Novel Bin Vol. 1 - Ch. 122 - Elvert Workshop (3)
"Furi-senpai, don\'t you think we should take a break...?"
At the moment, we were testing how effective the wings were working to keep the front wheel grounded.
A motorcycle in another world? I absolutely wanted one and was ready to do anything. In fact, I was having plenty of fun as well, but I had already driven through the course around 100 times (?) since I started the trial with the prototype model — which was affixed with a plethora of sensors — and I was running out of steam.
On the other hand, after reducing the weight at the front, the two-wheeler\'s speed was seeing a huge increase in speed when moving in a straight line, but it was still tricky to keep the balance. Along with the fact that I still needed more training in wind magic, its current pace was much slower than my first trial last week.
"Hmm, I guess so. Well, I have more or less gotten enough data. Let\'s do 50 more laps around with the initial setting and take a short break then. Since you’ve already mastered controlling the machine, it\'s a good chance to get data for comparison against someone who\'s new."
50 rounds?! And that too, a \'short\' break?!...... What was she, a demon?!
"I honestly had some doubts but...... it can definitely work. We\'re still relying on Allen\'s wind magic for the most part, so I wouldn\'t give any concrete conclusions, but I think the end product is definitely going to rock the world. Oh dear, it\'s been so long since I was this excited!"
Furi-senpai said with a smile while shifting the bangs of her wavy chestnut chair, tied together behind her nape, over her ear.
This was the perfect example of why I feel apprehension when facing Artificers......
With a strained expression, I resumed the test drive.
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"Great job. And thank you, now I have enough data to go through."
It took everything I had to finish the next 50 laps and I plopped on the driving course right after.
I thought it was just piloting a magic two-wheeler car, the \'bike\' in another world, while controlling the flow of air with magic, but I couldn\'t have been more wrong. It actually sapped all of my mental spirit.
Like when counter-steering in the \'S\' shape course, I had to disperse the wind acting on the front wheel and lighten the frame before once again applying the downward force with wind magic to keep the frame on the ground while turning the accelerator.
It was much harder to handle everything within a short time frame than I expected as the machine wobbled like it would topple at any moment.
I really needed a new repetitive training regime to fine-tune the machine, at least to add it into my \'form\'.
"Good work, Allen-kun. Here, take the chilled tea."
Elder sister passed me tea while grinning. She has been in a humorous mood ever since I had temporarily started to live in our viscount residence and frequented the knight\'s central post from there.
I took the tea and gulped it down in one breath.
"Thank you, sis. It really breathes new life into me. Phew."
It started when Furi-senpai seriously took my flying two-wheeler joke, it was evident from her eyes.
Afterward, she kept asking me questions nonstop — it took so long I even forgot how long I was in her custody, to the point that we skipped dinner time — until I gave a concrete image. Once everything was clear, she told us, \'Just one more week. We\'re going to do the final experiment next week and confirm the prospect of this project.\'
I honestly never thought a questioning from smart people like her could be so exhausting. And while we\'re at the topic, I also discussed the dynamic force we discovered (in my setting) during our time sailing.
I guess even otherworlders weren\'t immune to the charm of a \'Flying Vehicle\'. At the very least, this dream had definitely taken its spot in Furi-senpai\'s heart, the one who couldn\'t be any more familiar with magic car machinery.
It took a mere one week for Senpai to go from creating parts to remodeling the fuselage to incorporating all sorts of experimental tools. Admittedly, it was just a rough prototype, but I could only dread at the thought of the all-nighters she must have pulled, along with the gazillion amount of money that should have been spent on it.
It was clear at a glance that she was sleep-deprived, yet instead of marring her beauty, it further accentuated her mystic charm. I guess this was the perfect example of the saying ‘A beauty is still a beauty no matter what they do’.
"Good. The performance on ground has surpassed all the initial expectations. But next is finally the time for the main course: the flying test! Even a speck of glimmer may lead us to an actual flying vehicle. However, please be careful so as not to get hurt."
You call that driving above expectation!? And wait, I only rested for five minutes too......
Uh-huh, this is why... I put back on the otherworld helmet (it had a different structure) I had just taken off a moment ago with a sigh of defeat and changed into an expensive leather suit made from monster\'s leather.
The gist of this experiment was expanding the cowl over the frame and using the horizontal wings on it to produce dynamic force while rectifying the air resistance.
Technically, it would have been impossible to generate enough dynamic force with short wings that may float the frame no matter how light and durable the metal this world had. At least it wasn\'t absolutely impossible with the highest speed I had tried just a while ago.
But that\'s where I — or more like wind magic — came into the equation. The theory on paper was to test whether wind magic could generate enough dynamic force by artificially extending the atmospheric pressure, and increase the negative pressure above the wings.
Of course, the vehicle might get driving force from the tires running on ground, but that forward force would be lost in the air, so continuous flight was currently impossible.
So basically we were to try out if the combination of wind magic and the wings could generate enough force to cause the vehicle to float in the air.
If the result was worthwhile, the project would most likely move on to tackle the next step: invention of a propeller or a jet-like engine like the ones from Earth to provide vehicles with a constant driving force in the air.
Wait, thinking about it, wasn\'t… a flying vehicle supposed to be a big deal...? I was suddenly seized by an uncomfortable feeling, but it was too late to back out now.
I mean, it wasn\'t impossible to imagine that once this world discovered the combination of wind magic and dynamic force, it would be only a matter of time before they dabbled into things like aircrafts as well.
I took my seat in the experimental vehicle — code name <Rocket Fairing> — installed with cowls and wing parts.
Fairing was, in a sense, similar to a cowl except cowl was the term used in the case of motorcycles and aircrafts, while it was called fairing in case of rockets.
Well, it was just a bit of my habit as to why I chose that name.
Anyway, I started the machine while the wings were folded and gradually increased the speed while checking for any discomfort in driving.
I pushed the button to unfold the wings right before crossing the 100 m homestretch and sped up while dispersing the downward force acting on the front part. Immediately, the front wheel started to rise into the air. Verifying that, I swiftly increased the dynamic force on the main wings, and soon, the rear part also rode into the air— actually, it climbed into the air a bit too strongly that the rear part was about to flip.
I knew I couldn\'t continue like this and immediately jumped down from the machine while protecting myself with body-strengthening magic and performing a fall-break (ukemi).
After my jump, the machine continued in a straight line for 15 m while spinning before breaking down and exploding, burning in fire along with the expensive looking sensors too.
"Are you hurt, Allen!?"
Furi-senpai dashed toward me with a pale expression. As for me… I was totally unhurt since I had maintained my posture to avoid injuries.
I raised my hand and waved at them to show I was all right.
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"I’m so glad, I thought my heart was going to stop for real. Why did you suddenly decide to go full throttle? It\'s obviously not safe. At least, it\'s good to see you’re unhurt......"
Furi-senpai seemed like she didn\'t believe me when I said I was alright and checked for herself if I was injured anywhere with a doubtful glance. She then let out a relieved sigh after confirming I was alright.
"It was quite a smooth decision, Allen-kun. I got a bit nervous there for a second. I guess your proficiency in escaping worked out quite well here, huh?"
Elder sister wasn\'t that worried, apparently.
Well, she knew that I wasn’t hurt from my movement.
"I\'m sorry, Senpai. Now we don\'t have a prototype anymore. The sensors and all the parts must have been quite pricey, right......?"
I apologized to Furi-senpai, who had an exasperated expression on her face as she shook her head.
"I mean, maybe it might not be cheap from a commoner\'s perspective but not so much for me. Besides, I’ve already got enough data to counterbalance the loss.
But I’m surprised that you’re more worried about the machine right after the accident. Or I guess that\'s just your abnormal common sense, haha."
??
Well, the machine did go boom quite splendidly, and had I been slow, I would have received injuries as well, though I was already taking precaution in case of such an accident.
My elder sister was hardly bothered, but maybe the situation looked perilous from a bystander\'s perspective.
"......The front part had immediately started climbing into the air, so I tried to counter it by lifting the rear, but maybe the momentum was too strong that it went out of control. I should have been more careful."
I said and bowed in apology. Furi-senpai looked surprised, and then wham, put both of her hands on my shoulders strongly.
"You have nothing to apologize for! You might not have a complete picture, but I do. I made sure to put more weight on the back side, and it also had your weight, yet still the rear managed to lift so crazily fast. Basically, as long as we find a way to centralize the center of gravity properly, it\'s not a pipe dream for humans to fly in the air with the combination of wind magic and magic car!
You should, in fact, rejoice at the idea, the uncharted possibility you have shown. Worrying about expensive toys? Hah... This is hardly a detriment in front of the grand scheme of things!!!"
Close. So close. Damn too close!
Furi-senpai was unmistakably a beauty, so it was really taxing on my heart when she looked at me from a dead close angle while grabbing my shoulders and shaking me.
I mean, this might be the discovery of the century for this world, but it was a predictable development for me. Hence, I was lacking in enthusiasm compared to her.
"Hey, Fu-chan. I also think it\'s alright to shift the center of gravity slightly, but too much adjustment might not be a good idea."
Woah? Machine stuff was outside my elder sister\'s range of expertise, so she hasn\'t given her perspective much until now. So it surprised me when she did so now.
Furi-senpai tapped her chin with her hand and nodded.
"True indeed...... It\'s easy for the balance to go haywire when taking Allen\'s equipment, weight, posture, and height into account—"
"Yeah, and if Allen-kun really succeeded in flying, then I want to ride together with him."
......Ah, the classic ‘Because she wanted to do it as well’ reason.
A wry smile appeared on Furi-senpai\'s expression after hearing the very sis-like words and, pom, placed her hand over elder sister\'s shoulder.
“It\'s actually the same for me too.”
......Eh, you too?!
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Afterward, we settled on three points for the plan.
First, Senpai decided to lend the improved prototype that could be used on roads to me. I would be using that during my work and pass my feedback to her.
Second was that I discussed with Furi-senpai to make the development record and know-how about two-wheelers non-exclusive, aka for public benefit, so that two-wheelers could be used by the general populace as well.
I absolutely wanted the fad of two-wheelers to spread among the general populace and dribble it down to my friends.
The fuel for the vehicles here was processed by the magic tone that they sell. One could also use magic stones directly obtained from killing monsters, but that would make maintenance a headache, so it was advised to avoid it unless there was an emergency.
A driving-licence like permit would be required here, too, but the students of the Royal Academy could escape the net of procedure by simply submitting their application. However, they would still need to remember the traffic rule book.
The third point was about the flying-type vehicle. About the balance, adjustment to the machine, and the development of the propulsion engines to give the vehicle a driving force even in the air.
However, this aspect was expected to take year(s), hence I would be visiting here at a fixed interval to give them a test ride.
And the final point— the development of the flying vehicle was made a top secret.
Furi-senpai had said something like \'We could easily turn it into a state project by having father explain the details to the kingdom, and then we would have an astronomical budget with their sponsorship. What do you say?\'
Me? I pleaded for anything but that.
My daily life was already eroded by the \'work\' of the knight order, when it should have been only for third-year students, so I absolutely didn\'t want further albatross on my neck to hinder my \'playtime\' during my school life.
Furi-senpai laughed out loud at my request.
"I know Rose was dispassionate about riches and honor, but it seems like that goes for you too, eh? No wait, you\'re quite terrifying in a way, you know. It\'s easy to imagine the impact this experiment would have on the world, but you just want to secure your \'playtime\'. Hahaha.
Well, I’ll see to the finance aspect on my side, and yeah, it might be better to keep the development between ourselves and wait until we have some kind of working prototype, considering the changes this will bring."
She easily agreed on my terms.
However, since Furi-senpai said she wanted to seek the cooperation of Mr. Ashim in his private capacity, that is, as the president of the Elvert Magic Industry, it was decided to formally request his cooperation after establishing a contract with the company that included confidentiality.
It was unexpected, but I managed to get my hands on one of the must-have items to live out my youth as an outlaw— a motorcycle.