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Chapter 197



#197 The Tin Knight and the Crossroads of Sword and Magic (7)

“If I succeed in earning the name of the strongest Lenart, gathering the title of the strongest in the Empire will be like picking up stones from the ground.”

“Ranking in the top 100 within the family is harder than becoming the strongest in a single territory.”

This was one of the jokes passed down in the Lenart family.

One could think of it as arrogance.

Even the 100th ranked warrior in the Lenart family boasted that they could become the strongest without issue in other territories.

However, while it may have had a hint of exaggeration, it wasn’t baseless nonsense.

Exceptional innate physical attributes. Outstanding magical control. Stamina that doesn’t easily tire and resistance to diseases and poisons.

Having even one of these traits could qualify one as a warrior, and the Lion Duke’s Bloodline was characterized by having them all from the start.

The Empire was vast, and while there were indeed geniuses comparable to the Lion Duke’s Bloodline, no other group displayed a minimum level of skill matching that of a guardian of a castle, which is akin to a knight in other territories, like the Lion Duke’s Bloodline.

However, in some sense, this could also be a shackle.

Even if one scored 99 on a test, if everyone else got 100, they would still be the bottom of the ranks according to relative evaluation.

In an extreme leveling up where geniuses are treated as average, and the average are treated as substandard, standing out even more would require something remarkably special.

Currently in Lenart, only three individuals were regarded as such ‘special’ beings.

Before the rise of the Ironblood Emperor. The Lion of Nemea Castle, who had traversed the battlefield during the most intense era of conflict between the Empire and the Magical Kingdom.

The Ironblood Emperor’s reign period. The Duke of Lenart’s escort knight, who single-handedly repelled all challenges from the military and the royal knights opposing the long rule of the Lenart family.

And lastly, the prodigy known for breaking all records for youngest milestones, who is evaluated as someone who could possibly contend for the title of the strongest in the family within ten years—

“Ahahahahaha!”

—this reckless child was just as famous for her outrageous personality.

Kaang! Kakang!

Every clash of swords ignited dazzling sparks like flowers bursting into bloom.

The trajectory of the slicing attacks through the air was so incredibly swift and beautiful that the air, realizing it had been cut, seemed to freeze for a moment before belatedly reacting with a pressure wave a few beats later.

A furious, intense, and noisy dance of swords.

In the midst of this, Adelheid was privately in shock.

Even though she was surprised in a mentally unstable state, her body nearly reflexively swung at someone’s neck.

The identity of the girl calmly meeting swords in front of her, the concern that battles shouldn’t unfold right in the city center—

Such ‘leisurely’ worries had vanished mere seconds after the start of the fight.

The single emotion filling Adelheid’s heart now was just one:

‘…So strong! To an absurd level!’

All she could do was marvel at the strength the girl was exhibiting right before her eyes.

Paat!

As Adel swung both her swords, the girl gracefully leaned back, dodging the attack.

In a precarious posture, as if she would fall headfirst any moment, the girl suddenly stood up as if her feet were glued to the ground and aimed for Adel’s neck with renewed vigor.

Though she narrowly avoided getting her neck cut, a red line was drawn across her cheek instead.

But Adel wasn’t the type to just take it; using her right foot as a pivot, she attempted to kick the girl with her left foot, yet the girl spun her body instead of absorbing the shock, extending her sword from the air this time.

While the blade itself was avoided, the cutting force trailing from it threaded through Adel’s hair.

An unconventional and boundary-defying swordplay. Overwhelming flexibility and agility. Unfettered magical control as if it were an extension of her limbs.

In terms of speed and power, Adel had the upper hand, but the gap wasn’t very large.

The girl’s casual dismissal of Adel’s two-handed sword strikes with one hand didn’t seem to indicate any inferiority.

Adel was capable of hurling a knight in full armor like a skipping stone when swinging her sword like a blunt object without properly calculating the angle.

Blocking such an attack with one hand would be impossible unless one’s fundamental physical abilities were outstanding.

Taking into account that Adel was bolstered by ‘Amaryllis’s Belt,’ it meant that aside from that belt, the girl possessed overwhelming basic abilities.

Despite that, she wasn’t quite at the level of the Tin Knight or the White Knight backed by Gale, but considering that the girl appeared to be around the same age as Adel, her strength was indeed absurd.

‘How much training has she undergone!’

“How much have you been slacking off?”

Though similar in context, the feelings were entirely opposite.

Creak, creak.

In a position where their faces nearly touched, with swords pushing against each other, the girl conversed with a familiar attitude.

“You’ll see. You’re like me. You’re not like that old man from Nemea Castle, neither a talentless person who achieved his status solely through hard work, nor a lazy one specialized in killing. You’re just the type born with everything from the start.”

“What do you mean…!”

Adel tried to push her sword forward, but against her will, it wouldn’t budge.

It felt as if the more strength she exerted, the more her sword was directed elsewhere.

“If our talents are equal, then what’s left is just the difference in training. You seem to have put in quite a bit of effort in a short time, but your start was too late. What a shame. If you had been learning properly since a young age, you’d be doing much better than now.”

The blade embedded in the words the girl spoke ravaged deeply through the already troubled heart of Adel.

The Tin Knight and Dorothea. Before leaving with those two.

The territory was deteriorating day by day with nothing she could do, and the actions she thought were best ended up leading to the worst outcomes, leading her to be captured and helplessly at the mercy of a mere thief.

Because of her strong father, having a trusted older brother, she had merely acted spoiled as the ‘cute little lady’ instead of making an effort.

If she hadn’t done that.

If she had tried harder from long ago. Something might have changed. She might have been able to help.

Regrets, long too overdue.

“You, what do you…”

Suddenly.

Her formerly brown hair began to slowly reclaim its golden hue from the roots.

Her rippling eyes filled with a deep purple as emotions surged within her.

“What could you possibly know about this…!!”

Fwoosh!

Golden magical energy surrounded Adel’s body, assuming the shape of flames.

Within it, blue lightning-like magical energy gradually began to bloom.

Quack!

Unable to endure the sudden surge of pressure, the ground beneath Adel crumbled away.

The sword aura flowing from her twin swords visibly intensified in might.

Wounds all over her body began to heal rapidly.

Magical energy, physical abilities. Perhaps even beyond that.

All elements constituting Adel began to amplify and strengthen all at once.

KRA-KOOM!!

The sudden increase of Adel’s powers sent the girl flying backward.

Whether it was the remnants of the sword aura she hadn’t been able to release in time or the shockwave tearing through her, the girl who until now had no visible wounds was now covered in blood.

Yet the reckless girl’s lips held a smile that wouldn’t fade.

“What do you mean, what do I know? At least I know well about your father’s death! He fought his hardest for the family, only to have his death concealed by the hands of the family head! Poor knight!”

“What, what are you, ugh!?”

Adel’s retort was cut short.

The girl’s sword, having rushed in like the wind, was poised to bring down a fierce strike on Adel’s head.

KRA-KA-KOOM!

A powerful shockwave, similar to, if not greater than, the one that happened when Adel sent the girl flying, erupted.

Purple lightning-like magic radiated from the girl as well.

The overall surge in her abilities was likewise tremendous.

Clang! Ka-Kang! Prrrck! Kooooom!

As the two lions growled and clawed at one another, the surrounding terrain was either slashed or shattered.

While it appeared that both parties were evenly matched, both Adelheid and the reckless girl realized that it was far from reality.

The reckless girl’s purple lightning maintained a perfectly stable and consistent output, while Adel’s lightning fluctuated wildly—at times becoming fierce enough to strike the girl in the gut, at other times vanishing without a trace.

More crucially, it was decisive that Adel couldn’t control her output at will.

Even though Adel had received thorough training from the Tin Knight regarding the nuances of magical control, she found this purple energy impossible to manage with what she had learned until now.

At times when she should unleash a fierce attack, the lightning would suddenly dwindle, and when she needed to leap off the ground, the output would surge, throwing her off balance, making an uncontrollable force close to being detrimental.

*BANG!*

Eventually, after not lasting long, Adel’s twin swords were flung into the air, and just as the girl attempted to strike down on Adel’s exposed self—

Dada-dak!

The Bone Mouse, hidden in the gaps of Adel’s clothing, suddenly launched itself toward the reckless girl’s face.

And right after, the Bone Mouse’s body exploded.

KA-BOOM!

Caught off guard by the sudden explosion, Adel was pushed backward and rolled on the ground.

The reckless girl fared even worse; while she mitigated direct injuries from the blast, she seemed unable to counter the scattered curses and wore them like a shroud.

The girl’s face grimaced as her complexion noticeably worsened.

Despite the golden and violet magical energies wrapping around her trying to consume the curse, it seemed she would soon revive, but that brief opening was more than enough for those who had long been waiting for a chance amidst the vicious battle.

“Lady Adelheid! Are you alright? Step back!”

“Miss Hilda, that’s enough. There are too many eyes on us.”

Surrounding Adel were Norman and others from the Trudvangar branch.

And around the reckless girl, Hilda von Lenart, were about twenty knights who looked sufficiently skilled, forming a standoff.

Seeing Adel supported by Sophia while Norman stood in front of her, one knight from Hilda’s side frowned and spoke up.

“Really? You’re siding with that branch? That one just swung a sword without warning after merely conversing with the girl!”

Despite the knight’s threatening demeanor, Norman remained calm in his response.

“Well, it seems a bit different from what I heard from our staff. You surely know what giving space to a warrior means? Saying that she just struck from behind without warning is somewhat misguided. Besides, it was Miss Hilda who chose to escalate what could have ended with just a warning into a fight, wasn’t it?”

“Hey, Norman!”

“Aah, enough! Enough! Let’s quit with the petty arguments.”

Hilda rose to her feet, halting the knight who was about to charge forth.

She must have erased all curses by now, as her complexion was back to normal.

“Though caught off guard, not finishing the battle is a sign of loss, so this will count as your victory. It was actually quite fun regardless of everything.”

Adel was left dumbfounded at her very casual tone.

Even in her friendly smile, there was only discomfort rather than delight.

Her self-centered and utterly reckless way of thinking and behavior certainly fell short of the term ‘reckless.’

To be honest, she wasn’t someone Adel really wanted to engage with, but she still had questions for Hilda.

“Wait! What exactly did you mean by that? The head of the Lenart family was the one who concealed my father’s death?!”

“Exactly as I said. Even amidst voices within the family demanding revenge, it was the Duke of Lenart who buried that. Well, you could always directly ask him for the reason.”

With that, as if she had said all that was needed, Hilda and her knights departed without a backward glance.

Adelheid stood there dazed for a moment before her legs buckled, and she plopped down onto the ground.

For her, it had truly been a disastrous day.


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I Became a Tin Knight

I Became a Tin Knight

Status: Ongoing

「You see before you a tin knight, flecked with rust.」

「To this stranger, to this unfamiliar soul, yes, to none other than ‘you’, the knight makes a request.」

「You can choose to accept the knight’s request and write a new story, or ignore it and refuse.」

「So, what will you do?」

「1. Begin the story.」

「2. Do not begin.」

A Wicked Witch, trailed by vengeful spirits and curses.

“Hey, Tin Can! Did I not tell you to stop causing trouble?!”

A Courageous Lion, descended from the bloodline of a hero.

“Uh, no matter what, this seems like a bit much, no? Huh? Whatever doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger? Um, Sir Knight? Sir Knight!?”

A Scarecrow, sealed away for pursuing forbidden knowledge.

“Despite appearances, I’m quite capable from the shoulders up. Below that, you say? Let’s see, if I had to give a cold self-assessment… perhaps an emergency shield?”

A Solitary Tin Knight, forever barred from human warmth.

[The ‘Tin Knight’ urges everyone to initiate the boss battle, saying the cut scene is over!]

This is a cruel, fairytale-like adventure story told by twisted protagonists.

…Maybe!

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