"This place is cheap, and the food is great."
As Marcia spoke, Jin took another look at her.
She was undeniably beautiful, but her face was devoid of makeup and, like her arms and legs, tanned a deep golden brown. Likely due to her work as a shipwright, there was dark residue beneath her fingernails.
From the looks of it, a shipwright in this world was a trade that involved assembling vessels by hand rather than processing materials solely through magic. She wore simple linen clothes and a protective apron around her neck to keep off the grime.
"So, where should I start?"
They were gathered around a table drinking kuhe, a local specialty. To maintain her human disguise, Reiko was drinking as well; she didn't need sustenance, but she was perfectly capable of consuming it.
Taking a sip, Jin noted that while the name sounded like coffee, the taste was closer to cocoa. He made a mental note to buy some later.
Marcia took a sip of her own drink and began in her usual energetic, boyish tone. "The Kingdom of Elias is a nation where shipping and sailing have truly flourished."
"Yeah, I can see that," Jin agreed.
"Because of that, we have various naval competitions every year—or sometimes every other year."
"I see." A race was an excellent way to hone one's technology, Jin thought.
"Well, there's a high-speed boat race coming up in five days."
"Sounds interesting," Jin replied casually.
"It is, isn't it?" Marcia leaned across the table, her eyes sparkling. "So, enter with me! I'll do whatever I can to handle the costs."
"Whoa, hold on a second." Jin held up a hand to stop her. "You skipped a few steps. Start over from the part about the high-speed boat race."
Marcia sat back and drained the rest of her kuhe. "My bad, my bad. So, this high-speed boat race has a few restrictions—conditions, if you will."
"Go on."
"Setting aside the dimensions—the length and width—and the number of crew, there's one major rule: it must be powered by a golem."
"A golem?"
"Exactly. To be more specific, the pilot is a human, but the one actually moving the boat is a golem."
"Ah, I see." It was starting to make sense. It was a race for boats with golems as the engines.
"And that's why I want you to build me a golem, Jin! You're a magi craftman, aren't you? Please, I'm counting on you!"
Jin calmed the excited Marcia down once more. "I understand the gist of it. But what's the benefit for me? What are the stakes?"
"The honor, of course! For a shipwright, coming in first is a massive achievement. And, well, there's the prize money too."
Jin could appreciate that sentiment. When you build something that moves, you naturally want to see how it stacks up against others.
"But why me?" That was the real question. Why was she so fixated on him when they had only just met?
"Freelance magi craftmen are hard to find. But more than that, it was your reaction when you saw my boat."
"The catamaran?"
"Yes, that! You called it a 'catamaran.' That means you've seen boats with that design before, right?"
"Well... something like that." He couldn't exactly explain that he knew them from another world.
"In short, you're a freelance magi craftman with a real knowledge of ships. That's why I need your help."
Marcia hesitated for a moment before her expression turned somber. "My family has been shipwrights for generations. But my father... he got addicted to gambling and lost the shop. Eventually, he ran off with another woman and disappeared. I want to get that shop back."
She paused again, her voice low. "To be honest, I'm at the end of my rope. If I don't make a name for myself in this race, my father's shop will be sold off to total strangers for good."
Jin didn't intend to pry any further into her personal affairs. "I see. But why trust a stranger like me with all that?"
"I've been through a lot since I was a kid. I can tell what a person is like just by talking to them for a bit. Jin, I know you're someone I can trust."
Jin gave a wry smile. "With that kind of endorsement, I can hardly say no."
Beside him, Reiko wore an expression that suggested she had expected exactly this outcome.
Marcia's face lit up. "That's the spirit! It's settled, then. Until the day of the race, we're a team. As for the reward... right, Jin, where are you staying?"
"At a place called the Sea Roar Pavilion."
"No way, me too! What a coincidence. My room is 'Herin' on the third floor."
"We're in 'Bonito' on the second floor."
"It'll be much easier to coordinate if we're at the same inn. Why don't we finish the discussion there?"
"Sounds good."
They decided to head back to the Sea Roar Pavilion and continued their talk over lunch in the dining hall. The meal was centered around fish, which was very much to Jin's liking.
"Now, about the reward. Do you have any specific requests?"
Jin thought it over for a moment. "How about half of the prize money?"
Marcia froze. Her face actually twitched. "I said I'd do what I could, but... Jin, are you secretly a greedy guy?"
"Eh? What do you mean?"
"The prize for first place is one million Toll, you know!"
That was roughly ten million yen.
When Jin had casually suggested "half," Marcia had interpreted it as him demanding five hundred thousand Toll as a flat fee, regardless of their standing. He hurriedly corrected the misunderstanding.
"No, I mean if we win. If we don't win, we'll work something else out."
"Oh? You sound awfully confident."
"Well, if you're going to enter, you might as well aim for the top, right?"
Jin laughed to hide his internal fluster, and Marcia joined in.
"Haha, I like that! Target: victory! If we win, I'll gladly hand over half. But... what about the actual cost of your work?"
"Let's see. Why don't you decide on a fair price after you've seen my work, Marcia?"
"Are you sure about that?"
"Yeah. It's not like I'm struggling to buy my next meal right now."
Marcia's expression softened into a smile. "Huh. You're a strange one, Jin. But if you're okay with that, I'll take you up on it."
The terms were settled. Marcia added that she would put the agreement in writing later, then she turned her attention to Reiko.
"By the way, Reiko-chan, you're quite the quiet one."
"No... as long as my brother is enjoying himself, I am content."
For now, the cover story of them being siblings was still in effect.
"What a well-behaved sister. But you know, if our talk gets boring, you can go off and play for a bit."
"No, thank you. Please do not worry about me."
Jin spoke up as Marcia looked like she was about to insist. "Reiko also acts as my assistant, so I'd like her to be part of the briefing."
Marcia looked surprised. "Oh, really? Siblings working together as magi craftmen is pretty rare. Well, if that's the case, let's keep going."
She began to explain the technical details of the race.
"The overall length and width must be within four meters. Usually, a wider boat is slower, but..."
"With a catamaran, the width doesn't compromise the speed as much. Plus, it's more stable," Jin finished for her.
"Exactly. The crew is restricted to one pilot and one golem. The pilot must be a woman—obviously, that's me. And the golem provides the power."
Jin raised a hand. "One question. How exactly does the golem move the boat?"
"With oars or paddles."
"Are there no other propulsion methods allowed?"
Marcia didn't grasp his meaning at first, but a spark of realization quickly crossed her face. "Do you have something else in mind?"
"Maybe. But I don't want to get us disqualified if it's against the rules."
Marcia shook her head. "There shouldn't be a problem. For example, even if the golem were to swim behind the boat and push it, that would technically be allowed."
Jin's mind began to race. "That's good to hear. What about the regulations on the golem itself?"
"It has to be under two meters tall. There's no weight limit—mostly because being heavy is usually a disadvantage."
"Any restrictions on materials?"
"None that I know of."
As soon as he heard that, Jin began drafting blueprints in his mind.