Chapter 59

#59 Episode Tin Knight and the City of Springs Act 3 (1)

It had been a week since the establishment of the Smith & Sinc Doll Workshop.

The Tin Knight wasn’t just idly keeping watch around the area.

The Tin Knight was busily running around.

If only the Tin Knight had three bodies, one for each of Dorothea, Adelheid, and Sofia, it would have been easy to let them loose, but unfortunately, the Tin Knight had only one body.

From the perspective of the City of Springs, that was quite fortunate.

After all, TikTok might manage to tolerate a single mad automaton, but dealing with all three at once would definitely be overkill.

It was also lucky for the Tin Knight.

Otherwise, its share of content would be reduced to one-third.

And today, this one and only Tin Knight was wholly focused on clearing the challenges.

[The ‘Tin Knight’ commands you to jump to the right!]

Shoom!

[The ‘Tin Knight’ commands you to stomp on the opponent’s left foot!]

Crunch!

[The ‘Tin Knight’ commands you to grab the opponent’s waist and roll!]

“Ugh!”

[The ‘Tin Knight’ commands you to stomp on the opponent’s left knee and perform a jumping strike from behind with the sword!]

“Eh, combo!”

[The ‘Tin Knight’ shouts ↑ ↑ ↓ ↓ ← → ← → B A!]

“Whaaaaa!? Kyaaaah!”

Adelheid, struck by a heavy halberd (a training weapon that can kill if misused), went flying and crashed onto the ground.

The Tin Knight, watching the scene intently, shook its head.

[The ‘Tin Knight’ laments that this was indeed a terrible defeat!]

[The ‘Tin Knight’ sighs at the fact that it so humiliatingly died to the reincarnated noble hero!]

Adel, lying face down, seemed to strain her arms as if trying to get up, but ultimately flopped down again.

Her body trembled as if she had a lot to say, but the Tin Knight, being a soulless automaton, couldn’t care less about such trivialities.

“…This is brutal.”

Rene von Lenart, watching nearby, shook his head.

[The ‘Tin Knight’ agrees this is indeed a dreadful loss!]

“Why, even though you clearly don’t understand what I’m saying, do you insist on denying it?”

[The ‘Tin Knight’ encourages that mutual understanding is indeed a difficult matter!]

“……”

Rene’s lips quivered.

The opponent simply stared at Rene without saying a word, yet an unknown rage welled up from deep within him, leaving him perplexed.

“Ah, really. I thought clearing stage five without using magical power was quite an achievement, but now it seems I underestimated this. I really can’t tell whether the human body can perform to this extent without magic, or if she is just extraordinary.”

Rene looked at the magical automaton that had just faced off against Adel.

Realizing the match was over, the automaton stood there, covered in countless small wounds.

If you were to ask Rene, “Can you defeat a level six magical automaton?” he could casually respond, “Sure.”

But if you were to ask, “Can you win without magical power?” he would reply, “That’s impossible.”

No, it would be so hard that even fighting correctly would be a struggle.

Their attacks only left scratches, while any single hit from the automaton could end the fight instantly, so what was one to do?

And yet, that crazy feat was exactly what Adelheid was pulling off in real time.

All the while, she managed to evade every single attack from her opponent, using a mindless strategy of building up scratches until victory—truly unbelievable.

“Hm.”

This was Adelheid’s third attempt at the level six challenge.

At first, Rene thought she was just good at dodging, but at this point, he was certain.

Adel, no, that Tin Knight beside Adel was predicting the magical automaton’s attack patterns and issuing commands ahead of time.

It just didn’t make sense otherwise. The magical automaton was superior in strength, speed, durability, and technique, so why was this battle dragging on?

“I’ve heard that the movements of magical automatons follow fixed patterns, making them easier to read compared to equally skilled opponents, but still… Is it really possible to calculate the response time of the one receiving commands and move accurately?”

“Ugh, that hurts….”

Rene’s train of thought was abruptly interrupted by Adel’s whimpering voice.

Though she looked ragged and her condition was a mess, she was surprisingly intact for someone who had just been struck by a massive halberd.

Typically, anyone hit by that would hardly get back up.

The Tin Knight approached the battered Adelheid and patted her shoulder.

At first glance, it looked like a simple act of encouragement, but Adel shivered in response.

[The ‘Tin Knight’ says it seems you still have some energy left, so let’s give it one more try!]

“No, no, no, that’s impossible! Absolutely not!”

Adel exclaimed in horror, wrapping her arms tightly around herself.

Anyone would think she had just heard a wicked overseer say, “Hehe, tonight you’re going to serve me.”

The only difference is that she was trying to protect her modesty rather than her life, but ultimately, it wasn’t that different at all.

[The ‘Tin Knight’ asserts that in the past, it succeeded seven out of ten commands without fail, and now it’s up to eight!]

[The ‘Tin Knight’ claims that by reaching a 100% response rate, they could secure victory!]

[The ‘Tin Knight’ expounds that to eliminate waste, one must exhaust all energy down to zero!]

“No matter how you look at it, there are thresholds of decency involved!!”

Adel screamed in protest.

At first, she was just bumbling along, but now she had undoubtedly improved.

Although she would vehemently deny it, the fact that the Tin Knight couldn’t kill her only proved that her experiences were making her stronger, at least partially validating its crazy claims.

The Tin Knight lamented.

It had to push harder back when it was still clueless!

[The ‘Tin Knight’ concedes that it must revise the training plan!]

[The ‘Tin Knight’ acknowledges that sometimes indulging the apprentice’s childishness is necessary!]

“……”

Rene couldn’t hear the Tin Knight’s words, but seeing Adel’s dead-fish eyes inexplicably evoked a sense of pity within him.

Clearing his throat, Rene intervened.

“Ahem. I don’t quite understand what you’re discussing, but how about we wrap it up for today? I need to head somewhere, so the dojo will be closed from the afternoon onwards.”

The two priests turned their attention to Rene.

Adel asked on behalf of the Tin Knight.

“Head somewhere, you say?”

Rene replied, “The old geezers have finally messed up, so we’re having a meeting at the lord’s mansion. Would you care to join me? Although I sense you might be getting a tad too involved.”

The Tin Knight nodded in agreement.

Adel followed suit and nodded.

Sadly, no one told the battered Adel, “If you’ve been treated like that, don’t you think you need to rest?”

It was tragically ironic that she didn’t even know what the problem was.

***

TikTok.

In front of the lord’s office plaza.

The new faction led by Rene was facing off against the conservative faction led by the old man.

Normally, it would have been the junior members cowering from the intimidating presence of the seniors, but this time, the situation was somewhat different.

Many members of the conservative faction were shifting uncomfortably, while the new faction appeared quite confident.

Observing this, the old man clicked his tongue.

“Damn brat. Are you trying to drag outsiders into the dojo business? To think all that barking about reform would result in your disciples hiding behind an automaton. Pathetic!”

That was fierce rhetoric, but Rene wasn’t backing down either.

“Ha! If our side seems ridiculous, then what do you call your members who are cowering in fear of a magical automaton? Didn’t you say before that magical automatons are just toys? Was the fervent mindset of warriors you so passionately proclaimed merely barking at toys?”

“You damn brat, chatting like you’ve got a hole in your mouth!!”

“Compared to that stench coming from your old mouth, this is hardly a big deal!!”

In the face of the two factions’ rivalry, the Tin Knight was utterly amazed.

[The ‘Tin Knight’ praises that everyone here is fighting quite politely!]

“Polite…you say? What about that?”

Adelheid raised an eyebrow in confusion.

From her perspective, nothing about that exchange seemed polite at all.

[The ‘Tin Knight’ generously notes that at least they’re not touching each other’s families!]

“I don’t think that is the proper criteria for judgment.”

[The ‘Tin Knight’ points out that in places where being disrespectful can lead to one’s head being split, rude individuals are rare!]

“???”

Adel’s retort about how shooting off someone’s head for being rude seems to be something only the Knight would do didn’t get to be voiced, as TikTok’s lord’s vassal intervened to mediate.

“Please, let’s all calm down! Regardless of the Lenart family’s members, what chaotic scene is this before the lord?”

“Cough. I apologize.”

“My apologies as well.”

Both the old man and Rene promptly silenced themselves.

Though the power of the Lion Duke’s bloodline was indeed formidable in the Empire, it was unacceptable to look down on all other nobles.

Let alone a Count who governed a major city, they could not be ignored.

“Haha, there’s nothing to fret about. After all, this is simply the intense passion of those fighting to establish a foothold in this city, right? As the lord of TikTok, I only feel glad about it.”

With a tone that blurred the line between praise and sarcasm, the lord opened the discussion.

Seeing the shifts in expression on both the old man and Rene showed the effectiveness of his diplomatic maneuvering.

Meanwhile, the lord shifted his gaze momentarily toward the Tin Knight and Adel who were uncharacteristically distant, then continued.

“Duke Lenart has entrusted me with your mediation. I shall formally accept this request, and with the honor of my family on the line, prepare for a fair contest. You too should accept the results of this contest without disregarding the Duke and my authority.”

The lord first directed his question towards Rene on the left.

“Will you agree?”

“I, Rene von Lenart, promise to accept the outcome gracefully, no matter how it turns out, and will not present a disgraceful appearance.”

Next, he turned to the old man on the right.

“Will you agree?”

“I, Gerhardt von Lenart, shall accept the outcome in honor.”

Clap! The lord clapped his hands.

“Excellent. Then let’s announce the details of the contest.”

At the lord’s signal, a swarm of people began to pour out from inside the mansion.

There were roughly fifty of them, each one barely past the age of twenty.

“When it comes to the instructor’s capabilities, it’s ultimately about how well you can teach your disciples, right? I’ve gathered some young individuals who aspire to tread the path of martial arts, so it’s your turn to educate them.”

With a mischievous grin, the lord addressed the murmuring participants of the Lenart Dojo.

“The preparation time is one week. We will send the five most outstanding disciples from each side to represent them in mock combat, and the victorious side will be recognized as the master of the dojo.”

“Wait a moment, Count TikTok,” the old man Gerhardt furrowed his brows.

“I have no objections to determining the outcome through teaching our disciples. But isn’t a week too short? That’s hardly enough to lay down the basics.”

“It may be tough, indeed. However, therein lies the measure of a teacher’s capabilities, doesn’t it?”

“Hmm.”

Gerhardt looked a bit uncomfortable but didn’t pursue it any further.

Instead, Rene chimed in, directing his gaze at the prospective disciples.

“Have the disciples already been assigned to either side?”

“Of course not. We plan to decide that from now on.”

However, the lord added meaningfully, “It should be decided by the individuals themselves which side they enter. But don’t worry too much. It’s unlikely that all fifty will gather at one place, is it?”

“What?”

“Excuse me?”

Seeing Gerhardt and Rene’s faces filled with astonishment, the lord chuckled mischievously.

“Well then, do make an effort to promote yourselves so that the young ones will want to join you as disciples. I’m quite curious to see the results.”

While the color drained from the faces around them, the Tin Knight simply nodded affirmatively.

[The ‘Tin Knight’ praises the skillful management and conducts a praise!]

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