Central Alliance (1)
Three months have passed since the construction of airships began. Currently, Arland possesses four medium-sized airships and two large airships that have been newly constructed. Two more airships were slated for export to Ostland. Initially, Arland wanted to allocate them for domestic development, but due to budget constraints, they are seeking additional funds.
Ostland, on the other hand, has been allocating considerable funds for reconstruction. Despite minor damage to their Capital and some disruption within the country, their treasury seems to be quite full, as they have maintained stable finances over the years. Therefore, in order to expedite the reconstruction efforts, they have decided to purchase airships. It appears that this purchase will be formalized, and it will also result in the formation of an alliance.
The terms of the alliance include clearly defining borders. Although Ostland has never had any border disputes, they want to establish clear boundaries to preempt any future issues.
Additionally, there will be a mutual defense treaty, establishing a cooperative relationship where each country will defend the other. This recognizes Ostland’s acknowledgment of potential defense incapability in the future, which also benefits Arland.
Furthermore, in the event that Arland or Ostland send reinforcements, there is a treaty stipulating that land will not be demanded, and any disputes will be resolved through monetary means.
There is also a treaty prohibiting racial discrimination. Arland has declared with a firm attitude that they will not enter into the treaty unless this provision is included. Under this treaty, there is an obligation to liberate any slaves who are illegally detained, and severe punishment is mandated for violations. However, criminal slaves are exempt from this provision.
Today is the day to pacify the sobbing Air Force and set sail. The reason for their tears is that they wanted the airships for themselves, but now they are being sold. They quickly stopped crying when reassured that more airships would be constructed in the future, but it seems that years of unfortunate living conditions had shattered their spirits. The military had become fundamentally gloomy.
As I am becoming an influential personage of the Air Force, I sternly ordered to always wear a smile. They will pilot the airships being delivered and safely transport them to the delivery site. This was their first major task, and they were sobbing about it. When they came to pick me up, the Air Force was in shambles, as there had been an airship crash.
“Why isn’t Alice with us, Father!? I want to ride on that, too!”
“Because Alice and Alicia ride together, that’s why. I also want to get on!!”
Two new airships were set to be unveiled for a show-off event, and Father and Big brother will be riding the new models. As for me? I’ll be piloting the completed airplane for a test flight. It’s a monstrous fighter aircraft capable of reaching 800 kilometers per hour at an altitude of around 7,000 meters. It’s armed with four 30-millimeter machine guns, two on each wing, capable of taking down most things. But this time, we won’t be engaging in any combat to avoid any provocations.
Well, there are actually two of these fighter planes. There’s a single-seater and a two-seater. Originally, it was designed for me to fly alone, but for some reason, Alicia insisted on riding along, so we had to hastily modify the rear seat. Naturally, there’s nothing there, except for a communication device. It’s equipped with a set that allows communication within the aircraft and with other devices. There are no controls or gun seats. It’s just storage space.
“I’ll go ahead. Engine start. Initiating levitation.”
The fighter plane (hereafter referred to as Mk.1) gently rose upward. Like the airships, it can take off without a runway by levitating. It might be a bit too ahead of its time, but since there are no prepared runways or anything of the sort in this world, it can’t be helped. I think it’s a bit of a waste of magic power, but we have large magic stones and magic storage devices on board, so it shouldn’t be a problem. In the worst-case scenario, I can use my own magic power to fly to Ostland without needing magic stones at all.
A few minutes later…
“Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!”
Alicia’s scream echoed through the cabin. It was a bit annoying, I only did a somersault in the air and shook some leaves off the trees.
The stimulation must have been too much because Alicia’s screams echoed through the intercom for a while. Mr. Coote was in puppy mode in the cockpit, but he was really excited, you know? She should learn to calm down a bit.
(My Lord, the sky… is moving so fast… is this what the world in the sky is like!?)
He was wagging his tail furiously as he looked outside. I’ve explained to him where he absolutely shouldn’t touch, and he knows to stay on my lap when I need him to.
The wolf-like magic beast who admired the sky seemed to be having fun today too.
“Alicia, you’re being annoying. Should I activate the escape system and purge you into the sky?”
“I’m sorry, please stop. Wait, you have that installed!? Are you trying to get rid of me…?”
“It’s for emergencies! There’s a parachute attached to it. So just don’t unfasten your seatbelt, okay? Or do you want to switch with Big brother? The new model should be able to land, at least.”
“P-Please don’t…”
“Alright then. I’ll go full throttle for about 30 minutes, so try not to bite your tongue, okay? Mr. Coote, you might experience some intense G-forces, so hold onto my lap tightly.”
I accelerated until I maxed out the meters. The engine roared, but thankfully, there seemed to be no issues this time. I breathed a sigh of relief. The first engine exploded, after all.
Enduring the sudden G-forces… well, I could handle it with magic. Magic is the best. Goodbye, laws of physics. I turned off my headphones to cut out the screams and enjoyed the journey through the sky.
I almost messed up the landing once, but I managed to land safely. The airship’s deck was empty, and thanks to a wind-resistant magic barrier, there was almost no air resistance, so there was no risk of falling. I landed vertically and descended… only to find Alicia unconscious.
How sloppy… I’ll have to try again next time. When I asked the three maids who came to greet me why they didn’t want to ride the airplane, despite it being nostalgic, they all shook their heads. Even though it’s so cool.
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen Alicia faint like that.”
I took off my flying cap and shook my head like Mr. Coote, then Father and Big brother arrived. They looked slightly pale. I wonder what happened?
“How was it, Alice? Is it safe for me to ride it? No, if Alicia fainted, then I definitely want to ride it.”
Alicia was carried away on a stretcher, but since Big brother wanted to ride, I let him. However, he fainted after about 30 minutes and was taken to the infirmary. Father was okay, but he seemed a bit dizzy.