Chapter 66

#66 Episode: The Tin Knight and the City of Gears Act 3 (8)

“Brother!”

A straight line from his right shoulder down to his right thigh.

The huge wound that only looked like a fatal injury made the members of Gerhardt’s faction scream.

However.

Puhak!

Gerhardt himself, instead of collapsing while covering his wound, kicked out at Adelheid even in that state.

Adel’s sword broke, and she couldn’t withstand the shock, rolling on the floor.

Whoosh! Blood gushed from Gerhardt’s wound.

That was the price for moving recklessly while injured.

Gerhardt, examining his injury with a grim face, raised an eyebrow at the sight of Adel struggling to get back on her feet.

Clang.

As if to confront Gerhardt, the Tin Knight stepped forward.

Though there were piercing wounds all over his body and his right arm was twisted about 90 degrees outward, there was no impression of weakness at all.

On the contrary, it felt as if he could fight even more if he wanted to.

Thinking that he too would join the fray, just at that moment when Gerhardt was about to step forward, the Count’s voice rang out.

“How about we leave it at that? If we go any further, it will become a fight to the death, not a duel.”

Gerhardt froze.

Although he knew the Count was right, the old man stubbornly wanted to burn his full strength.

“…Many duels can sometimes turn into fights to the death.”

“If this had been a fight to the death, you would have already lost.”

“What do you mean?”

“If that girl had truly wanted it, your head would be split open by now.”

“That’s…”

Gerhardt swallowed his words.

While the visible bleeding was loud, in reality, he still had energy left.

He had briefly wielded sword mastery during the fight, but Adelheid’s techniques were still underdeveloped.

Even with the sturdy constitution typical of the Lion Duke’s Bloodline, Gerhardt’s body had been reinforced by years of training and magical power, and it was far from easy to cut through.

However, the method of attack could change things.

If he had aimed for the head right from the start, not cutting but smashing down, even Gerhardt wouldn’t have walked away unscathed.

An annoying voice whispered in Gerhardt’s ear.

“Cough! Cough! Phew. You know, I always knew you were overly sentimental and ugly in character. But really, let’s call it a day. Old man, you really lack finesse.”

“Lying on the ground, and you still talk big.”

“If you had been hit in the solar plexus with a chunk of iron, you wouldn’t be saying that.”

Clearly unable to lift himself from the ground, Rene lay sprawled, his eyes rolling around.

Gerhardt, who gazed at him with annoyance, soon closed his eyes in resignation.

“I acknowledge my defeat.”

***

After the match ended, there were no cheers filling the arena or a glorious award ceremony.

It had been such a bloody fight that the audience, who might have offered applause or cheers, were left stunned.

“Goodness. How disappointing. It was such an impressive fight.”

With the Count casually munching on a cookie as if he didn’t understand, the captain of the knights sighed deeply.

“Well, to the average person, it probably looked like a life-or-death struggle, not just a duel.”

The concept of a ‘fatal wound’ differs between an ordinary person and a warrior trained with magical power.

For the former, a poorly aimed stab to the thigh or neck could lead to excessive bleeding and death, while the latter could simply apply a bit of focus to stop the bleeding.

Of course, it wasn’t as if severed limbs could grow back, so there were limits, but as the levels of both increased, duels tended to become more vicious.

Especially since the Lion Duke’s Bloodline were naturally sturdy, that trait became even more pronounced.

“Well, on the flip side, since it was an extraordinary fight, those who would contest the outcome won’t dare speak up now. Even if they do, they probably wouldn’t have the guts to say so given the atmosphere. In that sense, Duke Gerhardt did everyone a favor.”

“From his stubbornness to insist on a match until the end, it doesn’t seem like that was his intention, though.”

“What matters is the outcome, right? And even if Duke Gerhardt didn’t intend it, Duke Rene probably had a different reason. Frankly, he had no other reason to comply with the duel.”

Even so, no one would have thought both would end up defeated, the Count muttered.

The captain of the knights nodded in agreement.

The results of this duel were indeed abnormal.

“I’m curious about the true identity of that Tin Knight. I’ve heard that the magical automatons from the Magical Kingdom are far superior to those of the Empire. Could he be from there?”

“If so, that’s quite frightening. We need to work harder to improve our technology, or else our TikTok’s automatons might just fall like pawns before a knight.”

The Count said jokingly.

Seeing the smile on his face, he didn’t seem too seriously concerned.

“…Do you perhaps have a clue about that knight?”

In response to the captain’s question, the Count shrugged.

“Well, he certainly seems like an interesting fellow.”

“Is that so?”

With a reply that was hard to tell if sincere or sarcastic, the captain couldn’t help but sigh.

His lord remained as enigmatic as ever.

***

TikTok Castle. Medical Room.

“…You want me to take on the role of an instructor here?”

With his upper body wrapped in bandages, Gerhardt twitched his eyebrows.

It was clear he was struggling to suppress rising anger, causing Adel to flinch.

Rene, who was next to him, interjected.

Unlike Gerhardt, he was clad in a neat uniform with no skin showing.

“Not ‘I’ but ‘we,’ right? Let’s be precise with our language.”

“I don’t want to be associated with a brat like you as ‘we.’”

“Do you think I want to be doing this with you, you old fossil?”

“P-Please don’t fight, you two.”

As the two glared at each other, Adel desperately tried to convey her intentions with sidelong glances at the Tin Knight.

‘K-Knight. Isn’t this a bit too reckless?!’

In response to Adel’s look, the Tin Knight answered.

[‘Tin Knight’ says that if he had to pick a side, he would have just secured one side’s support and called it a day!]

[‘Tin Knight’ argues that the rewards for a hidden route should be greater than those of a regular route!]

[‘Tin Knight’ insists that the dojo led by Adel as the chief instructor should be bigger and stronger than any other dojo!]

[‘Tin Knight’ maintains that having an old man of strength and a young man of skill is better than having just one of them!]

Naturally, it was impossible for Adel, who needed to wander the continent gathering tokens, to stay in TikTok and take on the role of instructor.

The chief instructor position would essentially be a mere title, and she’d have to entrust the dojo’s operations to someone else.

Adel had considered asking Rene, who she had a bit of a rapport with (and who she felt guilty about unexpectedly hitting), but the Tin Knight suggested it would be good to talk to Gerhardt as well.

The Tin Knight, without a thought for how difficult it would be for Adel to relay a message on his behalf, asserted his opinions.

Of course, without a heart, the original character was nowhere to be found.

If there had been a witch here, she might have spat out verbal barbs or physically thrashed the Tin Knight to get him to stop, but the Little Lion still lacked the courage and capability to do that.

Instead of kicking her foolish master’s shins, she gazed at Gerhardt and Rene with teary eyes.

“Um, is this… really too much?”

“……”

Both men stayed silent.

And then.

“…Hmph, if that’s the will of the victor, I have no choice but to comply.”

Unexpectedly, it was Gerhardt’s side that raised the white flag first.

Rene’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Wait, what? I thought you’d spout some nonsense about ‘if I’m going to hand it over, then I want full authority.’”

“A duel is a duel.”

“You lost to me in a humiliating way and then didn’t want a rematch?”

“Your loss was a fluke.”

“You’re speaking so prettily, you old coot. Who would think you were wronged?”

Complaining in a grumbling tone, Rene eventually nodded along with Gerhardt.

“Well, taking the instructor role is better than being booted from the dojo. Since this duel has become widely known, the strength of magical automatons will be re-evaluated and membership will likely increase.”

Adel’s face lit up cheerfully.

“Thank you both so much!”

“Haha. Thank you? You should be the one thanking me, Adelheid. I’m getting half of what I had before, but this old man is getting half of something he didn’t have! I think you should bow down and express your gratitude.”

“Talk big for someone who lost.”

“Oh, cough. Hahaha.”

As Adel smiled at the scuffling two of them, she felt a bit awkward watching their antics.

She worried about whether these two rivals could actually run the dojo properly together… but what could she do? She had to trust the Tin Knight’s instincts.

After that, Adel discussed with them about various topics like ‘Setting up communal training for new apprentices first and allowing them to choose their instructors in specialized courses,’ or ‘Creating a training assistant system to boost the motivation of the apprentices,’ or ‘Offering extra points for selecting Adel’s seven apprentices as teaching assistants,’ when the Tin Knight chimed in.

[‘Tin Knight’ suggests discussing the Smith & Sink workshop as well!]

“Oh, right! Our party has a doll workshop connected to us opening in a couple of days. The knight will be doing a street performance for the grand opening. If you’re interested, come on down!”

“Oh? A doll workshop? If it’s recommended by you, it sounds quite intriguing. I’ve usually favored Stromboli’s shop, but it’s important to have multiple trading routes open, right?”

“Tsk. With that kind of skill, do you think you could act like a clown? I find it hard to understand.”

The Tin Knight proudly puffed out his chest.

[‘Tin Knight’ claims he will show an even more powered-up version of himself then!]

[‘Tin Knight’ suggests that if he had upgraded at the workshop first and fought afterward, it would have been easier!]

[‘Tin Knight’ adds that he enjoyed the suitable level of challenge this experience gave him and praises his excellent scheduling skills!]

“……”

After rolling around so much during the match, Adel fell silent.

“But Adelheid, it seems like your doll wants to say something. What’s on its mind?”

Adel thought for a moment, then smiled and replied.

“Oh, nothing in particular!”

[‘Tin Knight’ is shocked by the defiance of his disciple!]

After the grueling challenge in TikTok,

she had once again grown a little stronger.