Chapter 48: The Tin Knight and The City of Clockwork (7) + Illustration Added
âIs this doll insane?!â
Seeing what happened to their comrades, some of the enraged gang members drew their weapons.
Their claims of being skilled fighters weren't just empty boasts, it seemed; the angle of their sword thrusts and every step of their footwork were quite sharp.
Their blades even shimmered with sword energy.
Grip.
You gripped your shield.
Perhaps thanks to the improved mana circuits, it felt like you were consuming far less mana than usual.
After coating the shield completely with mana, you swatted the flat of the blade with your shield.
Clang!
The sword broke, and the man's eyes widened.
The price for recklessly reaching out had been a cracked shin and a mild concussion. It seemed only right to collect a steeper price from the one who had openly brandished a sword.
You kicked the man between the legs.
Crunch.
You had no sense of touch, but for some reason, at this moment, you felt you knew exactly what had just happened beyond the man's trousers.
Everyone nearby stared, their mouths agape.
Some among them even trembled, covering their own crotches.
Of course, wherever you go, there are always one or two who are out of sync with everyone else.
Instead of freezing in shock, some glared with rage, about to swing their weapons at you, so you moved your shield once more.
Trying to move without jostling Adelaide was quite a cumbersome task.
Of the two men, one dropped his sword, and the other's sword broke.
If any of them had been holding a spear, you would have stomped on the shaft and pinned it to the ground, but unfortunately, they all had swords.
It seems there's a reason they call the spear the 'King of All Weapons' or something to that effect.
Tsking at their lack of originality, you delivered the same kick to both of their crotches.
Thwack! Bam! Crunch! Crack!
After you beat to a pulp anyone else who drew a weapon, shouted, or attempted any other aggressive action, peace finally descended.
Glance.
You met the gaze of the old man who had been staring intensely at you for a while.
The old man's wrinkled face was a mixture of anger and suspicion.
âHow can a mere toy possess such skill...? No, more importantly, you. Do you have feelings?â
What if you did, and what if you didn't?
You felt no need to answer.
Not that you could have answered even if you'd felt the need.
The old man spoke again.
âDo you have any idea who you've just picked a fight with?â
Hearing the old man's question, you glanced at Adelaide on your back.
No matter how careful you'd been, there must have been some impact, so you thought she might have woken up.
Well, it's not like she's a baby who needs formula, so it wouldn't be a problem if she woke up, but it would feel like failing a challenge, which would be humiliating.
Snooze, snooze.
Fortunately, Adelaide was sleeping soundly.
To think she'd fall into such a deep sleep, exhausted from just a bit of rolling around. You felt the need to improve Adelaide's stamina.
In any case, this meant it would probably be fine to cause a bit of a ruckus.
And perhaps because your mana efficiency had improved, you had plenty left.
You raised your shield and looked around. A suitable-looking boulder caught your eye.
Seeing it jutting out randomly in the middle of the street, it seemed it was too heavy to be moved or removed and had simply been left there like an ornament.
You pointed a finger at the old man, then at yourself and Adelaide.
After confirming the old man's eye twitched, you raised your shield.
The remnants of the 'Tin Knight' guided your body through a set sequence of movements.
You lowered the shield to your left and extended your right foot forward.
Then, uncoiling your twisted body, you blasted mana from the back of the shield and your elbow, channeling the propulsion and rotation into a powerful swing.
ââKRA-BOOOOOOM!!
Like the outer wall of a building struck by a wrecking ball, the boulder instantly shattered into countless small fragments and three or four large chunks.
If it had the power from the 'Tin Knight's' memories, the boulder should have exploded entirely, but whether because your body wasn't in its prime or the shield was subpar, the impact was weaker than you expected.
But, well.
It seemed to be enough for a demonstration.
After all, most of the people around were staring at you with eyes full of terror.
The exceptions were René and the old man.
As expected of the leader of an organization, I suppose their courage and skill are on another level.
In fact, regardless of the old man's character, his level of mastery seemed quite high, and a part of you wanted to fight him.
You repeated the same gestures as before.
Pointing at the old man.
Pointing at yourself and Adelaide.
Finally, you added a new gesture: pointing at the shattered boulder.
The old man had asked, "Do you have any idea who you've just picked a fight with?"
So you answered with your actions.
âAnd you?
Judging by the way the old man's face and forehead were turning red, the message seemed to have been delivered loud and clear.
âGya! Uh, um, eh?â
Adelaide, who must have finally woken up from the tremendous noise, was frantically looking around from behind your back.
You considered telling her to get down, but since it was a rare occasion, you decided to just keep carrying her.
Tossing aside the now-useless shield, which was half-split with a tattered handle, you walked forward.
Fortunately, no one blocked your path this time.
Adelaide was unharmed, and you had so clearly heeded Dorothea's warning to "not cause any major trouble." You were surely a very patient and wise familiar.
If no one died, it's not major trouble, right?
*
âWhat have youdone now, you menace!!â
Clang! Clang!
Dorothea's staff relentlessly struck your head.
You felt wronged and protested.
[âThe Tin Knightâ insists that it resolved the situation amicably without killing anyone!]
âYou think it's fine as long as you don't kill anyone!? What the hell did you do in broad daylight for the city guard to show up at our inn!? I almost got dragged away because of you!â
[âThe Tin Knightâ says that Dorothea is more than capable of escaping if she were caught, so she shouldn't worry!]
After saying that, you suddenly had a thought. âHuh? That's actually a good point.â
Ninety percent of the reason Dorothea tells you not to cause trouble is because of joint responsibility and having to clean up the mess.
Being able to easily escape from prison means there's much less to worry about in terms of cleanup, which means it should be fine for you to run wild as you pleaseâ
ââExcuse me, Sir Tin Knight. Could you please repeat that?â
Dorothea smiled sweetly.
She was even using honorifics.
[âThe Tin Knightâ begs for forgiveness, admitting it was wrong!]
You surrendered.
A primal fear consumed you, as if you were watching every single letter in an encyclopedia pop out of the page in 3D and start breakdancing in unison.
Dorothea, that witch, speaking so gently!
It was a horrifying experience that gave you goosebumps you didn't even have.
âWhat is this? This is unpleasant in its own wayâ¦?â
Dorothea frowned, looking puzzled, but seemed satisfied that you were bowing your head and didn't raise her voice any further.
âHaaah. Anyway, the city guard gave us a warning. Seriously, don't cause any more trouble. You. No, actually, wouldn't it be better if you just stayed cooped up in the inn?â
âThat would be a problem. I've been waiting for my turn. I can't have him suddenly become unavailable for loan.â
At Sophia's words, Dorothea pouted.
âThe only things this guy is useful for are violence, bloodshed, and destruction. How are you going to use this idiot to prove your own usefulness?â
You felt a surge of discontent.
You had demonstrated excellent negotiation skills today. It would be a problem if ânegotiationâ wasn't added to your list of uses.
âWell, those are the areas you use him for best, Miss Dorothea. Isn't Sir Tin's primary duty to be a bodyguard? Just having him by my side will deter most people from starting trouble. That alone is reason enough to take him with me.â
âHmph.â
Dorothea still looked skeptical, but she had no intention of going back on her promise, so she finally raised the white flag.
âHaaah, fine. Go. Go on. Do whatever you want. It'll probably take me a few hours to look after the exhausted Adelaide anyway.â
âIf you give me a few more drops of your blood, I can heal her with holy magic, you know?â
âIf you use that, the defensive barrier I went to the trouble of setting up will be disrupted, so absolutely not.â
Holy magic.
Sophia's techniques, which literally drew upon sacred power, were a poor match for Dorothea's, which used spirits and curses as their source of power.
You were impressed.
A party composition this mismatched... You could almost feel someone's malice behind it.
And that made you curious. How exactly would this vampireâwho, at present, had no meaning or value to the party beyond possessing one of the kingdom's sacred treasures inside her bodyâprove her usefulness?
You followed Sophia out of the inn.
*
The sky was dark.
You had gone to the doll workshop with Dorothea in the morning and done the dojo challenge with Adelaide in the afternoon, so in a way, it was only natural.
Seeing the shops not closing their doors as the sun set, but naturally lighting their lamps to continue business, Sophia's eyes sparkled.
âThe Empire is a very wealthy nation. It would be one thing if only a few privileged classes did this, but to think the entire street is lit with lamps, bathing the ground in light.â
[âThe Tin Knightâ asks if it was different in Sophia's era!]
âWell, yes. Oil is a luxury item, after all. I can wield both mana and holy power, so I rarely felt a lack of light. But for most people, the setting of the sun meant the end of the day.â
Sophia walked down the street with a gentle gait.
Then, she suddenly spun around to face you.
With a soft smile, the eyes that had been hidden in her smiling gaze slowly opened and stared at you.
The impression of her as gentle and friendly was instantly painted over with a new color.
More alluring, colder, darker.
ââWasn't it even worse in your era?â
Her eyes, shifting between pink and red, were bewitching, as if stained with blood.