Chapter 41

#41 Episode: The Tin Knight and the Hanging Criminal (4)

The Empire.

Adventurer’s Guild, Schwarz Branch. Branch Chief’s Office.

“Branch Chief, we’ve received urgent news from the Taros Labyrinth management department.”

“Urgent news?”

The Branch Chief accepted the report, wearing a puzzled expression.

As he read the words on the report, the Branch Chief’s face grew increasingly red, and finally, an anguished scream erupted from his mouth.

“So, an explorer from the Halder Trading Company swept all the relics from inside the labyrinth? In just one day? And the local idiots just sat there and watched? You bastards! How the hell did you handle this!!”

“W-well, the terms of the contract with the company were set that way…”

“What kind of contract allows that?! You should’ve limited the amount they could take at once, or at least made sure to take some of our personnel along with them!!”

The subordinate felt a surge of words rising from the depths of his stomach: ‘But you’re the one who approved the documents without even reviewing them properly when they first came in, so why are you yelling at me?’ However, those words never escaped his lips.

Instead of provoking the Branch Chief’s anger with unnecessary comments, the subordinate bent at a 90-degree angle without a word.

“I’m sorry.”

“Tch, incompetent fools, all of you.”

The Branch Chief clicked his tongue in displeasure, tossing the documents haphazardly onto the desk.

“Retrieve them.”

“Excuse me?”

“I said retrieve them. Halder Trading Company or whatever. They’re just one of those small to mid-sized companies, right? Just scare them a bit and get everything back. Especially if they found anything on the last floor—don’t let a single piece slip through!”

The subordinate stood there, dumbfounded, still trying to process what he had just heard. More precisely, he didn’t want to understand.

While it was true that the Halder Trading Company was ‘small’ compared to the Adventurer’s Guild, they were not the sort of business you could openly belittle like that.

If you made a massive list of companies across the continent, even if they didn’t reach the top, they would nonetheless rank below it.

If they weren’t at least at that level, they wouldn’t have even been recognized with mining rights in the first place.

Moreover, if the Halder Trading Company forcibly took treasures, other companies wouldn’t just sit back and watch either.

Before considering loyalty among merchants, there was no guarantee that they wouldn’t become the next target.

“Please, hold on a moment. If you do that, the entire company involved could lash out. Furthermore, unilaterally breaking a contract could tarnish the Guild’s reputation! It would be better to simply purchase the items you need—”

“Such frustration. It’s pathetic how incompetent you all are.”

Cutting off the desperate plea of his subordinate, the Branch Chief dismissed him with an air of annoyance.

“Listen up. An ordinary company has become blinded by greed, killing adventurers in the labyrinth we manage and plundering treasures. Which is more honorable for the Guild: to watch idly or to administer harsh punishment? Do I really need to explain this to you?”

“What the…?”

The subordinate was genuinely perplexed.

He doubted whether the Branch Chief had even read the report he submitted properly. The content he mentioned was precisely what had been thoroughly investigated first, and the report clearly stated that there were no victims among the adventurer party.

But, what the hell.

No, wait a minute.

The subordinate’s expression stiffened.

“It’s a sad incident. Truly sad. Our precious adventurers have been brutally murdered. If our Guild does not seek justice for them, then who will? We must punish the company severely, and especially, those explorers involved must be held accountable. We should also recover anything that may have been taken without going through the company.”

With exaggerated tone and gestures like a performer on stage, the Branch Chief gazed at his subordinate.

“What are you doing? Hurry up and move.”

Under the greedy, snake-like glare, the subordinate trembled without realizing it.

“…Understood.”

He bowed his head.

There was no other option.

He didn’t want to end up like those colleagues who had been sent away or disappeared without a trace after defying the Branch Chief.

***

Meanwhile, near the Taros Labyrinth.

“Are you already planning to leave?”

Lorenz Halder, the leader of the Halder Trading Company, expressed his concern, but Dorothea remained unfazed.

“I’ve identified our next target and gotten everything I wanted. There’s no reason to stay here any longer.”

“But you haven’t even received the full payment yet.”

“I received the down payment; anyway, it’s going to take a while to sell everything, right? I’ll come by later, so just hold onto the payment. Deduct the storage fee from the sale price. It’s not like you’re making a loss over there, right?”

“Well, I suppose that’s true.”

It was indeed closer to making a profit rather than incurring a loss.

If transactions could proceed freely without a strictly defined selling deadline, they could carefully choose trading partners and maximize profits.

However, there was a slight sense of disappointment in terms of connections.

While the items were being sold, the plans to treat Dorothea and her party as honored guests to build a rapport went up in smoke.

“Instead, if you let me know your destination, we’d be happy to escort you with the utmost care. I’d hate to send off a precious customer without properly treating them.”

“Forget it. It’s bothersome.”

Dorothea waved her hand dismissively.

Even though the other party had shown some lackluster attitude, she had disregarded even the escort provided by the kingdom.

While temporary companionship was acceptable, she had no intention of being surrounded by a crowd.

Moreover, staying together for too long posed the risk of Sophia being discovered.

Realizing that Dorothea had no intention of changing her mind, Lorenz couldn’t help but feel disappointed.

However, as a merchant, he couldn’t give up just like that.

“Well then, at the very least, please accept the wagon we’ve prepared! It’s not only superb in terms of riding comfort and capacity, but the horses are top-notch as well.”

“…Well, I suppose if it’s that level, it wouldn’t be a problem.”

Dorothea accepted, albeit with a slightly reluctant air.

She thought of goodwill without compensation as a debt, but in this case, there was no need for her to refuse outright.

Above all, having a higher-performance wagon would definitely make the journey easier.

Dorothea, who was willing to endure the poor riding comfort of a cheap wagon and the discomfort of sleeping outdoors, knew that being patient and enjoying it were two different things.

“Adelheid! Our headquarters is located in the southern part of the Empire, in Ferdia City. Please make sure to stop by!”

“Ah, yes. Thank you. I’ll wish for your good health too, Mr. Mick.”

Having finished their final farewells, they set off on the newly established path.

Before departing, Adelheid was warming up and preparing to run alongside the wagon, now familiar with the motions, when the Tin Knight asked her.

[The ‘Tin Knight’ is curious about how that boy’s friendly gesture is perceived!]

“Hey.”

“Oh my.”

Dorothea frowned at the bluntness of the question, while Sophia appeared entertained.

Adelheid blinked her large violet eyes a few times before smiling brightly and answering.

“He seems like a nice person!”

…

An indescribable silence swept over them.

While it was a compliment, it wasn’t exactly praise.

At least not as a way to evaluate one’s rationality.

The gazes of the Tin Knight, Dorothea, and Sophia exchanged briefly.

They collectively mentally agreed to pretend the previous question never happened.

“Everyone! Safe travels!!”

As the boy waved from a distance, the wagon set off.

It was truly a peaceful sight.

***

As always, the Tin Knight drove the wagon, and Adelheid dashed alongside, but this time, inside the wagon’s cargo area, which had been properly furnished with seats, sat Dorothea and Sophia facing each other.

With her arms crossed and legs crossed in an arrogant pose, Dorothea asked.

“So, who are you?”

Sitting cross-legged with her hands neatly arranged on her knees, Sophia replied with a smile.

“I’m Sophia Hubris. Scholar, priest, and monster all in one.”

“I’m not in the mood for wordplay.”

Despite Dorothea’s fierce stare, Sophia simply chuckled lightly.

Seeming to think threats were pointless, Dorothea clicked her tongue in annoyance.

“Fine. Then I’ll change my question. Where are you from?”

“I’m from the Doria City-States Alliance.”

“I think I’ve heard the name Doria in a book before. So, does ‘alliance’ mean… there are multiple kings?”

“Each city is led by a council, so there are no kings.”

“…If there’s no king, can it really be called a country?”

Dorothea raised an eyebrow, and Sophia nodded her head as if she understood.

“That explains why it felt so hard to communicate after only a few hundred years; censorship must have been quite severe. Though, back then, we were treated like oddities by neighboring countries. Well, don’t worry about it.”

In human nature, when told not to worry, people tend to worry even more, but this time, Dorothea chose to follow Sophia’s words without question.

She had no interest in bothersome political matters.

“So, why were you sealed in that labyrinth?”

“I haven’t been directly told by the ones who sealed me, but… perhaps it was because they couldn’t find a way to kill me? They might have hoped I’d weaken and die slowly or left a troublesome problem for the next generation.”

“There was something about a taboo and a sinner inscribed on a stone tablet. What exactly did you do?”

“Oh, that?”

Sophia answered nonchalantly.

“I believed in the gods. I followed their commandments. But then, I found various phrases that I just couldn’t come to terms with. So, I raised questions.”

“And then, everyone around me called it blasphemy. Just the very act of doubting was a sin. Not based on logic or theory, just take it at face value.”

“I couldn’t understand. Couldn’t a god be wrong? And that’s when they told me I was possessed by magic and that I had fallen.”

“Upon hearing that, I thought, ‘Ah, that’s how it works.’”

Sophia raised her right hand.

It was a pallid hand, lacking in color.

An intangible energy shimmered around it.

It was not the vividly red magical power Sophia originally possessed.

“The ‘demon’ is, by its very existence, one that opposes divine providence. Do not approach it at all.”

“And a vampire is the accessible symbol of that ‘demon.’ So, if a vampire can display divine power, it proves that neither the gods nor their words are absolute. That was my reasoning, right?”

“No? What’s wrong with being curious about a god’s flaws? Isn’t it more blasphemous to insist unconditionally that an absolute entity is faultless, ignoring that they can make mistakes? I find it cuter that way.”

“I can just imagine you bringing a hammer and nails to the Holy Kingdom, carefree as you are.”

“Oh, are those higher-ups still out there giving orders to do this and that on the ground?”

“No clue. Maybe the esteemed ones in various countries are privy to that.”

In fact, Dorothea’s understanding of the Holy Kingdom was vastly biased.

Her master ground his teeth, claiming that he would rather deal with those arrogant fools who boast about being divine simply because they reside in the heavens.

“Ha.”

Dorothea held her forehead as if she were exasperated.

A vampire wielding divine miracles.

What kind of analogy could even capture that?

A flower that burns spontaneously in flames? An electric fish?

No, it was even worse than that.

From her memory, there were definitely plants that would spontaneously ignite without any interaction and fish that could emit electrical shocks, but those at least existed as species, while this vampire was a unique singular entity.

No matter how she thought about it, its mere existence was a nuisance that would stir up trouble.

What’s even worse was that she had to carry that nuisance around without being able to set it down anywhere.

All because of the kingdom’s hidden treasure residing within Sophia’s body.

“More importantly, why did you consume Tuberosum’s Chalice? Was it to deny some doctrine of the gods? It’s not like you can just eat something like that, can you?”

“Oh, that? I did it out of sheer curiosity. They said the Chalice grants the power of prophetic dreams. Just drinking from it would give you that, so I thought, how amazing would it be to absorb the whole chalice? I couldn’t resist. But it must have been some magical device that doesn’t work unless you follow the formal procedures, because I’ve never had a prophetic dream!”

“-You insane woman!!”

In the end, Dorothea exploded.

“Spit it out! Spit it out right now! And leave the chalice behind and get lost!!”

“Haha, that’s impossible. After being inside for hundreds of years, it’s completely absorbed; now it doesn’t have any physicality left!”

Even while being shaken back and forth by her collar, Sophia only laughed nonchalantly.

Dorothea’s desperate cries mingled with Sophia’s laughter, echoing across the plains.

[The ‘Tin Knight’ is satisfied with the friendly exchange between the two!]

“Gah, gah, do I need to, uh, say they’re getting along?”

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