Ch.182Episode 10 – Turn Your Course to the North-Northwest

# Humanity’s Desire for Flight

Humanity’s desire for flight has deep historical roots.

The human desire and passion to soar through the vast blue skies can be glimpsed in the ancient Greek-Roman myth of Icarus and in Leonardo da Vinci’s drawings.

After the Wright brothers achieved the first successful flight, aviation technology developed dramatically through the world wars and soared thanks to the space race between the United States and the Soviet Union.

Perhaps humans have yearned for the sky and space for thousands of years because they were born to be free.

However, unlike the brilliant history of aerospace development in the global community, the aerospace industry in this region was in poor shape.

The sky and space were considered domains of gods, not humans.

Religions across different cultures interpreted the sky and space as realms governed by deities.

In other words, from a religious perspective, flight was essentially a direct challenge to divine authority. At least, that’s how religious people saw it.

The faith and beliefs of these religious figures transformed into obsession and madness, and for thousands of years, countless scientists, magicians, and engineers who dreamed of flight were persecuted.

As a result, until several decades ago, this region lacked decent aerospace technology. They hadn’t even properly built a decent fixed-wing or rotary-wing aircraft, let alone artificial satellites.

But what kind of creature is human?

Aren’t we the collective madness that deceives Thor to suck a drop of marrow, depicts Zeus having sex on fabric just to win a battle of wills, and even screams at the top of our lungs about destroying Olympus? Religious authority and violence couldn’t suppress human desire. It’s human nature to want to do exactly what we’re told not to do.

Thus, those aviation enthusiasts who wanted to fly through the sky at least once before being hanged began to twist their bodies in search of a method.

And they found one.

“…What are we riding in?”

“An airship.”

An airship.

The crystallization of aviation enthusiasts’ blood, sweat, tears, and desire.

## Episode 10 – Turn the Course to North by Northwest

After Camilla, Lucia, and Francesca “officially” entered Abas and joined me, we immediately prepared to depart for the Kiyen Empire. To be precise, we briefly went to the Magic Tower, came back, and just picked up the luggage we had packed in advance.

It was truly a ridiculous charade considering that just a month ago, these people and I had been vacationing in the southeastern resort, but as with all international events, appearances matter.

We pretended to gather in Abas to create a picture that would look good for each country’s foreign ministry to publicize. It was a pre-agreed arrangement, and we had even rehearsed it in advance.

And so, on the first day of our journey to the Empire.

The imperial government sent a special gift prepared for Camilla, Lucia, and Francesca.

“Wow…”

“Oh…”

Exclamations burst out as soon as we boarded the airship.

To speak honestly without the slightest exaggeration, this wasn’t an airship but a hotel. It was far more luxurious than the train I had used when returning to Abas from the Order before.

So it wasn’t strange that Camilla and Lucia were looking around like country folk who had just arrived in the big city.

Camilla and Lucia, their mouths agape without even realizing it, looked around the interior of the airship.

“Is this your first time on an airship, ladies?”

“Yes.”

Camilla answered while slowly examining the airship.

“I’ve been on many planes, but never an airship. I’ve seen many advertising ones flying around, though.”

“Same here. Planes… whatever those are.”

I chuckled while gathering my diplomatic pouch.

Flying was familiar to me since I’d done it countless times for education and overseas assignments, but it seemed to be a novelty for Camilla and Lucia.

Especially Lucia.

Not as much as in the past, but even now, many clergy still view the act of flying as a challenge to God and religion. Since Lucia was born and raised in the Order, there was a high possibility that she had never experienced flight at all. In this region, flying was an experience difficult to have in one’s lifetime unless you were a magician, soldier, prestigious noble, or wealthy person.

Therefore, in this situation, there were only two normal people.

One was me, who worried about jet lag as soon as I landed at Incheon Airport, and the other was Francesca, the magician.

She was standing comfortably, looking at the interior.

“This is a familiar airship. I suppose it was sent by the Imperial Household.”

“Oh, how did you know?”

The airship we boarded was a means of transportation provided by the imperial government, or more precisely, the Imperial Household.

It was a special measure prepared by the Imperial Household for Camilla after rumors spread that she had complained of vomiting and headaches after using the Magic Tower’s warp gate last time.

As far as I know, the proposal came in suddenly after the working-level negotiations had already been completed. Originally, they were planning to use a train or ship, but suddenly the imperial ambassador visited the Abas foreign minister and casually asked if they would be interested in using an airship that could be provided.

But how did she know about this?

I was briefly puzzled, but the question was soon answered.

Francesca, a high-ranking official of the Magic Tower Secretariat, answered with a smile.

“I rode one once when I was young. I thought this airship seemed familiar.”

“You’ve ridden this airship? Even though it’s imperial property?”

“The imperial relative is one of the founding fathers. They had a very close relationship.”

“Ah…”

She was saying that her ancestor was friends with the Empire’s Grand Magician. Thanks to that connection, she had even ridden an airship owned by the Imperial Household.

Although I already knew this fact, I pretended to be surprised. Showing that I knew about her family affairs would seem a bit perverse.

“We couldn’t ride it whenever we wanted, but if he graciously permitted it, we could use the airship.”

“As expected of a prestigious magical family.”

I had nothing particular to say about the descendants of the Grand Magicians who founded the Magic Tower and the Grand Magician himself being friendly with each other.

It was surprising that an imperial airship was used privately, but not if it was done by none other than the Empire’s Grand Magician.

That man was notorious for having a level of eccentricity that even the Emperor couldn’t handle.

I had never seen him personally, but he was famous for not even dreaming of imperial succession while engaging in all sorts of eccentric behaviors.

As I naturally nodded and expressed admiration, Francesca, who had been smiling, blurted out:

“Don’t flatter me so much. We’re not such a great family anymore.”

It was a strange statement.

Was she mocking her family for having fallen short of their ancestors’ fame, or was she being self-deprecating about having fled her declining family for the Magic Tower?

She looked out the window with a somewhat sad smile.

“Excuse me, Administrator?”

“Yes.”

“Why have you been staring at the window frame instead of outside the window?”

“…”

Francesca looked at me with a slightly dazed expression. Her usual confident demeanor was nowhere to be seen.

After a long silence, she began to stammer excuses. She seemed perplexed.

“I’m suddenly not feeling well.”

“Do magicians get motion sickness when they go up in the sky too? Someone might think you have acrophobia.”

“…”

“…?”

*

As befitting an airship made for the Emperor and the imperial family, the airship we boarded was closer to a luxury item than a practical means of transportation.

Should I say it was somewhat similar to a business jet?

It’s called an airship, but it’s essentially a flying hotel. Naturally, the interior facilities were the epitome of luxury.

The staff informed us that it would take some time to reach the Empire and guided us to our rooms. I looked around the room as I put down my luggage. I suddenly felt like I had been dropped into a luxurious noble’s villa.

Camilla must have had similar thoughts, as she spent a long time examining various parts of the room.

“This is no joke. It seems much better than the hotel we stayed in.”

“It’s for noble individuals. Of course, today it’s for you, Camilla.”

“Me?”

Camilla pointed at herself, asking if I was referring to her. I answered with a bright smile and a nod.

This airship was transportation provided by the Imperial Household. It was a service for Camilla, who had suffered after using the warp gate. For reference, the Empire proposed this first.

From what I heard, the imperial ambassador had casually suggested to the Abas Foreign Ministry, “Trains and ships take a long time, and ships in particular might cause uncomfortable situations due to seasickness, so how about using a relatively safe airship instead of the warp gate?”

He also mentioned that since she came from another world, it wouldn’t be bad to see the natural scenery and have the unique experience of going high up in the sky.

Of course, for Camilla, who used to fly across Europe, Asia, and Africa during school breaks, this wouldn’t be a particularly novel experience.

But by the standards of this region, where flight was not something easily accessible, this was the highest level of protocol.

“I’m envious. The Imperial Household even sends such a luxurious airship.”

“Haven’t you ridden an airship while living here?”

I tapped the airborne insignia attached to my formal uniform. The silver insignia rattled as it shook.

“I’ve ridden military airships a few times during airborne training.”

“What’s airborne training?”

“Training with parachutes. I did it before my commission. But I don’t want to do it again. It was the worst.”

The airborne training in this region couldn’t be described as good even as a courtesy.

The training content didn’t even come close to what was taught at special warfare schools, and the equipment was honestly quite poor.

Of course, I never received airborne training as an ROTC, but I learned separately after joining the Defense Intelligence Command.

I really didn’t want to do it then. But after repeatedly jumping from airships, the special forces training seemed angelic in comparison. I miss the Chinook and C-130. I even miss Misari.

“By the way, do you know why this region has airships instead of airplanes?”

“I understand it’s for religious reasons. Humans without wings flying through the sky is seen as an act against the natural order. However, airships are considered an exception, from what I know.”

“Isn’t it ridiculous? Airplanes are considered against the natural order and a challenge to divine authority, but they allow airships, saying it’s similar to floating a boat.”

Even as I say it, I can’t help but laugh at the absurdity. I wonder how Lucia in the next room would react if she heard this.

I chatted with Camilla while placing my bag on the bed.

“What are you doing now?”

“Ah, I have something to do quickly.”

After telling Camilla to watch quietly, I unlocked the bag and opened it.

Something that looked complicated and ominous at first glance was revealed. As Camilla approached from the side and peered in, I connected the cords and flipped the switch.

Blue lights flashing.

After confirming the rapidly blinking lights, I closed the bag and put it somewhere out of reach.

“Done. It’s finished.”

“What did you just do?”

Camilla asked with sparkling eyes, as if she had witnessed something fascinating.

“Oh, nothing special. Just blocked any eavesdropping.”

“Eavesdropping? The one I know about?”

“Yep.”

I swept my index finger across the room, and Camilla followed the gesture, examining every corner.

“When you go abroad and stay in places like hotels, there’s a high probability of being eavesdropped on. It’s partly to monitor what you’re doing there, but sometimes they use the material collected from bugs or cameras to blackmail intelligence officers. So when staying in such places, you should check for bugs.”

“Hmm. Interesting.”

Camilla, the aspiring spy, nodded with her hand on her chin. She looks quite satisfied.

Camilla began to carefully examine the room, looking inside light fixtures, picking up and putting down picture frames, crouching in front of a potted plant to play with the soil, and checking behind drawers.

After bustling around for a while, she suddenly stood in the center of the room, closed her eyes, and remained still.

“Hmm…”

“What are you doing?”

“Shh!”

As soon as I opened my mouth, Camilla put her finger to her lips, telling me to be quiet.

I watched her bizarre behavior and was at a loss for words.

“Don’t tell me you’re trying to listen for the sound of bugs operating?”

“That’s right.”

“…”

Camilla boldly spouted nonsense. For a moment, I thought she might be joking and carefully observed her reaction, but Camilla just blinked her bright blue eyes and stared at me.

What’s wrong with her, really.

I held my forehead and sighed deeply.

“When are you going to talk about it? Even in this region, bugs that create noise have been phased out for over 20 years.”

“Uh… really?”

“No one would use such outdated equipment even if it were free.”

Sometimes, Camilla had peculiar aspects. I’m not sure if I should call it naive or innocent. I sat in the room’s chair and explained eavesdropping and wiretapping for Camilla’s benefit.

“There are various types of bugs. They commonly use devices that transmit eavesdropped content in real-time, or ones that record content and transmit it all at once. Intelligence agencies typically use the latter.”

“Bugs that record conversations and then send them?”

“Yes. They collect and store surrounding voice or signal information, then automatically transmit it at a predetermined time. They’re usually designed to transmit data during the early morning or late night when there’s little human activity.”

With the advancement of communication and scientific technology, the difficulty of eavesdropping has significantly decreased.

During the Cold War, bugs that could transmit data in real-time or only record were used, but in the 21st century, bugs that can transmit data collected over several days in less than a minute are popular.

“That’s the kind of bug the Chinese Ministry of State Security got caught using in South Africa. Of course, this is just one example, so I can’t say all bugs operate in the same way.”

“I know that eavesdropping is classified into five types. Whether it’s simply overhearing conversations, listening to phone calls, or examining posts on the internet. And for phones, the method differs between wired and wireless, as I’ve learned.”

“You’ve studied well.”

“Have you ever been eavesdropped on?”

“Me?”

“Yes.”

It was a sudden question. I thought for a moment about when I had been eavesdropped on.

“Hmm… I can’t remember well because there were too many instances. It was also a long time ago. The first thing that comes to mind is when I went to China.”

“China?”

Camilla’s expression brightened at the mention of China. She had told me before that she had frequently visited Hong Kong with her parents.

“Hong Kong is a nice place.”

“It really was a great place. I had a lot of fun there. Have you been to Hong Kong? Where in China did you go?”

“I stayed in Hong Kong briefly, so I don’t remember much… I think it was Shanghai or Dalian. It was a city with a Chinese aircraft carrier, and it was chaotic from the first day.”

“Why? What happened?”

“I had just checked in and gone up to my room, and there were bugs in the hotel room.”

“…”

Camilla closed her mouth with a strange expression. She seemed uncomfortable receiving a serious answer to what was just a casual question.

“But nothing major happened. Countries like China or Russia always eavesdrop first if there’s even a slightly suspicious foreigner. I was already mentally prepared for it.”

“Mentally prepared?”

I nodded.

“Two days before departure, I suddenly got a call from the hotel saying they were upgrading my room. They asked if I wanted to move to a much better room than the one I had reserved. For reference, there had been a slight friction with the hotel over reservation issues, and they said they wouldn’t charge me as an apology.”

“Isn’t an upgrade good? Especially if it’s free.”

“It’s different if there are bugs installed. And cameras too. There were two in total, one in the trash can placed in the corner of the room and one in the television, and I still remember their exact locations. They were positioned to have a full view of the entire room.”

“So what happened?”

“What could happen? I just stayed for a few days and then changed hotels. Later, I heard from senior colleagues who had served for a long time that this was a method used by countries like China and Russia.”

If a hotel reservation for an intelligence officer on a business trip to China or Russia is suddenly upgraded, it’s almost certainly the work of an intelligence agency. They set up a room with bugs and cameras in advance with the “cooperation” of the hotel.

It’s a method that communist intelligence agencies have repeatedly used against foreigners visiting their countries since the Cold War era. For reference, the Soviet Union was the originator.

To be precise, it was originally used to put businessmen, politicians, or diplomats rather than spies in rooms, record them having sex, and use the footage for blackmail. Occasionally, inexperienced intelligence officers got caught and found themselves in trouble. It’s the honey trap.

I tapped my bag and smiled brightly.

“But today we have this, so there’s no problem. At least we won’t be eavesdropped on inside the airship.”

“Do you think there are bugs in the other rooms too?”

I don’t know if there are actually bugs or not.

But it’s best to stay safe.

“Nothing is more important than safety, Camilla. And this is just preparation for the worst-case scenario, so don’t worry too much.”

After reassuring Camilla, I organized the bag well and put it away safely. Now all the necessary preparations are complete.

“Camilla.”

“Yes.”

“Let’s talk about work now.”