"Illya, Shichen, Frieren—you guys ready back there?"
From the driver's seat, Irisviel gripped the wheel with a gleam in her eyes, clearly excited.
"Yeah, we're good..."
Shichen had Illya in his lap, frowning slightly. Irisviel's energy triggered a strange sense of déjà vu.
"So this is what people ride in these days?"
Frieren, unaware of what was coming, curiously scanned the interior of the car.
"Frieren, it's not a carriage, it's just called a car," Illya explained helpfully.
"A car? Then how's it move? Magic?"
"Magic? Please, not even magecraft. All it needs is an engine," Irisviel said, grinning.
"Engine...? What's that?"
"You read all those books and didn't learn anything useful?" Shichen raised an eyebrow.
"I haven't gotten there yet. I just finished reading about the dinosaur extinction."
"...What?"
"I was looking into what kinds of dinosaurs existed."
"Right... Anyway, Iri, let's roll."
"On it! Everyone, hang on!"
"Mom seems way too excited..."
"Illya, hold tight to me."
"Okay~!"
VROOOM—
Irisviel slammed the gas. The car took off like a rocket, leaving only a blur behind. Sella and Leysritt, standing beside the driveway, were completely stunned.
They looked at each other blankly.
"Does Madam even have a license?" Leysritt asked.
"Pretty sure she doesn't..."
In broad daylight, a black car sped down an empty road like a shadow, weaving through turns without slowing down, only going faster.
If anyone had passed by, they might've heard screams of joy from inside.
"Illya! Check it out! How's my driving?!"
"Mom!! It's way too fast!!"
"This is nothing! I can go faster!"
"Nooo! Dad, stop her!"
"...Yeah, no stopping her now."
Shichen gave a helpless smile, watching Irisviel's ecstatic expression.
Who would've guessed? Under that elegant surface, she was a complete speed freak. Was this what happened when someone behaved too well for too long?
"Seriously, what if we crash?" Illya clung to him.
"I still haven't spent enough time with you yet, Dad..."
"Relax. I'm here. Nothing's gonna happen. Even if we crash, I won't let you get hurt."
Shichen gently rubbed her back.
"Really?"
"Trust me."
"You're the best, Daddy!"
"Heh, Frieren, you okay?"
He turned to check on the elf beside him, still sitting motionless.
"I'm fine... This 'car' thing is really fast," Frieren said blankly but not without awe.
"Welcome to the modern era."
"So it's because of that engine thing? That strong, huh?"
"Well... sure. Let's just go with that."
"Can we use engines on carriages too?"
"Nope. Totally different system, even if they serve the same purpose."
"Meaning...?"
"Read more and you'll get it."
"Hah! Bet even you don't get it."
"Hmph, just as I thought—ugh!"
Frieren suddenly clutched her mouth mid-sentence.
"What's wrong?"
"Ugh... I feel sick..."
"Wait, are you carsick?"
Shichen blinked. That'd explain why she hadn't moved at all.
"Carsick...? What's that?"
"It means you get dizzy riding in cars."
"Pfft, I'm not—ugh!"
Her eyes widened as her cheeks puffed out.
"Ngh... my stomach's flipping..."
"Haha, and you said you weren't carsick. Heal."
He cast a healing spell.
"Phew... that's better."
Frieren slumped against him, exhaling deeply.
"Don't celebrate just yet. That's only temporary relief. It might come back anytime."
"No big deal. You'll just heal me again."
"Won't work forever. Once you build resistance to the spell, it's useless."
"Ugh... I never want to ride in a car again. This is awful!"
"Driving's different though. You won't get carsick if you're the one behind the wheel."
"Really? How does that work?"
"It just does."
"Then can I drive?"
Frieren's eyes sparkled, already eyeing the driver's seat.
"Nope."
"Why not?"
"You don't even know how."
"I can learn!"
"We'll talk about it later."
Honestly, Shichen was a little curious to see Frieren drive too. Just the thought made him laugh inside.
But they had other things to focus on.
Thanks to Irisviel's... unique driving, they reached Fuyuki City just before noon.
"Whew~ that was awesome."
Irisviel sighed in satisfaction as she parked.
"You had fun? Illya was traumatized!"
Shichen gave her a look.
"Huh?"
Irisviel turned around—only to see Illya still shaking like a leaf. That's when it finally hit her what she'd done.
Her face flushed red with embarrassment.
"Illya, I'm so sorry... Shichen, you too..."
Her voice was barely audible.
"Mom... you were so scary just now..."
"...Ugh."
Irisviel's face sank lower. Shichen even noticed the tips of her ears turning red.
"Don't worry about it. You've been cooped up your whole life. It's okay to let loose a little."
As a homunculus—no, as the Lesser Grail—she'd never left the Einzbern estate. Now that she could, of course she'd be excited.
"Thanks... Shichen."
Irisviel whispered bashfully.
"I'm fine, but Frieren's looking rough."
"Huh?"
She turned to see Frieren lying limp on Shichen's lap.
"Frieren? Are you okay?"
"Don't worry, just carsick."
"Eh?"
Irisviel blinked, not quite processing it.
"Shichen... I feel horrible..."
Frieren groaned.
"We're here. Just step out and you'll be fine."
He gently caressed her cheek.
"Ugh... I don't think I can move..."
"You could just say you want me to carry you."
"That's not it..."
"Illya, Daddy's gonna carry Frieren. Can you get out yourself?"
"What do you take me for, a baby? I'm fine!"
Illya hopped out confidently.
Shichen chuckled, then carried Frieren out in his arms.
"Ah~ I feel alive again."
Just touching solid ground seemed to instantly revive her.
"Haha, didn't think you of all people would get carsick."
"Ugh, shut up!"
Frieren shot him a glare and jumped down.
"Whoa—"
Shichen quickly caught her as she stumbled.
She leaned against him with a sigh, finally getting her bearings.
She glanced around at the unfamiliar city—the buildings, the outfits, the cars—it all felt alien.
Was this what the future looked like?
Would her world ever become like this?
Would she even live long enough to see it?
...Actually, maybe that didn't matter anymore.
She turned back to look at Shichen, who was also taking in the view.
"Hm? What is it?"
he asked, sensing her gaze.
"Nothing."
Frieren shook her head and looked back around, curiosity lighting up her expression again.
"Daddy~ Pick me up!"
Illya tugged at his pants and raised her arms.
"Sure thing~"
Shichen lifted her up into his arms.
"Daddy, what are we doing here?"
"We're here to have fun. You've never been to a place like this, right? Let's enjoy the next few days."
"Really?!"
Illya lit up.
"Would I lie to you?"
"Yay! I love you the most, Daddy!"
Illya gave him a kiss on the cheek.
"Mhm~ And over here too."
He turned the other cheek toward her.
Smack~
Illya kissed him again.
"Such a sweet girl~"
"Um... is this okay?"
Irisviel came up beside them, lowering her voice.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean... here of all places..."
She glanced at the Command Seal glowing faintly on Shichen's hand.
"It's fine. I'm here. Illya won't get hurt."
"I..."
"Trust me."
Shichen looked her in the eye, calm and steady.
"...Alright."
Irisviel nodded slowly, reassured.
"Good. First, let's find a hotel and book a room."
"...Just one?"
"Well, we are Illya's mom and dad."
"Yeah! We should sleep together!"
Illya added with a nod.
"...Shichen-san, you're not doing this on purpose... right?"
"No idea what you're talking about."
~~~
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