Eventually, the fire was completely extinguished, leaving a heavy, acrid stench hanging in the air.
"Reinhard, thank you."
Jin approached Reinhard to offer his gratitude.
"Hey, Jin. Was this your dock?"
"Yeah."
"I see... I’m sorry. By the time I noticed the smoke, the fire had already taken hold. There was nothing I could do."
"No, I’m just glad you managed to put it out."
Reinhard looked at him sympathetically. "But your ship was inside, wasn't it? I’m afraid it’s likely nothing but ash by now..."
"Eh?"
"What?"
Jin’s reaction seemed to ask what on earth he was talking about, while Reinhard stared back, having expected a completely different response.
"Aaaaaah! My ship!!"
Just then, Marcia’s scream echoed through the area.
"Why... Why did this happen?! What did I ever do?! The ship we finally finished! Damn it!"
Large tears streamed down her face as she struck the ground in frustration. Jin stepped over to her and gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder.
"Marcia, you don't need to cry."
"…Jin."
As Jin wiped her face—a mess of tears and snot—with a handkerchief, he called out in a loud voice.
"Arrow!"
"YES."
The response came back, but surprisingly, it originated from behind them.
"Look over there."
Jin pointed toward the water. There, floating peacefully in the sea, was the Cygnus.
"Wh-Why...?"
Marcia stood there, speechless. Jin, however, remained perfectly calm.
"Arrow is an autonomous type golem. It’s only natural for her to protect the ship."
"YES. A FIRE BROKE OUT, SO I IMMEDIATELY EVACUATED THE VESSEL TO THE SEA. THE BOW HAS SUFFERED MINOR SCORCHING, HOWEVER."
"I see. Good work."
A scorched bow could be repaired easily. Seeing the ship safe, Marcia’s tears turned to relief. Reinhard watched the exchange, impressed.
"Incredible. Jin, did you build that golem? She’s magnificent! To be able to create a golem capable of autonomous thought... There are only a handful of people in my entire empire who can do that!"
"…Who’s this?" Marcia asked, looking at Reinhard with a puzzled expression.
"This is Reinhard. We met yesterday," Jin explained. "He’s a magi engineer from the Shouro Empire. He helped put out the fire. Actually, he put it out all by himself."
"Oh... I’m Marcia, a shipwright. Nice to meet you."
Reinhard gave her a polite bow.
"The pleasure is mine. As Jin said, I am a magi engineer of the Shouro Empire, Reinhard Randol."
At that moment, three members of the Security Guard pushed through the crowd of onlookers.
"The fire seems to be out. Are the parties involved present?" the man who appeared to be the captain asked.
"I’m Marcia, the one renting the dock."
"I’m Jin."
"And I am Reinhard, a magi engineer from the Shouro Empire."
The captain paused. "Hm? You... If I recall, you are one of the guests..."
Reinhard smiled. "Ah, so you know of me. Indeed, I am from the Shouro Empire, here by invitation for the Golem Boat Race."
The captain immediately snapped into a salute.
"My apologies, sir! But was your dock not located in the central harbor district?"
"It is. I simply happened to be passing by, noticed the fire, and extinguished it with magic."
The captain saluted again.
"Is that so! You have our deepest gratitude."
He then turned toward Marcia and Jin, his tone shifting to one significantly less respectful.
"We need to conduct an inquiry. Come with us to the station."
Jin whispered a quick instruction to Reiko.
"I’ll leave the rest to you. Make sure nothing else happens to the ship."
Leaving the harbor behind, Jin headed toward the security station located on the outskirts of the district.
As the onlookers dispersed, Reiko remained vigilant. She had sensed a strange, unidentifiable magical presence lingering in the air.
She wasn't the only one to notice.
"What is this...? This feeling..."
Reinhard also sensed the peculiar mana.
Meanwhile, at the Security Guard station, the questioning was underway.
"I told you, I wasn't even there this morning! I was out helping with the fishing!"
"I was also just out killing time. By the time I got back to the harbor, the fire had already started."
Both Jin and Marcia had been absent when the blaze began.
"Hmm. Be that as it may, there is no question that the fire originated within the dock you were renting."
"And I keep telling you, there was nothing in that dock that could have started a fire!" Marcia snapped.
"She’s right," Jin added. "I don't use fire for any of my processing work."
"Hmph. If that's the case, then we're looking at arson..."
The Security Guard Captain seemed to be stalling, his attitude noncommittal. Jin felt his irritation rising.
"Look, there's no reason we would set fire to our own ship. It has to be either arson or an accident caused by someone else, right?"
"W-well... I suppose so."
Jin pressed the point.
"Since none of the other docks were touched, isn't it likely that this was arson targeting us because we're entering the Golem Boat Race?"
"Enough! Be silent! I don't take orders from the likes of you!" the captain suddenly roared.
Something is off, Jin thought. The man’s defensive outburst reminded him of a tax official who had once tried to shake down his old orphanage based on a false tip.
Jin tried a different approach.
"The golem I built is an autonomous type. If you ask her, she might have some useful information."
The captain’s eyes widened.
"What? You claim you can build a golem that sophisticated?...If that's the case, it might be worth verifying."
The captain made his decision.
"Fine. Marcia, was it? You stay here. Jin, you’re coming with me."
Leaving Marcia in the custody of the other guards, the captain headed back toward the rental docks with Jin in tow.