Chapter Fifty-Seven - Moving On With You

Hi! Words time! We're almost at 100K of Maid! <3

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The city was... interesting. She couldn’t deny that. It was also strangely nostalgic in some ways, and utterly, totally wrong in others.

Forgingburg had been one of her favourite haunts when she was leveling her swordsman jobs. The city was home to a good number of forges, hence the name. It crafted some of the best NPC-made gear, and so she had stuck around. Besides, it was also one of the better places to pick up subjugation quests. The nearby forests were always filled with mid-to-high level monsters of a wide enough variety to make them worth farming.

So, the streets of this city, and its overall layout, were familiar to her.

The tram wasn’t.

That had definitely not been there when this world was merely a game. The idea of a tram system felt utterly incongruous. It simply did not fit in her mind, and yet...

She shifted through the city in the dead of night, training up her [Rogue] job as she did so only to come to a stop at the station where the small railed cars were parked for the night.

A few tired mechanics were looking at one of them in a bay, so she went around them and inspected another. 

It was made of wood. 

That ought to have surprised her, but upon further reflection, it didn’t. Walking around the car, she could see where several runes were inscribed into it on magical metal plates. They took in ambient mana. Then that mana was circulated to the front, where a compartment under the driver’s seat hid... a boiler?

“Seriously?” she muttered as she looked at what she was quite certain was a steam engine. It was mana-powered, rather than using coal, but... that was definitely just a steam engine, with pistons and a boiler and all the rest. She lacked the vocabulary or knowledge to know exactly what she was seeing beyond the obvious.

Magic to boil water wasn’t exactly complex, but this was almost insulting. 

Then again, while she could think of several spells that could impart thrust, most were through violent, sudden bursts. Those that could push something with steady momentum were more complex spells, or would require powerful outside forces. Using a simple spell like [Gust] would certainly work, but it pulled air in from the surroundings to work. So, unless they wanted trams with sails, then...

She hated how efficient and logical this was. Boiling water could be vented, and it translated relatively easily into motive force. The plates on the bottom of the tram would collect mana from the environment, but most of that would be vented as waste energy later. 

There were definitely fewer environmental concerns than burning coal would introduce. 

Grumbling to herself, Rosario returned to the inn, pausing on the way when she noticed a new addition on the side of the city. It had obviously expanded past its previous borders, but now there was also an entire train station just there. 

Shaking her head, she returned to the inn with a few quick leaps and shadow-steps, bypassing the far more alert and skilled guards that roamed around.

So, the Aerie had a clear technological advantage over Lithos. That was annoying.

She didn’t want trains in her fantasy world! 

Then again...

Rosari paused on a rooftop, sinking deep into thought. Her, in a train car. The wheels rattling with a steady clack-clack beat. An open car, with comfortable benches, scenery flashing by just outside. Then, her mistress, sitting at a table. Rosario moving behind her, dressed in a slightly more ruffly, latter-victorian style of maid’s outfit, bowing slightly as she carefully poured tea without a spill despite the shifting of the car...

Rosario licked her lips. Okay, so trains were acceptable.

The moment she encountered a Bleriot of a Wright, however, she was tossing them and their flying machine off of a cliff. She was a maid, not a flight attendant. 

Rosario shook the thoughts off and jumped over to the small balcony leading into her room of the inn. It was a nicer place, in a nicer city, which meant that each room was basically a small apartment, with its own washroom (with running water) and a large bed, an office, and a balcony. She suspected that the amount she had paid for three rooms for two nights each was as much as most professionals made in half a year, but that was the price for such nice accommodations.

She changed, slipped under the covers, and was soon asleep, though the loudness of the city kept dragging her out of her dreams.

She woke up a little later than usual, but... it was a rest day.

Rosario could just remain in bed, luxuriate in the thick, warm blankets, and listen to the birdsong and the noise of an active city...

She was out of bed a minute later, showered, dressed, and was out of the door on her way to the dining room. Sitting around and doing nothing made her feel antsy.

She discovered Cricket and Lucky in the dining room of the inn. Lucky was scanning over a menu and Cricket was working her way though a breakfast that included the meat of seven animals and the eggs of two. 

“Good morning, Swordmaster Thorn,” Lucky said.

“Just Rosario, and good morning to you as well. Did you sleep well?”

“Bed chould haff bheen wharmer!” Cricket said.

Rosario stared at her. “Please don’t speak with your mouth full, it’s unattractive. And you, Lucky?”

“Yeah, sure,” Lucky said. “The bed was a bit too soft. Weird thing to complain about, though, isn’t it? Feels wrong to say that I’d rather sleep on the floor, but I guess I’m just used to a hard surface under me.”

Cricket swallowed thickly. “Probably better for your back. The beds are a little soft. I prefer them with a bit of bounce.” She waggled her eyebrows at Rosario.

“So, what are your plans for the day?” Rosario asked. 

“I... don’t know,” Lucky said. “I think just resting? I... want to train, but my whole body feels kind of sore. I think a day of just sitting down and doing nothing might be good for me?”

“That’s understandable,” Rosario said. 

“What about you?” Lucky asked.

“I think I want to visit a book store, perhaps talk to some of the locals about transportation. They have trains here. I imagine that they may have some that would bring us closer to our destination at a pace faster than walking. Of course, that would mean less time training against monsters on the way.”

“I vote train!” Cricket said.

“Good, I would also prefer more time to train for the two of you,” Rosario said while she worked admirably hard to keep her smile to herself.

“No!” Cricket shouted. “No, no, foiled by a pun! My disappointment is immeasurable, and my day is ruined!”

She then ate a piece of chicken.

Rosario almost left then and there, but instead she forced herself to sit and peruse the menu. The prices weren’t included... maybe she could have found a slightly less upscale place, but she didn’t complain when the local equivalent of a full English was served, prepared by a third-tier chef no less. 

They ate, and Cricket went off to do what she had planned for the day, which was sleep in, eat, then sleep some more, as long as it wasn’t on her tab, she was happy to enjoy the luxury.

Lucky stood when Rosario did, and then stared at her. “I... don’t know what to do,” she admitted. “We don’t do much relaxing back home. There’s always something to do.”

Rosario nodded. “I think this is why we get along. I... perhaps haven’t been as generous with my praise, but I want to highlight that you have been an excellent student. One day I’m certain you’ll be a better swordswoman than I.”

Lucky flushed. “Ah, thanks. I’ll try my best to live up to your expectations.”

Rosario smiled, then looked away. Why was she feeling so... motherly? It was wrong. In reality she couldn’t be more than a few years older than Lucky. “Wait... how old are you?”

“Seventeen years,” Lucky said.

“... Let’s just go to the bookstore,” Rosario said as she refused to do any mental math. 

Finding a bookstore proved relatively easy. The locals were happy to stop and point her in the right direction. She equipped her [Seamstress] job and stowed her weapons, so to anyone looking she was merely an elven lady walking along with a young soldier who was definitely not so young that she could be her daughter.

The store, when she discovered it, was far more luxurious than she expected. And it was guarded. She wondered about that until she saw the price tag next to a simple book. It was in silver crows, but only barely. “Are books truly this expensive?” she asked.

“I think so,” Lucky said. “They’re hard to make, aren’t they?”

“Hmm,” she muttered. Maybe they were. “Well, look for something for yourself, it’s on me.”

“Pardon?” Lucky asked.

“As a reward. You’ve done well. Do let me know if you see something that Cricket would like... probably a book on practical jokes... if anyone has wasted paper on that.”

“I’ll... do my best,” Lucky said.

“We might be sitting down in a train for hours, so... so look for something to entertain yourself.” Rosario tried to keep her voice even, but she couldn’t help but notice that deep within the racks of books was a child who was staring at her with eyes so wide they were almost popping out of her head.

Strange... and here she was just looking for the local equivalent of a fashion rag.

***