I'm in Love with the Villainess!-Chapter 184: The Apex of Aircraft Technology
We didn’t really have time to mull over the details as we were quickly escorted to the academy’s special aircraft, something that common airships—or even most small nations—couldn’t afford.
The pinnacle of aircraft technology.
The Harrow & Whitlock Dispatch Aeroplane.
It was only used and mentioned once in the novel, but it certainly wasn’t a pushover when it came to its importance in this world.
It was essentially a bulky tiltrotor aircraft powered by steam and coal, with mages stationed throughout the vessel alongside trained personnel to make sure anyone who rode it was safe.
And most people who rode it definitely needed to be kept safe.
It was a royal aircraft, after all. It didn’t help that its new passengers were going to be the heirs of a duchy, a marquisate, and the entire empire itself.
WHUP-chuff, WHUP-chuff, WHUP-chuff!
The sound of the rotors and the steam pumping out of its pipes was a feast for the senses. While it definitely wasn’t as efficient as the modern aircraft I knew, it looked far more beautiful and imposing.
It was absolutely stunning.
"Are these all of them?"
An imperial guard stood by the aircraft, wearing what seemed to be steam‑fueled power armor. He was at least seven feet tall; that alone reminded me how drastically the technology in this world could shift—from medieval, to slightly medieval, to full-on sci‑fi.
Once again... absolutely beautiful.
"Yes, sir."
Another member of the staff replied, carrying a crate of supplies clearly meant for us, as several others like him began filling the aircraft’s supply area.
It looked more like a military operation than anything else. It made sense, considering both the physical and biological cargo they would be handling.
The physical cargo was obvious—food, equipment, weapons, documents, probably a small mountain of bureaucratic nonsense meant to help us run our future territory.
The biological cargo, however...
That was us.
I watched as another crate was hauled past, the workers moving quickly under the watchful gaze of several armored guards. Each guard wore the same steam-powered exoskeleton, brass pipes running along their arms and back while faint white vapor hissed from the joints.
A small mage insignia glowed on their shoulder plates.
Mage-assisted power armor.
Not cheap.
Not even remotely.
Marcellus whistled quietly beside me.
"Well... that’s excessive."
"It’s the royal dispatch aircraft after all," Julius replied, glancing up at the enormous rotors spinning above the craft. "They can’t exactly risk anything happening to it."
"Or to us," Evelina added lazily.
Her voice carried just enough amusement to make the nearby guards stiffen slightly.
One of them quickly looked away.
Smart man.
I tilted my head back, watching the aircraft as another blast of steam burst from its side valves.
WHUP-chuff... WHUP-chuff... WHUP-chuff...
Even standing several meters away, the pressure from the rotors tugged at my clothes.
The Harrow & Whitlock Dispatch Aeroplane wasn’t sleek like the planes I remembered from Earth.
It was bulky.
Industrial.
Aggressively mechanical.
Its massive rotating engines sat at the ends of two reinforced wings, thick iron plates protecting the rotor housings while glowing runic circles rotated slowly inside the machinery.
Steam and magic.
A surprisingly effective combination.
"Move it along," one of the officers barked. "Passengers board now."
A metal ramp extended from the belly of the aircraft with a loud clang, steam hissing along its hinges.
The interior lights flickered on—soft golden lamps rather than harsh electric ones.
Marcellus folded his arms.
"Well," he muttered. "Shall we?"
He started up the ramp first, clearly trying to reclaim some dignity after being forced to share a territory with us.
Julius followed with a resigned sigh.
I stepped forward after them, but Evelina grabbed my sleeve lightly before I could reach the ramp.
I glanced at her.
"What?"
She leaned closer, silver hair shifting in the rotor wind as her red eyes studied the aircraft.
"...Do you trust it?" she asked quietly.
She was right to be cautious. Up high in the air, most of us would be vulnerable—it isn’t easy to calculate spells if we’re ambushed from above.
And while Evelina had the succubus to solve spell formulas just in case, it still wasn’t a foolproof failsafe.
I looked at the massive machine again.
Steam vents.
Rotors the size of windmills.
Runic stabilizers glowed faintly as several mages moved quietly inside, checking the machinery and reinforcing it even more with magic.
"...I’d say it’s way too safe, actually."
She smiled faintly.
"Fair enough."
"Come on. If it explodes midair, at least we’ll die together."
"How romantic."
We stepped onto the ramp together.
Inside, the aircraft felt less like a passenger plane and more like a mobile command center.
Rows of reinforced seats lined the walls, each one fitted with thick leather restraints and metal anchor points. In the center of the cabin sat several long tables covered in maps, instruments, and navigation equipment.
Mages occupied small stations along the walls, their hands hovering above glowing pipes filled with energy that pulsed softly with [Lightning Manipulation] magic.
The entire interior vibrated gently with the rhythm of the engines.
WHUP-chuff... WHUP-chuff... WHUP-chuff...
Marcellus had already taken a seat near one of the windows, looking distinctly unimpressed.
"This thing better be faster than it looks."
One of the crew members overheard him and snorted.
"Fast enough to cross the continent in two days."
Marcellus blinked.
"...I take that back. No wonder Father spent so much time convincing the imperial senate to invest more in aeronautics."
Julius sat across from him, eyeing the machinery with interest.
"Father never let you ride this before?" he asked.
"No. I always preferred trains and cars when I was a kid," Marcellus replied.
"Why? Afraid of heights?"
Marcellus laughed and shot him a look. "Shut up."
I took a seat beside Evelina, the leather cushion creaking under my weight as I fastened the restraints loosely across my waist.
Outside the window, the academy grounds were already shrinking beneath the rising steam clouds.
A crew member walked down the aisle, checking straps and equipment.
"Departure in thirty seconds."
The rotors began to spin faster.
WHUP-WHUP-WHUP-WHUP.
Steam vents burst open along the wings.
The entire aircraft trembled.
"Ready for liftoff!"
