Chapter 116

Posted by Kuze, ? Views, Released on January 26, 2025

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#116 Episode: The Tin Knight and the Country of Sea Breeze (5)

With the crew secured for sailing and the Sea Serpent providing an unexpected escort, there was nothing left to impede the group’s departure in clear weather.

That evening, Franka immediately ordered the ship to set sail.

“If we leave now, it won’t be long before we’re engulfed by darkness. Wouldn’t it be better to depart at dawn, my lady?”

“Forget it, just set off right now.”

Despite the attempts to dissuade her, Franka insisted on leaving.

According to the original plan, they were supposed to leave quietly without even announcing their arrival in this City, and the timing was arranged accordingly.

Thanks to Dorothea and her crew resolving issues swiftly, they were only delayed by half a day, but since their presence had been made known with all the chaos in the City, it was quite possible for unexpected information to reach the West Witch.

Franka needed to hurry to rescue the captured children, and Dorothea’s crew felt the same urgency.

After all, ambushes tend to fail as soon as one starts dragging their feet.

[‘The Tin Knight’ finds the ship to be smaller than he expected!]

Franka had prepared a single caravel.

Its size wasn’t large enough to accommodate more than twenty people besides Dorothea and her crew, and it certainly wasn’t flashy.

The group all turned to look at Franka.

With her skirt puffed out like an open umbrella and adorned with dangling jewelry…

It was as if the word “flashy” had come to life; seeing her like that made Franka twitch her eyebrows, as she seemed to notice their gazes.

“What? What’s with that look?”

“Just… you don’t match the vibe.”

Dorothea’s comment was more like a backhanded compliment as if to say ‘I didn’t think you’d be so obsessed with appearances,’ but Franka took it the other way.

“I have a personal ship, you know? It’s much bigger and flashier! I just prepared this modest one so my master wouldn’t notice. Don’t get it twisted!”

“… Ah, well that does suit you more.”

“Good. Glad you understand.”

Seeing Franka wear a strangely satisfied expression while Dorothea shook her head as if to say ‘as long as you’re happy with that,’ the rest of the crew could only smile wryly.

And then, the ship set sail.

***

As warned before departure, night fell swiftly.

Midnight sailing was extremely dangerous.

Without a strong light, it was impossible to even see what was ahead, and with a light, it became a target for all sorts of monsters.

However, the crew didn’t need to worry about the latter.

“I’ve been sailing for decades, but I never imagined I’d have a Sea Serpent escorting me while I piloted a ship,” he exclaimed.

While it might be lacking in name, the Sea Serpent was at least a regional powerhouse of the sea.

With such a being radiating ominous energy while guarding the ship, it was unlikely any bold fish would dare to collide with them.

Dorothea, who usually avoided using necromancy in public, had no choice but to this time.

Relying solely on the Tin Knight in unstable waters could result in irreversible consequences if they fell overboard.

Thus, the Sea Serpent was necessary, not just for escort but also as insurance.

[‘The Tin Knight’ finds this a wonderful experience!]

[‘The Tin Knight’ wonders if it would have been better to just bring Adel, Sophia, and Franka along as they were going to fly overhead anyway!]

“… You could’ve mentioned it earlier.”

Dorothea shot a resentful glance at the Tin Knight, but s he still didn’t swing her staff as usual.

It would’ve been pretty tricky to hug the Tin Knight while trying to hit him.

Besides, it wasn’t entirely the Tin Knight’s fault.

“Fine, whatever.”

Dorothea shrugged off her regrets.

After all, listening to the Tin Knight wouldn’t make anything significantly different. They didn’t have much time or effort to spare on rescuing the crew anyway.

After sailing for a while, a loud sound suddenly emerged from the ship.

“Witch! There’s a ship ahead!”

At Adelheid’s voice, Dorothea frowned and looked ahead.

But nothing appeared to stand out.

“Tin can, can you see anything?”

The Tin Knight paused for about five seconds in silence.

Then he replied.

[‘The Tin Knight’ reports that a ship that looks like a ghost ship is approaching!]

[‘The Tin Knight’ adds that he sees a cyclops and an octopus for a head and eel hair and skulls!]

Dorothea instantly questioned if she had misheard.

But that couldn’t be the case. The Tin Knight’s messages weren’t meant to be heard with regular ears.

Before long, Dorothea’s eyes began to see the ship that Adel and the Tin Knight spoke of.

It was a peculiar ship.

It was so enormous compared to the caravel they were on that it was almost incomparable, and its hull was pitch black.

Contrasting with the dark hull, the sails hanging from the mast were extravagantly bright, shining a golden hue.

It wasn’t just a paint job; the golden fabric looked as if actual gold had been melted down and transformed into sails.

Even the sails were studded with various jewels, forming the image of Jolly Roger as if replacing ink. The flag was the same.

In the shadow of the night, the existence of a pirate ship waving a golden flag was utterly surreal and strange.

Not just the ship, but the crew was equally bizarre.

While the ones boarding the caravel might not notice, the Tin Knight and Dorothea, perched atop the Sea Serpent, could distinctly see them on the deck.

And Dorothea realized that what the Tin Knight reported was nothing but the plain truth without a single twist or artistic flair.

There stood a one-eyed cyclops wearing a horned helmet that made even the Tin Knight look small.

Next was a bald creature with an octopus attached where its head should be, its human body somewhat thrown together.

Then there was a creature with eel-like hair that writhed like a living mass.

And finally, there was a golden-skinned skeleton adorned in a neat uniform with extravagant accessories.

Behind them, there were other crew members with distorted and twisted bodies.

Dorothea momentarily thought.

‘Necromancy?’

But she quickly dismissed that possibility.

Though they gave off a vibe reminiscent of necromancy, she didn’t sense any aura of death from the crew members in front of her.

Surprisingly, they were alive and well, just as they appeared.

However, if one were to ask if there was no connection to her specialties whatsoever, that wouldn’t be the case.

‘A curse. A very powerful and persistent one at that.’

Just as Dorothea furrowed her brow, the golden skeleton standing at the front spoke.

Despite its creepy appearance that seemed to emit curses, its voice was clear and filled with animation.

“Welcome, welcome! Such lovely little friends we have here. Your ship is so adorably tiny and cute, I almost didn’t notice you coming and would have ran you over! Good thing there wasn’t a long stick next to me; that would have been a disaster!”

As the golden skeleton burst into a loud laugh, the subordinates around him chimed in with their own chuckles.

Dorothea felt bewildered.

It was challenging to react to those who, judging by their appearance, looked ready to shout death and pillage, carrying on with such a friendly demeanor.

The one to help her make a decision was Franka.

She could see Franka desperately flailing about on the deck of their ship.

The expression on Franka’s face, furrowed as if she had bitten into a bug, showed just how much danger she thought this situation posed.

“Hmm?”

Noticing Dorothea’s gaze shifting toward the caravel, the golden skeleton made a mischievous grin.

If one were to ask how a skeleton could show expression, they’d have to say its golden bones twisted in a peculiar way.

The golden skeleton shouted.

“Hey! Lower it down a bit!”

At that command, a commotion could be felt coming from within the massive ship.

And shortly after, their ship began to gradually sink lower until it matched the height of the caravel Franka was on.

Naturally, this was something an ordinary vessel could not do.

Seeing Franka, the golden skeleton expressed admiration.

“Oh! Who might you be? Are you not the lady disciple of our dear witch? What brings you here on such a night?”

“Hmph! I’m going to where my master is, so why should I need your permission, Captain Bill?”

Franka’s composure seemed to contradict the anxiousness she earlier displayed.

It appeared they were familiar with each other.

“Of course. My duty is to ensure no riffraff enters this island.”

“Are you calling me riffraff?”

Captain Bill, the golden skeleton, exaggeratedly shrugged his shoulders.

“Well, not exactly. But you are free to enter; others aren’t. Especially those perched on that tall stick are even more so! They reek of danger! You may be a lovely young lady, but who knows how much blood you’ve drunk, rusty knight? Oh dear, never had I imagined encountering a monster with a scent of blood even stronger than mine!”

As he sang his horrific praise, Captain Bill turned to Franka.

“Why, it’s already strange for our dear witch’s disciple to be here, but now you have strangers tagging along. As the protector of our West Witch’s safety, I can’t simply overlook such a matter.”

“Master is strong enough without your need for protection.”

“Of course, I know that well. How could she not be strong? But that West Witch is the only one capable of ending this cursed fate. Relying solely on that flimsy hope has had me playing this ridiculous guard for 99 years. If I can hang on for just one more year, this hell will end, so isn’t it normal to be sensitive to even minor dangers? Huh? Oh, damn it. Now that I’m talking about it, I might start crying, even though my tear ducts ran dry ages ago!”

Dorothea unconsciously tightened her grip on her staff.

Though Captain Bill maintained his comedic and cheerful demeanor, flashes of other emotions broke through that smiling facade every now and then.

Those emotions were great fury, terrifying lament, and a relentless longing.

“So, tell me, lady disciple. Among the many disciples our dear witch has nurtured, the youngest among them, who are these ‘others’?”

At Captain Bill’s question, all eyes turned to Franka.

Everyone realized the importance of Franka’s forthcoming answer, as it could potentially lead to catastrophic consequences.

Franka’s face was filled with deep thought.

They certainly weren’t friends, but telling the truth about Dorothea’s identity was out of the question.

A bead of cold sweat trickled down Franka’s forehead.

Then, the words flowed, but from Sophia, not Franka.

“Of course, they are my lady’s new servants.”

Dorothea barely held back an outburst of ‘What in the world are you talking about?’ thanks to her patience honed by the Tin Knight.