#1239 Family Ride 

It’s me. 
Yay, we’re going out today! 

When you’ve got a family, you’ve gotta do at least one proper trip a year, right? 
Someplace far enough that you’ve got to stay overnight. 

Junior and Norito are older now, so they’ll be able to understand and remember the sightseeing spots’ significance, history, and their impressions of them. 
I'm sure even Shotaro will have some kind of lasting memory from this... 

Today’s the day we make family memories! 
Let’s go! 

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold it right there!” 

What is it, Momoko? 
Don’t worry, this won’t interfere with your training. 

“Of course it’s going to bother me! You can’t just have a happy family outing right next to where I’m training! That just highlights how lonely I am!!!” 

Self-training is all about facing yourself in solitude. 

Right, Platy? 
You’re a mother of three, why don’t you give her some wise words? 

“…Don’t worry, we’re just deepening our family bonds while you sit there all alone.” 
“And that’s EXACTLY the problemmmmmm!!!” 

It seems we’ve hit a nerve with Momoko. 
Women really are hard to handle sometimes. 

“Well, we’re providing the ride for you too, so that’s a bonus, right?” 
“A ride?” 

That’s right. 
You’ve seen our Sakamoto, haven’t you? 
The homunculus horse mixed with dragon blood, Sakamoto, can get anywhere in the world in under ten minutes! 
With him, even overseas trips can be done in a single day! 

“I know that... But I also know something else.” 

Oh? 
Why the suspicious detective tone? 

“You can only fit two people on a horse at most, right? Last time, you all fought over that and it ended with a dragon showing up.” 

That’s true. 
Incidentally, Veil, the dragon who came to the capital that time, later gave her verdict on the local ramen shops: “They’re not eating ramen. They’re eating information.” 

“And now you’ve got even more people this time. Can you really carry everyone on that horse? Not to mention, riding bounces you up and down; it’s tough on little kids!” 

Heh. Thanks for the concern. 

But I’m the man they call the Saint. 
I never make the same mistake twice. 

Which is why I prepared… 
The perfect solution to this problem! 

This issue of payload capacity when riding is as old as horses themselves—which means the solution has long existed. 

“And that solution is… a carriage!!!” 

Dun dun da-daaan!!! 
In short, a box on wheels hitched to Sakamoto. 
A carriage. 

Invented for the very purpose of hauling lots of people and goods using horses. 

This box is over two meters long and nice and wide. 
Plenty of room for six people to sit comfortably, so it does exactly what it’s meant to. 

“Wait, where’d this come from? You bought it?” 
“Nope. I made it.” 
“You made it?!” 

The look of shock on Momoko’s face was priceless. 
Around here, the “farm mindset” is that we don’t buy things, we make them. 

“With the family growing, I thought it was time to build a bigger carriage.” 
“Like someone buying a family minivan because they have more kids?!” 

Yeah, pretty much. 
I even built it with extra space, just in case the kids grow up, or if the family grows even more. 

“...This carriage is really well-made. I wouldn’t think it’s handmade.” 

That’s right. 

“In fact… it looks like something royalty would ride in.” 

Well, it’s for carrying my precious family, so of course I aimed for the best quality possible. 

I got advice from my new friends in the Wagon Guild, summarized all the key points of a passenger carriage, had orcs and dwarves help with the build, and even got blueprints from Hephaestus himself. 

The main material is carefully selected oak, “borrowed” from Veil’s dungeon. 
The metal fittings are naturally mana metal. 

It’s got (openable) glass windows, lace curtains to block sunlight, suspension to absorb shocks, and even emergency airbags. 
The seats are plush, with powerful springs for maximum comfort. 

And the whole carriage has powerful magical defenses that even tank cannons wouldn’t leave a scratch. 

This is the ultimate carriage built with the full power of the farm! 

“…Wow.” 

Despite my big speech, Momoko’s reaction is… muted. 
Huh? What’s wrong? 
Was it not impressive enough? 

“I think she’s just too stunned to respond,” Platy says dryly. 

Well, anyway, time to head for the Forest of Lost Paths! 
Everyone in! 

“Uh… okay, if you insist…!” 

Still looking unconvinced, Momoko is gently herded inside by my family. 

“Shuppatsu shinkooo.” 
“Nasu no oshinkoo.” 

The kids pile in too. No one left behind? Good. 

Door sealed tight, departure ready! 
Sakamoto, I’m counting on you today. I know being hitched up is a pain, but I’ll be the driver, so bear with it. 

Let’s ride like a war chariot! 
Hiyah, Sakamoto! 

“NEEEEIGH!!!” 

Sakamoto takes off without a fuss. 

Naturally, he runs through the air, being part dragon and all. 
The carriage soars at high speed, but thanks to enchantments, there’s no air resistance, and the faster we go, the lighter we get. Not a single wobble. 

And in just a few minutes, we reach our destination with no trouble at all. 

***  

“We’re here. Is this the Forest of Lost Paths?” Platy says as she steps out. 

Sure enough, the place is dense and overgrown. 
We’ve landed on a small rise, and all we see in every direction is green. 
The cloudy sky makes the distant bird calls sound even eerier. 

"Pweettyyy.” 
“No, I’m pretty sure it’s far from that!!!” 

Momoko snaps at my kid. 

Well, given that the Adventurer’s Guild has this place on its warning list, it’s no surprise that it’s every bit suspicious-looking. 

“So, what exactly is this Forest of Lost Paths dungeon?” Platy asks. “I don’t know much about land dungeons… but I’ve heard it’s a ‘jungle-type’ dungeon? Is that even a thing?”  

It is. 
Dungeons in this world generally fall into three categories: 

• Cave dungeons 

• Mountain dungeons 

• Ruins dungeons 

They’re formed when circulating mana stagnates in a spot, warping space, and the type depends on where it stagnates. 

But the Forest of Lost Paths...this “jungle-type” dungeon doesn’t fit any existing category. 

“If we go by theory, a jungle dungeon would mean mana pooled inside a forest, right?” 

The thing is, in mountains and valleys, the terrain can block mana flow. But in a normal forest? Just trees? That shouldn’t be enough to trap mana. Which means, by rights, a jungle dungeon shouldn’t exist at all. 

“And yet, here it is.” 

That’s right. 
The Guild keeps this rare anomaly under strict watch, sending regular investigation teams. 
 

And those teams are always S-rank adventurers, meaning this place is seriously dangerous. 
So, when Silver Wolf sent Momoko here for “training...” 

“All right, time to grow stronger and become an S-rank adventurer in the Lost Forest!” 

Yeah, this is basically him making her do the guild’s periodic inspection. 

Silver Wolf sure knows how to get adventurers to dance to his tune.