Chapter 67: The Tin Knight and The City of Clockwork — Act 4 (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 67: The Tin Knight and The City of Clockwork — Act 4 (1)
A week in Tik-Tok.
Well, it wasn't actually a week, just a symbolic figure of speech, but anyway.
Dorothea and the Tin Knight resolved the incident involving the Smith & Sinc Doll Workshop, resulting in a power-up for the Tin Knight.
Adelaide and the Tin Knight settled the conflict between the old and new factions over the Lennart dojo, securing the position of representative instructor.
To an outsider, it might have looked as if the Tin Knight had mastered some kind of duplication technique, but that wasn't the case.
He had simply been scampering about so much that one might mistake it for duplication.
"Welcome, Sir Tin."
[The ‘Tin Knight’ offers a cheerful greeting!]
The Tin Knight and Sophia's meetings mostly took place at night.
There was no particularly profound reason for this; it was simply the only time the Tin Knight was physically available.
One might think it a nuisance to visit so late, but Sophia never seemed displeased or tired.
When the Tin Knight, wondering if she slept during the day, asked her about it, she replied.
"It gets boring being tied to a pillar all the time, you know? So I tried a few things in that state. Most were thought experiments, but sometimes I practiced not sleeping. After repeating that for about 30 years, the distinction between meditation and sleep disappeared."
According to Sophia, just zoning out with her eyes open was basically the same as sleeping.
It was an insane claim at first glance, and still an insane claim upon further reflection, but the Tin Knight didn't mind.
[The ‘Tin Knight’ is delighted by the appearance of a fellow night watchman!]
[The ‘Tin Knight’ is excited that the nights will be less lonely now!]
Dorothea, despite her fashion sense being that of an evil executive, was a wholesome child whose body was accustomed to sleeping and waking early. (In truth, it was a schedule based purely on efficiency, regardless of good or evil.)
As for Adelaide, she would often fall into a sleep so deep after training that you could carry her away without her noticing. (The shameless Tin Knight didn't consider his own ridiculously intense training regimen.)
From the Tin Knight's perspective, having to guard the night alone every time, Sophia's presence—being perfectly active at night for whatever reason—was a welcome one.
Of course, no matter how energetic the two non-humans were at night, human civilization was meant to function with the sun.
The things they could do in the dead of night, when most people were asleep in their homes, were more limited than during the day, but they didn't care.
Their destination was one of the few places that was more bustling at night than during the day.
The outskirts of Tik-Tok.
Despite being some distance from the main thoroughfare, there was a building that was unusually crowded, with many people enjoying drinks and food.
As Sophia and the Tin Knight stepped into the place, which boasted a brilliant light even as the streets sank into darkness, the drinkers seated in the first-floor lounge roared with cheers.
"Hey, Big Sis! We've been waiting!"
"Jack, this damn fool, wouldn't listen no matter how many times I told him about you, Big Sis. Show him what you've got!"
"Hah, honestly. Look here, missy. It seems you've cleaned out a few rookies, but it won't be so easy with me."
Welcome, interest, lust, and fervor.
Amidst the cheers swirling with a wide variety of emotions, Sophia walked with an unfazed expression and took a seat at a prepared table.
The man across from her wore a confident look, but only for a moment.
"Hmph. Ahem. This hand was bad. Next."
"No way, you went all-in with that garbage hand?"
"You won't get me twice! This time, for sure, huh!?"
"...Dammit."
Finally, the confident man raised the white flag. After cleaning out a few more challengers, Sophia turned to the owner at the bar with a smile.
"The usual, please."
"Yes, ma'am, order up! Listen up, you bastards! Big Sis is buying a round! Drink up and be grateful!"
"Whoo-hoo! Worth the wait!"
"Jack! Lampro! You never let us down! Thanks for the drink!"
"Hey, if you're gonna thank someone, thank Big Sis, why are you thanking the wrong guy? Hahaha!"
The space grew even more boisterous.
At the center of everyone's attention was, without a doubt, Sophia.
"By the way, Big Sis, where on earth did you learn to gamble like that? The guys here are no slouches, but none of them can hold a candle to you."
"Who knows? The power of experience, perhaps?"
"What? Experience? Hahahaha!"
The man burst out laughing at Sophia's reply.
They called her "Big Sis," but it was merely a title filled with admiration for her outstanding gambling skills and a bit of mischievous teasing.
Among the patrons in the establishment, there wasn't a single person who looked younger than Sophia.
"Come on, if you say that with that face, what does that make old Jack over there? Going by looks, he'd have to be twice as strong as you for the math to work out, right?"
"Shut up. Who are you to talk about looks when your own face muscles are twitching from old age? If I'm twice, you're at least four times, you bastard."
"Yep, next loser, step right up."
"This son of a...!"
The man called Jack flushed red and trembled, but the people around him only laughed more heartily.
It was now the fourth day since Sophia and the Tin Knight had started frequenting this place.
Those who had initially watched them with suspicion and wariness now showed a more friendly attitude, their guard lowered.
Her exceptional gambling skills, her easygoing personality, and above all, her habit of spending all her winnings on drinks and food for everyone were more than enough to win the favor of the drinkers.
No matter how beautiful Sophia was, if she had only taken their money, people would have started to shy away. But since any money Sophia won would eventually return to the drinkers' bellies anyway, it was no different from them taking turns buying rounds for each other.
The establishment was a strange one.
The food was average, the service wasn't particularly friendly, the prices weren't cheap, and crucially, its location was quite poor.
Despite having all the elements of a 'failing business,' the place was always packed with people.
The faces of the drinkers who frequented the place were mostly the same, and their arms and legs were covered in what looked like serious scars.
"Anyway, Big Sis. What kind of quest are you planning to post that you're dragging this out so long?"
That's right.
They were adventurers who used Tik-Tok as their base of operations.
If you were to ask why these adventurers were holed up in a tavern instead of working at the guild, the reason lay in a passage engraved in the Imperial law book.
- Adventurers belonging to the Adventurers Guild must follow the control of the guild headquarters and the guild branches recognized by the headquarters.
- Adventurers are prohibited from privately accepting or issuing quests without the mediation of the guild headquarters or its branches.
This decree, established during the era of the Iron Blood Emperor, was created to strengthen control over the old adventurers, who were little more than bandits. It standardized quest fees to protect clients from unfair treatment by adventurers and helped identify and punish wrongdoers.
The intention itself was good, and the law did contribute to bringing the profession of adventurer from the shadows into the light, but nothing in this world is perfect.
Although it was called the 'Adventurers Guild Headquarters,' it was a well-known fact that it was run not by adventurers, but by Imperial officials.
Since the integration and reform of the Adventurers Guild, the headquarters had become notoriously strict about establishing new branches. Currently, there were only four officially recognized guild branches in the entire Empire.
In other words, whether you were a client or an adventurer, you had to travel to one of only four branches in the vast lands of the Empire to 'legally' give or receive a quest.
This wasn't a major issue for those near a guild branch, but for those in distant places, it was an immense inconvenience.
The 'intermediary office' Sophia had come to was created to solve this problem.
When a client visited an intermediary office to request a quest, the office would send the details to the nearest branch via messenger bird.
The branch would then assess the quest's details, determine the appropriate contract terms, and send that information back to the intermediary office.
The office would then inform the client of the terms, and if the client agreed, an adventurer waiting at the office would be dispatched.
It was an incredibly cumbersome and labor-intensive method, but it couldn't be helped.
The authority of the Imperial Family was absolute, and if they ignored it and ran wild, the entire profession of adventurer might just disappear from the Empire.
"I don't know if you're aware, but this is an intermediary office, not a guild branch. Even if you post a quest, we can't give you an immediate yes or no. That's for the branch to decide. Messenger birds take a few days to get there and a few days to get back, so if you're going to post a quest, you'd better hurry."
"...You all knew."
As Sophia erased her cheerful expression and lowered her gaze, some of the drinkers—no, adventurers—who were watching let out a sharp gasp.
Her lonely, sorrowful smile was as fleeting as a leaf about to fall, and it held something that tugged at the heartstrings of the men watching.
"I tried my best to hide it, but I suppose it was just a childish trick in front of all of you, who've been through so much. You all knew but played along with the mood, didn't you?"
"Uh... ahem. Ahem."
"Well, something like that."
"What kind of man would pry into a lady's troubles and expose them?"
In truth, more than half the men in the room were tilting their heads, thinking, 'Huh? Is that what this was about?' But it's a known fact that the veins of a drunken man flow not with blood, but with pride and hot air.
No man could bring himself to say, 'I had no idea, I just crawled out of my hole to watch some fun gambling and get a free meal.'
Not when the comrade drinking right next to him was nodding with a solemn expression; even the slightest hint of ignorance would make him the only idiot in the room.
Lured by the catchphrase, 'A chance to see a beautiful, skilled gambler, and even get free drinks and food,' the number of adventurers had swelled daily for the past three days. Sophia spoke to them now.
"To be honest... I've been very worried. No, I'm still worried. About whether it's truly alright to post this quest."
"I won't ask for the details, but is it that dangerous?"
"Yes. It is dangerous. But more than dangerous, I'm anxious. Anxious that this quest might never be delivered to the right people, that it might be buried just like that."
At Sophia's words, the adventurers began to murmur amongst themselves.
If it were just a 'dangerous' quest, they could accept that, but for the quest itself to be buried?
"Big Sis. Are you talking about the risk of the messenger bird being intercepted?"
"No, it's not like that. It's just..."
After saying that much, Sophia let out a faint sigh.
"I can't. I can't say it. If you hear this story, you could all be in danger. How could I possibly trouble all of you, who saw through my shallow acting but pretended not to notice?"
"Now, hold on."
The adventurers now set down their food and drinks, completely engrossed in Sophia's story.
The man who had been talking to Sophia shouted to the others.
"Hey! You heard her! Big Sis is worried about us! Any cowards worried about the consequences should get out now!"
"Hah, mind your own business! Look, Big Sis. You might not know this, but we adventurers are the kind of people who live with danger as a friend."
"That's right! No need to worry, just spit it out, whatever that business of yours is!"
At this point, the answer was practically decided.
If they said they were too scared to listen, not only would they be branded cowards among their comrades, but they'd be so curious about the rest of the story they wouldn't be able to sleep tonight. How could they possibly leave?
Sophia looked around at each and every member of her audience, meeting their eyes one by one.
The adventurers swallowed hard as they met her reddish-pink eyes, which shone with a strange light.
"Very well. Then I shall speak. About the Adventurers Guild Schwartz Branch. And the great conspiracy entangled with it."