Chapter 250: The Tin Knight and the Strange Resort (9)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 250: The Tin Knight and the Strange Resort (9)
“…So, you’re saying the familiars you placed for defense overreacted? Is that it?”
“Y-Yes, that’s right! Of course, I’m not trying to evade responsibility for failing to control my subordinates, but I swear, I swear I meant you no ill will! Please, have mercy…!”
An expression of sheer disbelief crossed Dorothea’s face.
‘Why is she trembling so much?’
To be honest, it wasn’t as if no one had ever begged the Tin Knight’s party for their lives before.
There were the bandits who tried to collect tolls from travelers, the bandits who had lecherous designs on the party’s beautiful members, and the bandits who invaded a village where the party was staying only to be routed in turn.
However, all of them had begged for their lives only after being thoroughly beaten and seeing most of their comrades perish. It was surprisingly rare for someone to grovel like this without even a proper fight.
More importantly…
‘…This one seems incredibly strong.’
Dorothea was a mage.
Unlike the Tin Knight or Adelaide, she couldn’t gauge an opponent’s capabilities by their movements or footwork, but it was entirely possible for her to assess their skill by observing the magical results they produced.
And from that perspective, the things the vampire calling herself Camilla had created were all masterpieces that someone with mediocre skills couldn't even dream of attempting.
‘That hut over there. It looks ordinary, but the building itself is a golem. The surrounding space is warped, halfway to becoming another dimension, and her familiars seem to be a mix of wild animals, vengeful spirits, and even nature spirits. Is that ranch in the back for securing a blood supply? So she can live without needing people?’
Considering the opponent was a vampire, she would possess not only magical abilities but also superior physical prowess and unique racial powers.
Of course, the party that had collapsed the Tower of Control and even disposed of the witch Mombi would never lose, not in a million years. But conversely, the very fact that a fight with their party was ‘at least plausible’ meant she was a top-tier powerhouse by continental standards.
Yet for such a powerful being to cast aside all pride and beg for her life, Dorothea could only be bewildered.
“We’re going to talk amongst ourselves for a moment, so wait.”
“Yes, of course! I will guard this area thoroughly to ensure no one disturbs your conversation!”
“R-Right.”
And so, the party huddled together.
“So vampires really do exist.”
[The ‘Tin Knight’ laments that he never raised his disciple to deny a comrade's race!]
“No, that’s not what I meant!”
“Keep your voice down, Adel. Besides, Sophia is far from a typical vampire. More importantly, Sophia, she was rambling on about you being some great general. Does any of that ring a bell?”
“Hmm, not particularly. But it is quite an interesting story. A great war from an age so ancient it’s not even properly recorded in literature. It’s so out of the blue that, conversely, it has a high degree of credibility, far too much to be a simple lie to deceive us. Don’t you think so too, Miss Dorothea?”
“Well, it doesn’t seem entirely unrelated to that Rumpelstiltskin fellow from before, so I am interested, yes. …But you’re being surprisingly quiet. Usually, you’d be clamoring, ‘Forget the talk, boss fight! Boss fight!’”
[The ‘Tin Knight’ says that kneeling for a moment before a bigger battle is just to gain momentum, so it's fine!]
Let’s hear her out for now. If she seems suspicious at any point, we can just crush her then.
Once the decision was made, they acted quickly.
“First of all, we have no idea what you’re talking about with this general business. But if we hear the details, something might come to mind.”
Sophia might not be the ‘someone’ you think she is.
Dorothea had mentioned that to test Camilla’s reaction, but while Camilla seemed slightly flustered, she showed no hostility.
In truth, Camilla’s mind was in turmoil.
‘A simple misunderstanding? No, that can’t be right. Maybe she’s trying to sound me out. Or maybe she’s the real deal but just doesn’t realize it.’
Even in the one-in-a-million chance that they were complete outsiders with no connection, it wasn’t the worst-case scenario.
After all, the fact that they were demanding an explanation like this meant they weren’t the type of belligerents who would try to subjugate her on the spot just for being a vampire.
【You will not tell a lie.】
【You will not intentionally omit or conceal any part of the story.】
【The contract will remain in effect for a maximum of one day, after which it will be automatically terminated.】
A Blood Oath was formed between Dorothea and Camilla, and her story began.
Long ago. A great war from a time long, long ago.
An invasion from the underground and the indifference of the heavens. The eight generals. The four angels.
The Queen of Ashes, who rallied the collapsing nations and defeated soldiers to continue the resistance to the very end.
And the one knight who continued the long fight under the Queen.
“That is all I know.”
Perhaps because she was relaying a story passed down from previous generations rather than her own experience, Camilla’s tale was, frankly, far from complete.
It was natural that she didn’t know the detailed progression of the war. She couldn’t explain what the ‘underground’ where the ‘People of the underground’ existed was, she didn’t know the characteristics of the other generals besides the one the vampires served, and her story was so excessively vampire-centric, filled with so many negative depictions of celestial and terrestrial beings, that much of it had to be taken with a grain of salt.
And yet.
The party couldn’t shake the feeling that puzzle pieces were clicking into place.
The eight generals of the underground. The eight sacred treasures of the kingdom.
The reason why non-human races like vampires, werewolves, and giants, or what were called ‘legendary magic beasts,’ were no longer seen on the continent, and the interference of the heavens.
And.
The knight from the eastern nation, who was said to have continued the fierce battle even as he replaced his own body with other parts.
[The ‘Tin Knight’ asks if there's something on his face!]
“…No, forget it. What’s the point in saying anything.”
Dorothea shook her head.
It would be a lie to say she wasn’t surprised that the familiar she’d thought was just a worn-out old magic doll was a hero from a bygone era (presumably), but on the other hand, it made sense that he could display such monstrous skill precisely because he had such a past.
If anything, it would have been more shocking if a guy like him had no backstory and was just some ‘Ancient Soldier A’.
‘Besides, he said himself that he’s a different person from the body’s original owner.’
The familiar who accompanied her was the Tin Knight of today, not the hero of the past. Dorothea wasn’t confused about that.
There was something else on her mind now.
‘This information… I’ve never heard this story before, not in books, not through oral tradition. I might have come across fragmented pieces, but this is the first time I’ve seen the whole picture.’
The reason was easy to guess.
The story thoroughly discredited the Kingdom of Heaven, which proudly lorded over the world from the sky.
Even if it wasn’t just because of the Kingdom of Heaven, it wouldn’t do the ruling class any good for the public to know about the armies of the People of the underground—what the people of the continent now called magic beasts—who once tried to wipe out the entire surface world.
With that as a premise…
‘That Algind, just how much of this did she intend?’
The one who had encouraged the party to come to this island in the first place was that inscrutable pupil of the Witch of the South.
Separate from her suspicions, Dorothea didn’t doubt Algind’s abilities.
It was more rational to assume that such a competent witch had sent them ‘knowing’ what was on this island, rather than ‘in ignorance.’
The problem was her intention.
If she’d sent them here to get into a bit of trouble as payback for their curtness during negotiations… that would be simple. Dorothea would just have to give her an earful later, and depending on the situation, land a Tin Punch on that doll-like face of hers.
However, if she sent them knowing that the vampire here wasn’t particularly hostile to humans (the Chalice of Tuberose had already confirmed that Camilla hadn’t been eating human flesh or drinking human blood on this island) and that she held a wealth of information, then the story became a bit more complicated.
It meant she had deliberately given the party hints about the eight sacred treasures and the great war.
Just as Dorothea was lost in deep thought.
RUMBLE-RUMBLE-RUMBLE-RUMBLE!
A tremor like an earthquake.
At first, she thought Camilla had pulled something, but seeing the same bewildered look on her face, Dorothea quickly realized that wasn’t the case.
The party rushed out of the hut and their jaws dropped at the sight.
A giant of mist.
There was a being that could only be described as such.
A colossal, utterly colossal shadow that looked as if it could crush the very island the party was on with its body.
It was still far from evening, but even the light of the sun, asserting its proud existence in the sky, could not pierce the mist enshrouding ‘its’ body.
No, on the contrary, the sky grew gloomy, consumed by the ever-expanding fog.
It was bipedal, but ‘its’ form was far from human.
Its back was severely hunched, and its head was covered in so many things stuck to it that its exact shape was hard to discern.
SWOOOOOSH!
Each time ‘it’ approached the island, the immense mass displaced the water, sending waves crashing against the shore.
Camilla let out a scream-like cry.
“The Dragon King!”
The name rang a bell for the party.
The meddlers from the resort they had first fought.
Those creatures, who looked like a haphazard mix of humans and marine life, had tried to take Sophia, claiming they had to offer her to the Dragon King.
Dorothea quickly asked.
“What in the world is that? Do you know it?”
“During the great war, it was one of the People of the underground who hid deep in the sea to escape the eyes of the heavens. It created its own country and domain in the abyss. According to information I squeezed out of some of those fish-men I caught, I heard it was dying of old age and could barely move….”
“So sending his minions didn’t work, and now he’s decided to come himself as a last resort. Is that it?”
Considering Sophia’s blood had been used to treat the Witch of the North, Dorothea was beginning to wonder if vampires were less legendary magic beasts and more some kind of legendary panacea.
The problem was how to deal with it.
[The ‘Tin Knight’ rejoices that the long-awaited boss fight has finally arrived!]
[The ‘Tin Knight’ comments that this is how a horror event should properly conclude!]
Seeing the Tin Knight, who looked ready to dance a jig beside her, Dorothea sighed and erased the option of retreat from her mind.
Right, better to just smash it to pieces now than leave a troublesome problem for later.
“Are you going to f-fight? If so, I shall assist—”
“No, it’s fine. Just wait.”
With that, Dorothea silently used the Gloves of Haider.
Camilla stared with a mixture of bewilderment and doubt as a carriage appeared out of thin air and the party unceremoniously boarded it.
Sure, the area around Camilla’s hut was relatively clear of plants, but a little farther out, a wild forest awaited.
It was, to put it mildly, not an environment suited for a carriage. And even if they somehow managed to break through the forest, what was the point when their opponent was in the sea?
Clank, clunk!
Camilla’s question was soon answered.
A massive, lance-like object had shot out from the front of the carriage and was now beginning to rotate furiously.
CRUUUUUNCH!
Grooves were carved into the lance’s surface. Sword energy spread out from those grooves.
Camilla’s eyes widened as she watched the carriage—no, the carriage-like-thing—charge forward, grinding every obstacle in its path to dust.
After reaching the coast in mere seconds, the carriage plunged straight into the sea without a hint of hesitation.
Camilla let out an involuntary “Huh? Uh…” but she was rendered speechless when she saw the bottom of the carriage, which had plunged into the sea, transform into something like a boat.
BOOM! KABOOM!
-■■■■■!!
Every time the cannon on the carriage roof fired, the Dragon King in the mist let out a pained scream.
Camilla could tell that the cannon wasn’t firing ordinary gunpowder or metal slugs, but explosive magic tools plastered with all sorts of high-level magic.
Unable to withstand the continuous cannon fire, the Dragon King’s body tilted, its head dropping so low it nearly touched the surface of the sea.
As if timing it perfectly, the carriage-thing accelerated furiously toward the Dragon King.
The charging carriage-thing then somehow launched itself into the air and came crashing down toward the Dragon King’s head.
[The ‘Tin Knight’ shouts, “Steamboat!!”]
The Dragon King’s long life came to an end as it was struck—no, crushed—by the steamboat (no steam engine, not a boat).
Watching the scene unfold, Camilla had a thought.
Whatever their true identities were, she would never, ever pick a fight with them.