The Tin Knight-Chapter 63: The Tin Knight and The City of Clockwork — Act 3 (5)

Chapter 63: The Tin Knight and The City of Clockwork — Act 3 (5)

The representative of the new faction, René von Lennart, thought.

It’s impossible to turn a beginner into a proper warrior in just a week’s time. The best approach is to instill confidence and adaptability through appropriate difficulty adjustment and various victory experiences.

The representative of the conservative faction, Gerhardt von Lennart, thought.

In a battle between novices, the deciding factor is ultimately mental strength. Being pushed to the extreme, experiencing moving beyond what you thought was your limit—this becomes a solid root that strengthens the mind.

The representative of the rootless, or rather, the invading faction, Adelaide von Lennart, thought.

Cheer up! Cheer up! Fighto!

Although there was one slightly odd one mixed in, their judgments, while differing in details, were similar in basic outline.

It’s impossible to achieve dramatic physical ability improvement or technical proficiency in just a week. Therefore, strengthen the mental aspect.

One side tried to create the “best” state through consecutive successful experiences, while the other prepared for the “worst” with an unyielding spirit, even in dire situations.

***On stage.

The representative of René’s team showed a confident expression and composure as if they could accomplish anything.

The representative of Gerhardt’s team seemed to have a barely imperceptible pride, as if this children’s fight wasn’t anything special.

But what really caught the audience’s attention was not these two, but the last participant beside them.

“Grrrr...!”

Bloodshot eyes. Dark circles. Disheveled hair. Even beast-like growls escaping from the mouth.

There stood a dangerous person who, if encountered in a dark alley at night, or even in broad daylight next to a guard post, would make one want to run away first.

“Uh, um. Ahem.”

Between the three contestants. The knight commander, who had reluctantly taken on the role of referee due to the orders of a superior whose brain was pickled in cheerfulness, opened his mouth with a troubled expression.

“Um, Lady Adelaide. May I ask one question?”

“Ah, yes! Please go ahead!”

“The contestant’s condition appears to be... a little concerning. Are they truly fit to participate in this match?”

In fact, it looked much more than a little concerning, but the knight commander was a gentleman who knew how to distinguish between what could and couldn’t be said to a lady.

“It’s fine! They’re just a bit over-enthusiastic! Lord Ernest thoroughly examined them before the match!”

At those words, the gazes of the count’s vassals all turned towards Ernest.

Ernest’s cheek twitched as he received a barrage of gazes, saying, “You really think that’s okay? Really? Isn’t it your head that’s not okay?”

He tried to maintain composure as he answered, “...The examination showed no particular abnormalities.”

There was an incident where the Tin Knight brought a drug that “sent people on a trip” before the match and asked if it was okay to compete after taking it, but it wasn’t a big problem since he gave up soon after being told it wasn’t allowed.

It seemed more serious that they were in this state without even taking drugs, but having seen such frenzied training for a week, even Ernest’s sense of normalcy had become somewhat numb. This was why a person’s usual environment was important.

“Hmm, well then.”

The knight commander nodded, albeit with a slightly sour expression.

He knew well the diligent and loyal nature of Ernest.

If he judged there was no problem, that assessment could be trusted. Well, the appearance still looked quite problematic, no matter how one looked at it.

“The conditions for defeat are incapacitation, surrender, or going out of bounds. The three will engage in a free-for-all, and the team of the last man standings gains a point. Is everyone ready?”

“Yes!”

“Yes.”

“Grrrr.”

“Uh, could you respond properly... no, never mind.”

Shaking his head as if giving up, the knight commander moved away from the center of the arena to the edge.

Then he declared, “Match, begin!”

***A 1 vs 1 vs 1 battle.

The standard approach was as follows:

Was there one exceptionally strong person? Then the two weaker ones would form a temporary alliance to take down the strong one.

Were two strong ones evenly matched? Then those two would work together to eliminate the weakest one, clearing any hindrances from a 1 vs 1 match.

Then what if all three were similar in skill? Then, based on personal connections or friendships, the two closer ones would team up and attack the remaining one.

One might ask why all the conclusions end up in joint attacks, but that was why it was called the standard approach—it was predictable and highly efficient.

The very fact that it was predictable and repeatedly used despite it was proof enough of its effectiveness.

Therefore, the early development of a three-way battle was a game of reading the situation.

One had to observe one’s surroundings to figure out if one was the strong one or the weak one, and act accordingly.

Yet, as if throwing such standards to the dogs, Representative A charged forward at the start signal and immediately struck Representative R in the face with a wooden sword.1

Thwack!

A sound too dull to be called crisp echoed.

With the audience’s shocked faces as a backdrop, Representative R’s body fell backward as if in slow motion.

Without hesitation, Representative A delivered a merciless follow-up strike to the downed opponent’s chest.

“Grrrr!”

The eyes of Representative A, who had seemingly abandoned human language, stared at the next target.

Representative G almost involuntarily shrank back, but soon gritted his teeth and swung his sword to counter the oncoming attack..

With a rough sound, wooden sword met wooden sword.

Thwack! Thwack! Thud!

At the moment of the third collision, the wooden sword slipped from Representative A’s grasp.

While their physical abilities and grip strength were similar, having used up strength to take down Representative R, Representative A’s grip gave out first.

Representative G’s strike came down on Representative A’s left shoulder.

But Representative A had long since lost their ability to feel pain and shock.

Grab.

“Huh?”

Representative A grabbed the wooden sword that had struck his shoulder with both hands, bent forward, and squatted down.

Representative G reflexively held on tight to not lose the sword, but as one person’s entire weight focused on a single wrist, his posture inevitably crumbled as his body tilted.

And at that moment. Representative A sprang up like a spring and head butted the opponent’s chin.

“Ugh!”

“Uwaaaaah!”

Letting out an inhuman scream, Representative A repeatedly struck the opponent again and again.

There was no swordsmanship. It wasn’t martial arts, either. Just raw, unrelenting violence—a brawl in its purest form.

Representative G tried to counterattack somehow, but the more he tried, the more ferocious Representative A’s attacks became, as if fueled by anger. Representative G gave into despair, losing his fighting spirit.

Seeing Representative G completely curled up and not even daring to resist, the knight commander finally intervened.

“That’s enough! Winner! Team Adelaide!”

“Yaaah!”

“Ooooh!”

“Well done!”

The winner shouted in triumph, and their teammates responded with cheers.

In contrast, members of the other teams all had dumbfounded expressions.

“S-sir... is that okay?”

To his subordinate’s question, René answered, “Okay? What do you mean?”

“Well, it seems too barbaric. Isn’t this just a street brawl rather than a duel between martial artists?”

“...That’s true. But it’s not like there’s any problem with that, is there? They didn’t break any rules, and when you think about it, they just fought with everything they had.”

“No, well.”

“Right? You don’t have anything particular to say? I feel the same.”

René let out a hollow laugh, as if he couldn’t believe it.

If they had shown some mysterious swordsmanship or displayed extraordinary physical abilities, he might have had something to analyze, but winning like this left him with nothing to say.

“We’ll have to win next time. Tell the player to be careful of the first surprise attack.”

***“Aaaaargh!”

At the scream echoing from the stage, Gerhardt’s eyebrow twitched.

There, a disciple Gerhardt had personally taught was crying out in agony with his hand bitten by teeth.

The disciple struggled, desperately trying to shake off the opponent by hitting their head or pushing their face with his free hand, but as the opponent didn’t let go and instead bit down harder, he finally shouted surrender.

As the announcement of Adelaide team’s second victory rang out, Gerhardt’s subordinates all let out sighs.

“That’s ridiculous!”

“How could he be so weak!? The opponent’s head was completely exposed, if he had just kept attacking, he would have won in the end!”

“Master. Shouldn’t we protest? What kind of unsightly display is this for a sacred duel to determine the dojo’s representative? What an absolute disgrace.”

To the lamentations heard around him, Gerhardt answered with a grim face, “Are you telling me to smear filth on my face with my own hands right now?”

“Pardon?”

“We both knew from the start—that brat and I—that this fight would become a battle of spirit rather than strength or technique. That’s why I did my best to train my disciples’ mindset, and the result is before our eyes. Are you telling me to deny that in such an ugly manner?”

“But it’s not the proper method, is it?”

“A result is a result.”

Though he ground his teeth as if frustrated, Gerhardt didn’t deny the outcome.

After all, even the stubborn old man had his own philosophy.

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“We still have three chances left. We just need to win.”

***Although Adelaide’s team had won two consecutive victories with unstoppable momentum, the flow changed from the third match.

Thinking that if they lost one more point, the match would end right there, the representatives of the remaining two teams started to openly check the representative of Adelaide’s team.

In a situation where the skill difference between each wasn’t that great, no matter how full of fighting spirit they were, it was too much to overturn a 2-on-1 match.

After the fourth match ended, René’s team had 1 point, Gerhardt’s team had 1 point, and Adelaide’s team had 2 points.

“Everyone, do your best!”

Adelaide anxiously watched her final representative step on stage.

For the past week, though lacking in know-how and experience, she had done her best as a master.

The fact that all she could do was cheer while her disciples fought so desperately made her feel sorry.

A cold, hard hand patted Adelaide’s shoulder.

[The ‘Tin Knight’ declares that Adel does not need to worry!]

[The ‘Tin Knight’ asserts that Adel should believe in them as their master!]

“Sir Knight...”

Adelaide, who had been staring blankly at the Tin Knight, soon began to look at the stage again with a determined expression.

For her, who couldn’t even believe in herself yet, it was too difficult a request to believe in her disciples.

But.

Even if she couldn’t trust her capabilities as a master, Adelaide believed in the Tin Knight wholeheartedly.

He was eccentric and sometimes prone to committing unimaginable antics, yet among all the beings Adelaide had encountered, the Tin Knight was undeniably the strongest and most indomitable existence.

“Match start!”

Representatives G and R exchanged glances.

It was a silent agreement to take down Representative A first, then settle the match between themselves.

This was also the pattern that had been repeated in the third and fourth matches.

So.

“You two combined aren’t even comparable to our master, you bastards.”

Everyone present was shocked to see the young man, the last representative of Adelaide’s team, single-handedly overwhelm the other two head-on.

[The ‘Tin Knight’ says that in a fight between novices, the instigator always wins!]

[The ‘Tin Knight’ says that in a fight between novices, the most ruthless and toughest one wins!]

[The ‘Tin Knight’ asserts that one win can be secured with a surprise attack and two wins with fighting spirit!]

[The ‘Tin Knight’ asserts that if they can secure two wins with strategies unrelated to the cards, then essentially, the strength of the cards only matters for the remaining win!]

[The ‘Tin Knight’ claims that efficient resource allocation is a basic strategy in a points battle!]

Originally, Adelaide’s team had only seven members in total.

Compared to the other teams who sent out their best players from over twenty or a dozen candidates, their talent pool was inevitably smaller.

However, if there was a way to somehow secure two wins even with not-so-strong cards.

In other words, if it was possible to secure two points with cards that only received minimal effort.

Then it would also be possible to pour all that energy into nurturing the most talented one among those disciples.

Providing intense motivation.

Using drugs to supplement sleep and recovery time, turning a week’s worth of training into ten days’ worth.

And the result of the single-minded gamble of investing all sorts of resources accumulated bit by bit like this into a single person, disregarding efficiency, was...

“—Winner! Adelaide von Lennart’s team!”

...victory smiling upon them.

Footnotes

1. ED note: for simplicity's sake and so I'm not writing, X team's representative, Rep A: Adel, Rep R: René, Rep G: Gerhardt