NOVEL NEXT Chapter 83
“Looks like this is it.”
I gazed down at the most perfect wheelchair in the world, completed after seven failed attempts.
It’s not an exaggeration; it’s a fact.
After all, there’s only Patrasche when it comes to wheelchairs.
It’s the worst-made wheelchair while simultaneously being the best. I, a week-long wheelchair artisan, guarantee its perfection.
“…It looks so different from the last time I saw it? It’s a bit flashier, and it has more attachments—”
“I made it from scratch.”
Renny seemed quite shocked by the transformed look of the wheelchair, like she was seeing an old childhood friend after ten years. It was understandable; I had redesigned the frame completely. I had to invest nearly all the treasures I had scraped together from the dungeon just to make that one wheelchair.
It’s better to make it out of solid iron when considering a thief, but that would be too heavy, and making a wheelchair out of mithril, the best metal in fantasy, would cost too much.
Considering the amount of material needed for the wheelchair, if I were to make it out of mithril, it would cost the equivalent of robbing a dungeon a hundred times.
Getting that much mithril was like trying to grab a star in the sky.
The yield is so low, and most of it gets bought up by high-ranking nobles or the state, so the only place it circulates is the black market… According to Sif, they price it outrageously, so I couldn’t even buy it.
In the end, the method I came up with was… Hydra bones.
Hydra bones. The few remaining bones were of ambiguous use, but I decided to use all of them as materials while I was at it. Stronger than steel and a bit lighter. I covered the somewhat ominous-looking exterior with leather to smooth it over.
Since I couldn’t make the wheels out of bones, I had to use silver, iron, and rubber to make them. I redesigned it with round handles attached to the wheel’s surface so Karina could easily roll it, and for the crucial main body, I solved it by layering several pieces of the famous fluffy Cloud Fox fur.
Thus, Patrasche Mark 7 was born, sturdy enough to withstand a troll’s stomp.
“Johann! Johann! I’ve finished making Patrasche, so make one for me too!”
“Alright, just stop hanging on.”
I’m not a pull-up bar, so please let go. I detached Millia, who was clinging around my neck, and told Renny to take the wheelchair over. While it would be best to try it out here, having already tested it with my own weight, it should hold up fine with Karina’s weight.
For now, the crafting of Patrasche ends here.
“Then I’ll be leaving, so don’t skip meals like last time. Karina is worried.”
“Got it.”
“…You’re really coming, right?”
Renny glared at me while she hoisted the wheelchair like a duffel bag. I had skipped meals a lot. But what could I do if time flew by while I was working?
“This time, I’ll take you!”
“Yeah, Millia… just don’t sneak in for food and leave.”
“But Johann doesn’t listen even if I tell him! And I’ve even prepared food to feed him myself!”
Did… that actually happen? It felt like half of it ended up in her mouth.
As I shot her a side-eye at her excuses, the gluttonous red-haired Dullahan looked away while humming a tune.
Renny seemed to find Millia’s antics cute, chuckling softly as she ruffled her hair before disappearing through the workshop door.
So this is how the first crafting session wraps up, huh?
Next is to gather edible caterpillars… No, I need to make something for Millia. As I watched Millia, who was sulking at the workbench, I asked,
“Millia, do you want a vehicle?”
“I want a wheelchair too!”
“There’s something more fun than a wheelchair.”
“Really?”
Her expression changed in an instant. I pulled out a piece of paper I had stashed in the corner and placed it on the workbench. It was a simple sketch of the item I was going to gift to Millia. Compared to the wheelchair, it was a much simpler item.
I picked up a pencil and sketched out the object from my memory.
Something that everyone rode at least once in their childhood.
“What is this?”
“It’s a toy I’m going to make for you.”
“This?”
Millia stared at it with her head upside down on the desk, squinting her eyes. Can she even see it like that? I was amazed at the quirky position that only a Dullahan could do.
“Once it’s actually made, you’ll know what it is, so wait.”
“Okay!”
I checked the remaining materials and estimated the costs. Honestly, compared to the wheelchair, this was way easier to craft. It wouldn’t even take an hour.
“Crafting.”
I created a long wooden plank, made a long body like an iron bar, and crafted a Y-shaped handle. Since there were no plastic wheels, I wrapped iron pieces in rubber to make wheels… Long body, handle, and the brake… Wait, how do I make a brake?
I don’t know how to make brakes.
Ah, whatever. I’ll just make it and see.
I began crafting the toy for Millia in earnest.
———————-
“How do you ride this?”
“Hold onto the handle, place your feet on the footrest, and push off the ground with the other leg.”
“Like this?”
Millia followed my instructions, placing her foot on the footrest and pushing off the ground. With a slight scrape sound, Millia’s body slid forward. She gradually picked up speed. Using all her strength, she pushed off until she suddenly placed both feet on the footrest and wobbled around.
“Johann! This is super fast!”
“Be careful not to fall!”
Millia quickly became a dot in the distance. Was a kickboard always this fast? I hadn’t seen one in over a decade, so I honestly couldn’t remember. Ever since getting older, I’ve only seen electric ones.
I crossed my arms and watched Millia approaching with a U-turn. It felt a bit haphazard compared to the wheelchair, but it was good enough to play with. It looked rough and unsightly, but I could refine that later.
“How does it feel to ride?”
“It’s amazing! I’ll ride it more!”
“Don’t go too far!”
“Hey, what did you make this time?”
I turned my head at the familiar voice and looked at the brown-skinned cavalrywoman. She looked at the disappearing Millia with a bewildered expression. Is a kickboard that impressive?
Given that kickboards didn’t exist here, I could see why.
Here, the only things that rolled were carts, carriages, and rickshaws.
“It’s a toy. It’s not that fast.”
“You create such interesting things…”
“Is it necessary?”
“Well, it might be convenient, but I feel like it wouldn’t be helpful in emergencies. Plus, if the ground is messy like here, you wouldn’t be able to ride it.”
She hit the nail on the head. She was seasoned enough as a cavalrywoman to pinpoint the kickboard’s weaknesses accurately. Still, I wanted to see her ride it at least once.
Imagining Renny riding the kickboard made the corners of my mouth rise without me realizing it. A skateboard might be better suited for Renny. For a knight of her caliber, having free hands from a skateboard would be more useful.
“Then I’ll make you something else.”
“I’d rather ask for something weapon-related.”
“Alright.”
“Thanks, Johann. But by the way, is there anything else to do?”
“Anything else…”
I scratched my chin and pondered. Was there anything else to do? I had made the wheelchair and a kickboard for Millia.
I didn’t have the materials right now to craft items like poison darts or other equipment. This would be on hold until I could place an order through Sif. So now I’m meant to be guarding Karina. If I’m going to guard her with a shovel, I should at least make a decorative sword to carry—
Wait.
I quickly glanced down at the ground. All I could see was a sea of green grass. But what I was interested in wasn’t the ground.
Not the ground, but underground.
The tunnel I had made.
My secret passage.
“Renny. I’ve got something to do.”
“What? What is it now?”
I took the shovel leaning against the side of the workshop and pointed to the ground with my other hand. As Renny’s gaze followed my finger to the lush green grass, I quickly responded.
“A tunnel.”
“Oh, a tunnel? The one you made last time? Why’s that?”
Since I had mentioned it before, Renny understood my words quickly and looked puzzled.
“I’m digging tunnels all around the Academy.”
“What?”
Renny looked at me with a shocked expression at my words. Did she misunderstand me? I stared at the sky for a moment to gather my thoughts before explaining further.
“The most terrifying path is the one that can’t be seen.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m creating tunnels to escape quickly if anything happens.”
“Can’t we just run away?”
“The danger level of hidden paths and obvious ones is different. Think of wyverns. Do you think wyverns can follow us underground?”
If enemies surrounded us tightly, where would we escape?
Charging straight ahead? Even if we broke through the encirclement, we’d suffer endless pursuit. That would drastically reduce our survival chances. To avoid repeating that chase with a wyvern, we needed an unseen back exit. A retreat that wouldn’t be touched by monsters attacking from the air.
And that retreat could only be a tunnel.
“I somewhat get what you mean. So you’re saying you’re going to dig tunnels all over the Academy for the purpose of evacuating Karina in emergencies, right?”
“Correct.”
There’s no better survival method than an unseen exit.
This is rule number four for survival.
The retreat is a key matter.
“Ah… okay. I get what you mean, but… we don’t have a budget to hire people. It would be hard to get permission too.”
“I can do it by myself. I’ll get the permission myself too.”
“Wait, you by yourself… what?”
I met Renny’s incredulous gaze that seemed to question whether she had heard me correctly and thumped my chest.
“Trust me.”