Chapter 529

Parfe Sightseeing Carriage Begins Operation
“Wow, I’m so glad the modifications are finished without a hitch, Lily!”

“Yes, me too. But... why are you here on the test ride day, Young Lady Kou?”

“Because I wouldn’t get a chance to ride it on a normal day—obviously!”

At last, the Parfe carriage begins its service.
Today is the trial ride event.
And of course, Young Lady Kou showed up—with Lord Vic in tow.
Completely as expected... but really, they only ever do what's expected, don’t they?

That said, they did properly get permission from Marquis Vardmoi this time.
Lord Vic confirmed it, so there’s no doubt.

“Sorry, Lily. But it’s just that, under normal circumstances, we clearly wouldn’t be able to ride.”

“I understand. But still, was it really necessary to be on the very first ride? It’s early in the morning, and we’ll be making several loops around Vardmoi today.”

“Well, Kou was so excited she woke up early.”

Like a kid.
Though... since this is a sightseeing carriage aimed at children, I suppose that’s appropriate?
Then again, the future Marquis of Vardmoi acting like a child is kind of troubling.
Maybe it’s fine as long as Lord Vic stays responsible?
Hard to judge.

“Well, you’re free to ride, but please don’t get too rowdy.”

“I’m not that childish, you know… Still, this is an amazing carriage. You can see in all directions... it’s made from those boards spun by Tarat’s silk, right? Not glass?”

“Yes. They’re extremely sturdy and highly transparent.”

“So why are the seats higher the farther back they go?”

“If they were all the same height, the back seats wouldn’t be able to see forward. This way, everyone gets to enjoy the view.”

“Huh, makes sense. By the way, was a driver really necessary?”

“It was required to get permission. Kiblinki Saltus is stationed next to the driver, and frankly, his telepathy alone could handle everything. But without a physical driver, we wouldn’t have gotten authorization to operate within city limits.”

“Rules are important, huh.”

Well, it’s the law, so there’s no helping it.
Incidentally, the coachman had a pretty hard time during training.
This carriage turns extremely well by design, and Parfe is so intelligent that even a slight tug on the reins causes a sharp turn.

As a result, the vehicle can make turns at angles unthinkable for normal carriages or magic vehicles.
The coachmen had to be trained specifically on how to handle that.
And since Parfes run in pairs—not just one pair, but multiple sets—they all had to be trained accordingly.
Parfes may be smart, but they enjoy turning too much and will veer off just for fun.
Apparently, that part was especially tricky to deal with.

“Moo-cows! We’re here!”

“Gu-goo! (Welcome!)”

Looks like the children and their parents for the first trial ride are starting to gather.
Some kids initially tried to rush to the front, but after realizing the view was just as good from the back, they picked seats wherever they liked.
The Parfe carriage holds 32 passengers, so it’s fairly large.
Still, with its fluffy cushions and panoramic views, the kids are already super excited.
Yep, definitely worth building.

“Everyone, it’s time. First trial ride, departing now!”

The coachman confirmed the time and announced the start of the tour.
From what I can see, all the seats are filled and no one was left behind.

The Parfe carriage started moving at a relaxed pace through the town.
Other carriages and magic vehicles were overtaking us left and right, but that’s expected and totally fine.
In fact, there’s even a sign on the back that says, “Slow vehicle. Overtaking encouraged.”

The Parfe carriage calmly made its way around the city’s tourist spots—like the fountain plaza, the grand park, and the clock tower—before returning to the starting point in about an hour.
Right on schedule.

“Thank you for riding. The first trial ride is now complete.”

“That was fun! I didn’t know Vardmoi looked like that!”

“Goo! (We didn’t know either!)”

“See you again, moo-cows!”

The first round of families disembarked, and the next group for the second ride began to gather.
Today, we’ll run eight loops total before calling it a day.

After observing how things go today, we’ll decide how many rounds to operate on a daily basis.
Though with how this is going, we’ll probably have to switch to a reservation system.
Maybe I should ask Alizée to handle it through the TradeGuild.
Yes—let’s do that.

What do you think about this chapter?