The race began.
Eddie was part of the Casual Group.
My job was simply to stand there, smile, and wave at the crowd.
Still, that intuition of mine... so that was why I’d had that fall earlier.
Saijo-kun reported to us with a sharp tone.
"A Parcion Army Transport Aircraft has deviated from its flight path and is approaching. They are ignoring all warnings."
"Shoot it down," Wifey ordered, cutting the report off with chilling indifference.
Well, it couldn't be helped. Audience safety came first. We weren't going to let them get away with saying, "We didn't think you'd actually do it."
"Target destroyed. I’ve deployed the drones!"
"Kevin! Are you on standby!?"
"I’m playing the role of the drone operator today!" Kevin replied.
"My apologies. I have high expectations for you as a doctor as well."
"Understood."
If Kevin’s drones were on the case, there was no need for me to step in.
『Athlete Eddie of Kamishiro has leaped into the lead!』
Wait, what? He was certainly making the most of his time out there.
"Is Eddie going to be okay?" I asked.
"He shall be fine. To begin with, Eddie possesses the highest driving skills for passenger vehicles among us," Wifey said.
"Wait, isn't it that bastard Isono!?"
"That one is merely a collector. When it comes to large special vehicles, however, the Lord Groom is the best."
Heh! When it came to heavy machinery, you could leave it to me!
Still, Eddie was being quite aggressive... was he really going to be alright?
『The Ogre God Nation Army Team car has crashed!』
One of the teams fighting for the top spot made a handling error and slammed into a stone wall. The vehicle soared over the wall, flipped through the air, and slammed violently into the ground.
Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! I didn't want any casualties on my watch!
"Do not panic, Lord Groom! They are Ogre God Nation People!"
A massive figure in a driving suit kicked open the door of the wrecked car and climbed out. He was as huge as a Lepsitolian and absolutely ripped.
Wait a second... I felt like I'd seen this guy somewhere before.
"Former Great Kinggggggggggggg!"
Oh, for heaven's sake! It was Saria's Papa!
"Oho, so he joined under a false name, did he?"
"How did he slip through the background checks!?" I yelled.
"Most likely, there is an insider within the management. A large portion of the security staff consists of Pirates and Ogre God Nation People, after all."
Amada Securityyyyyyy! You guys are way too lax!
"Hmm, that was fun! Ga-hah-hah-hah-hah-hah!" Saria's Papa shouted, waving his hand at the stands.
I really wanted to punch him... that satisfied face was infuriating.
『Unbelievably, the driver was the Former Ogre God Nation Majesty! He is waving to the crowd and looking quite happy!』
I was beyond words. Saria's Papa... please, just stop...
"Ah, Leo-kun. I have a call from Saria-kun."
"Saria, what is the meaning of this!?"
"About that... I am truly, deeply sorry..."
"Ah, yeah... I'm not mad, so..."
Poor Saria-kyun. We really were besties in suffering.
While we were talking, several cars behind him also started crashing. But since it was the Beginner Course, none of them were as flashy as the Former Great King's disaster. Most were just cases of low-rigidity parts failing, leaving the cars unable to run.
"Was the course perhaps a bit too difficult?" Wifey mused.
"But if it isn't at least this level, it wouldn't even be a contest against the Galactic Empire."
"True."
At any rate, the development of the racing cars hadn't quite caught up yet. We had provided a baseline of data—information that was basically common sense in the racing car industry—but it was still a struggle.
For now, it hadn't really moved past the level of a hobby.
And besides, the participating companies and organizations had tried to disregard the safety of the crews, so we’d had to tie them down with strict rules. That was a developmental stage we had already cleared long ago.
While Eddie was miles ahead of the pack, the Lepsitolians were looking slightly dominant in the middle. Their drivers were of Latarnian descent, and their height wasn't much different from ours.
In second place was a Battle Dome Civilian Automobile Manufacturer—one that wasn't related to the Ogre God Nation. Their driver was also a Latarnian.
It occurred to me then that Latarnians might actually be naturally gifted at motorsports. Their culture had clearly prioritized the development of aircraft and vehicles over humanoid combat. I had a feeling they would start dominating from the next tournament onward.
"Wifey... listen. I’m truly glad I didn't try to do a race with drifting."
"Indeed. If it were that, there would have certainly been fatalities..."
I was so glad I’d given up on that idea. The course selection had turned out to be just right!
"All drones shot down!"
"Well done, Kevin!"
"Veronica-chan," Kevin said, sounding puzzled. "Isn't this a bit lukewarm for an attempt to target Leo?"
Her question was reasonable. There was far too little military force involved to seriously threaten my life.
"He likely isn't even worth risking a life over," Veronica replied. "What of the transport aircraft pilot?"
"We captured him after he ejected."
"I thought as much. Most likely, you see... this is a Sashite-chan."
"A what!?" I asked.
"They likely have a grievance or a complaint, but they refuse to voice it. They have become a truly domesticated people."
"Give me a break..."
If they had a problem, I just wanted them to say it. I couldn't understand them otherwise.
"Why won't they just speak up!?"
"Because it would become an issue of responsibility. The transport aircraft pilots will insist they were only following the orders of their superior, that superior will claim it was an order from the army, and as the investigation proceeds, the one who actually gave the order will have disappeared... or been killed."
"I hate this so much..."
"We have to do something about that. Right, Claire? You were listening, weren't you?"
It seemed the communication line with Claire had been open the whole time.
"Yes. Understood," Claire replied. "I'll beat the concept of 'responsibility' into them."
Lady Claire was wearing a full-faced, radiant smile. It was terrifying.
By the way, the footage of this race was being captured by a swarm of drones and broadcast everywhere. The viewership numbers were astronomical, and the cars belonging to the participating companies were selling like they were flying off the shelves. They were truly "flying."
The servers crashing was a given. Even the Inquiry AI on the direct communication lines went down under the load. The various manufacturers were probably shaking in their boots as they tried to recalibrate their production plans.
How did I know? Because I was getting messages from the Kamishiro Group saying, "Help meeeee!"
"Oh, Eddie has reached the finish line!"
Eddie took first place, though that was a foregone conclusion. The viewers' interest had already shifted to the intense, neck-and-neck heat between the Latarnians. Since the performance of their vehicles was roughly equal, it was a very close match.
"Those cars... I’m starting to want one..."
"Every company has such good designs, after all..."
Just then, another message arrived: "Help! The company's server bandwidth is at zero!"
I could only hope they’d do their best to endure.
"Hmm... I suspected things might get out of hand after the madness of the motorcycle race, but this is beyond even my expectations."
And so, the Parcion-kun’s Sashite Action was forgotten, and the orders were left as neglected drafts.
It couldn't be helped! We were busy! This was exactly why I told them to just speak to me directly!
Next up was Isono's Rally.
I felt nothing but anxiety.