Chapter 97: The Tin Knight and the Martial Arts Tournament (4)

[The ‘Tin Knight’ declares he wants a flashy entrance scene for himself!]

[The ‘Tin Knight’ vows to drop in from the sky like a bomb instead of just jumping into the audience!]

“What the heck is this lunatic talking about?”

After the individual preliminaries wrapped up amid the Tin Knight’s nonsense, the group matches the next day weren’t nearly as explosive.

First off, the total number of participants was fewer than in the individual rounds, and given the rule that three people formed a team, the actual number of teams was even lower.

It wasn’t like a deathmatch style was strictly needed; the organizers could handle it as a tournament format from the get-go.

Of course, since the team numbers didn’t add up perfectly, some fought more than others, but the organizers managed to sort it out without much fuss.

It wasn’t a lottery draw.

It wasn’t seeding based on reputation.

“If you have no money, fight more, and if you have money, you can fight less!”

This wasn’t just some gossip—this was the official stance of the tournament.

It wasn’t that the placement of participants was determined by bribes (the lord didn’t have a greed for money, but rather it was a hassle to distribute spots based on amounts), but rather it was a way to reward participants who volunteered to fight more.

Wealthy participants were unlikely to be swayed by such rewards. Given the back-to-back nature of the tournament, whether you fought more or less significantly impacted one’s condition.

Even if teams had equal skill, one team might fight consecutively while another got a free pass to rest, giving the latter a huge advantage.

Inevitably, those who volunteered to fight more were either economically disadvantaged or—

[The ‘Tin Knight’ argues that squeezing out experience points to the max is the way to go!]

-Or they were just weirdos who genuinely enjoyed fighting.

“Well, do whatever you want.”

Surprisingly, this time Dorothea didn’t stop the Tin Knight.

The reason for that was revealed by the commentary as they watched the matches unfold.

“Dorothea’s team! They’ve sent out one magical automaton, leaving the other two waiting in the back! Is this an intent to support with magic?”

“Oh! What’s this? They’ve laid out mats and are sitting down! Does this mean they think they can handle them 3-on-1?! The opponent, Ioku, is blushing from their audacious display!”

“The magical automaton’s shield attack! Ioku’s head snaps back! His teammates rush to help, but it’s too late! A stunning body blow silences the other two, and Dorothea’s team’s victory is assured! An overwhelming performance without even drawing swords!”

One, the Tin Knight steps forward.

Two, Dorothea and Sophia watch from behind.

Three, the Tin Knight knocks down three opponents, and the match concludes.

Some on the opposing team tried to ignore the Tin Knight and target Dorothea or Sophia, but that tactic had never succeeded even once.

This was also why Dorothea didn’t stop the Tin Knight from taking the lead. After all, he was the one doing all the fighting.

Moreover, aside from sheer annoyance, there was a desperate situation at play.

“You want me to use my magic in front of hundreds or thousands of onlookers?”

Dorothea’s magic generally lacked good visuals.

Taking a pass on corpse-oriented spells, her spells involving black mists or muddy illusions and the hazy, undulating spirits were shocking in their own right.

Shooting curses that looked like black arrows might not seem too bad, but the rest had significant drawbacks.

Sophia’s holy magic wasn’t much better off either.

Given the extreme rarity of holy magic users, they attracted unnecessary attention, and displaying the stunning scene of igniting oneself with their own magic in broad daylight was out of the question.

As a result, Dorothea and Sophia focused on observing, leaving the joyous Tin Knight to enjoy more of the fighting.

[The ‘Tin Knight’ roars in triumph!]

Dorothea’s team.

Advancing to the top 16 in the group matches.

***

Clang!

As swords clashed, the man gasped.

‘What power…!’

Even with just one exchange, his grip ached.

One might think it was natural since the opponent wielded a two-handed sword while he wielded a one-handed sword, but considering the opponent’s stature was a head shorter than him, it was nothing short of astonishing.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The blonde girl swung her dual swords in quick succession.

Judging he couldn’t endure it much longer, the man changed his grip and seized the sword with both hands.

As he forcefully parried, the girl’s rapid moves momentarily staggered.

‘Now’s my chance!’

Without hesitation, the man thrust forward.

His earlier resolve to avoid striking the face had long since vanished.

Whoosh!

The thrust aimed straight for her forehead missed its target.

It was because the girl had ducked low.

However, she hadn’t just lowered her head.

With her gaze focused sharply on the sword whizzing past her head, she bent her legs and sprung upward.

With a snap!

The girl’s left hand latched onto the man’s left shoulder.

Using that hand as a pivot, her body spun around.

Head down, legs up.

The girl spread her body like a gymnast and struck the back of the man’s head with both knees.

Thud!

“Ugh!”

Stars exploded in front of the man’s eyes, and a scream escaped his lips.

Next, the girl grabbed the man by the shoulders with both hands and delivered a fierce kick to the back of his head with her boot, using the recoil to perform a somersault.

The man collapsed with a thud.

The girl hopped onto his back and pressed her sword to the side of his neck.

Feeling the urge to stand up, the man instead slumped back down.

“Alright. I concede my defeat.”

“That’s it! The winner, Adelheid von Lenart!”

As the judge’s voice declared victory, the blonde girl—Adel—bounced off the man’s back.

Then she extended her hand to him.

“Good job!”

Whether to take the winner’s greeting as humiliation or reverence was up to the individual.

The man leaned toward the latter.

He smiled ruefully as he took Adel’s hand and got back on his feet.

‘My hands are tougher than I expected. Then again, considering those moves, that’s to be expected.’

The seasoned warrior sensed that despite her somewhat daft and naive appearance, Adel had overcome many hardships.

And it was quite satisfying for him as a loser.

After all, it was much easier to acknowledge an opponent who had grown strong through considerable effort than one who simply relied on “special bloodline.”

“I didn’t think I’d lose right from the start after finally making it to the main event. If possible, win it all. That way, I can brag about it somewhere.”

At the man’s words, Adel’s expression went from surprise to a strangely pouting look as she replied.

“I-I’ll do my best! Somehow! …I mean, it might be tough, but I’ll try to give it my all….”

“No need to feel so burdened.”

The man rushed to comfort Adel, slightly flustered.

A little lion who still lacked the experience to match her strength.

Adelheid.

Advancing to the top 16 in the individual matches.

***

That night at dinner.

They returned to their lodging and gathered at a restaurant in the special district for dinner.

On a table clothed with a pristine white tablecloth.

“It’s nice and quiet—let’s eat here from now on.”

After swallowing a plate of pasta packed with mushrooms, Dorothea remarked.

“Restaurants outside the special district are overcrowded. The city itself is overrun with tourists, so it can’t be helped.”

As she munched on a salad devoid of dressing, Sophia added.

“I was really flustered when I walked into a restaurant without a thought and was suddenly swarmed by people.”

Adelheid nodded in agreement with the two. Her plate was piled high with three large steaks.

[The ‘Tin Knight’ points out that the proper way to eat pasta is to twirl it around and take a bite!]

[The ‘Tin Knight’ is puzzled about how one can eat salad without dressing!]

[The ‘Tin Knight’ praises Adelheid’s taste, saying meat is always the best!]

Meanwhile, a certain knight babbled away non-stop about his feelings or critiques of the food next to them.

Dorothea sighed.

“Cancel that ‘it’s quiet’ remark. There’s never a quiet day with this guy around.”

“Ha, haha… um, I guess it can’t be helped. The knight must be bored just watching. I wish he could eat something himself. Is there a technique for that yet?”

“Hmm, I’m not sure? Technology is usually invented out of necessity. If there’s no one who ‘needs’ to feed a magical automaton, the chances aren’t very high.”

“Is that so.”

Thinking she’d said something unnecessary, Adel glanced at the Tin Knight cautiously.

The Tin Knight lightly patted Adel’s head.

[The ‘Tin Knight’ claims that merely watching a food show can offer satisfaction!]

[The ‘Tin Knight’ states that if someone enjoys his favorite dishes, that’s more than enough for him!]

“Oh, yes! I’ll eat with all my might! You can tell me anything!”

[The ‘Tin Knight’ insists she must order this, this, this, and that!]

“No, I’ll eat my fill, but that amount is a bit…!”

[The ‘Tin Knight’ cries out, ‘No taking back!’]

Dorothea shook her head as she watched the excited Tin Knight urging for orders and Adel struggling to place additional ones.

She thought it was a fruitless worry; then suddenly she recalled the Tin Knight’s words.

‘Satisfaction through vicarious experience. The craving for food is truthful.’

In a way, it was only natural.

Unlike ordinary artificial souls who had never eaten anything, the Tin Knight housed a human soul.

It was odd to think a spirit with memories of its past life would completely lack such desires.

Dorothea began to ponder seriously about that theme.

‘A soul possessed in a living body can actually feel those sensations. If I temporarily extract it and have someone else embody it? No, that won’t work. It’d be troublesome if they couldn’t return to the automaton’s body. Even if I have a cage, I can’t keep the soul forever. As Adel said, I’d need to enable it to eat or taste things while still in the automaton’s body. But is there any tinkerer interested in such peculiar technology?’

At that moment, the face of a quirky servant she met on TikTok popped into Dorothea’s mind.

The white-dressed wizard and her equally white knight.

‘Gale Elilraz. He might have some interest in this, but wait, how would I get them to cooperate? Asking them to help feed a tin can? That’s ridiculous. Or is it? Given the slave beast management aspect, that doesn’t seem too embarrassing or odd—’

“Dorothea?”

“Huh?”

Responding to Sophia calling her name, Dorothea snapped out of her deep contemplation.

Only then did she notice that the rest of the group was staring at her.

Some waiter was quietly hovering nearby as well.

Dorothea decided to be honest instead of mumbling excuses.

“Sorry, I was lost in thought. What’s up?”

“A certain guest asked to meet you after the meal.”

Sophia said, handing Dorothea a note, or rather a brief greeting written on a piece of paper.

“I have something to discuss about the recent events at Taros Labyrinth. -Alingd Goodwitch-”

A deep furrow formed on Dorothea’s brow.

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