Chapter 219: The Tin Knight and The Singing Bones (7)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 219: The Tin Knight and The Singing Bones (7)
“I've been in this position for nearly ten years, but I've never had a day as stormy as this one.”
After the Tin Knight’s party had departed.
After suppressing and apprehending the endlessly resurrecting pirates, impounding their ship, and brushing off the diplomat's threats—or rather, whining—that this matter would not be taken lightly, the guard captain finally sank into his chair, letting his weary body rest.
The guard captain downed the coffee his adjutant brought him not to savor it, but as if it were mere sustenance. Reading the dissatisfaction and suspicion on his adjutant's face, he spoke.
“You look like you have a lot on your mind. Are you that displeased that I granted the young lady's request?”
“…To be frank, yes, sir. Lady Gale Elilaz's rank may be high, but that doesn't mean she can bend the rules here as she pleases.”
The criteria for receiving a high rank in the Tower of Protection was ‘how many outstanding technologies one has invented and subsequently gifted to the Tower.’
A high-ranking mage was revered as an ‘excellent technician,’ but to put it another way, that was all.
It might be different in the Tower of Control, where rank and position are nearly synonymous, but in the Tower of Protection, possessing a high rank alone did not grant one the right to arbitrarily order others around.
Moreover, this was the border. The station of its guard captain was a head or two above those of other guard units.
It wasn't for nothing that the guard captain could so easily brush off the pressure from the other Tower's diplomat.
“That's just the principle of the matter. If other 4th rank mages 'request' something, how many people in this world would dare to ignore them?”
“But isn't Lady Elilaz different from the other 4th rank mages?”
“How so?”
“Well, the others contributed to the Tower over many long years through their own skill and experience, but she is a direct disciple of the Witch of the North…”
“Tsk. Looks like you've heard some nasty rumors yourself.”
In truth, there was a lot of talk surrounding Gale's promotion to 4th rank at such a young age.
Rumors claimed she had submitted technology developed by the Witch of the North under her own name to get promoted, or that the current tower head, also a disciple of the Witch of the North, had shown favoritism to his youngest junior.
“The current tower head may be a gentle soul, but he's not the type to intentionally play favorites based on old school ties, knowing full well it would cause discord. Besides, that young lady doesn't have the personality to accept such special treatment. She earned her 4th rank on pure skill alone.”
“Even so, openly confronting the Tower of Control is another matter entirely. If things go wrong, sir, the responsibility could fall on you.”
“That may be.”
The guard captain nodded readily.
“But… if this is the price for confirming whether an ally is truly trustworthy, or just a parasite feigning friendship, isn't it a price worth paying?”
The guard captain's hand lightly touched one of the flutes his soldiers had recovered.
《O, my friends! Hear my tale, hear this tale!
You must know the truth the oppressors tried to hide, the story they tried to conceal!
This is the story of a wicked and petty conspiracy, woven by those who dream of control!》
It was hard to believe.
But if it turned out to be true…
The price Control would pay for its deception would be anything but light.
*
“Hey, you. Are you really thinking straight?”
Throughout the journey to the magic tower, Dorothea was sullen.
This was despite the fact that their current situation was several times more comfortable and convenient than their original plan: ‘wander around the Tower of Protection scattering the flutes, cause a commotion so big the upper echelons can't cover it up, and force the tower head to appear.’
If the party had intended to involve Gale from the start, they wouldn't have needed to stage an escape or anything of the sort; they could have just waited with the White Knight for Gale to return and traveled together. That would have been the end of it.
But Dorothea had refused, formulating a plan that excluded Gale.
She had even explicitly told the White Knight not to get them involved, lest they follow along without knowing the full situation.
And yet, this white witch had completely ignored her consideration and charged right in to join them.
Dorothea couldn't help but be in a foul mood.
“We're outsiders in the Magic State, so we can cause a huge scene and then bolt, but you're not, are you? How are you going to handle the aftermath?”
“I'm simply doing what I believe is right.”
Gale's reply was straightforward.
“I don't deny the existence of political strife or schemes. Those are also a part of society. But there are lines one must not cross as a human being. They sponsored bandits to secure their own interests, condoned the pillaging of their domain's people by those same bandits, massacred the good people who tried to subjugate them, and then pinned all the blame on the victims, trampling on their dignity. Had I not known, it would be one thing, but to know this and do nothing goes against my principles.”
That was all there was to it, the white witch declared coolly.
“I live this way because this is how I want to live. Isn't it the same for you, Dorothea?”
“Don't lump me in with you.”
Dorothea cut her off coldly.
The black witch's gaze fell upon Adelaide and the Tin Knight, who were walking a short distance away, practicing their mana manipulation.
“I'm not that good of a person. If Adel hadn't been involved in this, I wouldn't have even thought of interfering.”
That was Dorothea's ‘line she had to protect.’
Malice for malice, goodwill for goodwill. She empathized with the pain of those she held close, but remained cold to everyone else. She tried not to involve innocent bystanders, but even that wasn't an absolute rule.
That was her limit.
“Hmm, well, if you say so, Dorothea, I suppose that's how it is. In your world, at least.”
“……You know, when a curse finally hits you one day, you'd better just accept it as fate.”
“Hmm. Coming from someone with only three days left until their Rag Curse takes effect, that certainly carries a different weight.”
“Hey!!”
Aside from the minor side effect of Dorothea suffering from Gale's teasing, the journey to the Tower of Protection was the very picture of tranquility.
The party didn't have the luxury of leisurely sightseeing, but even the brief glimpses they caught were enough to see how prosperous the Tower of Protection and its domain were.
Magic waterworks, magic streetlights, magic air conditioners, and so on.
It was so advanced that the Tin Knight even remarked,
[‘The Tin Knight’ questions if they think slapping the word 'magic' in front of everything automatically makes it plausible!]
Then again, the Tin Knight's question had some merit.
After all, despite being in the same country, the domains ruled by the Tower of Protection and the other magic towers looked as if they were separated by at least half a century, if not a full one.
Strictly speaking, however, the other magic towers enjoyed just as many cultural benefits.
This was evident in how the Tin Knight's party easily solved all the typical problems travelers faced—meals, hygiene, pest control, and more—first with Dorothea's magic, and now with their special magic carriage. The living conditions for mages, who could borrow the power of magic and spirits, were on a different level from those of ordinary people.
The Tower of Protection was simply unique in that these benefits were more widely distributed to the public in the form of magic tools.
In other words, one could say that was the very core of the matter, but the only one in the party who paid close enough attention to such details was Sophia.
“If we get the chance, I'd love to do some proper sightseeing here.”
“Well, we'll have to stay for a bit anyway to modify that guy's sense of taste, so we can do it then. Once our plan succeeds and we get the Witch of the North's official recognition, the only thing left for the Tower of Control is ruin.”
Considering they would have to go another round in the Empire after this, replenishing their energy here for a while wasn't a bad plan.
This was especially true since Adelaide, while still harboring anger, was now mentally stable enough to clearly distinguish when to unleash it and when not to; it wasn't as if she was so blinded by revenge that she was grinding her teeth, vowing to annihilate everyone involved.
While they were having this conversation, they finally arrived at the magic tower.
Thanks to their prior contact, meeting the tower head was not a difficult affair.
“…Gale, you truly are harsh on this old woman. What am I to do when you bring me a matter so bad for the heart?”
The head of the Tower of Protection was an elderly woman with impressive, graying hair and subtle wrinkles.
Her gentle and dignified features were worthy of being called a gracefully aged noblewoman, but her eyes held a considerable amount of fatigue.
Gale shrugged.
“In this matter, I'm merely a supporting character, or at best, an assistant.”
The real protagonists are over here, Gale said, giving the credit to Dorothea's party.
The tower head's gaze swept over the Tin Knight, Dorothea, and Sophia in turn, before finally stopping on Adelaide.
Golden hair and violet eyes. On the girl who, since the incident in the forest, no longer hid the color of her hair and eyes.
“Hah. Well now. Adventurers accompanied by a member of the Lion Duke's bloodline have come to expose the corruption of a magic tower. And the target of this accusation is another member of the same Lennart family, you say?”
Normally, Sophia or Dorothea would have led the conversation, but this time, given the nature of the issue, Adelaide spoke up.
“I don't think it's unreasonable for you to be suspicious. But just as not all magic towers are one and the same, not all members of the Lion Duke's bloodline are either.”
“I am aware of the matter of direct and collateral lines. Of course I am. However, I cannot believe you based solely on the claim of a conspiracy.”
The tower head continued, her tone gentle with the composure of an elder, yet firm as the leader of a faction.
“It seems you intend to meet the Witch of the North and have her officially recognize the 'evidence' you've brought, but as it stands, you are all extremely suspicious and unsettling individuals. Without Gale's attestation, it would have been difficult to even be having this conversation.”
Faced with this negative response, Adelaide did not panic.
“What is it you require?”
“Could you show me this evidence as well?”
Adelaide looked at Dorothea, then nodded.
Dorothea took out a rather large, fist-sized orb and placed it on the table.
It was an edited version of what the party had seen in the forest, with some of the more personal parts cut out and the rest organized to make the overall flow easier to understand.
“You know of magic that makes someone dream what you want them to, right? The basic principle is the same. Infuse it with mana, a mist will flow out, and if you inhale that mist, you'll fall into a dream.”
The mages from the Tower of Protection grimaced at Dorothea's blunt words, but the tower head remained unfazed.
“That's quite a risk for the one on the receiving end. Wouldn't it have been more stable to make it into a video that could be displayed in something like a crystal ball?”
“We made it while we were being chased, so we didn't have the luxury for that.”
The truth was, she had been considerate of Adel's feelings, not wanting her to see her family's tragedy play out like a movie for all to see, but Dorothea feigned ignorance on that point.
“Yes, well, seeing how the Tower of Control is throwing such a fit, it's quite an achievement that you brought this evidence here at all. However, I have my own position to consider, so I will examine it first. I trust you have no issue with that?”
“Do as you please. It's not like we've rigged it with any suspicious devices.”
At Dorothea's assent, the tower head had her subordinates bring several magic tools.
Only after each of the tools—a magnifying glass, a dish, and a powder to be sprinkled—had served its purpose did the tower head place her own hand on the orb.
It would be difficult to call her overly cowardly. On the contrary, it would be more unsettling if the leader of a faction lacked this level of preparedness.
A black mist emerged from the orb and entered the tower head's nose and mouth, and she fell asleep.
And then, about ten minutes later.
When the tower head awoke, her eyes were as calm as ever, but she could not hide the chill seeping from her voice.
“…From what I can see, it doesn't appear to be a disguise or a fabrication. I'll need to run a few more verification procedures to be cautious, but if this is revealed to be true, the entire Magic State will be turned upside down.”
Adel asked, “Does that mean you'll permit us to meet the Witch of the North?”
The head of the Tower of Protection replied, “Yes. I will convey your message to her.”