"This is a cheap and tasty restaurant."

Jin observed Marcia again as she spoke.

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She was a beautiful woman, but her face was tanned to a wheat-colored like her arms and legs, and her fingernails were blackened, probably due to her work as a shipwright.

It seems that shipbuilders (shipwrights) do not magically process materials but assemble them by hand.

They are usually wearing a linen top and bottom and an apron around their necks to protect them from dirt.

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"Let's see, where should I start?

Jin and the others were sitting around the table drinking kuhe, a specialty of this region. Incidentally, Reiko is also drinking it to pretend to be human. They can eat and drink just because they don't need to eat and drink.

After taking a sip, Hitoshi felt that the taste was similar to cocoa despite the coffee-like name, and decided to go buy some later.

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Marcia also took a sip of the kuhe,

"This country, the Kingdom of Elias, is a country with well-developed boats," she said in a masculine tone.

She said in a masculine tone. Jin also took a sip,

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"Yes, I understand that.

"So, every year, or every other year or so, various ship competitions are held.

"Oh, yeah."

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I guess there is some kind of race. It's a good way to hone your skills.

So, in five days, there will be a speedboat competition.

"Sounds interesting."

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Jin casually said something like that,

"Sounds interesting, doesn't it?　Right?"

Marcia leans forward and says so. And then,

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"So come and join us!　I'll do everything I can for the money."

"Wait a minute!"

Jin stops Marcia from getting too excited.

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"You're jumping the gun. You can start by explaining to me that there's a speedboat race.

Marcia sat back down and drank the rest of the kuhe out of her cup,

"Sorry, sorry. So, there are some restrictions or conditions for the speedboat competition.

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"Yes."

"The size, that is, length and width, and the number of crew members, are not included, but there is a condition that a golem must move the boat.

"The Golem?"

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"Yes. To be more precise, the pilot is a human being and the boat is rowed by a golem.

"Oh, I see."

I'm beginning to understand. In other words, it is a race of boats powered by a golem.

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"So, I want Jin, the Magecraftsman, to make a golem for me!　Please do!"

Marcia was getting excited again, and Jin calmed her down,

"I understand what you're saying. So, what are the advantages ...... of competing?"

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"Of course, the honor!　For shipbuilders (shipwrights), it's a great honor to win first place, isn't it?　Well, you get the prize money, too."

Jin understands this feeling. When you are building a moving model, you want to compete with others.

"So, why me?"

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This is the important point. Why do you care about Jin, whom you have never met before?

"There are not many freelance magecraftsmen. And, after all, his reaction when he saw the boat I made..." "Oh, that boat..." he said.

"Oh, that catamaran."

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"Yes, that one!　<, didn't you?　That means there are other boats of that shape, right?

Well, yes.

I can't say that there are other ships like that in the world.

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"So, Jin is a magecraftsman who is free and has knowledge of ships. That's why we need your help."

Marcia paused for a moment and then continued.

......My family has been shipwrights for generations, but my father got so involved in gambling that he ruined the store. To top it all off, he went missing and had a woman somewhere else. But I want to open a store again. ......"

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After a short pause, Marcia continued.

......To be honest, I'm running out of time. If I don't make a name for myself in this competition, my father's store will be completely in someone else's hands.

I'm not going to ask too much about that, Jin.

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"I see. But why do you trust me so much when you've never met me before?

"I've been struggling since I was a little girl. I can tell a lot about a person when I meet him or her and talk to him or her for a while. Jin, you are trustworthy.

Jin smiled wryly,

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"I can't say no if you're that trustworthy."

Reiko was standing next to her, looking as if she knew what to expect.

When Hitoshi agreed, Marcia said,

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"That's it!　Okay, it's decided. Jin and I will team up until the day of the competition. The reward is ......, Jin, where will you stay?"

The Kainarutei.

Yeah, that's where I'm staying too. What a coincidence. I'm on the third floor in a room called "Herrin".

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We're on the second floor.

It'll be easier for us to meet if we're in the same room. Then we can talk about the rest there.

"Yes, let's.

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So, we decided to go to from there.

<
"Well, about the reward, what do you want?

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Jin thought about it,

"How about half of the prize money?"

Marcia was absolutely astonished. Her face was also twitching.

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"I know I said I would do my best, ...... Jin, but are you more stubborn than I thought?"

"Yes, why?"

"Because the prize money for winning is one million dollars.

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That's about 10 million yen.

When I said "half of the prize money," he thought I was asking him to give me that much even if I came in last place. So, I hastily tried to cover it up.

He said, "No, if you win. If you don't win, it's different.

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"Really?　You seem very confident.

"Yeah, it's only natural that I want to win, isn't it?

Jin laughed, trying not to let his inner impatience show, and Marcia laughed as well,

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"Yeah, that's great!　Aim for the championship!　I'll be happy to give you half of it if you win!　What's the real story at ......?"

"Well, Marcia can look at my work and decide."

"Is that right?"

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"Yeah. I'm not in need of food at the moment."

Marcia's face softened as she said this,

"Well, you're a strange one, Jin. But if that's what you want, I'll do it.

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With that, the contract was concluded. We will document it later," Marcia added, then looked at Reiko,

"By the way, Reiko, you don't talk much, do you?"

Marcia started to say something like that.

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"No, I'm fine as long as my ...... brother is happy."

For the time being, the brother-sister relationship is still in effect in public.

"Well, you're a good sister. But you know, if you don't find our conversation interesting, you can go somewhere else to play, right?"

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"No, no, no, no. Don't worry about it."

She still seemed to want to say something, but Jin turned to her,

"Reiko is also my assistant, so I'm going to listen to what you have to say with you," she said.

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Marcia was surprised. Marcia was surprised,

"Oh, I see. It's unusual to have a brother and sister magecraftsmen. Well, if you say so. Let's continue our conversation.

With that, he began to explain the competition.

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"The length must not exceed 4 meters, and the width must not exceed 4 meters. Well, usually the more the width, the slower the boat, but ......"

"A catamaran won't slow down as it gets wider. And it's more stable."

"That's what I mean. So, the crew must be a helmsman and a golem. The helmsman must be a woman. Well, I'm on the boat. And a golem to row the boat.

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Then Jin asks a question.

"Can I ask you something?　How does the golem move the boat?

"Oars or paddles, I guess.

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"Why can't it be driven any other way?"

For a moment Marcia did not understand the meaning of the question, but then she seemed to realize it immediately,

"Do you have a better way?"

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"Yes, I do. "Yes, but it's not a good idea to get caught up in the regulations.

But Marcia said,

"I don't think so. For example, we can make a golem swim and let it pull us along.

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Hearing this, Jin said,

"That's good. So, what are the regulations on the golem?

"Oh, no more than 2 meters tall. No weight limit. If you're heavy, you're at a disadvantage, of course."

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What about materials?

"I don't think there were any."

Jin heard this and immediately began to draw up a blueprint in his mind.

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