Well, the day has come again this year!　The pride of the Kingdom of Elias, the !　The 11th edition of the Golem Boat Race is about to begin!

This year's competition was delayed due to the commemorative ceremony held in the Kingdom of Selroa.

But it seems to have made up for it... with an even bigger turnout than last year.

Yes, that's right. Many of the ships from the Marcia Workshop are participating this year.

Last year, the owner of the workshop, Miss Marcia, herself participated as a shipwright.

Yes, the dead heat between Master Reinhardt's ship, the Golem, and Miss Elsa Randall's ship, the Blue Marine, was very exciting.

The was held on July 20, about five months late.

Eight days before the Golem competition in the Kingdom of Selroa.

In the Kingdom of Elias, there is a tour that includes both the <> and the of the Kingdom of Celuloa.

After the competition is over, there will be a special boat trip to Esia, the capital of the Kingdom of Celuloa, by a new type of large ship that will take you across the sea and up the river.

The trip takes about a week and is said to be very popular among the aristocracy and the wealthy.

Now, let's take a break.

The finals of the 11th Golem Boat Competition were about to start.

Of course, all the boat operators are women, wearing one-piece swimsuits.

This year, a white cloth with their names written on it was sewn on their chests, and a white cloth with their numbers on their backs.

Mr. Bernardo, the Marcia boat is different this year, isn't it?

Yes, sir. <

And the starting signal is given.

Here they go!　The 10 boats that made it through the qualifying rounds are off, splashing into the water at once!

Number 1 is the clear winner! That's the master of Marcia's workshop!

Number 1 is Marcia, who is the master of the boat. The type of ship is a trimaran. Propulsion is by screw.

As one would expect. Marcia Workshop has an exclusive contract with Mr. Jin Nido, a magecraftsman who was on the team last year and is now known as a .

The bond of a team!　That's right!

And Miss Marcia's father has returned to help with the hull design. What a beautiful father-daughter bond!

The host and the commentator are in high spirits.

Ten boats are participating in the finals this time. Seven of them are catamarans. Five of them are from the Marcia Workshop.

Conversely, two of the <> were built by other workshops.

In case you are wondering, at the beginning of 3458, Marcia said that she had no choice but to postpone her participation due to the rush of orders to her workshop, but since the date has been postponed until July, she has decided to participate. But now that the event has been postponed until July, she can afford to attend.

But, as expected, she was able to participate in the event. Even though they are the same catamaran, Marcia's catamaran has less water resistance.

"How do you know?"

"Look, look at the waves that form behind the boat. <

"Hm?"

is the resistance of the waves created when the ship runs and the energy consumed to create these waves. If the waves are small, <> is small, and if the waves are large, <> is large.

"It's no good just imitating the shape of the wave. Rodrigo said he had to rebuild it many times before he got it to the shape it is now."

"It looks even more sophisticated than last year when your father participated."

Some couple + α are watching the game in the back of the bleachers.

* * * *

"Oh, this ship is lovely!　Arrow!　Let's go for it!"

"Yes, Miss Marcia."

Behind Marcia, Arrow turns the handle to the screw.

Powered up by Jin, Arrow is able to generate more power than the average golem with just the strength of his arms.

The more sophisticated trimaran is named <. The pure white surface-treated hull is more maneuverable than its predecessor, which was a <>.

After passing through the rough seas of the second stage and the reefs of the third stage, the number 1 boat increased its speed even more as it approached the fourth stage, the speed stage, and headed for the turnaround point The speedy stage, the fourth stage, was a speedy stage, and they headed for the turnaround point on the island of Io.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Fast!　Fast indeed!　Number 1 is the fastest!

That screw seems to be the only way to propel the boat, even faster than last year's waterwheel drive.

"Of course. The outer waterwheel is the part of the waterwheel that is out of the water, so it's a loss."

"But it's great that you developed it, Mr. Rodrigo."

"Yes, really. He also came up with the catamaran and trimaran on his own, so I think he's a genius."

"But not as good as your father."

Some couple + alpha are leisurely watching the race while eating Topopo chips.

I've been focusing on the first group, but the battle for the lead in the second group is also fierce!

Yes, it is. Numbers 3 and 7, and 35?

Number 3 is a catamaran made by Marcia, while number 7 appears to be made by another workshop. Number 35 is a monohull.

All of them seem to be using golems made by first-rate magecraftsmen, and they are truly a match in strength.

They were outclassed and outpaced by each other, and leaped to the fourth stage.

By this time, however, Marcia's < was running about 100 meters ahead of the other three boats.

The three boats are in hot pursuit.

A dead heat is a good thing, isn't it?

It's a good thing that the favorite, Miss Marcia, is leading the race, but the battle for second place is also heated.

And Io Island is approaching.

"Didn't we get a lot of Death Serpents last time?"

"Yes. I heard that they were driven south by sea dragons.

"......Was the participant saved without knowing it?"

Some couple ...... below.

[number 1, we're on a course that circles Io Island!

They're coming very close to the island. I guess they're going the shortest distance.

But at the same time, there are reefs, so it's a dangerous course, isn't it?

You're right. But number one is pushing hard.

It's admirable that he doesn't get defensive just because he's in the lead.

But was it too much to ask?

* * * * * *

<. At the same time, the propulsive speed drops drastically.

"Oh no!　Did the screw rub against the reef?

"Miss Marcia, I'll fix it right away!"

Please, Arrow!

Arrow, now able to use simple engineering magic thanks to Jin's improvements, rushes into the water.

Arrow jumped into the water.

Aah!　Number 1 has stopped!　Looks like it's caught on the reef!

That was a bit of a stretch.

The propulsion golem has gone underwater and begun repairs.

That golem is the work of the Magecraft Meister, Jin Nidoo. I'm sure it's completely waterproof and can handle simple repairs.

However, the time lost by the stoppage is significant.

The number 7, 35, and 3 overtook us.

"Oh, Marcia, you pushed a little too hard, didn't you? It's a screw, so it sticks out deeper than the bottom of the boat."

"There are a lot of reefs there. I had a hard time with that.

I remember it was around there that Valentino's golem was diving to sabotage the ship.

* * * *

Marcia, the repair is complete.

Thank you, Arrow!　...... is on its way!"

After the repairs were completed, the Cygnus 2 made a mad dash.

The course was the same as before. Marcia is driving the < to the very edge of Io Island, as if she does not care that she has been caught in a reef.

* * * * * *

Number 1, she's running again!

...... He's not changing course. They seem to be betting on the winner.

The three boats that had passed Marussia were numbers 3, 35, and 7, in that order, rounding the island of Io and entering the speed stage for the return trip.

They are now in the speed stage of their return trip home.

The gap to Marcia is now 200 meters. The gap between her and Marcia was 200 meters.

"But we still have a few kilometers to go. We can make up for it."

Yes, we can.

But those three boats just sped up.

Whoa!　Just when you thought number 35 had sped up, number 3 is not to be outdone!

Number 7 is doing its best, but it's starting to lag a little bit.

This must be the difference in power, or Golem.

The battle for the lead is now between numbers 35 and 3.

This is amazing!　It's a dead heat!

Reminds me of last year, doesn't it?

Yes, sir. It was a battle between Miss Marcia and Miss Elsa. ...... I remember, the numbers were 3 and 35 then too.

Marcia with number 35 and Erza with number 3. Coincidentally, it looked like it was going to be a battle between number 35 and 3 again.......

Ah!　They have just passed number 7 and are now up to number 1 and 3!

Marcia's < was making amazing progress.

"<>, you seem to have lost a little screw balance."

"Can you see it?"

"Yes. There is a slight vibration.

"Hmmm, but it should be fast enough. ...... look, we're up to third place."

"......, the screw is fast after all."

Oh, wow!　Number 1, showing his mettle!

He's still fast.

Marcia has passed number 3 and is now in second place. She's less than a kilometer from the finish line.

Number 35 seems to have picked up speed as well.

Number 35 seems to have put everything he has into this race.

But the power of the Cygnus 2 was more than enough.

He's fast!　Number 1 is closing the gap!

He's catching up fast!

500 meters to go!　He's overtaking ......!　He's passed him!　Number 1 is now back in the lead!

He's back in the lead!

"He's over!　He's in the lead!

Marcia is now in the lead!

Marussia is now in the lead!

Now!　Gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!　First place, number 1! Second place, number 35!

The crowd cheers.

Marcia, who had slowed down, waved to the cheering crowd on board.

"Marcia, you did it!"

"Yes, I'm glad."

You wanted to get out, didn't you?

"...... a little. But I'm happy to see her win.

Well, I think it's time for you two to go home.

（Jin!　Did you see me out there?　Thanks to the Arrow you made for me, I won again this year!　Thank you, Jin!)

In the tropical city of Potrock, with its blue skies and blue seas, the battle was hot again this year.

At the top of the competition, Marcia thanked her best partner in her heart.