Magic Airship

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Magic Airship
Original	魔法飞艇
Type	Magical aerial vessel
Affiliation	Roy's Mine Guard Regiment and allied forces
Occupation/Role	Long-range transport, aerial reconnaissance, naval fire support, and troop deployment
Status	Active; deployed as part of large fleets through the Nantali Archipelago campaign 957
First Appearance	Mentioned when Roy asks Imperial merchants about magical airships 474

Background / History

Magic Airships are converted Three-Masted Sailboats rather than purpose-built aircraft. Their Floating Devices provide lift, while sails harness high-altitude wind streams for travel; propulsion devices only make limited course corrections or power low-altitude maneuvering. Roy learned that installing Floating Devices, propulsion systems, lighter rigging, and altered sails could transform a seaworthy Three-Masted Sailboat into an airship capable of traveling between Padesto City and Plateau City in days rather than relying on pack trains 483.

Roy commissioned Dwarf engineer Maggs to inspect his captured sailboats and the Pattington Island portal. Maggs confirmed that the vessels could be modified and that the portal was large enough for a Three-Masted Sailboat to pass through. The first conversion used twelve Floating Devices and two stern-mounted propulsion devices 499.

The first airship was completed on Pattington Island after more than two months of work. It successfully passed through Pattington Town's mountain route and the Teleportation Portal into Padesto City, where its arrival drew widespread attention from the Half-Elves 506 507. Roy subsequently expanded the program; the second airship was completed within a little over a month, and the Grimm Empire Merchant Association delivered one hundred additional Floating Devices and eighteen propulsion devices 523.

By the time of the Ram Horn Fjord campaign, Roy could deploy nine Magic Airships as a combat formation 566. His fleet later expanded to forty vessels, though six required major repairs at one point 803. Forty airships were mobilized for the Mensa Strait operation after Magic Cannons were installed across the fleet 915 917.

Appearance

A Magic Airship retains the silhouette of a Three-Masted Sailboat, but flies with Floating Devices mounted along its sides and propulsion systems at its stern. Early conversion candidates were over seventy meters long and nearly seventeen to eighteen meters high 499.

• Three masts, sails, rigging, deck cabins, and a shipbuilding superstructure inherited from the original sailboat design 506.
• Twelve side-mounted Floating Devices on a standard early conversion; each observed device had twenty-four spinning blades and emitted a faint blue magical glow 561.
• Two propulsion devices mounted at the stern, used for turning, docking, and low-altitude movement 499 506.
• A bronze Argali Sheep ram commonly fitted at the bow; it could be torn away in heavy combat 507 748.
• Later hulls featured streamlined, deflector-equipped bodies for aerial travel 561.

Abilities & Skills

Aerial Flight and Wind Stream Navigation

Floating Devices lift the hull into the air, but sustained long-distance travel depends on entering the high-altitude Wind Stream Layer and using sails.

• Twelve Floating Devices can lift a loaded Three-Masted Sailboat once their rune arrays are activated with Magic Crystal Stones 505 529.
• A spinnaker stabilizes the vessel in the Wind Stream Layer, while jibs and sails align it with the prevailing wind 508.
• Propulsion devices can adjust heading and maintain alignment with the wind, but are not intended to serve as the main source of long-range movement 483 507.
• Airships can enter and exit sufficiently large Teleportation Portals, enabling passage between Pattington Island and the Pattington Plane 506 507.
• They can land on water and operate as conventional sailboats when necessary 564 686.

Transport and Deployment

Magic Airships provide rapid movement for supplies, infantry, aerial cavalry, and allied forces across the Pattington Plane and surrounding seas.

• A fully loaded vessel could carry up to eight hundred Elf Warriors, though this placed the Floating Devices under near-maximum load 564.
• They transport food, magical materials, military supplies, and bulk cargo between Padesto City, Plateau City, Sun Island Bay, and Kui Island 507 565 803.
• Griffon Cavalry can escort airships during daytime travel and rest aboard them at night 781.
• Modified Siren-support vessels contain water-filled lower-deck cabins, allowing Siren Warriors to travel by air without drying out 739.

Aerial Naval Fire Support

The airship fleet gives Roy's forces a major height advantage against surface fleets and shoreline targets.

• Half-Elf archers can fire downward from both rails while the vessel remains above the battlefield 513.
• Each airship can mount four shipborne ballistae along its sides 566.
• Whaling Ballistas are used against large sea creatures and Faceless Overlords; concentrated volleys can freeze and purify enemy tentacles 686 749.
• Magic Burst Arrows fired from airships ignited Gray Dwarf Three-Masted Sailboats during the Queen Island battle 718.
• Magic Cannons were tested by destroying a boulder and later a reef before Roy ordered them installed across all Magic Airships 916 917.

Operational Limitations

Magic Airships are powerful strategic assets but depend heavily on weather, air superiority, and Magic Crystal Stone reserves.

• Low-altitude propulsion flight is slow and consumes large quantities of Magic Crystal Stones 506 697.
• Their Wind Stream Layer routes depend on prevailing winds; propulsion can only make minor corrections rather than freely direct the ship 483.
• They have limited ability to pursue fleeing ships after leaving the Wind Stream Layer 569.
• Flying magical beasts can threaten airships; a single high-level Thunderbird is described as capable of shooting one down 507.
• Strong storms can force an airship off course even with its sails furled, although the balanced placement of its twelve Floating Devices helps prevent overturning 782.
• The Wind Stream Layer is extremely cold, making cabins the only relatively warm areas during long flights 564 918.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Floating Devices — Magic-rune-powered lift devices fueled by Magic Crystal Stones; twelve equipped an early standard conversion 505 506.
• Propulsion Devices — Stern-mounted systems for turning, docking, and controlled low-altitude movement 499 506.
• Spinnaker, jibs, and directional sails — Rigging used to stabilize the vessel and take advantage of Wind Stream Layer currents 508.
• Shipborne Ballistae — Four can be mounted per airship for firing Magic Ballista Arrows at ships and land targets 566 568.
• Whaling Ballistas — Heavy anti-sea-beast weapons used against Faceless Overlords and other large targets 686 871.
• Magic Cannons — Rune-inscribed cannon systems installed fleetwide before the Mensa Strait mission 916 917.
• Mast-top shield device — A newly installed magical device reportedly capable of producing a shield over the ship, though it requires a Mage to operate and its crew had not yet learned its function 917.
• Water-filled Siren cabins — Modified lower-deck compartments for transporting Siren Warriors 739.

Relationships

• Roy — Owner, planner, and frequent commander of the fleet; he funded the conversions, determined routes, and used the vessels as the core of his logistical and naval strategy 499 717 915.
• Maggs — Dwarf chief engineer who inspected the sailboats, directed the initial conversions, trained crews, and installed weapons on the fleet 499 506 566.
• Half-Elf crews — Primary operators and captains; they gradually replaced Dwarf apprentices as the airship fleet expanded 523 663.
• Imperial Merchants — Suppliers of Floating Devices and propulsion devices, later selling Roy four hundred additional units 505 731.
• Griffon Cavalry — Aerial escorts and reconnaissance force that protect airships from flying threats and scout terrain or enemy fleets 508 746.
• Siren Assault Team — Allied passengers and amphibious strike force supported by water-filled cabins, Priests, and airship deployment 739 781.

Story Role / Major Arcs

• Creation and first flight — Roy develops the concept after learning how Floating Devices can convert sailboats into airships. Maggs completes the first vessel, which flies through Pattington Town and enters Padesto City through the portal 483 506 507.
• Sun Island campaign — Airships deliver Half-Elf forces to Sun Island, evade Toadfish Cavalry waves, and provide elevated arrow fire against Fishmen forces 512 513.
• Ram Horn Fjord naval battle — Nine armed airships bombard the Gray Dwarf fleet with Magic Ballista Arrows, leaving enemy sailboats unable to retaliate effectively 566 568.
• Queen Island naval battle — Eight airships attack tightly packed Gray Dwarf landing ships with Magic Burst Arrows and provide decisive support to the Silver Pegasus Legion 717 718.
• Western exploration and Faceless conflict — Airships serve as mobile bases for coastal exploration, Griffon scouting, Siren operations, and battles against the Dark Faceless One Legion 686 739 746.
• North Fjord losses — Faceless Overlords severely damage multiple vessels. Magic Airship Thirteen is grounded after its keel breaks, while other damaged airships return for repairs; three vessels are effectively lost in the engagement 748 750.
• Later fleet operations — The fleet transports forces to Sank Island, Castleton Harbour, St. Margaret Port, and the Mensa Strait, eventually receiving fleetwide Magic Cannon installations 781 792 917.
• Nantali Archipelago encounter — Thirteen Magic Airships disengage at maximum propulsion when Sea Emperor Giant Ships approach the archipelago 957.