Magicraft Meister Part 1

"Now, Gonkrenz, the third event!　The stage is now set for the water!

Here, too, as in the golem boat competition that was once held in Potrock, the combination of the magic eye and the magic screen is used to project the scene on Lake Tosmo.

"I guess we won't lose this time. ......"

Viscount Georg Randall muttered to himself in the audience. Elsa, who was sitting next to him, replied in her mind but not in her mouth, "It's impossible.

"Hey, look at that ......."

"Is she ...... an automaton, or is she going to swim in that outfit?"

"He's even got his shoes on. ......

Two automata and three golems line up on the pier outside the plaza. Except for Reiko, none of them are clothed.

Though Marcus Grinwald's automaton was barely wearing what looked like a swimsuit.

"Jin-dono, are you sure you want to wear that?

Christoph, the referee, asked Jin, who nodded silently.

"Well, then, let's start the third event, the long-distance swim," said Christophe. There is a board with each participant's name on it under the tower on the other side of Lake Tosmo. They are asked to return with it. Of course, the first one to return wins.

The rules are easy to understand and difficult to cheat, as there is a turret which is not visible from here, but is a landmark, from which participants bring back the board with their names written on it.

"Let's get into position ......3,2,1,start!"

The five jumped into the water at once. Then they swam at high speed. They leave a trail of white bubbles in their wake.

It was a long swim, about 10 kilometers to Lake Tosmo and back. If they swam at 20 kilometers per hour, they would return in 30 minutes.

However, there was only one automata that swam at an unbelievable speed.

Of course, it was Reiko. Even with her clothes on and shoes on, her speed exceeded 50 kilometers per hour. But Reiko is not serious.

Once, while searching for the missing Jin, Reiko fell into the sea when she moved around the world.

At that time, Reiko was able to reach a speed of more than 100 km/h while carrying a load of more than 20 kilograms. Now that she has been improved to more than twice the performance she had then, Reiko was producing very little power.

"Whoa!

What the hell is that? ......

"No way, right? ......"

The audience who were watching Reiko swim through the magic screen were speechless.

The swimmers were basically submersible swimmers. This is only possible with an automata, which does not need to breathe.

If the swimmers imitate human swimmers, waves are created. This is called "wave-making resistance," and it is a great resistance.

The other four swimmers except Reiko are swimming on the surface of the water, and the waves they kick up are large, leaving a wake of white bubbles behind them.

Reiko, however, occasionally appeared above the water to check her direction, but other than that, she was pushing forward like a submarine just below the surface.

"What an automaton!"

Erza can't help but feel sympathy for her father, who unintentionally mutters something like that.

(......This is what happens when you know only a small world. Thanks to my brothers Rai and Jin, I've learned about the wider world.)

Reiko swam to the other shore and took out a board with Jin's name written on it from under the tower.

It was a large board, as large as 50 centimeters square, and looked light. However, light weight means that the board does not sink in the water, and it could cause a lot of resistance if he swam with it.

However, Reiko used the board like a beat board and started swimming.

It is not a submarine swimming method, but it is still quite fast.

About a quarter of the way back, Reiko passed Marcus' automata. Then, in the middle of Lake Tosmo, she passed three golems.

"Reiko, that's awesome ......."

Reinhardt sighs as he watches Reiko swim. She seemed to be faster than Lorelei, who specializes in underwater swimming.

"Fast, fast!　Jin Nido's automata, Reiko!　I've been back in less than 15 minutes!"

The host's voice was almost a scream. He could not believe what he was seeing.

And Reiko crossed the finish line with a huge lead over the second-place finisher.

A new record, of course.

Ten minutes behind Reiko was Marcus' automata. Another 10 minutes later, three golems came back, one after the other.

"What a mess. ......"

Seeing her father with his head in his hands, Elsa felt a bit sorry for him. She couldn't help but express her feelings.

"Father, it's a big world. To Jin ......, you are a very good Magi Engineer. You have to admit it."

But Georg would not listen.

"Marcus!　Next time win!"

That's all he said and slumped down in his seat. Erza saw him..,

（Father is such a man?　Compared to his brothers Jin and Rai,...... no, it's a problem before that. I'm not sure what I'm missing as a person.)

The first thing to do is to find a good place to live.

Her father was too self-absorbed. He does not listen to the voices of those around him. It means that he is narrowing his own world and throwing away his own possibilities.

(But I feel that he was not like that in the past. ......)

I remember that she was kind to me in her own way. Elsa felt a little uncomfortable that her father in her memory did not match her father now.

While Erza and her father Georg were having such an exchange, the fourth event started.

The idea was to find the weight that was thrown by the weight thrower mentioned earlier.

When this was announced, some people gasped.

They did not know where the weight that Reiko had just thrown had flown to.

"Commissioner!　Wasn't the rule so far to throw balls of different colors into the water and look for them?"

Reinhardt asked, almost in protest.

"From this time on, the handicap is the weight you throw. ......"

The audience was also surprised.

"But then ......

"It's all right, Reinhardt."

Jin stopped Reinhardt, who continued to protest.

"Reiko, can you go?"

Reiko nodded silently at Jin's question.

"Then, three, two, one...... begin!"

The water in Lake Tosmo is clear, most of the lake bottom is rocky or gravel, and the only muddy areas are near the shore, so it should be relatively easy to find.

However, the weight that Reiko had thrown had flown so far away that we could not even see it, and we expected to have considerable difficulty in finding it.

"Jin, do you think Reiko will be all right?"

"Yes, I believe her."

True to her words, the entire audience cheered enthusiastically when Reiko found the 30 kg weight she had thrown within 15 minutes of the start of the competition.

"(Elsa, are you okay?)"

Since Reiko had easily found the weight she had thrown, Jin was free while waiting for the return of the remaining four.

Erza was on his mind, but he couldn't go there himself.

So Jin asked Reinhardt to check on her.

"Okay, I'll leave it to you. I'm curious too."

So Reinhardt went to the side where Erza was.

Erza was flanked on both sides by automata, and the viscount's men were in front of and behind her, so she was able to sit down close enough to hear them, but not so close that she could not hear them.

"Elsa, I'm here.

I called out to her and she turned around.

Relief spreads across her face as she finds her cousin there, kind and reliable.

In the meantime, the competition was underway.

In the meantime, the competition continues.

Marcus' automata was 30 minutes behind Reiko's. And the three golems were disqualified for exceeding the time because they could not be found after one hour.

So far, Jin and Reiko are unquestionably in first place.

If we consider the three golems as a mere diversion, it is a one-on-one battle between Jin and MARUKAS. However, it was a one-sided game for Jin's side.

"Now for the fifth event!　Mock battle!　This is the final event, which consists of two types of combat: sword and unarmed combat.　First, a mock battle with swords!

The cheers of the audience rose even higher, as it seemed to be the most exciting event of the day.

At this point, the three golems had abandoned their positions, and it was a one-on-one battle between Jin and Markus, or Reiko and the golem for combat.

Jin equipped Reiko with , which he had prepared in advance. It is a Japanese sword without a blade, made of 64 light silver.

In contrast, Marcus' battle golem is a two-meter tall, fully armored swordsman golem with a tower shield in his left hand and a greatsword in his right.

When they stand facing each other, they literally look like an adult and a child. Or perhaps it would be better to call them a giant and a child.

"Reiko, don't destroy it so spectacularly."

That was all Jin could say to Reiko, and he returned to his seat.

"Both of you, are you ready?"

The two nodded silently.

"Let the ...... begin!"

The referee's hand was lowered and the mock battle began.