Chapter 42: The Tin Knight and The City of Clockwork (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 42: The Tin Knight and The City of Clockwork (1)
“Oh, dear.”
Marquis William Hemming, a distinguished noble of the Ionian Kingdom, could not help but sigh at his reflection in the mirror.
His eyes were sunken, his skin was rough, and the mustache he had secretly been so proud of had lost its sheen.
He knew the other nobles and the servants of his estate whispered behind his back, but he never imagined it was this bad.
“…If it weren't for that witch!!”
William ground his teeth.
It had been months since he’d first heard the reckless king’s self-proclaimed “Great Kingdom Revival Plan.” Fearing the country would be torn to shreds, he had tried to subtly sabotage it.
Marquis William’s plan to either win over or, failing that, eliminate the witch who was the key figure in the king’s plan had failed spectacularly. Not only that, but he had been forced into an unequal contract.
He shall not harm or obstruct the witch.
He must inform the witch if he senses any sign of betrayal from the king or the other nobles.
He must explain the witch's independent actions to the king and surrounding nobles on her behalf.
If this had been a simple written contract, William could have scoffed at it. But this was a vicious and terrifying magical contract.
At first, William had tried to minimize his own responsibility by blaming the witch, claiming she had ignored their ‘goodwill’ and acted on her own. But then, the unthinkable happened.
The moment the court meeting concluded that ‘such a willful witch cannot be left alone, so she must be captured and the compass retrieved,’ William suffered the horrifying experience of frog-like webbing growing between his fingers.
His testimony against the witch, which had swayed public opinion, was treated as a violation of the clause ‘He shall not obstruct the witch.’
Terrified, William had to take back his words, backpedaling with claims like ‘that’s not what I meant,’ and desperately defend the witch. The king, who was displeased with the nobles’ attempts to cancel the treasure retrieval plan, sided with William, and the order to capture the witch was rescinded.
William’s hands returned to normal, but his reputation did not.
He was already receiving dirty looks for failing to handle the witch properly, and now he had been forced to side with that ‘stubborn’ king. There was no way he would be viewed favorably among the nobles.
To think that he, once a key figure in the noble faction, was now treated as a leading member of the pro-king faction!
And for that bomb-king, whose dreams were absurdly huge and utterly devoid of a shred of realism!
William clutched his head and screamed silently.
“Damn that witch! What does she mean, ‘Inform me if you see any signs of the king or nobles planning to backstab me’? If you’re going to make someone a spy, at least tell them your location…! How am I supposed to report anything when I have no idea where you are?!”
William was terrified.
The witch had left without an escort, claiming she would find the treasure on her own, and hadn’t been heard from in months. The nobles were inwardly celebrating, certain she had given up. The king, on the other hand, was growing more foul-tempered by the day.
What if the furious king ordered the compass to be retrieved?
What if William was deemed to have violated the contract because he knew of the order but couldn't inform the witch?
Thinking rationally, he couldn't be in violation of the contract if he didn't send word simply because he didn't know her location. But who knew for sure?
That wicked contract might just make its own arbitrary judgment and turn William into a frog.
He spent his days trembling with anxiety. Food had no taste, and he couldn't even appreciate the aroma of the fine tea before him.
One day, just as he was thinking he might actually wither away and die, a report came.
“A-A letter came from the witch?!”
“Yes! By carrier… pigeon, that is. Except, well, it wasn't a living bird. Some kind of bird corpse flew through the sky.”
“Give it to me! Now!!”
William was frantic.
His bodyguard knight seemed deeply unsettled by a letter delivered by a dead bird, but William couldn't care less about such things.
When the rest of his life—whether he’d live it as a man or a frog—was on the line, what did it matter if the letter was carried by a dead bird or flying spaghetti?
“Here it is.”
Snatch!
With a speed unbefitting a noble who had never handled a sword for more than a gentleman’s lesson, William snatched the letter.
As he quickly scanned its contents, his face twisted into a bizarre grimace.
「…Succeeded in retrieving the ‘Key of Opium’ and the Chalice of Tuberose. However, the Chalice of Tuberose has been absorbed by an unidentified woman. Don't give me any crap after all the treasures are recovered. If this is going to be a problem, say so now. No complaints will be accepted afterward. Give your reply to the bird that brought this letter…」
“What is this bullshit?! Gyaaaah!”
As his master let out a death-like scream, the bodyguard knight simply shook his head.
That afternoon.
A copy of the letter, having undergone William’s polite ‘revisions,’ was delivered to the king. The king was delighted to hear that two of the eight sacred treasures had been recovered and sent a reply stating, ‘Do not worry about the minor details, just continue as you are.’
As a bonus, William, having brilliantly fulfilled his role as ‘intermediary with the witch,’ further solidified his position as the king’s trusted confidant.
Though it was the last thing he wanted.
*
Some time later.
The Tin Knight’s party was gathered in a forest in the northern part of the Empire.
“Alright, I’m opening it.”
At Dorothea’s words, someone was heard swallowing hard.
The Tin Knight, Adelaide, and Sophia were all staring intently at the letter in Dorothea’s hands, as if to burn a hole through it.
“Hmm, hmmm.”
Dorothea’s eyes darted from side to side as she read the letter.
And finally.
“—Alright, they say it’s not a problem. They don’t care if it’s a person or a treasure, just bring it. In other words, the journey continues.”
[The ‘Tin Knight’ lets out a silent cheer!]
“Yay! I’m so glad, so glad! I-I was so worried the journey would end just like that…!”
“I’m happy to see everyone else is happy. Hehe.”
A look of disbelief crossed Dorothea’s face.
She looked at Sophia and said, “I can understand that idiot and Adel, but shouldn't you be less than thrilled about this? The kingdom just openly declared they're taking you.”
“Is that a problem?”
Sophia tilted her head.
“What do you mean, ‘is that a problem’? You’re being treated like an object.”
“Hahaha, that depends on how I handle it. Given the abilities of the Chalice of Tuberose, it shouldn't be too hard to pass myself off as a prophet with a few plausible-sounding words, don't you think? As a prophet sponsored by the royal family, I imagine I’ll be treated wonderfully, like a living treasure, no?”
“Pass yourself off as a prophet?”
“I tried it once before, and it was quite easy. The important things are ‘words that can be interpreted in multiple ways’ and ‘commonalities that everyone has one or two of.’”
Sophia smiled serenely.
“Besides, it’s not like we’re going to the kingdom right away, is it? There are still six treasures left, and Lady Adelaide has four more dojo challenges to complete. Now that I’m finally free from my seal, I see nothing wrong with enjoying the culture and knowledge of this new era to my heart’s content before settling down somewhere.”
“…Fine. If you’re okay with it, who am I to argue?”
Dorothea shook her head.
She addressed the party.
“Anyway, there’s no change of plans. We’re heading straight north, to the Empire. Our destination is the City of Clockwork, Tik-Tok. But this time, our goal isn’t to retrieve a treasure.”
Dorothea pointed her staff at the Tin Knight.
“The main objective is to overhaul this centuries-old scrap heap and, if possible, upgrade him to the latest model. We need to strengthen our forces in advance to prepare for the monster-class enemies that will pop up from now on.”
[The ‘Tin Knight’ sheds tears of joy at a power-up he thought was impossible!]
Ignoring the Tin Knight, who had begun to perform a bizarre dance with his steel body creaking and groaning, Dorothea pointed at Adelaide.
“Adel. You can go do your dojo-crushing thing or whatever while we’re at it. That’s just a side-quest, though.”
“Yes, I’ll do my best!”
Finally, Dorothea pointed at Sophia.
“And you.”
“Yes. I’ll do my best to explore modern civilization.”
“That’s not what I meant!!”
Dorothea shrieked.
“Prove your use! Prove you’re useful! You’re completely useless to this party right now!!”
During the few days it took to send the corpse messenger to the kingdom and receive a reply, Sophia had been put to work on various tasks, following Dorothea’s insistence that ‘if we have to drag her along as a companion, she’d better be useful for something.’
The results were disastrous.
“How can a vampire not even hold a sword properly? Aren’t you guys supposed to be a race of monsters with superhuman strength!?”
“Well, I was the result of various experiments that, whoops, somehow succeeded. I might be a little different from your typical vampire.”
“Then you should at least be useful for cooking or other chores, but you’re not!”
“I’m still a bit anemic, so it’s a little difficult for me to move around… Being drained for centuries really takes a toll. A few drops of blood in my mouth barely make a difference.”
“You can’t even fight hand-to-hand! You don’t know any magic! The only thing that seems useful is your holy magic, but the more you use it, the more you burn yourself up! What in the world are you for?! Is your job to just sit there and breathe all day?! I could pull a scarecrow out of a field and stick you there instead, and no one would notice!”
“Oh, that sounds lovely. It would be a pleasant experience to sit and contemplate while gazing at a field.”
Adelaide stared blankly as Dorothea clutched her head.
Our witch…
I’m sure she used to be cooler… or was she?
Adelaide briefly recalled Dorothea’s past behavior.
Dorothea, beating the Tin Knight with her staff whenever he did something stupid.
Dorothea, ruthlessly smashing up someone else’s shop to get revenge on the witch who tried to kill her.
Dorothea, grabbing Sophia by the collar and shaking her whenever Sophia’s serene laughter got on her nerves, unable to beat her up like she did the Tin Knight.
…On second thought, maybe she was always like this.
Her cold, cruel side as a witch, and her current emotional, hot-headed side.
Adelaide was pondering which was the real Dorothea when the witch’s sharp gaze fell upon her.
“What? You got something to say?”
“Ah, no! Nothing at all! I’ll go start a fire!”
Instantly shrinking back, Adel scurried to a corner to prepare a campfire.
The way she rubbed two sticks together was highly professional for a noble lady, but no one with any common sense here questioned it.
After watching her for a moment, Dorothea turned her glare back to Sophia.
“Anyway, if you want to be recognized as a member of this party, find something you can do. If you’re truly useless, I’m going to find a coffin and make you travel in it!”
“Hmm.”
Sophia hummed thoughtfully.
However, the faint smile on her lips suggested she was finding the current situation amusing.
“Very well. In that case, could I trouble you to lend me some money? The more, the better.”
“What?”
“It’s easier to get things done if I have some seed money. Oh, but if you don’t trust me, you don’t have to give me any.”
Dorothea’s eyes narrowed.
She took two small leather pouches from her personal bundle in the carriage and tossed them to Sophia.
Clink.
The heavy weight of the pouches was proof of the witch’s expectations.
Or perhaps it was a provocation disguised as expectation.
“If you’re going to talk that big, then let’s see you try. I’ll warn you now, you know what happens if you run, right?”
“I have no intention of becoming your enemy, not in the slightest. You’re very scary, my lady witch, as is Sir Tin Knight over there. Ah, but Lady Adel is quite cute.”
And so, a bet was made between the two.
About a day later, the party arrived at their destination.
“Whoa.”
Adel let out a gasp of awe at the scene that unfolded as soon as they entered the city gates.
Flashing lights flickered throughout the city.
Smoke and steam billowed high into the sky.
And in place of guards, familiars with metal bodies patrolled the streets.
[The ‘Tin Knight’ marvels at the steampunk atmosphere that has invaded this fantasy world!]
This was the City of Clockwork, Tik-Tok, a place that boasted the cutting edge of the Empire's magical engineering and was the largest producer of magic dolls on the continent.