“The Magical Kingdom claims the Empire colluded with bandits to invade us.”
“The Empire accuses the Magical Kingdom of sheltering bandits and decimating our troops.”
One incident.
Yet, entirely different narratives.
The more the chaos escalates, the more the discord between the Empire and the Magical Kingdom intensifies, with neither side easily bowing down.
Thus, the most rational solution to prevent war is to bury the incident itself.
“What do I know? I know all about your father’s death! He fought valiantly for the family, only to have his demise concealed by the very hand of the family head—a poor knight indeed!”
“—Minister of Defense. Duke Lenart has commanded that this incident be handled quietly.”
Adelheid felt a pounding in her head.
Although she understood with her mind that this was the quickest way to prevent war, deep within her heart she couldn’t come to terms with the fact that her father’s death and the deaths of Soldier Friedel were left tangled in darkness without proper clarification.
Moreover, the fact that she didn’t know how far to trust the words of both individuals only added to her confusion.
As if to support Adel, Dorothea asked, “Wait, you said the Duke issued a gag order?”
“I didn’t hear it directly from the Duke, but at least the official document I received was under his name.”
“What is this, playing word games? And that little brat who was blabbering about it in the middle of the street—was that really a command from the Duke, or is it just a trifling matter?”
“That can’t be!”
Norman shook his head as if it was ridiculous.
“They say the position of the chief instructor at Lenart Dojo is equivalent to a Count of the Empire, but even I would have to step down at a single word from him. However… the lady you all met is quite the exception. She is the last daughter left by the Duke’s brother before his death.”
Having the deceased family head’s direct bloodline, the girl held legitimacy.
The blatant support of the Senate, which subtly opposes the family head.
And the talent that is anticipated to be the next generation’s strongest in the Lenart family.
With three factors that are difficult to touch upon separately, Norman stated there was power enough to smooth over even considerable incidents.
Norman’s explanation continued in quite the detail afterwards.
He shared how Duke Lenart, the current head and third son, had fiercely competed with the firstborn, who had no children, thus the Duke had become the chosen one.
It was only just six months after the succession when a daughter was born to the firstborn and his wife, and he had requested a rematch using that as an opportunity.
Yet, with the firstborn dying unexpectedly during the preparation phase, chaos ensued within the Duke’s household, resulting in the girl becoming a counterpick that the Duke couldn’t easily touch.
Such stories, which could easily lead to scandal if leaked outside, were being recounted by Norman with remarkable composure.
Whether this was due to sympathy or goodwill toward Adelheid, or perhaps stemming from resentment toward Hilda, was unclear.
However, just how much Norman’s risky actions resonated with the group was questionable.
[‘The Tin Knight’ gets it all!]
[‘The Tin Knight’ is saying, isn’t this just an ordinary noble family?]
…The progress made wasn’t significant at all.
To be fair, alleviating the murderous intent of a certain Black Witch, who had been contemplating whether to send Adelheid to the Magical Tower, provided some minimal reward.
After finishing their conversation and leaving the dojo, Dorothea asked Adel, “So, what now?”
“…I don’t know.”
Adelheid answered in a dispirited tone.
“Everyone’s saying different things, so I can’t figure out what’s fact and what’s fiction. I don’t know whom to blame, whom to question, or what to do first.”
The only connection Adel had from her family was Maris, but she was the daughter of Duke Lenart.
She would undoubtedly continue the tale in favor of the Duke, and even if she sincerely helped Adelheid, Adel had no guarantee that her knowledge wouldn’t be distorted.
It felt like searching for an elusive ‘something’ in the vast desert of sand, with neither shape nor form, draining the energy from Adel.
[‘The Tin Knight’ says when you can’t trust others, it’s best to go out and investigate yourself!]
[‘The Tin Knight’ encourages the apprentice by saying their quest route isn’t poorly placed!]
With a pat on the back from the Tin Knight, things felt like they were beginning to shape up.
Considering that the Tin Knight was made of metal, this gesture was somewhat dangerous, but given that Adel was no ordinary human either, their balance held up fine.
[‘The Tin Knight’ suggests checking out the location where the event occurred!]
“But, the incident is already over. Are you maybe thinking of asking around in the nearby villages?”
At Adel’s response, the Tin Knight shook his head vigorously.
And silently pointed to Dorothea.
[‘The Tin Knight’ states that even if the living are silent, the dead have much to say!]
Then he pointed to Sophia.
[‘The Tin Knight’ suggests there’s no better confirmation method than witnessing the past firsthand!]
“…Ah.”
Adel opened her mouth in realization.
That’s right. Approaching countless people, building trust, collecting information, and verifying its truth.
Such ‘textbook intelligence gathering’ was unnecessary for their group.
After all, their activities had been far closer to that of villains than a hero party.
Dorothea and Sophia also displayed positive reactions.
“Well, next on our path is the Tower of Control. We can swing by on the way.”
“Thanks to my extensive experience at the Tower of Prophecy, I feel my proficiency has increased quite a bit, so I should be able to adjust the information I’m looking for.”
“You guys…!”
Adel’s eyes welled up with tears.
It was a mix of trust and joy toward her dependable colleagues.
[‘The Tin Knight’ thinks to add a special training course to beat that royal brat!]
[‘The Tin Knight’ reflects on how Adel’s recent growth has been so impressive that he feels he has been slacking off!]
Adel’s tears vanished.
She certainly regretted her laziness and complacency before meeting the Tin Knight, but undeniably since meeting him, she had never slackened off.
Even now, a significant part of her time was filled with training, and more?
“Um, Knight? I’ve already filled all my free time with training; how do you expect me to add more?”
Despite Adelheid’s desperate efforts, adding 48 hours worth of training into a single 24-hour day was physically impossible.
“Ah, well, I can help with that.”
Having been out of the conversation, Gale, who hadn’t been directly involved in the recent incident, stepped forward.
In her hand was a certain book.
Dorothea’s expression reflected recognition.
“Hey, did the purification process finish?”
“Yes. Without the wards from the library and other magical books, it’ll be hard to create a world with substance like before, but I can temporarily transfer consciousness to the world within the book with the subject’s consent. If we tweak the story’s setting, we could manifest various environments.”
Adelheid was finally hit with a sense of ominousness as she realized the book Gale held was the very one that had tormented her back at the library, which had turned black due to Dorothea’s rampage.
The Tin Knight placed a hand on Adel’s shoulder.
[‘The Tin Knight’ declares that he will reduce training time and increase intensity instead!]
[‘The Tin Knight’ suggests that when exhausted to the point of immobility, she could train mentally in the book instead!]
[‘The Tin Knight’ reassures that the mental aspect can use time acceleration, so training for 48 hours or even more is possible!]
[‘The Tin Knight’ insists he won’t moan about why her growth is slow, given he’s stifled her growth opportunities themselves!]
[‘The Tin Knight’ cheers Adelheid on, saying she can do it!]
Adelheid was briefly at a loss for words.
Suddenly, Hilda von Lenart’s words came to mind.
She had once said that if everyone’s qualities are equal, what’s left is how much effort you put in.
‘With plenty of time, I can fill the gaps I’ve been lacking.’
“Ha, haha, hahah!”
With a somewhat vacant expression, Adel laughed.
Seeing his eager apprentice, the Tin Knight smiled back.
Truly, it was a heartwarming master-apprentice relationship.
![[TS] The End of Magical Girls Has Come](https://i3.wp.com/darkmtl.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/1737407792-8993-TS-The-end-of-magical-girls-has-come.png?resize=85,105 "[TS] The End of Magical Girls Has Come")
