82 - 03-21 Commendation Ceremony and
A small boat arrives at the outskirts of the port town of Potlock, and no one is around to see it. Everyone had gone to the finish line to catch a glimpse of the soon-to-be heroine of this year's tournament.
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"Okay, Reiko, it's okay now."
Naked Reiko, without caring about it, went up to the boat and quickly put on the clothes she had been taking off.
"Father, all we have to do now is to take this golem to the convention officials.
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"Yes, yes. Yes, that's right.
"Yes."
Reiko then picked up the motionless Golem and started to walk away. Jin was with her.
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What the hell?
"What the hell, what the hell is that? ......"
Although most of the residents are paying attention to the competition, what stands out still stands out.
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Jin was about to resign himself to the fact that he was going to leave this town soon.
He arrived at the finish line. The crowd cheered.
"...... number 35, now, gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
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The loudest announcement of all reminded me that Marcia had just crossed the finish line in first place.
"You did it, Marcia!"
Jin thought he saw a tearful look on Marcia's face through the crowd of people jostling to get a glimpse of this year's queen.
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"Congratulations, father. "Well, of course it's your father.
Reiko looked somewhat happy even as she said this.
"Oh, it's Jin! Congratulations on your victory! You got me! By the way, what is that you are carrying, Miss Reiko?
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Just then, she runs into Reinhardt, who has come down from the guest of honor's table to congratulate Erza. Hitoshi was very happy to see her,
"Ah, Reinhard. Actually, these two golems were apparently sent by someone who wanted to sabotage the competition.
"What! Is the control core intact?
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"Of course. Of course. I'll check it out, but I'd like to see the competition officials present.
That's right. I won't tolerate anyone who taints what should be a fair competition! Hey, officials!
As an invited guest and an aristocrat from another country, Reinhardt's influence was great, and soon the vice-chairman of the tournament management committee arrived. The chairman was busy with the awards ceremony.
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"Someone has cheated with this golem.
What?
"You can find the proof by examining its control core. Watch me, <
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Reinhard casts a spell on the control core. Not read(decompile), but <
"This is ......!"
A line of light letters appears. It reads,
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"This one reads, <
"This one reads <
One of them was slightly damaged and the reading was not perfect, but it was enough to know what was important.
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"So, this golem was sent out by ......!"
The vice-chairman's face changed color. But Reinhardt calmed down,
"No, don't say anything after that. There is a possibility that he is too enthusiastic a supporter.
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"Anyway, this matter will be discussed at the convention steering committee!
With these words, he ordered his subordinates to carry the golem as evidence.
"Well, that's about it."
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Reinhardt suddenly spoke up as Jin relaxed his shoulders and muttered,
"Jin, I saw you let Miss Reiko row you out! I'm more and more tempted to invite you to my country. How about you come with me when I return home?"
Not that there was anything wrong with that, so Jin asked when that would be.
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"Not right after this competition, I'm afraid. I have to visit other areas, and it will be about 10 days before I leave the Kingdom of Elias for some reason."
Jin wanted to give shape to the inspiration he had gained in this country, so the 10-day grace period was convenient for him.
"That's fine. I would love to go with you."
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"Oh, yes! The Randall family, or rather the whole country, welcomes you! Well then, what shall we do? Shall I send someone to pick you up here in 10 days?
Reinhardt was surprised that Jin wanted to go.
"That would be great. Well... How much luggage can I bring?"
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"I don't mind, as long as it's not more than one carriage."
I don't think it's that much. Jin thanked him, saying it would be no problem.
The meeting place was set at the central square of the port, and Jin received a handkerchief with the Randall family crest on it.
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By showing this handkerchief, the people who were waiting for him would be able to identify him.
At that moment, there was a loud cheer from the competition hall.
"Oh, the awarding ceremony has started before I knew it.
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So Jin and Reinhardt headed for the venue.
On the podium were three beautiful women and girls.
On the podium for the first prize, which was the highest, was Marcia in a navy blue bathing suit. Her body shape was emphasized where it stood out and where it was nipped in, attracting the eyes of the majority of the male audience.
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In second place is Elsa in a yellow bathing suit. This one, despite her age of 16, has a rather modest figure and is a big hit with those who are into that kind of thing, but since she is also a baroness, she could not be cheered too openly.
Third place went to Reece in a red bathing suit. She is petite but glamorous, and her popularity was almost split in two with Marcia.
* * * * * * * * * *
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After the awards ceremony, Jin and Reiko were talking with Marcia in the waiting room. They have already taken off their swimsuits and are now wearing normal clothes.
"Thanks to Jin, we really won. Thanks to you, I'm going to be a shipwright.
With these words, he placed the bag containing the prize money of one million dollars on the table.
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"And I also got 100,000 tokens for the design of the hull," he said.
Marcia's cheeks relaxed as she was happy that Cygnus (Swan) was recognized as a catamaran.
"And I also got a unique prize. I guess this is for Jin."
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She places a bag containing 100,000 Talls in front of Jin. Jin's waterwheel drive has been recognized.
So we'll split the prize money as agreed.
"Yeah, I'm ......."
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"Yeah, I know. We owe most of our winnings to Jin. I'd like to give you three-fourths of the money."
"No, no. I'm ......."
Jin was about to say that he was joking, but kept his mouth shut. He realized that being too modest was a bad idea, and that too much modesty might make the win less valuable.
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"Well then, I'll be happy to accept half of it.
With that, he opened the bag of gold coins, counted exactly 50 coins, and gave them to Reiko. Reiko puts them in the front pocket of her apron dress.
"Now I feel better," she said. What are you going to do now, Jin?
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Marcia asked, looking relieved.
"Well, I came here originally as a tourist, and I thought it would be nice to see another town in a little while. Besides, Reinhard has invited me."
"I see. I'm sorry, but that was the end of the contract and Jin is not a citizen of this country. But it was fun, even if it was only for a short time.
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Saying this, Marcia held out her right hand. Jin took it in his hand.
"I had a good time teaming up with Marcia, too.
After smiling at each other, Jin and Marcia left the waiting room.
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They were then jostled by those who wanted to hire them.
* * * * * *
What? Is it true?
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Yes, I confirmed it in the presence of our guest of honor, Mr. Reinhardt.
Investigate immediately.
The news that someone is plotting to sabotage the golem angers Dominique de Firenziano, the lady of the house. He ordered an urgent investigation.
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On the same day, it came to light that the assistant to the lord had purchased a large amount of magi stones without regard for the disruption of the distribution system.
Furthermore, it was reported that a merchant who handled the materials was paid to sell bronze of poor quality to a specific customer (although he did not say Marcia).
In addition, a member of the port guard tried unsuccessfully to sneak into the dock where the ship of the finals was being stored and was captured by someone. After interrogation, it was revealed that he was targeting the ship with the number 35.
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Other information, which we learned from interviews, is that Valentino was persistently trying to get Marcia, the winner of the competition, to become his mistress.
What was decisive was the identification of the contents of the program of the golem captured by Reiko and the magecraftsman who created the golem. Naturally, the person who hired him was also identified.
Although there was a lot of circumstantial evidence against him for obstructing the competition, even a single point of the golem's programming was not something that could be left unchecked.
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With this evidence, Valentino was taken into custody. Sir Valerio, the creator of the golem, was also under suspicion, and a letter of protest was sent to his home kingdom of Cerroa.
However, in spite of his captivity, Valentino was still smiling a wry smile.
The conference management committee announced.
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"It is with great regret that we have to inform you that there was an attempt to interfere with what should have been a fair competition.
It was a prejudice against the number 1 <
The 3rd place ranking of number 1 <
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We sincerely hope that this will not happen again.