Paper Planes

Yuika’s Perspective

Noscula was usually a quiet village. There were fewer residents than in the city, and the only lively places were the fields during the mornings and evenings, since most villagers were farmers. On hot summer days like today, the village was especially tranquil even during broad daylight, as everyone was avoiding the harsh sunlight. It was as if the village itself had become sluggish, resting for the day. Even the annoying cries of the insects sounded lonely.

In this still atmosphere, the only times where the quiet was interrupted were the occasions when misfortunes happened. For instance, beast attacks or heavy rain and floods.

Fortunately, right now Noscula was... not very quiet at all. And it was not because of a beast or heavy rain, but rather something much worse.

It was because of the monster called Ash.

“Hello, David. Do you have some time?”

“Wha—? Ah, Mrs. Yuika, ’scuse me!”

David turned towards me. He was working in the fields under the scorching hot sun, which was shining so brightly that it seemingly left no shadows.

“Not at all. I’m sorry for disturbing you during work. I appreciate that you’re working even in this hot weather.”

“’Tis nothin’! Ash’s workin’ hard in the city, so the least I can do is to crank it up here!”

David wiped off the sweat of his sunburnt forehead with a towel that Ash had brought back from the city. The brand-new sickle in his hand reflecting the sunlight was yet another gift from Ash.

I was not sure what to think about all this. Currently, Ash was a fugitive, and I was on a mission to capture him. That boy really didn’t learn from his mistakes. He had sustained serious injuries from his fight with the werewolf. I had thought my heart was going to stop when he arrived back at the village together with a cash reward paid by my younger brother, the acting count Itsuki. Ash was supposed to stay here for his recovery.

As the daughter of the Count of Sacula, I had known many knights and guards who had lost their lives to werewolves. Among them were many top-class soldiers. To think that a young boy like Ash would engage in a fight with such a monster... Anyone would have wanted to give him a good scolding after hearing that. It was a miracle that he was still alive. I could not stress enough how relieved I was.

Naturally, what he needed the most right now was to get as much rest as possible. I had planned to gently tuck him into a bed at our house and have him concentrate on his recovery, but when I went to check on him for lunch, I found the bed empty. In an instant, I realized that he had run away. That boy could seriously not stand still, even when he had a life-threatening injury! Although, admittedly, it was hard to conceive of him as someone on the brink of death after seeing him arrive with a brimming smile on Quid’s carriage, which was filled with presents from the city.

All the gifts, ranging from new hoes and sickles to clothes and cookware, really helped to make life in the village easier. I had no doubt that he had brought those things along in the hopes of softening the blow—that is, the scolding waiting for him. And it had worked. In the face of such a gesture, not even I could stay angry with him for too long. Regardless, I did my best to not let it show on my face. That was my duty as a parent. As his future mother-in-law.

Concealing my soft side, I asked David, “Speaking of Ash, did he happen to come by here?”

“Yeah, he was over there. He brought that new thing. Yer know that compost? I told ’im I ’member how to use it, but he kept buttin’ in...”

David looked like he was enjoying himself even as he complained. He must have been happy he got to talk to his son again, or perhaps he was proud of his achievements in the city. Probably both.

“I see... Do you know where he went afterwards?” I asked.

“Yeah, he said sumthin’ ’bout the church.”

“So he went to the church. Thank you, David. Please don’t overwork yourself in this heat.”

“Hahaha, dis much won’t kill me. I’m the father of the Bear Killer and the Werewolf Slayer!”

It seemed that Ash had gained a new nickname... He hadn’t actually slain the werewolf himself, but it was all the same to the villagers. Either way, it was impressive. Still, I needed to catch Ash and put him back to sleep after a good scolding as soon as possible.

As I opened the church door, I was greeted by a lively bunch of children. Some of them were frowning and groaning, one of them was proudly reading a book aloud, another one was teasing their neighbor out of boredom, and another one was annoyed at the latter. At this point, this had become the new normal for the village church during the day. The church had been shrouded in deserted silence for years, especially in the dark shadows of summer, but that wasn’t the case now. This was yet another miracle. There hadn’t been any study sessions here for decades until Ash came along.

Among the studying children stood a girl with silver hair. I called to her, “Tanya, do you have a moment?”

“Mrs. Yuika? Did something happen?”

“Well, it’s not like nothing happened, but it’s not related to Ban or Jigil.”

If anything had happened to the two hunters from her family, her pale face would have surely turned even paler. Luckily, it was just Ash who had disappeared from his bed. After I clarified the situation, Tanya put a hand on her chest and let out a big sigh of relief. Ban and Jigil were truly fortunate to have someone as cute as Tanya worry about them this much. Especially Ban. If only they would just get married already. The whole village already treated them as a married couple, and Jigil also seemed to grow impatient as of late.

“Oh, why are you here then?” Tanya asked.

“Well, I heard that Ash had come here...”

I looked around the church, but I couldn’t see him anywhere.

“If you’re looking for Ash—”

As Tanya opened her mouth, some of the other children around interrupted her.

“Big bro Ash helped me study just earlier!”

“He looks even more mature now after going to the city. Don’t you think so?”

“Yeah, he told us about life in the city.”

“When I told him, ‘I want to go too,’ he said to keep at it.”

All the information coming in at once overwhelmed me. It seemed that Ash’s energy had already started to spread to the other children... But that was a good thing.

“He’s right. If you study hard enough, you may be able to go study in the city. Like he said, keep at it!” I encouraged the little ones.

Judging from their quick and enthusiastic replies, it seemed that sending them to the city was going to be a real possibility. I was slightly worried about financing their studies, but thanks to Ash, we also had more and more leeway in that regard. If I asked Itsuki and Yae, they probably could help lower their living expenses, but either way, I had to seriously think about this sooner rather than later.

As I started going over the village’s revenue in my head, Tanya reminded me of my initial purpose. “Mrs. Yuika, if you’re looking for Ash, he’s at the back with Father Folke.”

“Ah, thanks, Tanya. So that’s where he’s hiding, huh? I’ll take note of our conversation about studying in the city. Everyone, good luck with your studies!”

I acknowledged the children’s lively response with a smile and waved at them before knocking on the door of the priest’s private study.

“Father Folke, it’s me, Yuika. Can I come in?”

“What? Oh, please come on in, Yuika. The door is open.”

I opened the door and quickly inspected the room, but there was no Ash to be seen. Father Folke was alone, sitting on his desk and furiously writing down something.

“Do you need anything?” he asked.

“Yes, I’m looking for Ash and I heard he was here...”

No matter how many times I looked around the small room, which was made even smaller by the stacks of books lying around, Ash was nowhere to be found.

“Ash left just a moment ago. I wish I could’ve talked to him a bit longer about the ancient language...”

“I guess we just missed each other, then. Do you know where he went?”

“He said he wanted to take a look at the water wheel. But I don’t know what he’s trying to achieve by looking at that broken thing.” Shrugging his shoulders, Father Folke put down his pen and stood up. “I guess now that Ash’s gone I might as well go and teach those kids. I can’t always leave everything to Tanya.”

He openly displayed his annoyance while stretching his back. This was not exactly befitting of a teacher, but he didn’t have a bad reputation among the children. Surprisingly, he apparently knew how to engage them. Maybe it was precisely his unpriestlike behavior that made him more approachable to the children. Tanya had also reported to me that his behavior probably made it easier for the children to ask him questions.

As if to prove my reasoning, when we both entered the main hall, the children immediately surrounded us.

“Oh, it’s Folke!”

“Folke, continue where you left off last time!”

“Please be quiet in the main hall. And I told you—no running in the church! Get in a line over there! The more you make a racket, the less time there will be for our lesson. Jean, bring that small rascal over here. Tanya, watch over there.”

Although they kept making a commotion, the children somehow obeyed Father Folke. As Tanya had once told me, they looked less like a teacher and his students and more like a boss and his gang. As for his teaching style, he just continued with Ash’s methods, which had even managed to motivate someone as averse to studying as Maika. The children must have been enjoying themselves as they experienced their own growth. Admittedly, I was in awe that Father Folke of all people kept these study lessons going so zealously... No one had expected the zombie priest to make such a comeback.

Anyway, I had to get back to finding Ash. The water wheel was, or rather used to be, next to the river. It had been broken for several years now. I wondered what Ash was planning this time.

As I wondered if I was going to be able to catch him this time around, I saw the little monster in the distance, near the river, staring at the ruins of the watermill with his arms folded.

“This is no good. It is too damaged. We will have to rebuild it from scratch. But in that case, I will not be able to afford the construction costs out of my own pocket. So, if we cannot do it right away, it might be better and cheaper to wait until the technology has improved some more...”

Yeah, there was no doubt. After all, who else would have thought about building a water wheel from scratch, and out of their own pocket at that? And on top of that, he was thinking about technological improvements? I wonder what he’s up to again... I felt slightly scared to confirm it. So much so that I couldn’t help but smile.

“Ash, are you interested in the water wheel?” I asked.

“Mrs. Yuika! You’ve come at the right time!”

Ash suddenly lit up when he noticed me. I’m glad you’re happy to see me, but aren’t you forgetting that you sneaked out of bed?

“I was just thinking of how inconvenient it is to not have a water wheel. Sure, one can eat the wheat without turning it into flour, but it is much tastier as wheat flour. Would you not agree? Besides, the more we expand the village, the more likely it will be that some work just cannot be done with human power alone. We should plan ahead for that eventuality.”

Yes, he has completely forgotten. What a troublemaker.

I wondered how well Maika was managing to keep him under control in the city. I realized she was not able to control everything. In fact, Itsuki had already approached me several times asking what was wrong with this boy. Regardless, she needed to become able to properly take the reins if she wanted to make this cute monster into my son-in-law. I guess I’ll keep helping out for now. Let’s trim the monster’s claws just a little bit.

In the short time that I had taken my eyes off him, Ash’s claws had already become quite sharp again considering how much I had trimmed them before he left the village...

“Ash?”

“Yes, what is it?”

“Your lunch is already cold.”

As I faced him with a sweet smile, it appeared that Ash finally remembered. He must have planned to be back by lunch, but lost track of time as he rampaged around the village. It was a bit too late to become pale now.

“Come, let’s go back to bed.” So I can give you a good scolding.

On this hot summer day, Noscula was overflowing with energy thanks to the cute monster that had appeared out of the blue. His rampage was surely going to leave its mark for quite a while to come. What a troublesome monster.

●　●　●

As I returned to the city after spending a month recovering in Noscula, it was decided that I was going to be awarded the Sacula first-class silver medal of battle bravery.

When I asked the superior officer, Sir George, what exactly that meant, he happily told me, “Explaining the words one by one, ‘Sacula’ refers to who’s awarding the medal, ‘silver’ designates the degree of the achievement, ‘battle bravery’ tells you what kind of achievement it is, and finally in this case, ‘first-class’ refers to your battle with the demon.”

“So, in other words, it is a token of praise from the Count of Sacula for my battle with the demon, which is considered a silver achievement,” I summarized.

“Easy to understand, right?”

“Very much so.” I nodded in agreement.

Apparently, second-class battle bravery referred to fights between humans, and third-class battle bravery medals were reserved for other kinds of special combat achievements. According to Sir George, the classification was the same for other regions. However, even the same awards were distinguished by their designs and dates, detailing the specifics of each incident. It was like a military medal showing what war you had taken part in. Furthermore, there were also unique medals specific to the taste of the rulers and the history of certain regions. For example, there was a steam medal awarded to people who found natural springs in a region known for its hot springs.

“How much of an honor is a silver achievement?” I asked.

“It is the most prestigious medal among the ones awarded on this occasion, and you are the only one who will receive it. You can be proud of yourself.”

“So it is the top prize this time around.”

I had expected a gold medal to be awarded as well, but it seemed that someone was very generous with their appraisal of me. In the end, it had been the guards on top of the city wall who killed the werewolf with a shot from the ballista, and I would have died if it were not for Sir George, who had come to rescue me at the last moment.

“It shows how valuable your intervention was. If it wasn’t for you, there would have been great losses.”

“As I have said before, it was a spur-of-the-moment decision...”

I had already said this after fighting Sir Bear, but I never wanted to do this again. When I returned to the village, my mother had reprimanded me endlessly. And this time Mrs. Yuika had also joined in to give me a good scolding. Once my injuries healed, Village Chief Klein made me train with him personally. That must have been his way of expressing his anger. Ban had also seemed fed up, and Father Folke had just choked with laughter. The only one praising me was my father. What a blow to my honor.

“By the way, you’ll be the youngest person on record to receive such a medal. Most definitely for the battle bravery category, but maybe even overall.”

“Well, going into battle at my age is not a very wise idea after all...”

As I replied with a sigh, Sir George showed a strained smile.

“You’re right, but you can cheer up a bit more.”

“Considering that the praise comes with double the amount of lecturing, I am not really in a merry mood...”

“Hm... Must have been tough...”

Leaving the village, I was reminded over and over again not to overdo myself, and once I got back to the city, Lady Maika and Lord Arthur gave me cold stares.

“But among all that, receiving a medal does help me relax a bit.”

“I hope you’ll be able to feel fully at ease. Really. Given your meritorious deed, you shouldn’t be so discouraged... Ah, right, there will also be a cash reward. So you should also be able to get yourself something nice—”

“You should have said that from the beginning! I can always use money to further my goals!” Keep the money coming!

I had a collection of articles on my wish list, ranging from small objects like writing tools to resources for experiments.

“You really do go all out when it comes to that...” Sir George murmured as if he had given up.

I guess you were earnestly trying to help me relax. But look, isn’t it best for a child to be full of energy?

There was going to be enough time to rest once I grew older. I was just going to put all my moments of relaxation into a savings account until then. Technically, they were not going to go to waste.

While I was talking to Sir George, the blacksmith finished his preparations. The craftsman approached us and slightly bowed his head. “I’m about to start the refining process,” he said.

“Yes, please continue!”

Today we had come to observe this refining process. The blacksmith was going to refine the strange remains of Sir Werewolf, who had almost killed me a month ago. Hearing that, I had to come and see it for myself.

The blacksmith’s disciple stepped on the bellows to increase the firepower of the furnace, raising the air temperature in the workshop. The furnace was buried—or rather built—in the basement. It was overflowing with a dazzling red light shooting through the skin of the werewolf.

Performing a refining process on such a small scale was not very efficient, but unfortunately, this was the current standard of this world. It was not possible to acquire enough ore to warrant the construction of a larger refinery.

As a result of helping with the administrative work of the count, I had grasped the extent of the city’s resources and trade goods, and came to the conclusion that, as a whole, this world’s mining resources had been exhausted. Neither stones nor minerals were in circulation. There were no records on fossil fuels whatsoever either. Building stones for construction were extremely expensive, so much so that regular citizens could not get their hands on them. Normally, all building stones were bought with the city budget and used for the repairs of the city wall. In fact, there was not actually any real price attached to them, and their distribution required the approval of the king. No wonder there were barely any stone buildings or even facilities.

Judging from the Church’s teachings warning against the dangers of insatiable greed, it was very much possible that the ancient civilization had used up all of the mining resources. When my research led me to that conclusion, I plunged into despair. Trying to bring about modernization and industrialization without coal and oil was beyond nightmare mode. At any rate, there was not enough firepower. Relying solely on firewood and charcoal was going to lead to the disappearance of all woods sooner rather than later.

On the more positive side, at least this explained the current level of civilization. Notwithstanding all the remnants of the ancient civilization, society was developing at a strangely slow pace because it lacked resources.

There was no glass or bricks to be seen either. Those could have been easily available already, considering these inventions dated back as far as the middle or even the early period of civilization. It was possible to preserve that technology even with primitive means, and yet it no longer existed.

Most likely around the downfall of the ancient civilization, when it became impossible to get hold of fossil fuels, they had started cutting down trees to obtain a substitute energy source. This in turn probably led to complete deforestation, bringing about an era without even wood and charcoal to manufacture glass or bricks. As a result, knowledge and technology were both swept from the face of the earth.

Surprisingly, this might also explain the existence of certain out-of-place artifacts. The furnace that was emitting extreme heat right now at the blacksmith’s workshop was very primitive. Its thermal efficiency was so bad—just watching it made me uneasy. Given that we were not able to use any fossil fuels, we should have used our forest resources sparingly to make them last longer.

“First, we’ve got aluminum here.” As I was glaring at the gluttonous furnace, the blacksmith started explaining the process.

The molten metal that the furnace had spit out just now was aluminum. That was used for this world’s cheapest currency, the white coins. Next, in order of melting points, it extracted silver, copper, and iron. In addition, around 30 kilograms of refined scraps came out.

It turned out that the body of a werewolf was made up of a wide assortment of metals. Currently, it was mostly its fur, as well as some dried meat and bones, lying inside the furnace. Since the werewolf was essentially a living creature clad in metal armor, it was only natural that you could extract metal from it... Or that’s what I’m telling myself. No matter how you look at it, this is just pure fantasy logic.

It was hard for me to believe because of my common sense originating from my past life, but since the extraction of minerals seemed hopeless, I welcomed obtaining some metals in this way. The fixed supply of metals, and their circulation in the form of money, must have been due to the fact that they could be obtained from demons. Apparently, even a fantasy setting that put humans at a disadvantage showed some humane kindness. Although it was just the bare minimum. I would not have minded if we had gotten spoiled a bit more.

As I enthusiastically nodded to my own thoughts, Sir George inquired with great interest. “Did you see everything you wanted to see here?”

“Yes, I have a grasp of the situation.”

The improvement of the furnace and stove came next. That was the first step in my long and precipitous manufacturing development plan. I needed to write it down and calculate an estimated budget.

“I need to look for books at the temple,” I told Sir George.

“I knew you were going to say that,” he said as he cleared his throat to hide his laughter. “Although I don’t really understand your conclusion.”

I no longer understood whether he understood or not. Regardless, he looked quite happy in spite of his remarks.

Both Sir George and I headed back towards the dormitory while discussing the upcoming schedule of the regional troops as well as the army academy.

I was holding on to the refining scraps that had been designated as trash. I was hoping that they contained some more useful metal that we were just not able to extract yet with the current technology. Although I did not know when I was going to obtain any profits from it, if any.

After devising the manufacturing development plan, the first thing I needed to do was carefully explain the situation and enlist help from my partners. We had to recreate the success of the agricultural development plan.

At this time, Lady Maika and Lord Arthur should have been at the dormitory. That morning, Lady Reina also said that she was going to be there, so I decided that I would start by capturing—I mean, approaching her.

As I arrived at the gate, it turned out I was going to meet her sooner than expected.

“Everyone, stop!” Lady Reina exclaimed in a resolute voice.

Usually she was a quiet girl, but she often raised her voice to scold the mischievous rascals of the academy. Since her mother was also the supervisor of the dormitory, most disturbances calmed down after a rebuke from her.

“Are you listening? I said stop!” she repeated.

However, it did not seem to be working today. It was unusual to hear her grow this impatient when scolding others.

“I am a bit worried to hear Reina shout like that,” I said.

“Yeah, let’s hurry over there!” Sir George urged.

We both looked at each other before rushing over towards the girl’s voice. Lady Reina was not too well versed in martial arts, so if it came down to a fight, she probably would not have been able to subjugate anyone.

Sure enough, there was a scuffle happening in the garden of the dormitory. It was quite one-sided, as it was three versus one... but the one person alone was rather fiercely lunging at the others.

“That’s enough!” Since the situation had gone long past a simple quarrel, Sir George intervened.

The forceful arbitration of an active-duty knight managed to break up the fight and separate both parties for the time being. The group of three people consisted of Moldo and his gang, and the boy who had challenged them by himself was Hermes.

Hermes was a member of our study group and the son of an influential blacksmith in the city. He did not talk much to others and gave off the impression of an obedient and introverted child. However, he was currently glaring with bruises on his face at Moldo and his gang like a wounded animal. He probably was the type of person who was usually quiet but could become scary when angered.

“What the hell happened?” Sir George interrogated both sides while staring them down to make sure the fight would not resume.

“He started the fight!” Moldo was the first to speak up.

Hermes, on the other hand, sank into silence without denying the statement or defending himself. He was always this uncommunicative, even at the study group. As a result, he was usually alone. However, since he was also exceedingly passionate about studying, no one disliked him.

Not being able to just watch her fellow student being accused without saying anything, Lady Reina sighed and explained the situation to Sir George. “Moldo and his friends were the ones who started meddling. They teased and provoked Hermes until he threw a punch at them. I can’t really blame him.”

It was not so much that she was favorable towards Hermes, but that she disliked Moldo and his friends. She then gave them a cold stare of death.

I wondered what had provoked Hermes to challenge those three...

“Hermes, what did they say?” Sir George asked the silent boy in a sharp tone in an attempt to determine who was at fault and worthy of punishment.

Most children would not have been able to resist such a forceful question from a senior figure, but Hermes still bit his tongue. His firm, iron-like gaze reflected his stubbornness. At the same time, he also looked as if he was going to burst into tears at any moment.

“Hermes, you have to explain yourself.” A worried Lady Reina, who knew what had happened, tried to help him along. She frowned as she tried to persuade him with the expression of an older sister rebuking her younger brother.

Hermes caught a fleeting glance of her, but continued to stay silent for a while. Sir George waited motionlessly for the young boy, who was preparing himself to speak up. Eventually, Hermes showed us a lump of iron that he was firmly grasping in his left hand.

Staring at the piece of iron, Hermes said, “They saw this and said that it could never fly...”

Sir George tilted his head when he saw what Hermes was holding in the palm of his hand. Lady Reina did not seem to know what it was either. Moldo and his gang were mockingly smiling. Meanwhile, I felt a dopamine rush in my brain.

“Oh?! This is wonderful!”

It felt as if my body teleported itself towards Hermes to take a closer look at the object in his hand.

What I had thought of as a lump of iron was in fact a delicate handiwork. The main body was shaped like a cigar, with wings and the blades of a pinwheel attached to it. No doubt this was a model aircraft. It was slightly crooked here and there, but it was almost perfectly recreated.

“It is a monoplane! And the propeller can rotate too! Very intricate,” I exclaimed full of interest.

“You know what it is?”

I nodded after hearing Hermes ask me with glimmering eyes.

In my past life, planes were not a rare sight by any means. I had even been on one. Although that one was a passenger plane with a jet engine. The ones with a reciprocating engine I had only seen in classic movies.

“Where did you get hold of this? I have never seen a model aircraft before,” I asked.

“I made it myself. I’m the son of a renowned blacksmith, after all.” He smiled slightly proudly.

“Oh! That is even better! Do you like aircraft?”

“Yes, very much. They are so stylish and can fly in the sky! And they are fast! Faster than a bird!” Hermes spoke vividly with a bright expression.

Meanwhile, Lady Reina stood in surprise next to him. She was not so much surprised at the forgotten concept of aircraft, but rather at the talkativeness of Hermes. I had never seen him like that either. Where had the stubbornly quiet boy from just earlier gone?

“Years ago, I saw the picture of a machine flying in the sky in a book at the temple. This is my attempt at recreating it. The rotating part was difficult to make,” he explained.

“It is a superb model. You must have put in a lot of effort to get this far on your own. I assume you would also like to make a real flying machine one day?”

“Of course!” Hermes replied while strongly clenching his fist. “That’s why I asked my father to let me enroll at the academy. I want to learn how to read books so I can research how to make this machine fly! And someday...”

His gaze wandered towards the blue sky. Nothing else around him seemed to matter.

I knew this look all too well. It was the same one that Father Folke had when he attempted to decipher the language of the ancient civilization. He was prepared to go after his dream no matter how exhausting or painful it would be. He was ready to go beyond one thousand nights and still not achieve his goal. He was looking through an out-of-focus super telephoto lens to make out the contours of a dream which may never come to fruition. As a result, he did not notice the easy path at his feet. But that was only natural. It was pure joy to chase a dream so reckless that others tried stopping you. It felt great to burn with passion and love. Even when you failed and were full of regrets, it was fun to curse the ground upon which you fell. And it was the greatest feeling of all to swear revenge towards that bright light shining in the sky.

I knew that feeling all too well. I was the same. And as such, I could not help but honestly praise my fellow dreamer.

“That is a wonderful dream,” I said.

Moldo and his gang burst out laughing. They were murmuring some ridicule, but I did not mind them. People who laughed at others for daring to dream big were people of small caliber. However, unlike me, Hermes did not have the emotional maturity that I had carried over from a past life. He looked openly displeased. You could almost hear the sound of his grinding teeth just by looking at his face. His mouth was once again closed, and his cheerful expression from earlier, when he was talking about his dream, seemed like a mere illusion now.

I see...

It was possible that Hermes was usually so silent because others had always made fun of his ambitions. Any innocent young boy would have naturally closed himself off in the face of such mockery. In that regard, I had truly been privileged. Father Folke was a middle-aged man who had been chasing his own dreams long before me, and Mrs. Yuika had accepted me with open arms. Lady Maika always praised me, saying I was amazing, and helped me where she could. It would have been tragic to let the ambitions of this young boy go to waste. That’s why... I decided to pass on the kindness that I had received from Mrs. Yuika and the others.

“Hermes, I will help you achieve your dreams.”

It must have been the first time he heard these words, since it took him about three seconds to respond.

“...What?”

“The revival of a machine that only exists in the records of the ancient civilization sounds wonderful. I was just thinking of writing up a manufacturing development plan. I will help you to achieve your dreams.”

Moldo and his gang’s laughter had become even louder and more vulgar, but I did not feel annoyed in the slightest. I was an adult in mind, and they were still children. There was no way I would be seriously angry at them. As such, my next line was directed towards Hermes with just a hint of self-interest mixed in.

“Let us work together to shut up those loud people over there.” Until they’re at a loss for words.

For some reason, Hermes’ facial expression stiffened when he looked at me. He must have been trying to control his anger towards Moldo and his friends. Maybe he did have an adult mind just like me, after all.

“May I interrupt, Ash?” Sir George interjected with a business-like voice.

“What is the matter?”

“Well, I’m sorry to interrupt, but according to the academy’s rules, there needs to be a punishment for engaging in a fight. Even if there was a verbal dispute, Hermes was still the first one to throw a punch...”

“Sir George.” Are you seriously going to get in my way?

I smiled cheerfully and looked at him with puppy dog eyes. While he hesitated for a moment, Sir George, who was trusted by the acting count due to his overly serious demeanor, shook his head.

“I can’t make light of the rules. This academy is supposed to educate future leaders.”

“I see. In order to lead a group, you need to show discipline and adhere to the rules. You are of course quite right.”

I carefully considered his position, but I was not ready to give up yet. People who laughed at others’ dreams deserved punishment.

“However, Sir George,” I continued. “If we are talking about behavior as a leader, is it not dangerous to scold someone this talented for a meager mistake? You run the risk of dampening his enthusiasm and shackling his talent.”

“Hmm... But I can’t just let it slide...”

I tried manipulating the situation by exchanging the words “breaking the rules” with “meager mistake” and “punishment” with “scolding.” As a result, it appeared that Sir George’s stance was softening. I have to push him just a little bit more.

“Please think about it. Is there anyone else at the academy, or even in the whole kingdom, who is trying to revive a long-lost machine that can fly in the sky?”

There were probably a few people if you looked throughout the kingdom. Especially if you asked among Father Folke’s research peers in the capital.

“Hermes has been coming up with unique ideas and has put them into action like no one else could have done. There is no one like him in the whole kingdom! If you do not call that a rare talent, then what is it?”

I heard something coming from the direction of Lady Reina. It sounded like she was saying, “You are one to talk.” Well, I’m a special case outside the norms.

“And if you still think that Hermes’ talent is not enough to excuse a mere squabble between children, please give us two weeks. We will show you the possibility of reviving the technology for soaring through the heavens!” Then, I quickly remembered to put Hermes in the spotlight. “...Under the guidance of Hermes!” I added. That was close. I almost talked as if I was the one in charge.

However, this time around Hermes had to be the center of attention. I was merely an assistant. It was going to assist Hermes’ achievement. Either way, I was happy as long as Moldo shut up.

“Ash... I don’t know what’s going on...” Hermes muttered.

Don’t worry, Hermes. I’ll help you. A lot. I already know exactly what we need to do. It’s all backed up by my past-life memories. So don’t you worry at all.

Lady Reina affectionately tapped on the shoulders of the bewildered Hermes. “Don’t worry! Maika and Arthur will make sure he doesn’t behave too recklessly, so just go with it for now!”

Hermes just looked as if he had been dealt a finishing blow.

Outraged by Moldo and his gang’s unfair treatment of Hermes, Lady Maika, Lady Reina, Lord Arthur, and I took action to protect our fellow academy student and member of our study group. Since Mother Yae had also joined us as a third-party observer, it was already clear who was on the right side of justice in the eyes of the three gods.

“So, it is decided, then! We will strive for a peaceful resolution by helping Hermes revive aeronautical technology!”

After hearing my proclamation in the reading room of the temple, everyone but Hermes agreed.

“Got it! What do we have to do?” Lady Maika said enthusiastically.

“You’ve just come back from your recovery and you’re already in full swing again. Are you sure you’ll be alright? Anyway... Is there anything I can do?” Lord Arthur asked as if they had given up.

“I was unable to stop you in front of Sir George, so I went along with it, but... You realize that there are limits to what we can do?” Lady Reina said.

“Hm, an aircraft. Among the many legends of the ancient civilization, this one seems the farthest away from our reach. I don’t think there are many practical books on the subject here at the temple,” Mother Yae added.

Luckily, everyone had grown accustomed to my modus operandi, so there was no need for much discussion. On the other hand, the inexperienced Hermes, who had joined us for the first time, was racking his brain after looking around the room.

“It all sounds a bit off to me... Are you sure you’re all alright?” he said.

Similar to Hermes, who was apparently questioning our sanity, I looked at everyone’s face before answering his question. “Do we not look alright?”

“It’s honestly a bit frightening to see everyone so calm... Usually, when talking about flying in the sky, people say things like, ‘That’s nonsense!’ or ‘That’s impossible’... I expected everyone to be a bit more baffled.”

Since I had memories of my past life, flying machines were a matter of course for me, but he might have been right with regard to the common sense of this world. The others’ reactions when I raised the topic were surprisingly calm.

As I thought to myself, they all chimed in.

“Nothing Ash says can surprise me anymore,” Lady Maika remarked.

“If anything, I was surprised that someone other than Ash broached the matter,” Lord Arthur said looking at Hermes.

“I’ve gotten used to it thanks to Ash,” Lady Reina said.

“I expected Ash to say something like that sooner or later,” Mother Yae added.

Seeing that I seemed to be at the center of it all, I could only let out a strained laugh.

Hermes looked at me with dubious eyes.

To answer his obvious questions, I said, “I mean, I have been talking about my own dream for a while now, so I guess me saying that I want to build an aircraft would not really surprise anyone.”

“What’s your dream, Ash?” Hermes asked.

Bringing back the plentiful life of the ancient civilization.

Aircraft were one part of that. It was only natural that the project members were no longer surprised by my ambitions.

As I explained all this to Hermes, his jaw dropped. “Bringing back the life of the ancient civilization?! Does that mean you want to make stuff like the machine that can produce ice? The ones that can keep the room cool in summer and produce heat without fire? Even that thing which allows you to listen to music and watch pictures wherever and how often you want?”

“Yes, including all of that, I want to be able to live a happy and fun life. That is my dream.”

After all, the hot summer heat made me yearn for an air conditioner and a freezer.

“Wow...” Hermes let out a big sigh. It was unclear whether he was impressed or shocked. But just when I thought he was going to curl up in his chair, he started shaking with laughter. “Hahaha! You dream big! I give up! That’s quite a big dream right there!” He kept repeating that same line over again. “This is the first time I’ve met someone with a dream bigger than mine. I really don’t know what to say, Ash!” While his face wrinkled from laughter, he started shedding tears. “No wonder you listened to my dream without laughing.”

Those were tears of profound joy.

Lady Reina, who was sitting next to him, held out a handkerchief with a smile on her face.

Wiping off his tears, Hermes murmured one single word. “Thanks.”

Seeing Hermes like this, I realized how hard it was to have a dream in a poor society. If you were desperate just to survive, any plans for the future would only seem like excessive burdens.

I knew that feeling very well. I had felt the same until that fateful day when Mrs. Yuika read that story aloud to us. I wondered what my eyes had looked like before then. I imagined they were probably similar to those of a dead fish.

That was yet another reason to improve the living standards of society as a whole as soon as possible. We needed more young people who could dream big, study hard, and go on to achieve their dreams.

Of course, I considered myself among those who flapped their wings of hope towards a better future. And if our paths happened to cross, as they had with Hermes this time around, the fulfillment of their dreams would ultimately also mean the fulfillment of mine. I was ready to help them one after the other so that in turn they would also help me. After all, kindness is repaid by kindness. It was time to expand that circle of generosity.

After reflecting and crying for a while, Hermes folded the now wet handkerchief and looked up. “I’m sorry you had to see me like this.”

As he awkwardly sniffled, Lady Reina reassured him with her gentle voice. “Not at all. You have a wonderful and admirable dream.”

“Well, I guess I’m a bit proud of myself too.”

His bashful smile made him look more cheerful than ever. The room, which had fallen completely silent, slowly became filled with a sense of passion.

Since it was a nice atmosphere, I figured it was a good time to make some decisions. Cheerfulness was important for any meeting. It helped you rush through even the most arduous tasks.

“Let us discuss our plans moving forward, then! Is everyone on board? Where should we start?” I asked everyone.

Just when I had thought about improving the efficiency of the furnace and stove, the matter of aeronautical technology had come in flying at full speed, leaving my plans in shambles. Moreover, the latter goal came with the secondary objective of beating Moldo and his gang in a lawful and peaceful way.

As I wavered, Lady Maika raised her hand. “May I? What do you have in mind for now, Ash?”

“Improving the furnace and the stove, as well as producing a simple model of an aircraft.”

“Here I was thinking you were hesitating, but it turns out you already had two things in mind,” she reacted to my answer with a smile.

Aside from Lady Maika, who seemed content with my answer, the others looked astonished.

As a representative, Lord Arthur raised their hand. “Normally, just one of those would already be considered a huge undertaking, so bringing up two tasks of such magnitude at the same time is a bit questionable.”

It’s not like I had any other choice. One of them just appeared out of nowhere.

Besides, both tasks belonged to the sphere of the manufacturing industry, so it was possible to argue that it was just one large task rather than two.

“You are quite right, Arthur. However, just when I was thinking about planning the improvement of the furnace and stove, which was supposed to be the first step in my industrial improvement plan, Hermes came along, so I decided to put everything together.”

“You’re something else. To treat the pipe dream of flying through the skies with a machine as an extra... How eccentric...” It looked like Hermes had been blown away as he muttered those words.

Lady Reina assured him that it was nothing unusual and tapped his shoulder.

“Is there any point in doing them together?” Lord Arthur asked.

“Hermes can assist me with my plan and I can help him achieve his dream, so it makes sense to work on them at the same time.”

Lord Arthur showed a strained smile in response to my loose explanation and said, “What shall we do, Maika? This sounds very Ash-like, and I don’t feel like arguing anymore.”

“Yeah, why not!”

“You’re not going to stop him?!” Lord Arthur looked as if they had been betrayed.

On the other hand, Lady Maika, who had delivered them a ruthless blow with her dagger of words, nodded with the amount of composure of someone who had just strangled a chicken. “If Ash says it, there must be a good reasoning behind the plan. Besides, the bigger the plan, the easier it will be to receive funding and enlist personnel. As long as we handle the implementation of his plan well enough, there shouldn’t be any problems.”

For optimal returns, we had to focus on using the resources currently available to us. The rest could come later.

As I gave a thumbs up to the supportive and understanding Lady Maika, her whole face lit up. She was right—I had a plan. It was not like I had just gone along with a new and sudden challenge on a whim.

While my aim was to increase industrial power, that was quite vague in itself. In the short-term, that goal encompassed the improvement of the stove and furnace, allowing for the production of brick. However, I was not going to stop there. That was merely a foundation from which I would set out to improve everything else, ranging from processing technology to production capacity to development capabilities. More specifically, I wanted to bring them up to the standards of the ancient civilization.

However, that plan in itself was not entirely feasible. The scope was a little too big and the objective a bit too far off in the future. Just a little bit. So, how about making a compromise and focusing on the revival of aeronautical technology? That entailed the revival of a large compilation of industrial technology, such as the creation of the internal combustion engine, the manufacturing of light yet durable alloys, the development of precise construction techniques, and more advanced processing technology. Therefore, it was easier to make a rough estimate of how much things would improve for both the people making the plans and those simply observing.

Above anything else, the idea of flying through the skies was easy to understand and greatly appealed to anyone who had some adventurous spirit in them. This helped shine a good light on the project. It was similar to how men and women of all ages were more likely to support technology for going to the unexplored moon rather than offensive missile technology. Public opinion was always important, after all.

The problem was that, from a practical point of view, the objective was still too far away. Not nearly as far away as raising everything to the standards of the ancient civilization, but still distant enough to be dazzled by the prospects. Just a little bit.

Therefore, I had to split up the project into smaller steps, gradually working towards the full accomplishment of our goals. The first part was going to cover about a tenth of the whole, the second one the next tenth, and so on. Although, in reality, it was probably closer to one hundredth. Be it the internal combustion engine, the shaft, the ball bearing, gears, or nanotechnology, there were still too many undeveloped or completely nonexistent technologies.

Originally, I had planned on making the wood gas vehicle the first step, but since Hermes came along, I pushed myself just a little bit and raised the bar to building an aircraft. In terms of difficulty, it was something along the lines of climbing stairs with stilts.

As I explained all of that to Lady Reina, she let out a sigh after carefully examining my words. “As usual, I don’t know if your ideals are too high for me to see them possible or if you’re not keeping your feet on the ground.”

“Any ideals that are not down-to-earth are merely wishful thinking.”

In that regard, Hermes was walking on the right path. He had started out by trying to acquire the ability to read in order to research the structure of aircraft. It may have only been the first step when faced with the enormous mountain of advanced knowledge relating to aeronautical technology. However, the difference between moving just one step forward and not moving at all was like night and day. That one small step opened up limitless possibilities.

Hermes, who had taken that step to chase his dream, slowly digested my proposal before tilting his head. “Until now, no one has been willing to help me, so that alone already is great. I’m willing to listen to what Ash has to say. However...” He looked at me as if he was not yet completely convinced. “Is it possible that you already know quite a bit about aircraft?”

“I know that our current technical capabilities are not sufficient to build one.”

“I knew it! I didn’t know how to go about flying in the air at all, but it looks like you know a bit more. Like, what are we lacking and stuff like that.” He was grinning while talking. “Could you give me some examples of what we need?”

“Of course, I will tell you everything I know. But first, we should make a machine that actually flies through the skies!”

Hearing those words, Hermes’ grin grew even broader. He even bent himself over the table as if he could no longer wait to get started.

“Hey, how do you go from saying that we lack the technology to claiming that we can make something that flies through the skies?” Lord Arthur protested.

“Well, it is just a tiny first step.” It’s so simple that I even remember making one in crafts class during elementary school in my past life. Even with the current level of technology of this world, it shouldn’t be hard to recreate.

I was thinking of making a rubber-band-powered paper plane as a prototype for our industrial improvement plan.

“Since it looks like Hermes wants to get started right away, let us divide up tasks. Maika, can you lead one group to research brickmaking?”

“I don’t really know much about bricks, but leave it to me! Just tell me what I need to do!”

As expected, I could rely on her.

“Well then, could you please research the manufacturing process of bricks together with Arthur and Mother Yae? That is the first step in our industrial improvement plan.”

Lady Reina and Hermes, whom I had not named, looked at each other.

“Reina and Hermes, you will help me bring back aeronautical technology! Let’s prove wrong all those who think that flying is just a pipe dream!” So much so that their hearts will stop!

Delighted, Hermes clenched his fists. I already considered him a reliable partner and returned his gesture with a fist bump.

Lady Reina looked at us with watery eyes. “I see you both are getting along well already. Somehow it feels like now there are two people who are up to no good... I think I’m going to cry...”

Lady Maika and Lord Arthur rushed to comfort the teary-eyed Lady Reina.

Hermes’ Perspective

The first time I saw an airplane, it lit up a fire inside of me. It was during a visit to the temple with my father, who was talking some complicated stuff with one of the priests. I didn’t know why, but there was a large book lying open on the desk. Maybe the priest was repairing it. It was a book on technology from the early period of ancient civilization. I still remember looking into it after feeling drawn towards it. That must’ve been the exact moment my life went off course.

At first, it looked like a strangely shaped windmill. Now that thought makes me laugh. I was looking at a propeller. That odd first impression was quickly dispersed by my next discovery. A long, slender body equipped with horizontally stretched wings. Yes, wings. Bird wings made out of steel. Strangely enough, looking at that shape my instincts told me that this was meant to fly in the air.

Then, I remembered my dad talking about a machine that was able to fly through the skies called a “plane.” It was one of the many dream-like stories from the period referred to as “the ancient civilization.” This iron bird must have been a plane, I thought. This thing could fly like a bird, riding on the wind, soaring through the beautiful blue sky. How fascinating! I had never seen anything like it before! No doubt riding one of those must have been the most exciting pastime in the world!

Something lit up inside of me. I felt an inexplicably strong yet pure urge to fly. I yearned for the skies. I felt so delighted that I wanted to scream out of joy. This was it. This was what I wanted to do. This was what I was meant to do. I needed a plane. I wanted to build a plane. This was all I needed. I wanted to make an iron bird, one that could carry people across the blue sky. Everyone would be happy. Why? Was there any need to think about that when you could fly in the air? Even though I had only thought about it, I was delighted and I felt my whole body burn with passion. The dream of making a plane had set my life ablaze.

The rest was easy. All I had to do was to give shape to my dream by making a plane. But everyone, including my dad, the priest, the rest of my family, and all the adults around me told me that it was impossible. Airplanes were considered a thing of the ancient past, and no one really believed in them. Unlike birds, humans were unable to fly. They called it a stupid fantasy.

I talked back to them with a sullen look on my face, crying my eyes out embarrassingly. I told them that there was no reason humans shouldn’t be able to fly when birds could do it. We just needed to copy them. Or even copy insects. If you needed something specific to fly in the air, then surely it could be found in nature.

Once again, everyone replied the same without exception, saying that it was impossible. That it was never going to happen. After all, no human had ever flown before. Really? What about the book? It showed a plane, a machine capable of flying through the skies. Didn’t that mean that people used those in the past? So people had in fact flown before. Still, none of the adults acknowledged me. They insisted that it was a story from a long time ago, and no one knew whether it was true or not. They insisted that no human could fly. Neither they nor I had ever flown. In conclusion, it was not possible.

That was the end of the discussion. Not that I had wanted it to end, but they just walked away. I just kept repeating to myself, “It doesn’t make any sense.” What about the book? There were others as well. According to the priest, there were several books mentioning planes. If it really had all been a lie, then why did everybody know about planes? Why did they know the name of the machine that could fly in the air when they refused to believe that humans could fly? Don’t try putting out the fire of my dream with your shower of cheap words! I won’t let my precious dream die this easily! Nevertheless, no one believed me. The only ones supporting my ambitions were the books about planes.

Afterwards, I studied more about planes until I realized that the full term was “airplane” and that it was just one kind of various “aircraft.” Still, I did not know how to make a machine that could fly. I needed to study even more. I had to find more books to read. There was a limit to the knowledge that could be obtained at the house of an artisan. In that case, I had to choose between going to the temple and becoming a priest or going to the army academy. Ready to go to either one, I asked my dad, who decided to send me to the latter. Apparently, the count had a child my age who happened to attend the academy too. My dad must have seen this as an opportunity for me to make connections, but unfortunately, I was only interested in studying.

While I already knew how to read and calculate to a certain extent, whenever I opened a book about airplanes, I didn’t understand a single thing. I had looked forward to studying at the academy, but I wasn’t really learning anything new. There were children of knights and village chiefs who couldn’t read as well as I did, so the level of the classes was not that high. As a result, I wasn’t moving forward.

As I started to get sulky soon after the academy had begun, one of the priests approached me. “Oh! If it isn’t the airplane kid!”

I recognized the beautiful black-haired woman. Three years ago, when the adults around me all repeated that airplanes were a fantasy, she was the only one who defended my dream, saying that, “Considering that there are so many written accounts, it is highly probable that they existed in real life.”

“Morning, Yae.”

Since then, I had come to read books here at the temple and run into her several times. She was one of my few... well, not really friends, but acquaintances.

“Good morning. It has been a while. So you’ve come to the academy, huh? I’m one of the teachers representing the Church.”

“I’ve heard.”

Yae was beautiful, and as a result, quite popular among the boys. Even someone like me, who almost never talked to anyone, had heard about that.

“By the way, are you attending the joint classes? If I remember correctly, you already know how to read and write quite well... I feel like it may be unnecessary for you to attend reading class at least.”

“To be honest, it’s boring.”

For the record, I had asked to be exempt from reading classes in my personal statement, since I already knew how to read. However, it seemed that they hadn’t believed me. Even though my dad was a renowned blacksmith, I was still just the son of a mere craftsman. Considering that even many of the successors of knights and village chiefs weren’t able to read and write, I guess I couldn’t blame them.

“What a waste!” Yae frowned as anger overcame her beautiful face. The anger appeared to be directed towards herself rather than a third person. “I was so preoccupied with Arthur that I neglected my other duties. And on top of it all, Ash... No, this was an oversight on my part. No matter how unexpected Ash’s behavior is, it is still my responsibility!”

She lowered her head in an elegant manner. Captivated by her movements, it took me a moment to realize that she was apologizing to me, which in turn caused me to start sweating.

“Please excuse my oversight. I have a grasp of your abilities. For the moment, you don’t need to attend the joint classes. Please read any book you like. That will be more beneficial to you and to the books.”

“You... don’t need to apologize...”

After all, she wasn’t the only teacher here. It appeared that she was in charge of something else, so she was not among the core staff for the joint classes.

Nevertheless, she emphasized what she considered to be her own ineptitude with an iron-like, stiff voice. “No, I’m guilty of delaying the pursuit of knowledge of a brilliant student. As a priest, I can only be ashamed of myself. I’ll take this as an opportunity to reflect upon myself and make sure it won’t happen again.”

“...Thanks.”

She was about the only one who called me brilliant.

“Alright, then I will inform the joint classes’ headteacher that you will no longer attend. You can study by yourself starting today. Once they start teaching writing and maths, please go back to class.”

I tried communicating my deep gratitude to Yae, but...

“...Thanks.”

In the end, all that came out was just one cold, short word.

There were so many things that I wanted to tell her, but at some point, my communication skills had deteriorated. I didn’t enjoy talking to others. When I talked about my dream, the others always ridiculed me for it, so I started keeping it to myself. People told me that I had become silent and gloomy, but hearing those concerns coming from the main cause of my behavior only made me angrier. Their words were like water trying to extinguish the burning passion inside of me.

Still, I managed to protect my dream by embracing it tightly inside my chest, where it kept on burning. So much so that it even hurt. Since it was burning, it was only natural that I would hurt myself touching it. Thinking about it, I had trouble breathing, and my expression stiffened. Somehow, I was sure that one day my dream was going to turn me into ashes. But I didn’t care. It was my dream. Even if it killed me, that would be better than dying after giving up. That’s how much the plane in that book had inspired me.

Suddenly, a group of four boys and girls came out of the reading room. For some reason, they seemed to be enjoying themselves while talking loudly. It was Ash’s group. In terms of social standing, it may have been better to say it was Arthur or Maika’s group, but no matter how you looked at it, Ash was the center of attention. How strange. At any rate, they really seemed to enjoy themselves.

“It’s not like I hate talking to people or anything...”

Although it hadn’t got to the point where I couldn’t talk at all, I had become awkward at holding a conversation. However, if I talked about machines soaring through the sky and someone replied saying, “That sounds amazing,” I imagined I could keep on talking for hours. No one ever said that, though. Not that it mattered. I still had my dream.

I held my hand to my chest to confirm the heat flowing through my palm. Ah, yes, it’s alright. The flame is still burning. Although... it felt less hot somehow. Maybe I had kept it under cover for a bit too long. It was similar to the furnace at the smithery, where heat was raised by enclosing the fire, but at the same time, the flames went out completely if you covered up all the holes. Fire needed air to burn. In that sense, I may have been so scared of any water raining down on me that I inadvertently covered up all the openings.

But it was alright. I was going to blow in some wind before long. Once I had crafted an airplane, things were going to change. After all, airplanes were awesome. And flying through the sky was undoubtedly going to be fun. It won’t be long. Maybe five years, or ten... I’m sure it’ll be soon.

And soon it was. Much sooner than I had expected.

On that day, I had been careless. I was in a good mood from completing the model airplane that I had laboriously put together myself. It was nice weather outside, and I wanted to take a look at my model under the pleasant blue sky. I laid down on the grass in the dormitory garden and took it out of my pocket. I stretched the arm holding the model towards the sky to simulate a launch. I thought to myself how strange it was that real airplanes could fly like this. My heart was bouncing. How stupid of me to do this where everyone could see me.

And sure enough, before I knew it Moldo and his crew had surrounded me, starting the usual routine. They asked what I was holding in my hand and laughed at me, saying there was no way that piece of metal scrap was ever going to fly. This led to a fistfight. I’m not lucky today... Or maybe a little bit.

Before they managed to properly beat me up, Reina appeared. Thanks to her screaming, George also interfered, stopping our fight while it was still an equal match. I had managed to get some good punches in. Looking at Moldo’s swollen cheeks, I felt my bitter anger dissipate a little. Served him right for laughing at my dream.

However, considering that George wanted an explanation for our fight, maybe I wasn’t lucky after all. Surely George was also going to tell me that it was impossible when I explained about the airplane. Like everyone else. Did I really have to take on another shower of ridicule? How annoying. Even though I was used to hearing it, I didn’t like it.

Did you really need to know the reason? It was my fault. Not that I regretted it. I knew that I wasn’t supposed to resort to violence. But should I have just shut up and listened to them disparaging the thing that was most important to me? Maybe. It would have been admirable if I could have done that. But I didn’t want to stay silent. They could scold me all they wanted, I wasn’t going to give in. This wasn’t about any objective good or bad, but about my personal principles. This was what having a dream meant to me.

As I resolved myself and stayed silent, a breeze blew in from the side. Reina had approached me. “Hermes, you have to explain yourself.”

Why does it matter to you? It shouldn’t.

Yes, I was grateful that she had saved me, but this was about my dream. I realized that I was a weird one compared to everyone else. So... So why do you have to look so annoyed? I still felt a mysterious wind coming from her gaze. Fine, I’ll show you.

I reluctantly opened the fist that tightly grasped my plane model.

“They saw this and said that it could never fly...”

There was no way I could let that slide. And I realized that I was alone in thinking that way. I already knew how everyone else was going to react. They were going to frown and say, “You fought over a petty squabble?” They were never going to understand. To protect my flame from the incoming shower, I put up with the pain and held on tight to my dream.

As I took on my defensive stance, I felt another wind approach. Unexpectedly, this one was extremely hot.

“Oh?! This is wonderful!”

The source of that wind was Ash.

Although he had watched me from a distance, he was now approaching me at such speed that he almost bumped into me. He kept saying how wonderful my model airplane was. He listened to my explanation, accepted it, and even replied enthusiastically. But there was more. While I had thought that I was the only one who experienced anger over a “petty squabble,” it appeared that Ash shared my feelings.

“Hermes, I will help you achieve your dreams.”

It felt as if a bellows had blown a gust of words in my direction. Words that I heard for the first time in my life.

At the same time, Ash’s smile conveyed a more violent anger than I harbored myself. “Let us work together to shut up those loud people over there.”

Work together. He said we should work together.

I was at a loss for words. I didn’t know how to feel. I couldn’t believe it. Was this real? Until now, no one had ever said anything like this to me. But Ash was serious.

When George brought up the punishment for my fight, he put himself in front of me with such elan that even George recoiled. He protected me. Who does something like that? Trying to stop a leader of the academy from enforcing the rules? Why is he willing to put his own reputation at risk for someone like me? This can’t be real.

But Ash did it and succeeded. He kept on talking with such vigor that eventually George just gave up on punishing me.

I was just confused at the time. But I was able to feel the hot air that Ash was blowing towards me. And it was not just for an instant. He gathered his group together—he even got Yae to join—and said the following: “So, it is decided, then! We will strive for a peaceful resolution by helping Hermes revive aeronautical technology!” he proclaimed, as if to shut up all those who had constantly belittled my dream.

While that alone would already have been a miracle, none of his friends laughed. Not Arthur, not Maika, not Reina. They acknowledged that he had said something outrageous, but they didn’t deny it. This was too good to be true. No one was laughing about the concept of a machine flying through the sky. This couldn’t be happening. But it was, right here. What’s wrong with these people? What’s wrong with Ash?

“It all sounds a bit off to me... Are you sure you’re all alright?”

I instinctively asked them if they were alright. As soon as those words left my mouth, I realized that I wouldn’t have minded even if they weren’t.

“I mean, I have been talking about my own dream for a while now, so I guess me saying that I want to build an aircraft would not really surprise anyone,” Ash answered.

Ash’s dream?

When I asked him about it, he replied in a smooth voice with the same smile that he always showed when I ran into him at the dormitory. He talked about bringing back the plentiful life of the ancient civilization. Even the most thickheaded person could have felt the scorching heat contained in his words.

“Aircraft are one part of it, after all. I am afraid that since they all have been dealing with another dream chaser like you for a while now, nothing will really surprise them anymore,” he said.

It felt big. It was not a thought or a perception, but a feeling. I wondered what it was—I couldn’t pinpoint it right away. That was how big it felt.

Not knowing, I tried to find out by asking some questions. “Bringing back the life of the ancient civilization?! Does that mean you want to make stuff like the machine that can produce ice? The ones that can keep the room cool in summer and produce heat without fire? Even that thing which allows you to listen to music and watch pictures wherever and how often you want?”

Yes, that was an outrageous idea. None of it existed in the present. No one had ever seen any of it. It was a ridiculous ambition to bring back all those things from the legends, which may or may not have existed. It was a ridiculously big dream. It was not normal. But he kept believing in his dream and talking about it, no matter what people said.

“Yes, including all of that, I want to be able to live a happy and fun life. That is my dream.”

No wonder I had felt something big. Since I also had a burning dream inside of me, I knew exactly what was happening. His dream was big. I was fully convinced. Of course there would have been hot air accompanying Ash’s words. Inside his chest, there was a furnace many times larger and burning much brighter than mine. What a splendid forge. With a furnace like that, you could make anything. Even legendary machines from the ancient civilization. Of course, that also included airplanes.

Unwittingly, as if it was the natural thing to do, I let out a long and painful sigh, followed by a shout. “Hahaha! You dream big! I give up! That’s quite a big dream right there!”

I was no longer able to contain my joy. I was having too much fun. It almost felt as if I had been reborn. The furnace inside my chest was hot, burning at high temperatures. The fire of my dream, which had cooled down slightly, burned once again just as hot as it did when I first saw a plane in that book.

“This is the first time I’ve met someone with a dream bigger than mine. I really don’t know what to say, Ash!”

That heat was refining one single emotion inside my furnace.

“No wonder you listened to my dream without laughing.”

And that refined emotion came out in the shape of tears.

●　●　●

We separated ourselves into two groups: the brick research team and the plane crafting team. I was a member of the latter together with Hermes and Lady Reina.

First and foremost, we decided to visit Mr. Quid. Since I had known him for so long, I always made sure to consult him when I needed any materials.

The former peddler was now a proudly independent merchant with his own shop. It was almost unreal how much his business was booming. When his shop first opened, he gratefully informed us that his dealings had expanded to cities in other territories too.

“Ash, good to see you! What’s the occasion? Do you need my help? I’ll try my best!”

He had always been an amiable person, but ever since opening his shop, his service had become increasingly more pleasant and generous. He greeted all his customers, including a child like me, with a big, heartfelt smile. A professional attitude like that was sure to keep his own little castle well-guarded. The peddler who made off with the small change of the villagers was no more. Maybe this was what was meant by the saying that “Social standing makes a man.”

“Yes! In fact, there is something I wanted to make, so I have come to look for the materials that I need,” I answered.

As I stated my purpose, Mr. Quid’s sharp eyes sparkled. “Oh! It’s been a while since you’ve made something new... Although I’ve heard that you’ve been busy outside the city walls. Anyhow, it’s been a while since you’ve come to me. What are you planning to make?”

While his attitude stayed as friendly as always, his eyes stared at me as if they had found some prey. That was not the look I usually got when shopping here.

“I want to make a toy that can fly in the sky.”

It may have only been the first step towards aeronautical technology, but according to my past-life memories, it was a toy used for educational purposes as well.

“A toy? That can fly? You mean like a boomerang?”

“Well yes, something similar. I guess you could say it is a successor to the boomerang.”

“I see. As always, you’re one step ahead. I’m not sure I entirely understand.”

It appeared that I had aroused his interest and he wanted to know more details. The sight of him brimming with curiosity was a call-back to his days as a peddler. Although he could still be considered a peddler, given that he himself was actively engaging in trade with other territories.

Either way, he was drawn towards new and unusual things. Personally, I also welcomed the opportunity to pique interest in the possibility of flying, and maybe even obtain help from a variety of people.

“I will inform you once it is completed. I would love to show you,” I told him.

“Oh, thank you so much! Well then, in anticipation, let me give you a discount! I’m already looking forward to seeing it!”

He led us with a beaming face towards the storage, where he kept various materials. Since he was willing to give us a discount, I also had a bright smile on my face.

“First, we need some good quality paper or cloth. Then, soft, light wood. And finally, lacquer or something else that will act as adhesive.”

“Hmm, come this way, please. I really can’t wait to see what you’ll make!”

I planned on making the skeleton of the rubber-band-powered paper plane with wood and then fleshing it out with paper or cloth. Getting the shape right was fairly easy, but it needed the right balance and weight, as well as wings with a properly adjusted length. Still, if we managed to make it light as a whole, the measurements did not need to be too exact.

The main problem was that in this world there was no rubber. And since that was the source of power for the paper plane, it meant that there was no engine to rotate the propeller. It was the same problem that we faced when it came to making a real plane.

However, I had two backup plans. The first one was to come up with an excuse and instead make a glider without an engine. The second one was to find an alternative way of rotating the propeller no matter what.

“Can you please show us some strings that are made out of animal tendons or guts?”

I was thinking of using animal-derived materials typically used for bows and instruments as a substitute.

“I actually have some in stock from your village.”

“From Ban?”

“Yes! And maybe also Jigil.”

Jigil had become a fine hunter himself. If possible, I wanted to craft the model with materials gathered by my dear friends from my hometown.

After choosing the materials for the prototype, Hermes looked at them while pouting. “I can’t see any metal, let alone iron.”

“I mean, metal would be too heavy.”

Even a small-scale model would require a high-performance electric motor to fly if we made the skeleton out of metal. Even aluminum would have been too heavy.

“Wasn’t the real thing made of iron? Or at the very least some metal?” Hermes asked.

“As far as I am aware, not the whole plane was made of iron. For a long time, the most commonly used material was a light aluminum alloy.”

I had remembered this piece of information when my life was flashing before my eyes during the fight with Sir Werewolf.

Back in the Great War, aluminum was considered a tactical resource, as it was the main material of the aluminum alloys used for the aircraft. It was possible to refine it from bauxite, but you needed a large electric power source. In this world without power plants, the wide circulation of aluminum as white coins was only possible thanks to the werewolves. Once refined, aluminum was a useful metal, easily processed. It was a shame that it had not been used to its full potential in this world.

“Aluminum? Yeah, that’s light, but also not very sturdy,” Hermes pointed out.

“It is indeed slightly scary to think about flying in the sky with that, right? But before the aluminum alloy, aircraft used to be made out of wood and cloth.”

At a loss for words, Hermes looked at the wood and cloth in front of me. Yes, we’ll use these to fly.

“Our ancestors were amazing...”

“Being the first to accomplish something really earns you respect.”

No doubt our ancestors had their own dreams, just like Hermes. And there must have also been people who ridiculed them. Nonetheless, they persevered and succeeded. That was an outstanding and undoubtedly highly-valued achievement, which was subsequently written down in books. It was preserved so that anyone with the same dream could fulfill it again, even after civilization had declined.

“The first one to succeed...”

Hermes was clenching his jaw. His look was one of admiration for the people buried in the sands of time, yet his eyes were also filled with jealousy towards those who had the honor of coming first.

“Damn, I’m jealous.”

“Yes, it is vexing. Let us do our best so that in the future others will be jealous of us.”

He had no choice but to leave the title of the first human to ever fly to someone from the ancient civilization. However, no one had yet claimed the title of the person who revived the long-lost technology of flying.

“Is that not wonderful? You can be the first person to revive a fantastic technology stolen by the tyrant called time. I imagine there will be many people looking up at the sky and envying you in the future.”

“...That does sound good.” Hermes loosened his expression with a satisfied smile. “I guess I’ll settle for that.”

I needed to help the now fully motivated Hermes to the best of my abilities so that he could properly obtain that title.

After finishing our shopping, Hermes, Lady Reina, and I headed towards the prisoners outside the city wall. Of course, we had permission from Mrs. Rihn in her capacity as a supervisor of the academy.

Following the Sir Werewolf incident, the public perception of the prisoners had changed. They were praised for running to the farm and informing the farmers of the imminent danger. The citizens had reached the consensus that, while the prisoners had committed crimes in the past, currently they were doing earnest work and there was no need to overly ostracize them. There were even some people who casually greeted them.

“If it isn’t Ash!” Belgo, who was doing laundry at the river, rinsed the foam off his hands before standing up.

The tough-looking prisoners liked to keep things clean, and had turned into some of the tidiest people in the whole city. After receiving the soap and being able to cook to their heart’s content, they had become conscious of their hygiene. Even though their clothes were old and worn out, they were always freshly washed and clean. Even among the citizens, they had a reputation for not looking like prisoners at all. Unfortunately, their work was still as tough as always.

“Good afternoon to your friends too!” By his standards, Belgo showed himself to be very polite towards Hermes and especially towards Lady Reina, who always looked well-mannered. How come he’s never behaved like that with me?

“You are quite the gentleman today, Belgo,” I remarked.

“That’s ’cause you’ve brought guests along.” He laughed scornfully as if to say that he did not intend to show any courtesy towards me.

I felt a little annoyed. It was as if a cat whom I had cherished suddenly showed affection towards someone else. Only in this case, the cat was a tough-looking, middle-aged man, so the level of my annoyance was about nine digits after the decimal point.

“So, do you need anything?” Belgo asked.

“Yes, we need some help with woodwork.”

“You’re gonna do something funny again?” Belgo laughed as he called out in a deep voice for another prisoner called Am.

Am used to be a woodworker. He was born as the fourth son into the house of a craftsman, where he trained under his father alongside his brothers. However, the eldest son inherited the workshop, and all the apprentice positions were filled up by the other siblings, so he was the only one left out. With nowhere to go, he left the house, looking for work in various villages and cities, but to no avail. When he could no longer bear the hunger, he resorted to stealing, which led to his present situation as a prisoner.

Am had told me his story while repairing my bow. Apparently, there were many third or fourth sons of artisans in a similar situation among the prisoners. Since they had never experienced any hunger during their childhoods, they were mostly arrested for minor offenses such as stealing food. Those who did not know any boundaries and committed serious crimes were instantly sentenced to death. Regardless, the prisoners here were a skilled group of people ready to help me whenever I needed them!

When I asked Am if he was willing to display his woodworking abilities, the former carpenter apprentice happily agreed. “If I can be of any help to you, sure! Tell me what I need to do!”

While Am had been denied a life as a carpenter due to his family circumstances, he still loved the craft. In that regard, he was just like many of the other prisoners who had a strong artisan’s temperament. This may have been one of the reasons why they enjoyed cooking so much.

Without further delay, I showed him the book that I had brought from the temple and explained to him what an aircraft was. I also displayed the blueprints for the model plane that I had put down in my research notes. With that information, I requested him to craft the skeleton frame made out of wood.

“Haha! This’ll fly? Hahaha! Really? That’s quite something.” Am was full of admiration.

“This propeller and the shape of the wings are quite difficult to make. Even the slightest mistake could make the plane unable to fly. If possible, could you please make several different models?”

“I see... This is a nice challenge. It looks simple, but very pretty.”

As Am eagerly inspected the illustration of the plane, Hermes was keen to jump in. “Yeah, it’s beautiful. Even though it’s not flashy at all, you can’t get it out of your head once you’ve seen it.”

“The boy’s right. And you said this can fly? I doubt back home they got any requests as interesting as this!”

“Right? You could search the whole kingdom and we’d still be the only ones doing this!”

“Haha! That’s the spirit! Let’s get this going!”

The eyes of both Hermes and Am were sparkling. Those were no longer the eyes of a young boy and a middle-aged man, but those of two dream-chasing boys.

As they started talking about the process of making the model, Lady Reina showed a wry smile. Her expression looked less like that of a young girl and more like that of a concerned, mature woman. “I wonder if they’ll be alright. I’m a bit worried just looking at them talking themselves into a frenzy.”

“Men are like that. No matter how old they are, they always have a childish part inside of them,” I reassured her.

“Is that so?” Shortly after asking me back, she seemed to have convinced herself of the answer. “Yeah, that may just be the case.”

“Why did you just convince yourself after looking at me?”

Considering that I had memories from my past life, I felt that I was quite the calm gentleman.

Lady Reina just cleared her throat and glossed over my question. “I’ve not really been of much help so far. Are you sure I should be here?”

“This is where I will need your help now.”

I took out a protractor and ruler and handed them to the worried Lady Reina. In this world where artisans manufactured things by relying on their experience and intuition, those were rare items only used by a select few researchers. Protractors were even so scarce that I had had to make one myself with the help of the prisoners.

“I want you to compare the test model plane to the blueprints. You can use these to measure the curves of the wings and the propeller and write down the data in as much detail as possible.”

This task seemed perfect for Lady Reina, who was great at math.

“That seems difficult. Do you think I can do this?” she asked.

“You will be fine. We are not writing up a detailed book like those at the temple library. It is just a memo to keep track of what we tested so far and how it worked out. Just try it out and think of it as practice for now!”

As I handed the writing tools over to her, she showed that reassuring smile that made all the boys fall for her. “I see. In other words, I should clean up after the boys have made a mess.”

“It is very much like you to put it that way.”

“Thanks.” She smiled. “Although I’m not confident enough to say that I’ll be able to clean up after you... I’m going to leave that to Maika...” Her now mischievous gaze wandered from me towards Hermes. “This one I can manage somehow. Leave it to me!”

“I am counting on you. I will also help with the manufacturing, so if you have any doubts about the format, feel free to ask.”

“Will do. At the start there will probably be a lot of things I don’t know.”

In preparation, she started inspecting the writing tools. After examining the protractor and the ruler for a while, she seemed to come to a realization and turned her face towards me.

“I just realized that I also want to see the machine flying in the sky.”

Lady Reina had a look on her face as if she had discovered a new flower blossoming in the garden that she always visited.

Reina’s Perspective

I was writing down all the information on the model plane on a sheet of paper as requested by Ash. First, I drew a simple illustration of a plane and then I added the length of the wings, the angles, as well as the length and weight of the whole thing.

“This is difficult... I’m not sure how to measure the subtle curves of the propeller...” I should ask Ash. He’ll know some way to do it.

It was strange how I naturally assumed that he knew something which normally no one should have known...

I put down my pen and started thinking about the red-haired boy. Just what kind of person was he really? Although he was the son of a farmer, he knew more than the child of the count, and he was more formal and courteous than me, the daughter of a maid. In addition, he had the ingenuity to use the army academy as a shield to request the implementation of a regional-government class plan. On top of all that, he possessed the bravery to take on a werewolf in a one-on-one fight. While he looked more childish than anyone when talking about his dreams, he also seemed more mature than anyone when working on them. My head hurt just thinking about it. It was as if there were multiple lives crammed into one human.

“Reina, did you write this?” I was caught off guard by Hermes, who had taken a peek at my drawing while I was lost in thought. “That’s amazing! It looks just like the illustration in the book.”

Hermes showed a smile that could only be described as childish. His head was moving right to left and left to right as he restlessly stared at the paper. Can’t you see the whole thing even if you don’t move your head like that?

Compared to Ash, Hermes was easy to understand. After thinking about complicated and mysterious things, the contrast even felt slightly amusing.

“Not at all. I’m just doing what Ash told me,” I said.

“Still.” In a serious tone, but with a smile, Hermes immediately continued, cutting up my words. “I’ve read that book about planes so many times, but there were still a lot of things that I didn’t fully comprehend. Like the symbols next to the illustration... However, seeing your notes, now I can take a guess. They must have been describing the angles of the wings and their curvature. That makes sense. It’s difficult to understand with just a blueprint.” He passionately nodded along.

“Like I said, Ash told me...”

“First of all, it’s amazing that you can do it right after being told. It’s not as easy as it seems, even if you follow the instructions word by word.”

“Is that so? Arthur and Maika also always manage to do the things that Ash tells them right away.”

“Well, Arthur and Maika are the top students of this year. It’s already amazing that you can claim to be on their level!”

Hermes seemed slightly annoyed that I didn’t want to accept his praise.

I can’t just let him lecture me like this!

I glared at him to show my discontent, but Hermes didn’t notice me—he was too focused on the paper. At this point, talking with him felt just as tiring as engaging with Ash.

“What’s wrong, Reina?”

“Nothing... I think I’m starting to understand.”

Those two were birds of a feather. Trying to have a serious conversation with Hermes was going to give me a headache, just like it did with Ash. But... I didn’t dislike it.

I let out a brief sigh.

Meanwhile, it appeared that Hermes had had enough of looking at the illustration and instead changed the topic. “But yeah, Ash really is a genius. To make something like this right after he thinks it up. He really is something else. It’s almost too weird. I wonder what’s going on inside his head?”

“So you agree that he is amazing?”

Although I thought that Hermes, who had tried building a machine that could fly in the sky, was just as amazing. To me that would have been an inconceivable dream. So, naturally, I wondered just a little bit how he perceived Ash.

“Yeah, it’s even a bit frustrating how amazing he is,” he admitted.

While he said that it was frustrating, I didn’t sense any gloom in his voice. On the contrary, he almost seemed proud, as if he tried to drive away any possible darkness with a dazzling fire.

“I always frantically worked towards my dream, but it always felt like it took a lot of effort just to advance a single step. Now, thanks to Ash pushing me along, it’s like I’m running towards it on the back of a horse. Saying that meeting him was a mere breeze probably wouldn’t do it justice.” Hermes showed an innocent smile. He was enjoying the experience of being pushed by a current of wind strong enough to knock him over.

His expression surprised me. He said that Ash was like the wind to him. I wondered what Ash was to me? Asking myself, I reached the conclusion that he was like a tractive force pulling me along. In other words, that meant that I was behind him, while Hermes was in front of him, being pushed by his wind.

“That’s amazing,” I said.

“I agree—Ash is amazing.”

Yeah, but that’s not what I meant.

Resting my chin in my hand, I stared at the “amazing person.” I felt like I could manage to have this boy’s back. I should probably do that, actually.

After all, he was the kind of reckless boy who thought about flying in the sky with the help of an incredible wind current. If no one looked after him, he was going to end up getting hurt badly. I just couldn’t leave someone like him alone.

Itsuki’s Perspective

Apparently, they were going to build a plane. I was in the middle of enjoying dinner when I heard the news. Let me tell you what went through my mind at that moment. The correct answer is, “......” Yes, I was speechless.

“It’ll be a very simple one!”

Maika looked adorable as she tilted her head while adding more information. What a cute niece she was. Lately, as we had become more familiar with each other, she had started talking in a more informal way, which made her seem even cuter. Wait, get a hold of yourself, Itsuki. Don’t lose yourself.

I had a feeling that if I didn’t keep a clear mind, I was going to find myself faced with a horrible surprise. Remember when you approved the agricultural development plan thinking it wouldn’t amount to anything! The moment you opened the box, a monster sprung out in front of you!

After giving myself a pep talk, I warily broached the subject. As the acting count of Sacula, I had no time to deal with sudden monsters. “A-A simple p-plane?”

My mind had already snapped! It’s fine. This wasn’t my first time experiencing this. I was going to keep on moving no matter how fatal my wound was.

“Hmm... How do I best explain it?”

Maika stopped before answering. She had stuffed her mouth with today’s main dish, a pork steak with applesauce. I was glad that she showed good manners and didn’t talk with a full mouth, but why was she prioritizing the food over my question? Was it normal to talk about making a plane so casually?

“Maika, don’t just stop in the middle of answering a question! Even if the food is delicious!” Sitting next to Maika, Arthur chimed in with a strained smile.

“Yacoo’s food is once again excellent, so I understand how you feel, but still...”

Eventually, Arthur gave up on getting a reply from Maika, who was chewing her food with puffed-out cheeks, and addressed me. “Do you want me to explain the rest, dear brother?”

“Please, if you don’t mind.” Arthur can explain it too? How amazing is that?

Ash was an oddball, and Maika was just as clever as my dear sister Yuika, but I was surprised to see that Arthur was able to keep up with those two. When Arthur had arrived here, it seemed like they were someone with common sense, similar to me.

“According to Ash, the hardest part about building an airplane is manufacturing the engine that produces the power to take off into the air. I’m not yet sure what exactly this ‘engine’ is, but it sounds like something quite intricate.”

“I can’t imagine it either... Anyway, what about this ‘engine’ thing?”

“So, he’s looking for a substitute for this intricate engine and planning to make a prototype first. However, since the power output of the substitute will be quite weak, we can only really make a small-scale model that fits into a hand.”

I see... Although not really.

Well, I understood what they were saying and what they were trying to do. In short, it was similar to how you didn’t suddenly start by swinging a heavy iron sword, but first practiced with a lighter wooden one. That I understood. But they were talking about an airplane, something no one had ever seen and no one even believed was possible. How could they just suddenly come across untrodden land and shine a light in its direction? What kind of magic trick was this? In that sense, I didn’t understand what was going on. It was unfathomable to me.

“Does Ash have a message for me?” I asked.

What did he expect from me?

As I felt my legs trembling, Arthur started giggling. While their voice was at a moderate volume, it resounded bright and clear. “He said, ‘Please look forward to the result!’”

“...What?”

I let out an impulsive gasp. That was it? He didn’t ask for a budget or connections. He just told me to look forward to it. No wonder Arthur laughed. And they seemed to mean it, unlike the first time we met. Back then they had put up a fake smile simply because of etiquette. Now, they were raising their voice, filling the room with childlike laughter. I felt amused too, and before I knew it, my gasp had turned into laughter. Ash really was an unfathomable guy. How entertaining!

But there was no time to be distracted. All of a sudden, I also felt the desire to see a machine fly in the sky. As a child, I had dreamt of flying like a bird. However, one day I had stopped seeing things that way. I had come to see flying as something ridiculous and absurd. But now that had changed. These kids had come along to make me realize that I was much more ridiculous and absurd myself for no longer even considering it. I hoped they were going to succeed and prove me wrong. I loved their ambition.

“Very well. Please tell Ash that I cannot wait to see the result.”

“Yes, I’ll make sure he hears it!”

After nodding to Arthur, who had a warm smile on their face, I put my fork into the pork steak. “Let’s eat this delicious dinner before it gets cold.”

I was in such a good mood that Yacoo’s already great dinner tasted even better.

“Oh, but there’s more, dear brother,” Arthur continued.

I had a bad feeling.

“Related to the airplane, we plan on submitting an industrial development plan,” they added.

“...What is that?”

“It appears to be a large-scale, long-term project that aims at eventually building a real passenger plane.”

Ash really was an unfathomable guy...

Hermes’ Perspective

I set out to cut the wings for the model plane using the wood that Ash had bought. Putting a small knife against the wood, I exerted all my strength.

At that moment, Am, who was next to me, intervened. “Stop! Not like that!”

“Not like this?”

“You won’t be able to smoothly carve the wood that way. First, you need to find the right angle and then trace the edge of the knife in a gliding motion alongside it. Otherwise, it won’t turn into the shape you want. Look, I’ll show you.” Am rested his knife against the wood and proceeded to smoothly slide it along. “It’s not like you don’t need any force at all, but if you use too much force it won’t turn out right. Wood is a delicate material. You have to be as gentle as when you’re holding a girl’s hand.”

“Holding a girl’s hand?” I didn’t know what that meant, since I had never held a girl’s hand.

As I tilted my head, a smile came over Am’s face. “I take it then you don’t have any experience with girls yet?”

I felt like I had just been unfairly attacked.

“Yes, so what?”

“Hahaha! There’s no need to be sulking.”

I’m not sulking. The way you said it just rubbed me the wrong way.

Meanwhile, all the others around us had started grinning too.

“Hey, Ash. They’re being weird. It’s irritating.”

Ash, who was carving wood next to me, had the same friendly grin as always. “Hmm... Well, in regard to most things, those who have experience feel a sense of superiority to those who are still inexperienced. Have you not felt like that before?”

“No, I don’t think I have.”

“Are you not happy whenever you can teach someone about airplanes?”

“Oh, I see, I think I got it now, that is a lot of fun but it’s annoying being on the receiving end!” Hearing Ash’s example, I understood within seconds and reflexively started talking faster.

“I am glad you understand. That is why as their junior you should always quietly listen to them. If you look annoyed, it might end up having the opposite effect and they could start talking even more. Especially when it comes to love affairs...”

“I think I get it.” How come Ash stays so composed? Does he already have a partner? Could it be Maika? Or Reina?

By the look of things, the prisoners were asking themselves the same questions.

Meanwhile, Belgo was rubbing his chin with a bored look on his face. “You already had a partner? How boring! Not that it’s unexpected considering how Maika always...”

“No, I am single,” Ash quickly answered.

“...Huh?” Belgo let out a strange voice before stopping in his tracks. In fact, all of the prisoners stiffened.

What happened? Sure, Ash’s answer may have been a bit unexpected, but was it that shocking?

“...What about Maika?” Belgo asked.

“She is a friend. Or maybe I should say a childhood friend. Either way, there is nothing happening between us.”

“Are you serious? Oh, but I guess she is the daughter of a big shot. I almost forgot that since she’s always so friendly.” Belgo nodded in agreement.

He was right. Maika was very frank, even though she came from a noble lineage and had the second-highest social standing at the academy in our year. Since she was always playing with dirt in the dormitory’s garden, she didn’t give off that impression at all.

“I see how it is. You have to be careful given your social position. But just between you and me, what’s really going on? I won’t tell anyone,” Belgo insisted.

“Just between you and me, we really are just childhood friends.”

After hearing Ash’s clear statement, Belgo gave him an annoyed look, which eventually shifted towards me. “Hey, Hermes! How do you see the situation?”

“How do I see it? I’m not sure what to say...”

Until just recently, I had barely talked to them. Although it was true that those two, or maybe even those four if you included Arthur and Reina, always stood out, so it wasn’t like I didn’t know them at all.

“I just know that it looks like they’re getting along quite well,” I concluded.

“Have you heard any rumors about them going out?”

“Not really, no. Oh, this may not be relevant, but I’ve heard about the boys’ and girls’ popularity rankings at the academy. Arthur was number one for the boys and Maika was the most popular of the girls.”

Who was number two for the boys again? I knew that Reina was number two for the girls.

“Yes, I have heard about this too! That is to be expected in a place where young boys and girls gather,” Ash said.

“They’ve really got nothing better to do.”

As I voiced my exasperation, Ash forced an affirmative yet uninterested smile. “Well, enough of the chitchat—we should get to work. We do not have that much time, after all,” Ash urged the noisy bunch to return back to work.

He was right. We planned on finishing before the medal ceremony.

While Ash and I tried to focus on carving the wood, the others started talking loudly among themselves.

“How come they’ve already withered this much at their age?”

“I don’t think they’re bad guys.”

“They’re not bad, but they’re strange.”

“Yeah, they really are. Too strange.”

For some reason, I heard an extra-long sigh coming from the direction of the prisoners.

“What are they doing?” I asked Ash.

“Who knows? They must have something on their minds as our seniors with more life experience. More importantly, here is a memo for the length of the wings.”

“Oh, let me see.” I checked the information in the notebook that he held out. “Wow, those are some detailed numbers.”

“I just copied them from a book I was looking through.”

“Really? What book?”

For a moment I thought that there may have been a book at the temple that I hadn’t read, but this wasn’t the case.

“It was in the book that you used to read. Towards the end of the Aircraft Encyclopedia.”

“Did that have this much detailed information? I thought I had read that back to front several times...”

“The letters were fading, so maybe they were hard to see.”

“...Could be.”

I wasn’t convinced. Putting other books aside, I was shocked that I would have overlooked information in a book about airplanes. I’ll ask Yae later if I can have another look at it.

“Anyway, I assume you want me to confirm whether those numbers are correct,” I said.

“Yes, they might be wrong, but since we do not have many other resources, could you use them as a reference? I will try something with a different length.”

“Leave it to me!”

That was what I said, but since I had no experience with woodwork, just carving was already hard work.

“Hmm... Don’t use too much strength. Like you would hold a girl’s hand,” I muttered to myself.

A girl... Like Yae? ...Or like Reina? I imagined taking the latter’s hand and somehow that did the trick.

After finishing the woodwork, I hurried towards the temple because I couldn’t take my mind off the information that Ash had mentioned. I didn’t have much time before the dormitory’s curfew hit.

Once I arrived, I got permission from a priest to look at the Aircraft Encyclopedia, but...

“As expected, I can’t find anything.”

There was no information regarding the angles of inclination or length ratio of the wings. I had thought that maybe it was written in symbols or letters that I didn’t understand, but I couldn’t find anything of that sort either.

“I guess maybe Ash got the books mixed up, then?” I muttered.

“What are you doing here so late? It’s almost curfew.”

“Oh, good evening.”

It was Yae who had approached me. After reflexively straightening myself, I realized that she had come at just the right time.

“Do you happen to know which airplane or aircraft-related book Ash was consulting earlier?” I asked her.

“Hm? Yes, it’s the one that you have there.”

“Did he look at any others?”

“Yes, there were several others. Why?”

I told her why I was there. It just didn’t make sense that Ash had found some information I had never seen.

“Ah, I see. Ash must have misremembered it. That happens a lot.” Yae smiled. “There have been several other instances where Ash said he found some information in a book, but when I checked it wasn’t there. Ultimately, there are several cases where I still haven’t found the source, but the information itself has never been wrong so far.”

“Really? Well, he’s very smart.”

Perhaps, his mind was different from ours. It felt like he had arranged all the information he remembered and compiled it into one large reference book inside his head. Just like the notebook that he always carried around. When I took a look at it, it seemed like a bundle of knowledge, neatly collecting all his research data. It must have contained the knowledge of dozens of books. No wonder his memories were a bit jumbled up.

“In that case, where could he have seen it? Are there any books that I haven’t read yet?”

“Hermes, I know that it’s tempting, but you should leave soon if you want to get back before curfew.”

At the same time that Yae said that with a strained smile, another figure entered the reading room. As soon as they noticed us, they walked straight towards us. Their voice rang as if it was striking hot iron. “I knew you were here!”

“O-Oh, Reina, what are you doing here?”

“That’s what I want to ask you! If we don’t leave now, we’ll violate the curfew!”

Reina grabbed my hand. Although she wasn’t really holding it, but rather clutching my wrist.

“Please excuse us, Yae. I will make up for it later. Could you do us the favor of putting the book back in its place?”

“Yes, no problem. Make sure to get back in time. And stay safe!”

“Thank you!”

Reina bowed hurriedly yet politely before she started walking. Since she had clutched my wrist, I had no choice but to follow suit.

“Let’s hurry back, Hermes.”

“I-I got it. I’ll go, so you don’t have to pull me!”

“No! I’ve learned from observing Maika and Ash how to deal with types like you!”

What does that mean?

“I can’t take my eyes off you and I can’t let go of your hand, either! Otherwise, you’ll get absorbed into something and wander off!”

I wanted to tell her that I wouldn’t do that, but she was walking so fast that it was hard to talk. Reluctantly, I let out a sigh and let myself get dragged along. See, I’m behaving myself! I’m not going anywhere!

“Good grief, I can’t believe you just suddenly disappeared on our way back and made a detour to the temple, even though it’s already this late.”

“I had no choice. Ash told me something that was bothering me.”

“See! When I took my eyes off you and let your hand go, that’s what happened!”

No, that’s different. How do I put it... It’s like...

I decided not to say anything in the end, since it appeared that I had already caused enough trouble for Reina. I was already used to getting lectured, and while Reina’s words were harsh, they weren’t cold.

“But, Reina...”

She glared at me as if to say, “What is it now?”, but there was something I wanted her to be aware of.

“If someone sees you pulling a boy’s hand, it’s going to make the rounds.” You’re the second most popular girl among the boys in our year, after all!

“Whatever! It’s near our curfew, so this is an emergency measure.”

I knew that, but I was talking about outsiders. And even for me, being this close to Reina almost made my heart stop. Her small hand was grabbing my wrist. In comparison, my hands were bulky and stiff from all the smithing. They were nowhere near as soft as hers.

Hm... Just like holding this hand...

I felt like I was going to be able to carve the wood smoothly tomorrow.

The model plane using a twisted animal tendon to power the propeller had started to come into shape. The legend that had had its wings folded for a long time was about to spread them again. Inside, I was running wild with excitement. And I wasn’t alone. Am and all the other craftsmen who had helped were in high spirits.

“Finally, it’s time.”

“It took quite long, did it not?”

“In terms of calendar days, it was in the blink of an eye, but it definitely took a lot of effort.”

We were sharing our impressions while standing around the small airplane on the desk inside the shack. No one could hold in their smiles or conceal the sparkling look on their faces. After all, it was so much fun to think about flying in the sky. That thought alone was all there was, but it was a tremendously pleasant one.

“It feels like something’s lacking.”

Suddenly, Belgo, the mediator of the craftsmen (they really were prisoners, but to me they were excellent fellow craftsmen), voiced his dissatisfaction.

Immediately, everyone noticed the reason for his comment and started feeling the same way. Including me.

Even though I had much fun until just a moment ago, now I was no longer enjoying myself. Belgo’s statement made me realize that this model airplane... didn’t have a single decoration.

“I’ve got nothing against a simple, beautiful design, but it feels like we could add a little touch to it.” Am, who had spent the most time on crafting this plane, was the one to light the fire.

“Yeah, that’s it!”

“It’s not bad, but we can come up with something better.”

“Isn’t it supposed to be something unique in this world? Then we should dress it up like it too!”

The fire that Am had started spread in an instant as if the flames had reached a desolate field covered in oil.

“What should we do? Put on some color?”

“We can’t really add any intricate handiwork, so a drawing would be nice.”

“Should be a bird. It’s flying in the sky, after all.”

“Looks more like a dragonfly to me.”

Everyone was exchanging their opinions with their neighbors and the people opposite them. Since all of them were craftsmen with strong opinions regarding their personal preferences, it quickly evolved into a heated discussion. As for me? I was in agreement with Am that a drawing would be best and kept my calm.

What did you say, Am? A swallow? Sure, they are fast, but falcons look much cooler. It should be a falcon. Let’s just go with a falcon. What? No way we’re going with a swallow! This is my plane, after all! Yes, you worked hard too, but a swallow is out of the question.

Before I knew it, the whole place was up in flames. In an attempt to be heard, everyone talked louder than the next person, happily shouting themselves into a rage with a bright red face. The whole bunch was out of control with no one here to contain us.

But we weren’t the only people hanging around this shack. Amid the tumult, the door opened. A small silhouette entered the room. They took a glance around the room, held their head, and let out a deep sigh. While covering their ears, they walked towards the stove, where they strongly banged a ladle against a clean and polished pot. And not just once. It must have been more than ten loud, consecutive blows that silenced the room.

After that, the small silhouette, Reina, glared at us with a commanding look before calmly speaking. “Everyone, be quiet!”

Her scolding, which had mixed in just a pinch of tenderness together with her anger, made each and every one of the tough-looking craftsmen embarrassingly exchange glances.

After that, everyone apologized in unison. “We’re sorry!”

It was a sight to behold, seeing these intimidating guys bow their heads to a young girl who, if I may say so, was also quite beautiful. Of course, I also apologized with everyone else. I was part of the problem.

“How come it turned so rowdy during the time that I went to report to my mother?”

Fortunately, we had escaped punishment by bowing our heads.

Feeling relieved, Belgo and I, who were essentially in charge, explained the uproar.

“Ah, I see. You’re right, it wouldn’t hurt to make it look a bit nicer,” she agreed.

So Reina was of the same opinion. How reasonable of her.

“I received the news from my mother that Lord Itsuki gave permission to Maika and Ash to showcase the plane at the medal ceremony. Given the occasion, it would be great for it to look great at the unveiling,” Reina added.

“Seriously?!” Yes! That’s great news.

Seeing this model airplane, everyone should realize that machines capable of flying in the sky were real. I was no longer going to let them get away with saying that humans couldn’t fly. On the contrary, I was going to make them say that one day humans were going to soar through the skies.

Imagining their reactions, I felt the heat rising up inside of me. Ever since I began riding on Ash’s current, this feeling had been a frequent occurrence.

As I inadvertently shouted out in joy, Am, Belgo, and everyone else joined in. The volume was probably even louder than the earlier uproar.

Covering her ears, Reina let it slide with a smile.

Sorry. I know you don’t like noise, but I just couldn’t hold it in.

After shouting for a while, we returned to the problem at hand. “So, what drawing should we choose?” Belgo broached the subject with an expression as if he was ready to fight.

The presentation of the model airplane during the medal ceremony was going to be a huge event that was sure to make history. Naturally, everyone wanted to have their name attached to it. The greedy bunch were glaring at each other. Of course, Belgo thought that his proposal was the best one. Just like I and everyone else did.

While distancing herself from the explosive situation, Reina gave us a warning. “Don’t get too noisy! And don’t resort to violence under any circumstances!”

I understood. I nodded before making sure via eye contact that everyone else was on the same page.

Reina was quite scary after an argument. Making her angry created a ripple effect that influenced our meals. For example, the other day during dinner at the dormitory, all the side dishes disappeared. For a moment, I didn’t understand what was happening. When I then complained about the incident to Belgo, he informed me that their food supplies had also been reduced. He clung to Ash in tears, but the latter rejected him saying, “That is your fault for upsetting Reina.” So, yes—we all knew how frightening she could be. Accordingly, we exchanged our strong opinions quietly and without any violence.

“I think a swallow would be nice.”

“Swallows are weak. Let’s make it a falcon.”

“Are you sure it can’t be a dragonfly?”

“A butterfly wouldn’t be bad as a design either.”

There was no end in sight. For a while we tried staring each other down with deadly looks, but we were unable to reach an agreement. No one was ready to compromise. It’s still my plane.

“Hey, Reina,” I called to her.

“Huh? Yes?”

She had been paying attention. Sitting on a chair and resting her chin in her hands, Reina looked surprised when her name was called.

“You’ve been listening, right? Which idea do you like best?”

“Me? Hmm... Let’s see...”

After tilting her head and thinking for a while, she walked towards the table where she had put her luggage. She took out one of several blueprints and rolled it out in front of everyone. It was the blueprint of an early prototype. She pointed at its wings.

“I think this looks good,” she simply said.

There was a single bird feather drawn on the wings. It seemed like metal with flames on its contours.

“What is it?”

“It’s the feather of a phoenix.”

A phoenix. I had heard a little bit about this old legend before. It was the name of a godlike bird that revived every time it died.

When I asked Reina if that was what she meant, she praised me with a smile on her face. “So you know about it. I only recently learned about it from Ash.”

The phoenix was a strange bird that came back to life inside the flames. No matter if it died of old age or if it was killed, when its corpse came in contact with fire, it rose again from the ashes. It was an immortal bird that kept reviving.

“Ash said, ‘The airplane crashed from the sky and turned into an old legend from the past. But we can resurrect it by gathering the fire of everyone’s dreams. And since this is the first step in reviving the legend, I drew a single feather from the legendary bird.’”

Apparently, Ash had drawn the feather on the wings as a little prank while he was teaching Reina how to sketch the blueprints.

“That’s not fair, Ash,” I involuntarily voiced my frustration.

Belgo and Am no longer had anything to add. There was no better symbol than this. And thus, the name of our airplane was decided.

“Phoenix Feather.”

For now, the flames of our dreams were still only able to resurrect a single feather, but this was our first step.

●　●　●

The award ceremony for those involved in the werewolf fight took place at the public square of Itsutsu city. It was a small festival. While there had only been a single demon, the fact that, excluding me, no casualties had occurred was worthy of celebration. It also had the additional purpose of revitalizing the economy of the city, which had stagnated after the news of demons roaming in the vicinity. In other words, the celebration of the heroes who defended the city was a sort of pretext to revitalize the city.

About fifty regional troops stood at the public square forming a line. Besides those who had fought the werewolf, there were also many soldiers that had been recruited as stooges to make the ceremony livelier. The students of the army academy had been placed slightly to the side of those soldiers. Since I was one of the people awarded with a medal, the rest of the students had been caught up in the whole spectacle. I truly felt sorry for them. If that was me, I would have pulled a wry face, cursing whoever put me in this situation. Please accept my deepest apologies. Fortunately, those who were busy or did not feel well were readily excused from attending. As such, Lord Arthur, Lady Reina, and Lady Maika did not stand in the line.

The ceremony itself was quite long. Atop the stage that had been built on the square for the occasion, Lord Itsuki was giving an account of the demon’s attack and the ensuing combat, while praising the soldiers’ response. I had assumed that the endless blabber of people in high positions was equally despised in any world, but it turned out that the crowd actually enjoyed it. Are you all really that starved for entertainment?

“Let us move on then to the awarding of the medals. Please step forwards when I call out your name.”

The medals were awarded in order of merits, starting with the white medal, followed by iron, then copper, and finally silver. Sir George, the gunner who had delivered the finishing blow with the ballista, and the commander in charge of the gate were all awarded the copper medal. Was it really okay for me to receive the silver medal, the highest honor of the day?

“And finally, Ash, student at the army academy!”

After I replied and started walking towards the stage, the crowd broke out into applause. Please stop, this is embarrassing.

I liked receiving praise, but I did not like standing out. As a farm boy from a remote village, I did not have any tolerance in that regard. Be that as it may, I could not just hide my face and run away. Going there with a cold and blank expression was not an option either—I would have felt bad for Lord Itsuki—so I climbed up the stage with a forced smile on my face. Luckily, Lord Itsuki seemed to interpret my behavior favorably.

“As expected, you keep your calm. You have strong nerves considering your age. I can see how you managed to take on the werewolf alone and survive.”

“I am honored by your words.” Hurry up and give me the medal so I can get off the stage already.

“I applaud your outstanding success and your noble will to defend this city in a hard-fought battle, even though you have not been officially appointed to any position yet. In the name of the Count of Sacula, I will hereby confer on you the first-class silver medal of battle bravery.”

“Thank you. I am humbled to receive this medal.” That’s enough, right? Can I be dismissed?

“It is unprecedented in the whole history of our kingdom that a twelve-year-old receives a silver medal. I cannot help but feel proud that this honor is bestowed upon a boy from our territory.”

He was still going on. Can you please move on already? You know we’ve got a presentation scheduled. I will never forget how you graciously and smilingly approved our proposal. So hurry up.

“Furthermore, through your activities at the army academy, you have proven yourself to have a deeply inquisitive mind. It is also worth noting that you have been more than willing to generously share your acquired knowledge with your classmates and friends.”

He conjured up a storm of high praise, but I could sense the remains of the turmoil from the agricultural development plan still lurking underneath the thin surface layer, making it all the more embarrassing. I’m sorry for causing you such trouble back then. And since I’m sure I’ll cause you even more in the future, I’ll send you a special telepathic apology in advance. Hopefully that’ll do the trick.

“The Count of Sacula cannot wait for you to come of age and appoint you to an official position. Hopefully you will be able to grace us with your talents in the future too.”

“I will do my best to live up to your expectations.”

Maybe my telepathic apology had worked. I shook his hand, which he had held out with a beaming smile. At the same time, Mrs. Rihn, who presided over the ceremony, prompted the audience to clap, so as to move on with the schedule.

Now that we had drawn closer together, Lord Itsuki whispered to me, “Is everything ready?”

“Yes! ...Probably.”

Lord Itsuki gave me a reproaching look and a wry smile. What did he expect? Since I was taking part in the ceremony, I could not have possibly known what those two waiting for their turn in the crowd were up to.

“I’m sure it’ll be alright,” I reassured him.

“Yes, we will manage.”

Following a final greeting, Lord Itsuki gave me permission to leave the stage.

Oh dear. Finally, there was one more thing left to do. And to us, that was going to be the real main event.

As I was walking off the platform, I suddenly stopped in my tracks to take a look at the square. The crowd that had been focused on me until just a few moments ago now closely watched the front row. There stood Hermes, who had been exempted from the ceremony due to his important task, with the rubber-band-powered paper plane in his hand. Or maybe it would have been more precise to call it a tendon-powered model plane, considering that we had used animal guts and tendons instead of rubber bands.

Either way, Hermes had already wound up the propeller as he waited for this historic revival.

“Fly, Phoenix!” he shouted.

Amidst the gazes of the large crowd, Hermes sent off the plane into the sky with a gentle push, as if he was a father pushing along his child.

Slowly, the propeller began to turn. Anyone who did not know about the concept of an airplane must have thought that the device was going to fall down again immediately. But that belief was crushed within three seconds.

The wings, which had been shaped through trial and error, seized the wind pulled in by the propeller. The little airplane ran straight across the sky over the public square. Always forward. It did not fall like a stone. It did not flow in the wind like the leaves of a tree either. And it also did not glide through the air like a boomerang helped by the force of the throw. The plane moved forward with its own power, flying like a bird.

Those who observed this spectacle and understood what was happening in front of their eyes let out a gasp. There were voices of surprise, admiration, delight, laughter, and excitement. But all of them only lasted mere seconds before falling silent again.

Most people had heard the word “airplane” by the time they were ten. When children saw birds, they would say that they wanted to fly too. They would ask why birds could fly but humans could not. Then, someone around them would usually explain that, long ago, there had been a machine called an “airplane” that people had used to fly. But it was only a fairy tale, a legend. Birds were able to fly because they were birds. But for humans, it was impossible.

Those were the workings of an animal that continuously dreamt but lived in reality. Even though history knew that humans could fly, humans themselves sank that history into a sea of lies. And even if someone pointed out that history to them, they just laugh it off as an optical illusion on the surface of that cold water, without even checking for the truth. Thus, the airplane, the machine that had soared through the skies, fell from the skies of history and turned into another fairy tale from the legends of the ancient civilization.

However, everything changed just a few seconds ago. People had seen an airplane fly from one end of the public square to the other with their own eyes. All kinds of citizens with common knowledge and a good sense saw it. Soldiers that had obtained a good education and followed the rules saw it. The cultured relatives of the count who were involved in the government saw it. Their eyes had just witnessed history. They had seen the legendary airplane fly through the sky.

I wondered how many letters, how many diaries, and how many reports would include the words, “I saw a machine fly in the sky” at sunset today. The legend had emerged from the sea of lies to once again fly high in the skies of history.

Lady Reina, who had been waiting on the other side of the square, gently caught Phoenix Feather, the model airplane that had traversed the short yet historic distance of 100 meters. Only seconds after its landing, everyone present voiced their amazement. Amongst the wild, enthusiastic shouts of joy, Lady Reina and Hermes ran towards me just as I stepped off the platform. They prompted me to explain to the crowd this surprise, this historic event approved by Lord Itsuki. Are you sure I should be doing this? I’ll gather all the attention. Shouldn’t it be Hermes, who has worked so hard towards this moment?

I looked at Hermes in the hopes that he would take my place, but he strongly pressed me to hurry up. Well, I guess I’ll have to do it.

I took a deep breath. “The machine you just witnessed is the outcome of our hard work at the army academy. We decided to present it to you here today. As you may have guessed already, it is a small-scale model of an airplane!”

Once again, the crowd burst out into cheers. There must have been some people who could not hear a word of what I said but still went with the flow.

“Compared to the ones of the ancient civilization, capable of carrying people, it is quite a small plane. We still lack a lot of technology that is necessary to build a passenger plane. However, this proves that it is not impossible for humans to fly! All things considered, I dare say it is quite a big plane!”

Next to me, Hermes looked overjoyed. He was at the brink of tears, filled with happiness and pride.

I then continued. “If a passenger plane is like a bird, then our plane right here is but a single feather. Still, a bird cannot fly without its feathers. And the person who first thought of making this single feather is my friend Hermes! Please give him a round of applause!”

As Lady Reina handed back the model airplane to Hermes, I raised his hand into the air. At that moment, the boy who had kept chasing his dream of flying through the skies was greeted with thunderous applause.

It felt like this was going to be a tale for the ages. I too became full of emotion. Emotional moments like these were what made life worthwhile. Man truly cannot live on bread alone.

Afterwards, the closing remarks of the ceremony had to be canceled, since the crowd had become too excited and fired up. I felt exhausted. I had planned for the exhibition to be a bit flashy in an attempt to facilitate the approval of the industrial improvement plan and get the necessary budget. However, things had gone too far and caused disorder, so I also felt responsible for that.

If I had to plead my case, I would have pointed out that Lord Itsuki had agreed to this performance, so it was not all on me. Lord Arthur and Mrs. Rihn had warned me, saying, “Maybe it’ll be better if you tone down the performance a little bit,” but it was not my fault alone. The responsibility lay with the person in charge who held all the decisive power. And that was not me.

Hermes’ Perspective

How disgraceful of me. That was how I felt while sniffling.

Recently, I had the embarrassing tendency to cry when it came to airplane-related stuff. I had even cried in front of people once. Even now, I felt like I was about to embarrass myself by breaking into tears at any moment if I let down my guard.

I found myself at Cinnamon’s Light, the home of Chef Yacoo. While we had talked about celebrating after the exhibition flight at the awards ceremony, I didn’t expect it to be at this place.

The restaurant was extremely popular in the city, as you could eat great food at reasonable prices, and it was accordingly difficult to get a reservation. Since today was the day of the awarding ceremony, a large crowd was to be expected. However, since the reveal of the model plane had aroused so much excitement, even more people had decided to gather here on the spur of the moment. At the back there always was an empty table reserved in case an important person decided to eat at the restaurant. Or something like that. But it appeared that that table was the one booked for us today.

“Are you sure we can sit here when it’s this busy?” I hesitated to sit down in those clearly special seats and asked Yae, who had booked the table.

“Of course. It just shows how big of an achievement your model plane is. Be proud of yourself and sit down!” Yae asserted herself with great confidence before she turned her beautiful face towards the noisy guests. “Isn’t that right, everyone?”

None of the guests hesitated to reply to her sudden question.

“Of course! Who’d complain about that!”

“I’m just happy I got to meet the young students who showed us something so incredible!”

“Can I buy you a drink? Or maybe a meal would be better considering your age.”

“That’s a good idea. Let me get you something too! It’s been a while since I was this excited!”

I was inundated with encouraging words and warm smiles. On top of that, food that had been ordered and passed on as a treat by other guests kept piling up on our table.

Yae, who appeared to be slightly taken aback by the overly positive response, once again smiled at me. “You see how much you’ve achieved? This is the outcome of your years-long efforts. You can be proud of yourself.”

I was on the verge of tears hearing Yae, who had supported me throughout the years, praising me and saying I should be proud of myself. She didn’t say anything when I hung my head in an attempt to contain the emotions welling up inside of me.

“I will be right back,” she said. “I’m going to let the staff know that Ash and the others will be late. Reina, I’m counting on you.”

Yae really was mature. I was glad that she was so considerate of me, but at the same time, it also meant that I had missed my chance to say thanks.

Reina took her place next to me. “I can’t believe there are this many people making merry.”

This restaurant was always bustling with people enjoying their delicious meals, but not this noisily. It was almost as if it was a different place today. I imagined that was what Reina wanted to say.

“I heard from my mother that Lord Itsuki is also very satisfied, or maybe excited would be a better word. Maybe he splurged and doubled the celebratory spirits for Ash, Belgo, and the others. Hehe, Ash won’t be able to carry it back all by himself.” Reina laughed out loud. “Everyone’s impressed. On the way here and even in the restaurant your plane is all the talk.” She spoke in a voice as clear as a perfect blue sky carrying a plane. “So you don’t have to hang your head. It doesn’t suit someone who did something as amazing as you just did. Be proud. You can even cry. There’s no shame in it.”

You see, that’s not the problem.

I was quite proud of myself. However, no matter how nicely I was treated or how happy I was, I just couldn’t bring myself to be upfront about my feelings. And I especially didn’t want one of the popular girls at the academy to see my ugly crying face.

“I guess it can’t be helped.” She sounded as if she understood what was going on in my mind and handed me a handkerchief. “This is the second time that I’ve lent you a handkerchief.”

Yeah, I haven’t forgotten. How could I forget about that time after my fight with Moldo and his gang, when Ash told me about his dream and promised to help me with mine? It was all thanks to you.

As the daughter of the dorm supervisor, Reina acted like a small supervisor herself. She got involved in quarrels all over the place, even at the risk of ending up in scary or unpleasant situations. As such, she had also ended up saving me. That was how it all started. It was because of her intervention that I got to speak to Ash, Maika, and Arthur.

That was why, after being handed the handkerchief, I was able to say what I hadn’t been able to say to Yae.

“Thanks.”

I wondered how often I was going to utter these words from here on out. I already knew it was going to be too much to count. I was no longer alone.