The Last Request, Heading Elsewhere
The next day.
I got ready to leave with Winz. As she packed our things, she flashed me a mischievous grin.
“Where are we going this time…?”
“Somewhere without a Life Tree, unlike last time. And… we talked about this last night. Did you already forget?”
Winz grinned like a fox. She was at it again with the teasing!
“Hehe, I was worried you might have forgotten, my lady!”
“Whatever. We’re going to the Madeline territory, you dummy Winz!”
At the mention of Madeline territory, Winz’s ears perked up.
She really did look like a rabbit sometimes.
“Madeline territory—the place that was recently upgraded from a village to a proper territory, right?”
“Yeah.”
“It’s been famous for a long time. The place that always produces Saintess candidates.”
“Exactly!”
That was actually one of my goals. There was someone I needed to meet there.
After everything that had happened, one thing had become clear: we had no powerful political backer. We’d skipped the Life Tree competition and stayed out of the spotlight, but that also meant we had no one watching our backs.
Yet in the Madeline territory, there was exactly such a person.
‘So I have to meet them!’
Winz tilted her head.
“Madeline territory used to be the site of the old Yakaroom Theocracy, didn’t it?”
“That’s right. Ancient history now.”
It was a region with deep religious roots.
More and more noble patrons were appearing, and the territory was finally taking proper shape.
Winz’s eyes narrowed.
“Why? What’s wrong?!”
“I think I can guess where you’re really trying to go, my lady.”
“What are you talking about? We’re just wandering.”
“Hmm~ We’ve been heading east this whole time. We’re going to the Eastern Sea, aren’t we?”
“Well, direction-wise, yeah.”
“And the Eastern Sea has tons of tourist spots! Plus it’s summer right now!”
She just wanted to play, didn’t she, Winz?
Honestly, I wanted to play too.
The summers in Ysgard weren’t as intense as Earth’s, but they were still plenty hot.
I chuckled.
“Well, we might as well go swimming while we’re there.”
“Ufu~ As expected! Don’t worry, I’ve already prepared a very revealing bikini for you.”
“Hey, why is the conversation suddenly going in that direction…?”
“Hehe♥”
Winz hummed cheerfully as we got busy preparing for departure.
“Let’s get some horses before we leave.”
“Yes!”
Bzzzzzt!
Was that a giant hornet flying overhead?
The sudden noise made me look up.
What I saw made my jaw drop.
‘What the—? Is that seriously a drone?’
A drone was hovering right above us.
And then a voice came out of it.
A very familiar voice.
“Ahem, ahem. Can you hear me?”
“Renua…?”
“Good, it’s working. You two are leaving, huh?”
“Yeah.”
The drone circled us once, almost reluctantly. Its movements were surprisingly smooth.
“Let’s meet one last time.”
“Sure. Want to come to the house?”
The drone shook left and right. The motion was incredibly fluid.
“No. Turn around.”
Winz and I both turned.
Renua was standing right there, holding what looked like a controller. It was just a chunk of black metal, so I wasn’t even sure if it was actually a controller.
“The controls are smoother than I expected. Glad it worked out. Ahem.”
“You made that? It feels like you’re living in a completely different world from the rest of us.”
While I stayed deadpan, Winz clasped her hands together in awe.
“That’s seriously amazing! Inventor Queen Renua!”
“Queen of invention, my ass. Thanks to you, the Etherweb’s gone commercial and I’ve made a bit of a name for myself. The forums are full of talk about me.”
I checked my phone right away.
My chest swelled with pride.
She’d become famous much faster than I’d expected—through nothing but her own talent and hard work.
“You’re an influencer now, Renua? Coming all the way out here to see us off? Nice.”
“It’s not like that… I came to see you two. Anyway, thanks.”
“Suddenly? For what? The money?”
“No. Something more than that.”
Renua scratched her head, looking awkward.
After hesitating, she stepped forward with sudden resolve.
“You two taught me courage. Thank you.”
“We did?”
“Yeah. While I was installing the antenna, I realized something. I was actually scared of the world. That’s why I clung so hard to Lord Vile, the only person who treated me kindly. Maybe… I was trying to forget my cold parents by treating him like a father.”
“Miss Renua…”
Winz looked at her with gentle, wistful eyes. Renua leaned against the wall and gave a small laugh.
“But it was all stupid in the end. We’re living in the present, right? So we should focus on reality instead of clinging to ghosts of the past.”
“Renua, you might not realize it, but you’re already plenty brave. You face problems head-on and solve them.”
When trouble comes, people usually split into two types: those who run, and those who stand their ground.
Most people in our old world chose to run.
But Renua at least tried to face things. That alone was impressive.
“I still have a long way to go. Anyway, thank you.”
Her calm gratitude made my heart thump.
Then she walked up to me.
I thought she was going for a handshake, but what happened next surprised me.
She pulled me into a hug.
“Huh…?”
“Thanks for saving me from the prison I built for myself.”
After whispering that in my ear, she stepped back.
A faint, almost playful smile lingered on her face.
“Oh, I also looked into your family crest. It belonged to a house that existed long ago and then vanished.”
Both Winz and I were shocked.
Renua’s expression wasn’t happy either. Something was wrong.
“The name that came up was Felhydra. But no matter how many old records I checked, I couldn’t find any noble house by that name.”
I nodded.
I’d never heard of it in the original story or any of the side lore either.
Felhydra.
It was completely unfamiliar—almost like Renua had made it up.
Still, she continued.
“There is one clue, though. The last trace of the family was found in a city near the Eastern Sea.”
“Near the Eastern Sea?”
“Yeah. In that region the family name appears as Rippleheim. That’s the final record.”
It was strange. Noble houses rarely changed their names.
Only when the Emperor or imperial family specifically ordered it—which was extremely rare.
Otherwise, they kept their names.
“I have something for you two. Come here.”
Renua suddenly pulled out two metallic cloaks and handed them to us.
We put them on without thinking. Were these supposed to be armor?
“What the—? It’s a cloak, but it’s made of metal. This thing’s heavy as hell!”
“Ugh, you’re right. Does it at least have good defense?”
Renua laughed as she watched us flail around like kids wearing adult clothes.
She shook her head, her red hair swaying slightly.
“No.”
“Then why’d you give them to us?!”
I’d let it slide since it was kind of cute.
“See the emblem on the cloak? Press it.”
“Emblem?”
Looking closely, I spotted a star-shaped symbol.
God, how tacky.
I pressed it firmly.
Click—shhhk!
The cloak suddenly detached and began assembling itself into something else, almost like it had a will of its own.
When it finished, I was staring at a bicycle.
‘Holy crap, a bicycle now? I mean, there are magitech bicycles, but this is basically a motorcycle.’
Motorcycles still didn’t exist on this continent.
Yet Renua had already reached this level?
Winz ran her hand over the bike.
“Oh my, this is…”
“It’s an evolution of the magitech bicycle. Most of the underground passages on our continent are made of metal and magnetic fields. I added a material that creates reverse resistance.”
“Whoa, that’s actually possible?”
“With the money you gave me, anything’s possible.”
She must’ve gotten a ridiculous amount. At this rate she was going to invent nukes next.
“So it can float slightly above the ground. I haven’t named it yet, but it’s quiet, and while it’s not as comfortable as a carriage, it’s faster than a horse.”
I climbed on and grabbed the handlebars.
“How do I make it move?”
“With your will.”
I imagined moving forward.
Vrrrrrm!
The bike glided ahead like magic.
I thought about going backward, and it immediately reversed.
It even handled curves smoothly while moving.
Unlike real motorcycles, it didn’t seem to require any skill.
‘I knew Renua was a genius, but she’s already blooming this much!’
She was dangerously attractive. Even her brain was sexy.
Winz looked just as pleased.
“This is incredible! Wow, let’s call it the Superconducting Bike!”
“Everyone’s been talking about that lately. Hmm, I like it. Let’s go with that.”
We loaded our luggage onto the Superconducting Bike and climbed on.
I looked at Renua.
She wore the relaxed expression of someone who had finally been freed.
“Renua, thanks for everything—even at the very end.”
“What do you mean, the end? We’ll meet again, right? You still owe me money, after all, my generous patron!”
“Puhahaha! Fair enough. Take care until then.”
“Enough with the goosebumps. Have a safe trip.”
We parted ways like that.
Winz and I left the territory and picked up speed.
“Winz, want to race?”
“Yes, sounds fun! Hehe. What does the loser have to do? Let’s make a bet!”
“Hmm, how about the winner gets to ask for one favor?”
“Ufu~ I can’t afford to lose then, can I?”
Something about that felt dangerous, but we agreed to the race anyway.
We sped off at full throttle.
“Let’s go! Hotter than the sun!”
“Special forces, move out—!”
With those strangely familiar lines, we cut through the wind. A sense of liberation filled our hearts as well.