Chapter 106

Alliance Against the Central Nations (1)
When I woke up, Iris was nowhere to be seen.

I think Iris wasn't allowed to go outside. That magic must have had unintended results. It seems that even Teth hadn't anticipated it.

But I was more shocked by something else. What on earth did Iris do!?

It's surprising enough to learn about my own origins, but having another soul inside me is just gross! And what’s with using me as raw material without asking? I need to get rid of that soul ASAP (I feel like it’s my duty). I mean, who wouldn’t be disgusted by having something foreign inside them? Well, I can probably think of myself as a foreign object because most of my soul is made from Iris's, though.

This was the moment Teth’s reputation hit rock bottom in my eyes. He's so selfish! He forcibly reincarnated me without my consent and then told me not to do whatever I want? Should I build a shrine to worship him as an Evil God in the future? He'd hate it, right? That would really bother him, wouldn't it? I kind of want to do it now. No one would stop me, right? If I anchor it to this world, I could probably destroy him.

"Alice~ Alice, hey!"

"Hmm? What is it?"

"Is something wrong? You’ve been deep in thought since yesterday."

We were currently enjoying a scenic flight. Not on the Mark 1, but on a training aircraft called the Mark X. It’s designed to seat about three people in the rear and is unarmed. It's just meant to teach people what flying feels like. The plane can take more flexible flight paths than airships. Far more so, in fact. For Arland’s air force to be equipped with fighters and bombers, they need to get used to this kind of thing first. In short, Arland’s air force needs to raise its tech level to something akin to the late stages of the Second World War from Earth.

This was something my Master and I had discussed. As things stand, Arland can’t make full use of my technology. There’s too much of a gap in core technologies. It’s to the point that even making a simple screw is difficult.

"It’s nothing."

"You could be more honest, you know. Look, even the birds are flying so far below us!"

"Amazing, isn’t it?"

Hehe. If I really put my mind to it, I could build something even better than this.

"This thing won’t fall, right? You’re sure it won’t fall? Isn’t it moving really fast?"

"It’s only going about 600 kilometers per hour. If it weren’t for this, it could go up to 800. Still, it's faster than most wind dragons."

"It’s so fast... the clouds are doing crazy things..."

Overall, the reviews were positive. It looked like Keena was a little teary-eyed at first, but after a while, she started to enjoy herself. Maybe that was just her way of coping.

Incidentally, I left Alicia and Master on the ground!

"Time to descend... the engine stopped."

"Wait! It's shaking! Are you sure this is fine?"

"No problem. The engine just stopped because I threw this together a bit carelessly. I also incorporated flight magic for emergencies, so we won’t crash. We’ll just drift down slowly like an airship."

Considering it only took about four hours to make, it's understandable. I had cobbled it together with leftover parts since we were over capacity. Even if the engine exploded, it wouldn’t be an issue. Like with airships, the built-in flight magic ensures we’ll descend slowly.

"That was so fun! We were higher than the mountains, weren’t we? You have to invite me again."

"It was a little scary... Is this really okay... it's smoking, you know."

"It shook a bit, but the view was beautiful."

It seemed the engine had completely given up. Well, it’s all part of the experience. Master was looking at it as if it were a waste, but I’ll just build another one. Anyway, producing military aircraft for the air force will give us valuable experience.

"This one’s scrap. I’ll take it apart later, so don’t worry."

"Damn it... this thing could build a whole castle, you know..."

In this world, where airplanes don’t yet exist, they seem to be unimaginably expensive. Master said, "You can’t buy these things with money. And if you could, you'd make a fortune."

Apparently, most of the technology used in it is completely unknown, and just analyzing it would yield valuable insights. When I tried to cheer him up by saying, "Let’s make an even better one," he angrily retorted, "You’re too flippant!!"

"Princess... may I have a moment?"

As I was thinking about what to do next, Alicia approached me. She seemed pale and had apparently been on a call—or rather, what we call a "call" (the principle is different)—and it looked like something serious had happened. Worried that something might have happened back home, I rushed over.

"Did something happen? Is Mother okay?"

"Please calm down. Arland is at peace. However, we received an urgent request for you to return immediately.

It seems that the talks regarding the union have become quite significant."

A sigh of relief escaped me. Surely, Mother was being guarded by the Woofers and the Secret Service, so no one would be able to harm her easily. The Royal Capital had enough security, with bored Woofers helping the guard squad in exchange for jerky. I should have realized there was no problem when Mr. Coote didn’t say anything.

Now that I’d calmed down, I listened to Alicia’s report.

Arland had officially announced it would form an alliance in response to the Empire’s expansion and the Imperial State’s arrogance. Initially, it was expected that four countries, including Ostland, would join. However, a total of seven nations had formally expressed their participation, and the kings of these nations had come directly to Arland.

This situation posed three main issues.

First, three countries, thought unlikely to join, had appeared. One of these was a country from the easternmost part of the world, a nation resembling Japan. Due to its distance, it was assumed they wouldn’t participate.

The other two were a vassal state of the Empire and a commercial city-state with almost no military power.

The second issue was that the kings themselves had come to Arland. Normally, an ambassador would be sent first, and it was almost unheard of for a nation's leader to show up so suddenly.

The third issue was that the gathered kings had requested my participation in the meeting.

I didn’t think I held much political power. Though I was the head of the technology development bureau, I left most of the work to my subordinates. My role was limited to reviewing documents and setting broad directions, while I spent most of my time on my own development projects. This position gave me freedom, as it shielded me from the interference of nobles. No matter what I created, it could always be justified as part of my job.

I was also the commander of the air force, but it wasn’t an army by any means. We were currently only training with large airships. I didn’t think I had much influence... or so I thought.

"Your Highness, aren’t you underestimating your influence? The alliance itself wouldn’t exist without you. You’re the only one with the technology to build airships, and for the alliance's other goal, mutual trade, airships are essential. Some countries cannot engage in trade without them. As for the nation from the east... why did they come? They were supposed to have no interest in the continent... Well, in any case, please return to the Capital.”

"By when?"

"They’ve requested your presence by tomorrow noon. They’ve also asked that you return by fighter jet, if possible, to strengthen their negotiating position."

Ah, so it's a silent display of power—showing off what our country is capable of. The fighter jet could certainly take down Helios, so I suppose it would be intimidating. But with only one... no, since Master could also pilot one, that made two jets. Still, two planes were hardly a significant military force. To make a real impression, I’d need hundreds. A sky filled with aircraft... now that would be impressive.

"Fine, but let them know to prepare a flat runway outside the Royal Capital. The court magicians can at least manage that, right? I haven’t seen them lately, so I’m not sure.”

Since the first Stampede battle, the court magicians had gone off to train, and I hadn’t seen them since. It seemed like they were being kept away from me. Every time I tried to visit, I was stopped. I wonder what happened.

"I’ll pass the message along. Also, the king of Ostland will be teleported over, so he’ll need to borrow the maids. They’ll be sent first, but please prepare for teleportation just in case. You never know what might happen."

"Understood."

Being a king must be tough. They had just finished negotiations with Arland, and now this alliance came up. Still, it would be bad for a nation to stay out of the alliance after its announcement. Plus, there would be discussions about tariffs with the other participating countries. As for my teleportation, it was probably for a quick escape. Though I had guards, in the event of an attack like before, I would likely be ordered to flee immediately.

"Are we leaving already?"

"We came here just so you could read a grimoire... and we picked up Eibon instead."

Currently, Eibon was in Ostland’s Royal Palace, locked in a fierce conflict with greedy nobles.

The problem was the magic furnace. Ostland was clamoring for it, claiming that since Eibon was dead, it belonged to them. Eibon, in turn, was furious, shouting, "How dare vermin speak to me!" Honestly, they could have the thing—it was a piece of junk anyway.

"That skeleton is creepy. Are you really taking it home? Your taste is terrible."

Keena remarked bluntly. That’s not my taste. I’ve already threatened Eibon with purification if he goes too far, so he’s been behaving. Though there was that time when he tried to lift Alicia’s skirt and nearly got killed by her... that was terrifying.

Oh, I should also send my brother back. With Alicia in the backseat, we’d be over capacity. Big brother was still in Ostland’s Royal Palace because of Eibon, but he had thrown a fit when I said I was going home. The Royal Guards ended up restraining and forcing him to return.

Twenty Royal Guards and the king had also teleported back to Arland’s royal capital.

"Master, how are things on your end? Any issues?"

"Everything’s fine over here. Once we improve the engine’s precision and extend its lifespan, it’ll be complete. There’s nothing wrong with its handling either. They’ll be shocked when they see this."

The Mark I twin-seat model I was flying had slightly lower performance compared to the single-seat version. The original design was for a single-seater, but I had modified it into a two-seater, which had affected its top speed slightly. Even so, Master wasn’t the kind to leave me behind. He even occasionally performed loops to match my pace.

"Your world is vast. We used to have pride in our technology… thinking Arland could never lose with us. I’m glad you’re here. You’ve made me realize how much I still have to learn. If you ever need help, we dwarves will be there for you.”

"My world mostly revolves around Arland. I don’t really care about what happens to other countries. I’m selfish like that."

Now, I had no more doubts. I would live the way I wanted to and protect what I valued most. I refused to experience loss again.

"That’s how it should be! You’re the Royalty of Arland. Let other countries worry about themselves. Their Royalty and nobility can figure it out." Master said, laughing heartily.

He was right. I didn’t need to worry about other countries. This world was one of survival of the fittest. Human rights didn’t exist here, and dreams of unity among nations were just that—dreams. Even in the other world, it had been nearly impossible. I would simply do my best for the people of Arland. Anything I couldn’t handle, I’d leave to my Father or Big brother.

It was just after 10 a.m. when we arrived at Arland’s Royal Capital, Albrud. The name was said to mean "people of the bird" in an ancient language, but since the language had disappeared, its authenticity was unknown.

The Capital still looked shabby. Cracks were visible in parts of the outer walls, and there had been requests for immediate repairs. Additionally, with the increasing population, the Capital was becoming too cramped. Expansion would be necessary in the future.

The minister of land, Ovent, had once asked me for advice, but if he left it to me, I’d probably turn it into a playground—installing sewer systems, city-wide barriers, and magic furnaces for magic tools. A future city plan would push Arland’s Capital to become the most advanced city in the world. With that, the price of magic tools could drop to a tenth of what they currently cost. But I digress.

A few unfamiliar airships had landed outside the Capital. Tents were set up around them. It seemed they couldn’t land inside the Capital’s airship docks, which could only accommodate two ships at a time. Showing those docks to foreign nations was out of the question—they were a technological marvel.

I would also need to build a larger airship waiting area in the future.

A flattened area near the airships came into view, where I would land. However, despite being able to take off, I wasn’t skilled at landing. It was too difficult. That’s why the plane was equipped with flying magic tools that would activate when the engine stopped, turning it into a mini-airship. This allowed for a safe landing.

"I'm back."

"Welcome back. We’ll begin discussions immediately."

As soon as I stepped off the plane, my Father and Big brother rushed toward me. After securing the two planes, I followed them to the meeting.