Chapter 202: The Little Lion and The Room of Memories
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 202: The Little Lion and The Room of Memories
A flying monkey came to find Dorothea’s party, coincidentally on the very first day Adel began her training.
Perhaps due to the effect of the one-eyed magic tool around its neck, the monkey spoke human language fluently and bowed politely.
《This is a letter from our new master, Lady Franka, for you, Lady Dorothea.》
Dorothea took the letter the monkey offered with a suspicious look and asked.
“But how did you know where I was?”
《With the help of the Sky Island scholars, we calculated your approximate current location, and for the rest, we borrowed the power of this.》
The item the monkey produced was an Animal Compass, identical to the ones Dorothea and Gale possessed.
Dorothea was dumbfounded to see Franka casually entrusting a homunculus with an item that was irreplaceable if lost, but at the same time, she grew curious about the contents of a letter that required such effort to deliver.
The letter was quintessentially Franka, filled with all sorts of flowery language and pompous posturing, but the gist of it was as follows:
[As previously discussed, I am in the process of integrating the various factions within the Witch of the West’s workshop. However, due to the necromantic structure you left behind, a portion of the local forces has become cult-like, which is causing difficulties in recruitment. To resolve this, I request that you bestow a ‘name’ upon the leader of this faction.]
“…What is this bullshit?”
Dorothea was simply baffled.
She had a rough idea of what the ‘necromantic structure’ was.
After she had completely wiped out the society of those ridiculous creatures, the so-called civilized horses, her human followers had been so bothersome that she had tossed them something to use as a substitute. That must have been it.
But that created a religion? And its leader wanted her to give them a name?
She wanted nothing more than to grab Franka by the collar and demand what kind of bizarre nonsense was happening over there, but with so much to do in the north, she couldn't possibly return to the west.
She considered just ignoring it, but the line, [Refusal to do so will render me unable to properly fulfill the contract regarding the inheritance of the Witch of the West’s legacy and the transfer of a portion of the rights gained from it], made that difficult.
She had developed quite a taste for material possessions after buying her new carriage and wasn't about to give up a pension that came in on its own without her having to lift a finger.
“Hmm, it seems you’ve been up to some interesting things.”
“…Hey, get your head off me.”
Gale, who had approached without her noticing, peeked over Dorothea’s shoulder to steal a glance at the letter.
Dorothea snapped at the proximity, their skin nearly touching, but Gale remained perfectly composed.
“Naming a child? Congratulations on becoming a mother at such a young age, Dorothea. Ah, but by countryside standards, perhaps it’s not so young?”
Whoosh!
Dorothea tried to slap Gale across the face, but Gale dodged the attack effortlessly, leaning back as if doing the limbo.
Having traveled alone before meeting the Tin Knight, Dorothea had some knowledge of martial arts, but it was merely in the realm of light self-defense.
In hand-to-hand combat, her skill was far too low to be a match for Gale, who was superior to most warriors.
Dorothea growled.
“Are you going to keep spouting nonsense!?”
“If you don’t like ‘mother,’ let’s go with ‘godmother.’ So, what name have you decided on?”
Ignoring the attack as if it were nothing, Gale’s nonchalant attitude made Dorothea scowl before letting out a sigh.
“I don't know. I'll just send a few candidates and let them pick one.”
“In that case, won't you just get another question back, asking, ‘I don’t know which of these names to choose’?”
“Tsk.”
Dorothea seemed to ponder for a moment, then, as if an idea struck her, she waved her right hand.
The power of the Gloves of Haider activated, and a book materialized from thin air, dropping onto her lap.
The book was rather crudely made, just a bundle of papers tied together with a string, without a proper cover.
“What’s that?”
“Sophia wrote it herself. She said she gathered some common fairy tales and folk stories to make it easier for that guy to learn the script.”
The Tin Knight was, to put it mildly, not an excellent teacher, but Sophia’s learning ability was more than enough to compensate.
Thanks to the power of ‘Message,’ which conveyed intent itself, Sophia was already fluently using the new script the Tin Knight had taught her.
Dorothea, who had learned various scripts and languages as a witch, had glanced at it once, but it was a writing system completely different from any she knew.
She found herself once again lost in thought about the mysterious script and the identity of the Tin Knight who used it, but she quickly shook off the reverie.
There was something else she needed to do now.
Scanning the book, which had two languages written side-by-side, her eyes eventually stopped on a certain page.
“I can just take one from here.”
“Isn’t that a little too simple?”
“If you have a problem with it, you name them.”
“Bestowing a name has been an honorable role since ancient times. It wouldn't be right to steal someone else's honor.”
Muttering about his smooth talking, Dorothea nonetheless took out a new piece of paper and a pen, wrote something down, and handed it to the golden monkey.
The monkey accepted the letter with a polite demeanor, then flapped its wings and flew far away into the sky.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Dorothea turned her gaze toward the clearing beyond.
The continuous clang of metal and the spill of blood.
Dorothea, who had been staring blankly at a battle so fierce that anyone who didn't know better would mistake it for a real fight, not training, finally stood up.
“…Guess I’ll go make some food.”
“Ah, that soup with the onions from last time was delicious.”
“You'll eat what you're given. Or you can help.”
*
Holy power heals the human body.
And training that involves the body usually comes with the risk of injury.
In that sense, the idea, ‘Wouldn't it be great to build a waiting room for priests next to the training grounds and get healed with holy magic after every session?’ was not particularly special.
But this common idea was rarely put into practice, because the gap between supply and demand was simply too vast.
Almost all priests on the continent belonged to the Kingdom of Heaven, and the few dispatched to the surface were busy enough treating the upper echelons of each nation.
One might ask why they were so busy when people didn't fall ill with new diseases every day, but even if no one had a major illness, there were more than enough uses for holy power.
For one, receiving holy power slowed aging, and it was also effective against ambiguous symptoms not quite classified as ‘illnesses,’ like stiff shoulders or minor chills.
Even if it wasn't used for such conditioning, priests tended to reserve a certain amount of holy power in case they or their family members suddenly fell ill. Thus, using holy power for the sake of training was practically in the realm of fantasy.
Unless, of course, the person training was one of the region's top-ranking nobles, or their direct offspring.
But despite enjoying such a luxury, Adel couldn't feel happy at all.
Because her teacher was a master at pushing people to their absolute limits.
Give a man who could burn through 99 out of 100 stamina points a recovery item, and the result was obvious.
[The Tin Knight says your attacks are too sluggish!]
[The Tin Knight says that while dodging is important, focusing too much on defense gives your opponent the freedom to move, which ultimately puts you in greater danger!]
I understand what you're saying, but…!
Actually doing it was another matter, Adel grumbled inwardly.
She didn't say it out loud, partly because she was out of breath, but also because she had to block the Tin Knight’s sword, which was coming to split her torso in two.
CLAAANG!
Adel gripped her sword with both hands against the Tin Knight, who wielded his with one.
Despite this, Adel’s sword was pushed back, and a part of her forearm was sliced by the blow she couldn't fully block.
It wasn't a matter of pure strength.
As a result of constant training and becoming accustomed to drawing out the power of her belt, Adel already overwhelmed the Tin Knight in terms of physical specs alone.
However, whenever their swords clashed, it was always Adel who was pushed back and wounded.
The reason was clear.
Spacing.
The power of a full swing with a bat in a wide-open area is different from a swing in a confined space.
The power of a punch thrown with the full body free to move is different from one thrown with only the arm while the upper body is fixed.
The Tin Knight exquisitely struck at the exact distance, position, and timing where Adel couldn't properly use the ‘power’ in her body. Adel tried to escape, but her attempts failed every time.
There were three ways to break this stalemate.
One was to use technique to catch him off guard, but that was out of the question against the Tin Knight.
The second was to break the flow by trading blows, even at the risk of injury, but the Tin Knight reacted as if he had predicted even that, only increasing Adel's own damage.
In the end, only one option remained.
To boost her already superior specs even further, widening the gap to a point where technique could no longer counter it.
Crackle!
Violet, lightning-like mana erupted from Adel’s body.
The next moment, her body moved at high speed, as if fast-forwarded.
KRAKOOM!
The Tin Knight, who had been constantly advancing, was pushed back for the first time.
And before his back foot could touch the ground again, Adel’s barrage of attacks swept toward him, as if to dice him to pieces.
[The Tin Knight expresses his admiration, noting that your attacks are quite fierce!]
The Tin Knight was right.
Adel’s usual attacks had fighting spirit but were mostly devoid of malice or hostility. Now, however, every strike she unleashed while wreathed in violet lightning was filled with a raw, unrefined killing intent.
Her deep violet eyes had lost some of their focus, making her look as if she had entered a half-trance.
SLICE!
A thick tree near the path of Adel’s sword was instantly severed.
Even the trees behind it, which the blade hadn't touched directly, were sliced down in a fan-shaped arc.
Everywhere her feet landed, the surroundings were left in a wretched state. She looked like a small calamity.
Just as that overwhelming assault seemed poised to cut the Tin Knight in two.
[The Tin Knight says that even so, you must wield your own sword with your own will!]
The Tin Knight’s ‘power-saving mode’ ended, and the mana stored in his body activated at once.
He parried her sword with his own, blocked her kick with his shield, struck her abdomen with his elbow, and as her head lowered, he smashed the pommel of his sword down upon it.
CRACK!
Adel’s head slammed into the ground, creating a small crater.
Having subdued Adel in just four moves, the Tin Knight was about to lift her up when he saw blood streaming from her head and called for Sophia.
As a white light flowed through Adel’s body, her limp form twitched and reacted.
Using her sword as a support, Adel pushed herself up and, forcing her trembling legs to still, said.
“G-Good work.”
[The Tin Knight returns the greeting to his pupil!]
[The Tin Knight asks if your memories are intact!]
“I got a little hazy in the middle, but I remember it.”
[The Tin Knight assesses that for a berserk state, the risks are quite manageable, seeing as you don't completely switch to another personality!]
“Although it feels like my whole body is completely exhausted every time I use it….”
[The Tin Knight says that’s because there’s too much wasted effort!]
[The Tin Knight explains that if normal mana enhancement is like placing a cursor at a desired location with a mouse sensitivity of 5, then that violet lightning is like trying to do the same with a sensitivity of 50!]
[The Tin Knight says that in a real battle, you need to be able to control it fluidly, like playing an FPS, and even pull off sniper shots!]
“???”
“Um, it’s harder to peel an apple with a greatsword than with a small paring knife. But you must become able to peel an apple with a greatsword as if it were a paring knife. That’s the context.”
“Ah, so that's what it meant.”
Only after hearing Sophia’s explanation did Adel understand the Tin Knight’s analogy, but her expression was grim.
She was once again reminded of how difficult this power was to handle, and just how high Hilda’s level of control had been.
And the Tin Knight was a true teacher who would not let his pupil’s downcast face remain.
[The Tin Knight says that since you've recovered enough to have idle thoughts, it's time to resume training!]
“W-Wait, hold on. I can still barely stand—kyaaa!?”
[The Tin Knight shows his enthusiasm, saying he'll burn off any remaining stamina before they begin the mental training so that none of it goes to waste!]