Chapter 243: The Tin Knight and the Strange Resort (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 243: The Tin Knight and the Strange Resort (2)
The process of restoring the witch Orin’s soul was proceeding smoothly.
After Dorothea and Gale inspected the spell Algind had provided, they began the treatment using Sophia’s blood as a catalyst. The results were dramatically more effective than before.
She had not yet regained consciousness, but both Dorothea and Gale agreed that it was only a matter of time.
Revealing the deal with Algind would mean exposing Sophia’s identity, so they passed off the specifics of the treatment as ‘witchcraft’. The Tower of Protection didn’t bother to question this explanation.
It was only natural for a mage to conceal her secret arts, and besides, this was one of the key contributors to the recent war effort. No one was about to glare daggers and demand she reveal her techniques.
Well, there were a few, but they were quickly beaten into silence by their colleagues for failing to read the room.
Whether to place the healed soul into a magic doll or preserve it as is was now a decision for the Tower of Protection. Dorothea had no intention of getting involved in that part.
All that remained was the matter of rewards.
The Tower of Protection’s initial offer was the title of a 4th-rank mage.
It was an honorary position, exempt from the usual duties while still granting all the benefits, such as the Tower’s authority and financial support.
It was a position that would make any wandering mage, or even those employed by a domain, gulp and covet it with envy. Their fundamental value would change overnight.
But Dorothea casually refused.
“Honorary or not, it’s still an affiliation. I don’t want to get tangled up in politics later.”
The mages from the Tower of Protection thought, A little late for that, isn’t it? but they couldn’t force her if she didn’t want it.
Instead, Dorothea requested an upgrade for the Tin Knight.
More specifically, she wanted the ability to supply him with mana from a distance, or failing that, a significant expansion of his mana tank. She also added a condition that only those who could keep a secret be allowed to participate in the work.
In a way, it was the most appropriate request she could have made.
After all, there were more than enough people who had witnessed the Tin Knight’s extraordinary power and were dying to understand its structure.
At first, they planned to take volunteers from among 4th-rank mages or those of lower rank who specialized in magic dolls. But even with the restriction of having to sign a blood oath to prevent information leaks, so many applied that they had to cut off applications on a first-come, first-served basis.
The magic engineers who didn’t make the cut wept tears of rage and, as if to find another toy to play with, began modifying Dorothea’s carriage instead.
The modifications took about a week, and the results were as follows.
“—First, we managed to implement the remote supply function you wanted. However, it will be quite a bit slower than pouring mana in through direct contact.”
“How much slower?”
“If he fights like an ordinary knight, you won’t have to worry about consumption. But if he uses large-scale techniques in succession, the supply won’t be able to keep up with the demand.”
“What’s the effective range?”
“As long as there’s no external interference, you should have no problem reaching him as long as you’re in the same city. We’ve given Miss Adelaide and Miss Sophia magic tools that act as relays, so if they’re positioned between the Tin Knight and you, the effective range will increase accordingly. Oh, and we also quadrupled his base mana capacity.”
As expected of the Magic Tower.
It wasn’t a perfect hundred, but it was a performance well worth a high score.
This alone made the effort of taking down the witch worthwhile.
It was a bit bewildering that the carriage, which she’d heard was only getting an amphibious function, had been transformed into something akin to a mobile weapon with remote attack capabilities, but as a bonus, it wasn’t a bad reward either.
The other collaborators also received appropriate compensation. Trot officially became a member of the Tower of Protection, and Cap’n Bill’s crew was also hired by the Tower. This time, it was a job with a steady salary, separate from the false hope of being able to return to their human forms, so they had no major complaints.
The problem came next.
Normally, after finishing their business and receiving their rewards, they would have immediately set off for their next destination. This time, however, they had an appointment.
And it was a rather tricky one that required them to arrive at a precise time—not too early, not too late.
Dorothea argued, “Why waste time waiting? Can’t we just go find another sacred treasure and come back at the appointed time?” But she couldn’t refute the Tin Knight’s point, which was essentially, If we go wandering around, we’ll just get involved in another incident. Do you really think we can stick to a schedule like that?
Her track record was far too colorful to argue against it.
It was then that Algind, the Witch of the South’s apprentice, spoke up, saying she knew a good place to kill some time.
She added that a fierce battle was sure to come, so it was important to rest once in a while.
Dorothea was suspicious at first, but she was gradually persuaded by Algind’s logical and well-reasoned argument.
It wasn’t anything new.
After all, the very reason she had embarked on this long journey was that she had momentarily forgotten how terrifying her master was and had been tricked by a seemingly ‘benevolent offer.’
To put it crudely…
Even among witches, they were in different leagues.
*
“Wow, the ocean is so clear and beautiful!”
“The trees are quite large. Is it because of the mild climate?”
[The ‘Tin Knight’ burns with motivation, declaring he will fetch some coconuts!]
“Hmph, well, it’s not too bad.”
When they first crossed the sea in the carriage and arrived on the island, the group’s reaction wasn’t bad at all.
The sand was white, the sea was clear and transparent, and there wasn’t another soul in sight.
It was an environment where they had practically rented out an entire coastline for themselves.
There were no resorts for tourists or camping tents, but the party had their multi-purpose all-in-one carriage anyway.
There was no need to go through the trouble of securing a place to sleep, so the group immediately shifted into play mode.
After all the running around they had done dealing with the civil war and its aftermath, they had accumulated a fair amount of physical and mental fatigue.
Adelaide, in particular, had often been seen looking dazed lately, but now the life was visibly returning to her eyes.
It was a bit much to swim in their clothes, so they changed into swimsuits, prepared a barbecue with the Tower of Protection’s special camping equipment, and were about to relax with the coconuts the Tin Knight had gathered.
Suddenly, something slithered out from one side of the sea. A fish-person, who looked like a cross between a turtle and a terrapin, appeared and started spouting nonsense at Sophia.
“Aaaargh! I’m gonna die! I’m dying!!”
Watching the fish-person, bound hand and foot and dangling from a long pole, struggling to escape the heat of the bonfire rising from below, Dorothea let out a deep sigh.
“A peaceful resort? What damn peaceful resort? It hasn’t even been an hour since we arrived, and this thing pops out.”
“Legends of half-fish, half-humans aren’t that rare, but… the Dragon King’s country. Does that mean there’s a separate nation of magic beasts under the sea? Or is it on another island?”
“Sophia, are you really curious about that sort of thing when this guy just tried to steal your liver?”
“Haha, isn’t it necessary to know about your enemy to protect yourself?”
Dorothea grumbled in displeasure, but Sophia wasn’t wrong.
She walked up to the upside-down fish-person and asked.
“Hey, turtle head.”
“Wh-what? Turtle head? You wench! How dare you speak such insolence—”
“Looks like you haven’t learned your lesson yet. Tin can, turn up the heat.”
[The ‘Tin Knight’ burns with motivation, declaring he will show you a spectacular fireworks show!]
The Tin Knight aimed his sword at the bonfire beneath the fish-person.
Sword energy sprouted around the blade like wings, then began to spin rapidly with the sword as its axis.
As if in response to the rotation, the surrounding air rushed toward the bonfire, and its heat intensified visibly.
The tips of the flames, licking like tongues, began to touch the fish-person’s shell directly.
“Agh! Aaaargh!”
“Answer my questions properly from now on.”
“I-I will! I mean, I will! I will, so please, just stop this fire!”
The fish-person begged, his attitude now remarkably polite, but Dorothea just tilted her head.
“What are you talking about? The fire stops when the questions are over. So answer well before you burn to death.”
“……”
The fish-person’s eyes shot open as he quickly glanced around, but the lump of iron was silently fetching new firewood from somewhere, the green-haired human was simply smiling enigmatically, and the golden-haired human had her hands clasped in silent prayer.
There was not a single person who seemed willing to stop the black-haired witch.
Only then did the fish-person realize he hadn’t just messed with ordinary humans, but a pack of demons. But regret always comes too late.
Realizing that the only thing that could save him from the heat that was no longer just warming his back but threatening to incinerate it was his own tongue, the turtle fish-person’s speech suddenly became incredibly smooth.
“…So, there’s a country under the sea where fish-people like you live, and the one who rules it is the Dragon King. But the Dragon King’s health is getting worse by the day, and to cure him, you need a vampire’s liver. That’s why you tried to take Sophia?”
“Yes! That’s right! So please, this fire! Agh!”
Ignoring the turtle fish-person’s screams, Dorothea crossed her arms, covered her mouth, and fell into thought.
Then she spoke to her companions.
“Doesn’t something seem off?”
Adelaide asked.
“Umm, if you mean strange, the idea of an ‘underwater country’ is certainly strange. Is that what you’re talking about?”
“No, not that. Why would creatures looking for a vampire be sniffing around an island like this?”
“Because Miss Sophia is here… oh, right.”
Adelaide blinked as she, too, seemed to realize it.
It hadn’t been long since the group had arrived on this island.
In terms of time, it couldn’t have been more than a fraction of a day.
So when and where did this fish-person get his information and find Sophia?
Could it be a trap? Algind Goodwitch. Did that woman set this up?
Just as Dorothea’s eyes began to narrow, Sophia asked the fish-person a question.
“By the way, Mr. Fish-person. How did you know I was a vampire?”
“How else! You can just tell by looking! The s-soul! By the color of the soul! Agh! Agh!”
“Hmm, is that so? Then let me rephrase the question. Mr. Fish-person, have you ever seen another vampire besides me?”
“I have! That’s why I was chosen for this vampire-scouting role in the first place! Hot! So hooooot!”
“And where did you see this vampire?”
At Sophia’s question, the turtle fish-person, having finally reached his limit, screamed as if squeezing the words from his throat.
“Where else but this Vampire Island! Where else would a vampire be! Are you people messing with me right now?!”
After a brief moment of silence, the Tin Knight swung his sword lightly, and the turtle fish-person’s body fell to the ground beside the bonfire.
The turtle fish-person gasped for air, as if he had narrowly escaped death.
Dorothea once again took in the island scenery.
White sand, a blue sea, towering trees.
Everywhere she looked, it was a sparkling resort, filled with the energy of the sun.
And yet.
“…There are vampires here?”