Chapter 192

#192 Episode: The Tin Knight and the Intersection of Sword and Magic (2)

The rivalry between the Empire and the Magical Kingdom has deep historical roots.

About 200 years ago, during a time when numerous nations were rampant across the continent.

The Empire was expanding its territory through conquest wars led by the first Emperor and his right-hand man, the Lion Duke, while the Magical Kingdom evolved from its original form as a research institute into a political force by absorbing the existing royal family through the Magical Tower.

Both nations grew their power competitively and soon turned their sights toward each other.

Naturally, those gazes were far from friendly.

It’s known that there can’t be two suns in the sky.

Unless one side willingly steps back to become the moon, both sides striving to be the sun inevitably leads to conflict.

Countless battles and schemes ensued, accompanied by rivers of blood.

At times, the Empire triumphed; at others, the Magical Kingdom emerged victorious.

However, neither side ever completely merged with the other.

Some say it was due to the Garden’s geographical role as a natural border, but that was just one factor among many, certainly not the whole story.

In the early days when the two countries had many other enemies, it might have been different, but as established powers, breaking through the Garden physically to create a path was challenging but not impossible.

Yet, neither nation opted to execute such a strategy.

They placed their fates in a high-stakes gamble, refraining from attempting to unify the continent.

The reason?

“─The upper heads are just too scared. As they gained more, they became warier of gambling it away. Especially that Ironblood Emperor guy, he even bowed his head to the Magical Kingdom out of sheer fear. What a disgrace, honestly.”

It was an outrageous insult that could leave listeners pale.

A statement one might expect from a drunken patron in a tavern, yet the culprit turning crimson wasn’t a drunken man but rather a remarkably youthful girl.

With her slender and delicate golden hair, deep violet eyes, her dignified and graceful appearance was so captivating that simply sitting still could create a beautiful picture. However, Maris von Lenart had no time to indulge in the pity toward the girl before her.

“Watch your words. What if someone else hears you?”

The Ironblood Emperor.

Among the Empire’s past emperors, he was regarded as exceptionally capable and credited with placing the Empire on firm foundations.

He received unwavering support from the populace for his eradication of corruption, dismantling of outdated practices, and various groundbreaking policies. The fact that someone dared to speak ill of him, even posthumously, would undoubtedly stir a massive uproar.

Even traditional nobles, who were sick to death of the Ironblood Emperor’s oppressive ruling style of ‘Shut up and do as I say,’ couldn’t show anything but outward respect due to the multitude of achievements and popular support he garnered.

“Other people? Who else is here besides you and me, huh? Oh, the attendants over there?”

However, Maris’s warning seemed to fall on deaf ears for the girl in front of her.

Seeing the girl grab an attendant, who had been clinging to the wall like a shadow, and ask, “Are you gonna blab about this elsewhere?” was proof enough.

Maris suppressed her throbbing head and saved the poor attendant from the girl.

“I mean it figuratively, not literally; be careful of your behavior. If you casually spout such things at home and then mindlessly do the same outside, what will you do?”

“Hahaha, don’t worry. I have that much common sense.”

The behavior of this naïve noble lady could scarcely be described as juvenile…

Maris thought, “This girl is no innocent soul.”

“The late Emperor may have been a betraying scoundrel who used us and then cast us aside, yet foolish followers abound in this world. Even if it’s unpleasant, we have to endure to a degree.”

Proving her point, the girl before her was gradually emanating a mix of magical power and a sense of menace.

The solid wooden table started to crumble from one end, while cracks began to form on the teacup.

It was as though merely her revealing a hint of spirit was enough to start breaking everything around her.

Maris clenched her teeth.

“This reckless child…!”

That rage was directed at the girl before her and also toward the Senate, which had ingrained such reckless behavior into her.

What was even more troubling was the fact that there were quite a few others within the Lenart family who shared similar sentiments to those expressed by the girl.

Of course, their claims weren’t entirely baseless.

The Ironblood Emperor argued that establishing peace with the Magical Kingdom was in the nation’s best interest, which inherently dismissed the immense sacrifices the Lenarts had made in battles against the kingdom.

Furthermore, the Ironblood Emperor enacted a decree forbidding the daughters of several powerful families from marrying into the royal family. Although a long list of names was cited, it was crystal clear that this was an act targeted at the Lenart family.

However, this nation was the Empire.

A land ruled by the Emperor and the royal family.

Even though the throne was currently vacant, making control weaker and allowing for various grievances to surface, the amassed national strength wasn’t going anywhere.

If the prominent Lenart family blatantly opposed the royal family, despite facing various pressures, the only outcome awaiting them was civil war.

The Ironblood Emperor understood that, which is why he temporarily balanced things out by granting Maris’s father the position of Chancellor and the title of Minister of Defense, but now that the late Emperor had died at a relatively young age, the situation had changed.

The crown prince, who should have ascended the throne, was still far too young, and the lion that had begun to show its potential through the collaboration of the late Emperor and the Duke was now slowly revealing its ferocity after shaking off its muzzle.

“Ah, right. I’m heading north for a bit.”

With a clap! As if remembering something, the girl clapped her hands, and the ominous aura and magical energy radiating from her abruptly halted.

Her beaming smile was so serene that if an outsider were to witness this scene, they’d likely struggle to associate any correlation between the ruined surroundings and the girl in front of them.

“By north, you mean Nemea Castle?”

As Maris calmed her magic, which she’d raised to protect herself, she questioned.

Chilled by her tone and glacial gaze directed at the girl, the latter seemed indifferent.

Well, aside from the time she directed that attitude toward Adelheid, Maris usually emanated such vibes toward others.

“No, even further north.”

“What?”

A hint of disbelief crept into Maris’s voice.

Nemea Castle served as the Empire’s defensive stronghold, established along the direct route between the Empire and the Magical Kingdom, bypassing the Garden.

If she meant further north than that, it could only suggest one thing.

“You mean you’re going into the Magical Kingdom? Why?”

“For a sightseeing trip and to tour the dojos. There’s a dojo there too, so I thought it’d be best to check all five of them out. And I might also get to see that famous ‘Tower of Annihilation.’”

Maris narrowed her eyes.

The girl, who had just been complaining about peace with the Magical Kingdom, was now suddenly suggesting a trip there, making it suspicious.

After a moment, Maris’s sharp mind swiftly recalled a potential possibility.

While the girl fundamentally behaved as if she would act on her whims, she tended to follow the directives of the Senate’s “old men.”

And presently, among those touring the dojos was a branch relative whom the Senate was rather uncomfortable with.

“You don’t mean—”

“—Then see you later, Maris onee-chan.”

With an upbeat farewell, the girl stood up.

Seeing her act with a somewhat buoyant grace, Maris realized that no words would stop her.

To stop the girl, force would be needed, but that was beyond impossible.

Though the girl was the same age as Maris, her abilities already matched her father’s generation.

In fact, counting the entire family, one could only confidently claim to be stronger than her were the Duke’s escort knights or the generals guarding Nemea Castle.

After the girl departed, Maris slumped in her chair, releasing a deep sigh.

At least she could take solace in the fact that Adelheid had the Tin Knight around, so no matter how violent of a genius the girl might be, she wouldn’t move recklessly.

Moreover, the representative instructor sent to the Magical Kingdom was a neutral figure, unlikely to easily side with the behavior of the Senate.

Sure, they wouldn’t actively help Maris either.

After pondering a bit, Maris decided to write a letter.

While it was uncertain whether it would reach Adelheid in time, it was surely better than doing nothing.

***

The city of Annihilation, Trudvangar.

The feelings held by the Tin Knight and his party as they set foot there were as follows.

“Pretty intense.”

There are various forms of territories, but when comparing a city with surrounding fortifications with one that lacks them, the latter far outnumbers the former.

In the case of the former, the production costs alone are considerable, not to mention the ongoing maintenance, and cities often face obstacles when trying to expand.

Yet, Trudvangar boasted large, imposing city walls as if those drawbacks didn’t matter at all.

In this regard, it was obvious that the defense capabilities here would likely surpass that birthplace of joy in which they rescued Adelheid.

The reason being that countless spirits lingered on the castle walls and around the gates.

Particularly, atop an unusually high watchtower sat a giant bird-shaped spirit, which radiated flickering flames that could be felt from a tremendous distance down on the ground.

“It’s a complete fortress for battle. I wonder which is superior, this place or Nemea on the Empire’s side. Though, it’s probably not feasible to compare directly since Nemea is a mountain fortress.”

“It doesn’t look like there are cannons on the walls. But given the numerous wizards inside the Magical Tower, those walls may as well be cannons.”

[‘The Tin Knight’ assesses that this map seems like it could be quite an entertaining challenge to conquer!]

“Um, if we were to actually attempt to conquer this place, that would be a huge problem…”

Shaking her head vigorously, Adelheid gazed at the city with complex eyes.

“My father at some point said he fell in battle against the Magical Kingdom. Who were his opponents?”

Considering the routes moving from the eastern continent to the northern parts, it was highly likely that either the Tower of Control or the Tower of Protection were the foes, but the Tower of Annihilation likely played a role, as they were central emissaries of the Magical Kingdom.

Despite the turmoil within her heart, she had no real aspirations for revenge.

If she said there were absolutely no feelings of resentment or anger, that would be a flat-out lie, but she was utterly unaware of the specifics surrounding her father’s death.

What sort of battle had he fought in, where had it taken place, and how had it ended, she knew nothing at all.

Perhaps someone from the Lenart Dojo in this city might know something, but she wasn’t sure whether it would be okay to ask, nor did she know what she truly wanted to do afterward.

‘…Anyway, since the witch is busy and we need to discuss the knight’s modifications, it’s best to avoid causing trouble unnecessarily.’

She suppressed the chatter in her heart, deciding to simply pass the qualification test quickly and call it a day.