Chapter 251: The Tin Knight and The Imperial Banquet
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 251: The Tin Knight and The Imperial Banquet
After defeating the sea monster, which was rather pathetic for something bearing the title of Dragon King, and receiving an assurance from the island’s master, Camilla, that she would ‘absolutely not cause any trouble, so please rest comfortably,’ the Tin Knight’s party’s vacation became noticeably more comfortable… or not.
“Well, you ignored all the hindrances and rested as much as you wanted even when they were around, so it’s not like things would change much just because they’re gone. Isn’t that obvious?”
Gale remarked, sounding dumbfounded after hearing their story.
“So, what brings you here? Did that Algind woman ask you to deliver a message?”
“No, this is separate from that. To be precise, it’s more accurate to say I made a point of stopping by before Algind Goodwitch could.”
“What?”
In response to Dorothea’s question, Gale spoke calmly.
“My master has awakened. And she says she wishes to meet you all.”
“Even if she wants to meet… is she telling us to come all the way back to the Tower of Protection right now?”
The answer came not from Gale’s lips, but from her chest.
《Don’t worry about that. I have no intention of ordering my benefactors around.》
Dorothea’s eyes darted to the source of the sound.
The pendant hanging from Gale’s neck was emitting a soft glow, and from within that light, the form of a young girl emerged like a hologram.
《Hello. I believe this is the second time we’ve properly greeted each other?》
Orin, the Witch of the North.
She spoke thus, bowing her head in greeting.
*
《Before anything else, I must say this. I’m sorry for the trouble I’ve caused. And thank you for your help.》
The atmosphere had changed.
That was the first impression the party had upon facing Orin, the Witch of the North.
Gone was the kind yet somehow immature and unstable figure they had seen before. In her place was a calm and intelligent demeanor.
Compared to that change in atmosphere, the fact that her body was not of flesh and blood but a translucent spirit form seemed like a trivial matter.
Perhaps sensing the party’s bewilderment, Gale shrugged and added an explanation.
“This is what my master is normally like. The person you met before was her at her worst.”
Her true self.
The complete Orin, whose mind had not been destabilized by the aftereffects of sealing the witch Mombi.
Her appearance was still that of a young girl, making her look more like Gale’s sister than her master, but the natural dignity emanating from her expression and words was on a completely different level than before.
However, the party members were far from ordinary themselves, and they weren’t about to cower or show reverence.
“Forget it. We already smashed the root cause and got the payment we wanted. There’s no need for us to receive any more thanks or apologies at this point. More importantly, what’s your business?”
Dorothea asked with a confident, almost brazenly direct attitude that some might consider rude.
While she was relatively better than the Tin Knight, who skipped conversations entirely, she was just as impatient. Or perhaps she’d been further influenced by traveling with him.
Orin gave a wry smile.
《You’re just like my master.》
“…If you’re trying to pick a fight, I’ll gladly accept.”
Dorothea’s expression hardened.
It wasn’t just empty words; her grip on her staff tightened, a sign she was ready to enter a combat stance at any moment.
Her reaction, as if she’d heard something worse than the foulest curse, made the others wonder.
Is being told you resemble your own master really something to get so worked up about?
Finding her reaction amusing, Orin chuckled.
《If she heard that, she’d be disappointed… no, she probably wouldn’t have cared at all. I’d love to tease you a bit more, but since I’m indebted to you, I’ll restrain myself.》
After meeting each of their gazes one by one, Orin spoke.
《I came to offer a small token of gratitude and some advice. It might be too late after Goodwitch arrives.》
“Didn’t I say we already received our payment?”
《The balance of the scales is important. But what one considers an equivalent price differs from person to person. You may have felt that what you’ve received so far is enough, but in my eyes, it’s insufficient.》
Dorothea narrowed her eyes and stared at Orin, but Orin met her gaze unflinchingly.
In the end, it was Dorothea who clicked her tongue first.
“Fine, whatever. As long as you’re not putting it on a separate tab as a debt.”
《I wouldn’t do something so petty. For a moment, could you give me the staff and the book I made?》
Dorothea and Adelaide hesitated for a moment but soon handed over the staff and the game book.
The instant Orin’s translucent hands touched the two items, a tremendous number of magic characters floated into the air before being sucked into the objects.
《I’ve reinforced the barrier magic a bit. The output itself seems to be getting stronger on its own, so I didn’t need to touch it. Instead, I focused on preparing it for attacks that don’t involve physical force, like malice or curses. I also added a function that automatically protects its owner, even without consciously using magic.》
“What?”
Dorothea looked dumbfounded at the explanation, which was delivered as if it were nothing special.
《As for the game book, it seems to have developed a slight bug while processing the information from the sacred treasure. I’ve fixed that part and made it capable of accepting information from other sacred treasures besides the belt. But don’t use it too often. The beings contained within the sacred treasures are too powerful. Even their shadows, which are mere reproductions of information, can genuinely threaten your life if you’re not careful.》
“Uh, ah, yes, ma’am.”
Adelaide, not being an expert, was slower to react, but even she could intuitively feel that this was something incredible.
Only then did the party once again realize who stood before them.
Orin, the Guardian Witch.
Just as the Witch of the East symbolized the school of ‘Necromancers,’ she was the figure who symbolized the school of the ‘Enchantress.’
In other words, she was the greatest magic engineer of the era.
Orin’s eyes now turned to Sophia.
《To you… I’d like to offer some advice before my thanks.》
Orin spoke in a tone far more polite than when she had addressed Dorothea or Adelaide.
Sophia nodded, indicating she was ready to listen.
《Be wary of the Witch of the South, Glinda. She despises the heavens. It wouldn’t be wrong to say she loathes them. And for a very long time, she has been searching for a way to fight against the sky.》
“Does her interest in me have something to do with that?”
《I believe so. Therefore, I urge you not to let your guard down.》
After saying that, Orin gestured to Gale with her eyes.
Gale held out a small bracelet to Sophia.
《It’s a bracelet with the power of neutralization. It will prevent the holy power you use from burning your body. However, it’s more of a consumable item. The more you use your holy power, the more it will lose its strength until it eventually breaks, so please be careful.》
Three of them had each received their gifts.
Only the Tin Knight remained.
But when it came to the Tin Knight, Orin hesitated for a long while for some reason before finally, with difficulty, opening her mouth.
《…As for strengthening the doll’s body, it seems my disciples have already done everything they possibly can. Therefore, I will simply leave you with these words.》
《Successor to the power of the great knight. Stranger from a land unknown.》
《That body is the one and only anchor connecting you to this world.》
《Just as a ship that has lost its course wanders the sea aimlessly, you, having lost your body, would also wander in a vastness I can hardly imagine.》
《To reconnect a thread once it has been severed is an exceedingly difficult task.》
《I am not certain if even I, or she of the East, could accomplish such a feat.》
《Therefore, I implore you, cherish your body.》
Her words were filled with a deep, profound concern and affection.
The Tin Knight scratched the back of his head as if pondering how to respond, then finally nodded.
Seemingly satisfied by his response, Orin’s form dissipated with a faint smile.
Staring at the now-dark and motionless pendant, Dorothea asked suspiciously.
“Why did she just disappear in the middle of talking?”
“That’s how much she pushed herself. She was supposed to be resting for much longer, but she insisted on sneaking out to greet and thank you before you head down to the Empire.”
“Sneaking out?”
“Yes, sneaking out.”
Dorothea placed a hand on her forehead.
She could picture, without even seeing it, the chaos that must have erupted among the staff who discovered the truth after the fact.
“Well then, since my work here is done, I’ll be on my way. I may not look it, but I’m in a hurry.”
“In a hurry?”
“After I escort my master back to the tower, I have to go obtain the next sacred treasure.”
A smile played on Gale’s lips.
With a face mixing mischief and competitiveness, she tapped the silver shoes she was wearing against the ground.
“I’m challenging you to a rematch, and it wouldn’t be right to demand all the other sacred treasures with just this one, would it? While Dorothea is struggling to get the Pouch of Lilium, I plan on getting something else.”
“Aha.”
Dorothea also flashed a wicked smile.
“Well, I won’t complain if you go through the trouble for us. Go ahead, work hard and collect them. I’ll just take them all from you at the end.”
Seeing this, their other companions began to whisper amongst themselves.
[The ‘Tin Knight’ assesses that her line sounds like something an evil rival, destined to be defeated by the protagonist, would say!]
“I-Is that so? I suppose Gale and Sir White Knight do seem more like the protagonists of the story.”
“This seems to be their way of getting along. Perhaps it’s just Miss Dorothea’s unique form of communication?”
“Hey!! I can hear you all!?”
Dorothea shrieked, and her companions acted like a flock of pigeons that had been shouted at.
That is to say, they pretended to scatter for a moment before gathering right back in the same spot as if nothing had happened.
Watching a cross-shaped vein pop on Dorothea’s forehead, Gale giggled. Her laugh resembled her master’s.
“Well then, let’s meet again next time, not as allies, but as rivals.”
Tap.
The moment her silver shoes touched the ground, the white-clad girl vanished without a trace.
After watching her go for a moment, Dorothea walked back to her companions.
“Hey, Tin Can.”
[The ‘Tin Knight’ asks what’s wrong!]
“…We don’t know what kind of chaos will erupt in the Empire, so don’t be too reckless. Don’t just get excited and rush into fights. Try to look after yourself for once. Got it?”
[The ‘Tin Knight’ replies that no one is better at reading the room and acting accordingly than he is!]
“You talk a big game, you do.”
Dorothea clicked her tongue with a tsk and looked up at the sky.
In the far distance, she could see a shadow flying toward them.
The break was over. It was time to start running again.
*
—Let the nobles who support the great Empire, and its people, listen well.
To prepare for the ominous aura currently drifting across the continent, the Imperial Family has recognized the need to implement more active and bold policies.
Stagnant water is bound to rot. To breathe new life into the Empire’s rigid personnel system, we shall conduct a large-scale recruitment of talent.
Be you knights, mages, or those with other professions and skills, it matters not. Pass the tests that are given.
Those who pass the tests with outstanding results will be granted the right to apply to the newly established Lydia Imperial Knights. They shall serve as His Majesty the new Emperor’s direct corps, and no department under the Empire, save for His Majesty himself, shall hold command over them.
To the military and knights loyal to the Empire, willingly volunteer for this glorious position to defend the Empire anew, and prove that your names are not held in vain.
To the undiscovered talents wandering the world, reveal your skills against renowned champions and seize your fame.
Furthermore, upon the conclusion of the tests, the coronation ceremony where His Highness, the Crown Prince, will formally ascend to the throne of this nation shall be held. The civil and military nobles of the Empire must send at least one member of their family to participate.
-Empress. Meridia Haidern Arcturus-