Chapter 379: Side Story 8: The Witch's Dream (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 379: Side Story 8: The Witch's Dream (2)
Clang!
The sharp clash of metal brought Dorothea back to her senses.
Clutching her throbbing head, she looked around, trying to make sense of the space, which was nothing but pure white.
A surprise attack? A trap left by her master for intruders? Or something else entirely?
Dorothea considered several possibilities in a short time, but her thoughts didn't last long.
The sight of someone's back, now in her field of view, wiped her mind blank.
It was a woman with black hair.
A woman dressed in magnificent, dignified attire.
A woman who possessed such immense and pure mana that even Dorothea couldn't help but gasp.
Dorothea knew who she was.
She muttered blankly.
"How are you...?"
The woman—the Queen of Ashes—did not answer.
Even as Dorothea approached her side, the Queen's gaze remained fixed on a single spot.
Clang! Claang!
Ringing out with sharp metallic sounds, two knights were swinging their swords at each other.
Even seeing her own knight battling someone, Dorothea wasn't particularly alarmed or concerned.
The Tin Knight's face looked far too joyful for that.
So if I swing like this, he counters like that. Then how about this? Whoa, that one was dangerous!
Though he spoke no words, the Tin Knight's feelings seemed to be transmitted to her just as they were.
"...I never knew he was a man who could smile like that."
Hearing the sudden murmur, Dorothea turned her head.
"I made him carry so many burdens. They were far too heavy, yet he always bore them without a single change in his expression, as if it were only natural."
The Queen of Ashes, whose features were similar yet different from Dorothea's own, wore an incredibly sorrowful expression.
Just as Dorothea had felt the Tin Knight's emotions, the Queen of Ashes seemed to realize what was in her own knight's heart as he swung his sword.
"And so, foolishly, I came to depend on it. Just because he looked fine didn't mean he actually was. He had his own joys and sorrows, a human heart. And yet I, his so-called lord, could never once make him smile like that."
Regret, pity, self-loathing.
All sorts of negative emotions were digging into the Queen's heart, eating away at her.
This was not the great queen who had saved humanity in a dark age.
She was merely a weak woman, tormented by guilt toward the knight she loved.
To this ancestor, Dorothea offered words of comfort—
"You're right. It's utterly pathetic."
—or not.
For she was not a kind, innocent girl from a fairy tale, but a cynical and ruthless witch from reality.
Instead of gently consoling the old hero, the wicked witch began to verbally beat her down with cold words.
"What's the point of grand titles like 'Great Hero' or 'Protector of Humanity'? The people themselves suffered their whole lives and couldn't even find their own happiness in the end."
Dorothea still hadn't fully grasped what this situation was.
Realistically, the chances of the queen and knight before her being real were slim.
They were beings who had burned out their own souls and departed the world long ago.
Even for Dorothea, a necromancer—no, precisely because she was a necromancer who studied and handled souls—their existence here felt impossible.
It was all just a simple dream.
A fleeting bubble that would vanish upon waking.
Knowing this, Dorothea didn't stop talking.
Seeing the Queen wallowing in misery was so frustrating that she felt she wouldn't be satisfied unless she shot a few barbs her way.
"But you're here now, aren't you? You can't change the past, but you can build something new right here. Isn't that a more worthwhile way to live than wasting time on regrets?"
At least, Dorothea's master...
The witch who had respected and missed these two her entire life would have wanted that for them.
As the Queen's eyes widened, Dorothea continued.
"Stop worrying about responsibility and duty. Just do what you want. We're not so incompetent that we need our long-dead ancestors to look after our every need."
Because the Queen and her knight had protected the people, the story of the Tin Knight and Dorothea could begin.
So, telling them to stop being so miserable and go find their happiness, the descendant pushed her ancestors forward.
At some point, the noise of the fierce battle had faded.
Dorothea turned her gaze from the Queen to the two knights, but it was hard to tell which of them had won.
However, judging by their expressions, there was no doubt it was a conclusion that satisfied them both.
The knight approached the Queen and spoke.
"Will you come with me, my Queen?"
The Queen glanced at Dorothea for a moment before taking the knight's hand.
"Yes. This time, I will stay with you until the end, my knight."
Their hands intertwined tightly.
As if they would never let go this time.
They bowed their heads to Dorothea and the Tin Knight in gratitude, then turned and walked away.
The Tin Knight and Dorothea met each other's eyes, shrugged, and started walking in the opposite direction.
No one looked back.
Everything that needed to be said had been said.
Only the white world, melting away like snow, shone as if to bless this impossible encounter.
*
What in the world was that?
Dorothea was lost in deep thought.
The two of them had woken up again in front of the warehouse where they'd first lost consciousness, but they couldn't find anything to explain the strange event they had experienced.
The warehouse, which had seemed ready to burst with something, was now perfectly quiet, and an inspection of the interior revealed nothing of note.
Even searching the area with magical means yielded the same result.
Had the two of them simply shared a daydream?
Or had some phenomenon beyond the understanding of Dorothea's magic and knowledge—something that could be called a miracle—occurred?
[The ‘Tin Knight’ says he hopes the old man and the Queen will live happily this time!]
Oblivious to Dorothea's worries, the Tin Knight offered his carefree thoughts.
Normally, Dorothea would have given him a light scolding, but not this time.
Recalling the sight of the two walking away, smiling together, she couldn't help but feel, 'Well, all's well that ends well.'
A fantastical midsummer night's dream.
Perhaps that was all it needed to be.
As she was thinking this and about to head home, the Tin Knight suddenly started spouting strange things.
[The ‘Tin Knight’ says that seeing those two go through so much trouble to reunite after their paths diverged makes him think he shouldn't do the same!]
[The ‘Tin Knight’ points out that any junior who sees their senior suffer and still follows the same path is a fool!]
"What's with the sudden bullshit?"
Dorothea's reply was indifferent.
The Tin Knight spouting nonsense was a daily occurrence; getting worked up over every little thing would drain all her mental energy and patience.
[The ‘Tin Knight’ asks what his relationship with Dorothea is!]
"Master and familiar."
[The ‘Tin Knight’ says he would like to propose a new relationship!]
"What?"
Dorothea asked, bewildered, but then found herself nodding in understanding.
"Well, it's true you don't need my mana to move anymore, so I guess there's no reason for you to continue being my familiar."
In the past, the Tin Knight had been a magic doll, unable to move without Dorothea. In exchange for supplying him with mana, Dorothea had treated him as her familiar.
Now that the conditions had changed, it was inevitable that the outcome would change as well.
Of course, Dorothea had helped him in various ways, like pulling him out of 'that room' and giving him a new body, but those were things she had done on her own whim, not as part of a contract, so it was tricky to demand payment for them.
Despite feeling a little hurt inside, Dorothea didn't deny it. She was a witch who was strict even with herself.
"Alright, what kind of new relationship do you want? You don't need mana, so should I give you money? Or now that you're a new resident here, do you need a proper title? Let me be clear, though: no talk of leaving on your own. We have a proper contract about that, at least."
The Tin Knight tilted his head.
Receiving a look that seemed to say, What on earth is she talking about?, Dorothea felt a surge of irritation.
Just as she was about to snap back at him...
The Tin Knight detached the translation brooch from his chest and tossed it into the air.
The next moment, his sword sliced through it.
The brooch split into three pieces in mid-air.
While Dorothea was still reeling in shock at this outrageous act, the Tin Knight's sword didn't stop.
With a complex technique that Dorothea couldn't even begin to comprehend, the center piece of the metal and jewel brooch was transformed into a new shape.
It was the shape of a ring, sparkling beautifully with a blue gem.
After pocketing the two remaining fragments of the brooch, the Tin Knight inspected the finished ring from all angles.
He nodded repeatedly, as if satisfied with the quality of his work, then held it out to Dorothea.
And then, he declared.
"Marry me, Dorothea."
In none other than his own voice.