Chapter 2

You opened your eyes.

You found yourself sitting in a cramped room with no exits, controlling a ‘character’ in front of a computer.

Right now, you stood on your two legs in a damp, chilly basement.

Every time you clicked the mouse, the character on the screen performed a set action.

When you tensed your shoulders, your right arm swung through the air, while your left hand grasped something.

You were the player outside the screen.

You were the Tin Knight in reality.

Two senses, two perspectives coexisted within you without contradiction.

It was a very strange sensation. It could easily be a terrifying situation, but your feelings registered it as ‘fun.’

You turned your gaze sideways.

A girl was staring at you with a mix of vigilance and suspicion.

She was an exceptionally beautiful girl.

With black hair tied to one side, draping over her shoulder, her face had a round, youthful appearance, but her eyes were a bit sharp.

In her right hand, she held a Wooden Staff. In her left, a chain-linked bracelet and ring. Around her waist, a belt decorated with various pouches, and strange patterns etched into her clothing.

These weren’t just simple fashion statements; they felt like practical equipment.

The design of her outfit was rather flamboyant, yet it didn’t seem like she had entirely given up on looking good.

Having endured quite a rough journey to get here, her body was covered in small wounds and dust.

[The ‘Tin Knight’ acknowledges the appearance of the girl who awakened him!]

A bizarre message popped up on your computer screen/in your mind.

The girl’s expression subtly changed.

You instinctively realized she must have seen the same message as you.

[The ‘Tin Knight’ is intrigued by the ‘Voice of Guidance.’]

The Voice of Guidance. It seemed to refer to this notification-like thing.

You presumed it was some kind of game system, but the girl’s thoughts seemed different.

Her gaze was fixed on the brooch near your neck.

“A magical device indicating the status or intent of a Magical Automaton? Quite unique.”

The girl looked like she had a lot to say, but unfortunately, the situation didn’t allow for leisurely conversation.

Sounds of footsteps echoed from beyond the storage door.

A ruckus was drawing closer to the two of you.

“Hey, you! I revived you, so at least help me out a bit!”

The girl pleaded with you.

However, you were already racing towards the door before she could finish.

Crash!

***

Before her words could even finish, Dorothea watched the rushing Tin Knight in a daze.

With a body slam, the Tin Knight knocked down both the storage door and the Tracker beyond it, then immediately swung a fist at another nearby Tracker without an ounce of hesitation.

The collision of metal and flesh produced a brutal sound.

A man howled, clutching his crushed nose.

Unmercifully, the Tin Knight followed up with a second strike.

With a right-angled elbow to the head, the Tracker’s neck snapped, rendering him motionless.

The Tracker who had fallen out of the door attempted to get up, but as the Tin Knight approached and stomped down, his head burst like an apple.

Bang!

A knife thrown by one of the Trackers clanged against the Tin Knight’s body, producing a sharp sound.

What had felt like a death threat to Dorothea was merely a minor inconvenience for the Tin Knight’s metallic body.

The Tin Knight picked up the fallen knife and returned it to its owner.

Of course, he did it by throwing the knife again.

“Gah!”

The Tracker, lacking a body as sturdy as the Tin Knight’s, clutched at his punctured throat, trembling, and slid down the wall.

In barely ten seconds, the Tin Knight had turned three people into corpses; Dorothea watched with an expression of confusion.

‘That Magical Automaton, left to decay in that rundown storage, is moving around like that?’

While Dorothea had poured all her magical power into fixing the flesh, controlling the soul within was a separate issue.

Artificial souls essentially lack individuality.

They are shallow souls meant to execute simple commands from their master, and without continuous new magic or instructions, they soon evaporate.

However, that ‘Tin Knight’ appeared to be a doll that had been abandoned for decades, perhaps even over a century.

The thought that the artificial soul contained within hadn’t dissipated—it seemed utterly implausible.

Unless it really contained a genuine soul…

‘…No, that doesn’t make sense. There’s no way a human soul could linger in a place like this.’

Shaking her head to dispel the thoughts racing through her mind, Dorothea cautiously attempted to communicate with the Tin Knight before her.

“You fight well. Good job. Now, let’s talk a bit. Uh, hey? Wait! Where are you going! Hey!”

[The ‘Tin Knight’ shouts that enemies await him!]

A mysterious message echoed in Dorothea’s mind.

Ignoring the stupefied Dorothea, the Tin Knight charged up the stairs.

It suddenly got noisy above.

The sharp clanging of metal, the sound of something breaking, screams, and threatening shouts.

A cacophony of sounds tickled Dorothea’s ears like a bizarre melody.

Had a street performer played such a tune, they wouldn’t have received a coin but faced a barrage of stones from the audience.

[The ‘Tin Knight’ cheers at the numerous enemies!]

[The ‘Tin Knight’ rips a weapon from a fallen enemy and uses it!]

[The ‘Tin Knight’ exclaims, noticing something glinting on the sword!]

[The ‘Tin Knight’ wonders what genre this is supposed to be!]

Dorothea thought,

“…Is he insane?”

Not just thinking, she spoke it aloud.

The Magical Automaton she revived seemed far from sane.

Honestly, she felt a strong urge to avoid getting further involved, but regrettably, there was only one exit leading out.

[The ‘Tin Knight’ announces he has defeated all enemies!]

Feeling a bit apprehensive, Dorothea carefully climbed the stairs.

The scenery above could only be described as a disaster.

Heads severed, guts spilled, and broken bones—there were easily over a dozen corpses lying about.

Every single one of them bore faces etched with horror and confusion, reflecting the emotions they felt in their final moments.

And amidst them stood a lone Knight—a Tin Knight, to be precise.

In the dim light, the sight of him holding a sword dripping with blood was as somber as it was menacing.

The Tin Knight’s gaze fell on Dorothea.

Without a hint of emotion, his indifferent eyes pierced through her, sending a chill down her spine.

Thinking coldly, she realized she hadn’t yet made a master-servant contract with the Tin Knight.

In other words, depending on the knight’s actions, Dorothea could very well end up like the corpses sprawled around her…

[The ‘Tin Knight’ wonders what his next target might be!]

…Could that be true?

He looked like a seasoned knight who had been through countless trials, yet his actions made him seem like a child, and Dorothea scratched her head in frustration.

With a sigh, she pointed her staff at the Tin Knight.

“First, I need to ask—are you planning to keep helping me from here on out?”

[The ‘Tin Knight’ insists that promises must be kept!]

“I don’t think I made any promises to you.”

[The ‘Tin Knight’ claims it’s a promise with the Old Man!]

“Hrumph.”

Dorothea fell into thought.

She couldn’t understand why, but at least the Tin Knight before her appeared to hold some degree of goodwill toward her.

And the Tin Knight’s high combat ability was also an attractive point for her. Though his frivolous attitude was a bit much.

Given what Dorothea needed to do in the future, she could overlook that much for now.

“Alright, how about we form a contract then?”

Dorothea drew a dagger from her belt and cut her fingertip.

Instead of dropping to the ground, a red droplet of blood floated in the air, forming words.

“First, I provide you with the magical power you need to move your body. In return, you protect me from threats. If you agree, nod your head.”

The Tin Knight shook his head side to side without hesitation.

Dorothea didn’t feel particularly disheartened. Adjusting the details of the contract was the basics.

“Is it the magical power that isn’t enough as payment? Or do you dislike the scope of what constitutes a threat being too broad?”

[The ‘Tin Knight’ asked how it would proceed if you just refused!]

“……”

A vein throbbed on Dorothea’s forehead.

Suppressing the impulse to just smash the stubborn hunk of scrap metal with her staff, she opened her mouth again.

“First, I provide you with the magical power needed to move your body. In return, you protect me from threats. If you agree, nod your head. If you make any more unnecessary comments, I won’t be quiet about it either.”

Whether it was the threat or he was just tired of hearing the same thing (Dorothea placed her bets on the latter), the Tin Knight nodded obediently this time.

In response to the Knight’s agreement, the floating droplets of blood arranged themselves into a sentence.

“Second, whenever I need your power beyond mere escort, I can ask for it. The cost will be decided mutually.”

[The ‘Tin Knight’ asks if he could suggest something first!]

“You? To me? …Well, whatever. Let’s amend it that way then.”

Once more, the droplets of blood shimmered as they shaped another part of the contract.

As Dorothea waved her staff, the blood-crafted contract floated before the Tin Knight’s eyes.

【‘Dorothea Aschengard’ provides the magical power needed for ‘Tin Knight’ to move his body. In return, ‘Tin Knight’ protects ‘Dorothea Aschengard’ from threats.】

【‘Dorothea Aschengard’ and ‘Tin Knight’ may request each other’s additional cooperation as necessary. The cost for cooperation will be decided mutually each time.】

[The ‘Tin Knight’ evaluates the contract as underwhelming for a contract!]

At the Tin Knight’s reaction, Dorothea shrugged.

Typically, a familiar contract would be far more detailed and structured to ensure the ‘master’ dominates the ‘servant.’

In that regard, the contract Dorothea had established lacked much enforcement and was rather loose, but she didn’t mind it much.

“How complicated and grand should a contract be if we barely know each other? Just guarantees that we won’t stab each other’s backs and leave room for future cooperation is all we need.”

[The ‘Tin Knight’ appreciates the straightforwardness!]

[The ‘Tin Knight’ asks what he should do first!]

In response to the Tin Knight’s question, Dorothea looked around at the corpse strewn nearby and said,

“As a witch, you should repay that grudge first.”