The Tin Knight-Chapter 71: The Tin Knight and The Land of Deep Green (1)

“Where are they? Where on earth have they gone!?”

“Find them! No matter what, find them!”

“Um, Count? Do you really not know where the Witch of the East’s apprentice and her party went? No, the cookies are fine. Well, surely there must have been travel inspections, so I don’t understand how you don’t know anything, ah, the tea is fine too. No, I’m really desperate, ah, don’t just laugh! Please!!”

While prominent figures of the Empire were making a fuss, looking for the whereabouts of Dorothea’s party.

There were two figures on the Kingdom’s side who were also reacting to their story.

One was Marquis William Heming, who was suffering between the king and nobles after being assigned the unwanted role of “mediator”, and the other was the acting lord of Friedel domain, Giselle von Lennart.

“Adelaide von Lennart appointed as the representative instructor of the Lennart dojo, Tik-Tok branch.”

When she received a messenger bird with such content through the connections she had left in her family home a few days ago, Giselle couldn’t help but doubt her eyes.

The Lennart dojos located throughout the continent were one of the primary means of maintaining the prestige of the Lion Duke’s bloodline, and the position of representative instructor of a dojo was an important post that only outstanding individuals within the bloodline could occupy.

The news that Adelaide had obtained a position with comparable prestige as the lord of Friedel was delivered.

Giselle had merely instructed Adelaide to go to the various dojos and collect their token, yet she had gone beyond expectation, suddenly devouring an entire dojo. This prompted her to frantically gather related information.

A conflict arose between the former representative instructor Gerhardt and the current representative instructor René of the Tik-Tok dojo. The Duke tasked Count Tik-Tok the role of mediator.

-Adelaide intruded on the confrontation between the two representatives. For whatever, not only the Count but also both representatives agreed to her participation. Adelaide won in the match that followed.

-When the family dispatched personnel to grasp the detailed situation, Adelaide and her companions disappeared from the city without a word about where they were heading.

-The family is advising the two existing representatives to take up the position of representative instructor again, but because the two representatives are saying they cannot recognize any representative other than Adelaide, the family is also considering how to deal with this.

“...What on earth is going on?”

In the office of the lord’s manor.

Giselle, who had been organizing the information she had collected one by one, involuntarily blurted out.

The emotion contained in that voice was closer to bewilderment rather than perplexity.

After even her bewilderment disappeared, wariness surged.

It hadn’t even been 3 months since Adelaide left Friedel domain.

If a girl who hadn’t even learned proper swordsmanship had achieved this level of accomplishment in such a short time.

When the remaining time passed and a year was completed, how much would she have grown?

“Adelaide. What kind of journey are you undertaking?”

***“Kyaaaah!”

Adelaide screamed.

It was a truly resounding cry that came from deep within her being.

Notions such as “ladylike”, or “dignity as a noble” didn’t come to mind.

After all, Adelaide didn’t have the luxury to care about such things right now.

Buzzzzzzzz─!!

A violent vibration sound echoed.

The Tin Knight described it as a terrifying sound, like running a weed whacker right next to you.

There were not just one or two, but dozens—or perhaps even more—of things making such sounds while flying through the sky.

A striking color scheme of black and yellow. Bodies with joints all over.

In size, probably between two and three finger joints of an adult male.

Dorothea summarized Adelaide’s situation with an indifferent comment, “The number of bees is quite terrifying. If they all sting you at once, you’d die, right?”

“Uuugh!!”

Adelaide protested with her eyes at the sight of Dorothea sitting comfortably with her chin resting on her hand in the cargo compartment of the carriage.

The words “If you know that, don’t just watch but help me,” didn’t escape her lips.

It wasn’t so much because of Adelaide’s timid personality, but because she had already tried something similar and bitten her tongue.

Although Adelaide’s stamina had greatly improved thanks to daily running drills, no matter how much it had improved, speaking while sprinting at full speed on rough terrain was still highly difficult.

“I did tell you not to carelessly touch the creatures here, did I not? You attacked first—that’s why the bees are agitated.”

Tears welled up in Adelaide’s eyes.

She felt truly wronged.

No, isn’t it natural to be startled if a bee approaches your face while you’re running?

Well, reflexively drawing one’s sword out of surprise might have been a tad bit overkill.

It might have been somewhat problematic that the instinctively swung blade cut a large hornet in half.

However, didn’t the Tin Knight, who trained Adelaide in such a way, bear a large responsibility for this situation?

Buzzzzzzzz─!!

Unfortunately, Adelaide’s inner complaints were not conveyed to the bees. In fact, even if they had been conveyed, it was questionable whether they would have understood Adelaide.

“Haa, really.”

Seeing Adelaide’s eyes gradually filling with tears, Dorothea finally sighed.

Although she rarely intervened in the Tin Knight’s training, she couldn’t just leave things as they were this time.

Dorothea lifted the tarp covering the side of the cargo carriage and shouted towards the coachman’s seat, “Sophia! Take over the reins for a bit—I have something for that guy to do!”

Mixed with the rough wind, a leisurely voice answered, “I’ve never handled a carriage before, though?”

Dorothea snapped back, “I put you there to learn at least that because you’re usually useless! What have you been doing for over two days!?”

“I understood it in theory, but actually using the body is separate.”

At the response of the vampire scarecrow, who was utterly useless below the shoulders, a crack echoed from Dorothea’s forehead.

“Hey! Forget it, just throw her out of the carriage! Use her as bait!”

“Oh, my.”

[The ‘Tin Knight’ says we should cherish our companions, as if admonishing!]

“You’re the one who pushes Adelaide around the most here, you tin can!!”

“Haah, haah.”

Somehow out of breath despite not having run, Dorothea irritably scratched her head, then took out a handful of bone powder from the pouch at her waist and scattered it on the floor of the cargo carriage.

As black mana reminiscent of obsidian leaked out from around Dorothea’s body, the bone powder that received that mana transformed into a bone mouse.

Click.

Dorothea handed over something like a dried-up shell and a small bone fragment to the mouse, ordering, “Take these to the coachman’s seat.”

The bone mouse faithfully followed its master’s order.

Holding the bone fragment and shell in its mouth, the bone mouse skillfully bounced up the walls of the cargo compartment.

Since the route from the cargo compartment to the coachman’s seat of the running carriage was limited, it seemed to plan to go up to the ceiling first and then cross over.

“We really need to modify it so the coachman’s seat and cargo compartment are directly connected.”

While Dorothea was grumbling complaints, the bone mouse arrived at the coachman’s seat.

As Dorothea in the cargo compartment drew up mana once again, the two objects the mouse was holding trembled and swelled in size.

The shell into a round eyeball. The bone fragment into a right hand bone.

The eyeball floating in the air soon gazed at the front of the carriage, and the hand bone grasped the reins of the horses.

Looking at the eyeball and hand bone moving the carriage instead of himself, the Tin Knight admired.

[The ‘Tin Knight’ says why didn’t Dorothea use such a wonderful technique if she had it!]

“Shut up. Is there any need to make everyone who sees it run away in terror? It can’t be maintained for long anyway, so hurry up and save Adel!”

[The ‘Tin Knight’ shouts hero appearance!]

From the coachman’s seat of the running carriage, the Tin Knight leaped into action without hesitation.

Balancing with movements so light it didn’t seem possible for a body made of metal, he adjusted his speed and stuck close to Adelaide’s side.

Grab, whoosh!

The Tin Knight, who lifted Adelaide and threw her into the cargo compartment where Dorothea was, immediately began circulating mana throughout his entire body.

The movement of mana flowing through thick circuits was smooth without any unnecessary parts, but this was the level he had already reached when fighting the two instructors.

To surpass the level where he overwhelmed the White Knight at the opening event, he needed to go one step further.

The Tin Knight split and split the mana that had been like a single stream, spreading it to the restored detailed circuits.

As the Tin Knight’s metal body emitted a faint glow, a vibration sound similar to the bees began to leak from the shield the Tin Knight was holding.

Adelaide, who was trying to calm her rough breathing, widened her eyes at the sight of the Tin Knight’s shield.

Dozens of tiny sword energies—about the size of a fingernail—were rotating like wheels, endlessly racing across the surface of the shield.

Pababababat!

As the Tin Knight swung his shield, it shredded through the swarm of bees like a grinder.

The yellow and black that had filled the air were erased along the trajectory of the shield, like writing before an eraser.

“Wow, wooow...! Amazing!” Adelaide exclaimed in admiration, her eyes sparkling as if she had forgotten what had just happened to her.

Watching this, Dorothea shook her head.

She doesn’t learn even after going through that.

Even if she whimpered and sulked at the Tin Knight’s harsh lessons, as soon as he showed a bit of coolness, her mood would quickly improve again, making her an unparalleled sucker.

...Or not? Is this better than giving up saying it’s too hard after coming along saying she’d build up skills and achievements befitting an heir to the lord? But no matter how I think about it, it seems like he’s getting more and more out of hand because of her.

A teacher who demanded training beyond human limits and a pupil who whined about that training but somehow kept up with it.

While Dorothea was pondering which of the two was more problematic, the Tin Knight’s bee massacre was reaching its final stage.

The Tin Knight, who had vaporized close to 90% of the bees in the blink of an eye, said as he watched the bees scattering and fleeing.

[The ‘Tin Knight’ complains that the debut party for the new technique ended too quickly!]

[The ‘Tin Knight’ condemns the bees’ lack of fighting spirit!]

“Considering they chose to flee only after 90% were wiped out, I’d say that’s a sufficiently amazing fighting spirit.”

“I’ve seen bees in other places too, but this is the first time I’ve seen such terrifying bees...”

“Adel, isn’t it because your hair color is like honey that they attacked more fiercely?”

“Eek.”

Glancing at Adelaide, who was rummaging through her backpack while muttering things like “R-robe! I need a robe!” Dorothea asked the Tin Knight, “That technique just now, it looked quite flashy. Are your mana reserves holding up?”

[The ‘Tin Knight’ pats his chest, saying he’s still fine!]

[The ‘Tin Knight’ says he can’t show his full power against opponents of this level!]

“Hmm. Well, I guess the various investments were worth it.”

His skill was high to begin with. His efficiency has noticeably improved, too. What’s left is better weaponry and a better mana tank? It would be good if we could find some useful gems.

While inwardly considering future improvement points, Dorothea said, “If it’s strong enemies, we’ll meet them to the point of getting sick of it from now on, so don’t worry. This ‘Garden’ is full of creatures mutated by mana anyway—“

“Dorothea. Mr. Right Hand here, his thumb just popped off, is that okay?”

“What?”

Dorothea’s head turned sharply as she was about to say something meaningful with a significant attitude.

Dorothea shouted in panic, “Hey! Go to the coachman’s seat! Quickly!”

[The ‘Tin Knight’ wonders if the magic effect isn’t too short!]

“It’s because I’m using mana to substitute for a complete bone! More importantly, go quickly! Sophia! Hold on even if it’s just for a moment!”

“Hmm. Understood! According to my self-diagnosis, my skills don’t seem to be very good yet, but sometimes bold challenges are necessary for progress.”

At that moment, the carriage shook greatly with a thud for whatever reason.

Neigh! Clop clop clop clop!

And the carriage began to run wild.

“Oh, dear. It seems I failed after all. How unfortunate.”

“Hey, hey! You, youuu! Hey!”

“Kyaah! Kyak! Whoa!? Kyaaaah!”

[The ‘Tin Knight’ marvels, asking if the carriage could even use boosters!]

[The ‘Tin Knight’ evaluates it as movement rivaling a rodeo machine!]

“Oh, look—there’s a lake ahead.”

What?

Everyone except Sophia raised a question mark at that remark—surprisingly, this included the Tin Knight as well.

Whoosh.

The carriage flew through the air.

Splash!

A large water spray rose high, as if welcoming the new guests arriving at the Garden.