Isekai Nonbiri Nouka-Chapter 931: Apri and the Others’ Means of Travel

I spoke with Apri and the others.

Well, more like I asked him some questions.

-0-

Are there other members of the Kissinley family?

「It’s just me, May, and our daughter. Ah, no, excuse me. Only the three of us desu.」

You can speak the way you usually do. No need to be formal.

「That wouldn’t be appropriate. I’ve been quite rude in various ways.」

No, no, it’s fine.

「The rest scattered when the rebellion broke out, so we don’t know what became of them. As far as I know, there were no reports of anyone being clearly captured or executed.」

I see.

I hope they’re safe.

「Yes.」

Ah, by the way, what’s your daughter’s name?

「Karen desu. She’s very capable.」

You said you’re a married couple, but can artificial lifeforms have children?

「Organic types are capable of giving birth. However, our relationship is just a setting.」

A setting, huh?

「When it comes to governance, we were criticized for being single and not understanding the feelings of married people. But I do genuinely care for my wife and daughter. I’m glad that May is my wife and Karen is our daughter.」

About May though… she doesn’t talk much.

Is she shy?

「That’s, uh… due to a lack of proper adjustment in her organic systems. I mentioned we’d hand over our maintenance tank to the Fogumas, but that tank is in pretty bad condition.」

I see.

「Foguma’s organic units are all in excellent condition. They must have access to a properly functioning maintenance tank. If possible, I’d like to borrow it… but they have deep grudge against us.」

I’ll put in a word, but we’ll have to wait for the right moment.

「I’d appreciate that.」

Also… oh yeah, Bell was wondering how you traveled.

How did you get from the village?

「Ah, we used an airship.」

……

An airship?

「Yes, it’s a flying vessel, so to speak. A large sack…..called a gasbag….is filled with a gas lighter than air, allowing it to float. Then it moves using small propulsion. It’s not particularly fast, but it can move regardless of terrain.」

Oooooh!

An actual airship!

You took that all the way to the royal capital?

Is it nearby?

「N-no, we had some trouble on the way and had to make an emergency landing. The problem was due to lack of maintenance. It was an old airship we had kept hidden and unused for a long time. Fortunately, we landed close enough to Village Five that it was only about a day’s distance away.」

So from Village Five, you used the teleportation gate to reach the capital.

「If not for the congestion at the gate, we could’ve made it in time before the auction started…」

S-sorry about that.

「Ehto, why is the village chief apologizing?」

That place is my village too.

「……」

Even in Village Five, they’re taking the congestion seriously and considering countermeasures.

Yeah.

-0-

The Airship

We had once planned to build an airship together with the mountain elves as a means of transportation between the Big Tree Village and Village Four, but the project was halted when the universal ship was completed.

There was no longer any need to force its construction.

And that made sense.

In terms of performance, the universal ship was superior.

I understand that.

I really do understand, but… airships are still amazing.

Not that I’ve ever ridden one.

I went to see the airship right away.

It was hidden in a location about a day’s walk east of Village Five.

Though hidden, its large size made it easy to spot from the air.

Ooooooooh, an airship!

Amazing!

The structure resembled a sail ship, but instead of sails, it had a long, narrow shape with giant balloons inside…..what were they called again?

Ah, gasbags. It had been redesigned with gasbags.

There were three of them.

On either side of the large main gasbag were smaller sub gasbags.

The sub gasbag on the left was completely deflated, and the main one looked like it had lost some of its gas as well.

They mentioned having trouble due to poor maintenance….maybe gas leaked from the gasbags?

Only the sub gasbag on the right seemed intact.

The power unit connected to the propeller had apparently caught fire during the emergency landing.

Sure enough, there were scorch marks.

It would be dangerous to try activating it here.

In other words, it couldn’t fly on its own anymore.

But that’s okay.

Hakuren is here.

「Should I carry this back?」

Yes.

Please do.

Can you take it to the racetrack in Big Tree Village?

「Leave it to me.」

In her dragon form, Hakuren lifted the airship and hovered into the air.

The way she looked… how do I describe it? Like a dragon hugging a body pillow?

Adorable.

Fufufu.

-0-

This airship that Apri and the others had used….

I received it.

Is that really okay?

Apparently, it is.

As things stand, Apri and the others can’t bring the airship back to the village, and they aren’t able to repair it either.

They said they had no choice but to abandon it.

So, as a reward for retrieving their daughter’s memory core, they gave it to me.

I didn’t take it by force.

I explained everything properly, including the possibility that we might be able to repair it here.

Even so, they said I could have it, so I accepted.

…Well, I do think it’s a bit much to receive in return, so I’ll probably end up helping support Apri and his family in the future.

If the noble’s son who stole their daughter’s memory core had just explained the situation properly and talked it out with Apri and the others, maybe they would’ve handed the airship over peacefully.

Ah, then again, I guess no one would expect something like this to be hidden in an ordinary village.

-0-

When I returned to the Big Tree Village, the Universal Ship was sulking.

It was lying on its side, clearly sulking.

I expected this.

So it’s okay.

I’ve already thought this through.

Listen closely, Universal Ship.

That airship… is your little sister!

At my words, the Universal Ship reacted as if struck by lightning.

Ah, Hakuren, you don’t need to actually summon lightning for dramatic effect.

Seriously, let’s not…..it’s dangerous.

-0-

The Universal Ship’s mood improved, but now it’s putting pressure on us to hurry up and fix the airship.

Well, since it’s helping with the repairs like a heavy machine, things have gotten a lot easier.

The overall repair supervisor isn’t me….it’s Bell from Village Four.

She apparently has some knowledge about airships.

At first, she was hesitant to repair something that once belonged to the Kissinley family, but after seeing the actual airship, her opinion changed.

The original owner of this airship seems to have been royalty.

「They removed the emblem and decorations, so they were probably sold off. Ugh… how tragic. I’ll definitely restore it. 」

With the now-determined Bell at the center, Loo, Tier, the High Elves, Mountain Elves, and the Angels are all working together on the repairs.

I’m also helping out where I can.

Because I want to see that airship fly.

Oh, and since it’s summer and hot out, be mindful of how long you’re working.

Anyone doing outdoor work, make sure to wear a hat.

And don’t forget to stay hydrated.

The ice monsters placed big blocks of ice throughout the worksite.

Thanks.

-0-

The mountain elves were dismantling the damaged engine section.

You sure that’s okay?

Can you put it back together?

Are you keeping records?

As long as you are…

But don’t just force it apart.

「Village Chief」

What is it?

「Would it be possible to make wooden replicas of these parts?」

I don’t mind, but do you really need them?

「We want to use them for research. There are many structural concepts here we’ve never seen before. Fufufu.」

Glad to see you’re enjoying yourself.

「Once we finish repairing this airship, we want to try building one from scratch.」

Sounds good.

I’m looking forward to it.