CH 78

After they came back, the adventurers prostrated themselves before me.

“”””Your Grace, please give us your permission for a rental registration! We beg you!!””””

“Yo, that’s quite a change in attitude, isn’t it? Didn’t you people look down on Indra?” Sword asked.

Hmm?

……AHH! Once again this guy has perceived malicious intent, hasn’t he!?

“We will earnestly and humbly apologize for any rudeness and impolite behavior! Please forgive us!”

They apologized, but I shook my head, “I don’t really remember you having been rude to me, nor do I feel like you changed your attitude. …Sword! I don’t want you to listen to my talks with other people any longer! I’ve been telling you over and over again to shut out the ill will of others, haven’t I!?”

Sword ducked his head.

“…I know that. If you insist on believin’ that others desire a handshake with you because your a beautiful girl, I’ll just go ‘long with that dream of yours, no matter how disappointin’ it might be.”

It’s not disappointing, for heaven’s sake! It’s reality! The maids confirmed it as well when I asked them!

“There is no mistake! Sir Sword is the odd one out here! Anyone would feel a desire to shake hands with a beauty as lovely as you, Your Grace!”

That’s what they told me!

“Uuhh～…”

“I got it, it’s just as you say. You and your maids are completely right. So stop lookin’ at me with teary eyes!”

When I groaned in frustration, Sword soothed me by stroking my head.

“…Goddammit, the maids are a lost cause as well, aren’t they? Because of their pamperin’, your completely on the way of becomin’ a dud who immediately starts cryin’ ’round out of conceit and misunderstandin’.”

“Did you say something?”

“No, nothin’.”

I felt like he said something terrible about me, though.

“Well, whatever… Bennyboy, what’s your take on this?”

Bennyboy got startled when I suddenly brought him into play and pointed a finger at himself, “Y-You mean me?”

“Registering them for rental would be proof of our trust in them. You should be quite aware what kind of item that thing is. Right? You were brought along by Sword, and because you’re trusted by Sword, I trust you as well, which is the reason why I allowed you to get registered for rental. Sword has declined their registration since he doesn’t believe them, and I can’t really make a call since I haven’t known them for long. Bennyboy, what do you think? You had to do with them the most among us three, and you’re going to remain connected to them in the future as well, aren’t you? If we increase the number of registered rental users, the number of potential traitors grows in proportion. That’s directly linked to the possibility of your own death and a theft of Char. So, what would you like to do?”

When I asked Bennyboy, Sword sighed and scratched his head, “Your askin’ all that now n’ here…?”

“Hmm? No, it’s something I should ask now and here, isn’t it? Bennyboy is the merchant we contracted to sell our liquor, and he’s the one in charge of the transport with Char. And they’re adventurers who have been merely hired as guards. Their positions are completely different, no? That’s why, if Bennyboy says that he can trust them while considering the future and the harshness of the current situation, where only he can drive, if disaster strikes, I might be willing to register them for rental after adding some limitations. However, if Bennyboy says that it’s too dangerous for his life and that it’d be possible for Char and the liquor to be stolen, I won’t register them. After all, it’s likely nothing Bennyboy could ever reimburse. Leaving aside the liquor, Char’s value is priceless.”

The adventurers all let their heads hang all at once.

“You should give it a rest if you just wanna drive the thing ’round because it looks fun. Sure, it’s a blast to do so, but look, this is a battle golem for supply transport to begin with. If you attack with that thing, no one will be able to handle it unless it’s me, her, or the golems she built. In reality it ain’t anythin’ that should be driven ’round without the necessary precaution.”

Sword, you were the one who coaxed me into making it!

Once I stared at him, he grabbed my face once again!

“Mmpfmmpfmmmmpfff?!”

As I struggled, Bennyboy replied, “No? I’m totally cool with it. These guys’re my friends. You can trust them as much as you trust me. Hence, please register them for rental,” without any hesitation.

Sword stopped arresting my face, and I stopped wriggling.

“I see. I’ll register them for rental then. You might want to take a break because of exhaustion after driving Char for a long time, so you’d need someone to switch with you, I guess. However, they won’t be allowed to change the modes. They’ll be allowed to drive Char for one hour per day on normal mode. With all four of them, that’ll be four hours per day. I think that should be enough time for you to take a rest, don’t you think?”

“You’re right. Please do it like that.”

Things were quickly settled in such a manner.

“”Ben…””

“You…”

“Ben, you…”

The adventurers were touched by Bennyboy’s chivalrous spirit.

“Oh right, it’s not really a replacement, but I can register you guys for renting out Bronko, you know? That’s a golem I built with the sole intent for being a toy. It’s something similar to a horse. Moreover, it’s a dangerous vehicle. It requires proper driving skills, and it’s not easy to handle, but if any of you…”

“No, that one’s out!!”

I got interrupted.

“…Eh…?”

“That one’s a no! I borrowed it! Didn’t I tell you to paint it with me in mind!?!”

“…That’s certainly true, but…”

Huh? Char is okay, but Bronko is out? Just why? Bronko doesn’t have any particular attack magic, and it’s something like a horse that’s running on magic stones. In the first place, motorbikes are hobby items.

The adventurers all zoomed in on Bennyboy in the next moment.

“…Somehow I get what you’re planning. You’re thinking that you’ll drive around that golem while letting us run the transport one, don’t you?”

Bennyboy’s body shook as he gulped. And then he started to fidget around.

“No, I mean, of course I like Char, okay? But, there are times when I wanna feel the wind. Bronko, you see, kinda allows me to become one with the wind, unlike a horse.”

“Oh, yeah, I can totally relate to that. Char’s automatic drivin’ and comfort that protects you from any weather is great, but Bronko allows you to directly feel the weather while givin’ you a feedback when movin’ it with your whole body. Drivin’ Bronko and going back to a relaxed drive with Char when tired is the best combo.”

“Absolutely!!”

After getting all riled up like that by themselves, the two suddenly withered away. Probably because the adventurers and I were staring at them super coldly.

“Hmm, I wonder, should I add a usage limit for Bennyboy’s Bronko…?”

When I mumbled that, he started to bawl while clinging to me.

＊

When told to show his Bronko, Bennyboy, and Sword as well for some reason, triumphantly showed their bikes off. A little while later, four people were lying in the dust in front of me once again.

“Your Majesty, please grant us your permission to borrow a Bronko!”

“Ben has grumbled that he definitely wouldn’t lend out his Bronko, so please take some pity with us!”

“If you tell me to lick your feet, I shall immediately get to it! Please call me slave from now on! So please, please, please, lend it to me!”

“Your Majesty, I shall become your faithful manservant who will never betray you, no matter what happens. So please lend a Bronko to me!”

It looks like I obtained a manservant, and also a slave.

“I got it, I got it. You’re really hopeless. I’ll build a new one since Bennyboy would cry otherwise. But, you have to properly do your work, okay? Don’t spend all your time playing around with Bronko, got it? Also, practice how to drive Char!”

“”””As you order, Your Majesty!!!””””

I built another Bronko since I had no other choice. The bikes are crazy popular, aren’t they? But, they require quite the reflexes and technique, they’re dangerous, and they need a reasonable amount of maintenance, you know?

I told the same to Sword and Bennyboy, but those two apparently tended to their bikes gleefully.

Hmm, what should I do about the color? I love bikes with flashy colors. Given that Sword claimed his personal color to be white, that was a valid choice, but since I colored Bennyboy’s to match with that, I’m already out of options in a certain sense, am I not?

Because I plan to paint my own one blue-green, that one’s a no-go. And because red is Ms. Bloody’s personal color, that one’s out as well. Then again, if I used their party name as a basis, I’d need to go with a transparent coloring. Pfft, pupupu.

＊

At the end of some fretting over the color, I went with metallic silver! I also added black and vivid red color points!

“Is it okay like this?”

“”Woooooooowww!!””

“”OMG!!!””

It looks like they’re happy with it.

“I’m first!”

“No! Me!”

“I’m going to ride it!”

“No, I’m first!”

They were so damn noisy.

“Don’t fight over it. If it becomes a reason for bobbery, I’m going to revoke your rental registration.”

They calmed down at once.

“Oh! On another note, you aren’t allowed to drive it like that. Ask Bennyboy, and get the necessary outfit ready first. Ask him also about how to ride it. If you’re unlucky, it won’t just end with some injuries.”

They became speechless upon my warning.