By the time Jin arrived at the plaza at eight o’clock, the arena was already packed. Word had spread that a Gonkrenz—a magi-doll competition—was going to be held.
"Hmph, so you didn't run away."
Viscount Georg Randol had arrived as well.
"Since we’re holding a Gonkrenz, a few others asked to participate. I assume you have no objections?"
"No, none at all."
"Hmph, you certainly have guts."
As Georg turned to walk away, Jin called out to him.
"How is Elsa?"
"Hmm? Concerned, are we? She's fine... look."
Georg jerked his chin toward the distance. Jin followed the gesture and saw Elsa sitting in the front row of the arena, flanked by soldiers—no, by the Viscount's automata.
"I am a Military Advisor to the Imperial Army, after all. I have the latest automata and golems at my command. If you’re going to run, now is your only chance."
Jin merely let his lips quirk in a faint smile. It was Reinhard, standing beside him, who spoke up instead.
"Uncle, it is you who will be shamed. Even if all our country's automata banded together, they wouldn't stand a chance against Jin's."
Georg refused to listen. He simply walked away without a backward glance.
"Jin-kun, I heard the news."
When Jin reached his assigned participant’s seat, Empress Gerhardt approached him.
"It seems there was a misunderstanding?"
Jin offered the Empress a strained look.
"Yes, that’s one way to put it. Things didn't quite go as planned."
"Regarding the Viscount's behavior, I can only offer my apologies. I am sorry."
Jin was flustered as the Empress bowed her head.
"A-Ah, no, please raise your head! I don't really mind... well, I do, but it isn't Your Majesty's fault. It was also my fault for not being firm enough with the Viscount."
"I am relieved to hear you say that. Please, do not grow to hate my country. I intend to take appropriate measures against the Viscount in accordance with the law."
However, she felt compelled to add that in this specific case, she could not impose a particularly severe punishment.
"His greatest offense is the insult toward a state guest, but since the person insulted did not file a formal complaint on the day it occurred..."
Jin hadn't said anything because he hadn't intended to make it a legal issue. The same applied to Prince Ernest, who had also been belittled by Marcus.
"But personally, I’m actually quite looking forward to the Gonkrenz. It will be a perfect opportunity to showcase your skills to the public," the Empress admitted with a smile.
"Even if your country's golems and automata lose?"
The Empress maintained her cheerful expression.
"Defeat is fine too. It is merely proof that there is still room for growth. We simply have to aim for greater heights."
"I see. You're very positive."
Jin's grim expression finally softened into a smile, drawn out by hers.
"Fufu, indeed. The women of the Shouro Empire are forward-looking."
Hearing those words, Jin remembered that Elsa was also quite resilient and positive.
"Well then, do your best. I am keeping Elsa's situation in mind as well."
With that, Empress Gerhardt Hilde von Rubies Shouro departed. Finally, it was time for the Gonkrenz to begin.
＊ ＊ ＊
"Now then, ladies and gentlemen! As a special project for the third day of the Technology Expo, the Gonkrenz will now commence!"
The announcer’s voice echoed throughout the arena.
"The initiator is Viscount Georg Randol! The challenger is Jin Nidou!"
A roar of cheers erupted.
"Furthermore, joining in at the last minute, we have three additional participants: Engal Heldas, Theodor Governess, and Kelly Galbani! All three are up-and-coming young magi engineers!"
They, too, were welcomed with thunderous applause.
"The events will be those familiar to you all: the footrace, the weight throw, the long-distance swim, the search dive, and the mock battle! In addition, we have a special mock battle scheduled against that giant golem, Golias!"
Golias was a golem belonging to Marcus, one of the participants. To make such a proposal suggested he had immense confidence in his creation.
"Now, will the participating automata or golems please step forward!"
As the referee, Administrative Vice-Minister Christoph Balde von Tarnart, gave the command, the machines stepped forward from their respective masters.
From Engal Heldas, Theodor Governess, and Kelly Galbani, a total of six golems stepped forth—two from each. They appeared to be categorized into land-use and underwater models.
From Viscount Georg Randol—or rather, Marcus—two automata and two golems stepped forward. Their appearances made their functions immediately clear.
The land-use model was lightly equipped and slim, while the underwater model had fins on its limbs and wore a tight-fitting swimsuit. There were two combat models: one was a golem encased in heavy armor, and the other was a rugged, muscular golem without armor.
"Hmph, as expected, Marcus's victory is certain."
While he had allowed the guest entries for the sake of the spectacle, Viscount Georg Randol smirked, seeing that they were clearly no match for his engineer's work.
At that moment, a thunderous cheer broke out.
"What is it now?"
Looking around, he saw the reaction of the crowd to the automaton that had stepped forward from Jin’s camp.
It was a girl-type automaton wearing a black one-piece dress and a white apron—a look that seemed entirely out of place. This was, of course, Reiko.
And Jin had only entered one unit: Reiko alone.
The cheers were a mixture of surprise, admiration, confusion, and intense anticipation.
"Hmph, does he intend to participate in that outfit to mock us, or is he just that confident? Let's see just what she can actually do."
Unlike the Viscount, Elsa, watching from the front row, had her light blue eyes shimmering with tears.
"Jin-nii..."
Jin, who usually hated standing out, had entered Reiko. That meant he was in a position where he absolutely intended to win. At the same time, it was easy to imagine that Jin would receive more attention after this competition than ever before.
Sensing that all of this was for her sake, Elsa felt a warmth spreading through her chest.
"Then, for the first event: the 500-meter dash!"
White lines had been drawn across the plaza. Lane one was Reiko. Lane two was Marcus's automaton. Lanes three, four, and five were the golems from the guest participants.
"On your marks! Three, two, one, start!"
Dust swirled. A heavy boom echoed, and spectators instinctively covered their ears. In the next heartbeat, Reiko was already standing at the finish line 500 meters away.
"W-What just happened?"
Whose voice was that? No one could quite tell.
Reiko had covered 500 meters in less than two seconds. Ten seconds later, Marcus's automaton crossed the finish line. And ten seconds after that, the three guest golems finished one after another.
Marcus's automaton was certainly fast. But there was no way it could compete with Reiko, who had accelerated at a speed nearing sound. The starting point where Reiko had stood was deeply gouged, a testament to the sheer violence of her first step.
"I don't believe it..."
Viscount Georg Randol rubbed his eyes repeatedly, as if he couldn't trust his own vision.
Then, after a delay of several dozen seconds, the stadium erupted in applause. Everyone had been too stunned by Reiko’s performance to react immediately.
"...Reiko-chan really is amazing!"
It was Prince Ernest in the VIP seats. Having seen Reiko’s capabilities firsthand before, the Prince accepted this result as a matter of course.
"Th-The winner, Jin Nidou! Runner-up, Marcus Greenbalt!..."
The referee called out the names of the creators rather than the machines themselves. Marcus’s face was twisted in a hateful scowl.
"The second event: the weight throw! We have prepared three types of weights. You will throw these to compete for distance. The score will be the mass multiplied by the distance; the highest value wins!"
The announcer explained the rules.
"Please throw in order starting from fifth place. The direction of the throw is toward Lake Tosmo."
The distance would be measured by several dozen underwater golems floating in the lake.
The first golem compared the three weights and chose the lightest 10-kilogram ball. It was about ten centimeters in diameter and made of a metal with a specific gravity comparable to adamantite. it had been painted yellow for visibility.
The result was approximately 50 meters. While it couldn't be directly compared to an Olympic shot put, in terms of mass times distance, it was about three times a world record on Earth.
The fourth and third-place golems achieved similar results.
Then it was Marcus’s turn. The rugged combat golem stepped forward and chose a 20-kilogram ball, about 17 centimeters in diameter, painted pink.
It threw the ball with a form like a shot-putter. The record was approximately 75 meters. A cheer rose from the stands.
"That's impressive. Isn't that a new record?" even the Empress noted.
"Hmph, what do you think of that, Elsa? The power of Marcus's new combat golem! It exceeded the previous record by 10 meters!"
Georg, watching from the front row next to Elsa, spoke proudly. But Elsa's response was perfectly calm.
"...Reiko-chan isn't like that. Father, just watch. You're going to be shocked."
"What?"
Just then, Reiko picked up the heaviest ball: the 30-kilogram weight. It was nearly the same weight as Reiko herself. This one was painted white.
"Ho, she can lift it. Well, that’s the bare minimum."
Even seeing that, Georg remained composed. However, when he saw Reiko support the weight with just one hand, his eyes widened.
Rather than throwing it like a shot put, Reiko casually tossed it with an underhand motion, like a bowling ball.
The white ball vanished from the spectators' sight in the blink of an eye.
Its trajectory was nearly a straight line, flying almost horizontally. If she had thrown it at an upward angle, there was no telling how far it would have gone.
"..."
Neither the announcer nor the referee could find their voices. Reiko eventually had to walk over to the referee and tap him on the back.
Finally snapping out of his daze, Administrative Vice-Minister Christoph hurriedly signaled the golems at Lake Tosmo, questioning them frantically.
Ten minutes later, the announcement came.
"U-Unfortunately, the exact distance of that throw could not be determined! The record is over 100 meters! The weight was 30 kilograms! Therefore, the score is over 3,000 points! Jin Nidou takes first place!"
The golems had only been stationed up to 100 meters. In reality, it had likely flown 500 meters, but no one had expected such a distance to be possible.
As soon as that was announced, the entire arena stood as one, and a thunderous round of applause broke out.
"I can't believe it..."
Except for only two people—Viscount Georg Randol and Marcus Greenbalt—the spectators gave their most generous and heartfelt applause.