Chapter 194

#194 Chapter: The Tin Knight and the Intersection of Sword and Magic (4)

The purpose of the Lenart Dojo’s rounds could be broadly categorized into two main aspects.

One was the verification of the skills of the dojo’s apprentices. The other was to expand their horizons.

The Tin Knight compared this system to the “Pouch Monster” dojo-breaking content, but the reality was that there was a significant difference between the two.

Unlike the world-class tournament overseen by the official association, this one was fundamentally a larger family event.

To put it nicely, it was flexible; to put it negatively, with such a lack of foundation, how each test was conducted was entirely left to the discretion of the representative instructor.

In that context, Norman’s argument of “I already know you’re strong, so I’ll look for something other than combat power” wasn’t entirely unreasonable.

However, for Adelheid, whose combat specs were honed to the bone throughout the journey, it was a very troublesome suggestion.

The Tin Knight, who only focused on stat boosts and skill gains, was truly at fault.

Could it be that he sensed Adelheid’s intense rejection?

Norman took a step back.

“Oh, my poor expression may have led to some misunderstanding. I said ‘Lion of Peace,’ but I don’t expect any tremendous achievements. In simpler terms, calling it a messenger would also be acceptable.”

“Messenger? Do you mean you want me to deliver a letter?”

“Yes. The content itself is nothing special. It’s just to lighten the current stiff atmosphere; maybe we could have a light joint event. Lady Adelheid would just need to officially deliver the letter and receive an official response, and that would be that.”

At that, Adelheid slightly eased her vigilance, but not all her questions were gone.

Sofia, who had been quietly maintaining her silence next to them, asked.

“Surely, as you say, it doesn’t seem like a difficult task, but that’s what makes it puzzling. Can such a trivial matter really replace the exam?”

The Tower of Annihilation was located in the city center, while the Lenart Dojo was closer to the outskirts, but that didn’t mean it was incredibly far away or that the journey was treacherous.

Even a commoner without any abilities could reach the city center within a few dozen minutes on foot, crossing through the bustling streets.

The difficulty level was excessively easy for an exam.

It made one suspicious of hidden motives lurking behind it.

“Oh, I see. That’s a fair point. However, as you might expect, it’s not going to be that easy.”

Norman showed a friendly smile, then added.

“After all, none of the messengers sent so far have returned with a reply.”

Sofia’s eyes settled into a calm gaze. Adelheid swallowed hard, and the Bone Mouse, hiding among her hair on her shoulder, quietly glimmered.

Adelheid asked in a trembling voice.

“Are you saying… they’re dead?”

Norman shook his head.

“Not at all. They just fainted.”

He explained that they had approached the front of the tower, informed the spirit guarding the door of their purpose, and handed the letter to a wizard from the Tower of Annihilation once they stepped outside.

Yet not a single soul managed to carry out that simple act without fainting.

“Non-trained scholars collapsed before even reaching the door, and the apprentices fainted while trying to speak to the spirit. Even the instructors witnessed the wizard coming down, but they fainted before they could hand over the letter.”

The only one left was Norman, the representative instructor, but for him to step forth was akin to a count from one territory personally delivering a letter to a guard in another territory.

While doing so once or twice could be dressed up as ‘boldness,’ abusing that too often would tarnish Lenart’s dignity.

“To call that coincidence would be too blatant. It seems they never intended to hide it in the first place.”

“I doubt it’s a direct attack. Listening to the victims’ accounts, they described a fear and pressure akin to facing a massive beast, only multiplied to the extreme.”

In the end, it was yet another battle of wills.

“They won’t harm the messengers, but they won’t concern themselves with ‘a weak messenger fainting at will.’ Is that it?”

“No, I think fainting from intimidation falls well within the category of ‘harm,’” Adel gently countered Sofia’s deduction.

“Well, that’s a valid point, but those individuals are the most ferocious within the Magical Kingdom. Our standards differ completely, so we would never get anywhere without letting this slide.”

Norman smiled wryly.

“It may be a bit chancy to say ‘thank goodness,’ but currently, the Empire has maintained a hands-off approach regarding the Great Magical Kingdom’s policies since His Majesty the Emperor passed away. Our dojo hasn’t had any urgent need to send out messengers, so the situation has quietly progressed without stirring up too much diplomatic trouble. However, just because there isn’t a significant diplomatic issue doesn’t mean we can overlook the situation.”

In that sense, the aging instructor fixed his gaze on Adelheid.

“I will leave it up to you. Use whatever means necessary. You can find a way to counteract their ‘pressure’ or prepare defensive magical devices, or even attempt a direct assault; I won’t stop you. Overcome their pesky antics and fulfill the role of a messenger.”

Adelheid fell silent for a moment, pondering.

She glanced at Sofia, who merely smiled as if to say, “It’s up to you,” and the Bone Mouse on her shoulder showed no special signal. It might just be that Dorothea was too busy to react, but in any case, the choice was left to Adelheid.

After careful consideration, Adelheid nodded.

“I’ll give it a try.”

***

And Dorothea, who was observing the scene through the Bone Mouse, grumbled.

“That timid one won’t get through this. It looks like a tedious task, and she could just be told to take the physical exam without fussing around.”

The Tin Knight, listening from the side, raised an eyebrow in doubt.

[The ‘Tin Knight’ asks what the point is if he threatens the examiner to change the exam contents!]

[The ‘Tin Knight’ claims that the value lies in overcoming the challenge!]

“What do you mean by ‘what’s the point’? There’s a significant difference in whether you end up with the token or not.”

[The ‘Tin Knight’ acknowledges that indeed, the reward matters!]

Contrary to Adelheid’s expectations that they would be watching without much concern for their side, Dorothea had actually been observing nearly everything happening in the dojo from start to finish.

It was hard to say that the Tin Knight’s modification work was completed so quickly because he was in pieces, with just his head and core left chatting with Dorothea.

Work was in full swing, yet the reason Dorothea could afford to wander off watching other things was simple.

In a nutshell, Gale was too competent.

“Hmm, Sig? Could you pass me that?”

Following the order, the White Knight handed over a thin iron plate fetched from the forge, and Gale engraved a few magical symbols on it.

The plate then warped or sliced itself until it transformed into a tool perfectly suited to Gale’s hands.

The versatility was truly impressive, which made Dorothea feel a mix of admiration and jealousy.

In fact, this wasn’t the first time Dorothea and Gale had collaborated.

They had worked together when creating the magical automaton workshop in TikTok, after all.

However, back then, there wasn’t such a glaring disparity in their workloads.

While Gale contributed significantly to the intricate tool production, Dorothea had been the driving force behind providing essential labor on site.

But this modification work required no physical labor, which was a specialty of the Necromancer, and Dorothea’s knowledge of magical automatons wasn’t particularly rich.

Or rather, to be more precise, Gale’s skill and understanding were so high that Dorothea didn’t need to help at all.

Dorothea, slightly astonished, remarked.

“Wait, were you not a wizard but a knight automaton instead?”

“Please don’t say that to a certified wizard. Well, I have enough skill to not fall behind a decent knight automaton, so I’ll take that as a compliment this time.”

Despite her continuous chatter, Gale’s eyes remained fixed on the workspace, and her hands nunca ceased their movements.

While they continued with the task, she suddenly said.

“Um, I need to pause the magical circuits for a moment. Tin Knight? Is it alright if I temporarily drain the magical power?”

…….

[The ‘Tin Knight’ responds that he understands!]

Dorothea noticed the peculiar pause before the reply came back.

However, she chose not to comment on it and soon after, the Tin Knight halted its activities, coming to a standstill.

Creak, creak.

While Gale inscribed various magical symbols inside the Tin Knight’s body, she spoke.

“Dorothea.”

“What?”

“I actually did some background research on your knight.”

Dorothea momentarily paused, but then crossed her arms and crossed her legs, as if inviting her to continue.

“About what?”

“Well, because I was curious. A magical automaton of such antiquated design, who has engaged Sig in a battle of skill no less, how could I not be interested? So, I dug a bit. However, the findings were rather unsatisfactory.”

She remarked that it was indeed strange.

“The Tin Knight’s power seems to be rather lacking compared to its prime. To be precise, while there might be a brief peak reminiscent of its prime, the capacity of the vessel to hold magical power is so limited that the time it can maintain that power is absurdly short. Conversely, that means that during its heyday, it could wield that power more easily and leisurely. A being of that caliber could hardly escape documentation in history, yet remarkably little information exists.”

Dorothea listened quietly to Gale’s words.

“I deduced two potential causes. One is that the period when the Tin Knight was active was not merely a long time ago, but extraordinarily distant. The other is that someone intentionally erased the records of the Tin Knight from history. Perhaps both could be true.”

That was when Dorothea first asked again.

“You mentioned previously that the records were sparse, but that sounds like it still existed, no?”

“Yes. When I asked my mentor, he showed me a certain fairytale. The content was rather abstract though.”

Long, long ago.

In an era when darkness enveloped the earth.

There was once a very brave knight.

The knight’s arms were made of cold metal, and he never set down his sword.

The knight’s legs were made of cold metal, and he never became weary.

The knight’s head was made of cold metal, and he never slept.

The knight’s heart was made of cold metal, and he never succumbed to despair.

Ah, noble and loyal knight.

When will you ever fall asleep?

All those who have witnessed your nobility have returned to the earth, yet you remain above.

How long until the children of those you protected will still call you a hero?

Long, long ago.

In an era when darkness left the land.

There was once a very sad knight.