Chapter 194: The Tin Knight and The Crossroads of Swords and Magic (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 194: The Tin Knight and The Crossroads of Swords and Magic (4)
The purpose of the Lennart dojo tour could be broadly divided into two categories.
One was to verify the skills of the dojo disciples. The other was to broaden their horizons.
The Tin Knight had compared this system to a certain pocket monster gym challenge, but in truth, there was a significant difference between the two.
Unlike the former, a global competition organized by an official association, this was fundamentally a large-scale, wide-ranging family event.
To put it nicely, it was flexible; to put it poorly, it lacked a solid foundation. As such, how each test was conducted was left entirely to the discretion of the representative instructor.
In that context, Norman’s assertion—"I already know you're strong, so I'll test something other than your combat ability"—wasn't entirely unreasonable.
However, for Adelaide, who had spent her entire journey focused solely on improving her combat specs, it was a very troublesome proposal.
To hell with culture and refinement—the Tin Knight, who had focused only on grinding stats and skills, was to blame.
Perhaps sensing Adelaide’s strong reluctance, Norman took a step back.
“Ah, it seems my clumsy wording has caused some misunderstanding. I did say an emissary of peace, but I'm not expecting some monumental achievement. To put it more plainly, you could just call it being a messenger.”
“A messenger? Do you mean you want me to deliver a letter?”
“Yes. The contents themselves are nothing special. It's just a suggestion to hold a casual joint event to ease the current stiff atmosphere. All you have to do, Lady Adelaide, is officially deliver the letter and officially receive a reply. That's it.”
Only then did Adelaide lower her guard slightly, but not all of her questions had been answered.
Sophia, who had been standing by in silence, asked.
“If it's truly as you say, it doesn't seem like a difficult task. But that, in turn, makes it all the more puzzling. Can a test really be replaced with ‘such a simple task’?”
The Tower of Annihilation was in the city center, while the Lennart dojo was near the outskirts, but they weren't terribly far apart, nor was the path between them treacherous.
Even an ordinary person with no special abilities could cross the city on foot and arrive in a matter of tens of minutes.
The difficulty was far too low for a test. So low, in fact, that it made one suspect a hidden agenda.
“Haha, I see. A valid point. However, it probably won't be as easy as you expect.”
Norman gave a good-natured, hearty smile before adding.
“Because, you see, not a single one of the messengers sent so far has managed to return with a reply.”
Sophia's gaze grew calm. Adelaide swallowed hard, and on her shoulder, the bone mouse hidden in her hair quietly made its gem glow.
Adelaide asked in a trembling voice, "Don't tell me... they died?"
Norman shook his head. "Nothing like that. They merely fainted."
Approach the front of the magic tower, state your business to the spirit guarding the gate, and hand the letter to the mage from the Tower of Annihilation who comes out.
Not a single person had managed to complete this simple act without fainting, he said.
“The scholars, who haven't trained their bodies, collapsed on their way to the gate. The disciples collapsed while trying to speak to the spirit. Even the instructors saw the mage come down, but they too fainted, failing to hand over the letter.”
That only left Norman, the representative instructor, but for him to go personally would be like a count from one domain visiting another just to hand a letter to a guard.
Doing it once or twice could be framed as 'boldness,' but overusing the tactic would diminish the prestige of the Lennart name itself.
“It's too blatant to be a coincidence. It seems they have no intention of hiding it.”
“It's likely not a direct attack. According to the victims, it felt like the fear and pressure one feels when facing a massive beast, amplified to an extreme degree.”
In the end, this too was a kind of battle of wills.
“So they won't harm the messenger, but they consider 'a weak messenger fainting on their own' to be none of their business. Is that it?”
“Well, I think making someone faint with pressure definitely falls under the category of 'harming' them....” Adelaide timidly countered Sophia's speculation.
“That's a fair point, but those people are the most ferocious mages in the Magic State. Their standards are completely different from ours. If we don't let this much slide, we can't even begin a conversation.”
Norman gave a bitter smile.
“It feels strange to call it fortunate, but since the previous Emperor passed away, the Empire has maintained a policy of near non-interference with the Magic State. Our dojo has no other reason to send messengers besides making minor event proposals like this, so the situation has passed quietly without much diplomatic fuss. However, the lack of a major diplomatic incident doesn't mean we can let this situation continue.”
"Therefore," the elderly instructor said, gazing at Adelaide.
“I will entrust this to you. Any method is fine. You can discover the principle behind their 'pressure' and overcome it, prepare a defensive magic tool, or even attempt a pure frontal assault—I won't stop you. Please overcome their malicious prank and complete your duty as a messenger.”
Adelaide fell silent for a moment, contemplating.
She glanced at Sophia, but Sophia simply smiled as if to say she'd leave it to her. The bone mouse on her shoulder also gave no particular signal. It might have been that Dorothea was simply too busy to respond, but in any case, the choice was left to Adelaide.
After careful consideration, Adelaide nodded.
“I'll do it.”
*
Meanwhile, Dorothea, who had been watching through the bone mouse, grumbled.
“She's such a timid kid, yet she never backs down from things like this. It's obviously going to be a pain in the ass. She should have just intimidated him into giving her a combat test instead of getting involved in this nonsense.”
The Tin Knight, listening beside her, expressed his doubt.
[The 'Tin Knight' asks what the point would be if he just intimidated the examiner into changing the test!]
[The 'Tin Knight' insists that the meaning lies in overcoming the challenge!]
“What do you mean, 'what's the point'? Whether you get the token or not is a big difference.”
[The 'Tin Knight' concedes that the reward is indeed important!]
Contrary to Adelaide's prediction that Dorothea would be too busy to pay them much mind, she had been watching the events at the dojo from nearly start to finish.
One couldn't say it was because the Tin Knight's modifications were finished quickly; the knight in question was currently disassembled, with only his head and core remaining, chatting with Dorothea.
The work was still in full swing, yet the reason Dorothea could leisurely watch other events was simple.
To put it in a word, Gale was just too competent.
“Hmm, Sig? Could you hand me that?”
When the white knight handed her a thin iron plate he'd procured from the blacksmith as instructed, Gale inscribed a few magic characters onto it.
The plate then bent and cut itself, transforming into a tool that fit perfectly in Gale's hand.
Its versatility was truly incredible, Dorothea thought, her feelings a mix of admiration and jealousy.
In fact, this wasn't the first time Dorothea and Gale had worked together.
They had joined forces back in Tik-Tok to create the magic doll workshop.
At that time, however, there hadn't been much difference in their workloads.
While Gale had contributed greatly to the creation of detailed tools, Dorothea had been the main provider of the manual labor essential for the construction site.
But this modification job didn't require the physical labor and sheer numbers that were a necromancer's specialty, and Dorothea's knowledge of magic dolls wasn't extensive enough to assist with the detailed modifications.
No, to be more precise, Gale's proficiency and understanding were so high that there was simply no need for Dorothea to help.
Dorothea spoke in disbelief. “You... was your main profession doll knight, not mage?”
“You sure have a way with words for someone talking to a magic tower-certified mage. Well, I pride myself on having skills that wouldn't lose to most doll knights, so I'll take that as a compliment this time.”
Even as she bantered, Gale's gaze remained fixed on the workbench, and her hands never stopped moving for a single moment.
As she continued working for some time, she said, “Hmm, I need to stop the mana circuits for a moment. Sir Tin Knight? I'm going to empty your mana for a bit, is that alright?”
...
[The 'Tin Knight' replies that it's fine!]
Dorothea noticed the strange pause before the reply came.
But instead of pointing it out, she remained silent. A short while later, the Tin Knight ceased all activity and shut down.
Creeak, creak.
As Gale inscribed various magic characters on the inside of the Tin Knight's body, she spoke.
“Dorothea.”
“What.”
“I... actually did a background check on your knight.”
Dorothea froze for a moment, but then crossed her arms and legs as if telling her to continue.
“Why?”
“Because I was curious, of course. An old-model magic doll, the likes of which I've never seen, managed to win a contest of skill against my Sig, even if indirectly. I couldn't help but be interested. So I did some digging. But the results were... disappointing.”
It was truly strange, she said.
“The Tin Knight's power is likely still lacking compared to his prime. To be precise, even if his temporary peak performance is close to his prime, his mana capacity is so small that the time he can maintain it is absurdly short. Conversely, that means during his active period, he could use that power more easily, more freely... A being of that caliber should have left records behind. It's impossible that he wouldn't. But strangely, there were very few historical materials.”
Dorothea listened to Gale's words in silence.
“I've surmised two possible reasons. One is that the Tin Knight was active not just in the distant past, but in a truly ancient era. The other is that someone intentionally erased all data about him from history. Or perhaps it's both.”
At that, Dorothea finally asked, "You said there were 'few' materials. That sounds like there were some?”
“Yes. When I asked my master, she showed me a children's storybook. The contents were quite abstract, though.”
Once upon a time, long, long ago.
In an age when darkness covered the land.
There lived a very brave knight.
The knight's arms were cold metal; he would never drop his sword.
The knight's legs were cold metal; he would never tire.
The knight's head was cold metal; he would never sleep.
The knight's heart was cold metal; he would never know despair.
Oh, noble and loyal knight.
When, oh when, will you find your sleep?
All who witnessed your nobility have returned to the earth, yet you still remain upon it.
The children of the children you protected—how long will they call you a hero?
Once upon a time, long, long ago.
In an age when darkness was leaving the land.
There lived a very sad knight.