Then, at noon, they discussed the details of the retreat in the village of Kaina.

Jin thought that since it was his territory, he could take things as they came, but his lady-in-waiting, Flora, was not convinced.

"So you want me to come here the day after tomorrow at eight o'clock in the morning?

Emperor Taisho said as if to confirm. His face was full of anticipation, like a schoolboy on a field trip.

"Yes. < to the village of Kaina.

At this point Flora said, as if she was not ready to give up.

"Your Majesty, can't we get a few more people to accompany us?　Sir Jin Nido has said he would be willing to do so.

"That's not necessary. You're here, and above all, this is Jin's territory.　It might be safer than in the palace.

If you mean from outside enemies, then that is definitely true. Jin has done a lot of work on the safety of Kaina Village, making it as ...... safe as a fortress, if not safer.

However, you might trip on a stone, drown while swimming in the Erme River, or get scratched ...... while picking wilee (strawberries).

"...... understand, yes, sir."

Reluctantly, Flora nodded.

"Oh, I'm looking forward to it!"

Emperor Taigami, on the other hand, was excited.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The morning of July 3rd arrived without incident.

Jin-kun, they are here.

At 7:50 a.m., Emperor Taishang arrived at Jin's residence.

"Am I a little early?"

"No, it's fine."

In this era, the time for daily life was determined by a sundial and a water clock, so it would have been impossible to keep a minute-by-minute schedule, except for the Jin family, who had a pocket watch.

And since Jin himself is always a little ahead of the time table, he had no problem at all with Emperor Taishang's visit.

"Is your luggage in the carriage?"

"Yes, they are."

Jin then instructed Topaz 102 and Aqua 102 to bring out the luggage for the trip.

The luggage was the equivalent of four large suitcases in modern Japanese terms.

Flora, the attendant, carried out her own baggage by herself. This baggage was equivalent to one suitcase.

First Jin showed them to the reception room, where Peridot 102 made them a cup of tea.

While they drank the tea, their luggage was brought into .

Please come this way, sir.

After finishing the tea, Jin led Emperor Taigami and Flora to the rooftop.

The rooftop of the residence is the aircraft parking lot, where the <> is moored.

As a side note, when Jin is officially staying in Leuthart, <> is moored on the roof of the residence, so it is easy to know that he is at home if one sees it.

In other words, when he arrives by <>, it is a top-secret stay.

Erza, Yu, and Mio were already on the roof, bowing respectfully to the Emperor Taisho.

"We have been waiting for you, Your Majesty.

Thank you. You don't have to be so shy. ......Yes, you can be a little more frank during this trip."

Forgetting one's status is easier said than done.

Differences in position do not disappear.

Therefore, the Emperor Taesang, who knew this, said, "Let's not use formal honorifics like we do in the palace.

I understand. Thank you very much."

Jin decided that it would be better if he treated the guests in the same manner as he would treat his elders.

On the rooftop, <> shines in the morning sun.

"<> is always wonderful to see, isn't it?"

The Shoro Empire and other nations also had balloons and airships, but Jin's aircraft, the , was in a class of its own.

"Well, please get in."

Jin stepped onto the ramp and extended his hand to Emperor Taishang.

It was a courtesy that Elsa had taught him to show to his personal guest and superior.

"Yes, thank you."

The Grand Emperor smiled, took Jin's hand, and led him up the ramp.

The ramp was a gentle slope of about 10 steps, and soon they were in the cabin.

Flora, his escort, got on board with only her baggage right after Emperor Taigami.

Reiko, Chloe, and Mio, who were being escorted by Erza, got on board. That's all of them.

However.

"This time, the pilot is Edgar. It is an automaton of my own design.

The pilot was the first one to get on board, and he left <> on standby. Elsa introduced Edgar again.

"Ah, I have seen you before. Edgar, nice to meet you.

"I'm honored, Your Majesty. You can count on me."

Edgar stood and bowed, then returned to the cockpit.

<, Butler D was untying the mooring lines.

We are now ready to depart. Please take your seats and fasten your seatbelts.

Edgar asks the passengers to fasten their seatbelts for safety.

Reiko checks around to make sure.

"OK, Mr. Edgar.

"Thank you, Reiko. Let's go!

floats up.

It rises rapidly, looking down on Butler D and the five colored golem maids bowing to it on the rooftop.

As it breaks through the clouds, takes an easterly course.

"Oh, I can see the clouds below!"

The aircraft leveled off, and Emperor Taigami, who had unbuckled his seatbelt, looked down through the floor window of <> and exclaimed.

"That's a great altitude. ......"

Flora also seemed to be enjoying the experience of flying. She then asked me a question.

"The one you took me on before had a top speed of 200 km/h. What about this one?"

I couldn't say that it was Mach 5, so I didn't remember whether or not the ostensible top speed of <> as an airship had been publicly announced or not.

So,

"400 kilometers per hour.

I answered "400 km/h".

The distance between Leuthart and the village of Kaina is a little less than 800 km, so I set the speed at which I could fly through the village in two hours.

"That's twice the speed of the Conlon 2, isn't it amazing?

Emperor Taisho, who was listening at the side, sighed.

"By the way, are you using <>?"

Jin asked about the airship he had presented a while ago.

It is about half the length of the <> and has a catamaran air sac. The pilot is <.

"Yes, of course. But right now it's on loan to my nephew ......, His Majesty the Emperor."

According to the Grand Emperor, His Majesty the new emperor Weissberg Ernst von Shawlo has been traveling around the country in his spare time since his accession to the throne.

"That's why I lent him the Empress, who is very fast."

"Oh, really?"

"She ...... is the new emperor who wants to see how the people live and how he can help them in their future government."

As an aunt and as the Grand Emperor, she couldn't leave him alone.

He was a kind and gentle Emperor Taesang.