Chapter 139: The Tin Knight and the Golden Alchemist (9)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 139: The Tin Knight and the Golden Alchemist (9)
Suddenly, your vision went black.
Sitting in your chair, you stared blankly at the dark screen.
It took a few seconds for your mind to process that the connection to the 'Tin Knight' had been severed because you'd used up all your mana.
It felt as if you'd gone blind without any warning.
They say sight accounts for 77% of a person's senses, don't they?
Considering the Tin Knight's senses perceived far more information than your own outside the monitor, it was a fitting analogy.
Releasing the tension that had unknowingly built up in your shoulders, you leaned back in your chair.
That was a battle that demanded quite a bit of concentration.
To say you had to fight with all your might might be a slight exaggeration, but it was true that it was the most intense battle you had experienced as the Tin Knight so far.
The first encounter. The battle in the Country of Giants after being scattered. The naval battle to reach the island. The frenzied rush to evade the giant arrows. The bumper car ride on the plains. The final battle on the rooftop.
In terms of sheer intensity, the fight with the Kalidahs was no pushover, but while that was a short, sharp burst, this was a long series of battles.
The final fight, in particular, was overflowing with tension.
Individually, they weren't overwhelmingly strong, but the problem was that hundreds of them, all possessing a certain level of quality, were attacking at once.
This was especially true because it wasn't just about cutting down the enemies in front of you; you also had to simultaneously cancel the enemy's powerful attacks without missing a single one, all while managing your dwindling mana.
It felt like a true taste of a war of attrition.
Well, that just made clearing it all the more rewarding.
If it hadn't been a situation where a single minor mistake could cost your comrades their lives, you might have even clapped and called it fun.
Despite the fatigue, as you habitually stretched your body, the words 'Waiting...' on the screen disappeared and the monitor lit up.
And the senses of your other body, which had been completely cut off, returned.
Your eyes lit up.
It was time to resume the Tin Knight's story.
*
The collapse was swift.
The homunculi, who just moments ago had shown fierce fighting spirit, heedless of their comrades dying around them, threw down their weapons and began to flee the instant the Witch of the West fell.
“—It's karmic retribution. To think that among all those children, not a single one would run to help their parent.”
At the voice from behind her, Dorothea, who was pouring mana into the Tin Knight with a hand on his back, glanced over.
Franka, who had come up to the rooftop at some point, was staring at the bisected golden sphere with a strangely complicated expression.
“Look at you, sneaking up right after the fight is over.”
“Don't be ridiculous. Who do you think was watching your backs?”
Dorothea shrugged at Franka's sharp retort.
She had only made the light jab because the timing was so perfect; in truth, she hadn't been serious.
Just one look at Franka, tattered and worn to the point that her usual glamorous appearance was a distant memory, and the two monkeys panting beside her, made it obvious how fierce the battle below had been.
After confirming that the light had returned to the limp Tin Knight's eyes, the party approached the fallen Witch of the West.
Elphaba's condition was gruesome.
Sliced diagonally from her left shoulder to her right thigh, the two halves of her corpse lay sprawled apart.
Her old, wrinkled face was contorted, and the emotion it held was clear for anyone to see.
Shock and disbelief.
“The face of someone who never imagined she would be defeated so futilely.”
Then again, it was no wonder, Dorothea thought.
As someone more well-versed in corpses than anyone else present, Dorothea had already suspected that the various bizarre species commanded by the Witch of the West were, in fact, homunculi.
Nearly every living creature in this workshop was Elphaba's soldier, her subject, and her slave.
How could she ever have imagined that with such a force, she would be defeated by a mere party of four?
“Um… is it really over now?”
Adelaide asked cautiously.
Using her two-handed sword as a cane, she looked incredibly precarious just trying to stand.
[The 'Tin Knight' advises against carelessly saying things like 'we got her' or 'it's over,' as such words have the magical power to resurrect enemies!]
[The 'Tin Knight' adds that, of course, if there is an additional battle, he would be perfectly fine with that!]
“Eek!? M-Miss Witch, is that true?”
“No. There's no such magic.”
Although Dorothea denied it firmly, she herself seemed a little uneasy and prodded Elphaba's corpse with her staff.
She asked Franka with a dubious look.
“But didn't you say the Witch of the West originally had nearly a thousand monkeys? I expected reinforcements, why aren't they coming?”
Franka answered nonchalantly.
“It's not that they didn't come, you probably defeated her before they could. Well, no need to worry about it. Judging by the reaction of the homunculi who were left here, they won't be burning with vengeance for you after learning their master is dead.”
“Hmm.”
Just as Dorothea was crossing her arms with a look of doubt.
“Sir Tin, could you help me for a moment?”
Stepping forward, Sophia extended her hand to the Tin Knight.
The Tin Knight, understanding her intent, took her hand, and her mana flowed into his body.
Channeling the wine-colored mana to his eyes, he could see blood-red fissures of the past shimmering around Elphaba's corpse.
After confirming that Sophia had shared her mana with the rest of the party, the Tin Knight reached for the fissures.
The visions shown by the 'Chalice of Tuberose' were always different.
Sometimes it was a play experienced from someone's point of view, sometimes a story as if sung by a bard, and other times a single, powerful image.
What unfolded before their eyes this time was closest to the last.
Someone sitting on an emerald throne, dressed in pure white robes that seemed woven from light.
Someone sitting on a bronze throne, dressed in jet-black robes that seemed woven from darkness.
And a young girl in a green pointed hat and witch's clothes, looking up with eyes full of admiration at a mural depicting the two of them side by side.
—The vision ended.
Their vision returned to normal.
Dorothea squinted.
“This one was unusually short.”
“I know, but could the person looking up at the mural be… Ah.”
Adel's words stopped in bewilderment.
With a squelch, Elphaba's corpse began to melt.
It wasn't rotting. Nor was it like clay or mud. Rather, it was closer to clear water.
Before anyone could even react, one of the greatest witches had thus turned into water.
Only her leftover clothes and navy gloves remained, swaying in the water as if to prove she had once been there.
*
Outside the Witch of the West's barrier.
The space around a giant rock seemed to shimmer, and then a small figure dropped out of thin air.
It was a girl of beautiful appearance.
Though she looked to be in her early teens at most, her body's proportions and the harmony of her features were perfect.
She gave off an aura less like a natural being and more like a work of art, exquisitely crafted by someone according to mathematical ratios.
However, her expression was viciously contorted, belying her beautiful appearance.
“How dare they, how dare they! That I, of all people, would lose to such brats!”
Her voice was young, but her tone was that of a cunning old crone.
It felt as incongruous as an old woman trapped inside a young girl's body.
The beautiful girl ground her teeth, her eyes filled with resentment and venom.
“Revel in your victory for now. If you think this is the extent of my power—”
“How unsightly.”
—A cold, elegant scorn cut off her vow of revenge.
At the voice from behind, the girl's head whipped around.
The visitor with snow-white hair continued to speak calmly to the girl.
“A loss is a loss, regardless of the process. Isn't it rather pathetic to make excuses about not using your full strength?”
The girl's eyes narrowed.
Revealing caution and suspicion, the girl asked.
“Who are you.”
“Hm?”
The white-haired intruder tilted her head as if puzzled.
Yet, the complete lack of change in her expression created an even more peculiar atmosphere.
“Ah, I see. My apologies. You are not Elphaba.”
“What?”
The girl's face twisted bizarrely.
“What nonsense is this? I am—”
“No, you are merely a homunculus that copied Elphaba's memories just before her death. Your capabilities are nothing to speak of, and it seems the soul transfer didn't even proceed properly.”
The intruder, Algind Goodwitch, continued with a hint of admiration.
“A better result than I expected. I thought the necromancer's unique affinity and that magic doll's power would push Elphaba into a corner... but to think they'd kill her without even giving her a chance to escape. A satisfactory outcome. It paid off to let them go obediently instead of pointlessly draining their strength at the martial arts tournament.”
The girl flared up at Algind, who kept muttering incomprehensible things to herself as if ignoring her.
“What are you talking about! I am Elphaba! Elphaba Thropp! I am the Golden Alchemist!”
The girl clutched the necklace around her neck.
Shaped like an eyeball, it was the magic tool Witch Elphaba used to control her homunculi.
If she sent the signal, the hundreds of homunculi guarding outside the barrier under Elphaba's command would gather in an instant.
But, for some reason.
Even seeing this, Algind showed no sign of stopping the girl.
At first, the girl sneered at her carelessness and ignorance, but a moment later, it was the girl's own face that stiffened.
“What, why, why is no one….”
“Nameless homunculus. It seems you inherited your creator's foolishness as well. The very fact that I am waiting for you here so casually should have been your answer.”
At those words, the girl's face was painted with disbelief and horror.
“No way. No, no! It can't be! That's impossible! There's no way that could happen!”
“Hmm, well, it was quite a bit of trouble. That pirate crew on the golden ship was particularly tiresome. I failed to finish them off, after all.”
The girl's jaw dropped.
Only then did the girl understand why there had been no response, even though Elphaba had tried to summon some of the forces guarding the barrier.
And, the future that was about to befall her.
The girl's eyes filled with killing intent.
Fortunately, her opponent was completely off guard, brimming with confidence.
Dorothea's party inside the barrier would be busy checking the interior and regrouping, so if she could just get rid of Algind, she could escape.
Click!
A portion of Elphaba's luggage reconfigured itself, transforming into a crossbow.
Already drawn taut, it fired with ferocious momentum the instant the girl moved her finger.
The moment the bolt was about to pierce Algind.
《Denied.》
A whirlwind stirred up by the masked stranger instantly shattered the bolt.
Along with the girl's body behind it.
“Ah.”
The death cry was all too brief and fleeting.
As if hacked to pieces by countless blades, the girl's body disintegrated and scattered across the ground.
Algind's eyebrow twitched.
“Bard. I was still talking.”
At her chiding words, the figure in the green mask flinched.
《Sorry. My bad.》
In an instant, the mouth of the green mask turned blue.
《Yeah, yeah, she dared to attack without knowing her place, so we should have tormented her more slowly! What's the point of letting her die so easily!》
“That is not the issue, Gawain.”
The mouth of the mask turned green again.
《You're no different.》
《What do you mean!?》
Ignoring the bickering figure whose mask kept changing colors, Algind flicked her fingers.
A rough current materialized from thin air and swept the girl's remains into the sea, leaving not a trace behind.
“Well then, since we have succeeded in the Witch Hunt as my mentor ordered, it is time for us to return.”
《Since we're here, how about we wipe out those brats too?》
《If ordered, will fight.》
“I have no intention of doing so right now. They are comrades who helped defeat one of the Four Great Witches; I can't very well stab them in the back. Well, not that they'll even know of my existence for the time being.”
'Besides, fighting those monkeys was honestly quite exhausting,' Algind said with a blank face that looked anything but tired.
Cackling as if Algind's words were hilarious, the masked figure grabbed hold of her.
The next moment, with a great gust of wind and a light spray of water, they shot high into the sky and vanished.
Swaa, swaa.
Only the desolate sound of the waves echoed like a dirge, mourning the one who had died without a trace, having accomplished nothing.