When I was working as a civil servant, I was found out to be a muscle-brained knight by the princess knight and got sent to the front lines - Episode 196

Episode 196

About a week before a civil servant, acting as a messenger of peace, would descend from the sky into the heart of the battlefield in the Divina Papal State, 

Something unusual happened. The mad alchemist, Victor Alchemis, was wrapped up like a mummy. He was rolled onto the floor of the bridge of the Skybound Ark, Mandjet/Mesektet.

“So? If you have anything to say, I’m listening.”

“I am confident that it was the perfect dramatic start for our departure, ma’am.”

Victor replied confidently, his expression full of pride. Hearing this, Miriam lightly smacked him on the head, her face expressionless.

This incident occurred shortly after the 11th Legion, led by Jez, had departed from the royal capital Nevorista of the Kingdom of Tashman. Up until they reached cruising altitude, everything followed the usual launch sequence they had practiced. However, it seems that the alchemist got a bit too excited along the way and caused trouble.

Victor had partially unlocked the pseudo-divine artifact function of the ark, instantly breaking the sound barrier. With a noise like a thick wall being shattered, the Mandjet/Mesektet accelerated rapidly. This may have been the first time anyone in this world had broken the sound barrier.

Luckily, the crews of the Mandjet/Mesektet had all been seated according to the launch sequence procedures, so there were no injuries. The ship’s interior was well-secured, so no damage occurred either, thanks to their regular practice. But what happens when a 300-meter-long, 50-meter-tall giant structure exceeds the speed of sound? Naturally, it unleashes a massive shockwave around it.

Fortunately, the royal capital Nevorista is constantly protected by a guardian barrier that immediately responded. It softened the physical shock and reduced the impact to a mere strong gust of wind, avoiding any significant damage.

Afterward, the Mandjet/Mesektet gained considerable altitude, preventing any further damage to the ground below. In this regard, Victor had taken precautions, albeit sneakily. Even a mad alchemist like him wanted to avoid getting scolded and losing his precious toy.

As Victor increasingly pushed the boundaries of what was acceptable, Miriam’s anger only grew. But regardless, a few minutes after the ship broke the sound barrier, the crew was unable to leave their seats. They couldn’t even raise their voices due to the incredible speed. They collectively thought, “Someone, please stop that fool already.”

“…Huh? That’s strange?”

Victor, seemingly unaffected by the G-forces, muttered something ominous from the pilot’s seat. 

Moments later, the engine room suddenly exploded, and the ship was violently shaken. At the same time, the ship’s systems momentarily blacked out before switching to the backup systems. It caused the ship to decelerate sharply until it stabilized at a cruising speed of 200 km/h. Although the crew braced themselves for a potential crash, it appeared the ship was still operational.

As Jez and the others sweated nervously, Victor continued fiddling with the controls. He was oblivious to the chaos he had caused.

“…Hmm? I thought it was working perfectly. What went wrong?”

Muttering to himself, the fool of an alchemist was unaware that Miriam Stonewell stood behind him. Her anger was at its peak.

“…The problem is your brain.”

Miriam, standing imposingly with her arms crossed, was furious. She had been assigned to the Mandjet/Mesektet as a technical officer dispatched from the Academy. Although she had wanted to return to her research in the capital, the academy couldn’t just leave the over-technological marvel that was the Mandjet/Mesektet unattended. Given that very few people could deal with Victor, it was only natural that she was forced to accompany the 11th Legion.

And so, right at the start of the journey, Miriam found herself fulfilling her role.

・　・　・

After making a dramatic start from the capital, the Mandjet/Mesektet proceeded to head for the ancient capital of Paradis in the Divina Papal State as originally planned. The journey would take about a week. During this time, Victor was, of course, banned from piloting. However, since the engine room needed repairs, Victor was no longer involved anyway.

This engine room was a section that had been recently refurbished with the help of Lord Byron, who had visited the ship a few days earlier. Lord Byron first overhauled the standard magical engine, improving its energy efficiency. He then reduced the engine’s vibrations, and enhanced its quietness. This resulted in a significant improvement in the overall ride quality. Even Victor himself acknowledged Lord Byron’s expertise. Though Victor appeared displeased, he observed the process with great interest.

The real issue lay with the other system. In truth, this ship wasn’t entirely constructed from scratch by Victor Alchemis. It was a pseudo-divine artifact, created by combining several ancient relics that had already existed. As a result, some of the ship’s functions either didn’t activate as intended or could only be used in a limited capacity, despite the ship’s impressive expected specifications.

Even just keeping this massive ship afloat was an achievement. But according to the catalog specs that Victor envisioned, the ship was supposed to be much more formidable. One of these functionalities was the main engine switch, which Victor and Byron had tested extensively to ensure it could be activated reliably. The result of these efforts was the breaking of the sound barrier, followed by the subsequent malfunction.

However, optimizing and verifying these functions could only be done by putting them into actual use. Thus, the current situation, where the 11th Legion was heading toward the Divina Papal State, had become a veritable paradise of experimentation for Victor Alchemis.