Chapter 307: The Tin Knight and The Invitation of Memories (7)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 307: The Tin Knight and The Invitation of Memories (7)
“Have you taken up raising a pet somewhere?”
Dorothea stared blankly at the Witch of the East's sudden remark.
“A pet? What are you talking about?”
“It eats the food its master gives it, is protected under its master's shadow, and wags its tail excitedly when it sees its master's face. That's the kind of being I'm talking about.”
“What in the world are you….”
Dorothea’s mouth snapped shut.
Realizing what the Witch of the East was referring to, a venomous look crossed the girl’s face.
“He’s my friend. Don’t talk about him like that.”
Even under her furious gaze, the Witch of the East merely shrugged nonchalantly.
“Then shall I call him a slave? No, that expression isn’t quite right. A slave is both labor and property. In a relationship of give and take, a slave sometimes offers their master far more than what they receive. The relationship may be unjust, but it is not one-sided. So, ‘pet’ is more fitting after all. Then again, it seems children these days will mercilessly devour even their pets if need be, so perhaps my concept is a little different from yours.”
“Master!!”
A terrifying amount of mana erupted from Dorothea’s body.
Mana potent enough to incinerate a mountain in a single blow had she been a Wizard, to instantly reconstruct a palace had she been an Alchemist, or to envelop an entire city in a barrier had she been an Enchantress.
As that mana manifested in the form of necromancy, all manner of evil spirits in the vicinity began to run rampant.
They didn't just make their presence known; they merged with the corpses buried underground, soon taking the form of a giant beast.
A chimera, formed from the head of a lion, the torso of a bear, the tail of a lizard, and a variety of other corpses, threatened the Witch of the East, black venom drooling from its mouth.
Dorothea glared at the Witch of the East with resolute eyes.
Of course, she didn't think for a second that she could do any real harm to her master with something like this.
But it was impossible to hear such a grave insult and simply nod as if nothing had happened.
At the very least, I want her to understand my anger.
That was her thought.
CRUNCH!
The moment the undead she had just summoned actually tore into her master's neck, splattering red blood, the one most stunned was none other than Dorothea herself.
“Huh? Wh-what? …What!?”
Grind, crunch.
The sound of bones breaking and shattering echoed.
The chimera undead, having accomplished the feat of wounding the Witch of the East—an act that would have astounded anyone who knew her—moved its jaws as if it couldn't get enough of the delicious taste, coveting the witch’s flesh and blood.
“Stop! I said, stop!”
Dorothea hastily issued a command to halt, but the chimera undead didn't even pretend to listen.
It was because Dorothea, in her emotional state, had poured too much mana into the undead's creation.
While quality materials and abundant mana could certainly create a powerful undead, controlling it ultimately came down to the caster's skill.
Dorothea had created a monster that even she could not handle.
Gritting her teeth, Dorothea this time lowered the mana for each and summoned multiple undead simultaneously.
Following her command, they attacked the chimera undead, which finally stirred as if annoyed.
Its snout was drenched in blood.
The fight that followed was less a battle and more a one-sided slaughter.
The newly summoned undead were crushed with terrifying ease before the chimera, which then turned its baleful gaze toward Dorothea.
Dorothea had long since cut off the mana supply to the chimera, but the monster would get to her long before it disappeared.
Just as Dorothea swallowed hard, a voice rang out.
“My pupil, my pupil, my immature and foolish pupil. When a charade goes this far, it ceases to be amusing.”
The Witch of the East, who had somehow gotten back on her feet, was looking at Dorothea with a scornful smile, contrary to her words.
The area around her neck and shoulder bore a grievous wound, so deep that bone was exposed. But the witch’s mana turned into something like white clay and clung to the injury. In the blink of an eye, the wound vanished, replaced by smooth skin.
The chimera undead, sensing an instinctual danger, took a defensive stance, but the next moment, its body crumpled like a paper cup crushed between two hands.
It was a feat of a dizzyingly high level, a technique Dorothea couldn't even begin to comprehend.
Only then did Dorothea’s body sway as if her legs had given out, but she stubbornly held her ground, refusing to collapse or fall to the floor.
“You fool. How many times have I told you not to use magic with brute mana alone? Well? Are you now in the mood to heed your master's advice?”
“…I’ll accept my punishment for attacking you. But that’s a separate issue.”
“Tsk, you stubborn fool.”
The Witch of the East clicked her tongue.
The next moment, Dorothea’s body shot into the air as if seized by something unseen.
Dangling like a cat held by the scruff of its neck, Dorothea found herself face-to-face with the Witch of the East.
“Long, long ago, there was a certain hero. This hero was so foolish that he kept giving and giving, never asking for proper compensation. How do you think the people treated him?”
“Weren’t they grateful?”
“At first, they were. But later, they began to take his devotion for granted. And after that, they met it with ridicule and contempt.”
A vortex of emotions—fierce hatred, anger, contempt—swirled in the Witch of the East’s eyes.
Confronted with that dangerous, bewitching color, Dorothea couldn't help but tremble.
“A witch’s skills are often seen as an almighty treasure chest by ordinary people. But that is precisely why you must not bestow its power carelessly. Humans do not respect what they gain without paying a proper price. The end result is one of two things: livestock that do nothing for themselves, merely waiting for sweet honey to fall from above, or fools who mistake goodwill for an entitlement. Do you want that so-called friend of yours to become one of them?”
Faced with her conviction-laden words, Dorothea shook her head.
The next moment, her body plummeted to the ground.
CRASH!
As Dorothea let out a silent scream from the impact of her rear end hitting the floor, the Witch of the East lay back down on the sofa and spoke, flapping a hand dismissively.
“Now then, it’s time for you to pay the price for daring to challenge your master without knowing your place.”
“Ugh, ughh… What… what do I have to do?”
“Survive.”
“What?”
The Witch of the East flicked a finger. A black orb from a shelf floated over to Dorothea’s head, then burst, scattering a fine powder all over her.
“I’ve placed a mark on you that attracts evil spirits and curses. All the nearby corpses and souls will turn into undead and attack you. All you have to do is survive them.”
“Wait, how long does this thing last?”
“A necromancer of equal or greater skill to the one who cast the mark could dispel it. In other words, it can be removed when you become more skilled than me, or when I decide to remove it.”
The color drained from Dorothea’s face.
A smile touched the corners of the Witch of the East’s lips.
At the same time, several ghosts clad in white, fluttering cloth grabbed Dorothea’s arms and legs and lifted her into the air.
“Master, wait, calm down, at least let me grab my catalysts and travel gear, Master, Master! Hey!!”
“Let’s see, last time I threw you into a forest full of trolls, didn’t I? This time, the sea beyond it should be nice. Go for a little swim in the cold ocean water. The water spirits will play with you, so you don’t have to worry about being lonely. And if you happen to die, don’t worry, I’ll make you into an undead servant.”
“You crazy old hag—”
Dorothea’s words were cut short.
Her body had already shot into the air, leaving only an afterimage behind.
Afterward, it took Dorothea about four weeks to return to the Witch of the East's house. In that time, she faced the threat of death approximately 67 times.
This was, for the most part, how the Witch of the East's education went.
*
“Dorothy! I was so worried when you didn’t show up! Did something happen?”
After surviving the Witch of the East’s harsh training, Dorothea visited Glückstadt for the first time in a while.
She was welcomed by Tip, who looked as if he had been ready to dash out barefoot.
Though she shuddered at the memory of the past four weeks, Dorothea simply waved a hand dismissively instead of complaining or lamenting her fate.
“It’s fine. I was just busy running some errands. More importantly, you’re looking much better.”
“Of course, it’s all thanks to you, Dorothy! No one in this city bothers me anymore. In fact, they’re scared of me and walk on eggshells around me.”
Tip beamed with delight.
Unlike before, when he was grimy and covered in scrapes, Tip’s clothes were now neat, and his skin was clear.
Thanks to eating much better, he was pretty enough to be mistaken for a girl, if not for the hat on his head and his baggy clothes.
Seeing him, Dorothea breathed a sigh of relief.
“Good, that’s a relief. It looks like you’ll be fine without me now.”
“Huh?”
The beaming smile on Tip’s face hardened like stone.
With trembling eyes, Tip asked Dorothea.
“Wh-what do you mean by that?”
“What’s there to mean? I can’t just keep coming and going here forever, can I? Besides, I’ve learned as much as I can from the tailor shop.”
If Tip had been a mess when she returned, Dorothea would have hesitated to leave him behind.
But to her relief, Tip was perfectly fine.
It seemed that because Dorothea had frequently used her magic to ‘support’ him, he had reached a point where people left him alone even without her direct help.
Well, he seemed to get by just fine on his own before he met me. There’s no way he can’t manage now that his situation is better.
“So, does this mean we won’t see each other again?”
“Maybe we’ll meet again if I happen to be in the area. But it won’t be as often as it is now.”
Glückstadt was a fairly large city for this region.
But if she broadened her horizons, there were countless cities larger, more splendid, and with more character than Glückstadt.
Once she sorted out her clothing situation, there was no need to keep returning to this place, which wasn't even that close.
“I see. Well, if that’s how it is, it can’t be helped.”
Tip hung his head low.
He was clearly dejected, but Dorothea ignored it.
Her master's words—that a relationship where one person is overly dependent on the other is no good—were branded into her mind.
Nothing particularly eventful happened that day.
She learned her skills from the seamstress as usual, ate a meal while chatting with Tip, and then left the city. That was all.
And the next time she visited the city.
When Dorothea went to the tailor shop, she heard shocking news from the people nearby.
“The seamstress here? I heard she was taken away by the soldiers.”
“They say she delivered some undergarments for the lord's precious daughter, but there was a small, sharp needle left in the clothes. The young lady was injured, and the seamstress was imprisoned for the crime.”
“They say they won't take her life, considering her past contributions and excellent skill, but who knows how long she'll be locked up.”
As the shocked Dorothea stood there, Tip approached and comforted her.
“I’m sorry, Dorothy. I tried to help somehow, but it was the lord of all people… B-but they said visiting is okay, so she should be fine if we visit often and bring her food. Yeah.”
“…Right.”
As Dorothea nodded, Tip's face brightened for a fleeting moment before he hid the expression.
But Dorothea's eyes had already grown cold.