Chapter 258: The Tin Knight and the Imperial Banquet (8)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 258: The Tin Knight and the Imperial Banquet (8)
After Werner, who seemed lost in thought, and a thoroughly flustered Maris had departed.
“So, got anything to say for yourself?”
The lioness meekly averted her gaze from the witch’s sharp eyes.
Dorothea spoke, dumbfounded.
“‘From now on, I am the main family.’ ‘If you want to keep using the Lennart name, you’ll need my permission.’ That was one hell of a provocation. More importantly, are you serious? About taking the Lennart name from them?”
“If you’re asking whether I’m serious, I’d say about 30 percent, no, maybe 24 percent…?”
“What’s with that ridiculously half-assed number?”
“Well, um.”
Adelaide hesitated, as if trying to figure out how to explain, before finally spitting it out.
“I thought it might make them take this a little more seriously.”
I mean, I’m pretty sure they weren’t slacking off.
Dorothea barely managed to swallow the words that had risen to her throat.
Adelaide probably knew it in her head, too.
There was no way the Lion Duke’s bloodline would be careless at a time when their family could face ruin.
It was just that to Adelaide, who had just fought a literal life-or-death battle against the Tower of Control—that is, the Rognir faction—their struggle seemed relatively tame.
But pointing that out and worrying about it wasn't in Dorothea's nature, so she spoke with a hint of gruffness.
“Like master, like pupil, I swear. You two get an itch you can’t scratch unless you make things difficult, don’t you? Huh? Do you really have to raise the difficulty on your own?”
“Hehe…”
Hey, that wasn’t a compliment. Are you happy because I said you’re like your master?
Dorothea was once again at a loss for words as she watched Adelaide scratch the back of her head awkwardly, though she didn’t seem to mind the comparison.
[The ‘Tin Knight’ defends his pupil, stating that a proper declaration of war is a crucial element of a fair and square duel!]
“This isn’t a duel.”
[The ‘Tin Knight’ says that a suitable increase in difficulty enhances the sense of accomplishment upon clearing it!]
“Isn’t it better to win easily and comfortably?”
[The ‘Tin Knight’ points out that he doesn’t want to hear that from someone who put self-imposed restrictions on her convenient and powerful necromancy for a limited playthrough!]
Clang!
Dorothea’s staff struck the Tin Knight square in the face.
[The ‘Tin Knight’ protests, asking why she did that when he wasn’t wrong this time!]
Dorothea replied nonchalantly, with an expression that said it was the most natural thing in the world.
“Because it annoyed me. Got a problem?”
…
The Tin Knight froze, motionless, looking as if a human would have stood there with their jaw agape, stammering.
Adelaide thought to herself, You know, Your Witchiness, I think you've been influenced by the knight in many ways, too.
Of course, she didn’t let the words slip out.
Adelaide was sometimes afraid that if that staff of overwhelming mana fell on her head, she’d end up like a watermelon in front of a carriage wheel.
This was a hierarchy separate from mere strength.
It was then that Sophia, who had been engrossed in some experiment inside the mansion, came out.
The three of them tilted their heads at the sight of Sophia, who looked as inscrutable as ever, yet strangely excited.
“Everyone, I think I’ve figured out the identity of the sacred treasures. —I believe they’re the relics of the generals from the myths.”
And just like that, with no warning, a bombshell was dropped.
Then again, nearly everything this party did was a bombshell, so in a way, it was just another day.
*
It all started with a story from the past, told by the vampire Camilla, who lived on a deserted island.
In a distant age, eight generals invaded the surface.
They were defeated by the queen and the knight of the eastern nation.
And the eight sacred treasures of the kingdom, which had been passed down in the eastern nation but were scattered across the continent with its fall.
It was a suspicious combination to anyone, and Dorothea wasn't the type to leave an ominous sign unattended.
But even when she tried to investigate, books recording information from a thousand years ago weren't easy to come by. The few existing records were fragmented and distorted, making them too unreliable to use as sources.
Therefore, the party decided to use a cheat code.
They would use the Chalice of Tuberose to obtain information about the other sacred treasures.
Normally, Dorothea and Sophia would have had to work together, going through trial and error until the desired information appeared (a process the Tin Knight called “rerolling”), but the remote mana supply function they had acquired from the Tower of Protection proved helpful here.
Separate from the direct line established between the Tin Knight and Dorothea, two relay-type magic tools were given to Sophia and Adelaide to increase the effective supply range. This meant that mana could be freely exchanged not just between the Tin Knight and Dorothea, but among all the companions, including Sophia and Adelaide.
Sophia was originally unable to use the power of the Chalice of Tuberose on her own and needed a companion’s help. However, by skillfully using this function, it was possible to trick the Chalice of Tuberose into thinking that ‘someone other than Sophia used the power.’
In other words, as long as Dorothea supplied the mana, Sophia could now use the chalice by herself.
The inhuman scholar, who needed neither rest nor food, devoted most of her time outside the tests to this research, and her efforts finally bore fruit.
“It seems the ‘People of the underground’ is a general term for those we call magic beasts who possess a certain level of intelligence. Vampires, giants, dwarves, half-beasts, things like that. And among them, the ones who were particularly powerful and served as the vanguard of the surface invasion were the beings known as the ‘eight generals.’”
In front of a blue chalkboard, Sophia moved the chalk back and forth like a teacher instructing her students.
Her mannerisms seemed strangely familiar.
“Half of these eight generals were subjugated by the legendary knight, likely the ‘previous Tin Knight,’ and the other half by beings called ‘angels’ employed by the Kingdom of Heaven. The Kingdom of Heaven then used their remains to recreate them as the eight treasures.”
[The ‘Tin Knight’ says that looting items is a basic principle!]
The Tin Knight nodded lightly in agreement.
Defeating a strong enemy and obtaining loot was the most basic of basics. If there was no loot, it was only natural in his mind to at least tear off some materials.
“So that’s what it was…”
Adelaide looked surprised, but also understanding.
She had a vague idea of what the ‘giant’ she had seen in the vision was, but hearing it as confirmed information felt different.
“Why would they do that? If they simply wanted powerful tools, they could have just kept them for themselves. What was the point of painstakingly crafting them from rare materials and then handing them over to the kingdom?”
Dorothea’s reaction was somewhat curt.
She felt a strange sense of displeasure at the Kingdom of Heaven’s incomprehensible actions.
“Uh, maybe it was like a gift? I mean, that great war was won thanks to the knight—no, the previous Tin Knight—and the kingdom, right? Maybe the heavens gave them a reward.”
“Would they do something so considerate?”
“They might have, if they didn’t want to get on the bad side of a kingdom where the previous Tin Knight was still active and well.”
“Hmm.”
Dorothea nodded inadvertently.
If Adelaide had replied with something like, ‘The good Kingdom of Heaven kindly gave a reward,’ she would have let it go in one ear and out the other. But the idea that they had offered a bribe to appease a powerful entity they didn't want to provoke was quite plausible.
At the same time, it was proof that Adelaide didn’t see the Kingdom of Heaven as purely benevolent beings. She had grown in many ways.
“So, the answer?”
“Unfortunately, the investigation on that part is still lacking. Shall I dig a little deeper?”
“I’d like to say please do, but let’s stop here for today. The future is important, but we need to solve the problem right in front of us first.”
As she spoke, Dorothea flicked a piece of paper she had received from Algind with her finger.
・Third Recruitment Test: <Color War>
-Before the match begins, each participant will be given a ‘brand’ of a designated ‘color.’
-Those of the same color are considered a team.
-Anyone who loses their brand is considered eliminated.
-At the end of the match, the four teams with the fewest eliminations will advance to the next test.
-Even if an individual is eliminated, if their ‘color’ wins, they will also be considered to have passed.
*
“—They will likely stack our people onto a specific team. Of course, they’ll put up a front by splitting them into two or three groups to avoid suspicion, but that’s a flimsy disguise at best.”
Hilda von Lennart grumbled at the words of the head of the Council of Elders.
“Deciding all the rules and details themselves… the imperial family is so cowardly!”
Strictly speaking, it wasn't that the Empress’ faction had done exactly as they pleased, but rather that this was a compromise reached after a series of checks and secret struggles with the ducal family in the shadows. However, the head of the Council of Elders didn't bother to explain such details.
For this innocent yet cruel genius, it was enough that the imperial family and their associates were simple, easy-to-understand enemies who wielded their power tyrannically.
“Yes, they are truly cowardly.”
The head of the Council of Elders stroked Hilda’s hair, looking like a benevolent grandfather.
Though she was a girl feared by the public as a ruffian, in front of him, she just purred like a well-tamed cat.
Pleased by the sight, the head of the Council of Elders chuckled.
Hilda von Lennart.
She was a masterpiece cultivated by the Council of Elders, by the radicals of the Lennart Ducal House.
A talent so immense that the word ‘genius’ felt shallow. A narrow-mindedness that made her believe whatever the old men said was unconditionally right, never considering other possibilities.
-The imperial family is a bunch of ungrateful wretches trying to backstab the ducal family after using them to their heart’s content.
-The Duke is a coward, so terrified of the imperial family that he only cares about saving his own skin, even if it means selling out the family.
-The tragedy of the Friedel domain was the Duke’s doing. Therefore, we must help the heir of Friedel who was used in this affair.
The girl never doubted a single word engraved into her by the head of the Council and the other old men, and so she raged against the easy-to-understand ‘villains.’
Where else could one find a pawn so powerful, so lovely, and so convenient?
Therefore, the head of the Council of Elders thought:
‘What a waste.’
Because he knew Hilda’s value, because he had experienced her usefulness firsthand, he couldn't help but feel a sense of grief.
‘If things had gone well, we could have embraced that child, Adelaide, as well.’
Originally, the Council of Elders hadn't paid much attention to the Friedel domain.
Once they had mobilized Friedel using forged orders in the Duke’s name and the domain’s forces were annihilated, and once the Duke, fearing public opinion turning against the war, had issued a gag order with his own mouth, and once the Council had submitted a proposal to the Duke to ‘support Friedel’ and it was accepted—at that point, Friedel had served its purpose.
It was a sacrificial pawn, meant to spread rumors about the Duke from the rear, disguise the Duke as the perpetrator of the incident, and create a narrative of ‘the Duke who ordered silence to cover up his own mistakes even after sacrificing a collateral line’ versus ‘the Council of Elders who stood against such a Duke to support Friedel.’
Of course, the Duke was no pushover, so creating overtly negative public opinion wasn't easy, but fortunately, this was a battle the Elder faction was bound to win.
No matter how competent the Duke was or how powerful his authority, as long as the imperial family was focused on ‘keeping Lennart in check,’ and as long as the Duke didn't respond aggressively, dissatisfaction and anxiety within the family were bound to grow.
Spreading such rumors on barren ground was one thing; giving excuses to those already looking for a reason to hate the Duke was another matter entirely.
If they were to find any further use for Friedel, it would be to secure the heir and use her as a ‘pitiful victim whose life was ruined by the Duke’s lust for power and his mistakes’ for propaganda purposes.
The problem was that the bird that was supposed to have remained quietly in its cage had flown out into the wild on its own.
Their fatal mistake was not explaining the detailed circumstances to Giselle, who had been dispatched as the acting lord, in order to avoid the Duke’s suspicious gaze.
In fact, when they first heard that Friedel’s youngest lady had left on a journey, the Council had thought of it as nothing more than ‘one less stone to throw at the family head.’ But now that Adelaide had proven her worth, they were filled with regret, wishing they had pushed themselves a little harder to secure her back then.
‘Such a waste, what a shame. If only we could have imparted our righteous beliefs to that child as well as to Hilda, she would have undoubtedly become a cornerstone supporting the family.’
But there was no point in dwelling on what one didn't have.
“Hilda, there is something you must be very careful about in the next test.”
“What is it? That magic doll seems like it’ll be tough, but I’ll manage the rest somehow! As long as I win, right?”
“No.”
For the sake of the family, to protect the honor borne by the Lennart name, the head of the Council of Elders whispered to his granddaughter as the representative of the Council.
“—I want the entire family to be defeated, as miserably as possible.”