Chapter 380: Side Story 9: And So They Lived — Side Story Complete —
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 380: Side Story 9: And So They Lived — Side Story Complete —
It was a surprise attack, the likes of which she could never have anticipated.
First, that it was the Tin Knight, of all people, who had suddenly confessed to her.
Second, that this man, whom she thought would never speak a proper word in his life, was articulating himself perfectly.
Third and fourth, that he had chosen this moment, of all moments, to confess to none other than Dorothea herself.
Truly, every single part of it was unexpected. Uncharacteristically, Dorothea could only stand there, dazed, her mouth agape.
Normally, someone would have been there to tease her, to provoke her anger and press for a reaction. But that someone was now the one holding out a ring to her, maintaining a solemn silence.
Thanks to this, Dorothea had a moment to calmly reflect.
If asked whether she held affection for the Tin Knight, the answer was ‘yes.’
If asked whether that affection was romantic, she might tilt her head in thought, but the answer was certainly not ‘no.’
If asked whether she was happy about his confession, there could be no other answer but ‘yes.’
However.
“…But wait, let me ask you two things first.”
“What is it? Ask me anything.”
Hearing the Tin Knight’s voice, Dorothea shuddered involuntarily.
Having only seen him communicate through messages for so long, hearing his actual voice sent an awkward shiver down her spine.
Clearing her throat to compose herself, Dorothea asked with a feigned air of indifference.
“Why jump straight to marriage? Aren't there supposed to be… steps before this?”
The Tin Knight answered immediately.
“Seeing how the old man and the queen are doing, I figured it’s better to just score the goal than to waste time testing the waters.”
“……”
Right, that’s so you, Dorothea muttered to herself.
Whether he spoke with his mouth or with messages, the Tin Knight was still the Tin Knight.
What was even funnier was that his absurd reasoning didn't feel all that unpleasant.
She sighed, realizing anew that, one way or another, she was just as hopeless as he was.
Still, there was one thing she needed to get straight.
“Alright, second question. Why did you set aside two of the three fragments?”
The Tin Knight answered without a hint of hesitation.
“Well, of course, I have to give them to Adelaide and Sophia—”
CRACK!!
The Tin Knight's body, with a staff now embedded squarely in his face, slowly tipped over to the side.
The Tin Knight, proving with his own body that being decisive wasn't always a good thing.
Looking down at him as he lay twitching on the ground, Dorothea snorted with a “Hmph.”
“Since you didn't dodge, I'll spare you the curse.”
And with that, the witch departed.
Even as his consciousness faded, the Tin Knight confirmed that Dorothea had taken the ring instead of throwing it away. He silently gave a thumbs-up.
Only the sword at the Tin Knight's hip hummed lowly, as if lamenting its pathetic master.
*
“Well, I think most people would hit you for that…”
After hearing the Tin Knight’s explanation, Adelaide scratched her cheek, looking troubled.
Though she was no longer the sheltered flower she once was, her love for romance novels and her excitement for grand confessions hadn't disappeared.
From that perspective, the Tin Knight’s actions, to put it bluntly, deserved a beating.
“But I couldn’t lie.”
The Tin Knight, however, was unashamed.
His grand plan was not to declare his love for Dorothea alone, get her acceptance, and then secretly confess to the other two behind her back. Instead, he would charge head-on from the very beginning and seek permission from all of them.
Naturally, the lion, who had her own proposal spoiled in the process of hearing the story, felt a little disgruntled.
“Could you spare a thought for how I feel, hearing all this secondhand?”
“If you're disappointed, so be it! But it's fine! I'll keep trying until I get a 'YES' from everyone!”
“That’s not the problem here.”
Yep, hitting him would definitely be justified.
So the lion thought, but she didn't go so far as to draw the Lion Duke’s sword.
Because for Adelaide, who loved the Tin Knight and her other companions, his actions were, in a way, the best possible outcome.
She revered this brave, unpredictable teacher of hers and wanted to stay by his side forever if possible, but she didn't want her relationship with the witch or the scarecrow to sour because of it.
Of course, Adelaide had her own non-negotiable points.
“Since you spoiled it and took all the excitement out of it, you have to make the actual proposal amazing, okay? If you just throw something together at the last minute, I'll be really mad.”
At Adelaide’s words, the Tin Knight spoke with a very serious expression.
“Hmm, got it. I'll approach it with the same preparation and resolve as I would for slaying a dragon. I'll need more practice.”
“…Actually, on second thought, maybe just a normal proposal would be fine.”
“Nonsense! How can I, as your teacher, refuse my student's request! For a wedding gift, I should at least bring you the head of the underground's prime minister—”
“I don't want a bloody wedding gift like that! I'm telling you, just be normal!?”
The Tin Knight ran wild, and Adelaide was swept along in a daze before her eyes widened and she landed a decisive counterblow.
Their relationship, which would continue long into the future, was just like that.
*
After healing the Tin Knight, who had been beaten and sunk by Adelaide, Sophia made a sudden declaration.
“Yes, I accept.”
The Tin Knight’s face went blank.
He seemed to doubt his own ears for a moment before finally asking.
“I haven't proposed to you yet.”
“Are you not going to in the future?”
“No, I have to.”
“If the outcome—the proposal—is already decided, then there's no problem in me giving my answer in advance, is there?”
“Is… that how it works?”
The Tin Knight tilted his head.
It seemed logical and illogical at the same time, but he decided to just go with it.
It wasn't easy to win a war of words against the scarecrow when she was determined.
Still, he was curious about her reasoning.
“But how can you accept without knowing what kind of proposal I’ll make?”
“The details of the proposal are unimportant. What's important is the fact of the proposal itself, and the fact that I was the first to accept.”
Dorothea had received the first proposal, but she hadn't given a definitive answer yet.
Adelaide was more than willing to accept, but she hadn't actually received a proposal yet.
Therefore, Sophia’s argument was that she was the first to be officially recognized as a couple with the Tin Knight.
The Tin Knight wondered if the order really mattered that much, but since Sophia seemed happy, he didn't point it out.
“But you’re not angry that I’m being insincere?”
“Sir Tin Knight, do you believe yourself to be insincere?”
“I suppose so. And others would probably think the same.”
“How others see us and what they judge is their freedom. But Sir Tin Knight, if someone were to criticize you, would you change your actions because of it?”
“Of course not.”
“Then that is sufficient. You chose me, and I responded in kind. That is the only unchanging truth.”
Sophia’s words sounded like a Zen koan, yet also like a literal statement.
Her way of speaking, both enigmatic and kind, seemed to reveal the very essence of her character.
The Tin Knight left what he couldn't understand as it was, accepted what he could, and then sought Sophia’s advice on various matters.
That was their relationship, one that would remain unchanged even in the future.
*
Although the Tin Knight had somehow managed to get the approval of the lion and the scarecrow, the final witch was not so easy.
As if she didn't even want to hear him out, she had created a massive castle of bone and locked herself inside.
The sky around the castle was stained so black with curses that it was visible from afar. Powerful spirits, each one a match for a decent knight, roamed the grounds like sentinels, warding off intruders. The sheer malevolence of the place was beyond description.
The local residents turned the sight into a fairy tale for their children, and in an instant, the fame of the second Witch of the East surpassed that of her predecessor.
Even if a hero’s duty was to rescue a princess from an evil witch’s castle, this was a fortress so daunting that everyone would have understood if the hero had turned and fled.
While everyone else reacted with a mixture of awe and fear, the gazes of the lion and the scarecrow, watching the bone castle from a distance, were more complicated.
That was because they were reminded of a certain knight who would enjoy this situation more than anyone.
“Hmm, no matter how I look at it, this seems to have backfired. Sir Knight went to put on his armor with the brightest smile I've ever seen.”
As the lion tilted her head, the scarecrow spoke.
“Not at all. In this case, she was aiming for this outcome. Though she'd deny it to her grave.”
“Ugh, that feels a little cheap. If I did something similar, would Sir Knight rise to the challenge like that for me?”
“It’s possible, but I think your subordinates would be in tears, wouldn’t they? If you and Sir Knight were to fight, the surrounding terrain would be completely torn apart. Or how about that sea monster subjugation Sir Knight suggested instead of the prime minister’s head?”
“…I think I prefer normal.”
Just then, a part of the bone castle exploded, and a horde of spirits within ascended to the heavens.
As a last resort, the witch animated the colossal bone castle itself, turning it into a mobile fortress, the Jabberwock, to confront the Tin Knight. But with a dazzling display of sword energy, the Tin Knight brought even that to its knees.
Amidst the crumbling debris, Dorothea sighed and raised her hands as if in surrender to the Tin Knight.
She looked strangely refreshed, as if she had vented enough of her frustration.
But just as the Tin Knight was about to take Dorothea’s hand, the white witch Gale and the White Knight suddenly appeared, blocking his path.
“If you wish to take my friend Dorothea, you'll have to get through me and Sig!”
Gale declared boldly, and as if responding to its master’s will, the White Knight raised its spear.
“Oh, what's this? Are crashers allowed? Then this is a perfect opportunity! I'm in! Knight! Accept my challenge once more!”
King Alonso, who had been watching from nearby with an itching for a fight, ignored the cries of his retainers and leaped onto the battlefield.
“For our goddess… no, our friend, Lady Dorothea!!”
The Crow Goddess’s fanatics—that is, her friends, Villina and her companions—also joined the fray.
Far from being flustered by the sudden appearance of a hidden boss rush, the Tin Knight charged forward with glee.
“…Huh?”
Behind him, the witch in question stood frozen with a blank expression, but no one paid any mind to such a trivial matter.
The lion and the scarecrow, watching the scene through a special holy-powered telescope and their own hypersenses, shook their heads.
It was a complete and utter mess.
Well, for their party, it was just another day.
*
Some time had passed since the eventful and chaotic proposal commotion.
In a vast meadow near Mixolydia, a large crowd had gathered.
Among them were acquaintances of the Tin Knight’s party, Dorothea’s fellow witches, members of the Lennart bloodline, and students from the school Sophia had founded.
There were so many people that an indoor venue was out of the question, forcing them to hold an outdoor wedding. Fortunately, the sky was clear and sunny.
Under the blue sky, three brides in pure white dresses gazed at the Tin Knight.
“I look forward to our future together!”
The brave lion smiled, as radiant as a flower.
The Tin Knight thought that no matter what dangers lay ahead, he could gladly overcome them as long as he ran alongside her.
“Just as we have until now, we'll face the future together.”
The wise scarecrow smiled, as gentle as the sunlight.
The Tin Knight thought that no matter how irrational the challenge, he could always find a solution if he sought her advice.
“…Wipe that smile off your face. Are you that happy?”
The black witch smiled, a look that was both annoyed and deeply affectionate.
The Tin Knight thought that it was because of her that this story had begun, and because of her, it would never end.
The Tin Knight walked toward them.
And the ending that followed was, as is often the case, a predictable one.
But being predictable does not diminish its value.
And so, I pay my respects to their story and utter the final words.
—And so they lived, happily ever after.