After finishing breakfast, Wendy quickly excused herself, remembering that they had already planned to meet again at Eleanor’s mansion later that afternoon. Though there was still some lingering awkwardness from the events of the previous night, she tried to act as normal as possible as she stepped out.
Meanwhile, Ren began preparing his gear for the journey. With his car now fully ready, all that remained was ensuring that all his equipment was properly packed.
This vehicle didn’t use a combustion engine like the ones from his original world. Instead, its fuel came from his own invention—the Ark Fusion Reactor—a clean energy source that powered a large dynamo within the vehicle’s system. In short, it was an electric car, but with durability and mobility on par with an off-road vehicle.
Ren efficiently loaded his supplies into the small storage compartment at the back of the car. He made sure everything was neatly arranged—his weapons, survival gear, and a few spare parts in case of any trouble on the road.
Once everything was set, he went back inside to tidy up the house. Even though he had no idea when he would return, he didn’t want to leave the place in a mess.
As the sun climbed higher in the sky, Ren finally started the car and drove toward the city. The engine made almost no noise, only emitting a soft hum from the fusion reactor.
However, as soon as he entered the city limits, his vehicle immediately drew attention.
People along the streets stopped and turned to look, their faces filled with shock and curiosity. Some whispered among themselves, trying to figure out what they were seeing.
Near the town’s marketplace, a small commotion broke out as crowds gathered, eager to get a closer look at the strange machine.
Ren ignored them all, maintaining a steady speed as he drove forward.
At the entrance to the noble district, a guard stepped forward, signaling him to stop. His brows furrowed as he eyed the vehicle with suspicion.
"You... What is this thing you’re driving?" the guard asked, his tone wary.
Ren rolled down the window, meeting the guard’s gaze with a blank expression.
"A vehicle," he replied casually.
The guard was momentarily silent, seemingly unsure whether to accept Ren’s answer. After a few seconds of hesitation, he finally sighed and gestured for him to proceed.
"Alright, go ahead... Just don’t run into anything," he said reluctantly.
Ren gave a small nod before driving past the checkpoint toward Eleanor’s mansion.
All along the way, he continued receiving odd stares from the townspeople. Some looked impressed, while others appeared confused or even a little frightened.
(Well... I expected this to happen.) he thought calmly.
Still, as long as no one interfered with him, he didn’t care about their reactions.
His goal was simple—wrap up his business with Eleanor and finally set off on his real journey.
Upon arriving at Eleanor’s mansion, Ren brought his car to a stop right in front of the main entrance.
As soon as the vehicle came to a halt, the mansion doors swung open, and Eleanor stepped out. Her elegant dress billowed slightly in the wind, but it wasn’t her grace that caught attention at that moment—it was the sheer surprise on her face as she laid eyes on the massive metal contraption standing firmly in front of her home.
"What... is this thing?" Eleanor raised an eyebrow, her sharp gaze scanning Ren’s car with astonishment.
But it wasn’t just Eleanor reacting to the vehicle’s presence.
In the courtyard, two fully grown tigers and three cubs, who were usually calm, immediately tensed up. Their ears flattened, their bodies crouched low, and a deep growl began rumbling from their throats.
The fur along Bella’s back—the largest of the tigers—bristled as her instincts kicked in, treating the ’foreign creature’ before her as a potential threat.
However, before the situation could escalate further, Ren—whom they knew as Strom—stepped out of the car with his usual composed demeanor.
The moment his feet touched the ground, the tigers swiftly shifted their focus from the vehicle to the man himself.
And just like that, their growls ceased.
The tigers glanced at Ren, then exchanged looks with each other, as if they had just realized that the ’threat’ they sensed was nothing more than a lifeless object.
Bella, who had been the most cautious, slowly swayed her tail before approaching Ren with a more relaxed gait.
Ren casually patted her head, running his fingers through her thick fur.
"You’re overreacting, Bella," he remarked flatly, though a small smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.
Bella let out a low purr, as if embarrassed by her earlier reaction, then calmly sat beside him.
The tiger cubs, who had been hiding behind their mother, now scampered forward, sniffing curiously at Ren’s car.
Eleanor, watching the scene unfold from the mansion steps, finally crossed her arms and sighed.
"Haa... I should be used to your surprises by now, but this time... I honestly don’t know what to say." She shook her head, still eyeing the vehicle with fascination.
Ren shut his car door and turned to her with a relaxed expression.
"I figured you’d be surprised. But judging from your reaction, I guess I need to try harder if I want to leave you truly speechless," he said with a teasing tone.
Eleanor chuckled and gracefully descended the steps.
"So... I’m curious, what kind of vehicle have you brought to my home?" she asked, her voice filled with intrigue. "And more importantly... how fast can this thing go?"
Ren smirked slightly, glancing at his car.
"Fast enough to make you regret challenging me to a race," he replied nonchalantly.
Eleanor narrowed her eyes, her smile brimming with interest.
"Oh? That sounds like a challenge, Mr. Strom."
Ren chuckled, realizing that their conversation was only getting more entertaining.
Despite the small commotion his arrival had caused, it seemed this meeting would be more enjoyable than he had anticipated.
His gaze wandered around the courtyard, but one particular person was notably absent.
"By the way, where’s Wendy?" he asked, looking at Eleanor with mild curiosity.
"No idea. Maybe she’s running a little late. Let’s just wait for her," she said with a knowing smile. "You’re not eager to see her before you leave, are you?"
Ren leaned against his car, thinking for a moment before exhaling.
"It’s not that... Whatever. We’ve got plenty of time anyway," he replied, trying to sound indifferent—even though he was slightly curious.
His eyes then shifted to the two adult tigers nearby—Alfred and Bella.
Alfred, the male tiger, was slightly smaller than Bella but still looked powerful. Meanwhile, Bella, despite being female, was visibly larger and carried herself with a quiet authority, as if she was the true leader of the group.
Ren studied them both before glancing at his car.
(Wait... Can they even fit inside? The seats are pretty tight, especially for two tigers this big...) he thought, scratching the back of his head.
As if reading his mind, Eleanor let out a soft, amused laugh.
"Hohoho... Don’t worry, Mr. Strom," she said with absolute confidence.
With a graceful motion, she reached out and touched the small bell hanging from Bella’s collar. The moment she snapped her fingers, a soft glow enveloped the tigress’s body.
Within seconds, Bella’s massive form shrank, her body shrinking down to the size of a large housecat.
Ren’s eyes widened slightly in surprise.
"Whoa... Is this some kind of magic item?" he asked, still processing what he had just witnessed.
Eleanor nodded with a proud smile.
"That’s right. This is a special magic item I received from someone very dear to me," she explained. "A single one of these is ridiculously expensive, but for Bella and Alfred’s comfort, I was willing to spare no expense."
Ren glanced down at Bella, who now sat elegantly in her miniature form, her tail flicking slightly as if enjoying her new size.
He chuckled before looking back at Eleanor with an amused expression.
"Hah... I thought I was the only one with advanced technology, but it looks like you’ve got some pretty interesting tricks up your sleeve too," he admitted with a smirk.
Eleanor let out a soft laugh before winking playfully.
"Of course. You’re not the only one full of surprises, Mr. Strom."
Ren could only sigh with a small smile, realizing that he might have been a little too arrogant in underestimating this world’s magic.