Chapter 202

#202 Episode: Little Lion and the Memory Room

One fine day, a flying monkey came to visit Dorothea’s group, coincidentally the very day that Adel had decided to start her training.

Was it the effect of the one-eyed magical device hanging around its neck, or was this monkey simply a chatterbox? Either way, it bowed respectfully.

**”A letter from my new master Franka, to be delivered to you, Lady Dorothea.”**

With a suspicious look, Dorothea took the letter the monkey handed over and asked,

“By the way, how did you know where to find me?”

**”With some help from the Sky Island scholars, I calculated the approximate current location, and for the missing parts, I borrowed the power of this.”**

The monkey pulled out an animal compass, similar to the one Dorothea and Gale had.

Seeing the monkey handle such a precious object so casually was baffling to Dorothea, but her curiosity piqued at what the letter might contain if it was delivered with such effort.

The letter was typically Franka; filled with all sorts of embellishments and arrogance, but if you strip it down to the core, it basically said:

[As previously discussed, we are currently integrating various factions within the West Witch’s workshop. However, due to the necromantic structures left by those factions, some local forces have become religious, making it difficult to assimilate them. To resolve this, I request that the leader of that faction be given a ‘name.’]

“…What kind of nonsense is this?”

Dorothea was at a loss for words.

She could guess what the ‘necromantic structures’ were.

She was probably talking about that ridiculous society of those silly creatures, whatever they were called, that she’d tossed aside after they became a nuisance, simply tossing them the leftovers to use as makeshift items.

But a religion sprang up because of that? And the leader wanted her to name him?

She wanted to grab Franka by the collar and demand what bizarre happenings were going on over there, but with plenty to do up north, heading west was out of the question.

Ignoring it felt tempting, but when she saw the phrase [if this is refused, the contract regarding the inheritance of the West Witch’s legacy and the revenue obtained from it cannot be properly executed], she thought better of it.

She wasn’t about to give up on the passive income, especially after having developed a taste for a new carriage.

“Hmmm, looks like you’ve been busy with some interesting stuff, huh?”

“…Hey, can you stop leaning in?”

Gale, who had somehow crept up beside her, peeked over her shoulder to steal a glance at the letter.

Dorothea felt annoyed at Gale being so close, but Gale remained unfazed.

“Naming a kid, huh? Congratulations on becoming a mom at an early age, Dorothea. Oh, but I guess that’s not particularly early by rural standards, is it?”

Vroom!

Dorothea tried to swat Gale’s face with her palm, but Gale easily swayed back like it was nothing.

Before meeting the Tin Knight, Dorothea had walked alone and had some knowledge of martial arts, but it was more of a minor self-defense level.

Her skills were far too low to face Gale, who was better than a skilled warrior in unarmed combat.

Dorothea growled.

“Are you trying to babble some nonsense next to me or what?!”

“If you don’t like ‘mom,’ we can go with ‘godmother’ instead. So, what will you name them?”

Ignoring the attack, Gale remained nonchalant, leaving Dorothea to grimace and sigh.

“I dunno, I’ll just throw a few suggestions and let them pick.”

“Well, if you do that, won’t you just get asked, ‘Which name should I choose from these?’”

“Tch.”

Dorothea seemed to ponder for a moment, then suddenly waved her right hand.

With the power of Hyden’s gloves, a book materialized from thin air and dropped onto her lap.

The book was rather shabby, bound with a simple string without a proper cover.

“What’s that?” Gale asked.

“That’s something Sophia wrote herself, trying to make a book that even that guy can read. She reportedly collected a bunch of fairy tales and folktales to make it easier to learn how to write.”

While the Tin Knight wasn’t exactly the best teacher around, Sophia’s learning ability was impressive enough to cover for it.

The ‘message’ ability conveyed sheer will, and Sophia was now adeptly handling the new letters the Tin Knight had taught her.

Dorothea, a witch who had also grasped various scripts and languages, had skimmed it once but found the writing entirely different from anything she had known.

Lost in thought about the mysterious script and the identity of the Tin Knight, Dorothea soon shook off the contemplation.

There were things to do for now.

As she scanned the book with both languages side by side, she eventually paused on a certain page.

“I can just lift this from here.”

“Isn’t it a bit too easy?”

“If you have complaints, then name it yourself.”

“Naming has historically been an honorable role. You shouldn’t steal someone else’s honor.”

Despite grumbling about her cleverness, Dorothea took out fresh paper and a pen, wrote something down, and handed it to the Golden Monkey.

The monkey accepted the letter politely before flapping its wings and flying up into the sky.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Dorothea turned her gaze toward the open area beyond.

The ringing of metal and the sounds of bloodshed echoed continuously.

Watching a battle so fierce that passersby might mistake it for the real deal, Dorothea soon stood up.

“…Maybe I should make some food.”

“Oh, that onion soup you made last time was delicious.”

“Just eat whatever I give you, or you can help out too.”

***

Divine power heals the human body.

And training that uses the body often comes with a risk of injury.

In that sense, the thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be great to have a priest waiting beside the training grounds so I can get healed with holy magic every time I train?’ isn’t that uncommon.

However, such a common idea rarely comes to fruition, primarily due to the massive gap between supply and demand.

Almost all priests on the continent belonged to the Holy Kingdom, and the few sent out to the surface were too busy tending to the nobility of various countries.

You might wonder if they don’t have time, given that people don’t catch new diseases every day, but even if there weren’t serious issues, the need for divine power was always in surplus.

Just by receiving divine power, aging slows down, and it can also help with symptoms that aren’t quite serious enough to be termed illnesses, like shoulder stiffness or mild chills.

Even if it’s not used for such condition control, people tend to keep a reserve of divine power against unexpected situations where their or their family’s health might decline, making it seem almost fictional that one would use divine power for training.

Unless, of course, the person training is part of the local high-ups or their direct descendants.

However, despite enjoying such luxuries, Adel found no joy whatsoever.

Why? Because her master was an expert at pushing someone to their limits.

If a person has 100 stamina, they’ll use up 99 of it; giving a recovery item to such a person, the result was predictable.

**[“The Tin Knight says your attacks are too lax!”]**

**[“The Tin Knight emphasizes the importance of evading your opponent’s attacks, but warns that focusing too much on defense allows your adversary the freedom to act, ultimately increasing your risk!”]**

‘I understand what you’re saying…!’

The execution of all that was far easier said than done, and Adel inwardly grumbled.

Not voicing her complaints was partly due to catching her breath, but primarily because she had to block the incoming sword of the Tin Knight, which was coming at her like it wanted to cleave her in two.

Clang!

Adel gripped her sword with both hands against the one wielded with a single hand by the Tin Knight.

Yet, despite her might, her blade was sent sliding away, and the force of an attack made her arm cut and bleed.

This was no mere test of pure strength.

From repeating training and getting accustomed to boosting their stamina, Adel already had physical specs that easily surpassed those of the Tin Knight.

However, every time their swords clashed, it was Adel who got pushed back and injured.

The reason was clear.

‘Space.’

Swinging a bat freely in a vast area is entirely different from doing so in a confined space.

The power behind extending your punch with your whole body compared to being stuck in a fixed position and extending just your arm is also dramatically different.

The Tin Knight perfectly anticipated the gaps in spacing, position, and timing that prevented Adel from utilizing the ‘strength’ in her body, and though she sought to escape it, her attempts consistently failed.

There were three methods to overcome this situation.

One was to use a technique to catch the opponent off guard, but that was out of the question against the Tin Knight.

Two was to risk injury and thrust forward to disrupt the flow, but it only led to more damage to Adel as the Tin Knight effortlessly countered.

Ultimately, only one choice remained.

Boost the advantage of the specifications she already had, widening the gap beyond technique’s reach.

Bang!

Purple lightning-like magical power surged from Adel’s body.

In the next moment, Adel moved as if fast-forwarded.

Boom!

For the first time, the Tin Knight’s body was pushed back as he continued forward.

And before the Tin Knight’s feet could touch the ground again, Adel unleashed a flurry of strikes, aiming to overwhelm him.

**[“The Tin Knight expresses admiration at your fierce attack!”]**

And that was no exaggeration.

Adel’s strikes usually lacked intent or malice, but after drawing up that purple lightning, every attack she flung was charged with raw, unrefined intent to kill.

The depth of her indigo eyes seemed to lose focus, almost putting her in a trance.

Snip!

As the trajectory of Adel’s sword sliced through, thick trees nearby were cleanly severed.

Even trees that were untouched by the blade fell, as if caught in a fan-shaped frenzy.

The devastation she wreaked on the landscape made her seem like a small disaster.

Just as the overwhelming force of her attack seemed poised to cleave the Tin Knight in two,

**[“The Tin Knight reminds you that your weapon must be wielded by your own hand!”]**

The Tin Knight’s ‘conservation mode’ came to an end, and his magical energy surged to life in an instant.

He deflected Adel’s sword with his own, received a kick with his shield, jabbed her abdomen with his elbow, and brought his sword’s hilt down on the top of her head.

Crack!

Adel’s head slammed to the ground, leaving a small crater in her wake.

In just four exchanges, the Tin Knight overpowered Adel, and just as he was about to lift her body, he noticed blood flowing from her head and called for Sophia.

As white light streamed down Adel’s body, her limp form jolted back to life.

Using her sword as a crutch, Adel lifted her body despite trembling legs, saying,

“S-thank you for your hard work.”

**[“The Tin Knight thanks his apprentice for the compliment!”]**

**[“The Tin Knight asks if your memory is intact!”]**

“Felt a bit dazed midway, but my memories are all there.”

**[“The Tin Knight rates the fact that you didn’t completely lose your personality as a good sign for the risk of rampancy!”]**

“It feels like I’ve burnt out every time I use it…”

**[“The Tin Knight mentions there’s much waste involved!”]**

**[“The Tin Knight compares ordinary magical boosts to having the mouse sensitivity set to 5, whereas the purple lightning is like cranking it up to 50, allowing precise placement!”]**

**[“The Tin Knight insists that in a real scenario, your abilities should allow you to control it like an FPS player would!”]**

“???”

“Think of it this way; peeling an apple with a small knife is harder than with a sword. But eventually, you need to learn how to peel an apple with the sword just like you would with the knife. That’s the point.”

“Ah, I get it.”

Finally grasping the Tin Knight’s analogy after hearing Sophia’s further explanations, Adel’s expression grew dark.

She realized just how hard this power was to control and the significant level of skill Hilda possessed to manage it with ease.

And the Tin Knight was a true master who wouldn’t ignore Adel’s troubled face.

**[“The Tin Knight suggests resuming training now that you seem able to think straight!”]**

“Uh, no, wait. I can’t even stand right now, eek!?”

**[“The Tin Knight expresses enthusiasm to eliminate wasted stamina before starting mental training!”]**

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