Chapter 107
Chapter 107
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 107
Chapter Title: Science & Adventure (2)
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Prince Heinrich had learned about airplanes purely by chance.
"An airplane?"
[Yeah. I'm not entirely sure, but it's some kind of machine that flies in the sky.]
"Ho. Come to think of it, I did hear rumors that something like that came out in America."
During a phone call with his younger sister, Princess Margarete, Prince Heinrich heard about the airplane and how the American brothers who made it had come to Germany.
He had only called his sister briefly to ask about a family matter at first, but in an instant, Prince Heinrich's face lit up with interest and curiosity.
Prince Heinrich was a thrill-seeker who loved exciting sports like yachting, and unlike his brother Kaiser Wilhelm II, he was obsessed with new inventions like automobiles.
For such a Prince Heinrich to show no interest in an airplane, which combined thrill and a vehicle he'd never seen before? That was utterly absurd.
In fact, considering that Prince Heinrich was one of the first people in the German Empire in the original history to obtain a pilot's license, it was only natural.
"I can't miss this."
Prince Heinrich immediately took leave and headed straight to Frankfurt to see this airplane for himself.
And just as he was nearing the site where Hans had built the airplane factory, the prince saw it.
Vroooom~
"!!!"
The Flyer 3 soaring freely through the sky, as Hans and Tesla were demonstrating a flight for it.
"Wh-what is that?"
"It's flying through the sky!"
Frankfurt citizens out for walks and picnics in the suburbs looked up at the noise from above, unable to hide their shock at the first airplane they'd ever seen. Meanwhile, Prince Heinrich felt his chest burn with excitement for the first time in ages.
'That's incredible!'
Prince Heinrich imagined himself riding in that airplane, soaring through the sky.
The sensation of slicing through the wind while ascending had to be better than any experience the prince had ever had.
Feeling the blood of a thrill-seeker heat up after so long, Prince Heinrich couldn't stand still any longer.
The prince hurried toward the airplane factory.
"Absolutely not!"
Of course, when confronted with Prince Heinrich's sudden insistence on flying the airplane, Hans felt as if a bomb had gone off right in front of him.
"Hans, why not?!"
Prince Heinrich raised his voice shamelessly at my firm refusal to let him on the airplane.
I shot him a look that said, Do I really have to spell it out?, but the prince remained stubbornly unyielding.
In the end, I sighed and explained it in a way even he could understand.
"Because it's dangerous, that's why. What am I supposed to say to the princess if something happens to you?"
I welcomed Prince Heinrich's interest in airplanes. In fact, I encouraged it.
But him actually flying one himself? That was a different story.
Flying was still quite dangerous even in the 21st century.
And to do it in the Flyer 3, with zero safety features?
By a complete novice who'd never learned a thing about flying?
'It's bound to crash!'
Moreover, if someone of Prince Heinrich's stature had an airplane accident, the reputation of aviation—which hadn't even taken off properly yet—would be ruined.
In the worst case, airplanes might become taboo in the German Empire; no one would even utter the word.
"Your Highness? Prince? I think you should reconsider as well. The aircraft's stability is one thing, but the sky is so unpredictable—who knows what accident might happen."
Orville Wright, standing beside me, was pale-faced and urgently trying to dissuade the prince, knowing full well the risks.
But Prince Heinrich refused to back down, insisting on flying no matter what.
"That's exactly why it's even better!"
"?!"
"And that guy flying it right now is doing just fine!"
"That's because the one up there is the man who built the airplane."
The Wright brothers only flew for research purposes.
And they risked their own lives to do it.
Besides, if even the inventor wouldn't fly it, who would?
It was unavoidable.
"Hans, can't you make an exception somehow?"
"No. If you really want to fly, get permission from the princess and His Majesty the Kaiser first."
When I declared I wouldn't let him fly without that approval, Prince Heinrich groaned and shut his mouth.
Of course, he knew there was zero chance of getting it.
'Who would've thought I'd end up feeling like that Gallipoli fellow.'
I recalled a drama about Elizabeth II from my past life.
In it, when her husband Philip Mountbatten got hooked on flying practice, Churchill demanded he stop because it was too dangerous. Back then, I thought Churchill was such a stick-in-the-mud.
But now that I was in a similar spot, I could somewhat understand how he felt. Just a little, anyway.
"Tch, fine. Have it your way."
In the end, Prince Heinrich clicked his tongue and took a step back.
But from that resolute expression, it was clear he hadn't given up on flying entirely—he was determined to get permission somehow.
"Sorry for the trouble, Mr. Orville."
"No, no. It's an honor that royalty is interested in airplanes. American politicians didn't just ignore us—they outright dismissed us."
"I get that feeling all too well."
As Orville Wright muttered with a distant, wistful look, Tesla nodded in agreement.
"Anyway, let's call it a day. I'm feeling beat for some reason."
"Haha... I'll signal Wilbur to land."
To cool my head after that excitement with Prince Heinrich, I needed to go meet Fritz Haber.
He had specifically requested to see me after I offered sponsorship.
It was time to meet the scientist with two faces: the man who developed ammonia synthesis to save humanity from famine, and who helped turn World War I into hell with poison gas.
"Baron, we've arrived."
I gave a brief nod of thanks to the driver before stepping out of the car.
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology.
Fritz Haber was currently working here as an associate professor, researching what would later be called the Haber-Bosch process for ammonia synthesis.
Not that there were many results yet.
"I'm here to see Mr. Fritz Haber."
"Pardon? Oh—could you be Baron Hans von Choi?"
When I asked a passing university staff member where Haber was, he recognized me and made a huge fuss.
Thanks to that, the nearby students' attention zeroed in on me.
I'd wanted to meet Haber quietly and leave, but now faced with unwanted attention, I awkwardly replied to the wide-eyed staffer.
"That's me."
"Oh, I loved Immortal Admiral Yi!"
Ah, that side of things.
It's been a while since I've seen that reaction.
"Any plans for a new book?"
"Haha, I've been too busy lately."
With radio and sponsorships, and all that.
Not that I planned to write any more novels regardless.
It had started as a way to earn pocket money, and above all, I still hadn't forgotten the mental trauma from Prince Adalbert.
If I ever picked up the pen again, it'd be after I retire, at least.
"Well, Immortal Admiral Yi is coming to radio drama soon, so look forward to that."
"Whoa, really?"
"Yes. Anyway, where's Mr. Haber...?"
"Ah, Professor Haber is in that building. Third floor, chemistry lab."
"Thanks for letting me know."
I thanked the staffer and headed to the building he pointed out.
"Mr. Fritz Haber?"
"Yes?"
Soon enough, in the brightly lit lab as described, I spotted a middle-aged man with a shiny bald head and a mustache.
"You're... Ah! Baron Hans von Choi! What an honor—thank you for making the long trip to Karlsruhe!"
Haber recognized me instantly and greeted me enthusiastically, pipette and test tube still in hand from his research.
Then he realized his appearance wasn't guest-appropriate and gave an embarrassed smile.
"Please wait a moment. I'll clear these away and take you to my office."
"Take your time. I've got plenty."
Haber smiled at my words and hurriedly cleared the desk with his assistants—er, graduate students.
"This way."
After hanging up his lab coat, he led me to a nearby room.
Inside was Haber's neatly organized office.
Unlike Tesla, who always left his a mess, Haber seemed the tidy type.
I sat on the sofa and waited as he brewed coffee.
"Sorry for the wait. It's been so long since a guest visited my office that I got sluggish without realizing."
"Haha, no problem. It was nice seeing you so immersed in your research, actually."
Haber scratched his head sheepishly at my compliment.
Though he didn't have much hair left to scratch.
Of course, being polite, I didn't point that out.
"I heard you want to sponsor my research."
"Yes. If you complete that ammonia synthesis method you're working on, it'll shatter the Malthusian trap and end humanity's hunger."
As everyone knows, even in the 21st century, famine hasn't been fully eradicated due to various issues.
But that doesn't mean the Haber-Bosch process and the massive nitrogen fertilizer production it enabled had a small impact.
The world population jumped from about 1.7-1.8 billion in 1913 to around 7 billion in 2013—a dramatic increase in food production that wouldn't have been possible without it.
'No wonder Haber's called humanity's savior.'
"I agree with you, Baron. Of course, many have tried and failed before—it's that difficult. And I don't have much to show for it yet. But for the glory of our great fatherland Deutschland? Nothing's too hard."
"Well said."
"Haha! I knew you'd understand!"
Haber grabbed my hand, grinning like he'd finally met a true gentleman, but even as I smiled back, I couldn't hide the bitterness inside.
'Because I know what he'll do next.'
Fritz Haber was Jewish, yet more loyal to the German Empire than anyone.
A scientist and patriot, like most Germans, he was a militarist too.
And that patriotism led him to develop poison gas, symbolizing the horrors of World War I alongside trench warfare.
Haber led the charge in gas warfare more than anyone, directing Germany's chemical attacks.
That's why he's called both humanity's savior and a butcher.
But I couldn't blindly condemn him for the poison gas.
Tesla, the Wright brothers—scientists' inventions being used in war? I was doing the same.
'Scientists belong to the world in peacetime, to the nation in wartime.'
Those were Haber's own words later.
During the world war, scientists had to choose between patriotism and humanity, and Haber chose the former.
In a way, it was one of the many tragedies the war created.
'I'll worry about the poison gas later.'
For now, accelerating the Haber-Bosch process was priority.
Germany would soon need not just bread, but a whole lot of bullets.
"I hope your research succeeds."
"Yes. I'll complete ammonia synthesis and make it a great boon to the German Empire."
Haber and I shook hands, laughing heartily as we parted.
But shortly after returning to Potsdam, my face twisted beyond description.
"...Prince Heinrich? What did you just say?"
"Irene and brother said it's okay to fly. Hans! Now can I get on the airplane?"
Oh, God no.