The Tin Knight-Chapter 48: The Tin Knight and The City of Clockwork (7)

“Has this doll gone mad?!”

Some members of the old man’s gang, enraged at the sight of their comrades being taken down, drew their weapons in a frenzy.

It seemed their boasts about being skilled weren’t entirely baseless, as the angle of their sword thrusts and their footwork were quite fierce.

Moreover, sword energy was even rippling on their blades.

Grasp.

You gripped your shield.

Perhaps thanks to your improved mana circuits, it felt like the mana consumption was significantly reduced compared to usual.

After completely enveloping the shield with mana, you lightly struck the side of a sword with your shield.

Clang!

The sword broke, and the man’s eyes widened.

The price for reaching out carelessly was a shin bone and a mild concussion, so it seemed appropriate to collect a stronger price from someone who openly swung a sword.

You kicked between the man’s legs.

Oof.

Although you had no sense of touch, somehow you felt you could understand what was happening beyond the man’s pants at this moment.

Everyone around gawked with their mouths hanging wide open.

Some even trembled and reflexively shielded their own groin.

Of course, there were always one or two people who didn’t sync with others and did their own thing.

Seeing some who were trying to swing weapons at you with angry expressions instead of stopping their movements from the shock, you moved your shield once more.

It was quite a cumbersome task trying to move without bothering Adelaide.

One of the two men dropped his sword, and the other’s sword snapped in half.

If any of them had carried a spear, you would have stepped on the shaft and driven it into the ground, but unfortunately, they all wielded swords.

It seemed the saying about the sword being the king of all weapons wasn’t for nothing.

Clicking your tongue at these unoriginal fellows, you ended two other bloodlines in the same way.

Thud! Bang! Oof! Crack!

After thoroughly crushing every fool who dared take aggressive actions, such drawing weapons or shouting, against you, peace finally arrived.

Glance.

You locked glances with the old man who had been glaring at you with intense focus.

The old man’s wrinkled face was evenly mixed with anger and doubt.

“How can a mere toy have such skill... No, more than that, you, do you have emotions?”

What if I do, and what if I don’t?

You didn’t feel it was worth answering.

In fact, even if you felt like it, you couldn’t answer, anyway.

The old man spoke again, “Do you understand who you’re picking a fight with right now?”

Hearing the old man’s question, you glanced at Adelaide on your back.

Even though you had been as careful as possible, there must have been some impact, so you thought she might have woken up.

Not that it would have been an issue even if she had—after all, Adelaide wasn’t a baby who needed to be bottle-fed. However, it would have felt like you had failed to complete a surprise quest—not to mention the humiliation you would have suffered if she had woken up.

Snore, snore.

Fortunately, Adelaide was sleeping soundly.

To fall into such a deep sleep just from rolling around a bit, you felt the need to keep building up her stamina more and more.

Anyway, it seemed okay to do something a bit noisy.

Thanks to your improved mana efficiency, you still had plenty of mana reserves left.

You raised your shield and looked around.

You spotted a suitable rock.

Judging by how it protruded in the middle of the street, it seemed that it was too heavy to be moved or excavated, so people naturally accepted it as a decoration for the scenery.

You pointed at the old man with your finger, then pointed at yourself and Adelaide.

After confirming that the old man’s eyes twitched.

You raised your shield.

The remnants of the “Tin Knight” guided your body according to a predetermined sequence.

Lowering the shield to the left, you extended your right foot forward.

Then, untwisting your body while expelling mana through the back of the shield and your elbow, you swung the shield with that propulsion and rotation.

──Crash!!

Like the outer wall of a building hit directly by a wrecking ball attached to an excavator, the rock instantly shattered into numerous small fragments and three or four large pieces.

Had you been at the Tin Knight’s peak as seen in your memory, the rock itself should have been pulverized into dust, but whether it be due to the condition of your body, or the quality of your shield, the power was weaker than expected.

But, well, it at least seemed to serve as a sufficient demonstration.

Most of the people around were staring at you with abject terror.

The exceptions were René and the old man.

Perhaps those who stood at the top of an organization had a different level of skill and composure.

In fact, for all the old man’s flaws, his level seemed quite high, so you secretly wanted to fight him.

You repeated the earlier motion once again.

Pointing at the old man.

Pointing at yourself and Adelaide.

Finally, adding the motion of pointing at the shattered rock.

Earlier, the old man had said, “Do you understand who you’re picking a fight with right now?”

So you answered with actions.

Do you?

Judging by the old man’s face and forehead turning increasingly red, the meaning seemed to have been properly conveyed.

“Eek! Uh, um, eh?”

Having just regained consciousness after hearing the loud noise, Adelaide looked around frantically from your back.

You thought about telling her to get down but decided to just keep carrying her since it was a rare opportunity.

Discarding the shield that had become unusable due to being half-split and its handle tattered, you walked forward.

Fortunately, no one blocked your way this time.

Adelaide wasn’t hurt, and you had followed Dorothea’s warning of “don’t cause too much trouble” to the letter. Therefore, you were undoubtedly a very patient and wise familiar.

As long as no one died, it wasn’t a big incident, right?

***“What the hell did you do this time, you damn tin can!!”

Clang! Clang!

Dorothea’s staff relentlessly struck your head.

You felt wronged and protested.

[The ‘Tin Knight’ argues that he resolved the situation amicably without casualty!]

“As if all that matters!? What the hell did you do in broad daylight that made the guards come straight to the inn!? I nearly got arrested because of you!”

[The ‘Tin Knight’ assures Dorothea that she has enough ability to escape even if caught, so there’s no need to worry!]

After saying that, you suddenly thought, “Oh? That actually makes sense.”

Nine-tenths of the reason Dorothea tells you not to cause trouble was because of joint responsibility and dealing with the aftermath.

But if being able to escape from prison was easy, consequences and aftermath be damned. It should be fine for you to run wild as you please—

“─Excuse me, Sir Tin Knight. Could you repeat that?”

Dorothea smiled sweetly.

She even used polite speech.

[The ‘Tin Knight’ apologizes for his mistake!]

You surrendered immediately.

A deep, primordial fear consumed you as if watching every letter in an encyclopedia pop out of the paper in 3D and simultaneously start breakdancing.

For Dorothea—that witch—to speak gently!

It was a terrible experience that raised non-existent goosebumps.

“What’s this? This is unpleasant in its own way...”

Dorothea frowned with a puzzled expression but seemed satisfied with you bowing your head and didn’t raise her voice further.

“Haa. Anyway, the guards came and gave a warning, so seriously, don’t cause any more trouble. No, rather, wouldn’t it be better for you to just stay cooped up in the inn?”

“That’s troublesome. I’ve been waiting for my turn all this time. To suddenly say he’s not available.”

At Sophia’s words, Dorothea made a sulky expression.

“The only useful thing this guy is useful for is violence, bloodshed, and destruction. What exactly do you need this idiot for to prove your usefulness?”

You felt inwardly dissatisfied.

You had demonstrated excellent negotiation skills today.

It was troublesome not to add negotiation to your list of useful skills.

“Doesn’t our Dorothea excel in those areas best? Sir Tin Knight’s primary duty is to be a guard.  Most people won’t pick fights just by him being nearby. That alone is reason enough to have him along.”

“Hmm.”

Dorothea looked quite dubious, but she didn’t seem to want to go back on her promise, so she finally raised the white flag.

“Haa, fine. Go. Do as you like. It’ll take a few hours to take care of the exhausted Adelaide anyway.”

“If you give me a few more drops of blood, I could heal her with holy magic?”

“Absolutely not. Using that would disrupt the defensive barrier I’ve set up.”

Holy magic.

Sophia’s technique of literally drawing on holy power and Dorothea’s technique of using necromancy and curses as the source of power were not compatible.

You marveled.

What an ill-fitting party composition.

It felt like someone’s malice could be sensed.

That was why you became curious.

How would this vampire, who currently has no meaning or value to be with the party other than possessing one of the kingdom’s secret treasures inside her body, prove her usefulness?

You followed Sophia out of the inn.

***The sky was dark.

In a sense, it was natural, as you had visited the doll workshop with Dorothea in the morning and done the dojo challenge with Adelaide in the afternoon.

Sophia’s eyes sparkled as she saw shops naturally lighting lamps and continuing business instead of closing at sunset.

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“The Empire is truly a wealthy nation. Not just for some privileged class, but to brighten the ground with lamps lit throughout the entire street.”

[The ‘Tin Knight’ asks if it was different in Sophia’s time!]

“Well, oil was a luxury item. Since I could handle both mana and holy power, I rarely felt a lack of light. But for most people, sunset meant the end of the day.”

Sophia walked down the street with gentle steps.

Suddenly, she spun around to face you.

Her eyes, which had been hidden in her smiling expression, slowly opened and stared at you.

The impression that had felt friendly and approachable was instantly dyed in a new color.

A color more alluring, cold, and dark.

“─Wasn’t it worse in your era?”

Her eyes, shifting between pink and red, were ominous like blood droplets.