Chapter 84: The Tin Knight and The City of Struggle (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 84: The Tin Knight and The City of Struggle (3)
“How dare you speak such nonsense to me! Guards! Rip that wench's tongue out!”
“Yes, Young Master!”
The buttered-up noble brat, who clearly lacked a proper upbringing.
A hypothetical development, one too cliché to even put into words—where the brat, his buttons pushed, would fly into a rage and lash out at Dorothea, forcing the righteous Tin Knight to reluctantly enter the fray despite his aversion to bloodshed—did not come to pass.
“What? Ha, haha! Hahahaha!”
Because the man, far from getting angry at Dorothea’s words, burst out laughing as if he found it all terribly amusing.
It was as if the black witch before him was his personal laugh track; he cracked up every time she opened her mouth.
Instead, it was the other young men with the noble who took offense.
“Th-this wench, what did she just say…!”
“How dare you! Do you even know who this is!”
Watching from behind, the Tin Knight and Adel whispered to each other.
[The Tin Knight wonders if they sell something like a ‘Collection of Supporting Character Lines Even a Monkey Could Recite’ at the bookstore!]
“Hmm, I can’t say I’ve seen a book like that. But I feel like I’ve seen lines just like that in other books many times. I can’t believe people like that actually exist. How fascinating.”
The Tin Knight was one thing, but Adel was proving to be just as sharp-tongued. The Tin Knight’s pitch-black ink was clearly rubbing off on those around him.
“You wench! Will you not apologize at once!”
“Do you really need a sound thrashing to come to your senses!”
Unaware of the looks the Tin Knight and Adel were giving them, the followers continued their barrage of threats.
Of course, Dorothea just watched them with a look of pity.
The followers’ words were aimed at Dorothea, but she wasn't their intended audience.
It was a display for their master, wagging their tails and seeking his approval, as if to say, ‘See how angry I am on your behalf, how hard I’m working for you!’
At the same time, they were wary of actually laying a hand on a woman their master had taken an interest in, lest they face the consequences. Their gestures were loud, but they showed no real intention of drawing their swords.
“That’s enough. Stop.”
Calming his clamoring companions, the man who had first made the pathetic pass at Dorothea spoke again.
“Etiquette and dignity are things that change depending on the situation and the person. It is shameful and foolish for the learned not to practice what they have learned, but it cannot be called a sin for the ignorant to be unable to do so. To blame them for it would be a sign of a narrow mind.”
“Ooh. As expected.”
“Our apologies, my lord.”
[The Tin Knight asks what the hell they’re blabbering about!]
At the Tin Knight’s question, Sophia replied with a smile.
“He’s pretending to defend Miss Dorothea, but he’s actually calling her an uneducated, lowly peasant. It also has the effect of showing off how generous he is compared to his narrow-minded followers.”
[The Tin Knight nods, realizing it was a good cop, bad cop strategy!]
The members of the Iron Stake Mercenary Group, who had been unintentionally eavesdropping nearby, were amazed.
Wait, that’s what that meant?
They had initially been intimidated by the sight of these men in their flashy gear on magnificent horses, but after hearing the party’s conversation, it was strange how they now seemed more like clowns.
However, not everyone could enjoy such leisure.
Dorothea’s blood pressure, in particular, was steadily rising as she had to deal with these cretins alone.
Unaware that he was dancing on a minefield, the man—be he a lord or a young master—casually continued.
“I apologize for my subordinates’ rudeness.”
“Before you talk about your subordinates, apologize for your own rudeness.”
“I overlooked the fact that you do not yet know of me. It’s common knowledge near the capital, but I suppose it can’t be helped if someone from the frontier like you is a bit lacking in knowledge. Hmm. Thanks to you, I’ve learned something. You truly are a flower of fortune for me.”
“You keep spouting nonsense and talking about flowers. Are you on drugs or something?”
“However, it is the duty of the noble to guide the ignorant. Now, follow me.”
“……”
A vein popped on Dorothea’s forehead.
It was impossible to have a conversation with him. She felt she’d have a better time talking to a corpse.
No, a sudden impulse surged through her—why not just turn the man before her into a corpse?
When Dorothea remained silent, not taking his outstretched hand, the man shook his head.
He spoke in a tone one might use to teach a child.
“The security in this area is rather poor. Dangerous bandits roam about, hiding their true identities, and some even go so far as to impersonate mercenary groups. I am in the process of wiping out such bandits for the sake of the Empire’s good citizens.”
Suddenly, the man’s tone and expression changed.
He spoke as if feigning suspicion.
“And yet, while patrolling the area to find these bandits, I happened to run into you. A so-called mercenary group with no clear identity. It’s quite suspicious. Don’t you think?”
“Indeed, my lord!”
Smiling in satisfaction at his followers’ response, the man said, “Ah, but rest assured, I’m not saying you’re a bandit. For now, I am merely ‘suspicious.’ Nothing has been confirmed.”
Those nearby stared with wide eyes.
No matter how nicely you sugarcoat it, the essence of the words doesn't change. The man’s statement was a clear threat.
He was threatening to frame the Iron Stake Mercenary Group as bandits and get rid of them.
The members of the Iron Stake Mercenary Group all flinched.
‘Shit, how did he know?’
‘We’re fucked. Look at their armor, we can’t win a fight.’
‘Should I bolt while the others are getting killed? No, they’re all on horseback, that’s impossible. Dammit. What do we do?’
Adel cried out in indignation.
“That’s horrible! How can you accuse these innocent people of being bandits!”
The members of the Iron Stake Bandit—no, Mercenary—Group had a momentary “Huh?” reaction.
The Tin Knight and Sophia, who had a rough idea of their true identity, also tilted their heads with a ‘Hmm?’
“…!”
In that instant, a thunderbolt struck the minds of the mercenary captain and Hindler.
They quickly exchanged glances and immediately sprang into action.
“I don’t know who you are, sir, but you’ve gone too far! We are a legitimate mercenary group, officially operating out of Thracus!”
The captain’s words weren’t a lie. Although the ratio of their main job to their side job was reversed, they were, technically, a mercenary group.
Hindler shouted next.
“These people and our Iron Stake Mercenary Group are bound in a relationship of escort (being escorted)! Any further insolence (against us) will not be forgiven (by them)!”
By cleverly omitting parts of the sentence, his statement sounded as if they were stepping up to protect Dorothea.
The rest of the mercenaries were a cut below their captain and Hindler, but even they had a shred of shame and pride.
With a pretty blonde girl’s eyes sparkling beside them, not a single idiot among them would tell the truth and say, ‘Uh, actually, we’re mercenaries in name only. We’re really bandits.’
They willingly decided to go along with this massive misunderstanding.
“Hah, that’s a fancy way of saying you want to get in her pants. You, sir, have a fundamental problem with how you treat women!”
Mercenary A, who had been busy admiring the party’s figures for the entire trip, suddenly thundered as if he’d had an awakening of chivalry.
“The fuck? What? You calling us bandits? You’ve said something you shouldn’t have!” said Mercenary B, who believed that just as you shouldn’t call an ugly person ugly, you shouldn’t call a bandit a bandit.
“A man dies once, not twice! Don’t you worry, ladies, we’ll protect you!” Mercenary C shouted bravely, having figured out from the atmosphere that the Tin Knight was strong, even if he wasn't as sharp as the captain or Hindler.
“Hmph.”
Mercenary D kept his mouth shut. He had no desire to kick himself in bed later.
“Everyone!”
Adel’s eyes shone with emotion.
Seeing righteous and loyal men like the Iron Stake Mercenary Group in action, instead of villains like the Colombo bandit group, she was certain that the culture of the Empire was truly on another level.
Dorothea watched the scene, dumbfounded.
Adel, who couldn't read the room and was lost in her delusion, was one thing, but the mercenaries who had swiftly jumped on that bandwagon were something else entirely.
‘…But wait. We did agree to escort these guys, so doesn’t this situation fit the bill?’
The fact that the contract was half-intended to mess with them didn't matter.
That greasy noble and his followers were now threatening to bury the very mercenaries her party had agreed to escort, and she had a duty to respond.
That was it.
Even if they hadn't directly harmed her, this justification was all she needed to crush them!
Dorothea took a deep breath and shouted.
“Tin Can!”
[The Tin Knight cheers, having waited for those words!]
Clank, clank!
With terrifying momentum, the Tin Knight moved to Dorothea’s side, which was to say, right in front of the greasy noble’s nose.
As the giant hunk of metal charged at high speed, the man’s horse whinnied in fear and backed away.
—Heeeyaaa!
“Whoa, whoa!”
The followers drew their swords in alarm.
They surrounded the man protectively and took a combat stance.
The Tin Knight was about to mercilessly shatter the horses’ legs, but Dorothea’s next order came down.
“Leave the horses, just the people! And if possible, keep them alive! If not, whatever!”
Having received his sub-mission, the Tin Knight instantly changed his posture.
He grabbed one knight by the ankle and, with a brutish tug, pulled him from his horse.
The man was unseated without putting up any real resistance.
After lightly stomping on the chest of his twitching, gasping opponent, the Tin Knight called for Adel.
[The Tin Knight summons his disciple!]
[The Tin Knight declares that it is time to practice striking with the flat of the blade!]
“But this is a double-edged sword!?”
Even as she voiced a valid objection, Adel’s body was already shooting forward.
Using her light weight, she leaped high into the air.
To be precise, she leaped, sliced through the reins, and before she landed, slashed her opponent’s chest with her sword.
The un-enchanted sword strike didn’t pierce the armor; instead, it delivered a shock that unseated the men who were already struggling to keep their balance without their reins.
She hadn't technically used the flat of the blade, but since she hadn't actually cut them, it was basically the same thing, she reasoned.
“Now, everyone. Could you come over here for a moment? Yes, you two as well. Come, come, you need to listen carefully to what I’m about to say.”
Sophia gathered the mercenaries, making them turn their attention away from the battlefield.
She did it so naturally that the mercenaries found themselves obeying her without a second thought.
Sophia gave Dorothea a wink.
Dorothea opened her pouch and took out a pinch of powder.
“You bastards!”
The enemy, who had been stunned by the lightning-fast ambush, finally came to their senses and tried to counterattack around the time the fourth man went down.
Some of them even began to emit mana from their swords or bodies.
Their behavior was that of lackeys, but their skills were far from ordinary.
But even that was too late.
“Ack, gack.”
Before they could even properly swing their drawn swords, they let out choked gasps, their faces contorting.
The special paralysis poison from ‘The Garden’ was wonderfully effective.
The greenish mist, as if possessing a will of its own, avoided the mercenaries and horses, seeping only into the mouths and noses of the noble’s men.
Adel knocked them off their horses one by one as they became defenseless, and they shuddered from the impact as they hit the ground.
Whether by good luck or good gear, none of them suffered a broken neck.
“This is… witchcraft! So there was an evil witch here!”
The leader of the group, whose equipment was particularly high-grade, remained unaffected while his comrades fell to the poison.
His face twisted in fury, and he opened his mouth to deliver some grand speech.
But he didn't know.
[The Tin Knight points out that your eyes must be knotholes if you couldn't immediately guess she was a witch from her fashion!]
“Shut up!”
Neither the Tin Knight nor the witch had the slightest intention of listening to his long-winded tirade.
As Dorothea aimed her staff forward, the lump of black curse that had gathered at its tip shot out like a bullet and slammed into the man’s stomach.
She had poured so much mana into it that the high-grade metal armor dented like a crater.
Not to be outdone, the Tin Knight raised his shield.
He had been about to smash the edge of his shield into the man’s head as usual, but then he remembered the sub-mission to keep them all alive and adjusted the shield’s angle.
[The Tin Knight shouts, “Let’s play whack-a-mole! You’re the mole!”]
KAAANG!
As the flat of the shield struck the man squarely on the top of his head, his eyes glazed over.