Chapter 105: Senpai, the carriage is ready!
"In short, they probably don't have the time to chase after us right away, so everyone can relax and head towards Massiglia," Reines declared proudly, raising her head high.
"Sasuga Oujou-sama, sugoi, pachi pachi pachi~," Trimmau chimed in from the side, acting like a dog licker.
"So, what was the point of the plan earlier?" Waver rubbed his forehead and sighed helplessly.
"Tch, who knew you guys wouldn't get far, and I caught up with you right away?" Reines smirked.
"Just finding transportation took quite some time, and out of all of us, aren't you the only one with a Rider class?!" Waver snapped.
Waver had been so worried about Reines' safety earlier that he completely forgot about the transportation issue.
"Ohya, that's true," Reines smiled and glanced at Trimmau beside her.
"Too bad my Volumen Hydrargyrum can't turn into an airplane or a car; otherwise, I might have been able to carry everyone for a while, what a pity~."
"Senpai, the carriage is ready!" At that moment, Mash appeared, holding onto two horses.
Behind her was a wooden cart, not a Roman battle chariot, but just a simple cart used to carry supplies.
This was something they found near an enemy guard post. When the guards saw Ethan and his group, they panicked and ran away, so they "borrowed" the cart.
After cleaning it up and throwing away all the unnecessary stuff, the simple cart could barely be used to carry people.
Hmm... it's a bit rough, though.
But, compared to having to walk step by step, this is much better.
"Alright, everyone, let's get on the cart!"
"Oh! A horse-drawn cart! Mash, let me take the reins, okay?"
Mordred eagerly spoke up, preparing to jump into the driver's seat.
"Wait! Mordred-san!!!" Mash hurriedly stopped her.
"What's wrong? Mash, you don't trust my skills?" Mordred made an unhappy face.
"No, that's not it… it's just…" Mash was unsure how to explain, so she turned to Ethan for help.
"Haa... Mordred, we still need someone to keep watch around us, so let's let Mash take the reins," Ethan spoke up. The reason seemed valid, but in reality...
Keeping watch wasn't a big issue since Mash was here. But Ethan didn't want to repeat the terrifying experience from France earlier—if Mordred took the reins, the speed would definitely explode, and the cart would be destroyed before it got very far.
"Haa... I can't do anything about it!" Mordred wasn't happy, but she finally accepted Ethan's arrangement.
Only when Mash sat in the driver's seat did Ethan and Waver feel relieved to get onto the cart.
Although Mash's Riding skill was only at C rank, it was more than enough to control a simple cart.
"Riding on a cart like this, even Sima Yi would find it quite novel," Reines said as she climbed onto the cart, adjusted her dress, and sat between Ethan and Waver with the elegance of a noblewoman.
"Reines?! Why are you getting on too?!" Waver frowned when he saw his sister climbing onto the cart.
"What's wrong? Is your lovely little sister not allowed on the cart?" Reines smiled mischievously.
"Besides, aren't you in the Rider class now? Why not use your Noble Phantasm to travel, why squeeze onto the cart?" Waver asked.
"If you're talking about Trimmau, I lent it to her," Reines replied casually.
"———?!" Everyone's gaze immediately turned to Mordred—who was riding a mercury horse with a face full of excitement.
"Yahoo! This mercury horse is so cool, this magic is interesting too! Master, I'll go scout ahead, hyaa!!"
Though somewhat reluctant, the mercury horse obeyed Mordred's command, galloping off ahead.
In no time, both Mordred and the mercury horse had disappeared from view.
"...Reines, are you sure it's okay to lend your Noble Phantasm to her?" Ethan asked, concerned.
"Onii-sama, are you worried about that rebellious knight, or is it because of the supreme equipment from El-Melloi?" Reines smiled as she asked.
"Ah, it's fine, Mordred is our Saber after all, and in terms of strength, she can retreat safely even if she encounters the enemy," Ethan immediately explained so Waver wouldn't worry about these little things.
If Waver kept worrying about every little detail, he'd probably be dead from overwork before they found the Little Emperor.
"Haa... Fine, I don't want to care anymore."
Seeing that Ethan had the same attitude, Waver decided not to argue further.
"Hoo hoo hoo———!!!"
A figure suddenly swooped down from the sky, causing the surrounding air to whistle.
"Hahaha, are you really planning to ride in this old cart? Quite an interesting choice," Jeanne Alter said as she rode a two-legged Wyvern, a flying creature that seemed to have come from nowhere.
"Wyvern? Jeanne Alter, where did you find this one?" Ethan asked.
"This one? When I saw it flying overhead, I brought it back as my mount," Jeanne Alter casually explained.
"GRRRRR———!!"
The Wyvern let out a roar and looked down at the group below.
Could the changes caused by Lev's use of the Holy Grail have caused these Phantasmal creatures to appear? Looking closely, this Wyvern didn't look like it was native to Rome at all.
"Why don't you come up here with me? It would be much faster flying over from above," Jeanne Alter arrogantly looked down from her Wyvern.
"Eh? No, that's alright," Ethan waved his hand to decline.
The reason was that flying too high could lead to encountering strange things, and while Jeanne Alter, as a Servant, could protect herself, Ethan could only risk his life.
Moreover, the wild Wyvern was eyeing him with a suspicious gaze, as if it wasn't very welcoming of him.
After all, it had been temporarily called by Jeanne Alter's power, unlike the Wyverns Jeanne Alter summoned with the Holy Grail back in France.
Perhaps in its eyes, he was just a walking lunch.
"Oh? I see… Well, even if you want me to carry you later, I won't agree," Jeanne Alter sighed dramatically, her face showing a bit of disappointment at Ethan's refusal.
"But I need you to scout the enemy's situation from the sky; this is important," Ethan said.
"Hmph, why should I do that?!" Jeanne Alter pouted, turning her face away in displeasure.
"Please, Jeanne Alter!"
When Ethan clasped his hands and made a pleading gesture, Jeanne Alter, the tsundere, finally sighed and agreed.
"Fine, if you really need me, I'll help you out for now."
"ROOOOOAR———!!"
At Jeanne Alter's command, the two-legged Wyvern flapped its wings and soared into the sky.
"Senpai, can we go now?" Mash looked up from the driver's seat as she saw Mordred and Jeanne Alter leave one after the other.
"Umu, let's go," Ethan said.
With the sound of the wheels rolling, the simple cart began to move.
"By the way, Reines, what did you gather from fighting the commanders of the Alliance's army?" Ethan asked.
"Leonidas wasn't much to speak of; I've gathered all the information on him. If I use my Noble Phantasm, he can't maintain his defensive advantage. However, the information on that Caesar is still vague. The golden sword he wields might be his Noble Phantasm. I withdrew before he released it, so I'm not sure. But Onii-sama..."
Reines, who had always smiled gently, finally turned serious.
"We're planning to save the Roman Emperor of this era, right? No matter what the success rate is, we need to find reinforcements, or else we'll run out of time, won't we?"
This was Ethan's concern.
Lev's goal was to disrupt the timeline of this era, to distort human history.
If that's the case, they had already taken Rome, they should have succeeded by now.
So why go through all the trouble of publicly killing Nero Claudius? Couldn't they have just assassinated him secretly?
"If my reasoning is correct," Waver adjusted his black glasses.
"The royal magus won't easily kill the Roman Emperor of this era because his goal is to destroy all of Rome."