Chapter 192

The Handover and the People Who Were Saved
One day, while Alicetia was lounging around on her bed, Gilbert came to visit.

“Alice, about that airship—”

“Hmm?”

“The handover’s tomorrow, but it seems you forgot.”

Realizing she was supposed to hand over the airship to the military, Alicetia shot upright from the bed.

She immediately summoned the clone in charge and, after hearing the situation, was met with an exasperated sigh. It was a side effect of having recently left development and mass production entirely to her clones.

“The final inspection is already complete.”

“And the other matter?”

“Of course, that’s taken care of too. It's currently set up just outside the royal capital, so no worries.”

Alicetia turned to Gilbert with a smug look on her face. She clearly wanted to say: “Perfect, right?”

Gilbert gave a wry smile, while the clone behind Alicetia shot her a jaded glare.

“The old airship is going to be used as a target vessel, right?”

“It’s far too deteriorated to be of any use. No problem there.”

The old airship had already been designated as a target for the armed airship’s trial firing of the newly completed 20-inch cannon.

The 20-inch cannon was partly a performance piece—to make budget approvals easier by showcasing it to the nobles. Additionally, once completed, it would serve to stir national morale by showing that even the Empire would be no threat. Currently, the military gap between the Empire and Arland was too vast. But if they could make the Empire believe that a full-scale invasion would be easily repelled by a completed magic battleship, it would act as an effective deterrent.

Incidentally, except for one vessel, magic battleships were categorized as regional bombardment ships. Unlike bombers, magic battleships could rain down vast amounts of shells. Even ships designed only for coastal attacks could fly, allowing them to drop shells deep into the continent’s interior.

“Ahem. Give it ten years, and Arland will have the continent’s most powerful military!” Alicetia’s nostrils flared in excitement.

Alicetia didn’t have grand ambitions of creating a unified nation on the continent—nor did the kingdom. She just wished to live happily without being disturbed by anyone. That’s why she desired overwhelming national power and military strength—so no one could invade. Her mindset was fundamentally defensive.

The next day.

Alicetia stood in a currently empty field within the grounds of the new royal capital. Temporary platforms for speeches and chairs had been set up.

Many nobles and military officers were in attendance. What caught their eyes were the armed airships flying through the sky and transport ships intended for the army.

The armed airship featured two 127mm single-barreled rapid-fire guns mounted fore and aft, and multiple automated 20mm Gatling guns for close-range enemies.

The assault transport ship, while unarmed, surpassed the armed airship in speed and featured a bow that opened like double doors.

“This is the newly adopted military airship of our country, the Victory-Coote!”

“““““... That name though.”””””

The nobles murmured in unison, loud enough to be heard. Alicetia looked slightly displeased, but when Gilbert explained that the ship was to act as a hunting dog assisting the soon-to-be-completed magic battleship, the crowd erupted into a stir.

Once, there had been a nation that claimed dominance over the continent and possessed magic battleships. While the structure of this ship differed entirely, Gilbert boldly declared it worthy of the same name—magic battleship.

Then, the live-fire exercise on the target ship began.

The Victory-Coote turned broadside to the repaired airship designated as a target. Normally, exposing the broadside would make it easier to be hit, but they were more than five kilometers apart—well outside the range of magic or cannon fire in this world. Some magic could reach, but it was explained that the defensive barriers protecting the armed airship would nullify any such attacks.

Once all main guns turned toward the target ship, a series of booming blasts rang out. People instinctively covered their ears or stumbled back in shock. In an instant, the target ship caught fire, lost altitude, and crashed. It was over before they knew it.

“With firepower like that, do we even need magic battleships?”

Many nobles agreed with the one who muttered this. Alicetia refuted their assumption.

“Magic battleships are for regional bombardment. If you want to pulverize enemy fortresses thoroughly, it's easier with even bigger cannons.

Now, let’s begin the firing test of the 20-inch cannon planned for the magic battleship.”

The surrounding nobles were very curious. The cannon was so massive it made the ones mounted on the armed airship look like toys. It slowly rotated, aimed at another target ship, and fired.

Even though they were at a considerable distance, most of the nobles fell flat on their backs. The first shot missed. But the second struck the target ship directly at its center, causing it to explode into pieces.

“The firepower… it’s just on a different level. Indeed… with this, no fortress can stand… Hahaha! We can win! We can win!”

Stunned by the overwhelming display, the nobles froze at first. But when one of them shouted, most of them began to praise Arland. There was no more fear in their eyes.

Since its founding, Arland had always feared the central continent. The Arland Kingdom had been built by various races who once lived in the center and the common folk who supported them. In contrast, the central powers had thoroughly persecuted those races—some to the point of driving out demons from the continent. That alone was more than enough reason for fear.

There were few countries where they could live safely. If war came, Arland would fight with everything it had. Now, they realized that struggle hadn’t been in vain. Their own resistance—and that of their ancestors—had been the price paid for *this day, this moment*.

It wasn’t a cheap price. They had traded the lives of many soldiers and the fruits of development for their independence. But now that the armed airships and magic battleships were ready for real deployment, there was nothing to fear.

From this day on, the number of nobles who questioned Alicetia’s leadership dropped dramatically. She was now recognized in both name and reality as a protector of the realm.

However, dismantling the 20-inch cannon was too much trouble, so it was left in place for a while… and it ended up staying installed to improve accuracy. Alicetia just couldn’t stand missing her first shot against a stationary target. That decision would soon bring nightmares to the Empire.

That day, a celebratory banquet was held at the royal palace. Alicetia tried to escape, but she was caught by a ruthless educator who blocked her path and subjected her to the torture known as dressing up. And so, she was forced to attend. Alicetia was furious.

Though reluctant, Alicetia participated in the party and engaged in conversations with those around her. Unlike last time, many nobles took this opportunity to build connections with her. Since she hadn’t fully prepared, she couldn’t get away with shocking or confusing them like she usually did.

“Princess, please, we beg you, hear our plea!”

Just as the party was coming to an end and she felt relieved, they arrived.

A group knelt before Alicetia, removed their head coverings, and bowed. The sight was too dazzling, and Alicetia wished they would stop.

“W-What are you doing?”

“Please… please, we beg you to mass-produce the ‘Elixir of Life’!”

“““Please!”””

Overwhelmed by their enthusiasm, Alicetia stepped back. They stepped forward on their knees. Don’t come closer.

“Um… you mean that hair growth tonic?”

“No! The ‘Elixir of Life’!”

“I mean…”

“It’s the ‘Elixir of Life’!”

“O-Okay, I get it, just calm down.”

Moved by their passion, Alicetia agreed. She didn’t mind if there was demand. From their eagerness, she realized there was enough of a market, so she decided to resume the mass production plan she had left halfway.

“For now, I’ll give you what I have, so please calm down.”

(YEEEEEESSSSSSS!!)

Cheers erupted. Even the nobles watching in disbelief patted them on the shoulders, saying, “Good for you.” But the man who received the Elixir from Alicetia had a grim expression.

“No good… I still can’t use it.”

With a despairing look, he held the small bottle in trembling hands.

“Why not? You’ve got the elixir now.”

Another noble asked, carefully patting his shoulder so as not to startle him into dropping the bottle.

“To use this elixir, we need a temple… yes, we must build a temple!”

“““That’s it!”””

A familiar scene began to unfold. Sensing trouble, Gilbert tried to slip out of the party venue—but was intercepted at lightning speed.

“Your Highness! Please grant permission to build a new temple in the royal palace!”

“Denied, of course. Things are already annoying enough with the beastkin.”

Regretting ever allowing the beastkin nobility to do as they pleased, Gilbert flatly refused.

If the beastkin, who were trying to deify his precious little sister, joined forces with some of the human nobles, Alicetia would end up being seen as a goddess or an angel. While Gilbert had no issue treating Alicetia like an angel himself, he couldn’t stand it when others did.

“That’s too cruel. Do the beastkin get a pass?”

“Yes! We humans want hope too. If we can get permission to build, we’ll fund everything ourselves.”

Did they want to ruin their finances like the beastkin? Gilbert doubted their families would agree. Unlike the beastkin, who could offer their families clear benefits, the Elixir of Life wasn’t the same. Their wives would definitely get mad.

“No. Anyone trying to deify my Alice is my enemy. I will resist with everything I’ve got.”

At those words, the beastkin nobles averted their gaze. Clearly, they had no intention of stopping.

The human nobles burst into tears, crying foul. Then, one noble gently tapped another on the shoulder.

“Then let’s share our temple.”

A beastkin noble had come to recruit believers. Hearing those words, the human nobles wept.

“... You mean it?”

“Of course. We were all saved by the Princess—aren’t we comrades? Let us get along.”

The beastkin noble smiled warmly, and the human nobles expressed their heartfelt thanks in tears.

Then, the nobles troubled by hair loss offered prayers for about an hour at the temple and began using the Elixir of Life.

A silver statue of Alicetia was placed on the altar, and the pre-existing crystal statue of the goddess (which looked like Alicetia) was remodeled into another Alicetia statue. At this point, the Orthodox Church was well within its rights to weep. They had now completely abandoned even the pretense of praying to a goddess. As a countermeasure, the Orthodox Church placed a slightly larger goddess statue—but it failed to stand out.

A new discovery followed: the effects of the Elixir of Life and the magic comb could be experienced simultaneously. It was possible to straighten frizzy hair into smooth locks, or do the reverse. In other words, one could freely control both hair length and style. The temple, once called the beastkin temple, came to be known as the Temple of Beauty, becoming a popular destination for many noble ladies. Gilbert was left with a frustrated “grrr” expression.

A few days later, Alicetia completed the facility and began selling the Elixir of Life. The price was an astonishingly low five silver coins. The raw ingredient, Pokopoko grass, was a wildly resilient weed that required no maintenance. Even including labor costs, it was incredibly cheap.

The nobles were moved to tears—but for a very different reason. From then on, it would be known as the “five silver coin problem.”

The allied nations immediately decided to purchase it. Some nobles within even pushed hard to buy it. Including shipping and handling, it still only cost nine silver coins—an unbelievable bargain.

Even shady products with dubious effects often went for ten to a hundred gold coins. But this actually worked, and only cost nine silver.

Non-allied countries also moved unofficially, beginning to smuggle it from Arland. Not only did Arland turn a blind eye, they practically encouraged it, with the kingdom itself leading the smuggling effort. The price to non-allied nations was ten gold coins. It was a blatant rip-off, but since the Elixir of Life truly worked, it sold like crazy.

In particular, non-allied countries feared Arland might eventually declare it a non-export item, so they stockpiled it. Some even carried it on their person, kept reserves at their mansions, at their vacation homes, and spares just in case—everyone wanted to keep as many bottles of the Elixir of Life as possible. It became common sense for any gentleman to own one.

The “Elixir of Life" cured baldness, but it did not have the power to sustain it permanently. There was a possibility of becoming bald again due to living environment or personal constitution. Therefore, it was necessary to prepare for it. However, "The Elixir of Life" loses its effect two years after manufacturing, so it is a wonderful magical potion with continuous demand.

As a side note, there was a dispute when deciding on the name "Elixir of Life."

"Something easy to understand like a hair tonic would be good, I think."

"No, Your Highness. This is ‘Elixir of Life'!"

"It's easy to understand, isn't it?"

"No, it is ‘Elixir of Life'!"

While Alicetia thought a hair tonic would be easier to understand, the common nobles absolutely would not accept that name. About 20 nobles prostrated themselves before her, so it was sold under the name "Elixir of Life."

What do you think about this chapter?