Speech
I stand on the specially prepared platform… Is this harassment? The stage is so high that I can’t see half of the citizens. I can hear the laughter of the people below, though.
“Well, with the princess’s height, it can’t be helped.”
“I can only see her head.”
Gnnh. I have no choice but to use Levitation to float a bit and adjust the height. Don’t bring over the small stepladder. It’s unnecessary for an adult like me. Alicia, shall we discuss for about an hour why this unnecessary item is present here?
“… Even if you tell me to talk suddenly, I don’t have a manuscript. Originally, the plan was to enjoy shopping and eating from stalls this year… ”
“You get scolded every year.”
“Indeed, it’s impossible.”
The muttered words unintentionally picked up by a makeshift microphone with a sound amplification spell spread throughout the square. What an embarrassing play. My Father and the others are turning away and twitching, and the citizens were laughing. Well, let’s think that the initial reception was good. Let’s not dwell too deeply on it.
“First, I have a question for everyone. What do you think our country is lacking?”
“”””Alcohol!! We’re running out of it at the shops!!””””
It seems like there are only drunk citizens in this place. Upon closer inspection, only adults were in the square, and the children were flocking to the stalls. Crafty little ones!! I haven’t even bought anything yet.
Anyway, in the corner where they clamor about the lack of alcohol, I used Herculean Strength to throw a barrel of alcohol taken from the Treasury.
“Oooh. Hm? Alcohol!! Can’t do without this.”
“First time drinking this. Is it from a foreign land? It’s so tasty!”
Truly, the citizens of Arland. Catching the flying sake barrel with one hand, they start pouring it into cups and drinking as soon as they realize it’s alcohol. People around them also start drinking.
“I’ll give you this, so behave for a bit. Also, I made some for those who look envious, so you can have it later.”
“Princess’s home-brewed!!”
“Snatch it!!”
For some reason, it seemed like a brawl was about to break out, so I took out around 100 barrels from the Treasury and threw them towards Alicia. She caught them and, mysteriously, stacked them into a pyramid shape. Then, she took out a torch from somewhere and prepared to set it on fire. Why?!
“If you don’t quiet down, I’ll burn this all, you know?”
“””””Alright! Everyone, calm down, or the alcohol will be burned. That maid’s eyes are serious. Also, restrain His Majesty! Or he will monopolize the sake.”””””
“Let go!! That’s mine~ I’m going to drink it~”
Since it’s home-brewed, the overly proud Father immediately tried to move to snatch it. However, the fact that he was sitting among the citizens while drinking alcohol turned into a disaster, and he ended up being tied up in circles with a rope by the citizens. The Knights were also wide-eyed at the speed it happened at. He got himself turned into something resembling a barrel. Surely, he won’t be able to move for a while. It feels like he’s expanding, and it’s only a matter of time before he bursts… Or rather, as the King, I wish he didn’t get tied up by the citizens.
“Complicated stories are annoying, and everyone will doze off anyway, so let’s skip that. Basically, there’s nothing lacking in this country. We can produce most things domestically. But when I studied abroad, I realized something. For some reason, our country is looked down upon.”
The citizens in the square turn their attention towards me.
“I love this country. But for some reason, it’s looked down upon. I think it’s all the Empire’s fault. So, I came up with this harassment plan. I’ll keep making things that other countries can’t produce. Those who mock us will have to bow their heads and buy things they can only get from Arland. That’s why I made these airships look easy to make.”
“”””Airships are not something you can build so casually!!””””
Yep. Other people can’t make them for some reason. If you fail the balance adjustment, they easily crash. But if you can do that, it’s quite simple. After all, it’s just a sailboat. Any country can make those if they have sea or rivers. If they don’t lack the magic technology, that is…
“I’m currently building the core parts myself, but in the future, I want to make it possible for others to build airships without me. Our country has the potential to make my technology its own. If my Father is protecting the country, I want to collaborate with my Big brother to develop the country. For that, we absolutely need airships that can transport a lot of things, and we need a good number of them. In the future, I want all citizens to be able to travel to their favorite places. In the sky, there’s no worry about thieves, and it’s fast.”
In the now quiet square, which just a moment ago was filled with commotion, I speak.
“On this day, Arland has revived one of the Ancient technologies. And on this day, I declare. I have further improved it!! The airships our military uses are now obsolete. I have also created a completely different type of airship. Take a look.”
Upon making that declaration, an even larger airship than before emerged from the direction of the castle.
It was a metallic ship. On Earth, floating something like this would be almost impossible. It had two wings equipped with propellers, spinning rapidly. A bit of smoke was coming out from the chimney at the rear of the ship. It used fire magic as propulsion, but since magic generally doesn’t heavily pollute the atmosphere, there was only a small amount of smoke. It flew straight to the square, doing a fly by.
What’s astonishing is that today was a windless day. Airships, which cannot move freely without wind, typically rely on mages to create wind on windless days. However, this airship was much faster than those propelled by a Mage-created wind.
“… Amazing.”
“It’s huge.”
Despite its massive size, the airship swiftly circled the Capital city.
“This is the new airship that I devised. It can move freely with minimal impact from the weather. Additionally, it’s faster than conventional airships.
From now on, I’ll keep making more of these. I admit I’m a coward who finds fighting monsters terrifying, and even fighting against people is incredibly frightening to me. But there are things I can do. So, I’ll fulfill the role befitting the position given to me by my Father.
Also, that ship will be circling the Capital city for a while, so anyone who wants to ride it is welcome. Since everyone will use it in the future, you’d like to know how it feels to ride it, right?”
“It’s seriously huge!!”