After the events at the castle, some time passed. There weren't many events that required my attention during this period. As a result, I spent most of my time at home. Occasionally, Emi would come to visit me, and we would spend the entire afternoon together. Sometimes, she even stayed overnight at my place, while on other occasions, she returned to the castle.
Recently, I received a letter addressed to me. Inside it, I found new updates about a project that was in development in my territory. Unlike previous projects involving weapons or potentially harmful items, this time it was something that promised to be extremely beneficial for the people. At least, that was my hope.
"Ren-sama, we've arrived"
Hanna's voice sounded inside the carriage we were in. Looking out the window, I noticed that we had come to a stop. I shifted my gaze to Hana and noticed that she was looking at me with her usual expression. Honestly, I still find it strange that she uses "sama" when we're alone, but after a while, I think I just got used to it.
"Alright, let's get off"
As soon as I mentioned that, Hana nodded and headed for the carriage door. After opening the door, I stepped out first, followed by Hana. Although I found it unnecessary to go through this procedure every time we got in or out of the carriage, Hana always insisted it was important. After receiving a few scoldings from her, I ended up accepting this fact.
As soon as we left the carriage, the first thing that caught my attention was a sizable hangar. From our position, we could see some people inside, most of them were dirty and looked busy, moving back and forth.
"Come on, Hana. Henry must be somewhere inside the hangar"
After these words, I let out a small sigh. I noticed that Hana was looking at me, apparently waiting for my next action.
"Sometimes, I just wish he'd be a bit more specific in his letters, something like 'come to the hangar immediately' really doesn't say much"
I commented, expressing my frustration. Afterward, Hana and I made our way into the hangar, talking to the workers along the way until we finally found Henry. I commented on my previous frustration and explained our search for Henry.
"According to the diagram, everything is in its proper place, but he still won't budge, which means the issue is coming from the boiler"
Henry explained as he pointed to the sketches and diagrams on his desk. While Hana and I walked toward where Henry was, loud voices could be heard. Well, I really couldn't blame them. The whole place is quite noisy, so unless you shout, your partner probably won't be able to hear.
"So, what should we do?"
One of the men standing beside Henry asked, 'We were in some sort of cabin accessed after climbing a few stairs. Honestly, this place is quite amazing. Of course, I left all the construction part to Henry, so this was pretty much my first time coming here.
"Hmm... for now, investigate the pipes, something may have happened causing the steam to escape"
Henry suggested. After these words, the men around Henry nodded and began to disperse. Seeing this, I approached Henry and gave him a light tap on his back to signal my presence.
"Ah, Ren, it's good that you're here"
Henry said, sounding relieved. Hearing that, I took a quick glance at the diagram on Henry's table, which was clearly about the steam train, more specifically, the boiler part.
"Why? Is something wrong?"
I asked, raising an eyebrow. In response, Henry simply huffed briefly and headed to the opposite corner of where we came from, towards the windows. Curious, I followed Henry to the window, but he remained silent, looking down. Following Henry's gaze, my field of vision was filled with a metallic structure.
"Well, is it as you imagined?"
Henry asked, looking at me with a smile on his face. He was referring to the steam train below us. Of course, I was surprised to see it for the first time, but probably not for the reason Henry was thinking. Having seen several modern trains, the steam train seemed rather insignificant in comparison.
But still, this was the first time I saw a train live, especially an old model considered the pioneer of modern trains. My initial reaction was one of surprise, something that clearly did not go unnoticed by Henry.
"Hahahaha, I guess I don't even need to ask, your expression says it all. Besides, your maid seems even more surprised than you"
Henry commented with a smile, and his words reminded me that there was another person with me. I looked to the side and saw Hana, who was looking in awe at the steam train below us.
"Incredible"
Hana murmured, her eyes shining with admiration as she looked at the train, and I couldn't help but agree. After all, seeing a train for the first time was a unique experience.
"Although it's amazing, it's really giving us a headache"
Henry said with a sigh. Hearing these words, I raised an eyebrow in doubt, as it didn't seem like the train had any issues, no matter how I looked at it.
"What do you mean?"
I asked, still confused about the situation. Hearing my question, Henry began to explain the condition of the train. Apparently, even though the train was complete, there was an issue preventing it from running. According to Henry, they followed the diagram I provided them with to the letter, using the listed materials or, if they didn't have some, they found suitable substitutes. In summary, the train was already physically complete.
But unfortunately, the train wasn't moving; no matter how much fuel they put in to burn, the train would only move a few centimeters or remain stationary. Hearing Henry's words, I could easily identify the problem that was occurring.