Chapter 243

“Episode 243: The Tin Knight and the Strange Resort (Part 2)”

The process of restoring Witch Olin’s soul was going smoothly.

Alingd’s magic formula was checked by Dorothea and Gale, and after using Sophia’s blood as a material, the healing effort showed dramatic results unlike before.

They hadn’t yet reached a level of consciousness recovery, but both Dorothea and Gale agreed that it would improve with time.

Since revealing the details of the deal with Alingd would also expose Sophia’s identity, they glossed over the specifics of the healing process by simply calling it ‘Witch’s Secret Art.’ The Tower of Guardian, in response, didn’t bother to contest this explanation.

It was only natural for a wizard to keep their vision concealed, especially when dealing with one of the key contributors to this war; it would be absurd for anyone to insist on verifying it.

Well, there were some who thought otherwise, but they kept their mouths shut after getting smacked by their comrades for being dense.

Whether they’d stuff the healed soul into some Magical Automaton or preserve it in its ethereal state was now up to the Tower of Guardian to decide, and Dorothea didn’t get involved in that aspect.

What remained was the matter of rewards.

The Tower of Guardian’s initial proposal was a position as a 4th Grade Wizard.

This was offered as an honorary title, excluding the usual responsibilities while granting the benefits of the Tower’s authority and funding.

Even sorcerers floating around the common realms, or those hired by some territory, would be drooling over such a position. It would significantly change their base worth.

But Dorothea casually rejected it.

“Even if it’s an honorary position, a title is a title. I don’t want to get tangled up politically later.”

The wizards from the Tower looked at her as if to say, “Come on, really?” but at the end of the day, they couldn’t force her into something she didn’t want.

Instead, Dorothea’s request was for the enhancement of the Tin Knight.

More specifically, she wanted the ability to supply magical power from a distance, or if that wasn’t possible, at least to significantly enlarge the magical power tank. Additionally, she requested that only those with tight lips participate in the work.

In many ways, this was quite the fitting request.

There were already plenty of people eager to understand the structure of the Tin Knight given its extraordinary strength.

Initially, the goal was to accept applications from those specialized in Magical Automata, even if it meant taking in those of lower ranks than 4th Grade Wizard, but there were so many applicants wanting to avoid information leaks that they had to cut off the list on a first-come, first-served basis.

Those who didn’t make the cut were left crying in frustration, but they began modifying Dorothea’s group’s wagon as an alternative entertainment.

The modifications took about a week, and the outcome was as follows.

“─First off, we somehow implemented the desired remote supply feature. However, it’s going to be quite slower than directly pouring magic.”

“How slow are we talking?”

“If it’s a regular knight fighting, you won’t have to worry about consumption. However, if you spam big techniques in a row, the supply speed won’t keep pace with your consumption.”

“What’s the effective range?”

“As long as there are no external interferences, if you’re in the same city, your magical power should reach without issues. I’ve also handed over a magical device to act as a relay between Miss Adel and Miss Sophia, so if they’re between the Tin Knight and Dorothea, the effective range will increase. Ah, I’ve also increased the basic magical capacity about fourfold.”

Truly, commendable work by the Tower.

It may not have been a perfect score, but it was certainly worthy of a high mark.

With just this, it felt rewarding enough to have defeated a witch.

It was a bit surprising that a wagon initially just meant to be amphibious ended up resembling a mobile weapon with remote assault capabilities, but it was a rather decent bonus considering what they got.

Other collaborators aside from the Tin Knight also received appropriate compensation. Trot officially became affiliated with the Tower of Guardian, and the Bill Pirates were hired as well. They had a steady paycheck, so despite their hope of returning to human form, they likely had no major complaints.

The problem came next.

Normally, after achieving everything and receiving rewards, they’d head straight to the next destination, but this time they had a prior reservation.

And it was the kind of tricky reservation that required them to arrive at the exact right timing without arriving early or late.

Dorothea argued, “Why waste time waiting? Shouldn’t we just look for some hidden treasures and return in due time?” but the Tin Knight countered, “Whenever we wander, we end up getting caught up with other events; how can we stick to the plan that way?”

It was hard to refute given their track record.

It was during this moment that Alingd, the Witch’s Apprentice, mentioned, “There’s a good place to kill time nearby!”

Next, another fierce battle awaited them, so taking a break now would be wise, he suggested.

Dorothea initially looked skeptical, but as she listened to Alingd’s logical reasoning, she slowly began to sway.

It was nothing new.

After all, the reason she had embarked on such a long journey was that she had gotten momentarily fooled by what seemed like a ‘compassionate suggestion,’ forgetting for a second just how terrifying her mentor was.

In more colloquial terms, even among witches, experience levels differed.

“Wow, the sea color is really clear and pretty!”

“The trees are quite large. Is it due to the mild climate?”

[The ‘Tin Knight’ is fired up to go pick some coconuts!]

“Hmm, it’s pretty okay, I guess.”

When they first crossed the sea on their wagon and arrived at the island, the group’s reactions were not bad at all.

The sandy beach was white, the sea was clear and transparent, and not a single shadow of another person was visible.

It was essentially like renting out the entire coastline.

There were no resorts or camping tents for travelers, but they had a versatile all-purpose wagon.

With that, they didn’t have to fuss over space, jumping straight into play mode.

It was refreshing after the pile of physical and mental fatigue from the civil war and its aftermath.

Especially Adelheid, who had been spacing out more often lately, seemed to regain her vigor, and it was visibly apparent.

Changing into swimsuits since swimming in clothes didn’t quite cut it, they prepared for a barbecue with the Tower’s special camping tools while sipping the coconut that the Tin Knight brought in.

Just as they were about to enjoy a leisurely time, something suddenly emerged from the ocean, and a fish-man of unclear kind, whether it was a turtle or not, began shouting nonsense at Sophia.

“Aaaah! I’m gonna die! I’m dying!!”

With hands and feet bound, hanging from a long stick, flailing about to escape the heat rising from the campfire below, the fish-man caused Dorothea to let out a deep sigh.

“What ‘peaceful resort’? We haven’t even been here for an hour, and we’ve got this popping up already.”