After flying over Lake Tosmo for about 10 minutes, Jin's airship landed slowly in the center of the square.
Jin is relieved inside. It was because he had done it on the spur of the moment and it had gone as he had expected. In his pocket, there was the Magi Crystal that the old man had given him on the way out.
(He said it contained the magic of super lightening, but I am glad I didn't use it.)
The gravity magic was still in the process of being analyzed, but we had managed to reproduce only the weight reduction.
Even if the airship should crash, the weight would be reduced to almost zero by this magic, so that no one would be injured.
As soon as the airship landed, there was thunderous applause and cheers.
"Next time, it'll be me!"
No, you!
Me!
The arena was in chaos as people wanted to board Jin's airship.
"This is amazing!
Saki, who had just gotten off the plane, was a little taken aback.
It seems that flying is a dream of people.
"Quiet!
the announcer shouted, but the clamor did not quiet down. Then...
"Silence!
the voice of the empress echoed through the hall.
It was the voice of a crane. The venue went quiet as if it had been drowned.
"I understand your feelings. But you must maintain order.
The audience complained that there was only time for one more test drive, but the situation was somehow settled by saying that this would be discussed at a later time.
The participants were then chosen to test drive the car again. The emperor had named them. There was no other way to select the person who would not cause any dissatisfaction.
The queen chose an elderly nobleman. Jin had never met him.
But Saki seemed surprised for a moment, but quickly turned her face away and returned to the arena. Even if they knew each other, they did not seem to have a good impression of each other.
On the other hand, the nobleman seemed to want to say something to Saki, but Saki was running away from him, so he could not speak to her.
The nobleman had no hair on his head and was very tall. But he was very thin and his complexion was not so good. So he seemed to be light in weight.
"Please take care of him."
The nobleman bowed politely to Jin and slowly boarded the airship.
"Well, here we go."
Jin again raises the airship. The nobleman gazed silently at the ground until they gained altitude.
(awkward ......)
Jin wondered what to say. Surprisingly, however, the nobleman spoke to Jin.
"Well, Jin-dono," he said, "this is a very good vehicle. This is a very excellent vehicle, isn't it?
"Yes, thank you, it's called an airship.
I see. You've been calling it that for a while now. It is indeed a flying ship. < raided the kingdoms of Klein and Egeria, but this is nothing compared to it.
"Excuse me, are you in the military?"
His attitude toward Jin was reasonably soft, but the atmosphere he wore was somewhat mysterious, so I asked him.
"Well, you have not introduced yourself yet. I am the Marquis Gehlen Theodoric von Eisen. I am retired now, but I was a lieutenant general in the army.
"......!"
He was Saki's grandfather and the one who wanted Erza for his wife. But the atmosphere was quite different from what I had heard. He seemed serious and did not wield power.
"I'm sorry, but how fast can you go? Can you show me your maximum speed?"
"Yes, sir."
Jin brought the magic propulsion system to its maximum output. The airship starts to move forward through the wind. With the help of the weak tailwind, the airship achieved a considerable speed.
"Oh, that's fast! I guess we're going about 100 kilometers per hour.
There are few vehicles in the world that can reach 100 kilometers per hour. A horse can go about 70 kilometers per hour.
The Marquis, who should have been astonished, is still calm in his judgment. Perhaps the Empress has taken this into consideration in her selection.
"How far can you fly?"
"Well, I haven't tried it, but as long as there are no problems with the people on board, it should last forever.
Since food and water are a problem, I'd say 12 hours at 100 kilometers per hour, or 120 That's a lot of miles. That's a lot.
"Hmm, so how much weight can it carry?"
"Well, it can carry up to 6 people and weigh up to 500 kilograms.
"Hmm, that's a little short."
I wonder if he is thinking of military use.
A hot air balloon weighed at most 200 kilograms, but the Marquis didn't seem to know that much.
"The cost per unit is ...... no, that's another matter."
The Marquis told Jin that he had heard what he wanted to hear and wanted to enjoy the ride a little. Jin also decides to make a big turn over Lake Tosmo.
"......"
The Marquis, who had been silent for some time, spoke up again.
"...... are you and Saki close?"
"Huh?"
"Saki told you about me, didn't she? I am Saki's grandfather. It's only natural that I should be concerned about my beloved grandchild.
"Yes, yes."
The Marquis patted his hairless head and smiled self-deprecatingly.
"......So, it seems I don't have long to live, and I hope my grandchildren are happy," he said. ...... So, what do you think of Saki?"
"Well, I think Saki ...... is a good alchemist."
The marquis interrupts Jin with his hand.
"No, no, no, I'm not asking you that, I'm asking you what you think of me as a woman.
"As a woman ......?"
To be honest, ever since Jin came to this world, he has never had a frankly s*xual desire for a woman.
"She's a good friend, but ......
The Marquis sighed as he looked at Jin, who had mumbled as he was about to say it.
"Well, of course. ....... She's halfway there as a woman. ...... She's not s*xy, but she's not a manly woman either. I wanted to see my great-grandchildren while my eyes were still black.
Jin was curious about what the marquis had been saying, so he decided to ask him directly.
"Well, sir. Are you not feeling well?"
"Hmm? Yes, I am. I've lost nearly 80 kilograms in the past year. I've seen a healer, but he can't help me. I guess it's fate.
The Marquis smiles wanly. Jin noticed that the whites of his eyes had turned yellow and his palms were red.
"Excuse me, do you see any blood vessels on his belly or something?"
When Jin said this without any guesses, the Marquis changed color.
"What! How did you know that? I've never told anyone about this!"
In fact, Jin had once read about such a disease in a comic book about a black doctor. The condition had been given the sobriquet "Medusa's head.
"Cirrhosis of the liver ......".
Cirrhosis is a liver disease that can be caused by virus, alcohol, or drugs. Jin was suspected to have liver disease because he had jaundice symptoms.
"You know what this disease is?
The slightly excited Marquis asked Jin without losing his calmness on the surface.
"Yes, perhaps. Excuse me, but may I examine you with magic?"
"Yes? Can you do that? If you can, fine, have a look.
If you can do that, fine, see what you can do. Please excuse me. ...... Reiko, please.
Jin instructed Reiko, who was operating the magic propulsion system in the back of the boarding basket.
"Yes, sir. ...... there is still something wrong with your liver."
The Marquis' eyes lit up when he saw Reiko again.
"Ummm, what is she? She is not human, is she? Is she an automaton?
"Ah, yes..."
"He's adorable. Isn't it nice to have a child?"
The Marquis looks at Reiko with kind eyes.
(Indeed, he seems to like small children, but this is ......)
Jin had a feeling that the Marquis's proclivities were being transmitted in a distorted way.
"Saki used to be fond of me when she was little, but I must have disciplined her ...... too hard, because now she seems to hate me completely.
The marquis said this line in a whispered voice. He looked so lonely that Jin decided to ask him something he had been dying to hear.
"Your Excellency, do you know Elsa Randall?"
The Marquis's cheeks seemed to twitch for a moment at the mention of Elsa's name, but he returned to normal in the next instant.
"...... Elsa? I know her. She's a pretty girl. I wanted her for my wife, but time is running out for me.
(Is it true that he wants Elsa for his wife? ......)
A little, or rather a lot, Jin's opinion of the Marquis has dropped.
"Why did you take a young girl?"
Jin decided to ask boldly.
"Hmm? ...... Well, many things have happened. But more importantly, how is my body?"
The marquis asked Jin to tell him about the results of his examination.
"...... Your body, I don't know the cause, but the organ called liver is damaged."