Chapter 77

#77 Episode: Tin Knight and the Land of Deep Green (7)

Adelheid von Lenart recalled a scene from a novel she had read in the past.

“Right after we defeated the ‘Master of the Lake’, we were filled with hope.”

“We thought that with such a powerful monster out of the way, there would be no more enemies blocking our path. Even the infamous Forest of Death was nothing against our ‘Navy Blue West Wind.’”

“It was all an illusion. The Master of the Lake was not a tyrant ruling over the entire forest, but just a mere alley thug.”

“No matter how many we defeated, new foes kept charging at us. Rocks, lakes, trees—there was nothing we could trust. Even every morsel of food had to be approached with caution.”

“Oh, how powerless humans are before nature.”

A vivid depiction of the difficulties and hardships faced by top adventurers exploring a forest cursed by a witch.

Adelheid clearly remembered the main characters struggling to survive amidst the endless waves of enemies and inexplicable threats that kept coming at them.

And now, a scene very similar to that novel unfolded right before Adel’s eyes.

[Tin Knight is shouting for your head!]

[Tin Knight insists your head would look great on a pike!]

Day and night, 24 hours straight.

With only brief moments to replenish magical power, the merciless specter of slaughter roamed the forest, chopping off the heads of the powerful and collecting their corpses.

“…Phew. Letting the others share sight from time to time is surprisingly tiring. But if I let someone random witness this, it would be disastrous. I guess I have no choice.”

This manifested a nightmarish environment that couldn’t even overlook the allies who had just fought alongside them, nor the small corpses strewn about on the ground.

Having raised an army of corpses across the forest, instilling despair and terror into the forest’s inhabitants, the evil necromancer seemed more concerned about the eyes of others.

They could easily slot right into the pages of the novel Adel had just read.

Of course, they were cast as the calamities troubling the protagonists. Huh? The protagonists?

Adelheid preferred sentimental romance as her first choice, with exciting adventure tales coming in second. Blood-soaked absurd atrocities were definitely not her taste.

But what could she do about it?

Those absurd and unreasonable individuals were her teacher, her benefactor, and her comrades.

“It’s truly impressive. Generally, what two people can accomplish would require an entire army.”

However, the vampire watching the two from alongside her seemed to have a somewhat different perspective.

With her eyes glimmering between pink and red, Sophia looked at the surrounding scenery with a sense of intrigue.

Initially, they had to curl up on fallen leaves without a proper base, but once Dorothea committed to utilizing necromancy, the situation changed rapidly.

Instead of a bumpy gravel patch, a spacious and flat clearing appeared, tents made from the fur of animals were set up, and many neat rocks took their place around the clearing, serving as makeshift tables.

On top of those rocks, various materials lay arranged, undergoing processing; some bones used whole, some ground, some burnt, and others soaked in liquid along with various herbs—each procedure was distinctly different.

“‘Necromancers are meaningless scum. The lowest, most disgusting, and weakest among wizards.’ It’s something I read in a book, but I wonder how the author would react if they saw this scene now.”

“That’s something I think would anger the Witch.”

“But it’s still a common theory. In my time, the most welcomed occupation among the people was an alchemist, and the most respected in the battlefield were wizards. Well, although there weren’t many aspiring necromancers, the entry was easy, and the infamous reputation of the Queen of the Undead drew many seeking her glory. You do tend to find that the master reflects the students, don’t you?”

“Wow….”

Adelheid was impressed.

Although Dorothea often scolded her for not doing things properly, Adelheid respected Sophia’s knowledge and culture.

Though she lacked modern knowledge due to long years of being sealed away, her inherent intellect didn’t easily vanish.

Listening to her explanations in a sweet, pleasing voice, Adelheid could lose track of time.

Then suddenly, she wondered.

‘Huh? Queen of the Undead? Wasn’t the Witch’s teacher the one from the East? And if Sophia was already known in her time, then how old is she…?’

[Tin Knight is anxiously calling for his apprentice!]

[Tin Knight announces the beginning of swordsmanship practice!]

“Ah, yes! I’m coming!”

Adel’s musings couldn’t continue.

Casting aside her rising questions into the air, the inexperienced and young cub rushed toward her teacher.

The green-haired scarecrow watched the scene with a smile.

***

A few days later.

“Hmm.”

To Dorothea, who was deep in thought with her arms crossed, the Tin Knight spoke.

[Tin Knight asks if there’s a problem!]

[Tin Knight confidently vows he could bring back a head if only a target was specified!]

“No heads needed. I already have more than enough.”

Dorothea snorted, seemingly dissatisfied.

“Blood and flesh of devoured monsters. Bones processed in special ways. Various herbs grown from abundant magical power. Soil untouched by human hands for many years. We’ve gathered everything we intended to secure here. We’ve collected it all, but….”

“What we actually haven’t found is that ‘something’ that corresponded to the source of the forest. That’s what’s bothering me, right?”

Sophia interjected as if completing Dorothea’s trailing sentence.

“I mean, it’s something that affects such an enormous area. If we could secure it, it would greatly strengthen us against the West Witch.”

[Tin Knight agrees that farming specific map items is crucial!]

Adel interjected.

“But we’ve searched through the forest all this time and haven’t found anything, right?”

“That’s the issue. Wolves, bears, snakes, spiders—every big and strong one that’s undergone a ‘mutation’ has been caught, rummaged through the forest, and yet there hasn’t been a notable response.”

Dorothea continued.

“Sure, there might be ones that appear fine on the outside but are altered inside. However, to catch every last one of those, we’d have to truly wipe out all creatures in the forest. It’s one thing to take out those that charge at us, but it feels wrong to have to kill every creature that runs away in fear just from us being nearby.”

Whether it was that they didn’t want to bother with it or their version of mercy that didn’t strike at non-hostile foes was unclear.

Sophia interpreted it as the former.

While Adelheid felt it was the latter.

The Tin Knight thought it was both.

What the right answer was remained a mystery.

“I took a look with Sophia’s sight using her magical power, but nothing particularly promising stood out.”

Dorothea declared this marked the end of their forest forays.

However, even as she said so, she seemed slightly reluctant, her expression indicating that.

At that moment, the Tin Knight raised his hand.

[Tin Knight points out there’s still places left to check!]

“Where?”

[Tin Knight mentions the lake’s bottom as something he had only seen briefly upon entering!]

[Tin Knight suggests they examine the lake bottom again according to the principle of recursion!]

“Hmm.”

Dorothea fell deep into thought at the Ten Knight’s suggestion.

Judging by her expression, she seemed genuinely intrigued.

Seeming buoyed by that, the Tin Knight continued with fresh recommendations.

[Tin Knight suggested that while previously only Sophia and he had explored, this time the four of them should go together!]

[Tin Knight confidently claimed it would be a fun experience, even if it wasn’t a deep-sea adventure!]

“Ahaha…. Thank you for the sentiment, Knight. But I can’t swim. Plus, exploration means we’ll have to be underwater for a long time; either you or Sophia would be fine, but I and the Witch are out of our depth.”

[Tin Knight asserted that with Dorothea’s magic, they could solve that!]

“Um.”

Adel flashed an awkward grin and scratched her cheek.

‘I’m glad at the thought but really… magic that convenient wouldn’t just pop out like that.’

Kaaang!

As expected, Dorothea’s staff came down on the Tin Knight’s head.

“Don’t just change people’s names on a whim. I do have underwater breathing magic, though.”

“Eh?”

Adel instinctively asked back.

No way, you have that? The shock was evident in her tone.

Dorothea answered nonchalantly.

“When I first fell in, I didn’t have any catalysts, nor did I have the luxury to use such magic, so I couldn’t. Now, I can use it.”

She recounted her experiences of frequently utilizing it while fleeing from dangerous foes on land during her errands for her teacher.

Adel found herself filled with curiosity. She seriously wondered what kind of past Dorothea had experienced.

Dorothea scratched her head.

“There are two methods: surrounding yourself with a giant air bubble or chewing on a stone that allows you to breathe underwater. Which one would you prefer? The air bubble keeps your movements fluid and your clothes dry, but if it bursts, that’s it; you won’t be able to wield anything like a weapon.”

[Tin Knight requests that Adelheid go with the latter!]

[Tin Knight says he’ll burn with the desire to teach her the secrets of underwater combat!]

[Tin Knight insists that to truly become the rightful heir, one must master land, sea, and air combat!]

“Even if I concede about the land, I don’t think I need underwater or aerial combat.”

While subtly lamenting this, Adel quietly rearranged her attire and gear.

She realized that arguing against it would prove futile; it was a quick acceptance typical of someone who acknowledged that fact.

Dorothea then thoroughly sealed the carefully collected materials so they wouldn’t get wet again, still with a hint of worry, storing additional materials separately back at their base before heading toward the lake.

***

Surrounded by a huge bubble of air were Dorothea and Sophia.

Adelheid, holding a small pebble in her mouth. As the Tin Knight jumped into the lake without such aid, fish began to curiously gather around them.

Then, the command from the Tin Knight rang out.

[Tin Knight shouts to start by casually hacking down about ten fish!]

Adel felt a strong urge to argue if ‘casual’ meant the same thing to him as it did to her but, with a stone in her mouth, that wasn’t possible.

Enduring the resistance of water and the uncooperative limbs, Adel fought valiantly against the fish.

After sneaking a glance at her, Dorothea approached Sophia.

The giant air bubble naturally merged into one, creating a space for the two to converse.

“Let the fight be on them. We should focus on exploration. Hand over the magical power.”

“Understood.”

Sophia ignored the hand that Dorothea extended and placed hers on top of Dorothea’s head.

Dorothea’s eyebrows twitched, and the atmosphere around her turned prickly.

“What are you doing?”

“Well, to actually work, I need to inject the power of magic into your eyes, right? I figured this way would be more efficient than transferring it through hand. I’ve tried it a few times before, but since you have so much magic, most of the color fades away in the brief moment it transfers from hand to eye.”

“Ugh….”

Dorothea groaned.

She felt uncomfortable about the situation, but Sophia’s reasoning seemed correct, prompting a thoughtful reaction.

“…Hurry up.”

With the permission given among a pouty face, Sophia secretly thought how cute that was.

She kept this thought to herself, knowing verbalizing it would result in her staff being swung her way.

Thus, Sophia’s magical power was transferred to Dorothea, who absorbed it into her eyes.

And she observed.

Far more cracks than those seen from above were scattered everywhere around.

Dorothea’s lips curled upward.

Surely, something seemed to be about to emerge this time.

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