At that moment, something brushed against Jin’s leg.
"?"
He looked down and saw a ball of fur... no, it was a small animal snuggling against him.
"A cat?"
The creature let out a soft meow, almost as if it had understood him.
"There are cats on this island too?"
"Yes, there are. They’re descendants of the cats once owned by a man named Eckart Techles."
Marikka was the one who explained.
"Of course, after 'that time,' we took the opportunity to return the cats to Eckart-san, but they had already multiplied while we were looking after them."
Eckart Techles had been a prominent merchant in the Celuroa Kingdom.
"That time" referred to when he was exiled from the country by the then-Tyrant King, Richard. During that period, Hourai Island had provided shelter for his cats. Now, their descendants were being raised here on Onogoro Island as well.
"I suppose that makes sense."
Jin recalled a similar situation back in Kaina Village, where horses belonging to Lishia Fahlheit and Pascoe Rush had been left in their care, eventually resulting in several foals.
"They don’t multiply so much that it becomes a problem, do they?"
Jin’s mind drifted to stories from modern Japan about "cat houses" or isolated "cat islands."
"Oh, that’s not an issue here," Alvin Eschenbach replied. He was a known lover of cats—and small animals in general—and kept both cats and dogs at his family home. This particular cat wasn't a stray; Alvin had brought it himself.
"Are there no strays at all?"
"No, we have that under control."
Apparently, the reproduction rate was low enough that the population remained stable. Jin wondered if they were biologically different from Earth cats, but he decided it was for the best if it kept them from becoming a nuisance.
"Jin-sama, please tell us more about this Eckart Techles," Alvin requested.
Stirred by the memory, Jin began to recount the details.
"He was originally a major merchant in the southern Celuroa Kingdom... the Corin region, to be precise. His dream was to set out onto the open ocean, so he hired people to build a massive ship."
Jin added that he had even lent a hand in the construction.
"I’d heard he kept cats, and I actually visited him because I wanted to use them as a reference for making a Cat Golem."
The group listened with rapt attention, clearly fascinated by these stories of the past.
"By the way, how many people here specialize in magi-craft?" Jin asked once the conversation settled.
"Let's see... less than half, I would say. Individual aptitude plays a large role, after all," replied Trihart, the steward.
"I imagine so."
Jin agreed. In an environment like this where people were free to pursue their interests, there was no reason to force oneself into an unsuitable profession.
"However, because of that, those who do choose magi-craft as their specialty all aspire to become a Magi Craft Meister."
"That makes sense too."
But Jin knew all too well that becoming a Magi Craft Meister required more than just effort and skill.
"In that case, perhaps we should establish some new titles."
"Pardon?"
"Since I’m still around as the second-generation Magi Craft Meister, I thought we could create some titles to rank just below it."
"Oh, that sounds wonderful!" Rubina chimed in, eyes sparkling. "Jin-sama, what kind of titles are you thinking of?"
"Well... Beena used to be called the 'Craft Queen,' so maybe 'Magi Craft King' and 'Magi Craft Queen'?"
Jin noted that Magi Engineer Maestro was already an established rank, so they needed something distinct.
"Maybe we could hold a competition and award the titles based on the results?"
Naturally, Jin would serve as the head judge.
"...Oh! That sounds like a lot of fun!"
"...I’m in! I’m going to be the Queen!"
The descendants were clearly excited.
"Then let's look into the details immediately," Trihart added, equally enthusiastic.
"I wonder what the overall skill level is like?" Jin asked Marikka.
"Well, everyone here can build golems with ease. As for vehicles—carriages, Golem automobiles, ships, and airships—they can handle those without any trouble."
"That’s impressive," Jin said, genuinely pleased. Then, on a whim, he asked, "What if I entered?"
"Please spare them the humiliation," he was told immediately.
"Potential categories could include humanoid golems, giant golems, high-speed ships, Golem automobiles, or airships..."
"It would be best if it's something spectators can enjoy," Jin suggested.
"I agree. It would serve as excellent entertainment," Trihart said.
Susanne offered her own insight. "If we try to do everything at once, the scale will become unmanageable. It might be better to narrow the scope."
"Good point."
A ship race and an automobile race would require vastly different venues.
"I'd love a ship competition," Natalia said right away.
"A Golem automobile race would be great too," added Merlina Eschenbach.
"I want to see an airship race," said Ada Nido.
Rubina, naturally, had her own priority. "A giant golem competition! I won't lose this time!"
"Alright. I’d like to have competitions in several fields and decide the winner based on a cumulative score."
"Agreed!" everyone shouted in unison.
To decide the order of the events, Jin suggested using a ladder lottery.
"A ladder lottery?"
"What’s that?"
No one seemed to know the term. Come to think of it, Jin realized he hadn't used one since arriving in Ars.
"A ladder lottery works like this..."
Jin explained the mechanics.
"First, you draw as many vertical lines as there are options, then write the categories at the ends. Then, you connect the vertical lines with horizontal ones. There’s a rule: each horizontal line must only connect two adjacent vertical lines."
Everyone listened with serious expressions as Jin continued.
"Also, you can't have two horizontal lines starting from the exact same point."
He skipped the more complex local variations—like lines crossing multiple verticals or going upward—to keep things simple.
"Once the lines are drawn, you start from the top of one vertical line and trace your way down. The rule is that whenever you hit a horizontal line, you must turn and follow it to the next vertical line. Then you continue downward until you hit the next horizontal line. You keep going until you reach the bottom."
He drew a few sample lines to demonstrate, and the group quickly grasped the concept.
"Oh, this is brilliant!"
"Since all the participants add their own lines, no one knows where each starting point will end up."
By hiding the initial labels, they could ensure total fairness.
"Let’s do it!"
With everyone on board, Jin prepared the lottery sheet. There were five vertical lines, corresponding to "Golem automobile," "high-speed ship," "airship," "giant golem," and "humanoid golem."
Jin drew four horizontal lines first, then folded the top of the paper to hide the labels.
"Alright, everyone, please add two lines each."
The descendants took turns adding their marks to the paper.
"Okay. Now, allow me to make the choice."
With their consent, Jin selected the middle of the five lines.
"Now, let's see which one it lands on..."