Chapter 43

“This city is quite a unique sight.”

You nodded at Dorothea’s words.

The city of TikTok, where a Magical Automaton guards the castle gate instead of a regular guard, a horse-shaped automaton pulls the wagon, and tiny bird-shaped automata pop out of clocks and shout the time, is something you had never seen before.

It felt like switching the film of an era.

Adel’s eyes sparkled as if she were in an amusement park, and Sophia, in her own way, seemed intrigued by the scene, nodding as if she understood something.

Dorothea was also in a rare sightseeing mood, but she was the first to regain her composure.

“Ahem, anyway, let’s move. We might be staying in this city for a while, so we can always explore later.”

“Are we staying long?”

“I don’t know how long it’ll take to modify this thing,” she replied, which made Adel show a bit of happiness.

Your group’s travel pace was quite brisk.

It was rare for any one place to be visited for more than three days.

With the routine of arriving, regrouping, and departing so swift, it had been nearly impossible to truly sightsee, so the idea of a longer time was indeed pleasing to Adel.

After arriving in the city, the routines of your group were mostly similar.

First, you’d secure accommodations, and those who had business in the city would wander around.

The rest would either rest in their rooms or take light strolls.

Besides, you were definitely in the wander-and-walk party.

For you, who had no concept of fatigue, wandering around aimlessly was far more enjoyable than sitting around waiting in a room.

However, in TikTok, it seemed like being a single body would be a problem.

“Then I’ll take this one to the workshop,” Dorothea declared, prompting Adel and Sophia to speak up.

“Ah, after you return from the workshop, I’ll move with the Knight! It makes me nervous if the Knight isn’t watching over me…”

“Can you lend the Knight to me too? Being a frail body, having a strong companion feels more reassuring.”

Dorothea made a face like “You’ve got to be kidding me,” but she didn’t flatly refuse their requests.

“Do as you like. Anyway, once I’m done at the workshop, I’ll head back to the room. You can negotiate with this fool for the rest.”

[‘Tin Knight’ puffs out his chest, declaring this the hardship of being popular!]

“……”

Dorothea glared at you with half-closed eyes, but perhaps finding it pointless to say anything, she began to walk ahead in silence.

Leaving Adel and Sophia waving behind you, you began to follow Dorothea.

***

On the way to the Doll Workshop, you struck up a conversation with Dorothea.

[‘Tin Knight’ expresses joy at gaining more party members!]

“I’m not a big fan of noise.”

[‘Tin Knight’ argues that Necromancers should actively engage with people to break the prejudice of being gloomy!]

[‘Tin Knight’ warns that one might involuntarily talk to corpses or souls as if it’s second nature!]

“Ha, as if that makes any sense.”

Dorothea suddenly stopped talking.

[‘Tin Knight’ points out that it’s the reaction of someone who feels guilty!]

“I’m not doing that! I just happened to think of my Master.”

Master.

That was a title Dorothea often used.

However, you had never heard her refer to anyone else besides her Master when she spoke of her personal history.

[‘Tin Knight’ is curious about what kind of person Dorothea’s Master is!]

“What kind of person, you ask.”

Dorothea took a moment to choose her words, then spat them out.

“First of all, not a proper human.”

[‘Tin Knight’ is shocked by her scandalous remarks!]

“What can I do about the truth? This human cares so little about the dozens of people he has killed, moves like he doesn’t give a damn about the world’s power or authority, and casually casts his only disciple into danger. He offloads all the trivialities of daily life onto his minions. There’s no way a true human could be like that. You should have seen a Skeleton Soldier stirring a pot and doing laundry by the riverside.”

Dorothea continued to grumble with a frown, but to you, she oddly seemed to enjoy it.

[‘Tin Knight’ asks if she grew up under her Master since she was little!]

“Well, yes.”

[‘Tin Knight’ is curious about Dorothea’s parents!]

“They passed away when I was little.”

Dorothea replied flatly, and you paused for a moment.

And you were puzzled by your reaction.

It was easy enough to predict that Dorothea had a troubled family relationship, given that she rarely brought it up. The early death of parents is a common ‘story element.’

Throughout the various games you had played, there had been several characters with similar backstories.

So it wasn’t particularly shocking.

You were supposed to consume the characters’ stories as content, as always.

But then, why?

For a moment, did you feel a sense of ■■■■?

Somehow, your previously disoriented vision started to lower slightly, and your chest, once filled only with reflex impulses, felt a little heavier.

While lost in thought and without looking back, Dorothea continued talking.

“I was faced with the bodies of two corpses and had no idea what to do. I didn’t think of making graves or cremating them. Just staring blankly at the time, I was about to starve to death, but then my Master showed up. ‘Those bodies and souls of your parents look like they might fetch a good price. Can I take them?’ That’s not exactly the best first impression.”

Your contemplation didn’t last long.

Perhaps you didn’t want it to last long.

Your sight returned to normal, and the heaviness in your chest lifted again.

You answered in your usual lighthearted manner, maintaining an attitude of pure enjoyment.

[‘Tin Knight’ testifies that the Master is worthy of being the final boss!]

“Sounds great, that fits. After passing that damn graduation exam, instead of Master and Disciple, if we’re on equal footing as a Witch and her subordinate, it’d be fun to return the favor.”

[‘Tin Knight’ demands to be included too!]

“Of course you should join. You keep forgetting, but you’re my escort, after all?”

[‘Tin Knight’ insists he never forgot!]

“Well, based on your usual behavior, your credibility is lacking.”

As you continued to chit-chat and walk, you finally arrived at your destination.

“…There are more shops than I expected?”

Dorothea blinked her eyes.

After asking passersby for directions, the location you reached was not a specific shop, but a whole street.

A wide avenue lined with several shops exhibiting various Magical Automatons, all seemingly in competition with each other.

[‘Tin Knight’ argues that in such cases, comparing multiple places and choosing the cheapest one is the way to go!]

You shared your shopping wisdom, but Dorothea’s reaction was lukewarm.

“If it’s cheap, there’s a reason for it. You should choose the one with the highest final specs, why pick based on price?”

You were shocked.

You felt a sense of duty wash over you to teach this naive Witch the stern lessons of capitalism.

[‘Tin Knight’ warns that carelessly spending money could lead to big trouble!]

“It’s my money to spend, not yours, right? Or should I just throw together a cheap enhancement for you?”

[‘Tin Knight’ assures that following the Witch’s wishes seems like the right choice!]

Upon reflection, it felt like it might be okay for her not to know the workings of the world.

You must have momentarily lost it to even argue with the Water Goddess.

“For now, let’s check that shop first.”

You and Dorothea stepped into the leftmost shop.

It seemed like it would be a fun shopping experience.

***

“Oh, I’m sorry, customer. That automaton is so outdated, we can’t even repair it.”

“Wow, where on earth did you find such an antique? We can’t fix it, but we could buy it. What do you need it for? Of course, a museum!”

“Customer, how about our latest Magical Automaton? We’ll dispose of your old model neatly—wait, hold on! Let go of my hand, cough!”

To cut to the chase, it wasn’t enjoyable at all.

Realizing that Dorothea had quite a bit of cash on hand, the staff desperately pitched their sales, but most of it was about buying new Magical Automatons.

You insisted that the old one was too outdated to fix, and even if they tried, it’d just be a waste of money without any significant meaning.

When even the last workshop owner on the street shook his head, you slumped your shoulders.

“They really love this Empire, huh? Definitely a bunch of hacks!”

Dorothea looked equally frustrated.

Most of the shop staff maintained their manners, but in some shops, upon realizing that Dorothea had no intention of buying new items, they openly mocked your taste in Magical Automatons.

Of course, those staff members had to scream and pay the price for their ‘curse’ of ‘bumping their little toe every time they pass a corner,’ but just because their revenge seemed successful didn’t mean their anger would dissipate.

“…Fine, then I’ll try to find something, even if by force.”

Dorothea, with her lips tightly pressed together, stepped into a dark alley.

Confirming that there were no people around, she used her staff to tap the ground and release her magical power.

Much like in the labyrinth, several souls gathered toward Dorothea, and she asked toward them.

“If you know of a Doll Workshop with the skills to repair this one, speak up.”

Most of the souls either fell silent or left, but one soul confidently moved forward, guiding the way.

Contrary to your expectations of it leading out of the alley, the soul delved deeper into the shadows.

Deeper and deeper, to where the light barely touched.

There was a strange, oppressive atmosphere, with hostile and predatory gazes lurking everywhere.

Your knowledge had a term to explain such a place.

Slum, that’s what it was.

Thanks to Dorothea’s magic, the residents of the slum couldn’t see the guiding soul.

However, it appeared Dorothea was quite visible.

Indeed, she had an appearance that would stand out just by walking down the street.

Some among them had a sinister grin and approached her, but upon noticing you behind Dorothea, they swiftly backed off.

You were a bit disappointed that you weren’t able to smash them physically the moment they took offense.

After moving along, what appeared before you was… well, depending on your viewpoint, either atmospheric or half-ruined looking shop.

Even the sign was half-erased, rendering the shop’s name unrecognizable.

Dorothea cast a terrifying glance at the soul, but rather than looking intimidated, the soul swaggered around like it was on cloud nine.

Feeling a sense of pride in its demeanor made Dorothea trust it more, so she walked in without a word.

With a squeak from the old hinges, the interior was revealed.

“Hooh.”

[‘Tin Knight’ evaluates that the interior is cleaner than expected!]

Contrary to how it looked, which seemed like it could be a haunted house experience, the inside of the shop was surprisingly decent.

All kinds of parts for Magical Automatons gleamed as if well-maintained, and not a speck of dust could be found on the display cases.

“Welcome—”

A tall man, about 180 cm, stood up from the counter, speaking with a slightly lisping accent.

His dark skin was covered with numerous scars on his arms beneath a gray short-sleeved tee.

The man scanned Dorothea from head to toe and bluntly inquired.

“Who referred you here?”

“Referral?”

“You can’t possibly have wandered here on your own? That’s hard to believe… tsk, what a bunch of loose-lipped people.”

As the man muttered curses under his breath, Dorothea, unfazed, asked.

“Is this a Doll Workshop?”

“I dabble in such things. You can consider that I handle just about anything involving metal scraps. So, what do you need?”

“Can you fix this one?”

“Hmmm?”

The man’s gaze turned to you.

One second, five seconds, ten seconds.

And then a hundred.

After staring at you for almost two minutes, the man suddenly laughed, as if he found it amusing.

“Wow, where did you find something like this? I’ve repaired Magical Automatons from the founding era of the Empire. This looks even older!”

“Tell me if you can fix it or not.”

“Well, I’ll have to take it apart to find out. Honestly, for this type, fixing the exterior is pretty pointless. It seems to have some self-recovery function already built in. Anything strange added to it would be pointless. To fix it properly, I’ll need to dive into the internals.”

Surprised, Dorothea blinked.

You were similarly taken aback.

This was the first time someone had identified the recovery function just by looking at it.

The man’s satisfaction with that response showed through as he grinned wider.

“Well, even if it wasn’t on my schedule, if you have enough money, I can treat you like a VIP customer. So, what’s your budget?”

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