Chapter 9

It’s the second time Roni Locksley is watching the Tin Knight fight.

To be honest, it’s a stretch to say she truly “saw” the first fight.

It was a dark night, and Roni was tied up, rolling on the floor, too busy trying to keep up with the sudden chaos to enjoy any leisurely spectating.

She comprehended with her brain that the Tin Knight was strong after watching him wipe out a bunch of bandits solo, but she couldn’t fully grasp it.

However, now that she could actually watch the Tin Knight in action, it was a different story.

“……”

With wide-open eyes, Roni stared blankly at the scene.

There weren’t any special techniques or fancy moves involved.

The attacks were just punches and elbows, and the defense? Well, let’s say it wasn’t exactly polished.

Since he couldn’t dodge all the guys’ hits, Roni could hear the sounds of him getting scratched here and there.

In a way, it looked like he was just relying on his armor’s durability to go wild.

But Roni, who had worked hard to become a knight herself for a long time, could see through it.

The wild punches of the Tin Knight were precisely targeting the enemies’ weak points, while the bandits’ blades merely scratched the surface, missing their marks completely.

This was a fighting style premised on taking on multiple opponents from the get-go.

Minimizing unnecessary waste, efficiently dodging small attacks, and using that gained capacity to take down as many enemies as possible was clearly evident in the Tin Knight’s movements.

It didn’t take long for all the troublesome men who got into a scuffle to fall to the ground.

The Tin Knight’s gaze turned towards Roni.

Feeling as if the brightly shining blue glow inside his helmet was blaming her, Roni instinctively shrank back.

Thinking it over, it wasn’t surprising that the Tin Knight might find her watching idly without helping him displeasing, considering she didn’t even lend a hand during the fight.

“Th-thank you for helping! And I’m sorry!”

The Tin Knight didn’t respond.

After about ten seconds of waiting for him to say something, Roni suddenly remembered that he couldn’t actually speak—no, to be precise, only the witch could understand him. What a bonehead mistake to make!

In this way, she continued to berate herself for being a novice, when the Tin Knight started to gesture with both hands.

He pointed at the fallen men with a finger.

Then he opened and closed his fist near his mouth.

He pointed at Roni again, and then at the top of her head, as if to indicate something.

At first, Roni had no idea what he meant, but the Tin Knight repeated the same gestures several times until she finally understood.

“You want me to interrogate them to find out information about the lady? Is that it?”

The Tin Knight nodded.

That made sense, Roni thought.

It was obvious that these men had been active in the city longer than they had just arrived.

Unlike the two she had knocked out first, the four the Tin Knight had taken down seemed to be unconscious but alive.

Roni was once again impressed by the Tin Knight’s ability to be so meticulous even while fighting multiple foes.

The only worry remaining was the potential backlash of殺ing someone in the middle of the street, but… to put it plainly, that too was swiftly resolved.

“Hey, ladies. Is it okay if I clean up that pile of bodies over there?”

When one of the spectators who were watching the fight spoke up, Roni thought they were a friend of the dead guys.

Just checking if it was okay to bury their friends, right?

But that was a huge misconception.

As soon as Roni nodded, the onlooker approached the corpses, stripped them of their clothes and belongings, and tossed the bodies into a cart as if they were just cargo.

It was a blatant disregard for the dead, treating them like mere objects.

Still in shock, Roni stood there with her mouth agape as the spectator took off with the cart.

Yes, the cleanup was done without any hassle, but thinking about how those bodies would be treated left a sour taste in her mouth.

There was a silver lining, though.

The first was that the men answered without any stubbornness despite the situation, and the second was that they actually knew some information about the “lady.”

One of the men with a big bruise on his face spoke up while Roni was keeping an eye on the Tin Knight, who was standing with his arms crossed in a corner of the room.

“If they brought a ton of slaves into this city recently, it must be the Columbo gang. They’re infamous for not caring about anything if there’s money to be made.”

It was pretty ironic to hear someone known for disturbing innocent women be talking about how infamous he was, but that wasn’t the main point right now.

“Where are they located?”

“No real location to speak of. They’re such a big group that they’re not just huddled in one spot; they hang out in different groups all over the place.”

“Just tell me what you know!”

Roni pressed on with a strong tone.

Her demeanor was completely different from the polite way she had been with the Tin Knight, which made the man flinch slightly.

“W-well, there’s a place not too far from here called the Black Pig Tavern. I saw them throwing a party there yesterday.”

“How many of them?”

“Can’t say for sure, but there had to be over twenty.”

Roni let out a low sound.

Twenty. That was a truly overwhelming force.

While individual rogues might not be that skilled, the sheer number of criminals who think nothing of killing was a threat in itself.

And if that was just a fraction of their total group, considering the whole gang could easily exceed a hundred!

‘… I figured they’d be some major players attempting blatant raids in a decent territory, but I didn’t think they’d be this bad.’

Clank.

While Roni was lost in thought, she suddenly heard the sound of the Tin Knight moving.

“Sir Knight?”

The Tin Knight ignored Roni’s question and approached the bruised man.

“W-wait! I told you everything I know! The guy who attacked your group is already dead!”

Maybe thinking the Tin Knight was going to harm him, the man tied up started to struggle and shout, but the Tin Knight grabbed his shoulder and lifted him to his feet without much effort.

Then he gave the man’s back a couple of firm pats with his hand.

“Huh? Wh-what?”

The man looked confused, but soon a realization seemed to dawn on him as he cautiously asked,

“You want me to guide you, don’t you?”

The Tin Knight nodded.

“Come on now, I don’t want to be targeted by the Columbo gang out in the open—Ah, fine! I’ll do it! Just show me where to go!”

As the man was about to make excuses, he quickly changed his tune when he noticed the Tin Knight reaching toward the sword at his waist.

His voice had a slightly whiny tone, but considering his actions, it wasn’t a sight that warranted much sympathy.

“Please wait a moment, Sir Knight. You’re not planning to leave right now, are you?”

The Tin Knight nodded again.

Roni hesitated.

They had just arrived in the city today, and it was already getting close to evening.

Thinking about the darkness soon covering the sky and the fatigue of the party, now was not the ideal time to move out.

But.

“You said we’re going to rescue the lady, right? So does it even matter if we delay a little?”

Wasn’t the whole point of sneaking in using the back door to save the lady as quickly as possible?

There was a fight, they got clues about where the lady was… would waiting it out now really be considered “knight-like” behavior?

Being anxious and hasty could be a recipe for disaster.

However, doing nothing here didn’t quite feel right either.

Roni spoke to the Tin Knight.

“Could you give me a moment? I’d like to gather anyone among us willing to come along. Some might have come here out of necessity, to meet family, but… I want to give a chance to those who joined for revenge.”

The Tin Knight seemed to think for a moment before crossing his arms and leaning back against the wall again.

This was a clear sign that he would wait.

Roni bowed her head towards the Tin Knight and then informed the rest of the party remaining at the lodgings.

Those who were about to have an early dinner to quell their hunger, and getting ready to rest, were a bit flustered upon hearing the sudden news.

Some asked if they couldn’t just leave it to the knight, while others pleaded to take a break before fighting.

However.

There were definitely those who were ready to spring into action with burning eyes as well.

“I couldn’t do anything last time, but this time will be different.”

“We’re going to get revenge on those scumbags, right? I’m in. I’ll kill them all.”

“I have to get back my little sister they took. Please take me with you.”

“If it’s about saving the lady, then of course I’ll join you.”

Thus, a total of five warriors, including Roni, gathered together.

Although their stances with weapons were somewhat shaky, the determination in them was more than enough for one full strength.

“We’re ready. Sir Knight.”

The Tin Knight nodded silently.

Alongside him were the four men who had been knocked out by the Tin Knight, including the one who had given information.

Now free and returned their weapons, they guided the way forward, though with sad faces.

They didn’t even try to run or resist; each time they showed signs of doing so, the Tin Knight would mercilessly beat them back.

As they arrived at their destination, the sight of raucous bandits, feasting on drinks and meat, filled the room.

They seemed to be right in the middle of their dinner, completely unaware that anyone intended to harm them.

Drawing his sword, the Tin Knight dashed forward and unhesitatingly plunged the blade into a bandit’s face.

And just like that, the battle began.