"She’s fast! Bib number 6 is finally showing what she's capable of! She has just overtaken number 8 and surged into fourth place!"
The current standings were: 3, 1, 7, 6, 8, 2, 4, 5.
"Compared to the horizontal waterwheel drive... the screw’s speed is in a league of its own," Bernardo remarked from the commentary booth, clearly impressed.
"Exactly," Jin added, supplementing the expert’s view. "That efficiency is precisely why it performs so well in the clutch."
Images of the racing boats flickered across the massive magi-screen in Port Rock Town’s Central Plaza. Seven of the craft were tearing through the water, throwing up spectacular plumes of spray—a truly magnificent sight.
Amidst them, however, one boat surged forward without kicking up a drop of spray. It was bib number 6, Marcia’s craft. Nearly all the rotational force from the screw shaft was converted into thrust, pushing water backward and driving the boat forward through pure reaction.
By its very nature, the waterwheel drive suffered significant power loss because more than half of its mechanism remained above the surface. While it was certainly more efficient than previous generations of propulsion, such as oars or paddles, it simply could not compete with the screw.
"Incredible! Bib number 6 has moved into third! She’s in hot pursuit of bib number 1 in second place!"
＊ ＊ ＊
"Go, Arrow!"
Only two boats remained ahead of Marcia: bib numbers 1 and 3. In truth, both of those boats had also been built by the Marcia Workshop; the only difference lay in their drive systems. Unexpectedly, the race had turned into a showdown between sister ships.
Marcia’s boat steadily closed the gap. Ten meters until the second-place boat... five meters... two meters... one meter...
"They’re neck and neck! Bib number 6 is level with bib number 1... and she’s passed her!"
＊ ＊ ＊
"That’s insane..."
"Yeah, that bib 6 is something else."
"She fought her way up from dead last all the way to second."
"Look, she’s already closing in on first!"
The spectators were captivated by Marcia’s relentless comeback.
"Marcia-san is incredible. The screw really is as efficient as Jin said," Elsa remarked.
"It really is!" Hanna cheered.
Lishia watched with wide eyes. "To be honest, I don't understand the technical details, but I can see how hard Marcia-san is fighting. It’s truly moving."
"Nest-sama, that bib 6 is quite a sight," Lotte observed. "It seems she’s an acquaintance of Jin-san's."
"Yeah, that golem was built by Jin, wasn't it?" Prince Ernest—or Nest, as his friends called him—replied. "It’s amazing. There's no other word for it. To repair the boat using its own arm as material... That's exactly what I'd expect from one of Jin’s creations!"
In the prince’s mind, the image of Lotte surfaced—the way she had shielded him during the Golem Party incident, protecting him even as her own body was battered to pieces.
Yeah, Arrow’s condition is excellent, Jin thought, watching the magi-screen. Even without her left arm, her balance hasn't faltered.
He was checking the condition of Marcia’s boat and Arrow through the magical projection.
The screw shaft seems to be holding up too. Well, since she used Arrow’s left arm for the repair, it was bound to be over-specced.
As a result of the various "maintenance" sessions—which were essentially complete overhauls—that Jin had performed, Arrow’s skeleton was now made of 64 light silver. Her physical capabilities were ten times those of a standard golem. With Arrow spinning the screw shaft with everything she had, there was no way the boat wouldn't be fast.
That said, by the standards of the modern Japan in Jin’s memories, the "screw" was still an unfinished prototype being operated with significant mechanical loss. However, Jin chose to respect Marcia’s wish to "research and practicalize it through our own efforts."
Because of that decision, flaws like the screw’s wobble and the shaft’s lack of structural integrity were beginning to manifest.
＊ ＊ ＊
"Arrow, keep it up!"
"Leave it to me, Marcia-sama!"
"Just a little further and we'll be in the lead!"
"...She really is amazing, Marcia-san. But still..."
The pilot of bib number 3, Ainy, glanced over her shoulder at the bib 6 boat in fierce pursuit and smiled boldly.
"That's the champion I’ve always admired—and the one I intend to surpass!"
While Ainy’s boat was a product of the Marcia Workshop, the golem driving the waterwheel was a custom-built unit. Its legs were heavily reinforced for pedaling, while the parts above the waist were spindly and minimal. As a result, it boasted an output nearly triple that of a standard golem.
However, its mana tank couldn't sustain such high performance for long, so she had been suppressing the output to half until now.
"The real fight starts here!"
With only four kilometers left until the finish, they had just passed the point where the mana would last even at full power.
"Let's go!!"
＊ ＊ ＊
"Oh! Bib number 3 is picking up speed! She’s matching bib number 6’s pace! This is incredible!"
"It appears she was indeed holding back," Bernardo noted. "Judging by the distance to the goal, she’s decided to commit to full speed."
"Is that how it looks to you, Jin-san?" the announcer asked.
"Yes, I believe so," Jin replied. "If she had gone at full speed from the start, she would have run out of mana before the end."
＊ ＊. ＊
"Increasing her speed? Not bad! But we won't lose!"
Just when Marcia thought she was about to overtake her rival, bib 3 surged forward. Marcia felt a flash of admiration, but it only fueled her competitive fire.
"Just a little more, Arrow. Can you do it?"
"Yes, I am fine."
Arrow began to exert power beyond her design limits—a feat possible only for the golems Jin had built.
"What?! She still had more in reserve?" Elsa gasped. "This... this is just like when Marcia-san won her first championship!"
Elsa was recalling the 10th Golem Boat Race. Back then, Elsa and Marcia had engaged in a desperate dead heat near the finish line, and Marcia had been the one to claw out a victory. Coincidentally, Elsa had been bib number 3 that year, also wearing a yellow swimsuit.
"I was chasing Elsa’s boat back then too!" Marcia shouted, her own memories of that race two years ago flooding back.
＊ ＊ ＊
"What an incredible struggle! The two boats are so close their gunwales are almost touching! This is a fierce battle worthy of the final stage!"
The announcer’s voice was a near-scream. With less than two kilometers to go, the winner was still anyone's guess. They were truly side-by-side. The crowd’s excitement was at a fever pitch.
"Go for it, bib 6!"
"Don't give up, number 3!"
The fight for the lead was entirely between Marcia and Ainy; the rest of the pack trailed more than five hundred meters behind.
"A true battle of wills. It really does take me back to two years ago!" Bernardo said, his voice thick with nostalgia.
"Good luck, Marcia-san," Lishia whispered.
"Marcia-oneechan, do your best!" Hanna screamed.
"M-Marcia-san, please win!" Elsa cheered.
Finally, the two boats drew close enough to the docks to be seen with the naked eye. The one in the lead was...
"Bib number 6 is in front! At last, she has come from dead last to take the lead!"
In that instant, bib 6 suddenly tilted to the right.
"Ah!?"
The hull could no longer withstand the violent vibrations from the screw shaft. A crack spiderwebbed across the right side of the triple-hull craft. Water began to flood the hull. While internal bulkheads would prevent her from sinking, the drag created massive resistance.
"Not after coming this far! I won't lose! Arrow! Keep our speed up!!"
"Yes, Marcia-sama!"
Marcia threw the rudder to the left and leaned her entire body weight toward the port side, desperately fighting the boat’s urge to veer off course. Naturally, her speed began to bleed away.
"A chance!" Ainy shouted, ordering her golem to push even harder.
But then—
"Huh!?"
Bib 3’s speed also began to plummet. The mana stored within the golem was running dry. In essence, she had run out of fuel.
"Ah! Bib 3 had an opening, but her speed is dropping! Bib 6 has a slight advantage!"
Both bib 6 and bib 3 urged their failing boats forward, neither of them anywhere near top condition, focused solely on the finish line.
"The goal is right there! Who will claim the victory in this legendary battle!?"
Two hundred meters to the finish.
One hundred and fifty meters.
One hundred meters.
Fifty...
"GOOOAAAL!! Bib number 6 is the winner!!"