, we were all set for a comfortable trip. A journey with everyone... I was truly starting to look forward to it.
Dodder: A genus of parasitic vines. Despite being plants, they lack leaves for photosynthesis and have no traditional roots. They are members of the morning glory family.
Next time: Rufe's Wooden Horse.