Just as the rear of the bus was about to slam into the convent wall—
A mass of shadow suddenly surged up from the ground beside the wall, rapidly spreading into a swamp-like black zone.
When the bus collided with it, it was as if it had sunk into mud—its speed instantly dissipated.
Clearly, Yuna's real body, hidden in the shadows, had taken action.
Seeing this, Ron—who had been gripping the handrail—let out a sigh of relief, then said with a headache:
"Take it easy when you—hey!"
Before he could finish, Yuna had already stomped on the left pedal.
The bus burst free from the shadowy mire and shot forward at high speed.
Her delicate face lit up with excitement. Holding the steering wheel, she sped across the barren outskirts, laughing as the wind blew her long black hair back, revealing her pale neck.
"This feels amazing! Way better than driving a carriage. I can control the speed and direction myself!"
Ron braced himself, feet planted wide against the floor as the bus jolted violently over uneven terrain. He covered his face helplessly.
"What's so fun about this thing…"
Under Yuna's control, the Illya Model Bus was being driven like a sports car—zigzagging wildly across the wasteland, leaving behind winding tracks and clouds of dust.
For someone in this world, experiencing an element-powered vehicle for the first time—
It was bound to be exciting.
…Well, most people would probably feel nervous too.
"Alright, that's enough. Let's head back," Ron said, patting her shoulder. His fingers brushed through her windblown hair—smooth to the touch.
"The bus is too bulky anyway. Later on, I'll have Illya make a lighter, faster vehicle just for you."
Yuna, her excitement fading, obediently turned the wheel and began heading back toward the convent.
At his words, her interest sparked again.
"Really? Even faster?"
"Of course," Ron smiled. "Three to five times faster, no problem."
As he spoke, his thoughts began to wander.
At first, he had only wanted to enhance carriages with magic arrays.
Then he abandoned horses entirely, moving to fully element-powered vehicles.
So what about other forms of transportation?
Smaller ones—like personal cars, motorcycles, even scooters.
Larger ones—like buses (already done), subways, high-speed trains, airplanes, ships.
And beyond that—specialized vehicles: cement trucks, water trucks, mobile homes… even excavators.
The possibilities exploded in his mind.
But—
With only Illya handling production, they were already stretched thin.
Recruiting talent from the magic academies needed to happen soon.
The bus returned to the back of the convent.
After confirming everything was intact, Ron instructed the soldiers to keep watch over it.
He left Yuna's puppet behind and took a carriage back to the Tansen City shop.
After returning to the Royal Capital through the storage room, Yuna's voice sounded in his ear:
"What about that 'good thing' you promised me last time? Don't tell me it's just this bus?"
"Of course not," Ron shook his head as he left Queen's Street and boarded a carriage toward the Royal Capital Magic Academy.
"The private lab has been busy lately. It might take a bit longer."
Ever since Illya's experiment confirmed both mana-to-element conversion and natural element transformation, even Harper had thrown himself fully into research.
Edith was busy assisting them.
No one had spare time to help him build new gadgets.
Even the second bus—the Edith Model—was only half finished.
"Make sure to supply me with some Crimson-Gold Chrysanthemum," Yuna continued.
"Among the people you brought, a few still have room to grow."
"If they prove trustworthy, using resin on them could push them to the fifth tier."
"But for now, the chrysanthemums will do."
"They'll form the core of your first batch of private troops. Not amazing—but decent enough."
"Mm, I'll leave that to you," Ron nodded.
"Once my territory is confirmed, I might station a puppet in Tansen City as well."
"Mid-April's going to be hectic with the Magic Duel tournament… plus everything else in the capital."
"I'll basically have to split myself three ways… exhausting."
"Heh."
Yuna's soft laugh came from behind him.
Two slender hands emerged from the shadows, resting on his shoulders. Her lips hovered by his ear as she whispered:
"Want me to give you a massage?"
Ron's ear tingled. His body shivered slightly before he swatted her hands away.
"Cut it out."
The carriage soon arrived at the Royal Capital Magic Academy.
Ron first visited the card development lab, checking out the newly designed Element Cards.
These would still need further testing. After the tournament, top players like Betty would be invited to try them out—essentially a beta test.
If any issues surfaced, they could be fixed in time.
For now, no new cards will be released during the tournament.
However, decorative card variants had already been introduced.
Some were designed by commissioned artists, while others were references Ron had… "borrowed" from the system.
Meanwhile, in other major cities, Kiel had already identified suitable locations for Magic Duel venues.
Ron had sent Guy to investigate.
If everything checked out, they could purchase the properties through local Gold Reserve Banks and begin expanding nationwide.
He even considered opening more flower shop branches in key cities.
His wealth was approaching the million mark—more than enough to support expansion.
But—
With more contracts signed, his farming space was already becoming insufficient.
And since its cost would only increase further, Ron restrained himself.
Better to spend only when necessary.
At this point, he was gradually reducing his reliance on the system.
Aside from the farming space and the storage room's teleportation function, he rarely used it anymore.
As for those random daily tasks?
He mostly ignored them—maintaining the dignity of a "proper gentleman."
With that thought, Ron left the card lab—
and headed toward the research lab he had invested in.