Chapter 11
Wolf: “Hoo, so you went on a hunt and made a contract with a fairy . ”
It’s been two days since I went on a hunt and successfully gained father’s favorability points, and Wolf-sensei came to the mansion again as my private tutor .
Wolf-sensei is really interested in the fairy that I got .
Astrid: “Yes, that was the outcome . Her name is Blau . ”
Blau: “I am Blau! How do you do!”
Blau floats from my shoulder toward Wolf-sensei and greets him .
Most of the time, Blau didn’t separate from me and stays by my side . Well, she’s a girl so other than the time I go to the toilet she stays with me . I let her in with me when I take baths, but she looked like she was about to die as she almost drowns . I wonder if fairies are weak to water .
Astrid: “By the way, Wolf-sensei,what are fairies good for? This girl doesn’t really have any hint of being useful though…”
Blau: “You’re mean!”
What do you mean I’m mean? That’s the truth .
Blau just flies around people, showing no signs of being useful . I’d like to say she’s a good-for-nothing, but Fairies don’t really eat anything so it’s not thwarting nor costing me anything . This girl is really not doing anything .
Wolf: “Hmm . This fairy’s attribute is wind, I see . This means she could reduce the amount of mana needed to cast Wind-based spells . Additionally, they can help you cast wind-based magic more precisely . That’s the blessing of a fairy . ”
Wolf-sensei told me that Fairies and Spirits has good relations . In the case when humans use magic, they can more easily borrow the power of the spirits with the help of Fairies, and that’s what the people call the Fairy’s Blessing, and it was normal for a magician to be contracted to some fairies .
Astrid: “Are you contracted to fairies as well, Wolf-sensei?”
Wolf: “Yes, mine is called Lotti . Come here, Lotti . ”
Wolf-sensei tapped his pocket, and a pair of lazy eyes sluggishly peeks out . It’s a fairy with golden eye and golden hair . Just like Blau, she was wrapped with fancy dress, but she seemed to have no motivation .
Astrid: “She looks really sleepy, isn’t she…”
Wolf: “Lotti is nocturnal . She’s a fire elemental . Thanks to the power of her fire, I’m living a convenient life . I won’t forget to turn off the light after I’m done doing research at night, and there were no problems lighting up the hearth during cold winter days . ”
Hmm . It’s effectiveness is rather plain . I do feel that it’s convenient though .
Astrid: “It’s like an automatic control for magic, is it?”
Wolf: “Yes . If you ask them to do something to a certain extent they will do it for you . They can also help controlling the magic you cast . I don’t know how far you can use your magic, Astrid-sama, so it’s nice that your fairy can be a form of safety for you . ”
If I think about it that way, then they really are convenient .
Astrid: “Can Blau-chan only control wind-based spells?”
Wolf: “Yes . Fairies have their affinity with their respective spirits, so fundamentally, they can only control one element of magic . ”
Hmm . There isn’t much she could do if she can control wind magic though .
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Spells that uses wind…wind…wind…
Astrid: “Ah! That’s it! I can think of two of them!”
With the use of fully automatic magic, there are two things I would like to try and do .
Astrid: “Before that, Wolf-sensei, can you be contracted with multiple fairies?”
Wolf: “That’s rather complicated . I don’t think you can’t, but fairies are usually shy in personality, so they don’t usually show themselves to people, and they have freedom to choose who they want to be contracted to . ”
Blau: “I won’t be contracted to anyone other than my master!”
Hmm, so fairies are unsociable shut-ins, huh . Such a bother .
Astrid: “In my case, she was asking to get caught . Anyways, I’ve made an amazing discovery I want Wolf-sensei to see, is that okay?”
Wolf: “C-caught? This amazing discovery of yours, is that concerning the metal which magic is easy to control when infused in it?”
Astrid: “No, it’s another thing . Just in case, please brace yourself with Blood Magic . A body recovery might be needed . ”
Alright . This is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time . I’ve always thought about it, but controlling wind magic is difficult so I gave up on it, but now that there’s Blau’s automatic control, I might be able to do it .
Astrid: “Earth spirit, please!”
I recalled the figure I always saw in the military journals and festivals in military bases, solidify the image and let Uncle Gnome the Earth Spirit perform the adjustments, and then it appears before me in reality .
Astrid: “It’s done!”
What appeared had two main wings, two tail wings, two vertical stabilizers . It was a machine with 6 wings in total and a pair of engine .
Yep, it’s an airplane part!
…It’s a lot smaller and more compact than an aircraft, the fact that it has only wings and mostly hollow engines means I use it by carrying it on my back . I name this the Astrid Flight Unit, a . k . a . Type-04 Flight Unit .
Wolf: “Astrid-sama, how do you use this thing?
Astrid: “Like this!”
I seek action from the Wind spirit . The air in the engine on my back rotates and compresses and further compresses, until that compressed air is—
Astrid: “Fire spirit, ignite!”
Then, I used the help of the fire spirit and heat the compressed air all at once .
After that, release the high-pressure high-temperature! The gas turned into a propulsive power and—
Astrid: “OO—!!”
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Wolf: “OOH!?”
Both me and Wolf-sensei let out a surprised voice .
I’m floating in the air! I’m floating!!
Astrid: “I can reproduce jet engines!”
As I was suspended in the air, I shouted in joy and clenched my fist .
In a way, the structure of a jet engine is simple .
A mechanical fan called the compressor compresses the air, and then that high-pressure air is heated by the combustion of the fuel, creating high pressure high temperature gas exhaust flowing out as a propulsive power . Since it’s this simple, even an idiot like me can remember it .
Astrid: “Blau-chan, did you remember the structure of this engine?”
Blau: “I remembered!”
Alright . The control of the operation of the circulating, compressed air is not easy . That’s why if I can leave it to her, it’ll be a lot easier . Therefore, I can operate the airframe with a bit of leeway in processing power on my side .
Astrid: “Alright, let’s go!”
I turned the mana engine up, maneuvered my body horizontally, and took flight in one fell swoop .
Ah . I did pretty well using Wind Elemental Magic to reduce the drag from the air that’s brushing my body, but I’m flying yo . I wanted to try piloting an aircraft, but I’m not a plane mechanic, so this is my current limit for now .
Yet again, being able to soar the sky would bring me a massive advantage in my confrontation with fate . I can rain down bullets, shells and even aerial bombs to instantly mow down my enemies!
I soared the sky to my heart’s content, but the centrifugal force from making sharp turns are really limiting what I can do . But since there are no problems with breathing in such altitude and speed, so I had no problems just flying .
Alright, I should be landing soon or else Wolf-sensei would be worried .
I searched for an open space for me to land, and as I did, I entered landing position .
I slowly lowered my altitude and my speed, lowered my flaps, and my landing posture is set . After that, I just need to apply Blood magic to my legs, lift the nose—or rather, my head and my upper body, to increase drag .
And…touchdown! There were still some speed on my approach, but I slow down as I run through the grassland near the ranch and stopped around the place I took off . Bullseye .
Astrid: “How is it, Wolf-sensei! I soared the sky!”
Wolf: “Y-Yes . You did . You flied quite some distance . ”
Wolf-sensei looked at me dumbfounded .
Wolf: “I-Is that the magic you thought of, Astrid-sama?”
Astrid: “Well, you can say that . ”
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It’s actually thanks to the article titled “Jet Engine Construction for Dummies” in the military magazine I read though .
Wolf: “That’s amazing . If you can write down the mechanism of the magic you can already get a doctorate degree in the academy . Yet since it’s dangerous, please try to restrain from doing it, alright? If you hit a bird or something with that speed, you will be badly hurt . ”
Astrid: “Yes, I also have to think about bird strikes too, huh…”
It’s true that there might be a day where I would collide with a bird in that speed .
Wolf: “And if you fall from such height…”
Astrid: “Then I’ll be needing a parachute, don’t I? But how do you make parachutes anyways…?”
Wolf: “I-I don’t know…”
I’d probably need to prepare one in case of emergency withdrawal, but parachutes are made with cloth, so I can’t ask the spirits to make it for me, and I don’t know what shape or form should I make if I were to weave it myself…
Wolf: “Ah, I forgot to say this, but there were some development in the subject of mana control within objects . Controlling mana within metals containing a certain mineral is easier . The mana ratio required in the paper was 500 to 1, but with this metal, the ratio falls to 50 to 1 . ”
Astrid: “Ooh! Is this it?”
The metal Wolf-sensei showed me wasn’t Silver .
Astrid: “Thank you, Wolf-sensei! I will try it out!”
Wolf: “Yes . I hope it goes well . On another note, that surprising flight magic, how did you…?”
Hmm . If I told him about it, I’ll be telling him about my advantage .
Astrid: “Please wait until I make an official papers myself ♪”
I said thus to deceive him .
Gnome: “Seems like it went well . ”
Astrid: “Ah, uncle Gnome!”
As we were talking, uncle Gnome showed himself with a sour look .
Gnome: “I didn’t know what tool was it supposed to be used for just by seeing it in your imagination, but to think that that’s how you use it . At that speed too . It’s something that no one in this world could’ve thought of . ”
Astrid: “Ehehe . ”
Gnome: “I ain’t praisin’ . ”
Huh? you weren’t praising me?”
Gnome: “That thing also—”
Astrid: “has the potential to topple the balance of power?”
If people can fly, wars would change . But if they don’t pair it with my firearms and still use their crossbows, the bolts would be swept by the wind and they would virtually never hit their targets .
But still, this technology enables aerial reconnaissance, and they can replace aerial bombs with oils to flood the area and make a sea of flames, so just with this flight technology, I can ruin the balance of power…maybe . I feel that this case is tricky .
It’s also possible that it wouldn’t create that big of a change .
I read it in the internet once that although airplanes are introduced in World War I, it wasn’t significant enough to turn the tide of the war .
Gnome: “Seems like you’re thinking about it . ”
Astrid: “I’m just wondering if my Type-04 Flight Unit can really topple the balance of power . ”
Being a flight magic, there are a lot of restriction, and you can’t really fly adequately without getting contracted with a wind-elemental fairy .
Gnome: “You might not know it, but being able to see the war from the sky will change the war . Victory or defeat can be determined simply by knowing the enemy’s formation . ”
Astrid: “Is that so . If they conduct aerial reconnaissance, they can figure out the formation of the enemy troops . They can also figure out the hidden reserve troops, and base their actions according to the intel, right?”
Having eyes in the skies can change the tide of war .
When it comes to jet planes, all I thought of are bombing runs and air-to-air dogfights .
Astrid: “I understand, uncle Gnome . But humans will continue to develop from now on, so I think it isn’t good to keep binding them down . It’s not like I have any intentions to teach anyone about my methods of battling my fate though . ”
Gnome: “Say that after you can make those things with your own hands instead of relying on the spirits . ”
Uu, I’ve got nothing to say back .
Currently I’m relying on the spirits to make things for me, so I’m not making it on my own .
Astrid: “Then I’ll keep it a secret . ”
I made that promise to uncle Gnome .
But even if I didn’t try to hide it, the only one who knows about the mechanism of the jet engine is me . I doubt anyone else would understand the method of compressing and then heating up air for propulsion .
Astrid: “Alright, today’s experiment is concluded safely! Wolf-sensei, can I borrow this metal?”
Wolf: “Yes, it’s alright . Please let me know if it goes well . ”
Alright . If controlling mana within this metal is possible, I’ll have made some progress on my firearms .
Astrid: “My quest for sorcery is advancing . The day I will knock down my fate is nearing!”
Wolf: “Knock down your fate…?”
As Wolf-sensei was busy being puzzled, I renewed my determination .