Chapter 291: The Witch and The Ash-Covered Bride
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 291: The Witch and The Ash-Covered Bride
[The ‘Tin Knight’ expresses his astonishment, declaring that he had one long dream and woke up to find his contractor had become a goddess!]
[The ‘Tin Knight’ says that while ten years is long enough for mountains and rivers to change, he never imagined a new faith could be born in less than a week!]
[The ‘Tin Knight’ wonders if he should start calling her the Crow Goddess from now on!]
CRASH!
A sound twice as heavy and destructive as usual rang out, and the Tin Knight, having been struck by Dorothea’s staff, became a Tin Box and fell backward.
“Shut up. Shut up or I’ll hit you.”
Dorothea muttered, her face a mask of gloom, resentment, and a whole host of other negative emotions.
Adelaide thought to herself, ‘Shouldn’t you say that before you hit him, my lady witch?’ but she didn’t dare say it aloud.
She was a clever lion who could distinguish between words that would get her killed and words that wouldn’t.
In fact, seeing the Tin Knight maintain his thumbs-up even as he collapsed, she knew that trying to defend him would be a waste of energy and mental fortitude.
After staring down at the Tin Knight rolling on the floor with an icy glare, Dorothea turned her head with a “Hmph.”
Then, with her usual slanted, cynical gaze, she spoke.
“…So, a general of the underground with the power of foresight and an angel from the heavens laid the groundwork to be resurrected in your body, Sophia. The power of the Chalice of Tuberose and the flute that traveler fellow had almost caused your mind to be replaced by theirs, but thanks to this tin can blocking them, their plan failed, and you were able to wake up safely. Is that right?”
“That’s the general gist of it. There’s a lot more to say if you want all the little details.”
“If it’s not immediately necessary, save it for later.”
Hoo, Dorothea let out a sigh.
Her tone was heartless, but it was proof that she, in her own way, had been worried about Sophia and the Tin Knight.
Although she had intervened from the outside through the ‘game book,’ it had been impossible to grasp every detail of what was happening inside. From the midway point, the interference had become so severe that even that connection was almost completely blocked.
However, that by no means diminished Dorothea’s contributions.
It was her skill that had made it possible to physically beat down the mental erosion—originally a ‘phenomenon’ that couldn’t be defeated by force—by turning it into a tangible ‘enemy.’
It was also she who had pestered Marquis William Hemming into preparing a safe space for the two unconscious individuals to rest and managed public sentiment to prevent any riots from breaking out.
Of course, her method of managing public sentiment—which started as “Just eat this and stay quiet!”—had undergone a transcendental evolution into something like, “The Crow Goddess makes grenades out of pinecones!” leaving Dorothea clutching her head in despair. The saying ‘everything in moderation’ truly had a point.
If one were to ask if Adelaide had been idle during this time, the answer would be a firm no.
Just as Sophia and the Tin Knight fell into a deep slumber, the lady of the domain, as if taking their place, awoke from her long state of unconsciousness.
─My-my lady!? My lady, are you awake?!
─Ronnie…? Where is this? Ugh.
─You mustn’t push yourself! You’ve been lying down for a long time, so your body will be weak. Please wait a moment. I’ll go get Lady Adelaide!
Adelaide, who had been hunting in a nearby forest for food, came flying back as soon as she heard the news. Seeing her conscious mother, she threw herself into her arms, her eyes welling with tears.
The lady, unconsciously hugging the daughter in her arms, was inwardly surprised to see how her daughter was both similar to and different from the girl in her memory.
She was a little taller, and her body was slightly more toned.
Considering the characteristically slow growth rate of the Lion Duke’s bloodline, it was a change that couldn’t have happened in just a few months, even if Adelaide was in her growth period.
After that, the mother and daughter talked for a long time.
The fall of Friedel. Adelaide’s kidnapping and her meeting with her companions. The journey to find the sacred treasures. The conspiracy behind the lord’s death. Revenge against the Tower of Control and the Lennart main family. And finally, her triumphant return.
The lady felt sorrow, anger, surprise, admiration, and joy.
The story was so vast and grand in scale that it was hard to believe at first, but after seeing members of the main family, with their golden hair and violet eyes, arrive to serve the ‘mother of their new master’ at a single message from her daughter, any further doubt was pointless.
While she had been unconscious and unable to help in any way, the daughter she had always seen as young and cute had, at some point, grown up to a surprising degree.
She felt sorry and guilty about it, but at the same time, she was proud of her daughter for having achieved such a great feat.
Few parents would be displeased to see their child succeed, especially when that success was achieved through honor, not by some shameful means.
However, the lady had one concern.
─And so the knight said…
─Then the knight stepped right up and…
─The knight has a mischievous side, but when it really counts, he’s so dependable…
The knight, the knight, the knight.
The lady of the domain was not so dense as to miss the signs as she watched her daughter’s eyes sparkle, joyfully repeating stories about a certain someone.
To be fair, based on her daughter’s stories, it would have been stranger not to develop feelings for him.
A savior who rescued her when she was about to be sold into slavery. A teacher who stuck by her side throughout the journey, guiding her in every little detail. A reliable companion who always appeared in moments of crisis to defeat the enemy.
He was indeed someone to be incredibly grateful for.
If he weren’t currently unconscious due to some unknown incident, she would have wanted to express her gratitude immediately.
‘Still, marriage to a magic doll is a bit….’
While secretly worrying about her daughter’s love life, the lady of the domain didn’t voice her concerns and throw a wet blanket on her excited daughter’s face.
She was an understanding mother.
If the lady had known the detailed contents of the training the Tin Knight had put Adelaide through, she would have, frail body and noble dignity be damned, immediately ripped a picture frame off the wall and charged to bash the Tin Knight’s head in. Fortunately, Adelaide had glossed over that part.
‘If Mother heard about it, she might be a little shocked.’
Even Adelaide was aware that the training she had undergone might seem somewhat problematic to others.
The fact that she dismissed it with the word ‘somewhat’ showed just how severe her Tin contamination was.
In this way, talking with her mother, hunting for food, and summoning Maris and other direct blood relatives to come and escort her mother, her days had been quite busy by the time the Tin Knight and Sophia awoke.
*
A few days after the Tin Knight and Sophia woke up.
As Dorothea prepared to leave for a new destination, Marquis William expressed his gratitude.
“You saved us.”
The relationship between Dorothea and Marquis William Hemming could hardly be called friendly.
An assassination target and the person who ordered the hit.
A witch who threatened her target with a curse and her victim.
Frankly, William was afraid of Dorothea and found her unsettling.
However, he was not so foolish as to be unaware of how stupid it would be to antagonize Dorothea and her companions now.
If one had such capable and powerful people, life would be much more peaceful if you at least didn't make them your enemies, even if you couldn't make them your allies.
“Thanks to the grain you all piled up in the warehouse and the resolution of the rat swarm problem, the domain’s dire situation will be able to breathe for a while.”
“For a while?”
“The pressure from the surrounding domains won’t end. But well, that too will be brief. I’ve made up my mind after this incident.”
Until now, William, while known as the king’s trusted vassal, had maintained his ties with the nobles. But after this incident, he realized he could no longer survive with such a half-hearted stance.
Going all-in on that eccentric and unpredictable king was by no means an easy decision, but since the noble faction had been the first to draw their swords, he had no other choice.
Of course, Dorothea couldn’t care less about any of this.
More importantly, she needed to escape this domain as quickly as possible to avoid the commoners who expressed their gratitude and respect nonstop whenever she went out on the streets.
“Well, good luck. And do something to calm down those idiots going on about a goddess.”
“I don’t think that’s a problem I can solve on my own… but I’ll try.”
William spoke as if a thought had just occurred to him.
“By the way, did you say you were heading further east from here?”
“The next sacred treasure is reacting from that direction. Why?”
“If you don’t take any major detours, you’ll reach Count Lumière’s territory. Uh, please don’t misunderstand, but try not to cause any trouble.”
“What?”
“The Lumière territory is a county, but in the distant past, it was an independent kingdom. As such, it’s one of the larger and more powerful domains within the kingdom.”
“What’s that got to do with us?”
“Count Lumière’s territory belongs to the neutral faction within the kingdom. However, I hear the Count’s only son is currently looking for a bride. They’re holding some kind of ball to find a candidate, and because of that, various nobles in the kingdom are desperately trying to fill that spot with one of their own. I’m just saying you might get caught up in it if you head that way.”
Dorothea scoffed.
“What a leisurely pastime. Don’t worry, we won’t get involved.”
Watching from behind, the Tin Knight spoke.
[The ‘Tin Knight’ says that no matter how you look at it, it seems like a flag has just been raised!]
Adelaide replied.
“Still, if we get involved in a ball, wouldn’t that be a relatively peaceful incident?”
Sophia continued.
“Something’s bound to happen wherever we go, so it’s probably better to go in knowing at least a little about what to expect.”
Dorothea shrieked.
“Hey, you three!! Too much chatter!”
*
Once upon a time, a long, long time ago.
Actually, not so long ago.
There was a poor girl who lost her mother at a young age.
The girl’s father took a new wife, but the stepmother and her two daughters, despite their pretty faces, had wicked hearts.
They tormented the girl, forcing her to do all the housework and run endless errands.
The girl had to live her days covered in ashes from her hard labor.
The girl made a wish beneath the hazel tree where her mother was buried.
“Oh, witch, my witch, Wicked Witch of the East. Please grant me power. The power to bring divine punishment upon my ill-tempered stepmother and stepsisters, and upon my indecisive father who pretends to care but turns a blind eye, knowing I’m being tormented…!”
“If granting me power directly is too much trouble, then at the very least, please give me a chance to connect with the prince. Once I have power, I’ll take care of the rest myself…!”
“I pray, I pray. I pray to the great Queen of the Dead…!”
The finger of the girl—Cinderella.
The ring, a memento from her mother, began to emit a strange luster.
The meeting between a rather strange Cinderella and four times the usual number of fairy godmothers was just around the corner.