Chapter 201: The Tin Knight and The Interlude of The West – Part 2
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 201: The Tin Knight and The Interlude of The West – Part 2
“We will decide the hierarchy among the leaders through duels!”
The golden monkeys looked at Franka as if asking what to do about the sudden proposal, but she just shrugged and approved the Small People’s King’s request.
In truth, it was more convenient for her to listen to the voices of a select few at the top of the pecking order than to deal with every single leader squawking at her.
A dueling ring was immediately set up, and the leaders of each faction, or the strongest warriors they had brought with them, began to test their might against one another.
As Franka watched the spectacle like a tourist, an old scholar approached her.
“O Ruler, must we also compete for rank in that fight?”
“Of course not. I’ll treat you all well enough without you having to do something like that, so just sit back and watch quietly.”
At Franka’s words, the old scholar, who had come as a representative of the Sky Island, let out a sigh of relief.
The scholars of the Sky Island were a group formed by the descendants of the disciples the Wicked Witch of the West had worked to the bone. Their level of knowledge and culture was something even Franka couldn't take lightly.
Whether for managing her workshop, using them in other ventures, or even having them assist in her own research, their potential was limitless. Franka had no intention of letting such valuable assets get injured in a pointless brawl.
“Keuk!”
“Ugh!”
As if to prove his confidence wasn't just a bluff, the Small People’s King’s performance was dazzling.
Werewolves, bird-men, and various other races were all helpless before his nimble movements and the sword energy that extended several times his own body size.
‘In Elphaba’s records, it was written that while she had mixed results with other races, she had succeeded in recreating the small people almost exactly like the originals. It wasn’t a lie.’
“Hahaha! To think the smallest of the small is putting up such a fight!”
After some time, the newly crowned Giant King—who had taken the throne after the previous king was killed by the Tin Knight—stepped forward. The Small People’s King’s one-sided winning streak was finally broken, and a fierce match began to unfold.
“You’re at least worth fighting!”
“You bastard! How long do you think you can keep running?!”
The Small People’s King was superior in overall skill and technique, but perhaps because the difference in weight class was so overwhelming, the match didn’t easily tip in one direction.
The problem was that the castle courtyard, prepared for the banquet, was more than spacious enough for ordinary humans but far too small for a giant to go all out.
As the Giant King swung his massive body around, engrossed in the fight, the other representatives had to scatter chaotically just to avoid being trampled underfoot.
Just as Franka was thinking she should probably intervene, something strange caught her eye.
A girl about Franka’s age, dressed in clothes adorned with black feathers, was paying no attention to the fight. Instead, she had erected some kind of tower of bones on the ground and was bowing earnestly before it.
Franka, bewildered, asked the golden monkey acting as her butler, “Who is she representing?”
《She is the representative of the island once ruled by the centaur races, which my former master called the Land of the Centaurs. However, the previous ruling class, the ‘civilized horses,’ were brutally crushed by the black witch. Now, the humans who were once the subjugated class are in charge. That girl is their leader.》
“Her?” Franka scoffed.
The girl was too young to have much experience, and from the sound of things, it wasn’t the kind of place that would have a royal bloodline.
It wasn’t like she looked particularly special either, uh, well…
“Wait, what is that? That tower. What kind of curse is clumped together like that—!?”
Franka’s exclamation was cut short. Before she could finish, an even greater shock struck her.
It happened the moment the weapons of the Small People’s King and the Giant King clashed in the heat of their battle. A fragment from the Giant King’s weapon flew toward the girl in the black-feathered clothes.
The girl, who had been earnestly praying to the tower just a moment before, was suddenly on her feet, swatting away the fragment that flew at her.
In her hand was a crude blade that looked like a cross between a shovel and a kitchen knife. A moment too late, Franka realized its raw material was the very tower of bones the girl had just been praying to.
The girl had ignored the ranking battle until now, seemingly uninterested, but having her ‘time of prayer’ disturbed must have displeased her greatly, for her face turned as cold as ice.
Fwoosh!
What happened next was like a picture book with several pages torn out from the middle.
The girl raised her crude blade, emitting black mana from her entire body. The next moment, both the Giant King and the Small People’s King were planted upside down in the ground.
Franka felt goosebumps rise all over her body.
‘W-what? What the hell was that!?’
In truth, even watching the Giant King and the Small People’s King run rampant, Franka hadn’t felt the slightest bit of danger.
It was obvious at a glance that she and her familiars were stronger.
But the black-feathered girl’s power was impossible for Franka to gauge.
In other words, the girl was on par with Franka, or perhaps even stronger.
Perhaps noticing Franka’s wide-eyed stare, the black-feathered girl slowly approached her.
Franka swallowed hard.
Just as she was about to enter a combat stance—no, an escape and regroup stance—if things went south…
The girl suddenly bowed. “My apologies for the unsightly display.”
“Huh?”
The black-feathered girl calmly continued, speaking to the clueless Franka.
“My prayer to the great Crow Goddess was disturbed, which was so unpleasant that I inadvertently lost my composure. O friend of the Goddess, I pray you show me your generosity.”
If the countless thoughts swirling in Franka’s head could be summed up in a single sentence, it would be: ‘What the fuck is this girl talking about?’
“…G-goddess? Who?”
“Lady Dorothea.”
“And I’m her friend?”
“Yes.”
The girl’s attitude, as if she were stating the most obvious fact in the world, left Franka utterly confused.
Just as she was about to ask what kind of nonsense this was…
“I heard from the golden monkey that you, Lady Franka, joined forces and fought alongside the Goddess. If you are a friend of the Goddess, then you are, of course, a noble personage to me as well. That is why I readily agreed to this meeting. But… hmmm.”
A chill slowly crept into the black-feathered girl’s expression, which until a moment ago had been incomparably gentle and polite.
The crude blade the girl held was made of bone, and as far as Franka could tell, it was practically an independent Living Weapon—one with a transformation function, at that.
“…Could it be that you are not a friend of the Goddess?”
“Of course we’re friends. Why are you asking something so obvious?”
At Franka’s immediate reply, the black-feathered girl’s expression softened again.
“Of course. I apologize for asking such a needless question. I made the ridiculous mistake of thinking you might be a shameless swindler using the Goddess’s name. I am truly ashamed.”
“Hah, what a pathetic mistake indeed. Dorothea and I have even shared a blood oath.”
“Ooh!”
The girl was filled with awe. Franka was filled with despair.
‘I thought all I had to do now was live large and prosper in my own domain, so why did a monster like this have to pop out of nowhere?! That filthy necromancer! What the hell did you do before you left?!’
Desperately suppressing a sorrow so deep she felt like bursting into tears, Franka spoke.
“Anyway, you seem to respect Dorothea quite a bit, huh?”
“It is not respect. It is faith. For she is my salvation.”
“R-Right.”
It was an immediate answer, without a second of hesitation.
Strategically, she knew it would be useful to learn as much as she could about this girl, but Franka felt an overwhelming urge to just give up and erase the girl’s very existence from her memory.
It felt like forcing herself to turn the pages of a grimoire that ate away at her brain the more she read.
“Then, uh, how about you go meet Dorothea? Wouldn’t it be even better if you could assist her up close?”
“That is…”
For a fleeting moment, Franka clearly witnessed a myriad of emotions flicker across the girl’s otherwise stoic face.
“I am truly grateful for the offer, but that is impossible. I am still far too lacking to repay the grace I received from the Goddess. Considering her great power, with meager talents such as mine, I cannot even presume to be her footstool. Therefore, I must decline your offer.”
To anyone unaware of the situation, the sorrow in the girl’s voice was so profound it might have moved them to tears. She was overflowing with regret and longing.
Of course, Franka, who knew the situation all too well, was simply dumbfounded.
‘Lacking in ability, my ass. From where I’m standing, if you two fought right now, I’m pretty sure you could split her head open. If it weren’t for that knight, anyway.’
With the gut feeling that her “get rid of the monster” project was a lost cause, Franka quickly changed tactics.
If she didn’t at least raise this monster’s favorability, she felt she’d be too scared of having her head lopped off by that crude blade to get a wink of sleep.
“Well then, how about I deliver a letter for you? Repaying her grace is one thing, but wouldn’t it be easier for Dorothea if you let her know you exist beforehand? That way, she can prepare herself.”
“That…” The feathered girl seemed to hesitate for a moment, but after Franka repeated the offer several times, she relented as if she couldn’t refuse any longer.
“Th-Then, I am truly sorry to impose, but if it is not too much trouble, would it be alright for me to ask if I may inquire about receiving permission to make a request of the Goddess?”
“It’s fine, just cut to the chase. She hates things that are a hassle.”
“Through the holy tower the Goddess left behind, I have gained much knowledge. Among it was the symbolism and special nature of a ‘name.’ It is as if I were reborn thanks to the Goddess, so I wish for her to grant me my name.”
“Yeah, I’ll pass it on. Yup.”
Sighing deeply to herself, Franka began to prepare the letter.
If only because it would be unfair for her to suffer alone, she had to get ready to pass this ticking bomb on to that witch.