"Well, it's finally over.

Jin and Marcia sighed together.

Until now, Jin had been repairing the burnt-out rental dock, and Marcia had been explaining and apologizing to the neighbors.

"It's late in the evening already. ......"

"We didn't get much done today, did we?"

The fire had left them with nothing to do to prepare for the competition, such as adjusting the boats.

"Well, we have a whole day tomorrow. I won't be able to help with the fishing until today.

"I see. Then I can start working on Cygnus tomorrow morning.

Then Jin says something that just came to his mind.

"By the way, Marcia, is there any boat that me and Reiko can go on?

Since Marcia and Arrow will be on Cygnus (Swan), it will be easier for Jin to check and adjust various things if he is on a boat on the sea.

Marcia sensed this and said,

Yes, I have it. I have a small boat that I used to use to help with fishing. Is that okay?"

She said she had one at the fishing pier, so they decided to use it tomorrow.

That night.

"Reiko, I'm sorry, but could you keep an eye on Cygnus at the dock?　I don't want any more interference."

"Okay. I'll call Luna from Hourai.

Reiko answered and went through the warp gate leading to Horai Island in the darkness, and called her two golems, Soleil and Luna.

"Sister, you wanted to see me?"

"Yes. Yes, it's your father's call. Luna, you are with me. Soleil, you will guard this Horai Island.

"Yes, sir."

Then he moved to Potlock again,

"As I explained, Luna, you will stay here at the dock and protect this ship."

Then he turned to the golem, Arrow, who was there,

"Arrow, this is also your senior, created by your father. He will guard the ship and the dock.

"I'll make sure he protects the ship and the docks."

Arrow is a golem with enhanced leg strength and not much combat power (in the true sense of the word, low even by this world's standards). It is therefore vulnerable to attacks from outside enemies.

"You must be the newest sister your father ever made. Well, I'll leave you to it."

"Yes."

Reiko saw to that and returned to the inn.

Reiko does not need to sleep. After Hitoshi goes to sleep, she stands quietly, listening for signs of her surroundings. Normally, she would remain like that until morning comes.

"...... intruder, is it?"

Two people pried open the back door of the closed Kainarutei and entered. However, Reiko does not take any action at this point. She does not intend to do anything as long as Jin, her absolute master, does not suffer any disadvantages.

"Have you come up to the ......2 floor?"

She quietly slips out of the room and stands in the hallway so as not to wake Jin. The owner of the footsteps seems to be going up to the third floor, where Marcia is staying.

Reiko, thinking of Jin who is looking forward to participating in the Golem boat competition with Marcia, decides that if anything happens to Marcia, it will be a loss, so she follows the intruder up to the third floor without making a sound.

When the intruder reaches the third floor, he stands in front of the room named <>, checking the name of the room. It is obvious that this is the room he is looking for. And Marcia is staying there.

"What can I do for you at this time of night?"

What?

The two of them suddenly froze when a voice called out to them from behind. They can be praised for not making a sound.

They turned around and saw a beautiful black-haired girl wearing a light blue one-piece dress and a white apron.

"What?　What the hell is she doing here?　You're a suspicious one."

one of them said in a whisper. Reiko heard that,

"Which one of you is suspicious? That's a room where a woman is staying. Are you trying to break in?"

Then the other one attacked Reiko silently, brandishing a knife. They decided to silence her without question.

"!"

The knife instantly disappears from the hand of the man who attacked Reiko.

"Please don't touch me with this!"

Before Reiko knew it, the knife was in her hand. Then he folded the knife in two with his fingertips, and folded it in two again.

"Hi ......"

One of the men, who was indeed startled by this, lets out a small yelp. The other man was unlocking the door to enter <>'s room.

Reiko sees this and decides that time is of the essence and increases the output from 10 percent to 20 percent.

"Gee!"

A fist thrust toward the man's dove-tail instantly knocked him unconscious, and then she slammed her sword into the neck of the man who was prying open the lock.

"Gah!"

The two intruders are crushed.

"......"

Reiko sighs uncharacteristically. 20 percent non-killing is very difficult to control.

Reiko holding two men by her side. It would be a very surrealistic image if anyone were to see it.

Reiko goes down the stairs without making a sound and goes out through the back door opened by the men. There, she once again searches for signs of her surroundings, but there are no suspicious signs within a kilometer.

The men decided that they were safe for the time being.

"Shall I dump them somewhere?"

Reiko then kicks the ground.

Reiko, running without a sound, kept running as fast as she could for about 15 minutes, and dropped them there, still unconscious. She drops them there, still unconscious, in a back street of some distant town.

Reiko then turned around and went back to Jin's room.

"Ah, I slept well."

When Jin woke up in the morning, he found Reiko as usual.

"Good morning, father."

"Good morning. It's a beautiful day today, isn't it?

"May I have a word with you?"

What's wrong?　What's wrong?

Reiko explained to Jin what had happened last night. Jin folded his arms as he listened to her story,

"Well, it's kind of poor, isn't it?"

She then tried to connect the series of disturbing events.

The fact that the magecraftsman was not found until the last minute.

Magi stones were being bought up.

The bronze we bought was of poor quality.

The dock was torched.

And the intruder last night.

He is unaware of the magical sabotage spells at the town hall or the fact that the head of the guard was targeting him.

"Marcia is being targeted ......?　No, that's not the right way to go about it."

The sabotage mentioned is intended to prevent Marcia from competing as a result. I can't think of any reason to do that.

It's not like she's the favorite or a famous shipwright.

If Reiko had been able to keep the intruder in custody and interrogate him, she might have learned something, but it's too late to say that now.

It would be unreasonable to ask Reiko to be so considerate.

"Well, whatever the reason, we can't give in to any interference, can we?

Having concluded so for the time being, Jin slowly gets ready and goes downstairs to the first floor. He washed his face in the well and went to the dining room, where Marcia was already there.

"Good morning, Marcia.

"Good morning, Marcia. Good morning. Good morning.

After a hurried breakfast, the two got ready and headed for the harbor together.

Luna had left the dock a short time before, so there was no fuss, and Marcia, with her Cygnus floating in the water, said, "Well, Gin, I'll see you later,

Then, Jin, I want you to go to the port over there from here. I have a small boat there.

Saying this, Marcia slowly left the harbor, letting Arrow row her.

"All right, Reiko, we'll go with you."

"Yes, Father."

Reiko took the molten bronze chunk that was lying on the dock for rent, and Jin headed for the harbor used by the fishermen.