"Ladies and gentlemen, the day has finally arrived! The Golem Boat Race, the pride of the Kingdom of Elias! The eleventh annual competition starts now!"
"It was pushed back this year due to the Founding Anniversary Ceremony in the Celuroa Kingdom, wasn't it?"
"Indeed, but if anything, that seems to have made it even more popular than last year."
"That's true. This year, many boats from the Marcia Workshop are participating."
"Last year, the workshop owner, Miss Marcia herself, participated as a pilot."
"Right. That dead heat between Lord Reinhard's boat and golem from the Shouro Empire and the Blue Marine piloted by Miss Elsa Randol was truly a sight to behold!"
The Golem Boat Race was held on July 20th, delayed by approximately five months. It took place just eight days before the Gonpetition in the Celuroa Kingdom.
In the Kingdom of Elias, travel agencies even organized tours where spectators could watch both this Golem Boat Race and the Celuroa Kingdom's Gonpetition as a package deal. Once this event concluded, a special boat service was prepared to take passengers across the sea and upriver to Esaia, the capital of the Celuroa Kingdom, using new, large-scale vessels. The week-long voyage was reportedly a massive hit among the nobility and the wealthy.
But back to the matter at hand.
The final heat of the 11th Golem Boat Race was about to begin. Naturally, all the pilots were women wearing one-piece swimsuits. This year, white cloths with their names were sewn onto the chest area, while white cloths with their race numbers were stitched onto their backs.
"Mr. Bernardo, our guest commentator, it looks like the boats from the Marcia Workshop have changed again this year."
"They certainly have. They are called 'trimarans.' They look even sleeker and faster than last year's catamarans."
Then, the signal to start was given.
"And they're off! The ten boats that survived the qualifiers have dashed out at once, kicking up plumes of spray!"
"Number 1 is far in the lead! As expected of the head of the Marcia Workshop!"
Race number 1 was, in fact, piloted by Marcia. Her boat was a trimaran, and its propulsion system was a screw.
"She’s impressive. I hear the Marcia Workshop has an exclusive contract with Mr. Jin Nidou, the magi craftsman who teamed up with her last year and is now famous as a 'Magi Craft Meister.'"
"The bond of a team in action! What a story!"
"And I understand Miss Marcia's father has returned as well, assisting with the hull design. A heartwarming bond between father and daughter!"
The host and the commentator were caught up in the excitement.
Ten boats were competing in the finals. Seven of them were catamarans, and five of those had been built by the Marcia Workshop. To put it another way, only two of the catamarans were from other workshops.
Incidentally, at the start of the year 3458, Marcia had claimed she would have to skip the race because the workshop was flooded with orders. However, because the event had been pushed back to July, she had found the time to participate after all.
"She's done a good job. Even among the catamarans, the ones Marcia built have far less water resistance."
"How can you tell?"
"Look at the waves forming behind the boats. It's called 'wave-making resistance.' You can tell at a glance that hers is generating much less of it, right?"
"Mm."
Wave-making resistance refers to the energy a boat loses by creating waves as it moves through the water. Smaller waves mean lower resistance, while larger waves mean higher resistance.
"It just goes to show that you can't just copy the shape and expect results. Mr. Rodrigo said he remade the prototype over and over until he got this exact form."
"It seems even more refined than last year, when Father was involved."
Somewhere toward the back of the spectator stands, a certain couple plus one were watching the race.
"Oh, this boat is wonderful! Arrow! Let's do our best!"
"Yes, Miss Marcia."
Positioned behind Marcia, Arrow was manually turning a handle connected to the screw. Having been upgraded by Jin, Arrow’s arm strength alone was now superior to that of an average golem.
The name of this refined trimaran was Cygnus 2. Its hull, finished with a pure white surface treatment, was more maneuverable than its catamaran predecessor.
After clearing the rough waters of the second stage and the reef zone of the third, Number 1 reached the fourth stage—the speed stage. She accelerated even further, surging toward the turnaround point at Io Island.
"Fast! Truly fast! Number 1 is in a league of her own!"
"That 'screw' propulsion method seems to be even more efficient than last year's paddlewheels."
"Of course it is. A paddlewheel loses energy on the parts of the wheel that are currently out of the water."
"But Mr. Rodrigo, who developed that, is still amazing."
"Yeah, really. He came up with catamarans and trimarans independently, so he must be a genius."
"But he's no match for Father."
The couple plus one were leisurely watching the race while snacking on topopo chips.
"We've been focusing on Number 1, but the battle for the lead in the second group is also fierce!"
"It is indeed. Numbers 3, 7, and... is that 35?"
Number 3 was a catamaran from the Marcia Workshop, while Number 7 appeared to be from a different workshop. Number 35 was a monohull. All of them were utilizing golems crafted by top-tier magi craftsmen, making them incredibly evenly matched. They traded places repeatedly as they burst into the fourth stage.
By then, however, Marcia's Cygnus 2 was sprinting nearly a hundred meters ahead of them. The three trailing boats were in desperate pursuit.
"A dead heat like this really gets the blood pumping!"
"Exactly. While it's a sight to see the favorite, Miss Marcia, dominating at the front, the battle for second place is just as thrilling!"
Io Island was drawing near.
"A lot of Death Sea Serpents showed up here last time, didn't they?"
"Yes. I heard they had been driven south by a Sea Dragon."
"...Were the participants being protected without even realizing it?"
The couple... and so on.
"Number 1 has entered the turn around Io Island!"
"She's hugging the coastline very tightly. Is she going for the shortest possible route?"
"But that's a dangerous course with all the hidden reefs, isn't it?"
"Precisely. But Number 1 is attacking aggressively!"
"It's impressive that she doesn't play it safe even with such a large lead."
However, she might have pushed her luck too far.
A light jolt shuddered through the hull of Cygnus 2. Simultaneously, the boat's speed plummeted.
"Darn it! Did I scrape the screw on a reef?!"
"Miss Marcia, I will repair it immediately."
"I'm counting on you, Arrow!"
Having learned basic Craft Magic through Jin’s modifications, Arrow immediately dove into the water.
"Ah! Number 1 has come to a Stand Still! It looks like she hit a reef!"
"She was being a bit too reckless."
"The propulsion golem has submerged and seems to be starting repairs!"
"That golem was made by the Magi Craft Meister, Mr. Jin Nidou. It must be completely waterproof and capable of handling field repairs."
However, the time lost while stationary was significant. She was quickly overtaken by Numbers 7, 35, and 3.
"Ah, Marcia pushed it. Since it's a screw, it sticks out deeper than the bottom of the hull."
"There are many dangerous reefs in that area. I had a hard time there too."
"If I remember correctly, that's also the general area where Valentino's golem was lurking to commit sabotage."
"Miss Marcia, repairs are complete."
"Thank you, Arrow!...Here we go!"
With the repairs finished, Cygnus 2 made a thunderous dash. Her course remained as aggressive as before. Without showing a hint of hesitation after hitting the reef, Marcia drove Cygnus 2 right along the edge of Io Island.
"Number 1 is moving again!"
"...And she hasn't changed her course. She’s gambling everything on this."
The three boats that had passed Marcia—Numbers 3, 35, and 7, in that order—rounded Io Island and entered the final speed stage for the return trip. They were engaged in an all-out sprint, no longer bothering with tactics.
The gap between them and Marcia was 200 meters. The distance had opened up more than anyone had expected.
"But there's still several kilometers to the finish line. She can still catch them."
"I suppose so."
"But those three have also accelerated."
"Oh! Just as Number 35 made a spurt, Number 3 refused to be left behind!"
"Number 7 is giving it its all, but it's starting to fall back little by little."
"That must be the difference in power—the difference in the golems."
The fight for the win became a two-way battle between Numbers 35 and 3.
"This is incredible! A total dead heat!"
"It brings back memories of last year."
"It certainly does. Last time it was Miss Marcia and Miss Elsa....Come to think of it, the race numbers were 3 and 35 back then too."
Marcia had been 35 and Elsa had been 3. Coincidentally, it looked as though the battle would once again be between 3 and 35... or so it seemed.
"Wait! Number 1 just overtook Number 7! She's up to third!"
Marcia's Cygnus 2 was mounting a staggering comeback.
"It looks like the screw's balance on Cygnus 2 is slightly off."
"You can see that?"
"Yes. There are micro-vibrations."
"Hmm. Still, it should be able to maintain enough speed....Look, she's moved into second."
"...The screw really is fast."
"Oh! Number 1 is showing us what she’s made of!"
"She's incredibly fast!"
Marcia overtook Number 3 and moved into second place. There was less than a kilometer left to the goal.
"It looks like Number 35 has picked up even more speed!"
Sensing that this was the final stretch, the pilot of Number 35 was pouring every ounce of strength into the effort. However, the power of Cygnus 2 was on another level.
"She's fast! Number 1 is closing the gap by leaps and bounds!"
"What a spectacular chase!"
"500 meters to go!...She’s passed them! She’s taken the lead! Number 1 is back in first place!"
"I passed them! I'm in the lead!"
Marcia sprinted toward the finish line with everything she had.
"And she crosses the line! Goal! First place goes to Number 1! Second place to Number 35!"
A roar of applause and cheers erupted from the crowd. Marcia slowed her boat and waved to the spectators, soaking in the celebration.
"Marcia did it."
"Mm. I'm glad."
"Didn't you want to participate, Elsa?"
"...A little. But seeing Marcia win is enough for me."
"Well then, shall we head back soon, you two?"
(Jin! Were you watching somewhere? Thanks to the Arrow you built for me, I won again this year! Thank you, Jin!)
Under the brilliant blue sky and over the sparkling blue sea of Port Rock Town, another fierce battle had come to an end. And Marcia, standing at the summit, offered a silent prayer of thanks to her greatest partner.