Chapter 45: The Tin Knight and The City of Clockwork (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 45: The Tin Knight and The City of Clockwork (4)
The girl, who introduced herself as Gale, was staring at Dorothea, her eyes sparkling.
The white knight beside her stood silently, as if to follow his master’s will.
‘At least she doesn’t seem hostile for now.’
Dorothea considered for a moment.
Right now, she and Gale were just two customers who had happened to run into each other in front of a shop.
There was no deeper connection between them, and Gale’s sudden introduction was, objectively speaking, just a ‘bizarre act.’
So, it wouldn't be a problem if Dorothea were to ignore her or feign indifference to her words.
However.
‘...It’s not like I’ve committed a crime. Is there any reason to run or hide my identity?’
She had her answer.
And so, Dorothea spoke with confidence.
“Dorothea, apprentice to the Witch of the East.”
“Thank you for returning my greeting. I was so nervous about whether my intuition was right. If I’d been mistaken, I would have just looked like a weirdo, right?”
“So, what do you want?”
Dorothea cut coldly through Gale’s attempt to continue the small talk.
She hadn’t raised her staff yet, but she was ready to jump into battle at a moment’s notice. The last thing she cared about was Gale’s chatter.
Though her words could have been embarrassing, Gale didn't seem offended in the slightest and just kept smiling cheerfully.
“I wanted to say hello. We’re rivals competing for the same goal, aren’t we?”
When Gale extended her right hand, the white knight beside her offered a bag.
A hand covered in a white lace glove rummaged through the bag before pulling out a small, disc-like object.
Gale presented it joyfully and said, “This is it. You have one too, right, Dorothea?”
Dorothea’s eyes narrowed.
“Don’t use my name so casually.”
“Huh? But we look about the same age. Adding Miss, or Ms., or some other title to your name feels so distant. I don’t like it.”
“Hah.”
Dorothea was dumbfounded.
It was ridiculous enough to hear someone she’d just met complain about feeling distant, but the way she showed off the compass—a key item for finding the sacred treasures—as if she were flaunting a new handbag was just absurd.
“I don't think we're in a position to be friendly.”
“Why not?”
“What do you mean, ‘why not’? There are many people after the treasures, but the treasures are limited. We’re bound to push each other aside, aren’t we? Do I really have to explain something so obvious?”
“Oh, come on, it's all about how you look at it. To put it another way, the four of us are all people trying to gather the eight sacred treasures in ‘one place,’ right? Instead of one person trying to find all eight scattered treasures, wouldn't it be more efficient to divide and conquer? In that sense, you could even call us colleagues! No, maybe even friends?”
Dorothea’s mouth fell open in a blank stare.
Her nonsense was so novel it was almost worth listening to.
‘Her head is a field of flowers.’
Dorothea shook her head.
Watching the girl spout such absurdities made her feel foolish for having been so wary.
[The ‘Tin Knight’ advises you to be careful, as those with such an aloof attitude are often powerful characters!]
Dorothea flinched.
It might have been a coincidence, but the timing was so perfect it was as if it had read her mind.
Realizing she had been subconsciously underestimating her opponent, Dorothea rebuilt her shattered caution.
After a short exhale, Dorothea spoke with her usual blunt expression.
“Then let's try that 'efficient division of labor' right now. If I take all the sacred treasures you've gathered, wouldn't that be the brilliant division of labor you were talking about?”
At Dorothea’s words, Gale’s lips curled into a smile.
“You want to try? I'd love to! The one I wanted to face most was the Wizard of the South, but the Necromancer of the East has all sorts of bizarre techniques. This should be fun.”
Spirits and curses gathered around Dorothea, while mysterious characters floated around Gale.
The Tin Knight joyfully raised its sword and shield, and the white knight silently drew its spear and shield.
Just as the two master-servant pairs were about to clash—
“Uh, excuse me, everyone? If you do that in front of the shop, it's, um, bad for business....”
Sinc, who had peeked her head through a crack in the shop’s front door, spoke, and everyone on the scene froze.
Dorothea’s and Gale’s eyes met.
If this continued, they would be reclassified from mysterious witches to nuisance customers who cause trouble anywhere and everywhere.
The wise witches, who knew how to maintain their dignity, reached a silent agreement and simultaneously withdrew their mana.
Gale clapped her hands together.
“Well, we’re still at the beginning of our journey! It might be different later, after all the sacred treasures are in our hands, but there’s no need to be hasty now. Let’s save the duel for later!”
Dorothea grumbled.
“A duel between witches… what a joke.”
Gale entered the shop, and Dorothea stepped out into the street.
There were no goodbyes, no promises to meet again.
Both were certain they would run into each other again soon, as long as they remained in this city.
*
“So that’s what happened....”
Adelaide couldn't hide her mix of admiration and shock at the news Dorothea shared.
It was simply bizarre and astonishing how she could experience so much in such a short time.
Was it Dorothea’s constitution that attracted trouble, or was the Tin Knight the cause? Or perhaps both?
“Um, in that case, should I go to the dojo alone? Sir Knight should probably stay to protect you, my lady.”
Adel recalled what had happened in Lowefelt.
While the Tin Knight was away from Dorothea’s side, another witch had attacked, and Dorothea had faced a life-or-death crisis.
If there was another witch in this city, the Tin Knight would have to stay by Dorothea’s side to prepare for another surprise attack like the last one.
“Don't worry about that. Just take him with you.”
But Dorothea shook her head at Adel’s words.
Adel asked again in surprise.
“Oh, but…”
“That one, unlike Franka, probably isn’t the type for sneak attacks. For a mage, she seems to enjoy a direct confrontation.”
Sophia, who had been quiet, chimed in.
“Still, that's just your speculation, isn't it, Miss Dorothea? She could be acting deliberately to make you lower your guard.”
“That’s a possibility. I don’t think I figured out everything about her at first glance.”
Dorothea readily agreed with Sophia’s point.
“But she's from the Magic State. A duel is one thing, but if she pulled a stunt like Franka and terrorized a lodging facility, she'd be thrown in a holding cell immediately.”
“Oh my. The Magic State and the Empire must have a very bad relationship.”
“They do pretty much everything short of all-out war. In fact, they're still trading blows in localized conflicts. Then, when they get tired of it, they join hands again and prattle on about peace.”
“Ah, I see. A battle of nerves, literally.”
“In any case, that’s the situation, so there’s little chance of me being ambushed. I’ve prepared my defensive magic thoroughly this time, and besides, if worst comes to worst, I can just use this one as a shield.”
“Isn't using a companion as a shield a bit much?”
“Be grateful I found a use for you as a shield.”
As Adel blinked at the sight of their bickering—or rather, Dorothea unilaterally snapping at Sophia—the Tin Knight tapped her on the shoulder.
[The ‘Tin Knight’ suggests you go challenge the next dojo!]
[The ‘Tin Knight’ strongly insists that it also wants to fight while you’re at it!]
[The ‘Tin Knight’ erupts with frustration, having expected a test battle after its power-up, only to get an event that just teased a powerful foe!]
“P-Please calm down, Sir Knight. So many strange terms popped up that I could barely understand the last part. Though I think I got the gist of it.”
Her bewilderment at the unexpected situation was brief.
Once she realized the Tin Knight would be accompanying her, Adel’s expression brightened.
The Lennart dojo was, for Adel, a kind of testing ground and, in a sense, enemy territory.
Charging into such a place alone versus going with a reliable teacher.
It was obvious which was more comforting.
“Then let's go! To the dojo, here in Tik-Tok!”
*
The two of them headed for the dojo with vigorous steps.
Adel, filled with grim resolve, stepped into the dojo, only to be greeted by—
“Welcome! To Lennart Land, where dreams and hopes abound!”
—an amusement park.
“Huh?”
Adel rubbed her eyes.
Something was wrong.
To use an analogy from the books Adel loved to read, it was like watching heroes charge into a dragon's cave, heart pounding in anticipation, only to turn the page and find the dragon has transformed into a beautiful woman confessing her love to the hero, while the hero's saintess companion bites her handkerchief and vows revenge.
Somewhere along the line, the genre had completely collapsed.
‘I must be so nervous that I'm hallucinating.’
Placing a hand over her heart and taking a few deep breaths to compose herself, Adelaide slowly began to open her eyes.
This time, she would surely see a dojo building filled with dignity, an instructor with the sharp air of a muscular blade, and disciples training diligently day after day, dripping with sweat.
Adel’s violet eyes opened completely.
“Welcome! To Lennart Land, where dreams and hopes abound!”
“Why isn't this a dream??”
The dojo’s gatekeeper—no, the receptionist—smiled at the stunned Adel and continued his explanation.
“My! It seems this is your first time visiting our Lennart Land. Is there something you’re curious about?”
“Uh, well. I came to take the ‘test’ for the Lennart dojo. Did I perhaps come to the wrong place?”
“Nope! You've come to the right place!”
Adel looked around.
She had been too flustered to observe her surroundings properly at first, but now she could see disciples sparring in various places.
However, their opponents were not human.
“Alright, I’ve gotten used to the basic difficulty. Raise the level!”
《Acknowledged. Commencing mock battle at intermediate difficulty.》
“Hoo, hah, hoo, hah. Dammit. It’s tricky to close the distance against a spear wielder. I need a break!”
《Acknowledged. Entering standby mode.》
“Haaaah!” Thwack!
《Acknowledged. Evaluating attack score. Impact score is 45.》
There was a doll made entirely of wood engaged in a brawl with a disciple.
There was a doll wielding a blunt-tipped spear with fluid grace.
There was a large doll holding a shield as massive as its frame, which simply absorbed attacks and evaluated the score.
Adelaide muttered in a daze.
“Are magic dolls… serving as instructors?”
“This is Tik-Tok, after all,” the receptionist replied to Adel’s question.
“When sparring against a person, you have to hold back, consider your opponent's condition, and deal with various other restrictions. But with a magic doll as your opponent, you don't need to worry about any of that. One of the instructors at the Tik-Tok dojo took note of this and commissioned a large number of magic dolls, creating a training system that utilizes them.”
It was an explanation Adel could sympathize with.
After all, she herself had learned to fight that way against the Tin Knight.
“There were instructors and disciples who opposed it, claiming it dishonored the Lion Duke’s bloodline, but they didn’t last long. The disciples were happy to learn martial arts from the obedient and competent dolls instead of from instructors who preached about fighting spirit, and the instructors were happy to have more time for their own personal training since the dolls managed the disciples for them. The tide turned quickly, and the instructor who created the magic doll training system became the head instructor.”
The receptionist, who wore a tall, peaked military cap, tipped the brim up slightly and gazed at Adel.
Her hair was gold, and her eyes were violet.
“Welcome to the dojo I have reborn. Adelaide von Lennart, my distant kinswoman. Please, enjoy your stay to the fullest.”