A victory party was held that evening, the same day Marcia secured her win.
The venue was Marcia’s combined home and office, which sat right next to her workshop.
Marcia was, of course, the guest of honor. Her father, Rodrigo, sat beside her with a beaming smile, while her employees, Baccus and Jeremy, sat stiffly in a corner with nervous expressions.
"Congratulations, Marcia-san."
"Thank you, Elsa."
"Congratulations, Marcia."
"Thanks, Jin."
"Marcia-oneechan, congratulations!"
"Hanna-chan, thank you."
"Congratulations, Marcia-san."
"Thank you, Lishia-san."
"Marcia, you were truly magnificent."
"Marcia, it was amazing."
"...So, why exactly are a prince and princess here?"
A cold sweat seemed to bead on Marcia’s forehead. As for the commoners to the core, Baccus and Jeremy, they were practically shrinking into their seats.
"Do not fret. We are incognito," Lieschen said.
"That's right. We're just here as Jin's friends," Ernest added.
"Even if you tell me not to fret..."
"By the way, Prince Ernest covered all the costs for the party," Elsa blithely revealed.
"What!?"
"Ahaha, make sure you use the prize money for yourself," the prince said with a laugh.
"Indeed. A celebration is prepared by those who wish to celebrate; there is no need for the one being honored to worry about the cost."
Prince Ernest and Princess Lieschen certainly seemed to understand the social graces.
"Hey, hey, let's eat!"
"Ah, right. It is just as Hanna says."
Shaking off the awkwardness, they all raised their glasses.
"Cheers!"
"Cheers!!"
Hanna had citran juice, while the others drank sparkling wine.
"Oh! This is quite smooth!"
The alcohol content was remarkably low, making it safe for even Princess Lieschen to drink—though it was said that royals sometimes began drinking wine as early as twelve years old.
"I heard it’s a specialty from the western part of the Kingdom of Elias," Prince Ernest noted. He had evidently gathered this information in advance.
"Mm, it’s delicious."
Elsa seemed to like it as well.
"It’s sweet and very easy to drink," Jin appraised. He made a mental note to perhaps get some as a gift for Reinhard, who was a true wine connoisseur.
"It’s lovely. Quite good for beginners, I imagine," Lishia added, enjoying the taste.
From there, the conversation flowed freely as they ate.
In the Klein Kingdom and the Kingdom of Egerea, idle chatter during a meal was considered poor manners. However, when in Rome, do as the Romans do—in the southern part of the Kingdom of Elias, it was customary to converse happily while eating.
Of course, this usually applied to close friends gathered for a celebratory occasion.
"I actually came to the Kingdom of Elias to study ships," Ernest explained.
"I simply followed Nest-sama," Lieschen added.
"So, on that note, would you mind letting us take a look around tomorrow?"
"Well, you’re an acquaintance of Jin’s, and more importantly, you’re His Highness... so I'll do it!" Marcia agreed.
"Thank you, Marcia."
"Still, making the screw propulsion practical seems like it’ll be a challenge," Jin remarked.
"Yeah. It was fine when it was an outboard motor," Marcia replied.
"That's just it, Jin-dono," Rodrigo chimed in. "This time, to make it golem-driven, we extended the shaft to bring it inside the hull..."
"Which resulted in heavy vibrations and a lack of strength."
Jin began to analyze the technical failure. Since Marcia and Rodrigo were equally eager to discuss the mechanics, Elsa and Hanna shared a wry smile as if to say "here they go again," while Lishia looked on in bewilderment, unable to keep up with the jargon.
"Yep, that inquisitiveness is definitely Jin," Ernest said.
"Indeed..." Lieschen added, both of them wearing looks of enlightened resignation.
"The waterproofing of the shaft was our primary concern this time. But then we ran into the strength issue..." Rodrigo explained the process.
The pipe that the screw shaft passes through is called a stern tube. Since a gap inevitably forms between the tube and the shaft, water tends to leak into the hull. To prevent this, various methods are used, ranging from simple grease packing to sophisticated sealing systems.
"We decided to try using a grease box."
"Heh... that's impressive."
A grease box is a component filled with grease that is installed where the screw shaft protrudes from the stern tube into the boat's interior. Even if water travels up the tube, the grease acts as an insulator to block it. It was a method often used in scale models.
In this design, the stern tube and the screw shaft need to be made of rust-resistant materials; Rodrigo had opted for 64 light silver. However, because it was expensive, he had made the shaft diameter too thin. He admitted that this compromise led to the failure.
"I'm going to use the prize money from this victory to buy more 64 light silver and finish the boat to a much higher degree of perfection," Rodrigo declared with renewed motivation.
"Marcia-san, is the workshop doing well?" Elsa asked, taking advantage of the lull while Jin was deep in technical talk with Rodrigo.
"Yeah, incredibly! The trimaran design handles beautifully, and it has a great balance for mounting power sources."
She explained that her concept focused on developing ships that avoided using magi engines as much as possible. While a golem was the primary mover this time, the boat could also be rowed by humans. Although, in that case, the speed and range would be drastically reduced.
"The ability to move even if you run out of mana is a major strength," Elsa noted.
"It really is."
For ordinary people who didn't have the vast resources of Hourai Island like Jin did, such practical features were vital.
"By the way... what exactly is it that the prince wants to know? I mean, what would His Highness like to learn?" Marcia asked.
"Ahaha, while we’re here, you can just speak to me like you do everyone else," Ernest replied. "Well, eventually I want to build 20-meter class transport vessels, so I want to learn the fundamentals for that."
"I see. In that case, it might be best if I start with the very basics of shipbuilding."
"Yeah, please do!"
Marcia and Prince Ernest seemed to be hitting it off. Since Ernest had a natural interest in craftsmanship—especially golems—he was able to keep pace with the conversation.
"I’ll come back tomorrow for the details, so I'll see you then!"
"Y-Yes."
Marcia was a bit taken aback by his sheer vitality; she had assumed his visit was a one-time thing.
"I want to learn all about boats too!" Hanna chirped.
"Umu. If Hanna stays by Nest-sama's side with me, you will be able to hear all sorts of interesting things," Lieschen said.
"Oh, you're right! Thank you, Princess!"
At that, Princess Lieschen made a slightly complicated face.
"Mmm... in an unofficial setting, I would prefer it if you did not call me 'Princess'."
"Ummm, then... can I call you Lies-oneechan?"
The princess’s face instantly lit up at the suggestion.
"O-Oh! That is perfect! Yes, please call me that!"
As the youngest child in her own family, Lieschen was clearly delighted to be the "Oneechan" for once.