Chapter 42

#42 The Tin Knight and the City of Gears (1)

“Oh, great.”

The proud Marquis William Heming of the Ionian Kingdom couldn’t help but sigh at his reflection in the mirror.

His eyes looked sunken, his skin was flaky, and even the mustache he secretly took pride in had lost its luster.

He was aware that other nobles and the mansion’s servants were whispering behind his back, but he never imagined it was this serious.

“…If only it weren’t for that witch!”

William ground his teeth in frustration.

Months ago, hearing about the king’s self-proclaimed “Grand Kingdom Restoration Plan,” he had quietly attempted to sabotage it, thinking the country was on a path to ruin.

His plan to either recruit or at least eliminate the witch, who was a key figure in the king’s scheme, ended in dismal failure. To make matters worse, he had been forced to enter into a lopsided contract.

Do not harm or obstruct the witch. If the king or the nobles show signs of betrayal, inform the witch. Explain the witch’s independent actions to the king and surrounding nobles.

Had it been just a standard written contract, William might have laughed it off, but cruelly and terrifyingly, this contract was a magical one.

At first, William tried to pin all the blame on the witch, insisting she was ignoring their “kindness” and acting on her own. But then came the horrifying moment when the court decided, “We can’t let such a reckless witch run wild; we must catch her and retrieve the compass,” causing William to experience a nightmarish transformation where he felt a frog-like claw growing between his fingers.

His unfavorable testimony against the witch was deemed a violation of the contract to “not obstruct the witch.”

Terrified, William scrambled to retract his words, desperately dodging the implications while defending the witch. His unease at the nobility’s attempts to cancel the treasure retrieval plan led the king to side with him, and in the end, the order to capture the witch was rescinded.

William’s hands returned to their human form, but his reputation didn’t.

On top of not being able to handle the witch appropriately, he set himself up for worse scrutiny by siding with that “out-of-control” king; naturally, he wouldn’t earn the nobles’ favor.

The very core of the noble faction, now treated as a leading figure for the pro-king faction?

And all thanks to that bombastic king with dreams bigger than his sense of reality!

William grabbed his head and silently screamed.

“What the hell is this witch’s business with ‘let me know if the king or nobles show signs of betrayal’? If you’re gonna make me play the spy, at least let me know where to find you…! How am I supposed to relay news if I don’t even know where you are!!”

William was scared.

The witch, off on her own with no escort to find treasures, hadn’t sent word for months now. The nobles were secretly reveling in the idea that the witch had given up, but on the contrary, the king’s mood worsened day by day.

What if the king, in a fit of rage, issued a command to retrieve the compass?

If William couldn’t relay news to the witch and was considered to be in breach of contract?

When you think about it, not being able to send news because you don’t know her whereabouts shouldn’t be counted as a breach of contract, but who knows?

That wicked contract might arbitrarily decide to turn William into a frog.

Day by day he trembled in anxiety, eating without tasting food, unable to savor the aroma of fine tea before him.

One fateful day,

“I-I got a letter from the witch!?”

“Y-yes! It came via… a dead bird.”

“Bring it here! NOW!!”

William was desperate.

The escort knight hesitated with the letter delivered by the dead bird, but honestly, William didn’t care about that kind of thing.

With his life on the line, whether the letter was carried by a dead bird or flying spaghetti didn’t matter.

“Here it is.”

*Swish!*

With movements uncharacteristic of a nobleman who’d never wielded a sword properly, William snatched the letter away.

As he quickly scanned its contents, his face twisted grotesquely.

「…Successfully retrieved the key to opium and the Tuberosum’s Chalice. However, the Chalice is currently absorbed by an unidentified woman. Once all treasures are recovered, if there are any issues related to this, state it now. No complaints will be accepted afterward. Return the response via the same bird that delivered this letter…」

“What in the world does that mean!? Aaargh!”

Upon witnessing their lord’s desperate scream, the escort knight shook his head in disbelief.

That afternoon, a politely ‘edited’ copy of the letter was delivered to the king, who delighted at the news of two of the Eight Treasures being recovered and replied that he wouldn’t worry about minor issues as long as things continued as they were.

In this way, William, having successfully played his role as the intermediary with the witch, solidified his standing as a close confidant of the king.

Though he never wanted it that way.

***

A little while later, in a forest in the northern empire, the Tin Knight and his companions had gathered in one place.

“Then, I’ll open it.”

At Dorothea’s words, someone audibly gulped.

The Tin Knight, Adelheid, and Sophia’s eyes were fixed eagerly on the letter that Dorothea was holding.

“Hmm, hmm.”

Dorothea’s eyes darted back and forth as she read the letter.

And finally.

“─It’s good; they say there’s no problem. Whether treasure or person, just bring them along. In other words, we can continue our journey.”

[The ‘Tin Knight’ silently cheers!]

“Yay! I’m so glad! I thought our journey was going to end right here, and I was so anxious…!”

“It seems everyone is happy, so I’m glad too. Hehe.”

A look of disbelief crossed Dorothea’s face.

She turned to Sophia and said, “You can cheer alongside that fool and Adel, but aren’t you supposed to be worried? They’re saying outright that they want you for the kingdom!”

“What’s the problem with that?” Sophia tilted her head.

“What’s the problem, you ask? They’re treating you like an object right now.”

“Haha, that’s something I can control. Given the abilities of the Tuberosum’s Chalice, I could easily spin a plausible story and pretend to be a prophet, right? If I present myself as a kingdom-supported prophet, I bet I’d get treated like a living treasure!”

“Pretending to be a prophet, huh.”

“I’ve done it before, and it was quite easy. The key is to use words that can be interpreted in multiple ways and have commonalities that everyone can identify with.”

Sophia smiled leisurely.

“And besides, we’re not heading straight for the kingdom, are we? We still have six treasures left to gather, and Adelheid needs to break four more seals. Since we’ve finally escaped confinement, there’s no harm in enjoying the culture and knowledge of this new era before settling somewhere.”

“…Sure, if you say so, I won’t argue.”

Dorothea shook her head vigorously.

She addressed her companions.

“Anyway, there are no changes in our plans; we’ll continue heading north to the empire. Our destination is the city of TikTok, the ‘City of Gears.’ However, this time the goal isn’t treasure retrieval.”

Dorothea pointed her staff at the Tin Knight.

“Our main objective is to overhaul this rusted hunk of metal, which has been here for centuries, and, if possible, upgrade it to the latest model. We need to boost its capabilities ahead of the monstrous things that will likely pop up.”

[The ‘Tin Knight’ sheds tears of joy at the thought of powering up, something he never thought possible!]

While the Tin Knight began to perform a bizarre dance, rusting joints creaking, Dorothea then pointed at Adelheid.

“Adel, you should also go break a seal or whatever while you’re at it. That part’s just a bonus.”

“Yes, I’ll do my best!”

Finally, Dorothea pointed at Sophia.

“And you.”

“Yes. I’ll eagerly explore modern culture.”

“That’s not the point!!”

Dorothea yelled in exasperation.

“Prove your usefulness! Your usefulness! You haven’t contributed a single thing to this party!!”

In the days that followed sending the letter through the dead bird to receive a reply,

Under the premise that ‘if I’m going to have to drag you along as a companion, you might as well be useful,’ Dorothea enlisted Sophia in various tasks.

The results were pitiful.

“How can a vampire not even handle a sword properly? Isn’t your race supposed to have amazing strength!?”

“Well, you see, I was just experimenting with things, and somehow, when I came to my senses, I had succeeded. I might differ from the common vampire somewhat.”

“That still means you should at least be useful in cooking, but that’s a no go too!”

“I still have a bit of anemia, so moving around is tough… After hundreds of years of being drained, a few drops just don’t cut it.”

“You can’t even handle physical combat! You don’t even know how to use magic! The only one who seems remotely useful is that holy magic that burns you out the more you use it! What’s your purpose here? Are you just going to sit around all day and breathe!? I could literally replace you with a scarecrow in the field, and no one would notice!”

“Oh, that sounds nice. Contemplating while looking at the field would be a pleasant experience.”

Adelheid stared blankly at Dorothea’s overwhelmed expression.

Our witch.

She used to be cooler, right? …Or was she always like this?

Adelheid recalled Dorothea’s past.

The way she used to beat the Tin Knight senseless with her staff whenever he acted foolishly.

The way she recklessly smashed shops in pursuit of revenge against the witch who tried to take her life.

The way she couldn’t bring herself to hit Sophia like she could with the Tin Knight, instead shaking her by the collar and scolding her whenever Sophia teased her.

…Looking back, maybe she was always like this.

The cold and cruel side of her as a witch versus her emotional and passionate current state.

Adelheid pondered which was the true Dorothea, but the witch’s piercing gaze fell upon her.

“What? Do you have something to say?”

“Uh, no! It’s nothing! I’ll make the fire!”

For a split second, Adel shrank away and began preparing a campfire in the corner.

The way she rubbed two sticks together was surprisingly professional for a noble lady, but nobody in the group was shocked by it.

After briefly observing her, Dorothea turned her gaze back at Sophia and snapped at her.

“Anyway, if you want to be acknowledged as part of this group, you’d better find something to do. If you’re truly useless, I’ll find a coffin for you, and you can just stay in it!”

“Hmm.”

Sophia let out a contemplative hum.

Still, the slight smile on her lips suggested she found the situation amusing.

“Understood. If you’ll excuse me, could you lend me some money? The more, the better.”

“What?”

“I’d find it more convenient to have some funds to get things going. Oh, and if you don’t trust me, you don’t have to give me any.”

Dorothea narrowed her eyes.

She retrieved two small leather pouches from her belongings in the carriage and handed them over to Sophia.

*Swish, swish,*

The substantial weight from the bags confirmed the witch’s expectations contained within.

It could very well have been a provocation disguised as hope.

“Well, if you’re going this far, let’s see what you can do. But, just so you know, if you run away…”

“I have no intention of becoming your enemy. You all terrify me, especially you, witch. Oh, but Adel is adorable.”

With that, a deal was struck between them.

And about a day later, the group reached their intended city.

“Wow.”

As they entered the city, Adel couldn’t help but be in awe at the sight that unfolded before her.

Flashes of light gleamed from various places throughout the city.

Smoke and steam rose high into the sky.

Mechanical automata roamed the streets in place of guards.

[The ‘Tin Knight’ marvels at the steampunk atmosphere invading the fantasy world!]

This was the City of Gears, TikTok.

A place renowned for being at the forefront of magical engineering in the empire and the largest producer of magical automatons on the continent.

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