That Time a Shut-in for 300 Years Continued to Make Antiques , but All of It Turned out to Be Cheat-Level Magic Tools - Chapter 3

“Are you really leaving…” remarked Butan, who had come to see them off, with a touch of melancholy. “Don’t look so sad, Butan. People grow stronger by repeating encounters and farewells. And you, you might look like a pig, but that’s beside the point.”

“I’ve left the house in your care. Don’t worry, once we’re settled, we can connect through the door at any time. Feel free to make yourself at home in the meantime.”

“Ah, well, that’s good, but are you sure everything will be okay?”

“What? What’s wrong? You get to live with a cute wife and child. Are you dissatisfied with the mansion?”

By the way, I’ve met his wife and child, both adorably cute to death. The child bore no resemblance to him, so much so that I couldn’t help but wonder if there really was another father.

Out of kindness, I suggested we could do a genetic test using a magical device, but he got angry. I meant it in goodwill.

“Master, having lived in these mountains all your life, you’re a bit out of touch with common sense in the outside world.”

“Hmm, it’s been 300 years since then. There are such aspects, indeed, but that’s exactly what makes it exciting. Just imagine what incredible inventions have emerged in the outside world during these 300 years! Things that I probably can’t even begin to imagine!”

“Master, about that, actually the outside world—”

“Stop! That’s enough, Butan!”

I cut him off abruptly. Butan tilted his head, puzzled as expected.

“Butan, how would you feel if someone suddenly revealed what’s inside the pork bun you were about to eat?”

“Well, I suppose the filling in a pork bun would be pork…”

“Exactly! It would be boring, right? It would spoil the fun!”

“Yes, please listen, Master.”

Why though? I thought I gave a very clear example, but Butan’s response was off.

“In other words, Master, you mean it would be boring to hear the ending of a story you haven’t heard before?”

“Exactly, Mei. Well done, my handmade! You understand well!”

“Certainly, Mei-san is excellent, but the fact remains that your analogy made no sense, Master.”

Hmm, it sounds as though I’m the one at fault. How rude for a butler! And he’s gotten cheeky since finding such a cute wife!

“Why do you look at me with such envious eyes? Well, I understand. You mean you want to see and learn with your own eyes, so no unnecessary information should be given.”

“Yes, exactly.”

“Understood. However, Master, please take Mei along with you.”

Mei, too?

“But who will clean the mansion if Mei is needed?”

“There are other handmaids for that. Besides, I and your wife are enough.”

“Are you bragging now!”

“Why are you angry there!”

Really. Even though I said they could do as they please with the mansion while I’m away, the thought of him being lovey-dovey with my wife is a bit irritating.

“Anyway, Mei is far more knowledgeable about the outside world than you, Master.”

“Is that so, Mei?”

“I think I understand the basics.”

“Hmm, maybe it’s better to have someone who knows rather than knowing nothing.”

“Understood, then Mei will also come along.”

“Thank you, Master. I will do my best to be of help.”

She bowed deeply. Hmm, even though I made her myself, she’s quite adorable.

Well, we could keep talking forever, but we’d never leave if we don’t cut the conversation short.

And so, Mei and I got into my homemade Magiroader, or magical vehicle.

“Shall I drive?” Mei asked, but I couldn’t let that happen. This was my first time driving.

I can’t contain my excitement! Let’s go, to the settlements of the outside world!

“Master, please be careful.”

“Yes, I’ll be gone for a while, but I’m leaving the mansion in your care.”

Then, I charged the starter with magic, confirmed the operation of the battery.

And then… I stomped on the accelerator.

—Gyurgurugyurgurugyurguru! Buooooon! Kiikk! Doggaaaaan!

And just like that, the sound extravagantly echoed around us.

What’s going on? It’s obvious. Due to my thoughtless stepping on the accelerator, the magical vehicle sped up, veered off the road surrounding the mansion, and crashed into a huge tree.

“Master, are you okay?”

“I’m fine! Look, even after such a crash, not a scratch. The front is equipped with an auto-guard magic that activates when danger approaches. I deliberately did a collision test to see this!”

“Is that so?” Butan replied, somewhat exasperated.

“Well, then, this is really goodbye! Let’s go!”

Again, the vehicle roared, the wheels fiercely scoured the ground, and finally, it moved… backwards.

“Welcome back, Master.”

To Butan, who returned to the gate from which he had just left, and to myself, with a flush on my face.

“That was… just a final check to make sure I can back up properly.”

“Master, shall I take over the driving?”

“What! What are you saying! This is my—”

“Shall I?”

“—Yes…”

Eventually, I ended up sitting in the passenger seat of the magical vehicle driven by Mei. Ugh, it’s embarrassing that I designed it.

However, once Mei pressed the accelerator… the car moved smoothly, so effortlessly and without any shaking… it’s enough to make one lose confidence…

“Did you finally say it this time? Well, with Mei, it should be fine… good luck—”

Thus, Edison was whisked away in the magical vehicle driven by Mei. After watching the vehicle disappear with the two of them, Butan, alone, poured out his heart and returned to the mansion—

◇◆◇

“Guar, Gyua, Gagarua, Giia—”

An eerie voice echoes behind the speeding carriage. I can feel my hands gripping the reins growing damp with sweat.

To think we would encounter such a thing here—what a disgrace for someone who has served as the butler to the Harrison family for so many years.

“Damn! Go that way, disappear!”

“Scorch the approaching threat! Fireball!”

The voice of the adventurers I hired as guards reaches my ears. They are following on horseback behind the carriage I’m driving. Several knights serving the Earl’s family are also with us as guards.

However, some of them have already fallen to that dreadful creature.

The remaining guards and knights are still struggling to keep them at bay, but it might only be a matter of time.

I glance back just in case—but the result is the same. The creatures chasing us are Black Wolves.

The name ‘Black Wolf’ might seem overly simplistic, but in reality, they are terrifying creatures.

These creatures are normally more active at night. That’s why we planned to pass through this forest on the highway while the sun was still up.

However, perhaps we were too optimistic. We had stopped just once to rest the horses, and that’s when we were surrounded by twelve Black Wolves.

We quickly put the young ladies into the carriage and tried to flee, but unfortunately, we lost half of the adventurers and several of the knights at that stage.

I feel terribly sorry for those who died. But regretting it now won’t help.

As the Black Wolves growled ominously behind us, they launched magic attacks.

A type of dark magic called Dark Bolt shoots out what looks like pebbles glowing with dark light, but its power is no comparison to mere stones.

It easily penetrates steel armor and, with its considerable range, is especially troublesome when there are many of them.

“Louis! They’ve increased their speed; we’ll be caught at this rate!”

“Damn, they’re definitely faster! Are they using enhancement magic?”

The running speed of the Black Wolves has clearly increased. It must be some sort of speed enhancement magic.

They’ve likely enhanced their physical strength to increase their speed.

“It can’t be helped, I’ll hold them off; use that time to escape.”

The lady knight, Angelique, who rides alongside me on her beloved white horse, declares this. She is a seasoned knight, incongruously beautiful for her prowess, wearing her silver armor with grace.

Her swordsmanship is renowned, not only within the Harrison territory but also among the kingdom’s elite knights, and during the Black Wolf attack, she alone cut down three of them.

While the rest of us struggled to defeat even one. She is that strong.

But even so, it’s too reckless for her to take on the remaining eight Black Wolves alone.

However, it’s true that we can’t handle the enhanced ones. When they get close, they use a magic called Dark Fang.

This magic allows them to bite with giant fangs of darkness. While it has a shorter range than Dark Bolt, its power is several times greater. It can easily crush huge boulders.

Furthermore, their claws are enhanced with the power of darkness, allowing them to tear through heavy armor as if it were mere rags.

Could I really let a lady knight, no matter how skilled, face such an enemy alone?

“It’s no use, we can’t keep this up, I’m going!”

“No, but—”

I instinctively reach out to stop her. But just then, the horses running behind suddenly neighed and halted. Following suit, Angelique exclaimed in surprise, and I too involuntarily pulled the reins, stopping the carriage.

But that was a mistake I would regret. Because behind the adventurers and the Black Wolves, something with a bizarre appearance suddenly cut through the ground with a dragging sound.

At first, I thought it might be another carriage, perhaps other travelers had seen us being attacked by the creatures and came to help. But on closer inspection, it was clearly not a carriage.

Firstly, it had no horses. More importantly, it came from deep within the forest. That would be impossible for a carriage, as there is no road in the direction it came from. Rather, the other side looks almost like a cliff, with slopes too steep to climb or descend under normal circumstances.

Yet, whatever it was, it descended the slope at a fierce speed, and it seemed quite heavy.

What could this be? The question swirls in my mind. At first glance, the exterior seems to be made of steel, but how can something that looks so heavy move without horses?

There’s only one explanation I can think of: a magical beast—only a creature with such extraordinary qualities could manage that.

But that makes the situation even more troublesome. As if it wasn’t bad enough with the Black Wolves chasing us, now a magical beast has joined the fray.

I feel nothing but despair. We must at least get the young ladies to safety—

“Whew, I thought I was going to die… Ugh, that feels sick, but why are you traveling in such an old-fashioned carriage when you could use a magical vehicle like this and definitely not be caught?”

“…What?”

But what happens next is even more unexpected. From the mouth(?) of the magical beast, a young, charming kid appears—