The earthquake that just struck was quite violent, but fortunately, it did not cause the carriage to overturn. The dishes in the kitchen are safe, and the only damage was that Surara was thrown off his seat, but I caught him with both hands, so there was no problem.
"Surara, are you hurt?"
I call out to him and return Surara to the sofa diagonally across from me.
"Yes! I'm fine! Thank you, Master-san, for catching me!"
"That was brilliant…"
Lily made a small clap.
"It was a pretty big quake, but I hope the bridge is okay."
Iris muttered to herself.
"Is there a bridge ahead?"
"Yes. It's called the Zard Bridge, but it was built long ago and looks very old."
"That's worrisome…"
"If there's something wrong with the bridge, we'll have to take a big detour to the south. Our arrival in Surier would be delayed by a couple of days."
"I would certainly not want to be delayed."
The plan for the future is to spend three nights and four days in Surier, relaxing and enjoying the hot springs. If we arrive two days late, we will only be able to stay two days and one night.
I don't think I will be able to fully enjoy the hot spring resort of Surier in just that short time.
Of course, we could rearrange our travel schedule, but all I can do is hope that the bridge is safe.
However, it seems that the more incidents you don't want to happen in this world, the more likely they are to happen.
About 30 minutes after the earthquake, the carriage stopped near the Zard Bridge.
Dest's voice echoed from the ceiling.
"Master, the bridge is broken…"
I decided to get out of the carriage to check the situation of the Zard Bridge for the time being.
"Kou, I'm coming with you."
"Please take me with you too. I'll be an escort."
"Master-san! I'll go with you too!"
"Alright. Let's all go."
It would not be right to leave anyone out.
I walked out of the carriage with Iris, Lily, and Surara.
There were many people gathered near the railway bridge — adventurers, peddlers, tourists, etc.
They were probably planning to cross the Zard Bridge to Surier.
They looked at each other, hesitant to go for a detour to the south… but one by one, they turned their eyes toward us.
"…We're kind of getting a lot of attention."
"Well, of course."
Iris chuckles.
"It's an uncommonly large carriage, and we have a golem pulling it, so it's no wonder it attracts so much attention."
"…Well, it's a good thing we weren't mistaken for monsters."
Deciding to put the people in the surrounding area aside, I look toward the Zard Bridge.
It is about ten meters wide, wide enough for two ordinary horse-drawn carriages to pass each other.
The bridge is covered with rust, giving it an old-fashioned look.
It had been deteriorating for a long time, and the earthquake of 30 minutes ago seemed to have dealt a blow, causing collapses here and there. Especially in the center of the bridge, the footholds were completely gone for more than five meters.
"I think it will be difficult to cross this…"
Lily muttered with a difficult expression.
It would be impossible to walk… or swim directly in the river.
The distance to the other bank is quite far, more than fifty meters. The river is flowing very fast, and we would probably end up drowning.
As I was pondering this, Iris said.
"How about using the flying potion?"
Not that I didn't consider that option for a change. With"Wind Blessing S+"it would be quite possible to carry Iris and Lily together. Dest and Grand Cabin can be put in the [Item Box].
However, if we crossed the river that way, my personality would make me think things like, "I wonder if the others are still in trouble," or "I wonder if those who chose to take the detour will make it to Surier safely."
That would be too much of an aftertaste.
"Hey, hey, Master-san! I have an idea!"
Suddenly, Surara spoke up.
"Why don't you just use [Creation] to repair the railroad bridge! What do you think?"
"…It's worth a try."
The iron bridge is too big to fit in my [Item Box], but due to the previous level up, it is now possible to exercise the [Creation] skill even on such items as long as I can touch them with my hands.
The question is whether a recipe will come to mind.
First, let's touch the iron bridge.
I headed toward the bridge. Then, people opened the way with quizzical expressions on their faces.
I'm wearing Armored Bear Armor under my Fenrir Coat, and one of the effects of the armor is…"Hearing Enhancement A"which allows me to hear people whispering about us.
"Hey, isn't that guy the "Dragon Slayer" from Aunen?"
"He's got a big wagon, a big golem, and a round creature, no doubt about it."
"Don't tell me he will cross that old bridge?"
Of course not… I reply inwardly as I reach the railroad bridge.
As soon as I touched the bridge with my left hand, a recipe popped into my mind.
Zard Bridge (collapsed) x 1 + Devil Treant's trunk x 800 → New Zard Bridge x 1
Surara is right; it seems that my skills will allow me to rebuild the Zard Bridge into a new one. I didn't expect that the material for this would be Devil Treant's trunks, but let's do it first.
"──[Creation]!"
I activate my skill with all my energy.
The next moment, the Zard Bridge was enveloped in a dazzling light that turned into silver particles that scattered around the area.
Then, one by one, timber appeared out of the void, and with a clattering sound, new bridge sections were being built at a tremendous pace. As if to fill the gaps, silver particles rained down and became metal parts connecting the trees.
New Zard Bridge: A new bridge made by Kou Kousaka. It is made of Devil Treant's trunks, and when a monster approaches, it automatically attacks by extending its branches and roots.
Granted effects:"Durability S+""Automatic Regeneration S""Automatic Interception A+".
Somehow, again, it seems that I ended up with more than I expected.
The"Durability S +"and"Automatic Regeneration S"effects are literally true, and the combination of the two makes the bridge not susceptible to aging. Moreover, because of the"Automatic Interception A +"the bridge seems to function as a kind of safe zone.
…Isn't this bridge too good?
As expected of the power of Devil Treant.
Well, this is how I created a new bridge, and naturally, the surrounding crowd was astonished.
"The "Dragon Slayer" has created a bridge…"
"What in the world is going on…?"
Everyone is astonished and staring at the new Zard Bridge in stunned amazement.
"…Amazing."
Lily muttered with a sigh of admiration.
"I've heard that the [Transmigrator] has extraordinary power. But I never thought they could do something like this…"
"As usual, what Kou does is extravagant…"
"Master-san, you are like a God!"
"…It's all thanks to my skills. It's no big deal."
I muttered shyly and looked at the bridge again.
It was more than three times as wide as it had been before, and it looked wide enough for our wagons to pass over.
I returned to Dest with Iris, Lily, and Surara.
"Well done, Master!"
"Thank you, Dest. Let's get going then."
"Understood!"
Dest salutes with gusto.
As I am about to get into the carriage, I stop in my tracks. Since I had just built a new bridge, I thought it would be good to look out from the coachman seat.
When I suggested this to Iris and the others, they all agreed unanimously.
So, we went straight to the coachman seat.
The coachman seat is spacious, with plenty of room for the three of us and Surara to sit together.
"Then, we are leaving!"
Dest shouted, and the carriage began to move slowly.
Many onlookers had gathered around the bridge, but no one had yet attempted to cross.
Well, it takes a lot of courage to be the first one.
As our carriage approached the bridge, the onlookers quickly made their way to the left and right.
"It's like we're kings."
Iris giggled.
Soon Dest and the carriage are approaching the bridge. Both are quite heavy, but the bridge is not even shaken.
Seeing this scene, the onlookers shouted, "Ooooohhhhhhhh!"
They seemed relieved that we had gone ahead of them and followed us. It's like a king or, rather, a procession of lords.
I looked at the river at our feet and saw fish jumping happily.
"Oh, there's a fish! Hello!"
Surara extended his right hand and waved to the fish.
The sky was blue, and the sun was warm. It was like a natural blanket. I'm starting to feel sleepy.
"Fuaahh."
That wasn't my yawn.
I looked to my right side and saw Lily with her hand over her mouth.
"…Sorry."
Lily looked down as if embarrassed.
"I wonder if it's okay to spend my time so carefree."
"Don't worry about it. Your mission as a [God of War's Shrine Maiden] is over, isn't it?"
"…Yes."
After a short pause, Lily nodded.
Soon the other side of the river… Surier's side of the river came into view.
There was a large crowd of travelers and peddlers gathered there, seemingly unable to decide whether to cross the newly built bridge or not.
As the carriage carrying us crossed the bridge, a young man in armor ran up to us, shouting.
"Excuse me. I'm a guard from Surier! You are the Dragon Slayer of Aunen, aren't you? May I ask you a few questions about this bridge?"
The guards of each city have been notified through the Scarlet Trading Company that we are going to the royal capital in a big carriage. This must be one of the reasons why this young guard recognized me as the "Dragon Slayer."
"Dest, I'm going to go talk to him. Stop the carriage."
"Understood!"
The carriage slows gently and then comes to a stop.
"Shall I go with you?"
"No, it's fine on my own. Iris can take it easy."
As I get off the coachman seat, the young guard speaks to me.
"I am sorry to interrupt your trip. You must be Kou Kousaka-dono, right?"
"Yeah, that's right."
"I have always heard of your activities. …This bridge, if I am not mistaken, was built by Kou-dono?"
"I just reinforced the old bridge."
"Reinforced…?"
The young guard rubbed both eyes.
"I don't think there's a trace of the original…"
Well, I think so, too.
I was embarrassed and said something appropriate, but apparently, it was a mistake.
"Anyway, thank you very much for building a new bridge. If it had remained collapsed, many people would have been in trouble. Thank you from the bottom of my heart."
The guards bowed sincerely.
Around us, many people had already begun to pass the bridge.
It seemed that word had already spread among the people that I had built the bridge, and as they passed by me, they would say, "Thank you," or "Thank you so much for your help."
The young guard said.
"I have to make a report about the bridge, so will you come with me to the town of Surier?"
"Of course."
We had planned to go to Surier from the beginning, and nothing was going to get in the way.
We headed for the town with the guards leading the way.