Ascendance of a Bookworm

“Lady Rosemine, are you really alright? Wouldn’t it be better to ride with Brigitte?”

“No, Hasse is the closest town. If this can’t fly, it would be impossible to travel far for the harvest festival. I’ll go by the mini bus.”

I had the mini bus ready in front of the temple’s main entrance, but the high priest still looked reluctant. I had practiced seriously and gotten used to driving, so I was fully determined to travel by mini bus.

“Lord Ferdinand, if you’re that worried, shall I accompany Lady Rosemine as a passenger?”

“Brigitte?”

Brigitte dismissed her Mount and walked up to the front of the mini bus.

“I think it’s better if someone who can handle mana rides along just in case something happens.”

“That’s true, but… are you sure it’s alright?”

“I’ve seen for myself how much Lady Rosemine has improved. Please leave it to me.”

She said this with a sharp expression, but her amethyst eyes seemed to sparkle more than usual. Could it be that Brigitte was interested in the mini bus?

I opened the assistant seat door to let Brigitte in, and the high priest lowered his gaze, as if giving up.

“Then, let’s leave it to Brigitte.”

Nodding at the high priest’s words, Brigitte climbed into the mini bus. I got in from the driver’s side and closed the door with a “myon” sound.

“Brigitte, please fasten your seatbelt. Like this. Yes, pull it and click it here…”

While showing her how to fasten it, I had Brigitte buckle up too. Safety first. The driver’s seat was adjusted to my size, so the passenger seat looked very tall and large.

Brigitte caressed the seat gently and smiled softly.

“This is cute.”

“Isn’t it? Cute, right?”

Though the high priest treated it like some strange thing, I thought the mini bus was adorable. Maybe, as girls, we could share this appreciation for its cuteness. I looked up at Brigitte joyfully, but she briefly made a face like “Oops” and coughed to cover it up.

“…Ahem! Um, I meant it suits Lady Rosemine very well.”

“Hehe, thank you. Then, let’s depart.”

To chase after the high priest’s Mount rising into the sky, I gripped the mini bus steering wheel, channeled mana, and pressed the accelerator.

The short legs of the red panda started moving rapidly. Tilting the steering wheel, it began to run through the air.

“I never thought I’d be able to sit inside a Mount like this. It’s quite soft and comfortable, and since there’s no need to change into special Mount clothes, noblewomen might want to imitate this.”

Since one normally rides astride a Mount, noblewomen have to change into special clothes to mount. Apparently, this mini bus-like Mount doesn’t require that.

“Didn’t anyone make a carriage?”

“Mounts are made as animals, so while a horse is one thing, the carriage part… So, I think the idea of riding inside an animal like this is wonderful.”

Indeed, if you haven’t seen amusement park rides, kindergarten buses, or anime, the idea of riding inside an animal wouldn’t come easily. But no matter how much praise I received, since I wasn’t the original inventor of the idea, I could only make a subtle face.

“The high priest looked sour, so I’m not sure if it will spread.”

The mini bus’s little legs trotted along behind the high priest’s lion. My red panda is seriously cute.

Though the high priest worried about the mini bus and my driving skills, we safely arrived at the small temple in Hasse.

When our Mounts landed atop the small temple, as if someone was watching, Benno and others came out in a group. There were members of the Gilberta Trading Company, gray priests, and soldiers acting as guards — all kneeling.

After descending, I transformed my Mount back into a mana stone and returned the stone to the ornament at my waist.

It took me slightly longer than the high priest and Darmel, but since I was able to dispel my Mount safely, I stepped half a pace ahead of the high priest. I wanted to stay in his shadow, but apparently, the high priest must not step ahead of the head priest.