Chapter 372: Side Story 1: The Knight's Body
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 372: Side Story 1: The Knight's Body
The tale of a hero often ends in tragedy.
In that sense, you could be called a lucky one.
Thanks to the efforts and devotion of your companions, you were able to avoid a cruel and pitiful end.
You finally set foot in the world you had only ever seen through a monitor, ready to enjoy a joyous reunion, embracing the companions who welcomed you—
“Sir… Knight?”
“Oh my, you look quite cute.”
—but you couldn't.
Your line of sight was several times lower than it should have been.
You were inside a sphere, slightly larger than a fist, with a transparent interior and a stand, reminiscent of a snow globe.
From within, you looked up at your companions looking down at you.
You tried touching the transparent wall, and it felt strangely pliable.
It was less like glass or plastic and more like a fully inflated tube.
“I pretty much expected this, but this guy's body was already gone, leaving only his soul. He had a physical form in that mysterious space, but the moment he got out, he turned into an ethereal form, so I put him in another vessel for now. He's so high-maintenance.”
Dorothea explained to the others with a shrug.
Her attitude seemed nonchalant, but you remembered how incredibly serious she had been when your body was fading like smoke, desperately trying to contain it. So, you didn't feel particularly offended.
“A soul, by its nature, slowly deteriorates just by existing in the natural world. I plan to keep him stored in here for a while.”
“What will happen to… the Knight's original body?”
Adelaide asked cautiously, and Dorothea looked at you as she continued.
“That's up to him. Whether he returns to the doll's body or gets a human one.”
You blinked.
You hadn't even considered that you had a choice.
Sophia spoke up.
“But, is it impossible to talk with Sir Tin in this state?”
“Ah, that. It seems like he can understand us, but he can't speak himself. Probably a side effect of being in that space for too long. But I have a solution.”
With that, Dorothea lifted the transparent sphere you were in and clicked a small, ornament-like object into a groove on its base.
“Hey, try talking like you used to.”
[The ‘Tin Knight’ points out that instructions need to be precise!]
After the words came out, you were startled.
It was a strange yet nostalgic sensation, as if your very will was being transmitted directly.
Pleased by your surprised reaction, the corners of Dorothea's mouth curled into a smirk.
“The original brooch was broken, but I made a new one. With this, conversation shouldn't be a problem.”
“But, is his title still ‘Tin Knight’?”
“That's the default setting for now. We can change it to something else if he wants.”
“Ah, I see… Sir Knight must have his own name, after all.”
The three of them turned their gazes to you.
You shook your head.
[The ‘Tin Knight’ says there’s no need to change a familiar title!]
[The ‘Tin Knight’ insists that this title fits him best now anyway!]
Your words brought complex expressions to their faces.
It was a strange reaction, as if they were both happy and a little sad.
Clap!
As if to change the subject, Dorothea clapped her hands.
“Well, if that's what he wants, who are we to argue? More importantly, what are you going to do about your body?”
You fell into thought.
When it came to the body itself, a vessel of warm, flowing blood was naturally better than a cold doll that couldn't feel a shred of human warmth.
But it wasn't as if you felt no nostalgia for the body that had journeyed with your companions for so long.
When you honestly shared your inner thoughts, your companions also seemed to sink into contemplation.
And in cases like this, it was usually the scarecrow's role to provide the answer.
“In that case, how about we turn the body Sir Tin originally used into a suit of armor? That way, you can have both.”
You were impressed.
That certainly seemed like a good way to return to being human while also preserving your memories.
But you were puzzled.
Could a human body really be whipped up so easily?
At your words, Dorothea flashed a smile that felt vaguely sinister.
“This is what connections are for.”
*
About a year had passed since the Celestial Subjugation War.
The war had ended in victory, but its aftermath was staggering.
The Kingdom of Heaven's attack, which had sought to burn the continent itself. The Great Witches of the South and North who had blocked it. The elites of each nation who had sortied to counterattack the Kingdom of Heaven.
The loss of holy power among the priests from the Kingdom of Heaven, and the emergence of the so-called 'Reformation' priests who seemed to replace them.
The reported deaths of the Witches of the East and West. The Witches of the North and South entering a state of semi-seclusion due to the aftereffects of repelling the Kingdom of Heaven's attack.
The historians who recorded these events had to cry over the daily flood of work, and the political situations and interests of each nation fluctuated wildly in turn.
And amidst this chaos, the Federation was one of the factions that found itself cornered in many ways.
It was inevitable, really.
While the Empire sent its knights, the Magic State dispatched its mages, and the Kingdom had its king himself go to the heavens to fight, not a single nation belonging to the Federation had contributed to the battle.
To be precise, it was less that they didn't contribute and more that they lacked the ability to, but from the perspective of the nations that participated in the war, this was a deeply resentful matter.
After all, if they hadn't stopped the Kingdom of Heaven, the Federation would have also been reduced to ashes. The Federation had paid no price and was now getting a free ride on the peace the participating nations had protected.
When the Empire and the Magic State, supposed arch-rivals, joined hands to demand 'appropriate compensation,' the powerful figures of the Federation had to endure such pain and anxiety that every meal tasted like rubber and every drink like saltwater.
Franka Aglaia actively used this situation to her advantage, succeeding in reigning as the de facto queen of the Federation.
Because she was practically the only person from the Federation who had contributed to the allied forces' victory.
Even the displeased Empire and Magic State did not ignore Franka's contributions, as she had actively participated in troop transport and combat, leading a large number of homunculi.
Franka was already a force to be reckoned with: as the apprentice of the Witch of the West, she had the Alchemists’ Association nearly under her thumb; she possessed immense military power through her homunculus legion; and she had the wealth of the Aglaia family.
The rulers of the Federation had to kneel before Franka and beg to be taken in as her subordinates; those who didn't met a miserable downfall.
The Queen of the Western Federation. Franka Aglaia, making a name for herself as the next Golden Witch.
People feared her power, which was said to be so great she could make a flying bird fall with a point of her finger, but they did not know.
That there were those in the world who saw gold as nothing more than pebbles on the road.
“So… you just show up out of the blue and tell me to make a human body?”
Franka's voice was clearly displeased.
If any members of the Alchemists' Association or the royalty and nobility of the Federation had been here, they would have shivered as if caught in a blizzard, feeling a bone-deep chill.
The woman named Franka was not, by nature, a particularly gentle or merciful person.
However, Dorothea, sitting on the sofa across from Franka, looked as if she were feeling a gentle breeze rather than a blizzard.
“Yep. You understood perfectly.”
Fire lit up in Franka's eyes, but Dorothea remained perfectly calm and composed, regardless.
Faced with that impenetrable demeanor, Franka ground her teeth and spoke.
“Listen, you might not know since you're unaffiliated, but I'm the head of the Federation now. That means I'm very, very, very busy.”
“Really? If the Federation shrinks, won't your work shrink too? Want some help?”
“Homunculi are powerful, beautiful, and overflowing with functional beauty. But a vulgar human body? My pride as an alchemist won't allow me to create such a thing!”
“Should I pass that along to Adelaide? No, it'd be better to just announce it to the Lennarts.”
“Think about it! That knight died and is just a soul now! If it gets out that I resurrected someone like that by giving them a body, can you imagine the chaos it would cause? Everyone would be clamoring for me to bring back their loved ones!”
“…Hey, did you forget who you're talking to? I'm a necromancer, you know?”
“Gnnnnnnnnnh!”
“Hanging out with monkeys has made you talk like one.”
Franka was so vexed she unconsciously chewed on her handkerchief.
If she had her way, she would have just thrown Dorothea out, but even that wasn't an option.
Military power? Franka was confident she had caught up to her master, Elphaba, to some extent, but the woman before her, Dorothea, was a champion who had defeated Elphaba even when she was far less experienced.
Of course, at the time, Franka and her other companions had helped, and Elphaba had been caught off guard, but the inherent matchup between alchemy and necromancy wasn't something easily overturned.
Although the knight, their strongest fighter back then, was currently without a body, they had Adelaide instead.
Franka knew very well that the innocent-looking, smiling lion girl was a powerhouse capable of turning a mansion into ruins with a single swing of her sword.
Even her homunculi, who had inherited their master's haughtiness, acted as cute as pets whenever they saw Adelaide.
Political power was no different.
Wielding power against people who had overturned the Empire and the Magic State because they didn't like them, and had completely destroyed the Kingdom of Heaven, was tantamount to begging them to cut off your head because you wanted to die sooner.
Franka let out a deep sigh and spoke, her face now much more serious.
“It won't be free. As an alchemist and a witch, I can never sell my skills cheap.”
Dorothea, too, shed her somewhat flippant demeanor and replied with a serious expression.
“I know. How about this?”
Saying so, Dorothea took out a piece of parchment and handed it to Franka.
Franka took the parchment, and her eyes widened.
Then, she muttered blankly.
“…A spell to create a subspace for item storage?”
“I made it based on my experience using the Gloves of Haider. The cooldown is longer than the original, and the weight limit is a bit stricter, but that's something you can improve over time. Just like me, I'm sure you'd find it convenient to be able to carry your catalysts around freely, right?”
It wasn't just a matter of ‘convenience.’
An expert of Franka's caliber could reconfigure objects on the spot, but doing so consumed far more mana than using an alchemist's all-purpose catalyst.
That was why she always had her homunculi follow her around with heavy bags. If that necessity disappeared, the convenience would be beyond words.
Franka's eyes gleamed.
“Alright. For this, I'll make it. Your knight's body.”