The Tin Knight

Adelaide von Lennart recalled a scene from a novel she had read in the past.

Upon vanquishing the “Lord of the Lake”, we were full of hope.

Having overcome such a powerful magic beast, we thought there would be no more enemies that could block our path. Even the infamous Forest of Death would be nothing before our “Blue Westwind”.

It was all a mere illusion. The Lord of the Lake was not a tyrant ruling over the entire forest, but merely a local pack leader.

No matter how many we defeated, new enemies kept coming. Rocks, lakes, trees, there was nothing we could trust with peace of mind. Even every morsel of food was something to be cautious of.

Ah, humans. How powerless we are before nature.

A fictional adventure chronicle vividly describing the difficulties and hardships faced by first-class adventurers exploring a forest cursed by a witch.

Adelaide clearly remembered the protagonists struggling to survive amidst endless waves of attacks and unknown threats with unidentifiable causes.

And now, a scene very similar to that in the novel was unfolding before Adelaide’s eyes.

[The ‘Tin Knight’ shouts to hand over your head right now!]

[The ‘Tin Knight’ argues that your head would fit nicely on a pike!]

For a full day and night, 24 hours.

A ghost knight of slaughter, who endlessly roamed the forest without a moment’s rest except for brief mana replenishments, mercilessly beheaded the strong and collecting their corpses.

“...Phew. It’s surprisingly tiring to release those whose vision I shared intermittently. But if we let random people witness this, it could be a big problem. Can’t be helped, I guess.”

The one who created a nightmarish environment where not only allies who had just fought together, but even a small corpse lying on the road couldn’t be ignored.

The evil necromancer who raised an army of corpses throughout the forest, injecting despair and fear into the forest creatures, yet nonchalantly only cared about the eyes of people despite being the culprit.

These were people who wouldn’t be out of place if inserted into the novel Adelaide had read right now.

Of course, their roles would be on the disaster side, tormenting the protagonists.

Huh? The protagonist?

Adelaide’s favorites were, first, emotionally rich romance genres, and second, heart-pounding, fresh adventure stories. Blood-soaked, absurd massacre dramas were not to her taste.

But what could she do?

Those absurd and unreasonable people were Adelaide’s teachers, benefactors, and companions.

“It’s truly amazing. What would normally require an army to accomplish, they’re doing with just two people.”

However, the vampire watching the two with her seemed to have a somewhat different appreciation.

With eyes flickering between pink and red, Sophia was observing the scenery with interest.

At first, they had to sleep using fallen leaves as blankets without a proper base, but once Dorothea started using necromancy in earnest, the situation changed rapidly.

Instead of bumpy gravel fields, a wide and flat clearing appeared, tents made from animal furs were erected, and several clean rocks were placed around the open space to serve as tables.

Various materials were laid out on the rocks undergoing processing, with bones alone being used whole in some cases, ground in others, burned in some, and soaked in liquid with some herbs in others—the processes were diverse.

“‘Necromancers are worthless beings. The lowest, most disgusting, and weakest among mages.’ That’s what I read in a book, but I wonder how the author would react if shown this scene.”

“That sounds like something that would make Miss Witch very angry if she heard it.”

“But it’s also a general theory. Even in my era, alchemists were the most welcomed in the civilian world, and wizards were the most valued on the battlefield. Well, there were still quite a few aspiring necromancers despite that. It’s relatively easy to get started, and due to the notorious reputation of the Queen of the Dead, many were drawn in admiring her. Should we say like teacher, like student?”

“Wow...”

Adelaide marveled.

Although Dorothea often scolded her, saying she never did anything properly, Adelaide respected Sophia’s scholarship and culture.

Due to being sealed for a long time, she was somewhat lacking in modern knowledge, but her inherent intelligence wasn’t something that easily disappeared.

When listening to her explain things in a pleasant voice and gentle manner, one could get so absorbed that they lost track of time.

Then suddenly thought:

Huh? Queen of the Dead? Isn’t Miss Witch’s teacher the Witch of the East? And if the Queen of the Dead’s name was already known in the era when Sophia was active, just how old was she...?

[The ‘Tin Knight’ desperately calls for his pupils!]

[The ‘Tin Knight’ announces the start of sword practice!]

“Ah, yes! I’m coming now!”

Adelaide’s train of thoughts couldn’t continue further.

Sending her arising questions into the air, the inexperienced and young lion ran towards her teacher.

The green-haired scarecrow watched that sight with a smile.

***And so, after several days had passed.

“Hmm.”

To Dorothea, who was lost in thought with her arms crossed, the Tin Knight said.

[The ‘Tin Knight’ asks if there’s some problem!]

[The ‘Tin Knight’ promises to bring heads immediately if Dorothea just designates targets!]

“Enough with the heads. We’ve already replenished more than enough.”

Dorothea snorted as if something wasn’t to her liking.

“Blood and meat of infected magic beasts. Bones that have undergone special processing. Various herbs grown with abundant mana. Soil from land untouched by human hands for ages. We’ve gathered everything we originally planned to secure here. We’ve gathered it, but...”

“We haven’t found the ‘something’ that corresponds to the root of this forest. So you feel uneasy. Is that it?” Sophia added, as if continuing Dorothea’s trailing words.

Dorothea shrugged her shoulders.

“Something capable of influencing such a vast area. If we could secure it, it would be a great help in the fight against the Witch of the West.”

[The ‘Tin Knight’ agrees that farming map-specific items is important!]

Adelaide said, “But we’ve been searching the forest all this time and nothing has come up, right?”

“That’s the problem. Wolves, bears, snakes, spiders, and so on. We’ve caught all the big and strong ones that have undergone ‘mutation’, and we’ve been scouring through the forest, but there hasn’t been any notable reaction.”

Dorothea continued, “Of course, there might be some that look fine on the outside but have changed contents. But to catch all of those, we’d really have to exterminate all the creatures in the forest. It’s one thing for those that attack us, but it doesn’t feel right to hunt down and kill even those that flee in terror just by us approaching.”

It was unclear whether she meant she wouldn’t do it because it was troublesome and wasteful, or if it was a kind of mercy not to kill those who weren’t hostile.

Sophia interpreted it as the former.

Adelaide felt it was the latter.

The Tin Knight thought it was both.

It was impossible to know which was the correct answer.

“We’ve looked at various things using the vision with Sophia’s mana, but nothing particularly promising appeared. So this is as far as we go with forest exploration,” Dorothea said.

However, even as she said that, she seemed somewhat reluctant, as if feeling a bit regretful.

At that moment, the Tin Knight raised his hand.

[The ‘Tin Knight’ points out that there’s still a place left to check!]

“Where?”

[The ‘Tin Knight’ says we haven’t properly looked at the bottom of the lake except for a brief glance when we first entered!]

[The ‘Tin Knight’ suggests checking the lake bottom once more according to the principle of inclusio!]

“Hmm.”1

At the Tin Knight’s suggestion, Dorothea fell into thought.

Judging by her expression, it seemed to be quite appealing to her.

Excited by this reaction, the Tin Knight continued to offer new suggestions.

[The ‘Tin Knight’ says that last time only he and Sophia explored, but this time all four should go!]

[The ‘Tin Knight’ confidently claims that while it might not be as exciting as deep-sea exploration, it will be quite an enjoyable experience!]

“Ahaha... Um, Sir Knight. I appreciate the thought, but I can’t swim. Besides, if it’s exploration, we’d have to stay underwater for a long time, and while that might be fine for you or Sophia, it’s impossible for me or Miss Witch.”

[The ‘Tin Knight’ says Dorothaemon’s magic could solve this!]

“Umm.”

Adelaide scratched her cheek with an awkward smile.

I’m happy for the thought, but no matter what, such a convenient magic couldn’t just pop up so easily.

Clang!

Sure enough, Dorothea’s staff struck the Tin Knight’s crown.

“Don’t change people’s names as you please. Although I do have a spell for underwater breathing.”

“Huh?”

Adelaide involuntarily questioned.

It was a single word filled with the emotion of “Wait, that exists?”

Dorothea answered indifferently, “When we first fell in, I didn’t have catalysts nor the leisure to cast such a thing. Now I can use it.”

Dorothea went on to share her experiences, saying she often used it while running away from dangerous creatures on land during her teacher’s errands.

Adelaide was confused. She became seriously curious about what kind of past Dorothea had gone through.

Dorothea scratched her head.

“Surrounding the body with a giant air bubble or biting a stone that allows breathing underwater. There are two methods. Which do you want? The bubble is more convenient for moving and keeping clothes dry, but if the bubble bursts, that’s the end, so you can’t swing weapons or anything.”

[The ‘Tin Knight’ requests the latter for Adel!]

[The ‘Tin Knight’ burns with the desire to lecture on the techniques of underwater combat!]

[The ‘Tin Knight’ argues that to become the true heir of the domain, one must be proficient in land, sea, and air battles!]

“Even if I concede land, I don’t think sea and air battles are necessary.”

While lamenting quietly, Adelaide silently adjusted her attire and equipment.

It was the quick resignation characteristic of someone who had realized that verbal objections were meaningless.

Dorothea thoroughly sealed the re-collected materials to prevent them from getting wet again, and still worried, she stored spare materials at the base before heading to the lake.

***Giant air bubbles surrounded Dorothea and Sophia.

Adelaide had a small, pebble-like object in her mouth. The Tin Knight, without any of these, sank into the lake, and fish began to gather around stealthily.

And then the Tin Knight’s order came down.

[The ‘Tin Knight’ shouts to start by lightly slicing about ten fish!]

Adelaide felt like objecting whether the Tin Knight’s standard of “light” was the same as hers, but with a stone in her mouth, that was impossible.

Enduring limbs that didn’t move as she wanted and the resistance of the water, Adelaide desperately fought against the fish.

After glancing at that sight, Dorothea approached Sophia.

The giant air bubbles naturally merged as if they had always been that way, creating a space for the two to converse.

“Let’s leave the fighting to them. We should focus on exploration. Give me your mana.”

“Understood.”

Ignoring Dorothea’s outstretched hand, Sophia placed her hand on top of Dorothea’s head.

Dorothea’s eyebrow twitched, and the atmosphere surrounding her body turned ominous.

“What are you doing?”

“Well, you need to put mana in your eyes to see the effect anyway, right? I thought this would be more efficient than transferring through the hand. I’ve tried it a few times before, but maybe because Dorothea has so much mana, most of the color fades in the brief moment it moves from hand to eye.”

“Ugh...”

Dorothea let out a groan.

She seemed to be in a dilemma, uncomfortable with the situation but unable to deny that what Sophia was saying made sense.

“...Do it quickly.”

At the sulky permission, Sophia inwardly thought it was cute.

It was truly just a thought, as voicing it would immediately result in a staff being swung at her.

So Sophia’s mana was transferred to Dorothea, and Dorothea channeled that mana in her eyes.

And she saw.

The “fissures” scattered here and there, incomparably more numerous than what she had seen from above.

The corners of Dorothea’s mouth curled up.

This time, it seemed certain that they would find something.

1. ED Note: Inclusio is a literary device where a passage or story is bookended by similar phrases, ideas, or scenes. It's also known as bracketing or envelope structure. In literature, it's used to create a sense of completeness or to emphasize the main idea.