The day after we got back from Mismid, we headed to the capital’s guild to claim the request’s reward.
Like the Reflet guild, with its murmuring request board to the side, we submitted our cards at the desk. Being a direct request to individuals, completion confirmation should already have come to the guild from the palace.
The receptionist checked our cards and the request slip, then began stamping with her magical stamp.
“Well done. With this request, your guild ranks have all risen. Congratulations.”
Looking at the cards, everyone but Yumina was now blue; Yumina was now green. Black → purple → green → blue → red → silver → gold — we were dead-center, one step short of red — first-tier adventurer.
“And here is the reward — ten platinum.”
The receptionist laid out ten platinum on the counter. Doesn’t look like one is worth a million yen, somehow… Ten million total… isn’t that too much? Then again — a mission whose stakes were a country’s fate; this is probably fair. And impossible without [Gate]. Special-circumstance bonus included, maybe.
We pocketed two each and were about to leave the guild.
“Ah, one moment. We received notice from the palace — you are the Mochizuki Touya party that defeated the black dragon, yes?”
“We did defeat it, but… if you need proof, it’s troublesome…”
Showing off the dragon-horn gun, no thanks. The leftover horn is at home. No horn-shape preserved anymore — not sure they’d believe that.
“No, just confirming you’re the same. The palace has vouched for the dragon-slaying, so no issue. The guild presents you with the Dragon Slayer title.”
She took everyone but Yumina’s cards again and stamped each with a different stamp. A round symbol surfaced in the right corner — a sword piercing a coiled dragon. Mark of the Dragon Slayer, I take it.
“Present this and you’ll get a forty-percent discount at any guild-affiliated weapon shop, armor shop, tool shop, inn, and so on. Please make use of it.”
Discount perks — thanks. The Dragon Slayer title is granted for a kill by a party of five or fewer, apparently. Sure — a thousand-person hunt with everyone claiming Dragon Slayer wouldn’t fly. Anyway, grateful for it.
After the guild, the others wanted to do clothes-and-such shopping; I’d head back first. Ah — I have one thing to buy too. Uh — smithy is…
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A lot of cargo, so I [Gate]‘d into the garden, startling Frio-san who was tending the flowerbeds. Bad of me.
“Master, what is that?”
He stopped and asked, curious about what I was carrying.
“Steel, rubber, and some leather. Going to make a bicycle.”
“Bai-cycle?”
“A vehicle. Ride it, and you can go quite fast.”
“Hmm…?”
Frio-san’s response read as not quite getting it. Can’t be helped.
Right — tires first… wait, I need a pump first.
I [Modeling]‘d up a simple pump, was testing the air output when Lime-san came over.
“Master, His Grace Duke Ortlinde has arrived… what are you doing?”
“Hey. What is that?”
Same reaction as Frio-san; same answer from me. Same incomprehension as Frio-san.
“What brings Your Grace?”
“Nothing — thanking you for the last request. And one of those mirrors you can send letters with. Could I get one?”
“A Gate-mirror? Why?”
“My wife, you see. She’d be glad to write often with her distant mother.”
The Duke said it with a touch of shyness. Lovey-dovey, this man. I asked Lime-san to bring a set of the Mismid-made Gate-mirrors from my desk drawer, then enchanted them with [Gate]. Sent a test paper across — works.
“Keep it confidential, all right? Don’t want strange attention.”
“Ah, that’s fine. My wife and her mother both keep promises like this.”
While I was at it, I had him take the souvenir from Mismid for Sue too — a silver hair clasp. Hope she likes it.
“By the way — this bicycle? — how long does it take to make?”
“Mm — first one, around thirty minutes. Might tweak it after.”
“I see. I’ll observe to completion, then.”
This guy got time on his hands…? Whatever — finish the tires. I started reshaping the rubber for the tube with [Modeling].
◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇
“Right — that should do it.”
“Oh, this is a bicycle.”
The completed bicycle drew interested looks from the Duke, Lime-san, and Frio-san.
What I’d made was the common mama-chari. Simple build — front basket, rear rack. Lock and night-lamp I skipped because tedious.
I climbed onto the leather saddle and pedaled off. Ohh~ — they oohed. Yeah, fine. I went around the garden once and braked. Brakes work too.
“Lord Touya! Can I ride that!?”
“Anyone can. Kids ride them in my country. First-time though, you’ll fall a lot before you learn… still want to?”
“Of course!”
Really. This guy is needlessly curious. The Duke practically snatched the bike from me, mounted, mimicked the pedaling — and went down magnificently. Figures. Lime-san hurried to help him up; he climbed back on, fell again.
I fell a lot as a kid too — and that’s exactly why it was great when I finally rode. How long did it take me, again? Don’t remember well.
I’d read sites online about learning to ride in one day, so I passed on the tips. Hope it works.
I left Lime-san and Frio-san to look after the falling-and-mounting Duke and started a second bike. He’s absolutely going to demand one — clearer than fire.
When the second was done, Sue will absolutely want one too, so I started a child-sized one with training wheels. (Also included a tool to remove the training wheels.)
That one done, with nothing more to do, I went to help with practice — and the Duke whizzed right past me.
“I did it! I did it! Hahahaha!”
The Duke, laughing, was now riding freely. Fine clothes and face mud-streaked, but bursting with delight, he kept circling the garden. Once you ride, you ride freely — bicycles are funny that way.
“Eh — what’s that?”
“What is that, indeed!?”
”…A vehicle…?”
“Uncle!?”
The four returning from shopping watched the Duke whirling around laughing — with an odd-thing-spotting gaze. Yeah — a little cringe, fair.
The Duke eventually braked, and as predicted, opened with:
“Lord Touya! Sell me this bicycle!”
“Thought you’d say that — made you one. And Sue’s. Material costs, though.”
I pointed at the two bikes I’d staged.
“As expected of Lord Touya!” — he mounted his own, delighted. Sue’s I [Gate]‘d to the Ortlinde garden, but the Duke insisted on riding his own home.
Don’t dart into the road, watch for carriages and pedestrians, eyes on the road — I lectured. Feel like a primary-school teacher.
The Duke set off, in high spirits, riding home with the carriage following. Whew — tired. Given his personality, he’ll absolutely brag to the king… and then the king will want one too. Maybe I should pre-build one more.
I turned back from seeing him off — and there was Elze on a bike, mid-spectacular crash.
“Ouch… harder than it looks.”
“Then I shall go next!”
”…After that, me.”
“Touya-san, could you make one more?”
Wait — you guys are riding too? Linze and Yumina, in skirts — go change!
While Lime-san and Frio-san — who’d been supporting the Duke — pitched in to help Elze and the others, I ended up making everyone’s bike plus one for the household staff. I ran out of materials mid-way and had to restock. I’m not starting a bicycle shop.
Once they have these the maids and Frio-san will have an easier time with errands, I told myself. Falls until you learn, though.
That day, stiiings! echoed multiple times from the bath. Ah — should’ve cast healing, in retrospect. Eh — small scrapes are medals of effort. Call it a wash.