Chapter 118: The Tin Knight and The World of The Wicked Witch of The West
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 118: The Tin Knight and The World of The Wicked Witch of The West
To put it in the Tin Knight's terms, the Witch of the West’s workshop was a very ‘game-like’ place.
To open the large main gate, one had to find Key A, and to obtain Key A, one needed another item, Item B.
However, the party didn't need to go through such a troublesome process.
After all, the person guiding them was none other than the disciple of the Witch of the West.
“You scoundrels! To pass through here, you must bring the red token!”
“What?”
“My goodness, if it isn't Lady Franka! Please, come right in!”
The gatekeeper, who had been threatening the party with his hulking, muscular body, only did so for a moment.
As soon as Franka slightly lifted the robe covering her head, the gatekeeper shrank back and bowed obsequiously as if he'd never been threatening. Dorothea wore a look of disbelief.
“Witch’s workshop or not, this is just like the outside world. More importantly, are you sure you can just show your face like that? It seems pointless to wear a robe.”
“It's not ideal, but it can't be helped. Now that Cap’n Bill has seen me, it's only a matter of time before word gets out anyway. It's better to move quickly and decisively than to waste time dawdling.”
What happened next was much the same.
A pack of werewolves, who had been showing off their sharp teeth and claws, hid their fangs and talons and obeyed Franka like tamed dogs.
The crow-men, who had been flaunting their sharp beaks and black wings, had to use the stone staves in their hands to bow politely instead of brandishing them.
The insect-people, who looked like human-sized bees, had to retreat with a single wave of Franka's hand, their fearsome presence upon arrival rendered moot.
Watching this, Adelaide was amazed.
“Miss Franka, your authority is incredible.”
“Indeed. To be precise, it's more that they fear the Witch of the West that much. So much so that they grovel even before her disciple, Miss Franka.”
Even after agreeing with Adelaide, Sophia seemed lost in thought.
“Lady Adelaide. Have you ever seen such beings outside?”
“Hmm? No. This is my first time.”
“I see. I was surprised because there are so many magic beasts here that could only be seen in books during my time, but it seems it's the same for the outside world now. This place must truly be special.”
Just then, Franka, who had been listening to their conversation, chimed in.
“It's a matter of my master's taste. She brings rare magic beasts and has them settle here.”
Adelaide blinked.
“You mean… she raises magic beasts?”
“‘Raises’ is a bit of a strange way to put it. You saw those guys from before wearing clothes and carrying weapons, right? Despite their appearance, they have their own societies and live civilized lives.”
Sophia asked.
“Oh my, are there vampires too?”
“No, I don't think I've seen any of those.”
Dorothea's eyes narrowed.
It wasn't that she was displeased with them acting like they were on a leisurely tour.
Well, it wasn't that she didn't feel that way at all, but considering how Franka's presence had drastically reduced the number of obstacles they would have had to overcome, it was tolerable. Besides, while they talked a lot, they were moving at nearly their top speed.
What made Dorothea feel a sense of crisis was none other than the sheer scale of the workshop.
Franka had initially described this place as 'bigger than a decent-sized city,' but the more Dorothea heard, the more she realized that was just the area Franka had roughly explored. The actual scale was far, far larger.
The number of residents inside the workshop was greater than imagined, and it was also a problem that every single one of them felt either loyalty or fear toward the Witch of the West.
If things went wrong, they could end up in a situation where they had to fight all of them.
To the serious-faced Dorothea, the Tin Knight, who was looking around, asked.
[The 'Tin Knight' asks if Dorothea's master has anything like this!]
“Well. At least, the workshop I saw wasn't this extravagant. Though it's not impossible that there's a 'real' one somewhere else. …By the way, you're being strangely quiet.”
[The 'Tin Knight' asks what she means!]
“Usually, you'd be making a fuss, going on about your precious battle or something, wouldn't you?”
At Dorothea's words, the Tin Knight snickered.
No, a being with no face or anything of the sort couldn't possibly laugh like that, but for some reason, that's how it seemed to Dorothea.
[The 'Tin Knight' guarantees that there's no way things will proceed this smoothly to the end!]
[The 'Tin Knight' says that a chance will come if they just wait, so there's no need to be hasty!]
His words were filled with a strange conviction.
It was a claim without any basis, but Dorothea couldn't easily dismiss it.
It wasn't the first or second time the Tin Knight's baseless intuition had been right.
And the 'chance' the Tin Knight spoke of was better understood in the opposite sense rather than literally.
In other words, it meant that even though things seemed easy now, a crisis would soon arrive.
‘…It is too easy, I suppose.’
Dorothea tightened her grip on her staff.
Thanks to Franka cooperating far more actively than expected, things had become easier, but their opponent was the Wicked Witch of the West.
Dorothea suddenly imagined herself in Franka's position and the Wicked Witch of the East in the Wicked Witch of the West's.
If she were to betray her master, would her master be defeated so futilely?
‘No way. If anything, she'd be watching from somewhere, only to appear at the decisive moment to mock me.’
Perhaps because she was thinking this, when Franka reached an underground prison and let out a cry of joy upon seeing two monkeys imprisoned inside, Dorothea's guard, in contrast, rose to its highest level.
Whether she knew Dorothea had entered a combat-ready stance or not, Franka simply broke down the prison door and hugged the two monkeys tightly.
“My babies!!”
《■■■!》
《■■! ■■■!》
The winged golden monkeys reacted vehemently, seemingly overjoyed to see Franka after so long.
The small, bat-winged monkey burrowed into Franka's embrace, while the large, insect-winged one sobbed its heart out.
“Oh my god, look at your poor fur. You must have suffered so much. It's okay now. Mama's here to save you.”
《■■!》
It was a rather heartwarming sight, but unfortunately, the on-edge Dorothea had no room to be moved by it.
Dorothea, who was glaring at them as if they were making a spectacle of themselves, snapped sharply.
“Hey. How long are you going to be like that? You're the one who said we were short on time. Aren't you going to move on to the next step?”
“W-Witch. But we were separated and have only just reunited, couldn't you give us a little more time to rejoice?”
“I've already been patient enough just by letting it slide that the one who said she'd cooperate in retrieving the sacred treasure is subtly taking care of her own familiars first.”
At Dorothea's cold tone, Franka replied with a resentful expression.
“Fine! I get it! So heartless. My master's room is this way, up-”
《—And what do you intend to do in my room, my disciple?》
Franka's words were cut short.
On the stairs leading down to the underground prison stood a monkey with gleaming golden fur.
The monkey's appearance was ordinary.
Compared to Franka's familiars, which boasted hulking, gorilla-like bodies or, conversely, light frames and membranous wings, the newly appeared monkey looked very much like a normal monkey, aside from its wings and golden fur.
However, that didn't mean the monkey lacked character.
Its first unique trait was the necklace it wore, shaped like a human eyeball. The second was that human words came from its mouth.
《I am asking you. What do you intend to do in my room? Can you not answer, Franka?》
“M-Master.”
《Disappointing, so disappointing! After being punished for your wrongdoing, you should have been quietly reflecting on your mistakes. To think you would try to stab your master in the back like this!》
Hearing the old woman's voice flowing from the monkey's mouth, the familiars in the prison trembled.
Franka, too, tried to offer a rebuttal, but she couldn't bring herself to speak the words, stammering instead.
Considering the confident demeanor she had shown until now, she had shrunk back to a surprising degree.
Dorothea clicked her tongue softly and stepped forward.
“Why are you acting like you were betrayed without knowing anything? It's obvious you knew everything and were just waiting for the right moment to intervene.”
The monkey's gaze turned to Dorothea.
《A hasty assumption. On what grounds do you make such a claim?》
Instead of spouting a long-winded explanation and speculation, Dorothea gave a clean answer.
“Because you're one of the Four Great Witches.”
The Wicked Witch of the West did not answer immediately.
Then, a laugh escaped.
It was a blatant sneer.
《Kekeke. What a funny little girl. Yes, are you trying to say that to be treated as an equal to your master, you must naturally be capable of this much? In that respect, you certainly have a discerning eye, but still, you are foolish, so foolish. If you knew that, you shouldn't have come here in the first place.》
The monkey's gaze returned to Franka.
Unlike the old woman's malicious voice, the monkey's face was endlessly emotionless and blank.
It looked more like a doll than a living creature, yet from within it, a ceaseless stream of emotional words poured out, making it utterly bizarre.
《Franka, you foolish girl. I only took you as my disciple because the Aglaia family begged and pleaded, and you mistook it for your own talent and endlessly challenged my authority. I will not let this incident slide, so your father will have to face great hardship as well. It's all your fault, Franka.》
“W-Wait! This has nothing to do with my family!”
“Why are you taking her so seriously? Isn't this what you expected from the moment we invaded this place? Or are you going to offer up your 'babies' and everything else and beg for forgiveness?”
“I know that!!”
Franka screamed in response to Dorothea's words.
She glanced at her two familiars for a moment, then straightened her slumped shoulders and stood tall.
Franka ground her teeth.
“Don't talk as if you've been doing me a favor all this time! No, just don't talk! How shameless, after all you've leeched from my family!”
《Hmm.》
The monkey—no, the Wicked Witch of the West—licked her lips.
It was the reaction of someone whose favorite toy had just slipped from her grasp.
Just as the Wicked Witch of the West was about to say something more.
Slice!
The Tin Knight, who had been silent all this time, leaped forward and abruptly sliced off the monkey's head.
Franka flinched, and Dorothea, too, looked momentarily stunned.
“Hey, you.”
[The 'Tin Knight' insists that conversations with the boss shouldn't drag on for too long!]
[The 'Tin Knight' says that their business was finished the moment Franka resolved to fight back properly!]
Dorothea started to say something, but then just shook her head.
On second thought, he wasn't wrong.
Rather than playing along with the stage the enemy had set in their own territory, it was wiser to run wild.
The party began to climb the stairs.