The question of how I should be addressed had been up in the air for quite some time, but we finally settled it.
Since I had established other villages, people were concerned that my title would overlap with the new leaders, and they wanted a way to distinguish us. In the end, my title remained "Village Head."
Nothing changed for me. Instead, the heads of the other villages would be referred to as "Acting Village Heads" or simply "Acting." To be fair, those are only their official titles for when they visit the Village of the Great Tree or when we have guests. Within their own villages, they can just be called Village Head.
This was the final decision reached during the meeting of the race representatives. Considering how long it had been an issue, the conclusion was reached surprisingly quickly.
Was everyone really okay with that, though? I actually had a title of my own in mind. I thought it was a masterpiece, too.
Hmm? Ann, you’ll listen to it? You’re so kind.
Ahem. Well, then... "Chief Village Head."
What do you think?
...Why are you just smiling at me? Why won't you meet my eyes? If it’s no good, you can just tell me, you know.
There were currently three carriages in the mansion’s workshop. Michael-san and Beezel had sent them over to see if they could be modified with anything other than suspensions. I was told I could do whatever I wanted with one of them.
A carriage I could use freely. The first thing that popped into my head was the term "Camping Car."
I’ll be honest—I’ve always admired them. A house on wheels just sounds wonderful. There’s a certain romance to the idea. I couldn't help myself.
The interior of a carriage is surprisingly spacious. Usually, two benches for three people are installed facing each other. However, those benches are a bit cramped if three adults actually sit side-by-side. They’re best suited for two people to sit comfortably. In other words, these carriages are designed for four people to ride in style.
But my concept was a "Camping Carriage." Realistically, I couldn't use fire inside a wooden carriage, and installing a washing area or an outhouse would be difficult. Therefore, I aimed to create a comfortable space for a single passenger.
First, I ripped out both benches. In their place, I prepared a single armchair. I built a wooden base similar to a massage chair and upholstered it with Zabuton's cloth and fur. It was incredibly plush. I even installed a reclining function and made it so I could stretch my legs out—it could practically double as a bed.
Heh heh heh.
I installed this near the center of the carriage, taking care not to obstruct the reclining mechanism. However, since the entrance was in the middle, it made getting in and out a bit difficult. I tried moving it further toward the back, but then I couldn't lean it back far enough to turn it into a bed.
Well, the chair functionality alone was enough. I suppose some people prefer wide-open spaces while others like being surrounded by things. I’m the type who feels more relaxed with a bit of clutter, provided it doesn't feel oppressive.
To that end, I installed storage boxes about the height of the armrests on both sides of the chair. I added hinged lids to the tops so they could serve as side tables. I sat down to test it.
Not bad. However, I realized I wanted a table directly in front of me for meals. I spent two days tinkering with a gimmick that allowed a table to swing out from the side of the chair to the front.
By this point, several Mountain Elves had started helping me with the work before I even realized it. I decided to just leave the rest to them.
Next came the windows. Currently, there were windows on both sides and one in the front for communicating with the coachman. If I sat in my chair, that front window was directly in line with my eyes. It wasn't a very good view.
What if I made the window larger? I thought about it, but given the carriage's structure, a larger front window would just give me a great view of the coachman’s back and the back of their head. That was no good. Should I just get rid of the window entirely? But then I’d just be staring at a wall.
I tried to imagine it and quickly gave up. I consulted with the Mountain Elves instead.
We changed the orientation and position of the chair, turning it sideways relative to the direction of travel. We pushed the chair to one side so that a side window was directly in front of it. While I couldn't recline the chair in this position, it wasn't bad. It made getting in and out much easier.
On the opposite side, I installed shelves. It was starting to look like a study. I sat down to test it again. A window in front, a swing-out table at my side, and shelves within arm's reach. Yeah, this was looking pretty good.
Since this carriage already had a suspension installed, I naturally wanted to take it for a spin. One of the Mountain Elves volunteered to be the coachman and went to get a horse, but they were intercepted by the Centaur race. They brought a Centaur over for me instead.
We set off immediately.
The chair was facing sideways. The shelves were toward the front of the carriage, near the coachman, while the chair was toward the rear. The moment the carriage lurched forward, a third of the items on the shelves went flying.
I wondered if I should complain to the Centaur for such a spirited start, but I realized it was a structural defect on my part. We hadn't even gone that far, yet everything on the shelves had fallen off. I finally understood why people didn't usually keep many loose items inside carriages.
I took it as a lesson learned. The shelves needed improvement. I should have added guards to prevent items from falling, like the shelves you see on ships. I also needed to adjust the angle of the shelves. At the same time, I realized I might need to swap the positions of the chair and the shelves.
A lot of problems come to light once you actually test things out. It was a good learning experience.
Then, the Mountain Elves asked me a question. "When exactly do you plan on using this carriage, Village Head?"
"For travel, obviously."
"Will you be traveling alone?"
...
My original goal was a "Camping Carriage"—a moving house equipped with a kitchen, shower, and outhouse. However, I had compromised and shifted toward a "comfortable space for one person."
That was my mistake. Would I ever actually travel alone in a carriage? No. Even if I were the only passenger, I’d always have a coachman or the Centaurs with me.
"I’ve realized my error," I admitted.
I shouldn't have abandoned the initial concept. A moving house needed a kitchen, a shower, and an outhouse. What I should have omitted was the "comfortable passenger space." I could just ride in a different carriage, or even sit up on the coachman’s box.
Time for a do-over. Instead of designing it for a passenger, I would design it as a support vehicle that accompanied a traveling group to provide a comfortable journey.
"In that case... isn't the current carriage body too small?"
I nodded at the Mountain Elf’s observation. "Go call the High Elves who have some free time."
"Are we really doing this?"
"You guys handle the wheels and the chassis."
And so, the construction of the new carriage body began.
Ten days later, the carriage was finished. At first glance, it looked like a normal, albeit slightly tall, four-wheeled carriage. It had no interior seating for passengers; there was only the coachman’s box and a small platform at the rear.
The true value of this carriage lay in its ability to transform when parked.
Yes, transformation.
First, the coachman’s box and the front wheels would slide forward while the rear wheels slid backward. Simultaneously, the main body would sink toward the ground. Just before it touched the earth, support legs would extend to lock the body in place. Then, the entire carriage body would split vertically down the middle, with the left side swinging open ninety degrees.
The interior of the left side was packed with cooking equipment. Once we unloaded the folding tables and chairs and extended a sunshade from the roof, we had a fully functional kitchen. I couldn't fit a proper furnace, but as long as we could start a fire outdoors, we could cook almost anything.
On the right side, we stored food ingredients and eight long wooden boards. The boards were used in groups of four to assemble a private shower room and an outhouse. The roofs were made of detachable cloth.
For the shower, we used a bamboo waterway to draw water from a tank mounted on top of the carriage. The floor was a slat mat made of bamboo. I also prepared various ropes and curtains to serve as a privacy screen and a changing area. The only downside was that the shower water just drained onto the ground, so we had to be careful where we set it up.
For the outhouse, we used a chamber pot attached to the exterior of the carriage. It was perfectly functional as is, but for hygiene's sake, I wanted a slime to accompany us. I also provided a hand-washing area and a place to store leaves for wiping. I had thought about building the outhouse into the interior, but I nixed the idea because it was too close to the kitchen and food storage.
While the transformation was the carriage’s biggest selling point, I was also quite proud of the jack mechanism used to lift the body back up and the small hand pump used to fill the roof-mounted water tank.
With three people who knew what they were doing, the entire transformation and setup of the shower and outhouse took only five minutes. Packing it all back up took about ten. I was very satisfied with the result.
"This is completely for the use of nobles, isn't it?"
"You'd have to bring a chef along just to use it."
"You'd also need someone dedicated just to managing the outhouse."
"Between the water for the kitchen, the shower, and the outhouse... that tank is going to be heavy. It'll be a struggle for a single horse, won't it?"
The Civil Official Girls were harsh with their critiques, but I didn't care.
"Technically speaking, there were a lot of very interesting features. The transformation was the best part," the Mountain Elves said, showing their support. Thank you.
"Wouldn't just the jack mechanism and the small pump have been enough?" Lu muttered, completely missing the romance of it all.
I knew that. I realized it halfway through the build, too. I certainly wasn't going to mass-produce this thing.
"Well, since we built it, let's give it a try. We've already got the food loaded up."
Since we were only going on a day trip, we didn't use the shower, but the outhouse saw a fair amount of use. I and the High Ogre maids took charge of the kitchen.
"Isn't this a bit much for nearly a hundred people?"
I had only asked for volunteers, but an unexpectedly large number of people wanted to come along. The dishes were in constant rotation, being used, washed, and used again. If Kuro's offspring hadn't gone out and hunted some fresh game for us, we might have run out of food.
Since we were near the water, we didn't have to worry about the supply for the tank. The Dwarves were busy drinking sake, anyway.
In the end, everyone seemed to have a good time, and the carriage functioned exactly as intended. Alfred, Tiselle, Urza, Nart, Gural, and the Beastman boys were all wide-eyed and cheering during the transformation, so I'm calling it a success.
"Um, Village Head? Why is everyone gathered out here... what are you doing?" a Centaur traveling between the villages asked me.
"It's a picnic."
We were near the bridge crossing the river between the Village of the Great Tree and Village One. It was only about five kilometers from home, but the places a carriage can reach are limited, after all.