“Plus, it’s not like my airplane research has stalled. We’ve done various wind tunnel tests, and we’re working on improving the engines too.” Hermes happily clapped his hands together. “I’ll have some time soon, so I’ll be able to make a lot of progress.”
“That is good news. Will you be all right for money?”
“While it’s always good to have more, we have plenty of resources in storage we can use for research already.” All right. It seemed I could go ahead with meeting that certain someone who I have been putting off for a long time. Well, since I can talk telepathically with demons, had the dragons help me, and with the results of Father Folke’s ancient text findings, I can kind of figure out how that conversation will go. “Ah, you’re all here! Heeeey!” Maika greeted us with an exaggerated wave and a loud voice. She had recently arrived from Itsutsu. Lady Reina was behind her.
“Alicia! Long time no see!” Maika ran up to Alicia and greeted her with a hug. I often met with Alicia here at the fort, but since she was based in Yanga, and Maika was in Sacula, it meant the two did not have much opportunity to meet.
“Maika, I see you’re doing well as always,” Alicia commented.
“Of course! You’re working so hard over there in Yanga, so I need to do my best too!” Lady Reina, contrary to my fiancées’ open display of familial affection, simply scooted over to Hermes’s side.
“Glen, Renge, and Suiren are coming later. We’ll have everyone from the Promotion Office all here together!”
“I guess it’ll get quite lively then.”
Lady Reina nodded in agreement. However, she did not seem excited. She looked worried. “I feel like Hermes will be the liveliest.”
“Huh? Why?” Hermes replied, confused. The main topic of discussion was to be how to expand the fields in Yanga. The main speakers would be Lady Suiren, who was in charge of agricultural planning, Lady Renge, who was in charge of managing the documents, and then Alicia, the person in charge of the Yanga territory. Hermes would probably be in charge of discussing the tools and machinery we could use to help expand the fields. The only situation where I can think of Hermes being the liveliest would be...
“Lady Maika,” I started. She puffed her cheeks at my formality. “Did something happen regarding the airplane?”
She pulled out an envelope. Its seal was gaudy, instantly revealing that this was not from the Frontier Alliance.
“A letter from the central regions?”
“Not just the central regions. It’s a letter from the crown prince.” Ah, this isn’t going to be good. Not to mention, I can’t think what the crown prince would have to do with the airplane. In fact, no one outside of our research laboratory had any connection to it. As I took the letter out of the envelope, Hermes lurked over my shoulder to read, almost bumping into me as he did.
“It is an invitation to see the unveiling of the first manned airplane at the royal capital.”
“Wah! Mgfurh?!” Hermes let out a confused, troubled, and shocked voice, but I covered his mouth with my hand. At this distance, he would do major damage to my hearing.
“Hermes, please calm down. No matter how much of a ruckus you make, it will not change the fact that they plan to unveil it.”
“Mguhhh...”
“I understand how you feel. Ms. Reina, I will leave the rest to you.” I passed Hermes over to her, who covered his mouth with her hand instead.
“Listen to what Ash says. Be a good boy.” Now that Hermes had been dealt with, I turned around and showed Maika the invitation.
“What led to you even getting this? Do we know anything else?”
“Oh, you’re taking this well, Ash. I’m relieved.” Maika realized that I had caged most of my emotions away.
“I don’t know what you were worried about...” I gave her a wry smile while Alicia and Lady Reina also gave me the same relieved look. Hermes was still overcome with emotion, so he was an outlier. It seemed I was easy to misunderstand, so I made a point of answering in such a way that showed both my logic and qualities as a gentleman. “I am not panicked nor alarmed. There is still knowledge remaining in the temple that tells of how to build an aircraft, so it is not that surprising that there are those besides us who are researching it.”
I know we’re friends now, Hermes, but I was already researching this on my own. It really isn’t weird to think that there are others, especially if the research facilities in the royal capital are well put together. It was disappointing that they had beaten us to the punch, but I did not instantly boil with anger like Hermes. My goal was not simply flight; it was economic flight. I smiled thinking that I would love to speak with the people who had created the aircraft. Surely, Hermes, who Lady Reina was still holding back, would have a lot to talk to them about. Though, they would be rivals, so maybe their chat wouldn’t be too pleasant.
“However, if there were such interesting people out there, I am sure Father Birkan would have informed me about them...” I once again gave Maika an inquisitive look to see if she had any more information on the matter.
“Ah, yeah, Father Birkan did mention something about that.” Maika hesitated as she spoke, so I calmly accepted her explanation. “It was four years ago or something? Back when the regions were all messed up because of Marquis Datara. Apparently, there was a report that some of the research laboratory’s documents were stolen... It seems that those documents ended up in the crown prince’s hands.” Maika paused for a moment. “Now he’s really done it. Now you really dislike him.” She was right. Too right. I could no longer hold back my emotions.
“YesthatiscorrectnowIreallyhatehim, heh heh heh,” I let out without taking the time to even breathe. A straight right hook. I’d sprint right over and deliver him a straight right hook. I was not fond of the invitation from the title alone. “The World’s First Manned Aircraft” was a clear misrepresentation. If they had even read the documents, they would know that they had no right to name it the “world’s first.” They should have named it “the rebirth of the aircraft” or “the revival of the aircraft”! But they are thieves. There’s no way they’d understand. They’re savages who would probably scissor kick our necks if we were to bow our heads in greeting. They got carried away thanks to us being upstanding gentlemen and ladies. I’ll give them a good smack on behalf of those who came before us yet are unable to speak up now. Please look forward to it.
“Maika...you knew this would rile me up, didn’t you?” I asked Maika.
“You were calm at first, so I kind of expected it.”
“We can’t let them do this,” I declared.
“We can’t.” Well, now that’s decided, all there is left to do is respond to this invitation. First, I’ll get a good look at them before I decide how I’ll punch them. As I turned toward Hermes, I saw that Lady Reina had freed him from her grasp.
“Hermes, you are coming as well right? To the unveiling.”
“Of course I am! I wanna see what kind of idiots we’re dealing with!”
“I’m looking forward to it,” I replied.
“I’m ready to have a good laugh.”