Chapter 98: The Tin Knight and the Martial Arts Tournament (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 98: The Tin Knight and the Martial Arts Tournament (5)
Dorothea had two choices.
She could ignore the message entirely and return to their lodging, or she could answer the summons.
The former, however, was not a real option.
‘They already know who we are and where to find us.’
Even if she ignored the summons this time, it would only be delaying the inevitable.
As long as they had business with her, a meeting would happen whether she wanted it or not.
And next time, it would likely be in the form of an ambush or an unwelcome visit.
Given the choice, meeting them head-on for a fight suited Dorothea’s temperament better.
“Adel, Sophia. You two should head back… No, wait. Let’s just go together.”
Dorothea changed her mind mid-sentence.
She’d thought it might not be wise to bring Sophia if the enemy’s goal was related to the labyrinth, but that could be exactly what they were counting on.
It was better to stick together from the start than to separate and risk Sophia or Adel getting attacked by some weirdos. It would at least give her some peace of mind.
The meeting place they had designated was a mansion in the heart of the special district.
As befitting a place only accessible to specially recognized individuals, the buildings in the special district were generally ornate and luxurious, but the mansion before them was exceptionally large and magnificent even among them.
As they approached the large main gate made of iron bars, the two knights guarding the entrance bowed their heads respectfully.
Their disciplined movements and the aura they exuded, like swords still in their scabbards, seemed to show that each of them was an exceptional warrior.
Dorothea’s eyebrow twitched slightly before she glanced at the Tin Knight.
Her look asked if he could handle them.
[The ‘Tin Knight’ expresses confidence that as long as he has mana, there will be no problem!]
At the Tin Knight’s firm reassurance, Dorothea closed her eyes for a moment before opening them and speaking.
“Some person named Algind called for us.”
“She is waiting inside. Please, this way.”
Following the polite guidance, the party stepped through the gate.
However, the guide did not lead them toward the building.
It was a garden surrounding the mansion.
There, amidst the flowers and butterflies, was a small setting for a tea party.
And sitting there was a single girl.
“Thank you for accepting my invitation. My name is Algind Goodwitch.”
Hair as white as snow.
A fairy-tale-like appearance, contrasted by a somewhat stiff, rigid expression and tone.
Dorothea spoke to the last of the witch’s apprentices, following Franka and Gale.
“I don’t think introductions are necessary. You seem to know enough already.”
“Yes.”
Algind did not deny it.
“I know that your name is Dorothea Aschengard, that you are the apprentice of the Witch of the East, and that you are the conqueror of the Taros Labyrinth. To be fair, that is all I know.”
Dorothea remained unfazed, even as Algind calmly listed off her personal details.
This was all within the realm of what she had expected.
So, she retorted nonchalantly.
“Oh, really. So, what’s your business?”
Algind stared intently at Dorothea.
Her expression didn’t change, but she somehow seemed to find Dorothea’s reaction amusing.
“The official reason is to investigate several questions related to the treasures of the Taros Labyrinth—for instance, whether you have any connection to the mysterious death of the Adventurers Guild’s Schwartz branch manager. It’s an incident that has attracted the attention of some unnecessarily important people for its scale.”
The official reason—in other words, the pretext—was just that. The real issue was something else.
“What’s the real reason?”
At Dorothea’s question, Algind’s golden eyes shifted, taking in each member of the party one by one.
The Tin Knight, whose thoughts were impossible to read from the outside.
Adelaide, who seemed to have shrunk back a little, intimidated by the situation and atmosphere.
And then, her gaze stopped on Sophia.
“I would like you to hand over everything you obtained in the Taros Labyrinth.”
The atmosphere, which was already far from pleasant, froze completely.
Before the cold-faced Dorothea could open her mouth to say anything, Algind continued.
“Of course, I don’t intend to simply confiscate it without compensation.”
When Algind raised her hand, a small gust of wind swirled up on the tea party table.
As the gust subsided, a small, green cloth pouch appeared.
Outwardly, it was nothing more than a plain, unremarkable pouch, but Dorothea could tell.
She could feel the extraordinary mana it contained.
“The ‘Pouch of Lilium.’ At a glance, it’s just a shabby pouch half-filled with plain grain, but in reality, it’s a magical tool whose contents never run out, no matter how much you scoop out. And, it is also one of the eight sacred treasures you are collecting. I will give you this. So—”
“No.”
Dorothea answered, cutting Algind off.
Her tone suggested there was no need to hear any more.
Algind looked at Dorothea, her expression blank.
“Do you not need the sacred treasure?”
“I do. But so do you, don’t you?”
“It’s a request from the Kingdom of Heaven. Fulfilling it would be useful in many ways. However, this matter is simply more important than that.”
“Then that’s all the more reason to refuse.”
“Why?”
Dorothea paused for a moment, wondering how to answer.
You’re too suspicious to be trusted? Didn’t you just say with your own mouth that Sophia is more important than the kingdom’s sacred treasure?
You think I’d sell out a comrade?… That’s too cringey, and that Sophia girl would probably just chuckle and say ‘Huhu,’ so forget that.
Just then, Dorothea’s eyes met the Tin Knight’s.
[The ‘Tin Knight’ says you don’t need a reason to dislike something you dislike!]
Dorothea let out a dry laugh.
It was a very Tin Knight-like thing to say. The part about there being not a shred of logic, that is.
But…
I kind of like it.
So, Dorothea answered.
“Just because.”
“…?”
Her expression remained as stoic as ever, but as she tilted her head in puzzlement, Dorothea declared to Algind:
“I just don’t want to. I have no intention of making a deal or anything else, so get lost.”
This time, it was Algind’s turn to be silent.
She asked again, as if finding it hard to understand.
“I am the apprentice of the Witch of the South, and my mentor is the Crown Mage, the pinnacle of the Empire’s mages. Furthermore, you are currently under suspicion for the murder of the Schwartz branch manager. The suspicion itself is merely a pretext, but depending on the situation, it could become real at any moment. Whether it’s consistent or not doesn’t matter; those at the top can just align their stories. In other words, if you refuse this offer, you could become criminals of the Empire and be forced to live as fugitives.”
“That’s a long-winded way of saying you’ll crush us with your authority if we don’t listen.”
“Judging by the time since the labyrinth incident, you’ve been together for half a year at most—no, not even half that, less than three months. That’s a very short time to build a bond strong enough to risk your lives for each other.”
“You’re right. I don’t particularly plan on sharing life and death with them either.”
“Then, after confirming all these circumstances, I will ask again. Is it necessary to risk being branded as criminals of the Empire for such a shallow bond?”
“God, you’re dense. I said I don’t want to because I don’t want to. Why do you keep prying? Are your language skills as poor as your facial muscles?”
At the blatant outburst, the faces of the surrounding knights changed through a variety of colors.
Yet, the fact that they neither spoke up nor made any show of force demonstrated just how well-trained they were.
It was a sight a certain young master and his cronies could stand to learn from. Not that they would even know what they were supposed to be learning.
“Hmm. I see. I understand.”
The target of the outburst herself simply nodded without much of a reaction.
Seeing Algind rise from her seat, the party—with the exception of the Tin Knight—tensed up in preparation for a fight. The Tin Knight, instead of being tense, grew excited.
And then, Algind spoke.
“Then I bid you farewell.”
“Huh?”
Dorothea looked dumbfounded.
No, it wasn’t just Dorothea; most of the others had a similar reaction.
“What is it? If you’re perhaps hoping to be escorted out, please give up on that notion. I’m not magnanimous enough to see you off after being subjected to a blatant outburst.”
“No, that’s not what’s important. You’re just telling us to leave? Now? In this situation?”
“Hmm. Indeed.”
Algind reacted faintly to Dorothea’s question.
She nodded a few times as if she understood the situation, then said:
“We are civilized people, Dorothea Aschengard. Isn’t it rather barbaric to resort to violence just because a negotiation didn’t go your way?”
Dorothea gasped. Adel’s eyes went wide. The Tin Knight caused a ruckus, spouting nonsense like, ‘That’s absurd!’
Sophia’s composed ‘Oh my,’ uttered as if in admiration, was the best counterattack the party could manage.
Having put three of them into a daze with a single blow, Algind calmly continued.
“I’m not saying I’m giving up on my objective. However, if I were to fight you here, the martial arts tournament would undoubtedly be ruined. That is not something I wish for, either. Besides, I rarely get opportunities to wander about freely like this.”
Dorothea, having barely recovered from the shock, said.
“So, you’re letting us go without a fight because you don’t want to ruin the tournament? And because you want to enjoy some more sightseeing?”
“You have a good understanding. And to add to that, while I mentioned becoming criminals of the Empire earlier, the chances of that actually happening are slim. No matter how much the higher-ups treat pretexts as a mere bonus when dealing with their lessers, framing you—who were in the northern part of the Empire—for a murder that occurred in the south is a bit of a stretch. Even more so when a member of the Lion Duke’s bloodline is involved.”
Retrieving the Pouch of Lilium, Algind said.
“Of course, putting the mission on hold is something limited to this city. Once you leave Thracus, the chase will begin again. Though with this pouch in my possession, you might just ambush me instead. Well, including that possibility—I suppose we’ll find out once we face each other in the tournament.”
“…First Franka, then Gale… how is it that every person I meet is so damn weird?”
To Dorothea’s complaint, Algind replied.
“Otherwise, one could not be a witch’s apprentice. That includes you, you know.”
*
The great showdown between Algind and Dorothea’s party did not happen.
Not only was it uncertain if they could even secure the Pouch of Lilium right away, but fighting an all-out war with Algind here would have forced them to completely scrap their existing plan to defeat the champion and go after the Witch of the West.
After returning to their lodging and thoroughly setting up soundproofing magic and all sorts of countermeasures against eavesdropping and surprise attacks, the party was finally able to rest.
“Phew! I-I was so nervous I thought I was going to die! Those knights nearby, every single one of them had such an extraordinary aura…!”
[The ‘Tin Knight’ insists that you have to beat elite mobs to surpass the elite!]
[The ‘Tin Knight’ says that after experiencing an extreme, chaotic battle, you’ll find other fights much easier!]
“That might be true, but, umm.”
“What nonsense are you getting swayed by now? Don’t fall for it.”
After rescuing Adel from the Tin Knight’s coaxing, Dorothea spoke.
“Sophia.”
“Yes.”
“Any guesses as to why you’re being targeted?”
As always, Dorothea’s words cut straight to the heart of the matter.
Sophia replied with a gentle smile.
“Who knows?”
“I’m not in the mood for word games.”
“I’m not joking, either. It’s just that there are too few clues right now to know why they are targeting me.”
“Hmm.”
Dorothea thought for a moment, then nodded.
She had decided that Sophia’s words were not wrong.
“But one thing is certain. They don’t know that you absorbed the Chalice of Tuberose.”
“That seems likely. If they knew, they wouldn’t have offered one of the eight sacred treasures as compensation.”
Dorothea’s goal was to collect the eight sacred treasures. Even if she managed to get the ‘Pouch of Lilium’ from Algind, handing Sophia over to them would mean no net gain.
The very fact that Algind offered a sacred treasure as a trade, knowing this, proved that she perceived ‘Sophia’ and the ‘eight sacred treasures’ as separate things.
[The ‘Tin Knight’ asks what the plan is now!]
“Nothing much changes. We win the tournament, retrieve the belt from the champion, and go after the Witch of the West. However, as expected, it’s highly likely we’ll have to clash with that Algind girl in the tournament at some point.”
After saying that, Dorothea added.
“Don’t let your guard down. According to my master, among the Four Great Witches, the Witch of the South is the most skilled in pure combat. Her apprentice won’t be a pushover, either.”