Kays Translations

Chapter 149: The Completion of the Magic Vehicle and the Magic Vehicle Training School

When climbing a slope, the angle of the incline increases the force pulling the vehicle backward, requiring more power.

The extra power needed increases with the angle and the weight of the vehicle.

Since the angle of the slope cannot be changed, the two options are to either reduce the vehicle’s weight or simply increase its power.

“We either increase the power or reduce the weight. It’s a simple choice, but precisely because it’s simple, it’s quite challenging…”

“Indeed. We could add another wind sphere to increase power, but there’s a limit to the maximum wind force, making it inefficient. So, I’d like to try reducing the weight first.”

As Isamu pointed out, there seemed to be a limit to the maximum wind force that the wind spheres could generate.

Generally, narrowing the range could increase the wind force, but beyond a certain point, even further narrowing wouldn’t increase the wind force any more.

Additionally, the range couldn’t be made too wide.

“When you say reduce the weight, do you mean switching from a box wagon to a canopy wagon, or finding lighter and stronger monster materials?”

Willem suggested thoughtfully.
If they weren’t going to change the seating capacity, it was logical to either change the body type to something lighter or replace it with lighter materials, as Willem suggested.

“We’ll get to that eventually. For now, as long as the result is a lighter vehicle, that’s what matters.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Eto asked, tilting his head in confusion at Isamu’s cryptic remark.

“We’ll use the wind spheres.”

“Didn’t you just say they were inefficient?”

Willem questioned.

“Yes, they are inefficient for propulsion, but I thought we could use them to lift the carriage from below. We probably can’t make it float completely, but it should make it somewhat lighter.”

“I see, that’s what you meant…”

Eto and Willem nodded, understanding Isamu’s idea.

Isamu was thinking of applying the concept of upward lift, similar to how typhoons can lift roofs or even cars.

On Earth, there are no tools like wind spheres that can generate wind without counterforce, here they could produce wind from below, somewhat like a hovercraft, to lift the vehicle.
“The underside of the magic vehicle is wider than the windmill for propulsion, so the wind pressure efficiency should be better. We’ll need to be careful not to overdo it, or the vehicle might flip over.”

Isamu explained.

As seen in examples of typhoons, strong winds beneath a vehicle can flip even trucks.

Moreover, the magic vehicle lacked a differential gear, which in cars adjusts the difference in rotation speed between the inner and outer wheels when cornering.

Thus, during cornering, the inner rear wheel of the magic vehicle would inevitably lift, requiring extra caution.

With these considerations in mind, they installed the wind spheres with a wide range setting on the underside of the vehicle.

Fortunately, the vehicle had enough ground clearance due to the windmill, so installation was relatively easy.

The wind hitting the underside would bounce off in all directions. To prevent it from interfering with the windmill at the rear, they decided to add a cover. While the cover could potentially help turn the windmill if designed well, they opted to leave that for now.

After working through the night, they finished installing the wind-powered weight reduction system by the next morning.

Since it wasn’t practical to use the lord and his wife as ballast every day, they enlisted two knights recruited by Orihime to join the nine-person team at the magic vehicle parked outside the manor.

First, they activated the newly installed weight reduction system under the vehicle. Not knowing the exact effect, they used only a small amount of magic power.

Then, they started the propulsion wind sphere. With a creak, the magic vehicle began to move forward.

“Hmm? The initial acceleration seems a bit better.”

Eto noticed right away.

“Did you notice that too, Eto-san? By making the weight lighter, the wind force needed to start moving was reduced, and the acceleration after starting has also improved.”

Indeed, the weight reduction effect was beneficial even on level ground, not just on slopes.

The magic vehicle continued smoothly until it reached the steep slope they had struggled with the previous day.

Since they were now descending, they used the engine brake on the rear wheels to carefully descend the slope, with the weight reduction system turned off.

After safely reaching the bottom and turning the vehicle around in a small clearing, they reactivated the weight reduction system to tackle the uphill climb.

As the vehicle started to slow down, Isamu increased the propulsion power and slightly boosted the weight reduction system.

Even with less magic power than the previous day, they successfully climbed the slope at the target cruising speed, eliciting cheers from the passengers.
“It went just as planned.”

“Yes, I think it’s now practically usable!”

Isamu responded, high-fiving Eto and Willem in the driver’s seat.

After confirming that the vehicle performed well for an hour on the road, they returned to the workshop to begin the final finishing touches.

First, they built the frame for the upper part of the vehicle and then attached walls, a roof, and some glass windows.

To avoid a boxy look that would be unattractive and create a lot of air resistance, they gave it a slightly rounded shape.

By adding semicircular fenders to the front and rear wheels, they further softened the overall form of the vehicle.

Magic lanterns were installed on the fenders and at the front of the vehicle to serve as headlights, making it suitable for night driving without the need for breaks.

On the wooden boards forming the base of the walls, they attached thin insulation stones for thermal insulation. Over that, they layered the familiar exoskeleton of the Solid Beetle, which is luxurious and water-resistant.

To compensate for the thin exterior’s lack of strength, they added magic circles for protection against physical attacks.

They used thickened magic ink to create accented trims and moldings along the edges and key points.
The seats inside were made from the tanned leather of river sharks, which is waterproof, durable, flexible, and has a pleasant feel.

Additionally, they installed a heating and cooling system by combining magic stoves, a refrigerated box, and small wind spheres.

The driver’s seat was equipped with side mirrors.

After about ten days, during which Isamu poured all his knowledge of magic devices into this project, the prototype of the magic vehicle was finally completed.

With its rounded, jet-black form and the propulsion wind sphere sticking out from the back like a tail, it was named the Black Cat.

At the very front center of the vehicle, an emblem modeled after Orihime’s paw print stamp shone proudly.

The results of the performance tests conducted in parallel during the prototype phase led to the following final specifications:

Magic Vehicle Prototype No. 1 “Black Cat” Specifications:

• Seating Capacity: 4 people + 1 animal + cargo space
• Maximum Load: 4 people + 1 animal + one full wine barrel
• Power Source: Wind power
• Required Magic Stones: 1 medium wind magic stone (for propulsion), 1 small wind magic stone (for weight reduction)
• Recommended Maximum Speed: 15 km/h (approximate feel)
• Maximum Speed: Over 20 km/h
• Continuous Operating Time: About 11 hours (with weight reduction system off) / about 18 hours (with weight reduction system on)

The seating capacity refers to the number of people who can sit on the installed seats. If there’s no cargo, up to three more adults can ride in the cargo space.

These weights allow the vehicle to maintain the recommended speed, but if speed is not a priority, it can carry more.

The operating time is the duration the medium magic stone can power the blowers needed to maintain the recommended speed with the maximum expected load. The weight reduction system extends this by 1.5 times or more.

However, as starting up consumes a lot of magic power, stopping the vehicle shortens the running time, so it’s better to idle during short breaks for better fuel efficiency.

Since the vehicle produces no exhaust gases, it’s clean and can idle without concern.

The medium magic stone was needed for the propulsion wind sphere because the power output required at startup exceeded the output of a small magic stone, and the small magic stone’s total magic power would shorten the operating time, making frequent stone changes necessary.

By using high-output magic circles employing the magic variable used during the ruins exploration, they confirmed that the propulsion system could start with a small magic stone.

Thus, the weight reduction wind sphere, which required less wind force, was switched to use the cheaper and more readily available small magic stones.

Nevertheless, small magic stones only allowed about six hours of use for the weight reduction system, necessitating frequent changes.
Despite this, running nearly 300 kilometers would cost over 100,000 yen, making it quite a luxury vehicle.

However, being able to travel 300 kilometers in a day, though realistically not feasible without breaks, is groundbreaking in Ethersia, where the average horse-drawn carriage covers about 50 kilometers a day.

Of course, with only one vehicle, the improvement is modest. Isamu believed that dramatic effects would come from collective operation and had already started producing two types of mass-production vehicles.

One is a cargo magic vehicle to accompany the Black Cat. It’s designed to be lightweight by sacrificing comfort, such as using a canopy wagon, to increase load capacity. The old bath wagon has also been converted to this type of magic vehicle.

The other is a light magic vehicle, designed to run for about three hours even with a small magic stone, by reducing speed and load capacity.

Although the recommended speed drops to just under 10 km/h, it’s still faster than current carriages.

Considering practical driving times, having mandatory breaks every three hours might actually prevent fatigue-related accidents.

Two weeks had passed since the completion of the Black Cat.

In that time, two cargo magic vehicles and one light magic vehicle had been completed, and driving lessons were being conducted daily for the lord and lady of the domain and members of the knight brigade.

“Woohoo, it’s fast and fun! No one will be able to outrun me!”
Tiramisu shouted as she zoomed around in the light magic vehicle at the training ground, which had been transformed into a driving course with hills, S-curves, and intersections made from empty barrels.

“Meow!”

Orihime, sitting on Tiramisu’s head, scratched her ear in disapproval.

“Ow! Sorry!”

Tiramisu yelped, apologizing.

“…Tiramisu fails again. How many times has it been now?”

Diluc, the knight brigade captain, watching the scene sighed.

It was graduation test time. The simple test required participants to complete a designated course with the strict instructor Orihime on board; if they avoided getting scratched, they passed. Tiramisu, the problem child, was on her fourth consecutive failure, dropping to her knees in despair.

The completion of the magic vehicles had quickly spread among the knights, as they had been conducting tests in the training ground. As expected, they were inundated with questions about how to drive the vehicles.

Drivers were obviously needed for operation, so lectures and tests were organized for the knights. Only those who passed could drive the vehicles. As expected, applications flooded in, with all knights applying within half a day.

Since it was impossible to train everyone at once, a schedule was set up like a driving school, and training began. Because Isamu’s transportation was confirmed to be the magic vehicle, his personal guards received priority training. The guard squad had recently been expanded to six members, including Tiramisu and Ulysses.

Except for Tiramisu, the five members, whether cautious or aggressive, had the sense to pass on their first try. Only Tiramisu’s personality drastically changed when she took the wheel, preventing her from passing.

“It’s rare to see someone change so much when driving.”

Isamu remarked with a wry smile, watching the scene.

“My apologies for the spectacle…”

Felix, the guard captain, said, bowing his head with a bitter expression.

“No, it’s not your fault, Felix-san. For now, let’s ban Tiramisu from driving.”

“Yes, we’ll do that. We don’t have much time before departure, and even if she passes by chance, it’s too dangerous to let her drive on the roads.”

Felix agreed, nodding firmly.

“Ugh… My magic vehicle… It told me I could do it…”

Tiramisu lamented, her eyes vacant as she faced the suspension.

“Meow!”
Orihime, perched on her shoulder, repeatedly swatted Tiramisu’s face with her tail, prompting her to reflect on her actions.

Despite this minor incident, preparations for Isamu’s departure continued smoothly.

It was two days before they set out on a tour of the territories of Margrave Balsham, Count Eriksen, and Margrave Innocenti, who belonged to the same faction and held lands in the west.

Previous chapter | TOC | Next chapter