Chapter 38: The Tin Knight and the Hanged Sinner (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 38: The Tin Knight and the Hanged Sinner (1)
The gazes of the woman bound to the pillar and the party met.
Her pink eyes stared at the Tin Knight, Dorothea, and Adelaide, one by one.
For someone who had been trapped and suffering for countless ages, her eyes were far too serene.
The eyes are a vessel for emotion, a window to the soul.
The woman's eyes held no pain or resentment, nor did they reflect hostility or hatred.
Like a bibliophile who has found a rare book hidden in an old library.
Like a scholar who has discovered a new species for the very first time.
Like a child just before opening a gift box.
With eyes full of curiosity and interest, the woman gazed at the party.
Receiving her stare, each member of the party had a different impression.
The pure-hearted Adelaide felt a sense of relief.
Because the woman didn't seem to be in as much pain as she had imagined. Because she wasn't cursing them with hatred or madness.
The brilliant Dorothea felt wary.
Because goodwill and interest offered without reason could be reversed without reason at any moment. There was no guarantee that madness wasn't hiding behind that curiosity.
The strange Tin Knight felt a thrill.
A vampire sealed in the deepest part of a labyrinth. It reeked of a boss battle.
There are no stakes, so if it comes down to it, I can just borrow Dorothea's wooden staff and plunge it into her heart, he thought.
One of them—no, one machine’s—mental state seemed a bit psycho, but that couldn't be helped.
Just as teasing a bald man for being bald could get you torn apart by bears, expecting ethics and morals from one without a heart was a futile endeavor.
Each holding their own thoughts, they faced the vampire.
And then.
Nothing happened.
“…?”
Question marks appeared above the party’s heads.
The most impatient of the three was the Tin Knight, but since he had no mouth, the one with the second-lowest patience, Adelaide, spoke up.
“Uh, um, Ms. Vampire?”
The woman’s gaze turned toward Adelaide.
“It’s just, you weren’t saying anything.”
The woman blinked her eyes slowly at the hesitating Adelaide.
“■■■■■■■?”
At last, the woman’s mouth opened, and words spilled out.
But no one in the party could understand them.
Realizing from their reactions that they couldn't communicate, the woman seemed to fall into thought.
At the very least, she didn't seem like she was about to break her seal and attack them.
“What should we do, Miss Witch?”
“What do you mean, what should we do? She doesn't seem to want to fight, so let's just leave her be and look for the treasure.”
“What!?”
Adelaide was aghast, clearly not expecting such a response.
Dorothea continued in a cold tone.
“My goal has always been to recover the eight treasures, the sacred treasures of the kingdom. I’m clearing this labyrinth for that purpose, not because I’m particularly interested in its secrets. Whoever that vampire is, or why she’s sealed here, as long as she doesn’t attack us, there’s no need to get involved.”
“N-No, but still. She’s hanging there like that…”
“So what if she is? Are you going to release her? Can you handle the consequences if she attacks us afterward?”
Adelaide was at a loss for words.
Dorothea’s words were cold, but they were also rational.
Let sleeping dogs lie.
If it wasn't necessary for her objective, feigning ignorance and avoiding involvement was the wise way to prevent getting caught up in unnecessary trouble.
There was just one problem.
[The ‘Tin Knight’ points out that this is wrong!]
There was a strange fellow here who wouldn't be satisfied unless he went looking for trouble, or created it if there was none.
The Tin Knight could not accept Dorothea’s words.
It was a player’s duty to hunt down and destroy even a hidden boss living quietly in some remote mountain valley, causing no harm to anyone. To simply ignore a boss-like entity that appeared in a main quest? Unthinkable.
“What do you mean, wrong?”
Dorothea responded curtly.
The way she gripped her staff in her right hand showed her intent to beat him into submission if he spouted any more nonsense.
The Tin Knight, with the caution of a bomb disposal expert… tried to, but then simply gave in to his desires and shouted.
[The ‘Tin Knight’ insists that he wants to fight the vampire!!]
KAANG!!
Dorothea’s staff struck like lightning.
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
[The ‘Tin Knight’ argues that he can handle the consequences even if the vampire attacks!]
“Even so, there’s no need to fight a battle we can avoid. Whose mana do you think you're using to fight?”
[The ‘Tin Knight’ suggests the possibility that she might be a friendly vampire who doesn’t need to be fought!]
“A moment ago, you said you wanted to fight. You're just spouting whatever comes to mind, aren't you?”
He was.
Judging by the Tin Knight’s ‘common sense,’ the possibility of a vampire sealed in a place like this being a non-combatant was, while not zero, extremely slim.
To avoid the nightmare of skipping a fun boss battle, the Tin Knight began to use his head, something he rarely did, preferring to live by sheer momentum.
[The ‘Tin Knight’ points out that there is nothing else of use in the vicinity!]
[The ‘Tin Knight’ argues that they need the vampire’s help to get a clue about the treasure anyway!]
“Hmm.”
Finding this point somewhat reasonable, Dorothea crossed her arms and fell into thought.
This was the deepest part of the labyrinth.
Other than the pillar the woman was tied to, there were no other structures in sight, and certainly no treasure chests.
In other words, the whereabouts of the sacred treasure Dorothea was looking for were a complete mystery.
The goat that was supposed to be their guide had been smashed to pieces by the golem, and none of the souls in the birdcage seemed to have any information about this place, leaving them with no other way to get information.
The goat would revive with time, but it was awkward to just wait here indefinitely. More importantly, after the earthquake from before, there was no telling when new adventurers might barge in.
“…Even so, if we can't talk to her, we can't get information either, can we?”
Dorothea’s response was still blunt, but her voice had softened considerably.
Confident that this was the right approach, the Tin Knight pointed to the brooch on his chest.
[The ‘Tin Knight’ claims they can communicate using the ‘Voice of Guidance’!]
“That only lets me hear you… wait, no. I suppose that would be enough.”
Even if it was one-way communication, as long as the message could be conveyed correctly, the rest wouldn't be difficult.
At the very least, if she could just nod her head, that would be sufficient.
“Well, fine. I guess there's no harm in trying.”
[The ‘Tin Knight’ praises her for her wise decision!]
Having finally received permission, the Tin Knight looked at the woman.
She was tied up rather high, making it difficult to reach her.
The Tin Knight was about to call for Dorothea, but he changed his mind and spoke to Adelaide instead.
[The ‘Tin Knight’ requests that she demonstrate how to use the brooch!]
“Huh? Oh, I see. Leave it to me!”
Adelaide clenched her fists, full of motivation.
Using the Tin Knight’s back as a foothold, Adelaide climbed up and stood on his shoulders.
It was a rather precarious position, but thanks to her innate sense of balance, she didn't fall.
The vampire watched them with an intrigued gaze.
“Uh, um. Ms. Vampire? Please watch this carefully.”
Saying so, Adelaide channeled her mana into the brooch she had received from the Tin Knight.
Behind them, Dorothea thought, That vampire won't understand you even if you say that, but she didn't say it out loud. It was the witch's own way of being kind.
Besides, she needed to be ready to cast defensive and counter-attack magic at a moment's notice, so she had no spare attention for trivial matters.
“See? You do it like this.”
After demonstrating several times how her golden mana entered the brooch and how the brooch flashed as it absorbed the mana, Adelaide studied the vampire’s face.
When the vampire nodded, Adelaide brought the brooch to the vampire’s body.
A few seconds passed.
Seeing no movement from the vampire, Adelaide tilted her head.
Maybe she can't use mana? she wondered, observing the vampire, who wore a serious expression as if concentrating on something.
And finally.
Mana began to seep from the woman’s body.
It was a mana as vividly red as blood, befitting her title of vampire.
However, the amount was incredibly small.
It was as if she had squeezed a handful of dry sand with all her might just to produce a single drop of water.
The brooch, touched by the mana, glowed with a red light.
SHWIIIIIIK!
The next moment, the thorny vines all around them grew at a startling rate, enveloping the pillar.
A sudden ambush.
However, the Tin Knight and Dorothea, already on guard, responded swiftly.
Grab.
The Tin Knight’s left hand snatched Adelaide’s ankle.
“Ah.”
He then threw Adelaide to the side with all his might.
A shrill scream echoed, but the Tin Knight was a vicious battle maniac—no, a good teacher who trusted his pupil.
This was why he had asked Adelaide to climb on him instead of Dorothea in the first place. Adelaide would manage to survive on her own.
After getting Adelaide out of the attack range, the Tin Knight swung his sword without hesitation.
With a dance-like flurry of movements, his sword cut down all the thorny vines that had swept through the area.
The vines left on the ground tried to regenerate and counterattack, but Dorothea’s curse rained down upon them.
The glossy, blood-red vines rapidly withered and shriveled.
It was a perfectly synchronized combo attack, but the problem came next.
Whether the pillar had been one with the vines from the start or had been slowly eroded over long ages was unknown, but as the vines died, the pillar itself began to shake and crumble.
The instant he realized the pillar was falling toward Dorothea, the Tin Knight kicked off the ground and pulled her into an embrace.
The Tin Knight and Dorothea tumbled across the ground.
With a great crash, the pillar slammed into the ground, and a cloud of dust rose with a deafening roar.
“Cough, cough.”
Having inhaled a lungful of dust, Dorothea pushed herself up with an irritated gesture.
Thanks to the Tin Knight’s quick reaction, she was unharmed.
The scene in the room had become a wreck.
Black, withered vines. A collapsed pillar. And, seeping from beneath it, a pool of blood.
At the death of their only source of information, Dorothea let out a sigh.
“Haa. When things go wrong, they really go wrong.”
[The ‘Tin Knight’ points out that it’s too early to declare her dead!]
“What are you talking about? Vampires may have excellent regenerative abilities, but that’s impossib…le, I think?”
The end of Dorothea’s sentence trailed off, losing its confidence.
Shoving aside the debris, someone was crawling out from within.
Her clothes were in tatters. Her limbs were bent at bizarre angles, and due to the severe bleeding, more of her was stained crimson than not.
And even those wounds were regenerating at a rapid pace right before Dorothea’s eyes.
Her curly, light-green hair flowed down like a wave.
Her eyes, a color between pink and red, were steeped in ecstasy.
The vampire took a step forward.
The Tin Knight stepped forward to meet her.
The fated duel between monster and knight was about to begi—
Thud.
—n. It did not.
Because the vampire simply pitched forward and collapsed.
The triumphant Tin Knight froze solid.
Dorothea’s expression shifted to one of witnessing something utterly absurd. “What is this now?”
“Oh, just a moment.”
Adelaide, who had returned at some point, approached the vampire’s side.
She moved with a speed that left no time to warn her of the danger.
After checking the vampire’s complexion and various parts of her body, Adelaide stated simply:
“I think it's anemia.”
Silence fell.
Dorothea asked again.
“A vampire… with anemia?”
“Yes. We sometimes get patients with major blood loss in the knight order, and it felt just like this.”
“…I suppose that makes sense. After having every last drop of blood sucked out of her since ancient times, it’s plausible she’d be short on blood, vampire or not.”
A laugh escaped Dorothea’s lips.
It was a laugh that had gone beyond anger or bewilderment, one that said, whatever happens, happens.
She addressed the Tin Knight.
“What are you doing? Not going to fight? The formidable enemy you were waiting for is right before your eyes. One good stab, and it'll all be over.”
The Tin Knight’s blue optical sensors darted between Dorothea and the vampire.
Thud. The Tin Knight fell to his knees, planting both hands on the floor.
An immense sorrow seemed to emanate from his back.
Mourning the boss battle that had evaporated into thin air, the Tin Knight sobbed.