The next day was another fine day for the competition.

After breakfast, Jin and Marcia had a final meeting in front of the competition venue.

"I've made the boat as maintenance-free as possible, so I don't think it's in the same condition as before.

"Yeah, I trust Jin on that," said Marcia.

"So, do you have a plan?"

"Yes. From what I've seen of this year's course, the technical stage is just outside the bay. So we will try to keep it low until we pass through there.

Catamarans tend to lack agility. That's where the skill of the operator really comes into play.

"Yes. Once we get started, the rest is up to Marcia.

As Jin said this, Marcia held out her right hand,

"Jin, thank you for being with me. I'm glad I met you that day.

Jin squeezes her hand back. There is nothing more Jin can do.

"Yeah, good luck."

"Okay, I'm off."

Then Marcia turned her back to Jin, took a few steps, and suddenly stopped and turned around,

"This swimsuit was unnecessary, though."

With these words, Marcia headed for the harbor.

Jin took his seat at the staff table, just as he had done yesterday.

In case you are wondering, Reinhardt and Valentino, the disturbed man, are nobles, so their seats are specially reserved for them. On the other hand, the seats for the staff are not occupied much and are empty.

"I wonder why it's empty.

Jin picks a seat at random and sits down, saying, "It's better than crowded," while Reiko sits next to him. Reiko is sitting next to him.

"Well, I'm looking forward to it.

Jin mutters to himself,

"Our team is sure to win," Reiko says.

Reiko says. But Hitoshi says..,

"No, it's said that the game is a matter of luck, and you never know what will happen. That's why it's interesting.

With that, he leans back against the back of his chair.

He leaned against the back of his chair.

"Now, the long-awaited final game is here!

The time had come, and the sound of the play-by-play announcer's voice rang out. The crowd was even bigger than yesterday.

"Today's final match, the lord of the province of Xaus in the southern part of the Kingdom of Elias, where our Potrock is located, Dominic de Firenziano, is here too!

Immediately after the announcement, the lady lord waved his hand from the highest seat.

"There are 14 fast boats here again this year. Who will win?　The final race will be here soon!

The 14 boats left the competition docks and slowly made their way through the bay, gathering at their assigned starting points.

"The Golem boats are manned by beautiful women in colorful swimsuits. Which boat will stand at the top?　You'll have to see for yourselves!

The audience cheers loudly.

"Well, the audience is getting excited, isn't it?

"Yes, they are. We have received reports that the number of spectators has increased by 20% due to the design of this year's swimsuits.

From then on, one-piece swimsuits would become a staple of the event.

"All the boats are ready for the start. The countdown to the start has begun!

The crowd is as still as water, and the only sound is the countdown.

"......5.4.3.2.1.

The 14 vessels started off to the thunderous cheers of the crowd.

The first to jump out of the water was number 1, <>. The next one is number 3,<>. And number 28,<>.

Marcia's Cygnus is currently in 7th place.

"We're a little late to the party.

Jin mutters in a whisper. She was a little late because she had trouble avoiding the neighboring boats at the start of the race.

"If it's a crowded race, catamarans may be at a slight disadvantage.

Cygnus (Swan), a catamaran that is not very good at slipping through, had to slow down to avoid bumping her hull, so she is now in seventh place.

"Mr. Bernardo, as expected, the first and third boats are out of the way."

The commentator was the same as yesterday.

The number 28 is in third place and seems to have escaped the confusion at the start of the race.

What about number 35?

"What about number 35?" "After the way he drove yesterday, I think he has a lot of catching up to do. It will be interesting to see what happens.

As predicted by the commentator, Marcia picked up speed as they left the harbor bay and entered the wide open water.

"Oh, number 35, you've got a spurt, huh?"

Marcia was passing the 6th and 5th place finishers and closing in on the 4th place finisher, number 10.

At this point, it becomes difficult to see with the naked eye, and we can only rely on the images projected on the magic screen.

"As you predicted, Mr. Bernardo, it's still coming out, isn't it?"

"Yes, the 35 is very fast. Now that we are out in the open sea, there are fewer obstacles, and he is showing his strength.

Cygnus (Swan) passed the number 10 boat and moved up to 4th place. The race then moved on to the second stage.

The second stage is a reef area between the turnaround point and the uninhabited island of .

"Number 1 is now in the lead as they enter the reef zone!　It is followed by number 3, then numbers 28, 35, 10, 1 and 8. Number 28, 35, 10, 1, 8...

"There are some reefs there, so it's important to be agile."

The speed is far from maximum, as the boat has to navigate around the reefs and avoid the reefs.

Number 1 is Reece, an experienced navigator, but he is unable to take advantage of the powerful Golem's propulsive force.

In number 3, Elsa handles the boat with ease and Lorelei responds well.

The number 28 boat is making good use of the maneuverability of its four-armed oars and rudder combination to navigate through the reefs.

And number 35, Marcia, is delighted to be able to control the speed of the Golem Arrow as she pleases.

"That's Jin!　I can go with this!"

The autonomous golem, communicating with its master-slave, was able to communicate subtle adjustments.

This is due to the effect of magical power conduction by the surface treatment (safeto-treatment) Jin applied to the hull.

The slight magic power that everyone has, Marcia's magic power was transmitted to Arrow through the hull of the ship.

If the Arrow can make subtle acceleration and deceleration, it can compensate for its lack of mobility.

But not all of them work so well.

"Oh no, number 34, we've hit a reef!　It looks like the hull is damaged. It looks like they are going to abandon the race.

Several boats failed to avoid the reef. Some of them sank.

"Again!　Number 16, she couldn't avoid the reef and hit the hull!　Oh, she's sinking!　Is the operator okay?

The boats of the tournament officials on standby rushed to the scene and rescued the boatswain.

"His swimsuit is torn to pieces!　Is the skipper all right?

The scene of the rescue is projected on the magic screen. The men in the audience were cheering as the scene unfolded, a scene that would be the same anywhere in the world.

The lead group has now broken through the reef zone!　The first group is number 1, followed by number 3, number 28, 35, and so on!

"It looks like the first place was not overturned. Well, it's hard to overtake in that zone, so it's not surprising. But numbers 28 and 35 are closing the gap to numbers 1 and 3.

In the end, on the second stage, the reef area, four boats, numbers 34, 2, 16, and 12 In the end, four vessels, numbers 34, 2, 16, and 12, had to abandon the second stage, the reef area.

The third stage was an unobstructed speed stage in open water.

All vessels will be able to demonstrate their maximum speed. The goal is the uninhabited island of Io. That is the turnaround point.

"Number 3, we've got a spurt!　He's going fast, fast, fast!　Can you get up to number 1?　Oh, number 1 is going even faster!

It looked as if Erza was going to overtake, but Reece accelerates the Golem even faster, keeping the lead as they race across the water.

"Numbers 28 and 35 have also picked up speed!"

The audience could see this through the magic screen.

Marcia, you're doing great.

"Yes. "Yes, I'm making good use of the magical connection with the Arrow."

Jin and Reiko watched with a sense of relief.

"So we're finally at the open sea."

"Yes, there are some waves.

"Yes, there are some waves," said Reiko, "but it's a catamaran, so it shouldn't be a problem. Will Marcia make a spurt from here?"

The Golem boats are speeding eastward. Leaving a white wave behind, they disappear beyond the horizon. Their speed is about 30 kilometers per hour. Knots are not used in this world, by the way.

Then, another magic eye seems to switch to the magic screen, and this time the top group is seen coming toward the magic screen.

"Oh, Marcia is about to move up to third place!"

The screen showed Cygnus (the swan) and Marcia in her swimsuit piloting it. Jin thought that after the competition, Marcia would surely be approached more and more by men.

"Father!"

As Jin was thinking about such a trivial thing, Reiko suddenly sounded nervous.

"What's wrong, Reiko?"

"...... I can feel the magic."