Blueprints For An Aircraft Carrier?!

A luxurious car arrived at the royal palace. Gulp. In that tense moment, Armin stepped out of the vehicle, feeling a surge of nervousness at the realization that he had finally arrived at the palace.

Though he had attended parties at the palace before, this time was completely different. He was here for another reason entirely, which made him all the more anxious. Before he knew it, he was being guided inside the palace by Mardin.

‘Come to think of it, this might be the first time I’ve been in this part of the palace.’

He had always walked straight to the Hall of Waves for events, so walking down these unfamiliar hallways felt awkward. As passing attendants and maids bowed politely, he almost reflexively bowed back, catching himself just in time and nearly laughing at his own nerves.

‘I didn’t think I’d be this nervous.’

It was probably because he was about to meet Prince Ian—no, His Majesty Ian—for the first time in a long while. He continued walking and soon arrived at a door guarded by royal guards. From Mardin’s words, Armin realized that His Majesty was inside this room.

“I’ve brought the guest summoned by His Majesty. Please announce him.”

“Yes, please wait a moment. Your Majesty, Secretary Mardin has brought the guest.”

‘Secretary? What’s that?’

He felt puzzled by the unfamiliar title, but before he could think further, the door opened and he was gestured inside. As he entered, he saw a lavish office. Then, rising from his desk, His Majesty warmly welcomed him.

“I greet Your Majesty.”

“Oh, Armin, welcome. Have you been well?”

“Yes, I have been well, Your Majesty.”

“No need to be so formal. Since when did you speak like that?”

“But—”

“I’m not comfortable with that. This is a royal order—speak like you used to.”

“W-well, if it’s a royal order… You’ve been doing well, yeah?”

“There you go. Good, have a seat.”

With a smile, Ian gestured to the sofa. Feeling more at ease, Armin sat down. Ian also sat across from him as Mardin placed something down between them. Ian immediately asked,

“What is that?”

“Oh, a gift I prepared for Your Majesty. I just finished it today and was wondering how to deliver it, but Your Majesty happened to summon me!”

“Really? Then I must’ve called you at the perfect time.”

Ian looked curiously at the fairly large wooden box. Excited, Armin quickly opened it. The moment the lid came off and the contents were revealed, Ian’s eyes widened in surprise.

“This is…!?”

“Yes, it’s a model aircraft carrier I built myself. I remembered what Your Majesty once said and made it over time. What do you think?”

“It looks like quite a well-made ship.”

“Right?”

Ian thought it looked incredibly well-crafted. He was even more surprised by the fact that the model accurately reflected his own vision of what an aircraft carrier should be.

He had always known Armin was good at making models, even as a child. He figured Armin had continued the hobby in university. Just then, Armin lifted the flight deck, revealing a precisely constructed interior.

“Wait, what is this?!”

“How is it? I even designed the inside. I thought, ‘what if it looked like this?’ With this setup, the aircraft stored inside can be lifted right onto the flight deck.”

“You even designed an elevator for the planes?”

“Of course! If you only store them on top, you won’t have enough space, and they won’t be able to take off or land properly.”

“My goodness…”

Ian was stunned. He hadn’t expected to see such a complete concept model of an aircraft carrier. He had only recently begun considering its development—yet here it was, almost finished.

On a hopeful hunch, he asked,

“By any chance… have you completed the blueprints as well?”

“Of course. I personally designed and drafted them. In fact, I made the model after completing the blueprints.”

“If that’s true, then you’re a genius.”

“I wouldn’t say genius… I just remembered Your Majesty once said it would be great if such a thing existed, so I studied and designed it bit by bit.”

As Armin blushed and scratched his cheek, Ian looked at him in awe. He had known Armin was talented but never imagined he was such a genius. Joy surged through him—he had gained invaluable aircraft carrier technology from the most unexpected source.

“This really is an incredible gift.”

“I’m glad Your Majesty likes it. Hahaha.”

“Even so, I must pay a fair price. Will you sell me the blueprints?”

“Sell them? No, they’re a gift. Please just take them.”

“No, I insist on paying properly. Let’s say the model is the gift. It would look great displayed in my office. As for the blueprints, I’ll pay one million grang. What do you think?”

“Wh-what?! One million grang?!”

Armin sprang up in shock. Mardin also looked stunned. Was an aircraft carrier really worth that much? They weren’t sure. Meanwhile, Ian believed the value was justified.

‘These blueprints will buy us valuable time. And with that time, we’ll advance even further.’

The development of aircraft carriers would continue. The earlier it began, the more knowledge they would gain. That meant the next aircraft carrier would be even more advanced. Ian believed one million grang was more than fair.

‘We’ll be the first nation to field and utilize aircraft carriers.’

Of course, other countries might develop them too, if they put their minds to it. But Ian suspected none of them yet understood the true utility of an aircraft carrier. Regardless, this unexpected gift from Armin left him deeply moved.

“You truly are my number one subordinate. Always coming through for me.”

“Your Majesty…”

Armin felt overwhelmed with emotion. To be personally acknowledged as the king’s number one subordinate—what could be greater than that?

“Tonight, let’s have a drink. By the way, can you still hold your liquor?”

“Of course! I can drink pretty well. What’s university life without alcohol?”

“Confident, are you? Good, good.”

Meanwhile, Mardin, watching this scene, smiled knowingly. He was well aware of His Majesty’s drinking prowess. He had a feeling he knew how this night would end. And indeed, by evening, after a long drinking session, Armin was totally drunk.

“Hehehe~ Your Majesty, you know I really like you, right?”

“Armin, you’re very drunk.”

“I-I’m not drunk~ Kyahaha!”

“You really can’t hold your liquor…”

In truth, Armin wasn’t weak to alcohol. The problem was that Ian could drink far too much. Surrounded by countless empty bottles, Armin, now drunk and grinning foolishly, clearly showed just how much he had drunk. Evidently, his drunken antics involved lots of silly laughter.

“Mardin, take Armin somewhere and let him sleep.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Are you all right?”

“Well, I’m not particularly drunk.”

Of course, he was drunk. But he was suppressing it with sheer superhuman willpower. Regardless, after insisting he wasn’t drunk, Ian watched as Mardin subdued the “rebelling” Armin and carried him out in his arms.

Ian smiled at the sight, thinking that he had truly enjoyed drinking for the first time in a while. In fact, it was likely the first time since becoming king that he’d had such a relaxing moment.

‘Being king is really exhausting.’

With so many responsibilities, he sometimes wondered if he had made a mistake in taking the crown. But then he’d remind himself that this was the path he chose, and he would see it through to the end. He couldn’t help but look forward to how Armin would act tomorrow.

‘How will he react once he realizes how ridiculous his drunken antics were?’

With that thought, Ian turned in for the night and made his way to his bedroom.

The next day.

Armin sat awkwardly, looking thoroughly embarrassed. Sitting nearby were three people: Ian, his mother, and his younger sister, Charlotte. Charlotte, already familiar with Armin, greeted him warmly.

“It’s been a while, Brother Armin. Have you been well?”

“Yes, Princess. It’s… been a while.”

As he answered, Armin nearly gagged, forcing himself to suppress it. This whole situation felt like sitting on a throne of thorns. Especially with Her Majesty—the Queen Mother—present for the first time, he couldn’t afford to show weakness and fought through his hangover.

“So, you’re Ian’s friend.”

“Oh, not at all! A friend, Your Majesty? I am His Majesty’s loyal subord—”

“He is my friend. The only one who was with me throughout my school days. We were always together. Mother, you’ve heard about Armin from Charlotte, haven’t you?”

“I certainly have. Thank you so much for always being by Ian’s side.”

“No, Your Majesty. His Majesty has always looked out for me.”

“Think of it as just visiting a friend’s home and relax.”

“Th-thank you very much…”

Could anyone possibly think of a royal palace as a friend’s house? Still, he had to respond as politely as possible. Meanwhile, Armin felt like his stomach was still flipping, yet His Majesty sat perfectly fine, eating soup as if nothing had happened.

How could he be that good at holding his liquor? With the quiet clatter of cutlery, breakfast continued, and soon after, tea time began. Despite his hangover, Armin had no choice but to participate.

Spending time with the royal family like this was a first for Armin. It felt unbearably awkward and stressful. As he sipped tea with effort, a sudden comment forced him to set down his teacup quickly.

“By the way, my brother came to see me yesterday.”

“Did he?”

“He asked me to put in a good word for him.”

“I see no reason to entertain him. You know well, Mother. He was the one who severed ties with us first.”

“I know he’s being shameless, but it was pitiful watching him beg like that.”

“I’m sorry, but I have no intention of forgiving Uncle. Even if I did, it would bring us no benefit.”

Ian’s words made it clear—he strongly opposed his maternal relatives using his name for any purpose. Understanding his stance, the Queen nodded and replied,

“I don’t wish to see my own family gain power either.”

“I apologize.”

“It’s all right.”

‘Ugh, I think I’m going to be sick…’

Armin felt like the food he had eaten was stuck in his lungs. Was it really okay for him to be hearing such royal-level conversations? As he turned toward the source of a gaze beside him, he noticed Charlotte smiling at him and mouthing something.

‘What did she say? Ah, “Sorry”? She really is kind, that Princess Charlotte…’

Realizing she was thinking of him, Armin felt deeply moved. But his thoughts were cut short as Ian suddenly addressed him.

“Let’s change the subject. Armin, I hear you’ve done something quite impressive.”

“Pardon? What…”

“I’m talking about your design for the ship. I heard you improved the blast resistance by subdividing the bulkheads.”

“Oh, that… I did work on it, but it’s not a big deal.”

“Really? Did you really invent that, Brother Armin?”

“So they say. Word has it, it’s already a well-known story in the industry. You’re being called the youngest naval architect ever. Even at your university, they say you’re considered a genius.”

“My, such amazing talent you have.”

With all three praising him, Armin’s face turned bright red. It felt different from his family’s reactions—genuinely uplifting. Though they were somewhat more supportive now, his family had never fully approved of his major when he entered university to become a ship designer.

“But it seems you weren’t properly compensated.”

“Huh? Oh no, I was paid fairly.”

“Just 10,000 grang? I think it’s worth far more than that.”

To Ian, 10,000 grang seemed insulting. He believed the proper value was at least 100,000 grang. Surely his youth had led them to underpay him.

“I’ll speak to them and make sure you’re properly rewarded.”

“No, really, that’s not necessary…”

“It is, because I’m not okay with this. Just make sure you get what you deserve.”

“Yes… Thank you so much.”

Moved by Ian’s sincere concern, Armin felt his nose tingle with emotion.