Chapter 140

# Chapter 140: The Tin Knight and the Golden Heritage

A puddle formed from the melting of the West Witch.

Dorothea fished out a pair of navy blue gloves floating on top.

[‘The Tin Knight’ comments that the gloves oddly give off a grandma vibe!]

“…Shut up. What’s the big deal about appearance?”

Even though she spat that out, Dorothea’s expression wasn’t too cheerful. After all, these were the gloves she’d have to wear from now on.

It was at that moment the gloves emitted a gentle light.

It seemed to gulp down Dorothea’s obsidian-like magical power, and the grime covering the gloves evaporated, transforming their design and size.

“Oh.”

As she inspected the now brand new gloves, Dorothea gasped.

She already knew from Adel’s ‘Amaryllis’s Belt’ that the Eight Treasures had user customization effects, but now she realized they could even change their base form according to their owner.

With a peculiar sparkle in her eyes, she slipped the gloves onto her right hand.

With a slight jolt, Dorothea’s body shuddered.

Her colleagues fell into a watchful stance, wondering if something strange was happening, but Dorothea motioned for them to calm down.

About 30 seconds passed in silence. Dorothea, seemingly concentrating on something, finally opened her mouth.

“…Unbelievable. I get what the intention is, but wow.”

[‘The Tin Knight’ says that branching off like this causes disputes among colleagues!]

[‘The Tin Knight’ requests information sharing if they found something out!]

“Got it, so stop bugging me! It’s been less than a minute, you know?”

Grumbling, Dorothea responded to the Tin Knight’s request.

And, in a way that shows rather than tells.

As Dorothea stretched her hands forward, the surrounding space began to ripple, and something emerged from thin air.

No, it poured out.

Shshshshshsh!

The sound of coins and bars clashing, the metallic twinkle reflecting brightly under the sun.

A mountain of treasures that could only be described as massive rained down before the party.

“U-uh.”

Faced with a hill of gold and silver treasure that was twice the height of the Tin Knight, Adel stuttered as if she were malfunctioning.

Even she, being somewhat well-off, had never seen such wealth in her life.

[‘The Tin Knight’ muses that the reward seems extravagant because he’s a big shot!]

The group had gathered quite a bit of treasure from the Taros Labyrinth, but compared to the mountain of riches before them, that felt like mere pocket change.

Sophia nodded in realization.

“So this is the West Witch’s estate. Indeed, it’s much more convenient than creating a treasure vault to store everything. You can access it anytime without the worry of being robbed.”

“Only while she’s still alive, that is.”

Considering they were the ones who dealt with the West Witch, it was quite a grim joke.

Franka, who was listening nearby, scoffed.

“Of course, the usual lot gets wild-eyed over the prospect of wealth. Killing the owner and taking their stuff is just plain robbery.”

The colleagues thought Dorothea would be angry, but to their surprise, she seemed rather unfazed.

“Hah.”

No, there was even a sly smile playing on her lips.

“W-what’s that?”

Franka took a small step back upon seeing that smile.

Then, as if realizing something, her eyes widened.

“Wait a minute. You’re not suggesting a cover-up…! The job’s already done, isn’t it!?”

To be thrown to the wolves—it was a horrifying scheme that filled Franka’s face with dread.

The two tired servants who looked like they were about to drop suddenly perked up in shock, guarding Franka.

[‘The Tin Knight’ expresses admiration for the villainous role-playing of Dorothea!]

“M-Mistress.”

“Truly, a thorough follow-up, huh.”

Even the colleagues showed a mix of admiration and shock at Dorothea’s actions.

“Hey, I didn’t say anything! Why are you all jumping to conclusions!!”

As Dorothea glared with eyes like axes, those who had been looking at her with suspicion hurriedly averted their gazes.

Well, to be precise, one person (?) didn’t look away.

[‘The Tin Knight’ advises that a person’s usual behavior is important!]

Bam!!

The Tin Knight fell backward, a U-shaped dent forming in his head from that blow.

It seemed he was bound to reach a new level of staff weapon mastery with that strike, while Little Lion gulped nervously.

After finishing off the execution, Dorothea turned her gaze to the peer Alchemist.

“Franka Aglaia.”

“What do you want?”

“You just called me a robber, right?”

“Uh, well, that is, um…”

“So, are you not going to claim your share?”

“Huh?”

After blinking a few times, her tense shoulders relaxed, and her eyes, which had been swinging erratically, regained their composure.

She understood the meaning behind Dorothea’s words.

“You mean you’re suggesting we share the spoils?”

“I’m taking this treasure for myself. But the West Witch’s possessions can’t just be gold and silver.”

That was certainly true.

Alchemy is, after all, the study of profit.

It required a considerable investment in training, but once you succeeded, you could amass a staggering fortune.

Let alone Elphaba, who had built her name as a master of alchemy for at least hundreds of years.

Besides material wealth, there were many intangible interests as well, including the surviving homunculi and various research materials left behind as the legacy of an alchemist.

Of course, it wouldn’t be easy to absorb everything, but the benefits would be immense if it could be accomplished.

The Aglaia family was one of the top tycoons in the federation, and Franka herself would rise to a higher level as an alchemist.

“In terms of material wealth, it’s not easy to snatch such interests. I have no intention of sticking around for long. The same goes for the alchemist’s legacy. It’s only worth a reference, not much else. So you can take all of that.”

Dorothea’s words were an incredibly sweet temptation.

Thus, Franka felt even greater suspicion.

From her experience, Dorothea was not the type to offer unreciprocated kindness.

“What’s your goal?”

“Two things. The first is to conceal Elphaba’s death.”

It was about the end of one of the Fourth Grade Witches.

Even commoners wouldn’t be able to ignore this news, let alone the powers in various countries.

They’d be prying with wide open eyes and gathering information, and soon they’d learn about Dorothea’s group.

Even without witnessing the witch’s death directly, it would still be nothing more than speculation, but that speculation alone would make their journey more challenging.

Franka seemed to realize that much and nodded accordingly.

“Sure. If I’m to inherit the legacy, it’s more convenient for the old master to appear as if she’s still alive for some time. However, it’ll eventually be made known.”

“We just need to buy some time. The more ambiguous the time of death, the more potential suspects there’ll be, and the less suspicion directed at us.”

“What about the second?”

“That’s….”

Dorothea started to speak at length, and at first, Franka appeared quite uneasy, but ultimately accepted her proposal.

Next came the delayed information exchange.

The Tin Knight and Dorothea had had some time at sea to catch up on each other’s circumstances, but Adel and Sophia hadn’t even had the luxury of a leisurely conversation.

The former apprentices of the West Witch.

Franka showed considerable surprise at Sophia’s revelation that there was a city-state where their descendants lived together.

“You had no idea at all?”

“I told you before. The most I ever saw was just the city around the main castle. …To think they actually built a whole nation just to delegate calculations or research in her stead. That’s a rather insane scale.”

“So, you’re the last of the remaining apprentices?”

“No, there are a few others outside. Most of them are just folks with the title ‘Disciple of the West Witch’ merely for their massive donations, though.”

Next came Adel’s story.

Adel cautiously revealed about her bloodline—the Lion Duke’s Bloodline—but Dorothea’s response was light.

“So, by the West Witch’s word, your ancestor was a homunculus? Hmm, I suppose that’s possible.”

“Is that all?”

“Since it was over 200 years ago, even if some of that blood is mixed in you, it’s just a fraction of a fraction, so what’s the big deal? Homunculi being your ancestors doesn’t lead to any side effects. Honestly, what’s the fuss about mingling the two?”

“Oh my.”

[‘The Tin Knight’ scolds that pointing fingers is not good!]

‘That’ and ‘this’ reacted accordingly.

They too, like Dorothea, didn’t have much of a reaction to Adel’s birth secret.

Adel let out a quiet sigh of relief.

While she expected her companions to react this way, the lingering worry in her heart melted away.

***

Just as the Tin Knight’s crew was savoring the sweetness of victory, dividing the legacy and the aftermath.

Outside the island, someone was revisiting the bitter taste of defeat.

It wasn’t the West Witch or her Mk.2.

They had been gone from this world long ago, past the point of suffering over lost battles.

“Damn it, damn it! What a freaking mess!!”

In contrast, the man here reliving his defeat wasn’t a departed soul.

Although he looked like a creepy skeleton of bones moving about, he was still very much alive.

And so, he was enraged.

“I’ve been tied down for 99 years!! For 99 years! And to think I could only last just one year without fully completing it!”

Man, Captain Bill, felt the contract binding him to the West Witch shattering into countless pieces.

The restraints that had held him were gone, granting him newfound freedom, but he couldn’t celebrate.

What good was freedom if he couldn’t reap the rewards he was owed? His 99 years had been for nothing!

If he wished, he would charge right into the barrier, but at this moment, he was unable to move.

His proud golden ship was tipped and buried upside down at the top of some desert island, its crew skewered like shish kebabs on protruding rocks, and Captain Bill himself was trapped under a large boulder.

It was a scene crafted by a certain white-haired wizard.

Though he and his crew had not truly died due to the immortality curse inflicted upon them, it would take a long while to recover.

“Just you wait, I will never, ever forget this grudge…!”

The white-haired witch who had blasted him and his crew away.

And probably, Franka and her comrades who had defeated Elphaba.

With their images floating in his mind, Captain Bill swore vengeance.

If that was a legacy, then it was indeed a legacy.

A witch’s wealth left behind, sought after against her will.

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