Chapter 309: The Tin Knight and the Meaning of the Sacred Treasure
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 309: The Tin Knight and the Meaning of the Sacred Treasure
[The ‘Tin Knight’ points out that if you push someone away half-heartedly like that, they don’t give up; they just get angrier and come at you harder!]
[The ‘Tin Knight’ points out that if there was something suspicious, you shouldn’t have just questioned them vaguely but should have pointed it out clearly and reached a conclusion!]
“Ugh…”
At the Tin Knight’s critique, Dorothea fell silent, as if his words had struck a nerve.
Of course, some of it had been unavoidable.
Back then, Dorothea had still been young, lacking the knowledge and experience of human malice or the hardships of the world.
To demand the same judgment and ability from the thirteen-year-old Dorothea as the twenty-year-old Dorothea was asking too much.
However, she wasn’t the type to make excuses for such things.
After all, she herself admitted that she had acted clumsily in many ways regarding the matter with Tip.
“So, what would you have done if you were me?”
At Dorothea’s question, the Tin Knight thumped his chest and declared.
[The ‘Tin Knight’ says that, obviously, you should have split his head open!]
“…I told you, I wasn’t sure if he was the culprit or not.”
[The ‘Tin Knight’ insists that it’s always easier to ask for forgiveness than permission!]
[The ‘Tin Knight’ says you should just split the head open first, and if you were wrong, you can apologize later!]
Claaaang!
After splitting the Tin Knight’s head open with her staff, Dorothea spoke, perfectly calm but with a cross-shaped vein throbbing on her forehead.
“If I strike the same spot one more time, I think your sense of taste might be pulverized. Will you forgive me? Oh, wait, I made a mistake. I should have said that after doing it.”
[The ‘Tin Knight’ says that upon calm reflection, people should resolve problems through dialogue rather than violence!]
The Tin Knight scurried to hide behind Sophia, but then, perhaps realizing Dorothea would just ignore the Sophia-shield and beat him anyway, he dodged behind Adelaide instead.
When Dorothea glared as if to say, hand him over, Adelaide shook her head, trembling.
Watching the scene, Sophia let out a soft chuckle.
One way or another, Dorothea’s drooping spirits had instantly returned to their usual vigor.
Not wanting to lose this momentum, Sophia asked.
“Does that mean the Tip from that story is the same person as the Ozma who sent us the invitation this time?”
Dorothea, who had been glaring daggers at the Tin Knight, finally clicked her tongue as if she had no choice and said.
“That was the only time I ever used the alias ‘Dorothy.’ I can’t think of any other candidates.”
Adelaide tilted her head.
“But didn’t you say Tip was a boy? The person I met was a woman. …She was a woman, right?”
“Well, it might have been better for a young girl to disguise herself as a boy to live alone, so she could have been a woman hiding her gender. Conversely, he could have appeared before you in a dress, Lady Adel. Or there’s the possibility their gender changed through some kind of magic or special power.”
[The ‘Tin Knight’ claims that a thing called Schrödinger’s gender exists in the world!]
[The ‘Tin Knight’ says to just go with whichever you think is the right answer!]
“Like this guy said, gender doesn’t matter. Besides, I already smashed that invitation or whatever, so it’s not like we’ll be meeting them again.”
Just as the conversation about Tip was wrapping up…
[The ‘Tin Knight’ informs his companions that they seem to have arrived at their next destination!]
[The ‘Tin Knight’ adds that, conveniently, the target seems to be over there as well!]
At the Tin Knight’s fuss, Dorothea sighed.
“Just because the Animal Compass is heading that way doesn’t necessarily mean it’s our destination…”
Dorothea’s words trailed off.
Adelaide, who was next to her, had poked her forearm.
When Dorothea gave her a questioning look, Adelaide silently pointed a finger toward the sky.
Dorothea followed her finger and looked up, then raised her arm and rubbed her eyes.
But the ‘something’ she saw didn’t disappear.
—I’ll be waiting by the side of the king, a knight worthy of the East. To the black witch, from your rival.
“…That idiot, honestly.”
Dorothea let out a dry laugh.
There was no doubt as to who was sending the message to whom.
No, before that, Dorothea didn’t know any other eccentric capable of boldly scrawling such a message across the sky of a nation’s royal capital.
The star pupil of the Witch of the North.
The white witch. Gale Elilaz.
Her greatest rival, competing with their party to collect the eight sacred treasures, was inviting them.
*
Upon entering a city, the first steps were to find lodging and gather information.
That was one of the routines for Dorothea’s party.
This time, however, there was no need to follow it.
By the time their carriage passed through the main gate of the royal capital and entered the city, Marquis William was already there to greet them, as if he had sprouted wings on his feet.
“Welcome! You’re finally here! You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for you all!”
William’s face and voice were filled with the indignation and desperation that only an employee pushed to their absolute limit could possess.
Dorothea and Sophia seemed to expect as much, but Adelaide must have found his appearance a bit pitiful, as she couldn’t help but ask why.
“D-Did something happen?”
“Did something happen? Of course something happened!”
That was a mistake.
Marquis William’s eyes flashed, and he began to pour out a torrent of complaints.
How a duo of a white witch and a magic doll had come to the Royal Palace to get permission for ‘that thing’ in the sky above the capital.
How some frog-in-a-well noble, ignorant of the world outside the kingdom, didn’t understand the true meaning of Gale’s words, ‘I am not a noble. I am merely a mage of the tower,’ and took it as ‘Ah, a commoner!’ before trying to harass her.
How Gale had beaten that noble with her staff.
How the guards, unable to stand by and watch a noble get beaten black and blue right in front of the palace, tried to intervene, only to get thrashed by the white knight. How a Royal Knight who saw this also intervened, only to get thrashed as well. And how—why, he truly had no idea why the King himself would draw his sword and step in—but anyway, the King who joined the fray fought the white knight to a standstill.
How the retainers and royal guards trembled, thinking the nation might soon be in mourning, but for some reason, the duel ended in a draw, with the King admiring the white knight’s skill, and then the King and Gale somehow hit it off.
How, in response to Gale’s request to ‘write a little something in the kingdom’s sky,’ the king, who was like a warrior from a primitive age, readily gave the okay. And how, as a result, that message had been plastered across the sky, using the heavens as a canvas and the clouds as ink, for several days now.
And finally, how all sorts of people in the country were now clinging to William, begging him to stop the King before he brought any more shame upon the nation.
“…So that’s what happened. Now do you see why I couldn’t help but wait for you?”
William wore a look of relief, as if a great weight had been lifted from his chest after pouring out his story.
Seeing him, the Tin Knight slowly turned its head to look at Sophia.
[The ‘Tin Knight’ asks if they can use the Chalice of Tuberose, saying that story sounds like it would have been a blast to watch live!]
“Hmm, I don’t know. Should we?”
“Should we what? You idiots.”
Dorothea spoke, utterly dumbfounded.
“There are so many strange parts, I don’t even know where to begin.”
The noble who tried to harass Gale, of all people, seemed insane, and the fact that the king of a nation would suddenly engage in a duel with a complete stranger also reeked of madness.
“No, more importantly, you’re saying a human fought the white knight to a standstill? Why is a guy like that holed up in some corner of the East?”
[The ‘Tin Knight’ says that since Dorothea’s teacher is also holed up in the East, it’s not that strange!]
“…Well, when you put it like that, I guess I have nothing to say.”
Dorothea ruffled her hair and turned to William.
“Haa, whatever. I’ll figure it out when I meet him. Just lead the way.”
“I’ve already made all the arrangements. We can head straight to the Royal Palace and go directly to the audience chamber.”
“…It feels a bit strange to say this right after telling you to lead the way, but has it always been this easy to meet the king of a country?”
“It seems you’re still bound by common sense. When dealing with His Majesty, you must abandon all of it. Otherwise, you might get a hole in your stomach. I’m advising you as someone with experience.”
Dorothea silently rubbed her face.
Not a single one of them was normal.