16. After the Wild Boar Barbecue Party
The wild boar barbecue party was over, and it was night when we returned to the Lord's Castle. Lying in bed, I fiddled with the red gem in my hand.
"Hmm."
This was the Mana Stone that had come from near the heart of the 'Red-Maned Wild Boar' that Seria had taken down during the day. A stone about the size of my thumb, emitting a faint red glow.
"So this is a Mana Stone, huh."
The crystallized mana accumulated in a magic beast's body. Mages embed them in their staffs as amplifiers, or use them as ingredients in alchemy. But their most important use was something else entirely: the power source for magic engineering. In terms of my past life, think of it like a battery. The purer the Mana Stone, the higher the efficiency, no doubt. I'd heard that in the southern commercial nation alliance, they even powered streetlights and carriages with them.
"A battery, huh..."
I tossed the Mana Stone into the air and caught it. It was warm. To think this tiny rock held the energy a wild boar had gathered over its lifetime, all compressed inside.
Suddenly, I recalled the events of that afternoon. The trip out to hunt had been fun, but honestly, a bit of a hassle. Our barony was a rural backwater, sure, but it was pretty vast. In a word, needlessly huge. It took forever just to get from the inner courtyard to the main gate, and trekking to the back mountain left my legs swollen.
'Walking's such a pain.'
Seria could zip around with her superhuman physique, but I was just a regular ten-year-old kid who knew a bit of magic. Trudging around every time was no joke. Riding a horse? My body wasn't up to it yet—I'd probably tumble right off. A carriage? Too much hassle to prepare.
'Isn't there something simpler, faster, and effortless?'
I held the Mana Stone up to my eye. It twinkled red.
"Hmm, maybe I should make one myself?"
Magic engineering—what's so hard about it? Sure, complex stuff like engines or transmissions was beyond current tech. But something simple enough to satisfy my laziness? Totally doable.
'A board, wheels, and propulsion.'
I bolted upright and dashed to my desk. I unrolled a sheet of parchment and grabbed a quill pen. I sketched out the design in my head without hesitation.
"Two wheels. Easier to balance."
"Power from this Mana Stone."
"Convert the Mana Stone's energy to physical force and blast it backward..."
Newton's third law. The push backward from the wind propels you forward. A jet-propelled kickboard, basically.
"This is it."
I cackled at the finished blueprint. I christened it the Magic Kickboard Mark-1. With this, no more walking across the sprawling Lord's Castle. Just hop on, activate the Mana Stone, and zoom through the air on the wind. Sure, Seria would nag, "Young master, skipping walks again with your tricks?"
"Heh, once you taste the conveniences of civilization, you'll change your tune."
I placed the Mana Stone on the blueprint. Its red glow illuminated the page.
"Alright, production starts tomorrow."
I flopped back onto the bed. Just imagining it felt so comfy already. No cars around here anyway—shouldn't be dangerous, right?
"Haha, this'll be fun!"
Drifting off to happy thoughts, I headed to dreamland.
"Young master, you've finally gotten too lazy to even walk."
Seria stood with her arms crossed, looking down at me. Her gaze was fixed on the mysterious contraption at my feet.
A wooden board with two wheels attached, a long handlebar up front. Grotesque thing. A glowing red Mana Stone was embedded in the center.
"What a harsh thing to say."
I shot back with a stern expression.
"Human history has advanced alongside improvements in transportation. From walking to horses, horses to carriages. And now..."
"Now it's a board?"
"Hey, it's not just a board. Behold, the 'Magic Kickboard Mark-1'."
I proudly thumped the handlebar.
"Ride this, and you'll move five times faster than walking. No effort required."
"Hmm."
Seria eyed the kickboard suspiciously.
"Looks dangerous. Wheels are too small."
"It's not. I added all the safety features. Here, Seria, wanna give it a try?"
"Me?"
"Yeah. I'm giving you the honor of the first test ride."
Truth was, I was a bit scared to go first myself. Secret's safe. Seria's got killer reflexes—she'd survive anything with a proper roll.
"I refuse. Everything you make ends badly."
"Hey, the shampoo was great! And you got help from my magic during the wild boar hunt."
"True, but..."
"This'll make errands easier, patrols a breeze. Mobility is life for a knight, right?"
Mobility. Seria's ears perked at the word. Aspiring knight through and through.
"...Is it really fast?"
"Of course. A wind-cutting dash! Don't you wanna feel it?"
Seria pondered, then cautiously placed one foot on the kickboard.
"How do I do it?"
"Simple. Grab the handle, push off with the other foot."
"Got it. How hard do I push?"
"Eh, just a light tap? Like a nudge."
Seria nodded gravely, gripping the handle tight.
Vmmm.
The magic circle activated on the kickboard. She took a deep breath, then kicked off hard.
The problem hit right there. I'd forgotten her "light tap" packed the punch of a normal person's full sprint.
"Here I go!"
BAM!
The push-off sounded like a cannon shot. And then—
Shwooooooom—!!!
"Huh?"
Seria vanished from my sight.
"Y-Young maaaaster?!"
Her scream echoed from afar. She clung to the kickboard, streaking across the inner courtyard of the Lord's Castle. Another flop. At least 100 km/h, easy.
"S-Seria!!! Stop! Brake!"
I yelled in panic.
"Where's the braaaake?!"
"Left foot! Step on the rear wheel cover!"
"Can't heeeear!"
The wind drowned my voice. Seria screamed on, clueless how to stop.
Flowerbeds shattered, manicured shrubs shed leaves in the slipstream.
"This is bad. Real bad."
At this rate, she'd smash into the walls or cause a pileup with the gate guards.
"Haste!"
I cast acceleration magic on my legs and sprinted like hell.
"Seria! Jump off! Just jump!"
"Scary! Too faaaast!"
"You're a sword genius! You know how to land!"
"That's got nothing to do with swordsmanship!"
Terror made her grip tighter, shifting weight forward and accelerating more. Vicious cycle.
"Kyaaaa! Get out of the way! Everyone move!"
A gardener tending the yard dove into bushes in horror. Laundry maids dropped baskets, shrieking. The Lord's Castle turned to pandemonium in seconds.
'Damn, use magic?'
But one slip could hurt Seria. Then I spotted it: a massive haystack at the garden's edge, piled for stable cleaning.
"Seria! There! Steer into the haystack!"
"Can't steer! Handle's stuck!"
"Lean! Like skiing!"
"What's skiiiing?!"
"Argh, damn it! Just yank your body left!"
At my shout, Seria squeezed her eyes shut and leaned left. The kickboard screeched into a sharp turn—straight for the haystack.
"Let go now!"
"No way!"
"Let go! Or we both crash!"
Trusting me, Seria released the handle. Her body launched into the air. The kickboard flew solo, smashing into the wall in pieces. Seria arced through the sky.
Thud! Crash!
Poof!
She plunged into the haystack's center. Dust billowed.
"Huff, huff..."
I panted up to the haystack.
"S-Seria? You okay?"
The pile twitched. Then pop—Seria's head poked out. What a sight. Wind-whipped hair like a lion's mane, face caked in dirt, straw stuck everywhere.
"..."
Seria stared blankly at the sky. Soul-left-the-body vibes.
"Seria?"
"...Young master."
"Y-Yeah. I'm here. Not hurt anywhere?"
Seria slowly turned to me. Her pupils quivered.
"Just now... my life flashed before my eyes."
"Th-That bad?"
"My late grandma waved to me from across the river."
"Oh, dear."
Feeling guilty, I hurried to help her up. But—
Smack.
Seria slapped my hand away coldly.
"...Huh?"
"Don't touch me."
Her voice was colder than a Siberian plain. She crawled out unsteadily, rejecting my help despite wobbly legs.
"S-Seria. That mad?"
"Mad? Me? How dare a mere maid get angry at her master?"
"No, your tone sounds super pissed..."
"No. I just nearly died, realized how precious life is, and feel reverent now."
Seria dusted her filthy clothes without looking at me, then walked to the kickboard wreckage. She stared blankly at a rolling wheel, then muttered,
"That could've been me..."
"S-Sorry! My bad! I won't make one again!"