Chapter 195

#195 Episode: The Tin Knight and the Crossroads of Sword and Magic (5)

Dorothea frowned, clearly displeased.

“It’s an unpleasant fairy tale.”

“It is a bit, isn’t it? There’s no clear ending mentioned, so that makes it even more unsettling.”

“Was there no other material?”

“At least the only material I received was that. My master seemed to know something more but was oddly cautious in his words. Do you know what he said?”

“How would I know if I didn’t hear it? Stop dragging it out and just tell me.”

Clearing her throat softly, Gale spoke as if mimicking someone.

—I don’t know. And if I speak carelessly about things I don’t understand, the East will get angry.

The tone she used to mimic the legendary Great Witch lacked any sense of majesty, but Dorothea couldn’t afford to care about that.

What actually caught her attention was something else.

“East?”

“Yes. The only person I can think of that might provoke my master’s caution is the East Witch. In other words, Dorothea, your master.”

“My master has a connection with this guy?”

Dorothea fell into a moment of thought.

It wasn’t the kind of nonsensical conjecture one might dismiss outright.

Her master was someone whose age was unfathomable, a prominent figure in the eastern continent.

The Great Witch, who had been residing in the eastern continent for eons.

The Tin Knight, who had been sleeping in an ancient castle in the eastern continent.

When you line it up like this, it feels more natural to assume there are at least a couple of connections between the two rather than none.

However…

“Nevertheless, this guy seemed to know nothing about my master, did he?”

That being said, they had traveled together for quite a long time.

Dorothea hadn’t been blabbing about her master to her colleagues, but she also hadn’t been overly secretive about it.

And every time the East Witch came up, the reaction of the Tin Knight was far too unfamiliar to be one that indicated he was dealing with an acquaintance.

“Well, that’s one way to speculate about it.”

Gale calmly laid out a series of theories.

The Tin Knight was unaware, but the East Witch knew him one-sidedly.

They knew each other, but the Tin Knight didn’t realize his counterpart was the “East Witch.”

Or perhaps they genuinely had no ties, and the North Witch mistook something.

Or maybe the Tin Knight simply forgot about the East Witch.

“I originally guessed the last one. That must be the case, as a human soul doesn’t endure for long. Depending on the surrounding environment or the will and spirit they hold just before dying, there might be some variation, but normally, after about 10 years post-death, it typically fades away, and if it manages to endure, it goes mad, or so it is written in books. Ah, is talking about this in front of a soul expert the same as showing off in front of a caterpillar?”

“Hey, wait a second.”

Dorothea hurriedly interrupted Gale and then, with difficulty, managed to say something while covering her eyes with her hand.

“Did you realize that what’s inside this guy is a human soul?”

“Well, I had been guessing it for a while. It’s obvious that this guy has been operational for at least 800 years. Maybe even around 1000? And back in those days, neither the Tower of Guardian nor the artificial souls developed by it existed. So, what else could it be?”

Gale shrugged exaggeratedly.

“More than anything, given that you entrusted this modification work to me, you must have been prepared to get caught, Dorothea.”

“…Tch.”

Gale’s conjecture was only partially correct.

While many had observed the Tin Knight back in TikTok, only Smith had recognized that particular detail, so they might just let it pass depending on Gale’s skills.

“So? Continue what you were saying.”

“Um, so, if it’s a magical automaton that has endured for such a long time, and especially if it contains a human soul, honestly, I thought it wouldn’t be strange for it to be a bit mad. Losing bits of memory is rather tame in comparison. However, these days, traveling with you all, I came up with another theory.”

Gale carefully touched the core of the magical automaton, as if examining where a “normal” magical automaton’s artificial soul would be.

“If this theory holds, it would also explain why the Tin Knight doesn’t know the East Witch and why the state of his soul seems much better than his physical condition.”

Snap!

As Gale snapped her fingers, a small magical symbol floated in the air, illuminating the core with light.

Dorothea realized that the light wasn’t just any light, but the kind meant to shine on the unseen soul, yet she didn’t grasp its intent.

However, a moment later, Dorothea’s eyes widened.

Inside the core was empty.

Only the faint traces of something, like threads whose origins couldn’t be traced, remained.

—If the soul that is or “was just in there” is different from the “Knight” in the story…

***

Receiving a letter at Lenart Dojo, on the way to the magical tower.

Adelheid realized.

‘I’m being watched.’

It wasn’t that she was being followed in the truest sense.

Rather, it was that following was unnecessary.

The “eyes” of the other party were watching the entire city at all times.

Whoosh.

The southern watchtower, which had been visible when she first entered the city, showcased a bird made of flames flapping its wings on top.

Crrrack.

The second watchtower in the northwest had a bird emanating electric currents from its whole body with piercing eyes.

Shh.

The third watchtower in the northeast had a bird quietly preening its feathers while exhaling a faint chill.

At the center of the city stood the Tower of Annihilation. Branching out from it, three watchtowers were positioned in a Y-shape, guarded by bird-like spirits.

Adelheid realized her misunderstanding.

The watchtowers, and the birds atop them, weren’t there to watch over outsiders.

Well, they might usually keep an eye out for intruders, but at least not in this moment.

That was only natural, as she could distinctly feel the spirits’ gazes directed toward her with each step closer to the Tower of Annihilation.

To be specific, only one fiery bird was staring intently at her and Sophia, while the electric and ice birds didn’t seem to pay much attention at all.

“Hmm, this is peculiar. I feel a growing sense of pressure in my chest.”

Sophia tilted her head beside her.

She too seemed to slowly sense the intensifying oppression, yet she appeared unaware of its source.

“Sophia, the truth is…”

Adel spoke of the spirits to Sophia, who replied with an “Aha” sound.

“Indeed, feeling ‘the pressure as if standing before a great beast’ was quite literal. Although, I can only really tell that there’s something up at the top when looking at the watchtowers.”

In fact, it wasn’t that Sophia was dull, but rather Adel was excessively sensitive.

Originally enhancing her extraordinary senses with magic, and then further enhancing them with Amaryllis’s belt, Adelheid’s detection ability had surpassed even the capabilities of average skilled practitioners.

If one were to express it like the Tin Knight, while others were doing A*B, she was operating on A*B*C by herself.

“How did they figure out we have the letter? Are they perhaps listening to our conversation right now?”

“Well, I can’t be sure since I don’t have extensive knowledge about spirits, but I doubt they know about the letter just yet. They’re just paying close attention to all who enter and exit Lenart Dojo. Among them, they’re applying pressure to those heading to the tower.”

Both were lost in thought.

The mysterious fainting incidents. It was good that they found out the cause, but they had no proper means to counter it.

“Well, what should we do? I have a feeling it would be quite tough to take that spirit down by myself. The quality is different from the other street spirits, or perhaps I should say, the scale is bigger.”

While the bird spirits didn’t display any overt hostility toward Adelheid, simply their presence emanated considerable oppressive force.

Whereas usual spirits are connected to a mage one-on-one, it felt like those birds were connected not to an individual mage but rather to this land, specifically to the Tower of Annihilation itself.

“Ah, but if Sophia is by my side to help, I might at least be able to manage one…”

The reason Adel’s statement trailed into a question was due to the peculiar gaze from Sophia beside her.

Wait, what? Adel momentarily panicked.

“Did I say something strange?”

“No, it just makes me think of how typical it is for a student of the Tin Knight. When faced with an obstacle that disrupts the tower’s guardians, usually, one wouldn’t think of ‘taking them down.’”

“Ah.”

Adel suddenly felt a realization hit her.

By the time she knew, her mindset had been altered to one where if something was in the way, she would just take it down.

“P-please forget what I just said…”

With her head bowed low, Adel blushed.

Thinking about it, as a peace emissary trying to deliver a letter, attacking spirits managed by the tower wouldn’t be the right approach at all.

“Well, we could also join up with Dorothea first and seek her assistance.”

As Sophia suggested this, Adelheid shook her head.

“They will be busy with modifications. More than anything, this is a process for me to prove whether I have the capability as an heir, so I’d prefer to handle it on my own if possible.”

“Then, our remaining option is a head-on attack. It may not be of great help, but I’ll accompany you.”

Now that the decision was made, all that was left was to execute it.

Adel and Sophia headed towards the Tower of Annihilation, and as they got closer, they felt a heavy sensation pressing down on them as if something immense were weighing on them.

However, it was not pressure to the point of being unbearable.

Adel approached the main gate of the tower.

Unlike the Tower of Prophecy, what stood guard at the entrance wasn’t a person but a spirit formed of sand.

Adelheid bowed her head in greeting toward the spirit.

“I’ve come bringing a message from Lenart Dojo.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, the pressure on her body doubled.

Not just the fiery spirit that had been watching her since the beginning, but even the previously distracted electric spirit turned its gaze toward Adelheid, glaring at her.

Adel felt a tingling sensation in her fingers and toes, while Sophia’s expression remained unchanged, though her breath noticeably became shallower.

After roughly ten seconds of silence, the sand spirit silently nodded and then dropped one of its arms to the ground.

The fallen arm seemed to slip through the gap beneath the main gate, as if it had a will of its own.

And then, time passed in a waiting silence.

The pressure did not ease or become familiar, but rather seemed to intensify, yet Adelheid maintained her composure.

The spirits were undeniably strong.

If one only assessed their sheer power, they could easily rank among the strongest she had encountered so far.

However, that was all there was to it.

‘After all, I’m not being directly attacked.’

No matter how imposing and intense the pressure was, Adel had undergone a considerable journey beforehand that had strengthened her resilience.

Although a primal instinct reminiscent of an animal urged her to flee, Adel understood.

This isn’t a true warning; it’s merely a sensation elicited by the opponent from their end.

It wouldn’t be overwhelming enough to break her when she knew the identity of her opponent, their location, and that they weren’t attacking her at all.

A short while later.

The main gate creaked open, revealing a robed wizard.

“I’ve been informed that you come from Lenart Dojo. What is your business?”

His tone was calm but, as a result, the underlying arrogance and vigilance in his voice was palpable.

Just as Adel was about to speak, the ice spirit from the third watchtower focused its attention on her.

Kuwuung!

If the pressure enveloping Adel were to be given physical form, one could imagine a massive crater forming around her.

It was something the Tin Knight had tried to teach her, but it was a technique she couldn’t yet grasp—using martial skills to overpower an opponent.

“Huuh.”

Adel took a deep breath, exhaling slowly.

She noticed that Sophia next to her had been holding her breath since earlier, which made her feel slightly anxious, though upon thinking, worrying about that against someone like her was pointless.

Adelheid braced her stomach, presenting a noble lady’s smile as she spoke.

“I bring a letter from the representative instructor of the Lenart Dojo, Norman von Lenart. Please deliver it to the master of the Tower of Annihilation.”

The wizard stared blankly at the letter she offered.

Beneath the stoic facade, emotion—confusion and discontent, as well as a hint of astonishment and respect—clearly played across his features.

“—I will ensure it is delivered.”

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