Chapter 241: The Tin Knight and the South’s Proposal
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 241: The Tin Knight and the South’s Proposal
“You… What do you think you’re doing, crawling in here?”
A look of disbelief rippled across Dorothea’s pale face.
The Witch of the South, Glinda, was the Empire’s Crown Mage.
If the Witch of the North, Mombi, was a figure who had exerted immense influence on the Magic State two hundred years ago, then Glinda was a figure who had held enormous prestige in the Empire for the past several decades.
She was the one who had single-handedly elevated the Empire’s magical power by making the terms ‘mage’ and ‘wizard’ synonymous within its borders. Her influence was beyond question.
While not as openly hostile as the Lennart Ducal House, which snarled at them from across the border, she was still a top-priority target for the Magic State.
For such a person’s star pupil to show up alone, right in the heart of the Magic State—which was already on high alert—was an act of madness.
But Algind was as composed as ever.
Her expression never changed, to the point that I wondered if her facial muscles were actually paralyzed.
“By that logic, I’m aware that Gale Elilaz, the apprentice of the Witch of the North, also traveled in and out of the Empire alone. Is there any reason I cannot do the same?”
“Do you think the situation then is the same as it is now? No, more importantly, how did you get in? Did the magic tower guys let you through?”
“No, it seemed like it would drag on, so I just snuck in. I imagine it would be quite troublesome for me if you reported it.”
“Hah… I can’t tell if the one who succeeded in infiltrating is competent, or if the ones who missed you are incompetent.”
“The former. To find me, a tower head would have to stand guard personally. So, will you report me? Or will you hear what I have to say?”
Faced with Algind’s shameless prodding, Dorothea paused, lost in thought.
A part of her wanted to call for people to throw her out immediately, but it was also true that she was curious about what the girl had to say.
She glanced at the Tin Knight standing beside her.
“What do you think?”
[‘Tin Knight’ says it seems she is quite weakened, so it’s unlikely she came here to fight!]
“What?”
[‘Tin Knight’ assesses that while she pretends to be fine on the outside, her internal state is a complete mess!]
Dorothea shot a suspicious look at Algind.
The expressionless girl with snow-white hair returned her gaze unflinchingly, as if to ask, Is there a problem?
Dorothea thought for a moment.
“…Fine. Come in for now. On the condition that you follow my instructions, I’ll at least hear you out.”
*
A short while later.
After summoning Adelaide and Sophia, Dorothea spoke to Algind, who stood in the center of a magic circle drawn with blood.
“Alright, if you have something to say, say it from there. If you try to step out before the conversation is over, we’ll immediately engage in combat. Just so you know.”
“…This is a novel response, in its own way.”
Algind stretched her arm forward and tapped her fingertips against the empty air.
Where there should have been nothing, a blood-red glass wall materialized, trapping her inside.
The ferocious demeanor she’d had when she shattered Lotbart was gone, and Adelaide, having reverted to her usual flustered self, broke out in a cold sweat.
“M-My lady. Is… is this really okay? No matter how you look at it, this could become a diplomatic issue.”
“After seeing what happened to the Witch of the North, you’d be a fool to let your guard down. As for diplomacy, I don’t know and I don’t care. If I cared about that sort of thing, I wouldn’t have picked a fight with the magic towers in the first place.”
[‘Tin Knight’ says to please understand, as she’s in a state of giving up after having thoroughly wrecked her own reputation!]
“Is that something you should be saying? Huh? Is it?!”
Dorothea jabbed the Tin Knight’s side with the end of her staff.
Of course, the Tin Knight didn’t even pretend to be in pain.
Algind, who had been staring at the scene, shrugged her shoulders.
“Well, very well. This arrangement doesn’t particularly hinder our conversation.”
“Glad you’re so compliant. So, what is it you wanted to say? Something about the Witch of the North and our future, you said.”
“You all seem to dislike beating around the bush, so I’ll be direct. There is a way to restore the Witch of the North.”
At Algind’s casual remark, Dorothea’s eyes narrowed.
“Continue.”
“Oh? Aren’t you going to ask how I know about the Witch of the North’s condition?”
“When things have gotten this big, there’s no way the other factions would have their eyes and ears closed. With so many observers, there were bound to be some who grasped the situation accurately. Especially a heavyweight like the Witch of the South.”
Dorothea crossed her arms and asked.
“So, what is this method, and why have you come all this way to tell us? I’ll say this in advance: if you’re trying to use the Witch of the North’s survival as leverage to retry our last deal, you can forget it.”
For Dorothea, the matter of the Witch of the North was nothing more than ‘help if we can, but it can’t be helped if we can’t.’
Algind had been after the items the party had acquired in the ruins—or more precisely, after Sophia. A demand to hand over Sophia in exchange for helping the Witch of the North was absolutely unacceptable.
“—And what if it’s only a portion of her blood? Is it still the same?”
Unflustered, Algind continued.
“I possess the technique to restore the Witch of the North. However, to actually use this technique, I require a special kind of blood.”
Algind’s eyes turned to Sophia.
Standing near the window, Sophia was basking in the sunlight, yet she showed no signs of discomfort, a mysterious smile playing on her lips.
“A vampire, a legendary magic beast with powerful life force, contagious properties, and the ability to strengthen itself by using others as nourishment. No, if I had the blood of ‘something’ that has gone a step beyond that, it would be possible to restore the Witch of the North, Orin. Conversely, without it, it’s impossible.”
Silence fell, and the air in the room grew heavy.
Dorothea didn’t bother with feeble denials like ‘What are you talking about?’ or ‘How did you know?’ It would be a waste of time.
Hadn’t she just said it herself? ‘When things have gotten this big, there’s no way the other factions would have their eyes and ears closed.’
So, Dorothea asked something else instead.
“Who else knows what you just said?”
“Let’s see. My teacher is likely the only one who understands the full picture. There were other eyes and ears here and there, but I chased them off, so you can rest assured.”
“So blowing your head off right here won’t solve the problem.”
“I’d rather not die, so I needed some insurance. If your fearsome knight were to attack me, I doubt I’d stand a chance.”
Dorothea’s expression soured.
Just when she thought she’d finished one major ordeal, another one had come crashing down on her without a moment’s rest. It was understandable.
At this rate, when would she find the time to search for the remaining sacred treasures, and when would Adelaide finish her revenge?
“…Should I just… bury her…? I’ve already buried the West and the North, so the South shouldn’t be a problem…”
“…She’s muttering something incredibly disturbing. Is this person alright?”
Algind turned her gaze to the other members of the party.
[‘Tin Knight’ asks for your understanding, as her fundamental nature is close to violence and destruction, so it can’t be helped!]
[‘Tin Knight’ requests that its precious apprentice translate!]
“No, if I translate that, I think the witch will beat me to death.”
[‘Tin Knight’ is shocked by its apprentice’s rebellious phase!]
Ignoring the Tin Knight, who struck an exaggerated pose as if two exclamation marks had just popped up beside its head, Adelaide turned her gaze to Sophia.
With one of the team’s two brains in destruction mode, Sophia was the only one left who could make a rational judgment.
In other words, if Sophia also called for a fight, Adelaide was prepared to join her.
And Sophia said:
“Well, I don’t mind. If I can indebt a major figure with just a blood donation, I’d say it’s a bargain.”
Dorothea cut in, flustered.
“Is this something you can decide so easily? For now, it might end with giving some blood, but what will you do about the aftermath if your identity becomes widely known?”
“That should be fine. The very fact that Miss Algind has come to us like this is proof that she has no such intention.”
“What?”
“No, if anything, they’re the ones who are reluctant to let my identity become widely known. Otherwise, there would have been no need to block the eyes of other informants, nor to avoid the Magic State’s watch and meet with us privately.”
As if to ask, ‘Isn’t that right?’, Sophia’s eyes met Algind’s.
Algind’s face remained as doll-like as ever, but a faint sense of admiration could be felt in her gaze. And at the same time, wariness.
“As you say, if you provide the blood, we will remain silent about your identity. If you wish, we can even hide my involvement entirely and make it seem as though you were the ones who healed the Witch of the North.”
“Then what do you get out of it? This deal sounds too good for our side to be trustworthy.”
“It’s simple. Please postpone your revenge against Lennart.”
Adelaide’s shoulders flinched.
Dorothea asked again.
“Not to stop the revenge, but to postpone it?”
“The internal affairs of Lennart are currently quite tangled. The faction that led this incident, the faction that tried to cover it up even though they didn’t lead it, and the faction that knows nothing are all mixed together. In the Magic State’s case, the towers are clearly divided into four, so it was possible to single out and beat down the culprits, but Lennart is not like that. What’s more, Lennart itself is deeply intertwined with the military, so a misstep could turn the entire Empire against you.”
Silence fell.
Even beating down a quarter of the Magic State had required immense effort and the cooperation of the other magic towers.
Taking on the entire Empire was not a decision to be made lightly.
“Then—”
“Then, what is your proposal?”
Adelaide cut Dorothea off and spoke.
Dorothea showed a flicker of surprise but then passed the conversational baton with a look of understanding.
“‘Postpone’ means you need time. If we give you time, what can you give us in return?”
“A stage.”
Algind replied to Adelaide’s question.
“We will provide a stage where you can legally and officially carve out the rotten parts of Lennart.”
“And why would you do that for us?”
“Wiping out the radicals within the Lion Duke’s bloodline aligns with the wishes of Her Majesty the Empress, and my teacher. Their intention is to make themselves an irreplaceable presence within the Empire before His Highness, the Crown Prince, comes of age and holds his coronation. However, if things go their way, the Empire and the Magic State will enter a state of war, and the national power of both sides will be greatly diminished. We have no intention of letting that happen. Does that answer your question?”
Adelaide closed her eyes.
By the time the second hand on a clock would have made a full circle, her eyes opened again.
“…I understand. We’ll wait.”
“I thank you for your wise decision. What about the others?”
[‘Tin Knight’ says since it had a good fight this time, it’s fine to take a short break!]
[‘Tin Knight’ wisely points out that there’s no use in the foodie content getting an update if there’s no time to enjoy it!]
The Tin Knight nodded its head up and down, and Algind’s gaze turned to the last remaining person, Dorothea.
Dorothea asked back, looking thoroughly displeased.
“Is that all? What about a reward?”
“You’re quite greedy.”
“Shut up. In the first place, you benefit too if the Lennart Ducal House is weakened, and providing a stage means we’re the ones performing on it. We should be compensated for that part.”
“I believe passing on the credit for restoring Orin is sufficient… but if you insist, let’s do this. If you successfully complete your performance on said stage, I will arrange for the ‘Pouch of Lilium’ to fall into your hands.”
“Hmm. You probably have it on you anyway. How about you pay upfront?”
“Then let’s just call off the deal and you can take my head.”
Algind spoke with the same unchanging, expressionless face, yet with a tone that was strangely indignant.
And so, a secret pact was formed.