By the time Makoto arrived back in the city, the sky had already grown dark. Not long after, Rimuru arrived with his followers, bringing back megalodons that were still in good condition. They also collected the scattered scales of Charybdis from the ground. Once they returned, they immediately held a victory feast, cooking the megalodons they had defeated. The city's residents were overjoyed, having overcome Charybdis—the legendary monster feared by many.
Makoto made sure to try the megalodon meat.
"Hmm, this meat has a unique texture—chewy yet tender," Makoto said.
"Waka-sama, please try the soup I made from the megalodon," Mio said cheerfully.
"Thank you, Mio," Makoto replied as he tasted the soup.
"Hmm, it's savory, slightly salty, with a hint of sweetness and freshness from the vegetables, combined with spices that bring everything together. This is delicious, Mio," Makoto praised her.
"Thank you for the compliment, Waka. I bought several parts of the megalodon from Shuna to bring along for our journey," Mio said happily.
A short while later, Rimuru approached Makoto with Milim.
"Makoto, I heard from Shuna that you're leaving tomorrow," Rimuru said.
"Yes, Rimuru. I want to travel and see various places in this world," Makoto replied.
"What!? You're leaving too, Makoto?" Milim asked in surprise.
"Yes, Milim. Are you planning to travel as well?" Makoto asked.
"I was planning to leave tonight, but if Makoto is leaving tomorrow, then I'll go tomorrow too!" Milim said cheerfully.
"Hey, why didn't you tell me earlier that you were leaving, Milim?" Rimuru said.
"I forgot!" Milim replied brightly.
Hearing that, Rimuru could only sigh.
"Haaah… then I'll ask Shuna to prepare some snacks for you to take tomorrow," Rimuru said.
"Really!? Yay!" Milim exclaimed, jumping with joy.
The next morning, after breakfast, Makoto, Tomoe, Mio, and Shiki finished preparing what they would bring and stored everything in their storage space. Milim, who was also leaving, was talking with Shuna.
"Milim-sama, these are the snacks I made. You can eat them on the way," Shuna said.
"I understand. Thank you very much, Shuna," Milim replied.
"Be careful on the road, Milim. Don't let yourself be tricked by others," Rimuru warned.
"See you again, Milim-sama. Don't get tricked by anyone," Shuna added.
"Travel safely, Milim-sama. Don't get tricked," Shion said.
"Take care, Milim," Makoto said.
"Milim, these are snacks I made for you too," Mio said as she handed her some biscuits.
"Ooh, thank you, Mio!" Milim said happily.
"Well then, I'm off!" Milim said, before flying straight up into the sky at incredible speed.
"Then I'll be going as well, Rimuru—and everyone else. Until we meet again," Makoto said.
"Until we meet again, Makoto. You're welcome to come to this city anytime," Rimuru replied.
Makoto then departed the city together with Tomoe, Mio, and Shiki.
"Waka, where is our first destination?" Tomoe asked.
"Our first destination is the armed nation of Dwargon," Makoto replied.
After walking for quite some distance, Makoto suddenly stopped.
"What is it, Waka-sama?" Shiki asked.
"This place seems suitable," Makoto said while looking around.
"You don't mean we're going to Dwargon on foot, do you?" Tomoe said.
"Forgive me, Waka-sama. I thought we were going to walk there," Shiki said.
"Ara, I thought we'd tame a monster and ride it," Mio said.
"I thought we'd fly through the sky," Tomoe added.
"We're traveling to relax and enjoy seeing the world, not to make things difficult for ourselves. Maybe occasionally we'll use monsters for new experiences, but for now, we'll use this," Makoto said as he revealed a vehicle he had made the night before.
It was a futuristic, elegant green minivan with golden nature-themed patterns. At the front was a logo shaped like a World Tree.
"Waka, if I'm not mistaken, isn't that a minivan?" Tomoe asked.
"Waka-sama, when did you find the time to make this?" Shiki asked.
"I made it last night before going to sleep," Makoto replied.
"You say that like finishing homework before bed," Tomoe joked.
"Let's go inside. Even though I made this minivan, this is my first time entering it too," Makoto said as he opened the side door. When he did, he couldn't see the interior—there was a black membrane separating the inside space from the outside. Without hesitation, Makoto stepped inside.
Tomoe, Mio, and Shiki followed him. Once inside, instead of a cramped space, they found themselves in a vast interior—25 meters long, 10 meters wide, and 6 meters high. Inside were sofas, a dining table, a kitchen, a minibar, four bedrooms, one research room, and one storage room.
"What do you think? I designed it to be simple and comfortable. This space is fully equipped—with areas for relaxing, dining, cooking, and a minibar. On the left are four bedrooms, each complete with a bed, wardrobe, desk, chair, and bathroom. You can even adjust each bedroom's size up to 1,000 square meters. On the right are three rooms: a research room, a storage room, and a driving room. The research room can be expanded up to 10 square kilometers or divided into multiple sections. The storage room can be expanded up to 1 square kilometer, and I added a feature that detects living beings—if there are none inside, time stops within it. As for the driving room, I kept it at 25 square meters, with one main seat in the back and three seats in front, plus monitors that display a 360-degree view around the minivan," Makoto explained.
Tomoe and Shiki were left speechless, while Mio approached Makoto.
"Waka-sama, you're amazing! The kitchen is wonderful too. With this, I won't have to worry about cooking—I can make all kinds of dishes for you, Waka-sama," Mio said happily. She had been worried about cooking during a long journey, but now those concerns were gone.
Tomoe and Shiki snapped back to their senses after hearing Mio.
"Waka, you didn't just make a vehicle—you made a moving bunker. If I'm not mistaken, the exterior is made from a special material I've never seen before," Tomoe said.
"Oh, you're quite observant, Tomoe," Makoto replied.
"The exterior is made from a unique material that's extremely durable. It can change shape freely, withstand corrosion from chaotic space outside dimensions, and repair itself by channeling magical energy," Makoto said.
"As for the interior, it's made from dimensional world walls to stabilize the pocket dimension inside the minivan."
"Waka… don't tell me you made that unique material yourself?" Tomoe asked.
"Of course. Where else would I get such a unique material?" Makoto replied.
"Waka-sama, may I ask something?" Shiki said.
"What is it, Shiki?" Makoto replied.
"You said earlier that each room's size can be adjusted. How can a space change without affecting the rest of the structure?"
"That's simple. Each room here is a separate dimension connected by dimensional doors. The doors you see aren't ordinary doors—they're specially made to link different dimensions. You could say this minivan is a small world, with this main area as its core, and the other rooms as sub-dimensions connected to it," Makoto explained.
"Now, how about learning how to operate the minivan? The system is fairly easy for you, though you'll need time to adapt. The minivan has several modes: ground mode, flight mode, and special mode," Makoto said as he walked toward the driving room.
"I won't explain ground or flight mode. I'll explain special mode. This mode is used when traveling to other worlds—it prioritizes camouflage and the ability to slip through a world's dimensional walls. Although I haven't fully armed this minivan yet, that doesn't mean it's weak. It has a main cannon capable of destroying a planet by destabilizing its core, as well as ten rapid-fire secondary cannons—five on each side."
"Waka… I take it back. This isn't a bunker—it's a fully armed fortress," Tomoe said.
"So, who wants to try driving first?" Makoto asked.
"Me, Waka!" Tomoe said cheerfully.
"Alright, anyone else?"
"I'm not particularly interested, Waka-sama," Mio said.
"Then after Tomoe, Shiki will drive, and Mio will go last," Makoto decided.
"Yes, Waka-sama," Mio and Shiki replied together.
Tomoe sat in the central seat that controlled the minivan's movement. After reading the driving instructions Makoto had prepared, she started slowly, but gradually sped up. Even in ground mode, she easily maneuvered around trees one by one. To make it more realistic, Makoto had designed the driver's seat to transmit vibrations and driving sensations like a real vehicle.
Tomoe drove as if she had found a new toy.
"Waka, this is fun!" she said.
The monitors displayed her driving at high speed while effortlessly avoiding obstacles.
After driving until noon, they stopped on a hill for lunch.
"Shiki, could you bring out the table and chairs from the storage room? We'll eat outside," Makoto said.
"Yes, Waka-sama," Shiki replied.
"Waka! This minivan is amazing! I can't wait to try the other modes!" Tomoe said excitedly.
Makoto, Tomoe, and Shiki set up the table and chairs. A short while later, Mio came out of the minivan.
"Waka-sama, the food is ready," Mio said as she took the dishes out from her storage space.
As they were eating, a small white fox suddenly emerged from nearby bushes, drawn by the smell of Mio's cooking. Without fear, it approached them, its eyes filled with curiosity.
Makoto beckoned to it.
"Come here," he said.
The white fox hesitated at first, but eventually walked toward Makoto, watching him closely. Makoto smiled at its behavior.
"You're very brave, little one," he said as he reached out to touch it.
The fox was wary at first, but its instincts told it that Makoto wasn't dangerous, so it allowed him to touch its body.
"You're smart and cautious. Are you alone here?" Makoto asked.
The white fox seemed to understand. It let out a cry toward the bushes, and soon another white fox slowly emerged, looking slightly frightened as it glanced at Tomoe, Mio, and Shiki.