Chapter 84 - The Boat with a Beak
The next day, when Beatrix, Bonnie, and I went to the Marcelo Company to go rat hunting, we saw Paul-san and Lyudmila talking in front of a metal cylinder in the workshop. Apparently, they are trying to develop a boat that moves without rowing.
"How are you going to make it move?"
They said they are considering two methods.
"Using wind magic."
"Wasn't magic supposed to be canceled out?"
Beatrix's [Fire Ball] had disappeared easily.
"Even if the magic is canceled, once the boat starts moving, the magic won't matter, right?"
That's certainly true.
"We flew in the sky the other day. I'll tie that to the boat with a rope and fly over the mist. The boat will be on the water surface. This way, it shouldn't be canceled."
I see. It seems it'll be fine as long as he flies over the mist.
"What's the other one?"
"If we gradually release hardened air, the force will move the boat forward."
"?"
He was gliding on the water the other day. Apparently, at that time, he was moving while deactivating part of the bowl. When he was floating, he became unable to maintain the magic. He had no choice but to gradually deactivate it while being prepared to swim, and the wind blew out forcefully, moving the bowl forward. What we witnessed was him gliding because it became fun. Apparently, when he finally fell from the bowl, there was almost no hardened air left.
"Of course you'd fall then," I said, half-exasperated, and he said it'll be fine if he devises the shape.
"I will definitely succeed in a triple, no, quadruple rotation!"
He's strangely enthusiastic for some reason.
"Quadruple rotations aside, what happened to the boat story?"
To be honest, I don't care about Paul-san's hobbies either.
"Right, right, the boat story. Look at this."
What he showed me was a cylinder made of metal. It was about as long as a person's height and as thick as a torso. One end was crushed and sealed, and the other end was flat like a duck's beak. The beak wasn't closed; there was a gap wide enough for an arm to fit in.
"What is that?"
"It's a bronze water pipe. I pulled it from the town hall's warehouse."
"Is it okay to just take that without permission?"
"Oh, my late father bought it personally, so it's mine now. It's for emergency repairs when stone water pipes are damaged, but it should be fine to take one or two."
There were five or six rolling on the floor. Is it really okay? If Paul-san is treated as a thief, we might be dragged in too.
"This cylinder is the new development that can move a boat without rowing."
With something like this?
"What is this beak?"
When I asked, I was praised, being told that calling it a beak was a good way to put it.
"What happens if you release air after compressing it into this cylinder?"
The beak would spit out wind.
"Ah, I see! If you attach it to a boat, the boat will move with the force of the wind blowing out!"
"Exactly. If it doesn't move well, we can also create wind and catch it with a sail."
After receiving Paul-san's explanation with gestures, I somehow understood that the boat would move forward, but... will it really work that well?
"Are you going to use [Wind Barrier]?"
"That's the plan, but it's quite difficult."
Looking in the direction he pointed, there were bronze pipes with cracks in various places. Apparently, they burst the moment the [Wind Barrier] was deactivated.
"Then, what will you do?"
"I'll use [Clamp Air]. One time won't be enough power, so I'll gradually pack it in with both hands alternately."
I see. If I could release ten shots' worth of my [Holy] all at once, it would probably have the power of Marcelo-san's [Holy Lance]. He apparently compresses it by making a lump of air and pushing it in, making another and pushing it in. He said it's done once he can seal it after packing it to a certain extent.
"This is the lid."
What he took out was clay.
"I'll seal it like this."
When Paul-san packed the clay into the beak and deactivated the magic, the beak easily spat out the clay.
"See? It's difficult, isn't it?"
Why are you boasting?
"When the experiment succeeds, I intend to call this thing the 'Glorious Bronze Pipe,' no, the 'Glorious Beak.'"
That's so exaggerated...
"Oh, that's strange."
Beatrix is exactly right. It's way too grandiose.
"Since Jeanne is the one who named it a beak, 'Jeanne's Beak' is the correct name."
Wait, why does it turn out like that! Paul-san is the one who made the beak!
"Indeed, Beatrix's argument has some merit."
No, it has nothing but unreasonableness. It's correct to call it 'Paul's Beak' after the person who made it, or 'Lyudmila's Beak' after the person who helped. 'Glorious Beak' is perfect, isn't it!
"Jeanne, that's nice."
"You think it's good? Then let's make it 'Lyudmila's Beak.'"
"No."
This girl...
"Since they're a pair... it's better to take one of the names, isn't it?"
Bonnie was stroking the bronze pipe. You, what are you touching while saying that? Just so you know, I'm not that hard.
In the end, the name was put on hold until the results were out. If it comes to this, I must prevent my name from being used at all costs.
Since Paul-san was going to experiment in the river with Lyudmila, we decided to join them after the rat hunting was over. The rat hunting was also strangely successful, and we exterminated twenty-five rats. A new record! Following Angelica-san's example of taming the bandits, we had recently been baiting them by throwing chicken carcasses into the pit every day. The effect might be showing. Unfortunately, we didn't reach the record of twenty-six, but we might achieve it eventually.
When we went to the river, a crowd had gathered.
"They're here!"
Everyone looked downstream all at once. When I looked with them, a pillar of water approached with a roar. It was Paul-san. The bow was completely lifted into the air, and it was tilted so much that the stern seemed about to sink. Lyudmila was clinging to the stern; was she operating the rudder? Since she was facing backward and her hair was all streaming behind her, her face was completely invisible. Paul-san was making a guts pose toward us. In an instant, they went upstream while kicking up spray.
I was worried they might crash into the bank at the bend at this rate, but they decelerated after passing halfway through the town and returned to being a normal boat. The air packed in the beak must have run out. It's fast, but it's over in an instant. They rowed back toward us, huffing and puffing.
When they reached the riverbank, a cheer went up, and a "Paul! Paul!" call echoed. Paul-san responded by raising both hands. "As expected of Paul!" "Did you see that speed? It was like flying on water." "More than that, look at that spray. It was rising quite high." Everyone was excited and praising them in unison.
Then Lyudmila got off the boat. Paul-san, who had been posing with the boat in the background until then, suddenly put his index finger to his lips and quieted the crowd.
"Let me introduce her! My partner in this high-speed boat development. Nakanohara Town's officially recognized agricultural researcher, a contract employee of the Marcelo Company, and a member of the currently popular monster extermination group, the Class of 175, Miss Lyudmila!"
Who is popular? So exaggerated. When Lyudmila bowed with a bright red face, a grand "Lyudmila!" call broke out. As expected, this was too much for her. When I called out to her, she ran over and buried her face in my chest. I hid her face with both my sleeves.
"Now, everyone!" Paul-san's speech continued. "What we of the Marcelo Company have created this time is this bronze beak!" He must have had a spare; when he heaved it up, everyone looked at it curiously. "And that beak, like that!" When he pointed at the boat, a beak was attached diagonally to the side. There were probably two, one on each side. The beak part was submerged in the water. Perhaps because of the beak, the stern was heavy; even though it was just floating, the stern was submerged and the bow was lifted accordingly.
"By attaching it to the hull like that and doing a little trick, what do you know! A high-speed boat is complete!" It was like a barker at a street stall had started. "The speed is fine, but in that state, can everyone get on, hold hands, and sing the song?" It was just as Beatrix worried. It would be all we could do just to cling on so as not to fall. I mean, I don't want to ride.
"Now, I want to ask everyone," Paul-san's sales pitch was still continuing. "We must give a name to this magical beak. Now, I want to ask everyone here. The one who looked at this bronze pipe and named it a beak was one of the Nakanohara Madonnas, Jeanne over there." "Ohhh," everyone looked at me. The conversation has taken a strange turn. "When I tried to name this the 'Glorious Beak,' some said 'Jeanne's Beak' was better, others said 'Paul's Beak,' and still others said 'Lyudmila's Beak' was better; opinions are divided."
This time everyone looked at Lyudmila. Lyudmila was hiding her face against my sleeve. "Now, I want to ask everyone. If we were to name this epoch-making bronze pipe, what name would be good?" This is bad; this is the worst-case scenario. As proof, Beatrix was looking at me and smirking. "Now, everyone. Starting with 'Glorious Beak'... What? Too grandiose? My, that's harsh. Then, how about 'Paul's Beak'? What, what? No need for an old man? This is quite something; the gentlemen of Nakanohara have sharp tongues. Then, how about 'Lyudmila's Beak'? What? It's pitiful to use a child's name? What if an accident happens? I see, I see. Everyone is so kind."
Wait a minute, please. Lyudmila is fifteen. She's an adult. If it's pitiful for Lyudmila, then it's also pitiful for me, who is the same age! "Now, then all that remains is 'Jeanne's Beak.' Is it okay to decide on this, everyone?"
Before I knew it, a "Jeanne! Jeanne!" call had started. The old men in the crowd all looked at me and started clapping. "Wait, please! Wait, please! It's presumptuous to use my name. Paul-san is the one who invented this!" I pleaded desperately, but no one listened. The old men all said "Congratulations" to me. Nothing is worth congratulating. Why does it turn out like this!
"Jeanne. It's the price of fame for being ranked. Give up," Beatrix whispered in my ear while I was protesting vehemently. Hearing that, while I hung my head in dejection, the name of the beak was finally decided.
After hearing Paul-san's story, Adolf-san decided to provide funding if two conditions were met. One was that it could be operated with intermediate magic, and the other was that it could go to the next village non-stop, even if the speed was reduced. Paul-san was the one who got motivated. He negotiated to have the money provided even if it had to be a loan if he couldn't do it, and it went that way. Then, two people from the guards' workshop started helping with the development of the beak.
After several prototypes, the No. 0 model was finally completed. This was because they had a prospect of storing compressed air as originally planned. They made the base of the beak into a thin, thick-walled cylinder and embedded two screws there. It's a mechanism where air comes out if you turn the screws.
Later, an improved riverboat was completed. That boat, named 'Jeanne's Beak No. 1,' even had a launching ceremony held in the presence of Mayor Adolf, and I was made to attend wearing my ritual robes. In the future, the number will be increased to No. 2, No. 3, and so on, to be used for high-speed travel on the Nakanohara River, and eventually, it's planned to be presented to the royal palace. The fare is three times that of a normal riverboat. Even if the speed is reduced to increase the distance, it can move people and cargo at twice the speed of a post horse. An intermediate wind mage is required, but for example, it also became a new re-employment destination for magic soldiers who were forced to retire due to war or accidents. By the way, I get to ride for free for the rest of my life. I feel like what I paid was large, but I'll probably get my money's worth.