In a Different World with a Smartphone Chapter 372: Start, and the Pier Course.

As weve notified you earlier, if you cannot clear an area within the stipulated time frame, youre retired. On the other hand, you can clear the area even if your vehicle breaks down and you have to push it, as long as you do it within the time given.

Dr. Elka was explaining things about the race from above a stage.

Its ok to obstruct other drivers. The vehicles have been enchanted with magic that disallow direct contact between each other, so you can push as hard as you want. However, the lighter ones may be blown away depending on the force, so do be careful.

All vehicles participating in the race have been modified to produce a rejection field in sync with their magic engines. To explain it simply, its like how two poles with the same polarity on magnets would repel each other.

The minimum distance the vehicles can get close to each other for is 10cm; the field between the vehicles would repel themselves if they try to push any closer. With this, drivers can safely push at each other and obtain advantages on the course. While it started off as a safety measure, its completely a battle-use function now.

If a serious crash occurs, the driver would be teleported to this location right beforehand. Although that happening doesnt mean a retire straight away, since the vehicle would probably be wrecked, you would likely end up with the same result. Weve also installed a manual emergency teleport button, so do make sure to press it if anything happens.

That would be the [Gate] enchanted onto all the seats. In preparation for possible injuries, we also have the [Alchemy Building] manager, Flora, on standby here.

Ah, also, magics forbidden during the race. If you use anything, youre disqualified, so make sure you dont. Im talking to you, Touya-kun.

I know, shut it.

If I can use magic, it would just end with me using [Slip] on everyone and winning by a landslide.

Also, the race would be covered

A cat is to a man what a man is to a cat! The heaven knows, the earth knows, and the cat also knows! The magnificent cat knight, Nyanta*ahem*, DArtagnyan shall take that role-nya!

Sakuras summoned beast, Nyantaro, jumped up onto the stage with a mic in his hands instead of the usual thin rapier.

What, youre doing the live coverage? Is it okay with that accent?

Now then, its time to begin the race-nya! All participants, please get into your ether vehicles and wait for the start signal-nya!

A red line is drawn across the stone-paved path atop the beach, and our vehicles are lined up together at that line. A simultaneous start.

The participating drivers all got into their vehicles and started up their magic engines. I also got into the Type K, and started up its magic engine while calling out a map Ah, wait, I cant use magic.

Pola, who got into the seat besides me, passed me a printed course map. Oh, how thoughtful of you.

Lets see, so this stone path extends out in a straight line for some distance and ends, with the road continuing on the sandy beach? And a while after that, it turns right, out into the sea and onto the pier constructed for this race, huh.

The piers width is only around 2.5 times that of a normal ether vehicles. Itll be hard to pass someone whos driving in the middle of the road. If one tries to pass another forcefully and was pushed off, even if its in the shallows, that should be as good as being retired. Isnt this a bit too tough right out the gate?

Well, whatever. For now, Ill just drive with safe completion of the course as my top priority. Its fine even if Im late at starting off. Itll give me the chance to survey the situation.

I put on my helmet and lowered the attached goggles.

Are you ready-nya? Now then, the first Babylon Race, begin-nya!

The sound bomb used for the signal went off at the same time Nyantaro shouted to start. Confirming that sound, the eight participating vehicles all roared past the starting line at once.

Ohh, and we have our leader of the pack with number 5, Princess Berliettas [Strain] jumping ahead of everyone else-nya! And after that is number 4, the [Red Cat] and number 2, the [Silver Star]-nya!

Princess Berliettas [Strain] dashed out with a strong momentum, followed by Nias [Red Cat], and then Rosetta & Monicas [Silver Star]. After that is Lapis-sans [White Bird], Crown Prince Rupheus [Trihalan], and then me, in sixth place.

Behind me, the Ferzen Kings [Ferzen] and the dwarf Griffs [Steel Axe] followed closely.

Although theres already five people in front of me, theres not that much difference between us yet.

The straight stone-paved path ended very quickly, and was replaced by a course of sand. While the somewhat-wet sandy ground is hard to drive on, its not as bad as quicksand, so its fine.

Hahaha! Your Majesty the Sovereign, allow me to proceed ahead!

Ah.

And a fierce attack from the [Ferzen]-nya! It headed up the positions in an instant-nya!

Completely ignoring the hard-to-drive-on sandy surface, the [Ferzen] blasted past me. Its large body rushed past the [Trihalan] in front of me in an instant too; its momentum is almost like that of a small bulldozer.

Nuu. Although I did say I wont be concerned about the rankings, its still frustrating to get passed.

The frontrunners have already turned towards the ocean, and entered the pier course! Since its hard to pass others on the narrow pier, once they enter, theres probably not going to be any changes in the current rankings for a while-nya! Ho-we-ver! As its also a place where the smallest mistakes can send you flying down into the waters, we never know what may happen-nya! Its exciting-nya!

As the pier course is built over a stretch of shallow coastal area, the deepest part is still below 1 meters in depth. None of the vehicles participating in the race this time have an air-tight cabin, so as long as accidents like a seatbelt malfunction happen, even if they fall off the course, they should be able to get out quickly. Theres the emergency teleport button too, for precautions sake.

If its at the comparatively shallower regions, even if a participant falls off the pier, he/she can still possibly get back into the race by going back to the beach. Since the ether vehicles arent moving via gasoline engines or anything like that, its not like getting wet would make them inoperable. Well, their rankings would probably fall quite a bit no matter what, though.

I also got onto the pier course from the beach. When I looked at the back mirror, theres quite a bit of distance between me and the [Steel Axe] behind me. He shouldnt be able to catch me by surprise with a sudden burst with this distance.

Having said that, I also dont feel like trying to catch up with the [Trihalan] in front of me. Our vehicles should be close in weight from the look of it. If so, its too dangerous to get into a pushing contest as the outcome would be uncertain.

However, if you know that the other side is lighter than you, its the obvious choice to go with an aggressive approach

The [Ferzen] is steadily approaching the [White Bird] ahead of it! If the [Ferzen] goes for an overtake here, the [White Bird] would get pushed out without a doubt-nya!

The Ferzen kings [Ferzen] is pressing down upon the [White Bird] driven by our maid, Lapis- san, on a straight stretch of the pier course.

Allow me to push through by force! Dont think badly of this!

Muh.

The [Ferzen] lined up besides Lapis-sans [White Bird]. As the [Ferzen] is rather large, when the two vehicles are driving side-by-side, the course is starting to look very narrow.

The [White Bird] shakes from getting bumped sideways by the [Ferzen]. Although it managed to stabilize right before the edge, if it gets pushed again it would definitely fall down the pier.

The [White Bird] picked up its speed. Its probably trying to get in front of the [Ferzen].

Not losing, the [Ferzen] also accelerated, and ended up in front of the [White Bird].

Fuhahahaha! Hows thatmuh!?

In front of the boasting Ferzen King is a right-angle curve to the left.

Nuoooooo!

While pushing down hard on the brakes, the [Ferzen] turned itself towards the left and barely managed to clear the curve Was what wouldve happened.

At that timing, the [White Bird] swiftly cut into the inside of the [Ferzen].

The [White Bird], which came into the curve with a drift-like motion, bumped into the [Ferzen] right as the latter barely managed to stop itself at the edge of the curve.

Ah.

With its balance broken, the [Ferzen] crashed into the ocean. Leaving the huge water splatter that occurred behind, the [White Bird] sped forward on the pier.

Ohhhh! The [Ferzen] is out of the course! Its upside-down in the ocean-nya!

Uwa Thank god I didnt do anything too forceful like that.

Crown Prince Rupheus [Trihalan] and my Type K passed by the same curve while looking at the [Ferzen] in the water, marked by the bubbles coming out. Of course, we lowered our speed and passed through the right-angled curve safely.

As the last place [Steel Axe] was also passing through the same curve, the Ferzen King showed his face on the ocean surface and drew in a large breath.

Seems like the driver is fine for the [Ferzen]-nya. Since it probably wont lead to a retire now, if he can somehow make it back to the beach Nyaa!?

Nuuoooooooo!

When I sneaked a peek backwards at where the [Ferzen] had fallen because of Nyantaros shocked voice, I saw the Ferzen King lifting up the [Ferzen] from the ocean with an impressive stance.

Wait a second, thats allowed too!?

Seii!

The Ferzen King threw the [Ferzen] back onto the pier just like that, before climbing back himself, and starting the magic engine of the [Ferzen] after getting back into it.

While theres a good distance between him and everyone else now, hes definitely not going to be retired with that.

Still, how should I say this Thats way too forceful.

When I muttered that with a dumbfounded face, Pola whos sitting next to me folded its arms and nodded.

Theres definitely something wrong with the world if thats the king of the magic kingdom.

And we have a change in the leading group too-nya! As they got off the pier and returned to the beach, the [Silver Star] overtook the [