Chapter 64

#64 Episode: The Tin Knight and the City of Gears Act 3 (6)

“Did it!! We did it!”

“Yes!! We did it, hell yeah!”

“Hahaha! Wow, really, wow! Hey!!”

Adelheid’s team was the embodiment of festival spirit.

They rushed toward the representative student who showcased some flashy skills at the end, showering him with praise, hugging each other and cheering loudly.

However, where there are winners, there are also losers.

The members of the other two teams all wore gloomy expressions.

Confusion, frustration, anger, despair—various emotions flickered rapidly across their faces.

This was a perfectly natural occurrence, but in this case, the issue was that the number of winners was significantly smaller, while the number of losers was just way too many.

Most of the people in the arena had frowns on their faces, making it look like just a handful were enjoying themselves.

The knight commander, who played the role of the referee, squinted his eyes.

‘What a seditious atmosphere.’

The reason was clear.

Even though a winner had emerged, the losers were unable to accept it in their hearts.

Well, there were some who did, but they were only a minority.

Nobody spoke out their complaints or accused the winners, but that was about it.

Even if this contest were to end right now, it didn’t seem like the losers would genuinely recognize the winners or respect their authority.

The knight commander fell silent.

If the conclusion of this battle ended in a muddle creating further discord, it would negatively impact the authority of the Count who oversaw the contest.

Just then, as the representative in charge of TikTok’s force, he intended to intervene rather forcefully to change the atmosphere.

“Count, I would like to make a request.”

An old man with faded blonde hair.

Gerhardt stepped onto the stage and opened his mouth.

As everyone stared in surprise, the Count, seated in a prime spot to watch the match, replied without changing his posture.

“A request? What is it?”

“Before this stage comes to an end, I ask for a delay, even a little.”

The surrounding chatter grew louder.

To ask for a delay after the matches were already over was quite a loaded request.

The Count said enigmatically, “How strange. Did you not swear that you would accept any result before the match started?”

“I do not intend to deny the outcome. However, if things continue as they are, my friends and I will have to leave TikTok. Before that happens, there is something I wish to do one last time.”

“And what is that?”

Gerhardt raised his arm for everyone to see and pointed towards the Tin Knight.

“That doll. No, I want to face off against the knight.”

Knight.

The fact that Gerhardt officially labeled it as such made some of the people present widen their eyes in surprise.

The stubborn and egotistical old man who had previously dismissed the magical automaton as nothing more than a toy now referred to his opponent as a ‘knight.’

That alone was already astonishing, but bowing his head to the Count and requesting a duel was something that left those who knew Gerhardt’s character astounded.

“Oh?”

A smile, curious in nature, crept onto the Count’s lips, which had always retained a secretive expression.

“It’s not denying the contest itself, but rather an unofficial one, then. It doesn’t seem difficult to allow the venue to be used for that. However, we must also consider the will of the other side, yes?”

At the Count’s words, everyone turned their gaze toward the Tin Knight.

But the Tin Knight had no mouth.

Thus, it was up to Adelheid to convey its intentions.

Gazing intensely at the Tin Knight, she suddenly jumped at a voice that only she could hear in this place.

“Uh, wait a minute, Knight. Are you serious?”

After stammering for a while, rattling off words like ‘impossible,’ she eventually seemed to lose to the knight’s stubbornness and spoke.

“Uh, um. I will convey the knights’ thoughts. ‘I accept the contest. However, if it’s the final fight to determine the true owner of the dojo, a simple one-on-one duel won’t be enough.’”

Everyone focused on each syllable that came from Adelheid’s lips.

“‘This was originally a match where three representatives faced off against each other’s pride. Gerhardt, it should be you and me facing off, not excluding the other two.’”

Rene, who was suddenly called out, showed a startled expression, but Adelheid wasn’t done yet.

“‘So how about this? Rene von Lenart. Gerhardt von Lenart. Both of you charge together. Adel and I will strike back and prove our qualifications as champions once more.’”

With that said, Adelheid took in her surroundings, noting the stares of others, and added.

“Uh, that’s… it.”

A silence followed.

Although Adelheid had diligently polished the ‘Tin Knight-style language’ into something more classical, the essential content had remained unchanged.

A duel? Good. But to throw a challenge like that, that was shocking!

Considering that both Gerhardt and Rene held the position of representative instructors in the dojo, it felt not only rude but downright insane.

People expected Gerhardt to express fury, but all he did was twitch his eyebrows, neither shouting nor getting angry.

“What are you going to do about it? You rookie.”

Without even glancing away, Gerhardt spoke.

A shadow fell beside him.

“How can we ignore this stage when it’s set up like this? We’re not wasting a celebration.”

As he took off his wide-brimmed hat, Rene grumbled.

“You still care about such trivialities. That’s why you’re not the representative instructor but a clown. Pathetic fool.”

“Call it the traits of a competent businessman. But you’re just getting high-and-mighty when you got kicked out for not being able to manage people.”

At that moment, it seemed someone could no longer hold back, and action began.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

With a heavy yet lively, loud thudding sound, the Tin Knight landed on the stage.

Beside it stood a visibly tense Adelheid.

The Count rose from his chair and made a declaration.

“This contest holds no stakes, nor is there any obligation to be held. Yet, how utterly fascinating this contest is!”

He spoken loudly so that everyone present could hear, posing the question to the parties of the Lenart Dojo.

“What think you! Is a fight without gain worthless? Is a struggle without cost meaningless? Don’t you feel any anticipation for the stage that is about to unfold?”

No one raised their voice.

However, the gazes of the audience were stronger than any voice, showing their intent.

The Count joyfully shouted, “I’ve heard your responses! Then let us all watch! Let us all anticipate the finest conclusion that will satisfy us all!”

Dressed in rough martial arts suits, Gerhardt steadied his breath and took a fighting stance with his feet spread apart.

As Rene, in his dazzling uniform, drew his rapier, the sharp blade that usually remained hidden flashed its presence.

The Tin Knight raised its sword and shield, while Adelheid gripped her sword tightly with both hands.

“Starting the unofficial match!!!”

Four shadows charged at each other.

***

The Duke Lenart was one of the most renowned noble families in the Empire.

The power and wealth they held were vast, and the competition among their bloodline was fierce for that very reason.

Gerhardt was a loser who had been swept away amidst that competition.

Once, he dreamed of becoming a hero surpassing the Lion Duke, his ancestor, but the times did not smile upon him.

His bloodline grew too powerful.

To maintain their status, they valued not just sheer strength but also the versatile talents of those who excelled in both military prowess and politics.

Gerhardt had outstanding martial skills but lacked the political acumen and charisma to make up for that shortcoming.

He felt wronged.

He thought that those inferior to him were tarnishing his worth with their ridiculous terms like ‘management skills’ and ‘reforms’ simply because he was only strong.

Thus, he denied Rene and Rene’s ways, gathering those who shared his ideals to call for a rematch.

And he lost.

Not even to Rene, but to an utterly unexpected opponent.

Even for the sake of pride and dignity, he put on a brave face, but his heart was burning like a flame.

He couldn’t accept that. He didn’t want it to end like this.

At the very least, if only—

He wanted to pour out his body, honed over a long time, the skills built upon pain and endurance, everything he considered ‘strength’ onto something.

And now, before Gerhardt’s eyes was an opponent that he couldn’t help but acknowledge as ‘strong.’

“Haah!”

With a mighty shout, Gerhardt took his step forward.

What he executed was a thrust aimed at the throat.

It looked like a simple punch, but the power carried within was enough to crush stone.

Boom!

However, the sound that the attack made was surprisingly light.

Gerhardt’s eyes widened in disbelief.

‘Did I miss?!’

Subtle angle adjustments. Relaxing the body at the moment of impact.

Even Gerhardt, who experienced it himself, could only admire the skill of shield handling.

The Tin Knight’s sword lunged towards Gerhardt’s neck.

It was an extremely efficient trajectory, with no waste at all.

Gerhardt miraculously dodged the blow, blood sprayed into the air from his neck.

Even though he could hardly believe that this was a duel on stage, Gerhardt smiled instead.

‘You’ve got to give me more than this!’

While blood gushed forth, Gerhardt did not retreat but instead pressed in closer to the Tin Knight.

He extended his right leg to trip the Tin Knight, pushing his upper body away with his arms and sent the Tin Knight staggering backward.

Just when Gerhardt’s leg was about to shoot up toward the sky, it came crashing down.

Boom!

A small crater formed in the smooth stone floor.

The amount of power generated by just a single stomp that would be hard to believe was caused by a mere human.

But it meant nothing unless it struck the target.

As the Tin Knight effortlessly rolled backward to mitigate the fall, Gerhardt charged in once more.

Puff! Puff! Puffed!

Like he was determined not to give a chance for a counterattack, a flurry of blows ensued.

At first glance, it appeared that he supplemented his lack of power with speed and technique. However, some experienced martial artists recognized the deadly nature of each attack.

Every strike was capable of crushing a human skull.

Though the Tin Knight’s body wasn’t made of flesh and bone, that hardly mattered.

Gerhardt was a man capable of twisting steel barehanded if he set his mind to it.

So it was all the more astonishing that despite him unleashing his full strength in a flurry of attacks, the steadfast shield remained completely unscathed.

‘Why…?!’

Thunk! Crack!

The answer to Gerhardt’s confusion was a sharp pain he felt in his wrist.

At the moment Gerhardt’s attack landed, the Tin Knight expertly twisted the shield, breaking his wrist.

Out of nowhere, the continuous onslaught ended abruptly as the edge of the shield struck abruptly against Gerhardt’s chest.

It felt like all the air was sucked out of his lungs.

In a split second, he gathered his magical power to take the hit, so none of his ribs shattered, but he couldn’t help but freeze up momentarily.

Just when Gerhardt braced himself to dodge the follow-up attack and avoid any fatal blow—

Kaang!

The Tin Knight took off, leaving Gerhardt behind and soared between Adelheid and Rene.

————————————-

---