He didn’t worry too much about Alice and Charlotte’s way of thinking. He felt the same about Leo and Claire.
After all, they were the protagonists and heroines, right?
Unlike a picaresque story, the protagonist and heroines mostly had righteous personalities. Once they understood the realities of imperialism, they would be shocked and change their minds. Well, in the original story, it was more described as “they were originally righteous,” but that’s just because the story I heard on the airship never appeared in the main story.
“Wow, it’s really hot… No, more than that, this is just like the seasons have swapped!”
Alice, who stepped off the airship, said nervously.
It was easy to see why she felt that way with temperatures nearing 30 degrees during the day. Rondarium rarely reached such temperatures even in the peak of summer.
“There’s no need to worry too much. Once night falls, it gets cold enough that you can barely stand it without an outer coat.”
“The weather is just too extreme…”
“But with a much larger population living here than back in the Empire, this place might actually have a much more pleasant climate than where we live.”
“… This is practically a desert that could be its own country, though?”
Jake shrugged in response to Alice’s rebuttal.
Half of it was a joke, but half was serious. Jake had lived here since childhood. He felt a blend of affection for his hometown and a sense of guilt for it being a city built at the expense of the original inhabitants. It was understandable that he wanted to put a positive spin on it.
“Alright, everyone, pay attention! Gather and line up, everyone!”
Jennifer, the loudest teacher, clapped her hands to grab the students’ attention.
It was the commoners who rarely got to travel far, of course, but even the children of nobility were excitedly chatting and gathering here and there. The airport built with Lindbergh’s money had walls made entirely of glass, as if to raise Lindbergh’s status. It reminded one of the Crystal Palace that used to exist in London.
The glass building built under such blistering sunlight naturally made the interior feel like a sauna, but thanks to an air conditioning-like device that forcibly expelled the hot air outside, it wasn’t unbearably hot. Although the roof was also glass, there were also shades installed here and there to create some shadow.
To my eyes, the building had a very vintage design, but based on 1901, it was a perfectly modern structure. It was remarkable considering how many years had passed since it was built.
And the orderly street visible outside of that building was an exotic sight that was hard to find in the Imperial Capital. Palm trees lined the streets, along with steam cars and intricate devices that clearly functioned by steam power.
This city, which was established right from nothing, could surely be called a testing ground for cutting-edge technology.
By the way, the airship airport was the largest in the world.
“Okay, okay.”
As the students formed a line after hearing Jennifer’s words, she nodded and said,
“The place we’ll be staying at is the Lindbergh Hotel. It’s the largest and most modern place, named after the family that governs this territory.”
When they heard that, a few students glanced toward Jake. He merely wore a slight smile and did not react further.
“The means to get there will be via a ‘bus.’ Once there, follow the instructions closely. Even though the chances of something going wrong are low, there will be various unfamiliar things from the perspective of the Empire, so if you don’t know anything, you could easily get into an accident.”
Even though there were crosswalks in the Imperial Capital, the carriages that roamed around weren’t particularly fast. Some steam cars drove at a snail’s pace due to the “Don’t Startle the Horses” ordinance. That said, while collisions could still lead to major accidents, they wouldn’t be as fast as the cars zipping by here.
Still, listening to Jennifer speak like that somehow made me think, “Ah, so that’s what a car is,” which was kind of funny.
“Since this place is quite unfamiliar for most of you, individual actions are prohibited. If you want to go somewhere, you must group up with at least three people. If no one can accompany you, ask a teacher, including myself.”
Jennifer scanned us before adding,
“Any questions?”
I thought no one would raise their hand, but surprisingly, one person did.
Jake.
“You.”
When Jennifer pointed at Jake, he opened his mouth.
“This is my hometown, but when I go somewhere, do I have to have someone accompany me?”
A quiet laugh rippled through the surrounding students.
Jennifer smiled in response.
“Right, there are no exceptions. If you let you off the hook, I’m sure someone dumb will say, ‘I’ve gotten used to it, so I can go alone’ and get in trouble. Besides, no matter where you go, isn’t ‘alone’ unlikely for you? The girls will follow you around anyway, won’t they?”
The laughter around grew a bit louder.
“Well then, does anyone have any other questions? None? Good, let’s head to the hotel. Don’t worry too much, your bags will be moved to your rooms.”
*
Including the hotel, the surrounding buildings resembled sets from dramas or movies set in 20th-century New York. Or, given the palm trees lining the streets, one could say it was closer to Miami. It’s not like I’ve been to either place.
Regardless, the hotel itself was quite similar to the Empire State Building, so let’s just imagine a blend of both.
“…”
Charlotte looked somewhat troubled at the departing bus.
It was understandable. Velbur hadn’t fully completed its industrialization and modernization yet. There were far more carriages than cars, and soldiers were still gradually being supplied with modern equipment.
In the Empire’s case, it’s not that modernization is ‘impossible’, but rather that it is ‘not being done’. They had to keep the horse-drawn carriage drivers and saddle makers fed, hence, some modern devices were restricted due to the ordinances.
Therefore, this city lacked many aspects needed to truly feel ‘modern’, but here, that was a completely different story.
While it couldn’t be said that the streets were packed with cars, carriages were hardly in sight. Wealthy commoners and nobles traveled in their own vehicles, while workers took the city bus to and fro. I occasionally spotted things that looked like motorcycles as well.
This was an atmosphere of a modern city that one could never find outside the Empire.
The reason it was just right to promote the Empire’s strength to the students was precisely this.
“It’s amazing…”
Sophia managed to honestly express her sentiment since she had no reason to develop the Papal State.
Being the one to inherit the throne, Charlotte was undoubtedly feeling much more conflicted than others.
“This city is special; in reality, most of the Empire isn’t even close to this. There’s still a long way to go.”
Alice, perhaps sensing Charlotte’s mood, tried to comfort her, but…
“Lutetia isn’t even close at all.”
When Charlotte replied like that, it left Alice speechless.
I thought about saying something in Alice’s place. Lutetia is a beautiful city. One could boast about it without modernization.
“If we could apply such transportation methods to the military, how fast could we transport that many troops at once?”
“….”
Well, saying that leaves me without words too.
After all, even if the streets are beautiful, if you can’t stop your enemies, they’d just take them.
“Don’t worry too much.”
In our conversation, Jake chimed in.
“Those were just brought in recently this year. It might look impressive, but they’re quite rushed and have a lot of minor malfunctions. It’s still far from ready for military use.”
Of course, even with that said, it wouldn’t be too big of an issue for the imperial army, which was already rolling out tanks.
“Is that so?”
However, Charlotte didn’t bother to refute Jake’s words. Continuing that conversation would lead nowhere.
“More importantly, let’s get into the hotel. Everyone’s hot, right?”
… Hmm.
I know Jake doesn’t have particularly positive feelings about his family, but…
How do I say it? It seems like he doesn’t quite take to praising his own family.
Could it be that there’s something I missed in the original story?
Thinking this, I entered the lobby of the hotel, impressively designed—modern by their standards.
You may also like Mesugaki Tank Enters The Academy
