Published: July 3, 2025
Chapter 2 of Whitnash Port Festival
"Apparently, there are some good shops by the port."
From Amon's remark, the four of them in Room 10 headed toward the port.
Until now, they had focused on the stalls along the main street, but today they decided to change direction completely.
That said, the focus remained on seafood.
"This grilled fish is seasoned with... burnt soy sauce, perhaps?"
Next to Ryo, who was impressed by the soy sauce reminiscent of Japan,
"This dough-wrapped dish... crepe? The sweet filling is something else!"
Eto delightedly enjoyed a crepe that had appeared from nowhere, under a sign that read "First Public Display."
"The combination of grilled tuna pieces and a bite-sized rice ball is amazing."
Amon kept ordering more of the sushi-like grilled toro, and
"This Rindo candy coated with sweet syrup is great!"
Nils was munching on two candy apples, one in each hand.
While snacking on various things unrelated to seafood, the four of them came to see the fast boat "Rain Shooter" displayed at the port.
This was something Ryo had insisted on seeing, convincing the other three to come along. However, even those with little interest before arriving were captivated by its elegant appearance.
"This is... beautiful..."
"What a unique shape."
"I want to see it moving too."
Nils, Eto, and Amon were momentarily entranced.
With a total length of thirty meters, it had the appearance of a trimaran, a three-hulled boat.
There was a larger hull in the middle that was in contact with the water, and two smaller hulls flanking it. This design made it more stable against sideways rocking compared to a traditional catamaran.
In this world, they had never heard of such a three-hulled ship, let alone a catamaran.
Considering that, the "Rain Shooter" could be described as an incredibly innovative vessel.
However, Ryo's interest was piqued by more than just that.
"It has no sails..."
At Ryo's murmur, Eto responded.
"There are no oars either."
It was neither a sailing ship nor a rowing boat.
Of course, it had no screw propeller either.
"How does this move, I wonder?"
Amon scratched his head in confusion.
While the three were pondering this, it was Nils who took action.
He approached a nearby person who seemed to be affiliated with the ship.
"Excuse me, how does this ship move?"
He asked directly.
"Oh, that's a common question."
The person smiled brightly.
"It uses wind magic above the waterline and water magic below it to propel itself forward."
A surprising hybrid of jet and water jet!
"Does that mean a mage with both wind and water attributes...?"
"No, they seem to be using alchemy with a magic stone. I don't know the details myself."
Saying this, the person walked away.
"Wow..."
Who uttered those words of admiration...?
"I want to see it move!"
Eto murmured.
Nils, who had begun to glance around, headed towards a sign.
"Hey, it's written here. Tomorrow afternoon, they're going to run it in front of the guests."
"Wow..."
The four were excited by yet another anticipated event, but Nils seemed to have found something else.
"What's up, Nils?"
"Ah, it seems that in the morning, there's an event called '30th Two-Person Boat Race - Adventurer's Division', and... as of this morning, there are still spots available..."
"Why only adventurers?"
Ryo, Amon, and Eto asked in unison.
"What does it say... Participation is not limited to adventurers (magic use is prohibited), but since attacks with oars are allowed in the latter half, it's preferable to have sturdy participants..."
"What a race..."
Ryo couldn't help but murmur.
"Registration is at the tent outside..."
"Nils, are you thinking of entering?"
Amon asked Nils.
"The prize for first place is 300,000 Florins, and even for second place, it's 100,000 Florins..."
"That's amazing!"
Ryo and Eto watched as Nils and Amon were tempted by the allure of money.
"Ryo... money can be scary."
"Eto... let's pray for their safety."
After this, the Nils and Amon duo successfully registered for the last available spot.
"Oh, they're doing target shooting!"
"Target shooting?"
It seemed to be a game where you 'shoot' at targets floating in the sea from the port.