Chapter 62

#62 Episode: The Tin Knight and the City of Springs Act 3 (4)

“What? You think there’s a magic pill that gets better after being tossed around all day? Hey, who do you think I am, a chef? Just order anything and it magically appears?”

[The ‘Tin Knight’ asserts that he believes in Dorothea’s abilities!]

[The ‘Tin Knight’ encourages Adelheid to put in some effort!]

[The ‘Tin Knight’ asks if he can just increase the portions of the dish made for the construction workers!]

“It’s easy to talk when all you can whip up is something even a passing dog would spit out, seriously.”

[The ‘Tin Knight’ declares that everyone has their own talents!]

[The ‘Tin Knight’ insists that besides stamina recovery, he needs stuff for physical enhancement, healing wounds, and getting high!]

“No, I mean. I’m busy handling stuff over here, you know? And what’s this nonsense about getting high?”

[The ‘Tin Knight’ cheers everyone up!]

[The ‘Tin Knight’ supports that they can do it!]

[The ‘Tin Knight’ chants Dorothea’s name!]

Caw! Caw! Caw!

***

Swish, swish.

The Tin Knight adjusted his dented helmet after getting hit by Dorothea.

He could feel the power of the staff growing stronger with each passing day.

He confidently patted himself on the back, claiming he clearly had a talent for helping those around him grow.

It was exactly the kind of nonsense you’d expect him to recite, had the witch heard it, she’d probably have hit him harder.

The Tin Knight, with the witch’s absurdly handy assistance, had no more obstacles to face.

To put it simply, the apprentices had been thrown into hell.

Under the midnight training grounds.

-Swish.

As the Tin Knight pointed his sword to the right, one student tightened his belly and shouted.

“Roll to the right!”

Whew!

Aside from the student who yelled, the remaining six quickly rotated to the right.

-Swish

This time, the Tin Knight pointed his sword to the left.

“Roll to the left!”

-Swish, swish.

“Stand up! Sit down!”

-Swish, swish, swish!

“Get down, stand up, get down!”

The six students quickly rolled on the ground, while one who was just flapping his lips rolled his eyes nervously at the Tin Knight’s attitude.

The Tin Knight nodded, and the student’s face lit up.

“Everyone, rise!”

“Rise!!”

Day three of training.

The students moved in perfect unison.

It’s just a misconception that communication is impossible when you don’t speak the same language.

The sword itself was an excellent medium for conversation, and they were enthusiastic and exceptional students.

The student who showed the best results against Adelheid during the morning training would become the Tin Knight’s aide, transitioning from being the one rolling around to the one directing the rolls, which meant their training achievements continued to rise day by day.

But the Tin Knight knew.

Even with the effects of the potion Dorothea handed him boosting stamina and energy, limits were definitely there.

Unless he was planning to use it only until the test and then toss it aside, he needed to ensure a certain amount of rest and sleep to avoid overexerting himself.

In other words, the actual time gain was about 1.5 times that of others.

If this match were a long-term project lasting about a month, that would have significant meaning, but unfortunately, the deadline was merely a week.

Unless you were a genius like Adel, even for an average person, stretching a week into ten days didn’t mean their skills would rapidly improve that much.

It wasn’t like there were no benefits, but it didn’t guarantee victory.

More than that, pushing people with violence and fear like this had clear limits.

To boost the students’ morale, a more special trigger was needed.

The blue, goblin-like eyes of the Tin Knight shimmered intensely.

***

The next day.

The students awoke feeling gloomy.

“Damn it. We have to do this for four more days?”

“Why the hell does that awful potion have to work so well? If I were sick, I could at least use that as an excuse to take a break!”

“Stop it. We’re halfway through, at least.”

While physical pain and fatigue could be mitigated by the potion, mental fatigue and suffering didn’t vanish.

At least Adelheid’s morning classes were much easier compared to the Tin Knight’s night classes, but it was precisely through the evaluations of those morning classes that whether they’d roll as a mere soldier or wield some petty authority as the aide during the night classes was determined, making it impossible to slack off.

From the start, Adel wasn’t someone you could slack off around.

With tired, dragging footsteps, the apprentices made their way to the training grounds.

What awaited them was unexpected news.

“Excuse me? So, there won’t be any mock battles today?”

“Correct. Instead, we will observe another team’s class. I’ve already received permission from the Lord and the instructors.”

The students’ faces brightened.

Though called observation, it meant they’d basically get to goof off while watching others train.

“Wow, our master is definitely kind! He even arranged for events like this.”

“Right? We can’t even compare with that night devil.”

“Hey, hey, keep it down. Someone might eavesdrop.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Where could they even eavesdrop from?”

Despite saying that, one anxious student scanning the surroundings made the others burst into laughter.

It was truly a joyous time.

The first place they arrived at was the dojo operated by Rene von Lenart.

Watching a young man landing an impressive hit against a magical automaton and the Rene team members cheering him on, the students wore subtle expressions.

“I wish I could hit our devil instructor like that.”

“Compare reasonably. If that tin can was as slow and weak as that guy, I could’ve taken him down on the first day.”

“They’re having a breezy training session by picking a good team. Sigh.”

During their observation, they chatted nonstop.

The topics ranged from typical whining about their situation to boasting like, “If I did that, I’d do better!” but the issue was, they were right in the heart of enemy territory.

Rene team students overheard the complaints from the Adel team and didn’t hold back their sarcasm.

“Wow, what a bunch of whiners. Can’t even manage a proper class and resort to sneaking peeks at others’ training.”

“Geez, I’m so envious. Getting to lounge under a pretty instructor. They’re completely slacking off for a week, right?”

“Hey, hey, let it go. Every day of fighting will reveal everything anyways. Let them live in their dreams for now.”

Originally, you have to give kind words to receive kind words back.

Of course, responding to someone sneering while watching them train would lead to a sharp response, but people tend to think egocentrically.

The Adel team students were furious.

“What the hell? Do you even realize how much we’re pushing ourselves?”

“Pfft. What pushing? Are you holding hands and dancing? That would be tough, I guess.”

Before things could escalate to fists, the Tin Knight who was holding Adelheid stepped in and mediated, defusing the situation, but the Adel team students’ spirits had not improved.

Especially after witnessing their master bowing deeply and apologizing to the other side, there was no way they could feel good about anything.

Observing Gerhardt’s class was even worse.

Maybe it was because of Gerhardt’s strict teaching methods, but they didn’t boldly approach to sneer or pick a fight, yet fiery young people could tell how each of them viewed the others just from a glance.

The haughty chin, the slight lift at the corner of their lips, the pity in their looks all screamed, “Huh, what a bunch of idiots. This is real man training. Enjoying playtime with a girl?”

“Do you have any idea what those pricks said? They called us village rascals living off the lord because we don’t have a training ground!”

“Those Rene team guys. Just because their automata are adjusted for reception doesn’t mean they did anything to get where they are.”

“What’s the big deal about ten hours of strength training? We train all except the four hours we sleep!!”

“How dare those slackers talk down to us? Huh? This is infuriating!”

Sharing happiness multiplies it, sharing sadness divides it, but sharing rage only compounds it.

Initially, the students tried to remain calm, but upon hearing their peers’ “stories,” they couldn’t help but let the heat rise in their heads, unable to suppress their anger.

Confirming that a delicious stew was boiling nicely, the Tin Knight added a spoonful of magical ramen seasoning.

“Sir Knight, what’s going on? You want me to write something?”

-If our team wins, we plan to implement a system for mediators between the instructor and students. Naturally, only ‘excellent students’ who performed well in the match will be included as mediators.

“So, you’re saying it’s like creating an official post that’s precisely for mediating between me, the devil—no, the Tin Knight—and our team?”

“So as long as we win the match, we can legally make those guys roll under us?”

“There’s more in the back, though?”

-There’s a possibility a similar system could be rolled out even if another team wins.

In truth, the Tin Knight had shared nothing about this with Rene and Gerhardt, but that didn’t make it a lie. He was just expressing a ‘possibility.’

And the students interpreted it as the Tin Knight intended.

-If you win, you get to be the mediator and manage those guys. But if you lose, you’ll be rolling under them instead. It’s clear as day.

“We HAVE to win! By any means necessary!”

“Those arrogant bastards! I’ll shove a wooden sword down their throats!”

“Did you see their snickers when our master bowed? They all need to have their eyes gouged out!”

“No! That’s not enough!!”

“Exactly! Our goal isn’t just victory!! It’s murder!!”

“Kill them! Kill them! Kill them! Smash their heads!”

“……”

Watching the students’ frenzy as they froth at the mouth, the TikTok family vassal, Ernest, quietly penned a report.

-The mental state of the students is extremely unstable, and they have fallen into a collective madness. I suggest appropriate restrictions for safe competition.

-Also, I request a component analysis of the stew brought in by the Tin Knight.

The Count responded.

-This seems amusing, so I’ll let it go.

-Children grow up with such nonsense, you know.

-And the aroma of that seasoning was so wonderful that I sneaked some to taste; it was as scrumptious as it smelled.

“Woooooooon!!”

Ernest’s wail echoed as several more days passed.

Finally, the curtain rose on the guillotine match (with one side completely unaware).

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