The Tin Knight-Chapter 4: The Witch and The Tin Knight ()

After the commotion at the mansion had settled, Dorothea looked at you with a slightly exasperated expression.

“I can’t believe you actually took down all the mansion’s guards head-on. And you didn’t even end up killing a single one of them.”

— Spare the ones you can, so long as it isn’t pushing it.

That was the restriction Dorothea had imposed on you.

And you had flawlessly fulfilled that restriction.

[The 'Tin Knight' claims to be the type that flawlessly accomplishes secondary objectives!]

[The 'Tin Knight' puffs out his chest triumphantly!]

“...You look every bit of a dignified knight on the outsider. I can’t help but wonder—do those who can’t hear this ‘voice’ mistake you as an emotionless, ruthless, iron-blooded monster?”

Dorothea’s words caused you to imagine such a scene.

It actually seemed quite amusing.

[The 'Tin Knight' resolves to create a more imposing atmosphere going forward!]

Dorothea chuckled.

Unlike her chic appearance, the girl before you was quite expressive with her emotions.

[The 'Tin Knight' asks if Dorothea follows a no-kill rule!]

Dorothea waved her hand, quickly dismissing the idea.

“It’s not something so grand, just reputation management. There are already plenty of people who give me the side eye for being a necromancer. Imagine on top of all of that, I had the reputation of going around and randomly killing people. I’d be branded a public menace. My teacher might be okay with that since she is such a monster, but I’m far too fragile for that.”

You nod in agreement.

Kill those who try to kill you directly, or those who order it—but try to spare the rest if possible. If it isn’t, it can’t be helped.

Dorothea’s standards were rather loose, but you liked it that way. It made it easier to act.

[The 'Tin Knight' expresses curiosity regarding the next target!]

In response to your question, Dorothea took something out of a pouch at her waist.

At a glance, it looked like a pocket watch.

However, it had only one hand, and instead of numbers around the edge where the time should be inscribed, there were eight different symbols.

“This is something I received from the royal family. According to that nobleman, it’s some troublesome thing related to the Kingdom of Heaven, but that’s an issue for later. For now, we should use what we can.”

Dorothea clicked a switch-like thing on the edge of the pocket watch, then turned the hand to point at one of the eight symbols.

And then clicked the switch once more.

This content is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.

The change was dramatic.

The symbol the hand had pointed to wriggled before popping out of the pocket watch.

It was simply black, without eyes or scales.

It could best be described as a snake made of shadows as it writhed on the floor, slithering off somewhere.

“We just need to follow that. While not being able to gauge exact distances is rather troublesome, just having a guide should aid us immensely. “

After saying that, Dorothea calmly followed the shadow snake.

You tried to follow behind her but soon realized your body wasn’t moving as you intended.

It wasn’t that movement was completely impossible, but your reactions were dull and slow.

[The 'Tin Knight' reports that something is wrong with his body!]

At your words, Dorothea turned her head.

“Hmm? Ah. Wait a moment.”

Dorothea approached you with a stride.

Her fair hand rested upon your chest.

She closed her eyes as if concentrating.

You felt as if something flowing from Dorothea’s palm was filling your body.

Soon, your body felt light once more.

Dorothea withdrew her hand from you and explained, “Magic dolls can’t function properly if they are not continuously supplied with external mana. The latest models seem to be able to be replenished from a distance without direct contact, but well, you seem to be an older model.”

[The 'Tin Knight' claims that for these things, the prototype is usually stronger and better!]

“If the performance of the finished product is lower than the prototype, that seems like negligence on the part of the technicians. Magic dolls pop up even in old fairy tales and legends, so being a prototype of that, just how old is your design exactly?”

[The 'Tin Knight' comments that Dorothea is very knowledgeable!]

“I originally planned to buy or make a few. So I looked into various things.”

Dorothea let out a deep sigh for some reason.

“My teacher would always go on and on, saying things like, ‘Dorothea, listen here. If you want labor, you can simply sweep through a graveyard or two. Why go through all this nonsense?’ but unlike corpses, dolls are clean. And above all, they don’t attract bad attention.”

[The 'Tin Knight' remakes that despite appearances, Dorothea is surprisingly conscious of public perception!]

Dorothea paused.

“...Wait, what do you mean by ‘despite appearances’?”

You looked Dorothea up and down.

She was an undeniable beauty, however, how should you put it...

[The 'Tin Knight' evaluates that Dorothea looks like a female executive in an evil organization!]

CLANG!!

Dorothea’s staff struck your head.

***“Don’t speak to me until sunset.”

Leaving only those words, Dorothea fell silent.

Ignoring every signal you sent her way, she simply followed the shadow snake.

So what else could you do? You had no choice but to just walk.

Clank. Clank.

The concept of fatigue didn’t exist in a doll’s body. No matter how far you walked, you would never tire.

However, it was quite remarkable to see Dorothea, who had a living body, walk for several hours without a single complaint.

Swish swish.

The shadow snake slithered across the ground unhindered.

However, as time passed, the snake began to shrink, suggesting it was consuming something other than physical energy.

You looked at Dorothea, wondering if it was okay for it to be like that, but Dorothea was still in her state of silence.

Finally, just as the shadow snake could no longer maintain its form and was about to disappear, the two of you arrived at a certain forest.

“We should start preparing to sleep soon. Hey, can you keep watch?”

Caught off guard by her casual words, you merely stared at her in stunned silence. You were momentarily stunned by her casual words.

Dorothea simply tilted her head as if to ask, “Is there a problem?”

“What?”

[The 'Tin Knight' asks if the silent treatment is over!]

Dorothea pointed to the sky with her staff.

“The sun has set, hasn’t it?”

You looked at the sky.

Indeed, the sun had set and darkness had fallen over the surroundings.

“The reckoning is over. Dragging it out any further doesn’t help either of us.”

It seemed that this was Dorothea’s way of letting go of her anger.

You suddenly wondered what reaction you’d get if you pointed out her fashion sense again, but you decided against it.

A journey without a conversation partner was incredibly boring.

Instead, you asked something else.

[The 'Tin Knight' asks if it's okay that the shadow snake has disappeared!]

In response to your question, Dorothea held out the pocket watch-like object again.

You noticed that the symbol which had detached itself in the form of a snake earlier was slowly being redrawn.

“That’s how this magic tool works. When used, a guide appears that lasts for a few hours. Since we have to wait for the mana to recharge, it can’t be used consecutively.”

[The 'Tin Knight' asks if it's not possible to just mark the destination on a map or something!]

“If you want to argue about it, take it up with the ones who made this.”

[The 'Tin Knight' asks who made it.]

“Some fools who believed themselves to be gods when they’re merely hanging between heaven and earth.”

It was a cryptic remark.

When you tilted your head in confusion, Dorothea waved her hand dismissively.

“You’ll see it with your own eyes soon enough. That’ll be faster than explaining it a hundred times.”

After cutting off the conversation like that, Dorothea began preparing the campsite.

However, her version of “camp preparation” was much simpler than you expected.

She chose a tree of suitable size, sprinkled black and white powder in a circle around it, and then sat in the middle of the circle, wrapping herself in something like a blanket.

That was it.

There wasn’t even a small mat or campfire, let alone a tent.

[The 'Tin Knight' asks if that's really enough!]

Dorothea answered as if it was no big deal, “I’ve cast spells to block cold and dampness, as well as to keep insects at bay. This blanket is enough to block the wind.”

[The 'Tin Knight' asks if Dorothea doesn't need something like a campfire!]

“Gathering dry wood, and managing the fire so it doesn’t spread is too troublesome. Besides, lighting a campfire is like announcing, “Here we are!” to those nearby.”

[The 'Tin Knight' asks what Dorothea is going to do about food!]

“I have dried fruits and jerky. And I naturally don’t need much water to get by.”

You sensed “familiarity” in Dorothea’s actions and answers.

It wasn’t simple bravado, but the calmness and composure unique to someone who had already gone through many experiences.

Certainly, Dorothea’s method was undeniably efficient.

However, you found them unsatisfying.

There was no “romance” to her actions.

For someone who wanted to enjoy this word, this was a serious issue.

[The 'Tin Knight' declares he will serve the ultimate camping cuisine!]

“Huh? No, I’m telling you it’s not necessary—“

[The 'Tin Knight' shouts to just wait a little!]

You launched yourself into the darkness of the forest.