Chapter 373: Side Story 2: The Knight's Body (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 373: Side Story 2: The Knight's Body (2)
One day, just after Dorothea and Franka had reached their dramatic compromise and just before the project was about to officially begin.
It arrived like a storm.
Crash!
“Dorothea—!! I heard you were doing something incredibly fun, so I came running!”
“…Why would you burst in through the window when there's a perfectly good door, you lunatic?”
Despite Dorothea's sigh-laden rebuke, the sudden intruder answered confidently, not the least bit fazed.
“Oh, that? I was originally going to make a grand entrance through the main gate, but they tried to hold me up with talk of procedures and diplomacy, so I just hopped over the castle wall!”
The White Witch, Gale Elilaz.
At the words of the girl—a decorated hero of the Celestial Subjugation War and the de facto next Witch of the North—Dorothea could only shake her head.
It was as if she could hear the suffering and screams of the soldiers and servants who'd had to deal with the visitor, who was nothing short of a storm in the shape of a girl.
Clank.
Outside the window.
The White Knight, who was holding himself up with one hand on the shaft of his spear whose blade was embedded in the wall, gave Dorothea a respectful nod.
Unlike the small and nimble Gale, it seemed he was waiting out there because if he tried to enter, he would likely destroy the window frame.
The fact that this knight, an incarnation of rigid formality, was born from the hands of such a free-spirited and unconventional girl was truly a mystery that spoke to the wonders of magic.
“Anyway, is it true that the Tin Knight is back? If you called me to restore his core, I can get to work right away!”
Seeing Gale get straight to the point, as if the inappropriateness of her entrance wasn't even worth discussing, Dorothea briefly debated whether to call her out on it.
Then she decided to drop it.
This was Franka's home turf, not hers, so Franka could deal with it.
“No, I'm planning on having that rascal Franka make the body.”
“Oh. Well, I can understand that. A human soul would naturally want a human body.”
Gale nodded, then blinked. “Huh?”
“Then what am I here for? Should I just say hi to the Tin Knight and be on my way?”
“I wouldn't call you all the way out here just for that. Rather, I want to modify his original body into a suit of armor. Is that possible?”
“Ooh.”
Gale let out a sound of admiration.
“So that's the plan. Well, if you're asking whether it's possible or not, of course it is. The time it'll take will depend on the specific performance you want, though.”
Gale tapped her staff in the air, and magical characters intertwined before transforming into several different blueprints.
Dorothea examined the blueprints labeled ‘Minimum Specs’ and ‘Maximum Specs’.
The minimum specs were basically just gutting the body and leaving the outer shell.
In contrast, the maximum specs not only took defensive performance for granted but also came plastered with all sorts of convenience features as additional options, like climate control and anti-chafing functions. The only catch was the price—an amount that could, no joke, build an entire castle.
And not one made of dirt or wood, but a stone one.
Dorothea frowned but didn't say a word about a discount.
If all the listed functions could be implemented, the armor would truly be worth that much.
In the first place, just being able to commission custom armor from a high-ranking Enchantress like Gale was a luxury that even the most prominent magnates couldn't obtain, no matter how many sacks of money they offered.
“I'll take this one.”
“Got it. What about the appearance? I can update it to a more modern style.”
“No need. He seems to want to keep it for old times' sake, anyway. It's best to maintain the original form as much as possible.”
“Hmm.”
Gale hummed.
The sound seemed to curl up at the end, and Dorothea narrowed her eyes.
“What's with that look?”
“Oh, nothing. It's just, thinking that you've finally awakened to a hobby similar to mine makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside!”
“Hobby? What the hell are you talking about?”
“The spirit of not caring about money as long as you can do something nice for your partner, of course! The Witch of the West's inheritance must be running low by now, yet you won't spare any expense for the returned knight! I can already see a future where you never mention the price to Sir Tin Knight and just quietly sweep it under the rug—”
“That's enough, now go do your job!!”
Dorothea swung her staff, and Gale dodged, cackling.
Their game of tag continued until a red-faced Franka stormed into Dorothea's room.
*
“Let me say this upfront: the performance of the body itself won't be that high. It can't be.”
At Franka's explanation, you tilted your head.
It seemed you weren't the only one with questions, as Adelaide raised her hand.
“Why is that? If you're going to make a body, wouldn't it be better to make it sturdy, strong, and healthy?”
Dorothea, who was sitting in a chair with her arms crossed, seemed lost in thought for a moment before speaking.
“Is it because of compatibility?”
“Exactly. This is about souls, so I figured you'd have a rough idea.”
Franka took a sip of her drink, as if to wet her throat before explaining.
Beside her, a golden monkey was gently fanning her with a feather fan, a sight that screamed 'nouveau riche'.
“Just as forcing yourself into ill-fitting clothes is uncomfortable, an incompatible body puts a strain on the soul. A prime example is how a human soul placed in a doll or an animal will eventually go mad. While you can mitigate it to some extent with mental fortitude or preservation spells, there are still limits.”
Franka's gaze turned to you, contained within the transparent orb.
“The reason that soul was able to operate in a magic doll's body for so long without major issues is that, strictly speaking, it wasn't trapped within the doll itself. Its true self was elsewhere, controlling the body remotely. I didn't see this myself and am only going by what I've heard, so there's some speculation involved, but if you think of it as being similar to a mage controlling a distant familiar as if it were their own body, it's not strange that there were no major side effects.”
“However,” she continued.
“That soul is here now, and it's not borrowing another's vessel like before, but creating its own body to inhabit, right? In that case, we have to minimize any sense of incongruity. Ideally, we should create a body that's as similar as possible to the one he had when he was alive.”
A homunculus is fundamentally a combat lifeform created by an alchemist.
Their bodies are often far superior in performance, on a completely different level from ordinary living beings.
But Franka warned that if your vessel were made that way, the side effects would be severe.
You felt a little disappointed.
After all, you couldn't imagine your original body ever being stronger than the magic doll or a homunculus.
Of course, your skills and feel for mana would remain, so you wouldn't be completely powerless, but a temporary drop in combat strength seemed inevitable.
Noticing your dejection, Adelaide grew flustered and tried to comfort you.
“I-It's okay, Sir Knight! You can just train again! In fact, since you'll have a living body now, you might even become stronger than before!”
At her words, you changed your mind.
Indeed, growing again from level 1 seemed like it could be quite enjoyable.
And if you thought of it not as a pure level 1 start, but as a kind of second playthrough, the idea that you could become stronger than your past self didn't seem so baseless.
When you nodded, Adelaide's face lit up.
“I'll do my best to help!”
Hmm, you thought for a moment.
Then you replayed the memories of how you used to put Adelaide through the wringer.
…
……
………
[The Tin Knight says that Adelaide must be busy, so she can take it easy!]
“No, this is a rare opportunity! I'll give it my all!”
You couldn't bring yourself to ask what “her all” entailed.
Adelaide's face showed not a hint of vengefulness, only unwavering goodwill and motivation, but the road to hell was paved with good intentions.
Sophia, who was beside her, spoke up.
“I'll heal any injuries perfectly, so please don't worry!”
Adelaide might be one thing, but this one definitely knew what she was saying.
You stared into the distance for a moment.
The weight of karma was truly heavy.