Chapter 57: The Tin Knight and The City of Clockwork — Act 2 (6)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 57: The Tin Knight and The City of Clockwork — Act 2 (6)
When you touch something hot, you instinctively snatch your hand away, crying, "Ouch, hot!"
This is because your hand sends a signal that you’ll be in big trouble if you keep touching it.
But what if the brain ignores that signal?
What if the spinal cord, the middle manager, issues a command to pull away now and worry about the details later, but the brain stubbornly orders the hand to go back and touch it again?
What if it commands the hand to hold on, declaring that whether it’s hot or not is none of its concern?
A catastrophe is guaranteed.
The only outcome is your soft, tender palm going from warm to well-done.
Such was the ordeal of Stromboli's field agents.
“What? You want us to watch them work and poach only the skilled ones?”
The headhunters were baffled by the directive from above.
It wasn't that they couldn't understand the order itself. It was certainly more rational than the previous command to just grab anyone and everyone.
However.
“…How are we supposed to observe the work process?”
It might not have been a problem in the early stages of construction.
Back then, the work was focused on the exterior, so most of the laborers were outside, hammering away.
But now?
The building's exterior was more than ninety percent complete, with only the finishing touches remaining. Most of the workers were now inside.
As long as the building's outer walls stood as an obstacle, it was impossible to observe the interior unless the headhunters were suddenly granted the power of X-ray vision.
If the Stromboli Company had possessed a constructive and healthy corporate culture, the plight of these field agents would have reached the higher-ups, and a new order would have been requested.
“That's for you to figure out with your skills. Isn't that what you get paid for?”
Unfortunately, Stromboli's corporate culture was less than healthy.
Well, on a normal day, it could be reasonably sound, but not now, with the "Master" grinding his teeth, vowing to destroy that bastard Smith.
The middle managers, who had already been reprimanded after making a few suggestions to the Master, ignored their subordinates' suffering to avoid further scolding. The few conscientious middle managers who tried to raise the issue with their superiors were blocked by even higher-ranking middle managers.
The headhunters had to find a way, cursing "fuck, fuck" under their breaths.
Infiltrating the site themselves was impossible because of the two knights, one gray and one white, who patrolled the building's perimeter.
Trying to observe from a distance with a telescope was also futile, as the windows were strangely obscured by something resembling black smoke.
Desperate for any result, the headhunters eventually opened their own wallets and hired a mage.
“We’re counting on you.”
“Hmph, consider yourselves lucky to have found me. There are extremely few in the Empire who can use both Clairvoyance and farsight magic.”
“Yes, of course.”
The headhunters inwardly ground their teeth at the sight of the mage, who, despite being hired help, was putting on all sorts of airs, but they didn't let it show.
After all, the mage wasn't lying.
The majority of the Empire's mages were of the Wizard school. They were masters of crushing enemies on the battlefield but generally lacked talent for subtle tricks.
The reality of the Empire's magical community was that countless mages would rather increase the power of their Fireballs than invest time in learning minor support spells.
“Well then, shall we begin?”
As the mage extended both hands into the air, a large ring made of mana and a slightly smaller one appeared side-by-side before him.
A moment later, the scenery of the street began to appear within the larger ring.
Even though they were watching from a distance, the view was as clear as if it were right before their eyes. The headhunters let out sounds of admiration.
At least it seemed their money hadn't vanished into thin air.
When the mage waved his hand, the small ring in front of the large one began to move, and the scene in the large ring changed accordingly.
Finally, the clairvoyant magic reached the new shop under construction.
“Good, now to add the X-ray vision magic.”
As the mage wove a new spell, the thick wall vanished, and the scene beyond…
“Huh?”
…did not appear.
For the first time, a crack appeared on the mage's face, which had been a mask of sternness, solemnity, and seriousness.
As if to dismiss the surrounding puzzled glances, the mage cleared his throat repeatedly.
“Just a moment.”
The mage drew upon even more mana.
The magic he had honed for decades finally pierced the wall.
And then.
“Huuuuuuurk!?”
Immediately after, the mage suddenly had a seizure, clutched his chest, and collapsed.
“Wh-what?”
“Are you alright? Snap out of it!”
The headhunters frantically called out to the mage, but he foamed at the mouth and couldn't easily regain consciousness.
The only silver lining was that his life didn't seem to be in danger.
The headhunters looked at each other.
They simultaneously recalled the same image.
Just before the mage collapsed, they had seen the black smudges and bizarrely glowing characters that had filled the inside of the ring.
Upon hearing the headhunters' report, their superior clicked his tongue.
“Tsk, tsk, did you lot get scammed somewhere? How do you plan to get by with such poor judgment? What? A request for operational support funds? You spent the money on your own, so why are you asking the company to pay for it?”
It was a truly encouraging and supportive remark.
Their superior's words, which warmed their hearts to the point of setting them ablaze, solidified their resolve.
‘Let's just write up a random list and send it. They're all the same anyway.’
‘I need to start looking for a new job.’
And so, the Stromboli Company recruited some exceptionally outstanding new employees. The existing staff, amazed by the newcomers' stunning competence, wailed in misery. And through it all, the construction proceeded steadily.
And finally.
The Smith & Sinc Doll Workshop opened its doors.
*
Charles Stromboli spoke through clenched teeth, his eyes blazing.
“Tell all the workshops under my command. Lower the prices on all products.”
“Lower them, you say? To what extent, sir?”
“Isn't it obvious?! Lower than that damn bastard's shop! Lower them so much that any traveler who comes to Tik-Tok won't even spare a glance for their store!”
“Master, it might be one thing for one or two branches, but if all our workshops do that, the blow to our sales will be enormous!”
His subordinates were frantic.
The workers they had recruited, supposedly to steal away top talent, were all useless duds who failed to do their jobs no matter how much time passed.
Normally, the existing staff would have trained them, even if it meant nagging and yelling, but they had long since washed their hands of the matter. They were demoralized by an order from above to "avoid doing anything that might upset the new employees if possible" and by the fact that these less competent newcomers were receiving better treatment. The new employees, in turn, either killed time while watching their colleagues or acted high and mighty as if they were someone important.
The headhunters, who had been called "incompetent fools with no eye for talent" despite their best efforts, now showed a blatantly defiant attitude, making no secret of their intention to quit at a moment's notice. The finance department, which managed the company's funds, was wailing that there were no more reserve funds.
‘Even if we manage to ruin Smith Geppetto's shop by going this far, what does our company actually gain?’
‘It's not like all our shops were going to go bankrupt the moment his opened. We had a much better location and brand recognition.’
‘Even if he somehow succeeded, the market share we'd actually lose would be minimal. Wouldn't it have been far more profitable to just leave him alone?’
Of course, it wasn't that Charles was unaware of this fact.
Though his background as a member of a Count's family played a significant role, Charles possessed the minimum competence required to lead a company.
But that was precisely why he couldn't stop now.
‘After things have gotten this big, if it all fizzles out with no results, I'll be the one to take all the blame…!’
It might have been different if the Stromboli Company was something Charles had built from the ground up with his own abilities, but this was an organization that had a true owner: the Stromboli Count family.
And Charles's older brother, Count Stromboli, was the type of man who, when faced with questions of responsibility, would rather cut Charles loose and appease public opinion within the company by appointing a new head. It wasn't as if the Count's family was short on other candidates.
Clinging to sunk costs was a shortcut to ruin, but when his own position as company head was part of those sunk costs, Charles couldn't back out, whether he liked it or not.
“I'll give you credit, Smith. You're the first one to push me into a corner like this. I underestimated the blade of vengeance you've been sharpening for over a decade. But in the end, I will be the one who has the last laugh!”
It was a good thing Smith couldn't hear him.
He probably would have just been confused.
*
Smith Geppetto and Charles Stromboli.
The once-in-a-lifetime showdown between two men! (One of whom didn't even know the match had begun.)
Thanks to Charles's final gambit, an unexpected festival erupted in Tik-Tok.
“Come on in! Step right up! A once-in-a-lifetime chance to buy the best products at the lowest prices!”
“Here at Stromboli Workshop Branch No. 1, to show our gratitude for your loyal patronage, we've begun an unprecedented sale!”
“Escort, labor, chores—a perfect opportunity to get your hands on a magic doll that can do it all! Even if you're not a mage, with this dedicated mana battery, you too can become the master of a magic doll!”
Listening to the Stromboli employees' enthusiastic sales pitch, the adventurer Kumara asked his party member, the mage Magia:
“Can non-mages really use magic dolls?”
“They can use them, sure.”
“Your tone is full of subtext.”
“A battery is still a consumable, isn't it? A normal person doesn't have the skill to handle mana, nor do they have enough of it to power a doll. It's not that people with a large innate mana capacity without training don't exist, but they're rare. So every time the doll stops moving, they'd have to buy a new battery from the shop. It'd be cheaper to just hire a mage than to cover that cost.”
“Besides,” Magia added.
“Magic dolls are too expensive to mass-produce, and they're too inefficient for the resources required to make them high-end. There's a reason the Empire doesn't use them as a main force.”
“I see. In short, they're stuck in the middle.”
Kumara nodded.
Then, he turned his head and fixed his gaze on a certain spot.
“In that case, are those two also stuck in the middle?”
Seeing the two knights where Kumara was looking, Magia replied simply.
“Don't bring up a special case when I'm talking about the general rule, you idiot.”
*
Unlike Albert, which was entirely surrounded by a massive wall, the City of Clockwork, Tik-Tok, had no real walls to speak of, aside from the lord's castle in the center.
But even Tik-Tok had a place that could be called the city's 'main gate,' and there were checkpoints and guards to protect it.
One of the guards asked his captain.
“Is it really okay to cooperate with them?”
“What's the problem? It's not like they're doing it on their own. They politely asked for our understanding beforehand. Besides, all we're doing is watching from the side.”
The guard captain replied, recalling a girl with golden hair in a white dress, who had an air that was both polite and bold.
“Won't Stromboli raise hell?”
“Let them try if they want. I'll just give them the finger. It was an eyesore watching those good-for-nothing bastards act so high and mighty all the time. I hope they get what's coming to them this time.”
“That's true.”
The guard agreed with his captain, likely remembering how the Stromboli Company had sneered at them, questioning the need for city guards when magic dolls could do the job.
Whether the heavens heard the guards' wish or not, the passersby on the street began to stop one by one, murmuring as they watched 'the spectacle.'
“What's that? They're holding weapons, isn't it dangerous?”
“The city guard is watching over them, so it should be fine.”
“They have a lot of tools. Maybe it's some kind of show?”
As if sensing that enough of a crowd had gathered, one of the two owners of the Smith & Sinc workshop, Sinc Geppetto, stood before the Tin Knight and the White Knight, took a deep breath, and raised her voice.
“Everyone! Our Smith & Sinc Doll Workshop is newly open! To commemorate our grand opening, we're going to show you a special trick, so please stick around and watch!”
With that, Sinc threw the daggers in her hands, one toward each knight.
Clang, clang! Two sharp sounds rang out as a sword and a spear deflected the daggers.
Just as the daggers, sent soaring high into the air, were about to fall, the sword and spear moved again, launching them back up.
Sinc continued to throw new daggers, and with each throw, the number of daggers in the air increased.
Perhaps because Sinc herself was not used to this, a dagger would sometimes fly in an odd direction, but the two knights paid it no mind.
Kang, kang, kang, kang, kang!
With a rhythmic metallic sound, the daggers repeatedly rose and fell.
The passersby stared wide-eyed at the bizarre juggling act performed with a sword and spear.
“Whoa, they can do that?”
“Their skill is no joke.”
The two knights performed the feat, which seemed difficult even when standing still, while walking forward with ease.
Just then, the Tin Knight pointed its free left hand at one of the passersby.
“Huh?”
The chosen person was flustered, but when the Tin Knight repeatedly pointed at a moderately sized stone at the person's feet and then at itself, he soon understood the meaning.
“You want me to throw this?”
The Tin Knight's head nodded up and down.
The passerby hesitated for a moment, then cautiously tossed the stone.
And, without missing a beat, the Tin Knight batted the stone into the air.
A stone had joined the juggling procession of daggers.
The cheers from the crowd grew louder.
The Tin Knight's gaze turned to the White Knight.
At first, the White Knight showed no reaction, but then someone in the crowd shouted at it.
“Sig! Don't lose!”
With that shout, a shiny glass bottle flew toward the White Knight.
Everyone thought the bottle would shatter, but as the White Knight moved its spear smoothly, the bottle soared into the air without breaking.
By now, the audience was getting fired up.
“Catch this one too!”
“Here, over here!”
“W-wait, everyone! Please calm down, kyaaah!?”
Like children hearing the Pied Piper's flute.
The massive crowd began to march forward, following the two knights.
No, the two magic dolls.
Toward their destination at the end of the road: the Smith & Sinc Doll Workshop.