“At last, we have come to the finals of the 12th Golem Boat Race!”
A massive crowd had gathered in the Central Plaza of Port Rock Town.
Tiered spectator stands had been constructed as they had in years past. Seated at the highest level was the lord of the territory, Marchioness Firenziano, and beside her sat the guests of honor, Prince Ernest and Princess Lieschen. Elsa, Lishia, and Hanna were seated there as well.
Jin and the announcer were positioned one tier below them.
Below that level were the seats for the nobility, while the general tourists were situated even further down.
“Today, we are honored to welcome His Highness Prince Ernest III of the Kingdom of Egerea and Her Highness Princess Lieschen III of the Klein Kingdom as our guests of honor!”
The announcer proceeded with the introductions.
“Furthermore, as a special guest, we have Jin Nidou-dono! He was the magi craftsman for Team MJR—the champions of the 10th Golem Boat Race—and holds the title of Magi Craft Meister!”
A roar of cheers erupted from the stands. It seemed that Jin’s victory was still fresh in the people’s memories.
“Onii-chan, you’re really popular,” Hanna noted.
“Yes. Winning that race was a significant achievement,” Elsa added.
“Jin-san has certainly been involved in quite a lot, hasn't he?” Lishia remarked.
While the group in the VIP seats exchanged words, an especially loud cheer rose from the crowd.
“The eight boats for the finals are second to none! They are taking their positions at the starting line now!”
The announcer began a brief overview of the competitors.
“Bib #1, wearing the red swimsuit, is Miss Liche! She finished second in the qualifiers and is one of the top contenders for the title!”
The bib numbers appeared to have been reassigned for the finals. Jin recognized the petite pilot named Liche.
(I’m sure she was on Valentino’s team,) he thought.
Since she had no involvement in Valentino’s conspiracy, she had not been charged with any crime and was able to participate in the race like this.
“Bib #2, in the orange swimsuit, is Miss Adely! She finished fourth in the qualifiers and is a veteran making her fourth appearance!”
“Bib #3, in the yellow swimsuit, is Miss Ainy! She finished eighth in the qualifiers. This is her first time in the tournament, yet she’s made it all the way to the finals—she’s a very promising rookie!”
“Bib #4, in the green swimsuit, is Miss Debonera! She finished third in the qualifiers and is known for her steady, reliable boat handling!”
“Bib #5, in the blue swimsuit, is Miss Norn! She finished seventh in the qualifiers. This is her second time competing, and we expect great things from her!”
“Bib #6, in the navy blue swimsuit, is Miss Marcia! She finished first in the qualifiers. She is a shipwright and is competing in a boat she built herself!”
The cheers that greeted Marcia’s introduction were particularly thunderous.
“Bib #7, in the purple swimsuit, is Miss Moburu! She finished fifth in the qualifiers and seems to still be holding back her true potential!”
“Bib #8, in the white swimsuit, is Miss Traine! She is competing as a representative of the Kingdom of Egerea!”
“Oh, so that Traine person is from the Kingdom of Egerea,” Elsa remarked.
Since Elsa herself had participated once before, she knew the tournament was quite international in scope.
“Mr. Bernardo, our expert commentator, what are your predictions for today?”
“Well, I think Bib #6 is undoubtedly strong. That horizontal waterwheel drive... a screw, was it? During the qualifiers the day before yesterday, it seemed to lack a bit of fine-tuning, yet she still achieved that incredible speed. Today, after a day of rest, the adjustments should be perfect. I have high expectations for her. Since all the boats are the same trimaran type, the drive system might very well be the deciding factor.”
“I see. Guest commentator Jin-san, what can you tell us about this horizontal waterwheel drive... the screw?”
The announcer turned the conversation to Jin. As if he had been waiting for the prompt, Jin began his explanation.
“Well, I was the one who originally developed the waterwheel drive, but that system kicks up a lot of water spray, you see.”
“Yes, that’s true.”
“That spray doesn't actually contribute to moving the boat forward. However, that isn’t the case with the horizontal waterwheel drive... the screw. Do you understand what that implies?”
“Uh, does it mean there’s no redundancy—no waste?”
“Exactly. In other words, if you drive it with the same amount of power...”
“It would be the fastest?”
Jin laughed at the announcer’s conclusion.
“It would be nice if things went that smoothly. The results of the race will prove it soon enough.”
Having gained experience in various public roles, Jin had become quite adept at speaking in settings like this.
“Thank you very much. Now... the start is just moments away.”
＊ ＊ ＊
“...Jin? Did they say Jin?”
Aboard her boat, Marcia heard his voice over the speakers.
“Jin, you actually came! But you’re sitting in the commentary booth... Way to keep me in the dark!”
Even though Marcia was a member of the Jin Family, she hadn't received any word of his arrival, so his presence was a complete surprise. At the same time, she understood that since he was visiting in a semi-official capacity, personal greetings would have to wait.
Jin, for his part, was actually treating this as a surprise event.
“Oh well. I’ll worry about that after I win!”
The countdown to the start began.
“Five... Four... Three... Two...”
＊ ＊ ＊
《...One... Start!》
“And they’re off! Every boat has started at once! Taking the lead immediately is Bib #3! Followed by 4, 1, 6, 8, 7, 2, and 5!”
The First Stage was a narrow waterway where two boats could not pass side-by-side. Since they proceeded in a single line, the rankings were clearly visible. This stretch continued for approximately 400 meters.
Bib #3 appeared to be pushing for maximum speed, literally leaving the others in her wake.
“Mr. Bernardo, that was some clever maneuvering by Bib #3.”
“Indeed. In the First Stage, it’s disastrous if you get stuck behind a slow boat.”
Unable to move ahead even if one wanted to, the frustration would likely mount quickly.
“The leader, Bib #3, has cleared the waterway!”
The Second Stage took place on the open sea. There were no lateral restrictions whatsoever. This was a stage where the competitors raced for speed over a distance of roughly ten kilometers. As they burst out of the narrow waterway, the boats accelerated as if they had been launched from springs.
“Oh! Bib #1 is fast too! Bib #6 is gaining ground as well! It’s 3, 1, 6, 4, 8, 7, 2, 5 and—ah! The rankings for 8 and 7 just swapped!!”
The footage projected onto the giant magi-screen was full of impact. The broadcast continued while occasionally switching between the magic eyes that served as cameras.
“Marcia-san is in third...” Elsa murmured softly.
Her mind recalled the events of the race from two years ago.
“Back then, she also kept her speed restrained in the first half...”
Since the conditions of each stage were unknown, she would let two or so boats lead as pathfinders, watching how things unfolded while vigilantly waiting for her chance.
“I’m sure she’s doing the same thing this time.”
“Now that they’ve entered the open area, every boat has increased its speed at once, wouldn’t you say, Mr. Bernardo?”
“Indeed. In the case of a waterwheel drive, as Jin-san mentioned earlier, spray is kicked up. Naturally, the pilots want to avoid being directly behind another boat.”
Since the pilots were human, being pelted with spray had disadvantages like obstructing their vision or making it difficult to breathe. Therefore, in the open area, the boats spread out to the left and right as they navigated.
“However, what awaits them ahead is the so-called Gate. It’s a checkpoint so narrow that boats cannot pass through it side-by-side.”
The Gate was formed by moored ships. It was dangerous when several boats converged at once to pass through the gap. Maneuvering one's boat even slightly ahead of the others in that situation was another major highlight of the race.
“Ooooh!”
“Go! Number six, right there!”
“Number three, keep at it! Don't let them pass you!!”
The heat in the spectator stands was rising to a fever pitch.
Jin, Elsa, Lishia, Hanna, and even Prince Ernest and Princess Lieschen were all glued to the screen.