Magi Craft Meister

699

21-10 Concern

“Here you go.”

“Thank you.”

While Jin and the others were waiting for Marcia in the negotiation room of the workshop, a girl from the shop brought them some kūhé.

“Are you also someone who works in this workshop?”

Jin asked. The girl nodded.

“Yes, my name is Jeremy. I’ve been working here since this summer.”

“And the man from earlier?”

Jin took the opportunity to ask about the man who had helped them earlier.

“He’s Bacchus. He handles sales.”

“Thank you.”

As Jin thanked her, the girl who introduced herself as Jeremy stared at him intently, then asked an unexpected question.

“Um, I’m sorry if I’m wrong, but would you be Jin?”

“Well, I am Jin.”

As soon as Jin confirmed it, Jeremy’s face lit up with joy.

“I knew it! I saw the competition! That’s how I remembered your face! It’s an honor to meet you! So that means the one over there must be Reiko!”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Wow! I knew it!”

Seeing Jeremy so excited, Jin concluded that the “competition” she mentioned must be the Golem Boat Competition – it could only be that.

“The Cygnus out front was also made by you, right, Jin?”

“Ah, yes.”

“I knew it! Bacchus! Bacchus!”

Jeremy shouted excitedly and ran off.

“Well, she’s certainly high-spirited.”

“Indeed.”

Jin, somewhat taken aback, and Rodrigo, left behind, exchanged glances.

But soon the one causing all the commotion returned.

“Wow, it really is Jin!”

“Huh?”

It was the man from earlier – wavy light-brown hair and green eyes, looking about Jin’s age.

“I’m Bacchus. I work in sales, but I hope to become a shipwright one day.”

After introducing himself, Bacchus continued,

“To think that the ‘J’ and ‘R’ of ‘MJR’ are actually here-I’m thrilled!”

Even Bacchus said things like that. When asked, it turned out that both he and Jeremy had watched the Golem Boat competition and were in awe of how strongly Jin’s team had won.

“That take-back on the way back from Io Island was incredible!”

“And once you got the lead, you never gave it up – amazing speed! It was moving!”

“Thank you.”

They spent some time listening to the couple’s praise and answering their questions. By the time they realized it was noon.

“…She’s late.”

Jeremy and Bacchus murmured, beginning to show some concern.

“What exactly was this trip about?”

Rodrigo spoke up. Jeremy and Bacchus exchanged glances and then asked Jin,

“Um, Jin, who is this gentleman?”

“He’s an acquaintance of mine.”

Jin started to explain, but Rodrigo introduced himself first.

“My name is Rodrigo. I’m a shipwright. I recently arrived in this city on the ‘Bernstein.'”

“What! The ‘Bernstein’! That’s the big ship that came from the Shouro Kingdom, right?”

“As expected from someone Jin knows!”

Seemingly satisfied with this explanation, the two began to talk in more detail.

“Just so you know, it’s still a secret, so please don’t mention this to anyone else.”

With that brief reminder, Bacchus began his story.

＊ ＊ ＊

Three months ago, a rumor started circulating.

It was said that the Celuroa Kingdom was building a huge ship – a ship that could make long voyages, carry large cargoes, and sail for long periods of time.

When Marcia heard this, she became very motivated.

“I don’t know how far we can go with just a private workshop, but we can’t afford to lose!”

And so she spent about a month designing a new type of ship.

Then, over the course of another month and a half, Marcia built it.

She had apparently been testing and refining this prototype for the past two weeks.

“Huh, may I ask what kind of ship it is?”

Bacchus looked at Jin, then at Rodrigo – clearly hesitating.

“Do you know who first came up with the design for a catamaran?”

Jin asked boldly.

“Um… n-no, I don’t. Wasn’t it Manager Marcia, or you, Jin?”

Jin guessed that Marcia hadn’t told her employees about her father.

“No, the one who originally designed it is actually this man, Rodrigo.”

“What! R-really!?”

“That’s the first I’ve heard of it!”

The two were astonished. But it seemed that telling them was the right thing to do, because Bacchus then showed them the schematics of the new ship.

Jin and Rodrigo leaned over the drawings.

“This is…”

It was a trimaran, similar to the models ‘Hydro’ and ‘Stream’ that Jin had put into practice on Hourai Island.

“The propulsion is… paddlewheel driven, huh?”

A paddlewheel was attached to the back of the central hull, and from the drawings, it looked like it was powered by a golem.

The idea was to use the golem as both a power source and a crew member.

“I see. So it’s about… eight meters long? There’s even a cabin for resting.”

“Lord Jin, can a single golem really move such a large ship?”

Rodrigo’s question was quite understandable.

However, Jin knew the capabilities of the golem “Arrow” that he had created especially for Marcia.

Moreover, he had doubled its power during their last parting.

“…It can move.”

That was how he answered. Inside, however, he was anything but calm.

“However, if she drives it with a paddlewheel in this configuration, the paddlewheel and bearings might hold up, but the belt probably won’t.”

When Jin said this, Bacchus replied,

“Yes, that’s why we use two belts, and we also carry spare ones.”

“I see. But still…”

That wasn’t the only question.

“What about a backup propulsion method?”

In other words, if the paddle wheel failed, was there any way to move the ship?

In Jin’s own experience, when the axle on an improvised paddle steamer had broken, he’d used engineering magic to turn the paddlewheel into a paddle. But that had only been possible because Reiko was there; normally, one would need a second form of propulsion.

Otherwise, you’d have to take a lifeboat with you.

But in Marcia’s case?

“Well…”

From Jeremy and Bacchus’ hesitation, Jin guessed that they had no emergency means of propulsion.

“That’s dangerous…”

He didn’t say it was certain to cause an accident, but danger was danger.

“I-it’s just that so far she’s always made it back exactly when she planned to!”

Jeremy tried to reassure her, but it only made her delayed return more worrying.

“Lord Jin, Marcia…”

Rodrigo sounded worried as well. At that moment, Reiko spoke up.

“Do you know anything about ‘ocean currents’?”

They answered:

“Ocean currents? The ocean currents? No, I don’t.”

“I thought the sea only rises and falls with the tides?”

When Jin heard this, he suddenly realized something.

From around the equator, there’s a warm current that grazes the peninsula where the Elias Kingdom is located and flows north toward Kunlun Island and Hourai Island.

However, because of an island further south than the Elias Peninsula – beyond the equator – the flow is deflected and weakened to the point where you don’t really feel it in the area near Io Island.

But in the area east of Io, where Marcia was probably headed, the influence of this warm current suddenly becomes stronger.

In other words, the ocean near Io – where Marcia was probably sailing – has a warm current flowing from south to north.

“If she’s been carried away by it…”

Even the Arrow Jin had made would have a hard time propelling an eight-meter ship against the warm current, especially if the propulsion system couldn’t fully utilize its power.

Overcome by a bad feeling, Jin dashed outside without saying a word.