---

The desire of humanity to fly runs deep in history.

The aspiration and passion of humans to soar through the vast blue sky can be glimpsed in the myths of ancient Greece and Rome, such as that of Icarus, as well as in the artwork of Leonardo da Vinci.

After the Wright brothers successfully achieved the first flight, aviation technology dramatically advanced, particularly during the world wars, and skyrocketed thanks to the space race between the United States and the Soviet Union.

The reason for humanity’s longing for the sky and outer space for thousands of years—despite having no wings—might be that humans were born to be free.

However, unlike the splendid history of aerospace development seen around the world, the state of the aerospace industry around here was far from impressive.

The sky and space were considered realms belonging to the gods, not humans.

Religions across different cultures interpreted the sky and space as domains governed by deities.

In other words, from a religious perspective, flying was akin to directly challenging the authority of the gods—at least in the eyes of the religious folks.

The faith and beliefs of these religious zealots morphed into obsession and madness, and for thousands of years, countless scientists, magicians, and technicians dreaming of flight faced oppression.

Thanks to this, up until a few decades ago, there was no proper aerospace technology in this part of the world. They hadn’t even managed to build decent fixed-wing aircraft or rotary-wing aircraft, let alone satellites.

But what kind of creatures are humans?

They deceived Thor for a taste of marrow, captured the moments when Zeus was slapping to win a power struggle, and even screamed they would bring about destruction on Olympus. They were the very essence of madness. The authority and violence of religion could not suppress human desire. It’s quite normal for people to want to do things they are told not to.

Thus, those who wished to soar through the sky before being hanged began to twist and turn, seeking a method to do so.

And they found it.

“…What are we riding on?”

“A airship.”

An airship.

The crystallization of the desires of those dreamers filled with blood, sweat, and tears.

—

Episode 10 – Adjust Your Course to Northwest

—

After Camila, Lucia, and Francesca ‘officially’ entered Abas and joined me, we quickly prepared to depart for the Kien Empire. More precisely, we were headed to the Magic Tower for a moment before hopping back to pick up our pre-packed luggage.

It was quite funny to think that just a month ago, I had been playing around with these people at a southeastern resort, but as with every international event, it’s important how it looks to the outside world.

We pretended to gather in Abas to create a favorable image for each country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It had been pre-agreed upon, and we had even conducted a rehearsal ahead of time.

And so, on the first day heading to the Empire.

The imperial government sent specially prepared gifts for Camila, Lucia, and Francesca.

“Wow…”

“Oh….”

As soon as we boarded the airship, gasps of astonishment escaped our lips.

To put it honestly, without any exaggeration, this was not an airship; it was a hotel. It was far more luxurious than the train I used to return to Abas from the cult.

Thus, it wasn’t strange that Camila and Lucia looked as if they were country folk who had just arrived in a metropolis.

Camila and Lucia were so absorbed in their surroundings that they didn’t even realize their mouths were agape while they explored the interior of the airship.

“Is this your first time on an airship?”

“Yes.”

Camila replied slowly while taking in the sights of the airship.

“I’ve been on planes many times, but I’ve never been on an airship. I’ve seen them advertised, though.”

“I’m the same. I don’t even know what a plane is.”

I chuckled softly as I grabbed the diplomatic pouch. I was used to flying due to numerous educational trips or overseas assignments, but for Camila and Lucia, it seemed like quite a novel experience.

Especially for Lucia.

Although not quite as strict as in the past, there were still many priests who viewed the act of flying as a challenge to the gods and religion. Given that Lucia grew up in the cult, it was highly likely she had never been exposed to flying at all. After all, around here, flying was a rare experience reserved for wizards, soldiers, reputable nobles, or the wealthy.

Thus, in these circumstances, only two people were completely normal.

One was me, who immediately began worrying about jet lag after landing at Incheon Airport, and the other was Francesca, the magician.

She relaxedly stood, taking in the decor.

“This feels like a familiar airship. It must be from the imperial family.”

“Oh, how did you know?”

The airship we boarded was a means of transportation sent by the imperial government—specifically from the imperial family.

After the incident where Camila used the Magic Tower’s Warp Gate and suffered from nausea and headaches, the imperial family specifically prepared this solution for her.

As far as I knew, this proposal came quite suddenly after the practical negotiations had been concluded. Originally, they had intended to use trains or ships, but suddenly, the imperial ambassador discreetly asked the Abas Minister of Foreign Affairs if they would consider using an airship instead.

But how did she know that?

For a moment, I was puzzled, but the question was soon answered.

Francesca, a high-ranking official from the Magic Tower Secretariat, smiled as she responded.

“I rode one when I was young. That’s why it felt familiar.”

“You’ve been on this airship? It belongs to the imperial family?”

“The members of the imperial family are among the founding fathers, so we had a close relationship.”

“Ah….”

She was implying that her ancestors were friends with the Empire’s archmage. Thanks to that connection, she had ridden an airship owned by the imperial family.

Although I was already aware of this fact, I pretended to be surprised. Showing that I knew about her family would be a bit strange.

“It wasn’t something I could ride whenever I wanted, but if that person kindly allowed it, I could use the airship.”

“Truly befitting of a family of magicians.”

I had nothing to say since a descendant of the archmages who built the Magic Tower was hanging out with the archmage himself.

While it was surprising to privately use an imperial family’s airship, it wasn’t shocking if it was the Empire’s archmage doing so.

That individual was infamous for being a human with a quirky nature that even the emperor couldn’t handle.

Though I had never seen him in person, he was known for causing all sorts of antics while never dreaming of claiming the throne.

Naturally, as I was being captivated by this information, Francesca, who had been smiling, suddenly spoke with a hint of casualness.

“Please don’t elevate me too much. My family isn’t that grand anymore.”

It was a peculiar statement.

Was she mocking the pitiful state of a family that had fallen short of its ancestors’ reputation, or was she being self-deprecating about herself, having fled from the declining family to escape to the Magic Tower?

She gazed out the window with a somewhat sorrowful smile.

“…Excuse me, Administrator?”

“Yes?”

“Why have you been staring at the window frame instead of out the window for a while now?”

“…….”

Francesca looked at me with a slightly dazed expression. The usually confident demeanor was nowhere to be found.

She remained silent for a moment, then started to stammer out an excuse. She seemed quite flustered.

“I suddenly started feeling unwell.”

“Do magicians get seasick when they go up into the sky? Anyone would think you have acrophobia.”

“…….”

“……?”

—

Given that the airship was designed for the emperor and royals, the airship we boarded was more of a luxury item than a practical means of transportation.

It resembles a slightly fancier business jet.

Though it’s called an airship, it’s essentially a flying hotel. Naturally, the interior was comprised of top-tier facilities.

The officials informed us it would take a little while to reach the empire, so they guided us to our rooms. As I dropped my luggage and looked around the room, it felt as if I had suddenly landed in a luxurious noble villa.

It appeared Camila had similar thoughts, as she spent quite a while exploring every nook and cranny of the room.

“This is incredible. I think it’s even nicer than the hotel we stayed at.”

“Well, it is made for nobles. Of course, today is specially for you, Camila.”

“For me?”

Camila pointed at herself, uncertain if I was referring to her. I merely smiled and nodded in response.

This airship was a mode of transportation sent by the imperial family. It was a service for Camila, who had suffered through unpleasantness while using the Warp Gate. For reference, it was an initiative proposed by the empire.

As far as I knew, the imperial ambassador had subtly suggested to the Abas Minister of Foreign Affairs that “Using trains and ships takes a lot of time, and particularly ships might cause nausea, so perhaps using the airship, which is relatively safer than the Warp Gate, would be better?”

They mentioned something about wanting to experience the natural scenery and rise high into the sky, considering she was from another world.

Of course, it wouldn’t be much of a unique experience for Camila, who had flown across Europe, Asia, and Africa during her vacations.

But considering the local standards, flying was a rare and not easily accessible event, making this an exceptional treatment.

“I’m jealous. The imperial family sending such a luxurious airship.”

“Haven’t you flown on one during your time here?”

Her exquisite attire was adorned with luxurious fabrics, after all.

The commando curtain was tapped lightly. The silver curtain shook with a tinkling sound.

“How many times have you been on a military airship during airborne training?”

“What’s airborne training?”

“It’s parachute training. I did it before my commission, but I really don’t want to do it again. It was the worst.”

Honestly, this side of town couldn’t even claim airborne training as a mere compliment.

The training couldn’t even touch the tip of what was taught at the Special Forces school, and the equipment was frankly quite shabby.

Of course, I myself hadn’t experienced airborne training because I was in ROTC, but I learned separately after joining the Information Command.

I really didn’t want to back then. But after jumping out of the airship a few times, the special forces training looked like a blessing. I longed for the Chinook and C-130 too. I missed Misari as well.

“By the way, do you know why airships roam around instead of airplanes in this town?”

“I believe it’s for religious reasons. It’s considered an act against nature for wingless humans to fly in the sky. However, airships are seen as an exception.”

“Isn’t that funny? Airplanes defy the natural order and challenge the authority of God, yet they’re fine with airships because they compare it to floating a ship.”

Just saying it made me laugh because it was so ridiculous. I wondered how Lucia in the next room would react if she heard this.

While chatting with Camila, I shuffled things from my bag onto the bed.

“What are you doing?”

“Just have a little task.”

I instructed Camila to watch silently and then unlocked and opened the bag.

Something suspicious and complicated appeared at first glance. As Camila leaned closer, I connected the cords and flipped the switch.

The blue light flickered.

Confirming the rapidly flashing light, I closed the bag and tucked it away in an unreachable spot.

“Done. All finished.”

“What did you just do?”

Camila asked with bright eyes, as if she’d seen something interesting.

“Oh, nothing much. Just blocking any listening devices.”

“Listening devices? The kind I know?”

“Yep.”

I swept my index finger around the room, and Camila followed along, checking every nook and cranny.

“When you go abroad and stay in places like hotels, the chance of being eavesdropped on is high. This device is also for monitoring what they intend to do here, but sometimes they use listening devices or cameras to blackmail Information Officers with collected data. So when staying in places like this, you need to check whether there are any listening devices or not.”

“Hmm. Interesting story.”

Aspiring spy Camila nodded thoughtfully. She looked quite satisfied.

Camila began to meticulously search the room. She glanced into the light fixture, picked up and set down a frame, squatted down in front of a flowerpot to play with the soil, and peered behind a drawer.

After rummaging around for quite a while, she suddenly stood in the middle of the room, closed her eyes, and stood still.

“Umm….”

“What are you doing?”

“Shh!”

As soon as I opened my mouth, Camila put her finger to her lips, signaling for silence.

I stared at her antics, utterly speechless.

“Are you seriously trying to listen for a listening device right now?”

“Well, yes.”

“…….”

Camila confidently blurted out nonsense. Momentarily, I thought it was a joke, but she just blinked her bright blue eyes at me.

What is she doing, really?

I pressed my forehead with a sigh.

“When exactly are we discussing anything? The listening devices that cause interference around here have been phased out for over 20 years.”

“Oh… really?”

“A piece of junk like that wouldn’t get used even if you gave it away for free.”

Sometimes, Camila had this strange aspect about her. I couldn’t tell whether it was naivety or just plain cluelessness. I sat on the room’s chair and explained eavesdropping and interception to her.

“There are various types of listening devices. There are ones that transmit the listening contents in real-time and others that record and send everything at once, which are more commonly used by information agencies.”

“A listening device that records conversations before sending them?”

“Yep. It collects and stores surrounding audio and signal information, and then automatically transmits it at a set time. It’s typically designed to send data during the wee hours or late at night when there’s less human activity.”

With advancements in communication technology and science, the difficulty of eavesdropping has drastically decreased.

Back during the Cold War, listening devices capable of only real-time transmission or recording were used; by the 21st century, devices that could transmit days’ worth of collected data in less than a minute became the norm.

“There was a listening device that the Chinese Ministry of State Security got caught using in South Africa, which operated under such a method. Of course, I can’t claim that all listening devices operate in the same way, as that was just one example.”

“I know that listening devices can be categorized into five types—whether just eavesdropping on conversations, listening in on phone calls, or even looking at posts on the Internet. For phone calls, I learned that the methods differ between wired and wireless.”

“Well done on your studies.”

“Have you ever been eavesdropped on?”

“Me?”

“Yeah.”

The sudden question took me off guard. I paused to think about when I might have been eavesdropped on.

“Um… there are so many that it’s hard to remember. It was quite a long time ago anyway. The first one that comes to mind is when I went to China.”

“China?”

Camila brightened at the mention of China. She had previously told me that she used to go to Hong Kong with her parents quite often.

“Hong Kong is a great place.”

“It really was wonderful. I had a blast there. Have you ever been to Hong Kong? Where in China did you go?”

“I barely remember Hong Kong because I stayed for such a short time… Probably Shanghai or Dalian. It was a city with a Chinese aircraft carrier, and it was chaos from the first day.”

“Why? What happened?”

“Right after I checked in and went to my hotel room, I found a listening device already set up.”

“…….”

Camila fell silent with a strange expression. She had asked as a joke, but received a serious answer, leaving her flustered.

“But, well. Nothing serious happened. In countries like China or Russia, the moment there’s a slightly suspicious foreigner, they instantly start eavesdropping. I was already mentally prepared for it.”

“Mental preparation?”

I nodded.

“Two days before departure, the hotel suddenly contacted me saying they would upgrade my room. They had a much better room available than the one I booked, and asked if I wanted to move in. Incidentally, there had been a slight friction with the hotel due to booking issues, and they offered it as an apology without charging me.”

“Isn’t an upgrade a good thing? Especially if it’s free.”

“If there’s a listening device in there, then it’s a different story. And, cameras too. There were two—you guess it—a trash can and a television in the corner of the room, and I still remember exactly where they were. They covered the entire room visible from that point.”

“So what did you do?”

“What do you think? I just stayed a few days and changed hotels. Later on, as time passed, I heard from experienced seniors that’s a method commonly used by Chinese and Russians.”

If an Information Officer on a business trip to China or Russia suddenly gets a room upgrade, it’s highly likely that the intelligence agency is already involved. They likely arranged with the hotel to set up listening devices and cameras in advance.

This tactic has been utilized countless times by communist intelligence agencies against foreign visitors since the Cold War. By the way, the originator was the Soviet Union.

More specifically, it was used for filming compromising scenes featuring spies, businessmen, or diplomats to blackmail them. There were times when inexperienced Information Officers got caught up in that trap. It was a classic honey trap.

I tapped my bag and smiled.

“Fortunately, we have this today, so there shouldn’t be any issues. At least, the chances of being eavesdropped on while inside the airship are slim.”

“Could there be listening devices in the other rooms?”

Whether there were any listening devices or not, I didn’t know.

But playing it safe is always the best policy.

“Nothing’s more important than safety, Camila. And this is just a precaution, so don’t worry too much about it.”

After reassuring Camila, I neatly organized my bag and set it aside. The necessary preparations were all done now.

“Camila.”

“Yes?”

“Let’s discuss work now.”

 

---