"We have ten participants! It may seem like a small number, but these are all talented individuals striving to become a Magi Craft Meister!"
"That's right. While nearly a hundred people on Onogoro Island specialize in magi-craft, these ten are the ones determined to reach the very top. I'm certainly looking forward to this."
Luckhart wasn't the only one caught up in the excitement; Marikka was quite spirited as well.
"Then, let us begin the introductions!"
A massive magi-screen flickered to life. The display was split, showing the vessel on one side and the creator on the other.
"Bib number one is Miss Natalia! She has no surname, but she is a direct descendant of Marcia-sama and a leading authority on ships! At the helm is Arrow, personally crafted by Jin-sama long ago! The assistant is Alco!"
A slender woman with a blonde short bob waved to the crowd. The spectators erupted in cheers once more.
Her vessel was a catamaran. Its design was somewhat reminiscent of the Cygnus.
"Bib number two is Shu Nido! An orthodox magi craftsman who carries the Nido surname! Piloted by the boy-type automata, Edgar, created by Jin-sama's Madam, Elsa-sama! The assistant is the golem S-054!"
The boat was a simple monohull. With a V-bottom, it was a practical variable-speed craft designed to handle a variety of conditions.
The assistant golem possessed a simple, humanoid body line.
"Hmm, that's quite well-made," Jin murmured to himself.
"Bib number three is Eugene Foul! An orthodox magi craftsman who prides himself on reliability! Piloted by the golem Mimet, with the golem Ludwig as assistant!"
Eugene was a man in his late teens or early twenties with brown hair and black eyes. The golem Mimet was a female-type, while Ludwig was a male-type. Both were quite well-constructed.
(Foul, eh? Someone must have married into the family from the outside at some point....That boat looks like it has excellent stability.)
His creation was a boat featuring a wide V-bottom.
"Bib number four is Greena Kuzuma! A magi craftsman whose skills have been rapidly improving of late! Piloted by the golem Cherry, with the golem Apricot as assistant!"
The nineteen-year-old had bright brown hair, amber eyes, and a rather striking figure.
"Her boat... is another catamaran. She's prioritizing stability, then."
The maximum width was eight meters, right at the limit of the regulations. She had likely prioritized balance above all else. Jin suspected the craft would be very resistant to rolling.
"Bib number five is Sireen Eschenbach! She is a master of building golem automobiles, but this time she is challenging the waves! Piloted by the golem Sidomi, with the golem Misora as assistant!"
She appeared to be in her mid-twenties and had a gentle air about her, with abundant copper hair that suggested she carried the blood of Toa and Stearena.
"A boat with a solid, reliable shape."
This was another practical variable-speed craft with a V-bottom.
"Bib number six is Sidney Marek! Ships are his specialty! Piloted by the golem XR65, with the golem XR66 as assistant!"
The man was in his late twenties and possessed violet eyes reminiscent of Saki.
"Oh, I see."
His boat featured floats protruding from both sides of a slender main hull— a design seeking stability through outriggers.
"Bib number seven is Werner Randol! An up-and-coming magi craftsman who has risen to prominence with innovative ideas! Piloted by the golem Nona, with the golem Hepta as assistant!"
Since the man didn't particularly resemble either of them, Jin couldn't tell if he was from Reinhard's family or a side branch of Elsa's.
"But..."
The model featured a single level, a design known as a "hydroplane."
It was a type Jin remembered seeing in the model books he had read voraciously back in elementary school.
The hull featured a step attached near the center of the bottom along its length.
Generally, high-speed small boats tend to lift out of the water as they gain speed. By lifting up, the surface area in contact with the water is reduced, minimizing resistance, but this often leads to a lack of stability in the fore-and-aft direction.
A step is added halfway along the hull to counter this.
If a catamaran is like two hulls connected side-by-side, this design was more like hulls connected front-to-back.
While impractical for large ships, it was highly effective for small craft like these.
"Bib number eight is Florence Fahlheit! A rising magi craftsman who has joined to test her skills! Piloted by the golem Dia 1, with the golem Dia 2 as assistant!"
"Hmm, a shallow-draft boat."
It was a wide, flat-bottomed vessel. Jin expected that once it gained speed, it would likely lift out of the water much like a hydroplane.
"Bib number nine is Elvis Alcott! The oldest participant in the competition! He has a solid reputation for his mature craftsmanship. Piloted by the golem Kaze, with the golem Umi as assistant!"
"Oh?"
Jin's eyes widened. This man's boat, like Jin's own, was a trimaran.
"That's quite impressive..."
"And bib number ten is Rubina Garrett! At ten years old, she is the youngest participant, but her skills are exceptional! Piloted by the golem Blitz, with the golem Donner as assistant!"
"That's a pretty cool way to name them," Jin thought.
But as he looked at the boat itself, he spoke aloud. "Oh, now that's an interesting idea."
The vessel looked something like a submersible.
"It certainly doesn't violate the rules. And with that structure, it probably won't sink even if it capsizes."
However, because water resistance would be significant, it remained to be seen how much speed she could actually generate.
"Now then, our special guest and special judge, the Second Generation Magi Craft Meister, Jin Nidou-sama, has also constructed a boat based on the competition regulations!"
The loudest cheers yet erupted from the crowd.
"While the final preparations for the race are completed, we would like to hear his commentary while we watch his boat in motion."
Applause broke out.
The magi-screen switched to the trimaran Jin had built. More applause followed.
This was all according to the pre-arranged plan.
Jin began to speak into the voice capacitor magi-device.
"I am Jin Nidou. Congratulations on the opening of the First Onogoro Island High-speed Boat Race. Now, regarding the boat I built..."
The audience stirred.
For good reason—the person aboard Jin's trimaran was neither an automata nor a golem, but a human. And she was a face well-known to many.
It was Edith Kuzuma, a member of the direct line. Neon was serving as her assistant.
"As you can see, the design is a trimaran. I've named it the Dolphin. This boat is designed to ensure lateral stability while reducing the frontal area to minimize water resistance."
The screen switched to show footage of the trimaran during its construction. The camera angles cycled between top, bottom, and side views to clearly show the boat's geometry.
"However, it's not all advantages; there are drawbacks as well. First, there is an increase in water resistance known as viscous resistance."
Because the number of hulls had increased, the surface area in contact with the water had also grown.
"I mentioned the stability is good, but conversely, that means it will not self-right if it does happen to capsize."
While modern yachts on Earth can easily right themselves, it is essentially impossible for catamarans and trimarans.
"Additionally, while this form works for small boats, if you try to use it for large ships, the structure connecting the hulls has to be so strong that the vessel becomes too heavy."
Jin made an effort to explain in terms a layperson could understand.
Since the residents had received basic education in science, they seemed to follow him perfectly.
"Technology is about finding solutions once you understand the drawbacks. In this case, to reduce viscous resistance, I applied a water-repellent Surface Treatment to the hull."
Since viscosity is essentially resistance caused by water trying to stick to a surface, Jin explained that he had used a treatment to repel the water instead.
As for stability, he added that they would rely on the assistant golem to right the ship in the unlikely event of a capsize.
"In addition, I've required the operator to wear a life jacket."
The screen returned to Edith.
She was wearing a yellow life jacket. From Jin’s perspective, it looked more like a traditional padded vest.
"Now then, let's see how it handles in the water."
Cheers and applause erupted from the spectators.
At last, the demonstration of the Dolphin was about to begin.