I made my way to the section where both the current production line and the confidential plans for future car models were located. The space I entered was a wide, immaculate stretch of blinding white. It was sterile and futuristic. It felt more like stepping into a dreamscape than a workplace. The only things that broke the uniform whiteness were the sleek forms of cars in various stages of developnt, and the chanics diligently working on them. Strikingly, every single one of them was a woman.
The mont I stepped in, the won all paused what they were doing and bowed deeply in perfect synchrony, their expressions calm and disciplined. The chanical whir of tools ca to a halt, replaced by the rustling of fabric and the faint echo of their respectful movent.
Rose stood beside , her eyes narrowing slightly as she scanned the room.
"…It's really... strange that there are no male employees here," she said quietly, as if afraid to break the stillness of the space.
I gave a small shrug. "Well, it was Amon who reviewed the applications and decided who to hire. I didn't interfere in her decisions."
She looked at sideways, a skeptical gleam in her eyes. "Is this part of your whole world domination thing?"
"Amon is my first woman," I replied, my voice steady and proud. "She's fully aware of my ambition to conquer this world. And it seems she's gone out of her way to help achieve that goal, even with the smallest details."
Rose paused. Her expression softened, a flicker of sothing unspoken dancing behind her gaze. "You have… a very loyal first woman."
Loyal wasn't even the half of it. Amon had gone so far as to singlehandedly develop the first smartphone in this world just because I offhandedly ntioned that I'd like one. She didn't just tinker—she obsessed. She pushed past every limitation this world imposed, combining foreign elents and engineering unknown to this era. She chased impossibility until it broke beneath her will. And sohow, she pulled it off.
"Yes," I said quietly, feeling a warmth stir in my chest. "And I'm very thankful to her."
"…I see," Rose murmured, but her voice sounded different now. Softer. Tinged with a faint, bitter hue of jealousy.
I glanced at her and smirked. "Are you jealous, Rose?"
"Guh… Stop reading my mind," she grumbled, flustered.
She didn't even try to deny it. Adorable.
We continued walking until we reached a different section of the facility. In the center of the room stood sothing massive, hidden beneath a thick, dark blanket. The contours underneath bulged in strange places, revealing its sheer size and complex shape even before being unveiled.
"Now then," I said, placing a hand dramatically on the cover. "This is a new model I've been working on. It hasn't been released to the public yet. I'm not even planning on launching it anyti soon. But despite that, it's already fully functional. The real hurdle lies in mass-producing it. That alone could take years, given how bulky this one is."
Rose blinked, stepping closer. "Wha… What is this…? It's massive."
She wasn't exaggerating. Compared to the other sleek, streamlined cars Leonamon had crafted, this one was a beast. Even concealed under layers of heavy fabric, its hulking fra dwarfed everything else around it. Its presence dominated the room.
A smirk curled at the edge of my lips.
Without any more delay, I gripped the blanket firmly and with a swift motion, yanked it off.
"Behold!" I said, my voice echoing across the chamber. "The Off Road!"
There it stood—its true form now revealed. Towering, wide, and bold. The Off Road. I still didn't know why it was nad that, but oddly enough, it just… fit. With its monstrous four wheels and reinforced fra, it was clearly designed to go off-road, over mountains, through forests, across rivers—anywhere. It looked like sothing straight out of a post-apocalyptic survival fantasy. If a zombie outbreak were to ever hit, this would be the dream machine. A survivalist wet dream. The ultimate vehicle of freedom and destruction.
"Wh…" Rose was speechless. Her mouth slightly ajar, eyes wide in disbelief. Understandably so—the design was outrageous, sothing that shouldn't logically exist in this world. Hell, even I was taken aback when I first saw it.
"Wanna take it for a spin?" I asked, stepping to the side and offering her the driver's seat with a gesture.
"Can I…?" she asked, her voice hushed in awe as her fingers brushed the vehicle's cold, matte surface.
"Of course. It'll be yours, after all… if you're the one driving us out of here," I replied casually.
Truth be told, I could've driven us myself. But I wanted to give her sothing—this beast felt like it belonged to her. Her energy, her fire... they matched. Maybe that was just my excuse. Maybe I just wanted to see her smile while gripping the wheel.
And sure enough, after a test drive and the exhilaration of conquering the beastly machine's controls, she agreed. She was grinning, her cheeks flushed with excitent as she took the wheel. I couldn't help but chuckle as I watched her enjoying every twist and turn. She looked completely in her elent.
***
The road to Flui Village was going to be a long one. In a car, the journey would stretch out to nearly eight hours. I'd once covered the distance in under an hour, but that was thanks to my own speed—not bound by the limits of roads or machines. This ti, however, we had to follow proper routes, weaving through intersections and snaking along winding roads. The delay was inevitable.
Still, compared to the excruciating two-day ride in a horse-drawn carriage, this was paradise.
"Are you ready?" she asked, her hands gently gripping the steering wheel, eyes scanning the road ahead.
"Yes," I answered with a nod, settling into my seat as the engine rumbled softly beneath us.
With a smooth press of her foot on the pedal, Rose drove us forward, and the journey resud.
Ti trickled by, and after just an hour, a soft chorus of breathing filled the car's cabin. My three girlfriends, exhausted from the day, had all fallen asleep—each of them snuggling closer, using my body as their makeshift pillow. I could feel the warmth of their skin, the weight of their trust and comfort in . I didn't mind it one bit. In fact, monts like this were rare gems. There was sothing oddly calming about being used as a pillow by those who cared for .
"It will take six more hours," Rose said as her eyes remained focused on the road. "You should sleep for a while."
"Well, I'll take that," I replied, letting out a soft breath and closing my eyes.
Sleep took gradually, like a fog washing over my thoughts, pulling into a gentle darkness.
But several hours later, I was stirred from that peaceful slumber. My eyes slowly opened, hazy from the nap, adjusting to the dimming light outside the windows. The scenery had changed, but we still weren't in the Holy City.
A quick glance around revealed the driver's seat was empty. Rose was gone. The silence in the vehicle, aside from the soft breathing of the three girls beside , made it obvious she had stepped out. Driving for eight hours straight would've been tiring for anyone. She must have taken a break to stretch or get so air.
I instinctively wanted to get up and go look for her, but the trio pressed against like vines against a tree trunk made that impossible. I couldn't move without disturbing their peaceful sleep. Their bodies were warm, and they clung so tightly, I figured I'd have to wait. She'd probably return in a few minutes.
True to expectation, the car door creaked open a few monts later.
"Oh, you're awake," Rose said with a slight smile as she climbed back inside.
"Where did you go?" I asked.
"Ah…" Her expression turned sheepish. She scratched her cheek in embarrassnt. "I don't really know where we are right now."
That could only an one thing—we were lost.
"D-Don't worry," she quickly added, lifting her index finger as if to reassure . "I asked for directions and committed them to mory."
"I can't believe you got lost, Rose," I said with a teasing grin, shaking my head slightly. "I thought getting lost would be the last thing you'd ever do. But it turns out, even you can be clumsy sotis."
"You can't really bla , can you?" she said, half-pouting. "It's not like I've ever co to the Holy City while driving myself. I always took a carriage back then."
She had a point. If all she'd ever done was ride in carriages and never actually navigated the path herself, then getting disoriented was only natural. Unless she had obsessively morized every twist and turn of the route as a passenger, it'd be unrealistic to expect otherwise.
"Well, it doesn't look like we're too far off," she added, glancing at the road ahead. "But because I took so long gathering information about the route, it's almost nightfall now."
I looked up at the darkening sky, the fading light washing the horizon in warm tones of orange and purple.
"Well then, I suppose we can rest here for the night and continue the journey tomorrow," I said with a calm smile.
User Comments
0 comments from readers