“Allen, this is very different from the glider I have seen before. How does it fly?”
“Yes. I made it for training purposes. Let me show you how to fly this glider before we fly it.”

We are now on the banks of a large river nearby.

Today is the promised day to teach Anna how to fly a glider, for which I had built a practice runway on this riverbank.

And this practice glider, which I had been working on in earnest since right after the battle with Amy, was finally finished to a level where I could give it a passing grade, so I brought Anna along for the ride.

This glider, developed using the knowledge of my previous life and the experience gained with Buitor, is a two-seater type with seats. Of course, the seats are arranged side by side to make it easier to teach.

After much consideration, I settled on this design. As expected, it is better for teaching. Moreover, Anna’s magic power is quite high, so even if the aircraft is a little bigger and the wind magic engine requires a little more power, it should not be a problem.

Also, this time, the directional rudder and elevation rudder for controlling the aircraft are mechanical. As Anna doesn’t have the 【Alchemy】skill, so I had to make it analogous.

Of course, I can use my 【Alchemy】 skill to take over the controls while piloting the plane next to her, and in the worst-case scenario, we can use the parachutes to escape.

When I think about it, though, I still feel uneasy about the maintenance of the mechanical systems. It’s not like I have a proper mechanic, and even the replacement parts are made by me.

Father-in-law seems to be expecting me to craft several wind magic gliders to turn them into a fighting force, but considering the various aspects, it will be difficult for the time being.

“With this control stick, I see. So when you do this, this part of the wing here lowers. This changes the flow of air, and the fuselage turns upward; it is called an elevator. And when you step on that with your foot, this part moves. This changes the direction of the glider and is called the rudder. This is an amazing mechanism!”

Anna is carefully learning how to operate each of the controls. And, as one would expect from someone so smart, she seemed to be understanding what I am teaching her about why things work the way they do.

“Allen, I learned it. Can I try flying it for practice?”
“Wait a moment. First, I’ll take the controls for the takeoff and landing. These are the most dangerous part of flying a glider. Then, once we’re up in the air and stable, you can try to control the plane a little bit.”
“Yes”

Normally, Anna appears calm, but it seems she was looking forward to it a lot. She looks so cute, like a child who can’t wait to play with her toys.

Without a word about what I was thinking, I got in and fastened my seatbelt. After making sure that Ana had also fastened her seatbelt, I started up the wind magic engine.

The training plane accelerates with a rattling sound and then floats up softly.

“Allen. Does it not take off like the Buitor, which you always used to take me in?”
“Actually, the Buitor is more of a special type, and this way of taking off is normally more efficient. The Buitor lifts all of its weight by blowing the wind downward, but this way, the lift from the wings will help it rise.”
“I have just as much magical power as Allen, you know?”
“That’s true, but Buitor needs simultaneous manipulation of five wind magic engines, so it can’t be controlled without 【Multiple Chant】.”
“So it’s impossible to take off from the castle yard”
“Indeed. If I have more time for development, there might be a way.”
“That’s right. Allen is busy too, so it can’t be helped.”

Anna looked a little dejected after saying that, so I tried to change the topic.

“Look, we’re at an altitude where we can glide. Do you want to try flying?”
“Yes!”

Anna’s face lights up.

“Okay, now I’m going to hand the controls over to you. I’ll keep the wind magic engine at the same output, so move it a little at a time.”
“Yes. Leave it to me.”

Anna, with a huge smile on her face, gently operated the control stick. It seems she is trying to ascend.

“Aha!”

The plane slowly turns upwards and gradually gains altitude.

“Allen! Wow! This is amazing! I’m piloting the glider!”
“Yeah, that’s right.”

Her tone quickly returned to normal, but her eyes were sparkling with genuine happiness.

Anna then enjoyed her first attempt at flying, making large turns left and right and changing altitude.

When piloting the glider, Anna is so lively and excited, it’s as if she’s a child again, and when I think of her painful past, it’s so endearing to see her flashing a big smile.

Like that, the sunlight shining on her beautiful face gradually began to change colour.

It seems that we have enjoyed ourselves for quite some time, losing track of time.

“Anna. It’s about time.”
“Eh? Ah, I see. It’s time already. Time flies when you’re having fun, doesn’t it?”
“Yeah. Are we done?”
“One more time, then.”

Anna then turned the aircraft around once and took her hand off the stick. Her face looked very reluctant, yet somehow satisfied.

Yep. I’ll let her fly like this again, after all.

With that in mind, I turned the nose of the plane toward the runway for landing.