Once upon a time, in Continental Calendar 3650.
"We really do need a faster means of travel after all, don't we?"
No longer known as the Demon Race but the "Northern People," Marikka of the All-Creation clan muttered to herself as she gazed up at the sky from atop her Golem horse.
"Oh my, Marikka, what brings you here today?"
Marikka had ridden her Golem horse to the home of the All-Creation Clan Chief.
Waiting there was Sion, her longtime friend and the wife of Clan Chief Belialus.
"Well, I was hoping to consult with you about something."
"Now, now, no need to stand around talking at the door. Come on in."
Currently, Sion was 263 years old, and Marikka was 243.
Since the Northern People aged about five times slower than humans of the Lauren Continent, both appeared to be in their middle years.
Thanks to that slow passage of time, the once tomboyish Sion had settled down completely, exuding the dignified presence befitting a Clan Chief's wife, while Marikka's youthful restlessness had faded, leaving behind a mature, accomplished magi engineer.
"So, what did you want to discuss?"
"A means of transportation."
"A means of transportation?"
"Yes....Today offers a convenient example. It's about how to travel when the weather is clear, but the snow is deep."
"Even on a Golem horse, that can be quite difficult, can't it?"
"Exactly."
"And that's why we need the sky," Marikka said.
"The sky, huh..."
"In the past, Jin-sa... Jin-sama created a variety of aircraft. I want to build an aircraft truly suited to the Nord Federation as well."
Sion smiled.
"I see. So you want me to arrange a budget for that, do you?"
"Yes."
Because Belialus, the Clan Chief of the All-Creation clan, served essentially as a steward for the entire Nord Federation, his wife, Sion, oversaw the clan's internal affairs.
"Understood. If Jin's disciple believes it can be done, then it must be possible. Go right ahead."
"Thank you very much."
The Nord Federation's food situation had improved, and its economic circumstances had taken a major turn for the better.
Sion had already been thinking it was time for them to cultivate their own unique culture.
"Analyzing the aircraft Jin-sama built, they can be broken down into four distinct categories."
"Yes, Marikka-sama."
Assisting Marikka was Hanako, the automata she had crafted just recently.
Yearning to build a bond like the one between Jin and Reiko, Marikka had poured her heart and soul into the creation.
"First, there is the type where forward thrust from a propulsion system generates lift across the main wings to achieve flight."
The Glider Golems Jin made in the early days, as well as the Skylark and Albatross models, fell into this category.
"Next is the VTOL type, which separates the levitator for lift from the propulsion system for forward motion."
Pegasus 1 and Condor were prime examples.
"Then there are balloons and airships, which utilize gases lighter than air."
Konron 2 and hot air balloons belonged here. Granted, Konron 2 also utilized a force generator, but...
"And lastly, the type that relies on a force generator."
These were primarily spaceships.
"Force generators and balloons are out of the question. Generating lift with fixed wings also requires a runway, which presents its own problems..."
Marikka judged that operating such craft over snowbound terrain would simply be too impractical.
"In that case, it really has to be a VTOL design."
By separating the mechanism for floating from the mechanism for forward thrust, they could create a functional VTOL craft.
"The real issue is the engine, isn't it...?"
She was intimately familiar with the Magi Jet Engine Jin had developed. However...
"...It isn't exactly suitable for widespread use."
Marikka's overarching goal was that "anyone should be able to operate it." To achieve that, ease of maintenance and repair was paramount.
A Magi Jet Engine would require an engineer of Marikka's current caliber just to perform routine maintenance and fine-tuning.
"...And designing a simplified version won't be easy, either."
This dilemma left Marikka racking her brains for several days.
"...I did it..."
A few days later, Marikka successfully built what would later be known as a "levitator" or "floating device"—the Blow Floater engine.
What set it apart from Jin's designs was the sheer breadth of its airflow.
"Conceptually, imagine inflating a parachute with an updraft from below," she explained.
"Yes, Marikka-sensei."
Marikka went over the mechanics with her disciples.
"To put it simply, let's call the opening a nozzle. If the nozzle is small, the craft won't achieve lift unless you drastically increase the velocity of the expelled air."
According to Marikka's calculations, the anticipated total weight—including both the craft and the pilot—was around 200 kilograms.
At that weight, relying on a narrow stream would require wind speeds comparable to a raging tempest.
To reduce the required airspeed, she simply had to increase the volume of air instead. Thus, she constructed a magi-formula capable of expanding the virtual nozzle's diameter to several meters across.
"All right, let's test it out."
The prototype was completed a few days later, with Hanako serving as the test pilot.
They gathered in an open clearing on the outskirts of the All-Creation clan territory, where the snow lay roughly a meter deep.
The site had been chosen deliberately in the hopes that, should the worst happen and the craft crash, the snow would cushion the blow.
"Hanako, be careful."
"Yes, Marikka-sama."
With a nod, Hanako boarded the prototype and activated the Blow Floater engine.
Accompanied by a distinctive, rising hum, the "canopy" functioning as the main wing blossomed open. At this stage, she was still using a flexible wing design.
Gradually, the craft lifted off the ground.
"It's floating!"
Once the prototype had risen to a height of about three meters, Hanako engaged the propulsion system, and the craft began creeping forward.
Its forward pace was roughly that of a walking person.
Marikka and her disciples held their breath as they watched the flight unfold.
And then...
"Ah."
"Look out!"
A tear suddenly ripped through the fabric of the canopy serving as the wing.
Robbed of its lift, the craft dropped straight down.
"Hanako!"
Marikka bolted toward the crash site, only to...
"......"
...plow headfirst into a drift and get buried in the snow.
"Marikka-sama, are you all right?"
It was Hanako who pulled her out.
Though it was technically a crash, the craft hadn't plummeted violently. Just as Marikka had calculated, the thick snow underneath absorbed the impact, leaving both pilot and craft virtually unscathed.
"Oh, thank goodness..."
Relieved, Marikka pulled Hanako into a tight embrace.
There was no doubt about it: the failure stemmed from a lack of structural strength in the main wing.
For Prototype No. 2, she replaced the flexible fabric with a rigid canopy.
While this added roughly fifteen kilograms to the overall weight, bumping the levitator's output by twenty percent was more than enough to offset the difference.
"It worked this time!"
"Congratulations, Sensei!"
Cheers erupted from Marikka and her disciples.
Step by step, Marikka brought the Blow Floater closer to perfection.