episode_0158

That said, I wasn’t too worried about Alice and Charlotte’s way of thinking. Or Leona Claire’s.

Are they the main character and heroine for nothing?

It’s not a picaresque, so most of the main characters and heroines have righteous personalities. After learning the truth about imperialism, they are shocked and change their minds. Well, in the original work, it was described as ‘because they originally had righteous personalities’ rather than ‘because they changed their minds’, but that’s because the story I heard on the airship never appeared in the main story.

“Wow, it’s really hot… … No, but rather, this isn’t just the seasons being reversed.”

Alice got off the airship and said in fear.

It was a day with temperatures approaching 30 degrees, so it was understandable to feel that way. Even in the middle of summer, temperatures in Rondarium rarely reach that level.

“Don’t worry too much. At night, the temperature drops so much that it’s hard to endure without a coat.”

“The weather is so extreme… … .”

“Still, there are a lot more people living here than on the mainland, so it may actually be a much better climate to live in than where we live.”

“… … A place with a desert almost the size of a country?”

Jake shrugged his shoulders in response to Alice’s rebuttal.

It’s probably half joking, half serious, because Jake has lived here since he was a kid.

I have feelings of fondness for my hometown, but on the other hand, I also feel a sense of guilt that it is a city built by exploiting the people who originally lived there. I understand wanting to say as positive things about it as possible.

“Okay, okay, everyone, pay attention! Everyone, line up with your classmates!”

Jennifer, the teacher with the loudest voice, clapped her hands to get the students’ attention.

In this way, not only the commoners who had difficulty coming out far away, but also the children of noble families were quite excited and gathered here and there, talking. As if to raise Lindburgh’s status, the airport built with Lindburgh’s money had walls made entirely of glass. It reminded me of the Crystal Palace that once existed in London.

It would be normal for the inside of a glass building built under such scorching sunlight to be as hot as a steamer, but the temperature wasn’t that unbearable because the hot air was forcibly exhausted outside by a device similar to an air conditioner. The top was also made entirely of glass, but there were also curtains installed here and there to create shade.

To my eyes, this building looks incredibly old-fashioned, but considering it was built in 1901, it was a perfectly modern building. It was like that even though it was built several years ago.

And the neatly organized streets visible outside the building were also exotic streets that were hard to find in other parts of the country. Palm trees planted as street trees, steam cars moving around the streets, and intricately designed equipment that were clearly operated by steam engines.

This city, built from scratch, can truly be called a testing ground for cutting-edge technology.

For reference, the airship airport was also the largest in the world.

“Okay, okay.”

As the students who heard Jennifer’s words began to line up, Jennifer nodded and said.

“The place we will be staying is the Lindburgh Hotel. It is the largest and most modern hotel in the area, as it bears the name of the family that rules this territory.”

After hearing that story, several students turned their gazes to Jake. Jake only had a faint smile on his lips and didn’t show any particular reaction.

“The means of getting there is the same. We will take a ‘bus’. Follow the instructions there. Even if you do that, there won’t be any major problems, but there will be many things that are unfamiliar to the system, and if you are someone who doesn’t know anything, there is a good chance that an accident will happen. ”

There are crossings in the island, but the carriages that run around there don’t travel very fast. Some steam cars also travel extremely slowly because of the red flag ordinance that says, “You must not startle the horse.” Even so, if they collide, a major accident can occur, but they won’t be as fast as the cars that run around here.

… … But, somehow, when I hear you say it like that, it’s kind of funny because it feels like you’re saying, ‘Ah, this is a car.’

“Since this is a very unfamiliar place to most of you, you must not act individually. If you want to go somewhere, you must go in a group of three or more. If you don’t have anyone to go with, ask the teachers, including me.”

Jennifer looked around at us and said,

“Does anyone have questions?”

I thought no one would raise their hand, but surprisingly, one person did.

It was Jake.

“You.”

When Jennifer pointed to Jake, Jake opened the sign-up.

“This is my hometown, but where should I go, who should I go with?”

There was a small laughter all around.

Jennifer said with a smile on her face, matching the tone of her voice.

“Yes, there are no exceptions. If I let you go, there will definitely be some idiot who says, ‘I’m used to it, so I’ll go alone’ and gets hurt. And, you won’t be ‘alone’ no matter where you go, right? The girls will follow you around, right? ”

There was a slightly louder laughter around.

“Okay, so does anyone have any other questions? No? Okay, let’s head to the hotel. Don’t worry too much, I’ll take care of moving your luggage to your rooms.”

*

Most of the surrounding buildings, including the hotel, reminded me of dramas or movies set in 20th century New York. No, judging by the palm trees lining the streets, it seems closer to Miami than New York. I’ve never been to either place myself.

But the hotel itself looks very similar to the Empire State Building, so let’s think of it as a half-and-half mix.

“… … .”

Charlotte’s expression as she watched the departing bus was a little complicated.

That’s understandable. It’s because Belbourg has not yet achieved complete industrialization or modernization. There are far more carriages than cars, and soldiers are gradually being issued with modern firearms.

In the case of the system, it is not that it ‘cannot’ be modernized, but rather that it ‘does not’. Whether it is vested rights or a union, in any case, the coachmen who pull carriages and saddle makers have to make ends meet, so some modern devices were restricted by regulations such as the red flag ordinance.

So, there were many things lacking in this city to really feel the ‘modernization’, but this place is completely different.

The streets are not full of cars, but that doesn’t mean you see any horse-drawn carriages. The wealthy commoners and nobles drive their own cars, and the workers travel around on city buses. Sometimes, you can also see things like motorcycles.

The atmosphere of a modern city that you will never find anywhere else but the Empire.

This was the perfect reason to promote the power of the empire to students.

“That’s amazing… … .”

The reason Sophia was able to express such honest feelings was probably because there was no reason for Sophia to develop the law.

As Charlotte is the one who will inherit the throne, she will probably be much more complicated than others.

“This city is special, most of the country is not like this. It still has a long way to go to fix it.”

Alice tried to comfort Charlotte by reading her mood, but

“Lutetia isn’t that far away.”

As soon as Charlotte answered like that, he became dumbfounded.

I thought I’d say something on Alice’s behalf. Lutetia is a very beautiful street. It’s so beautiful that you can brag about it to others even without modernization.

“If such a means of transportation were applied to the military, how many troops and how fast would they be able to transport at once?”

“… … .”

No, if you put it that way, I have nothing to say.

Well, even if the street is beautiful, if it can’t stop the enemy, it will just be taken away.

“Don’t worry too much.”

Jake suddenly interrupted us and said.

“That one was just brought in this year. Even though it looks like that, it was made in such a hurry that it has a lot of minor defects. I think it’s still not good enough for military use.”

Of course, even if you say that, it won’t be a big problem for the Imperial Army, which already operates tanks and such.

“Is that so?”

But Charlotte didn’t bother to refute Jake’s words. There was no end to the story if she kept talking like that.

“Rather than that, let’s go to a hotel. Isn’t it hot for everyone?”

……hmm.

I know Jake doesn’t think very highly of his family, but…

What should I say, I have a feeling that he doesn’t really like praising his own family.

Is there perhaps something I didn’t see in the original?

With that thought in mind, I followed him into the lobby of the hotel, which was very tastefully decorated—by our standards, modern.