The Tin Knight-Chapter 58: The Tin Knight and The City of Clockwork — Act 2 (7)

Juggling was, by its very nature, a difficult skill.

One could master juggling two or three small balls with a bit of practice, but as the number increased and the objects being juggled became more complex in shape, the difficulty rose exponentially.

It would be one thing to do it with hands, but juggling by deflecting the object into the air by striking them with weapons?

It was no wonder why the audience was thoroughly enjoying themselves.

They marveled at the wondrous skills of the two magic dolls, continuously throwing new items, and cheering as they caught them effortlessly.

Some even mischievously threw difficult objects, such as coins or small screws, but the two knights caught them without any particular difficulty.

However, once the number of objects flying through the air exceeded about thirty, no one dared throw more.

If at the beginning there were many with the intention of “Let’s see if they can do this too,” towards the end, there were more people praying, “Please don’t fail and make it to the end.”

As the destination gradually came into view.

The number of items being juggled by the two knights remained equal.

The Tin Knight was confident.

At this rate, both he and the White Knight would successfully complete the juggling act and reach their destination without issue.

While this in itself fulfilled the original purpose... the Tin Knight wanted to play a little more.

The sword wielded by the Tin Knight traced an unexpected trajectory.

With a ping, a small silver coin flew towards the White Knight.

Despite the sudden attack, the White Knight caught the coin with the side of his spear blade as if he had expected it, bouncing it into the air.

And as if in response, a glass cup was shot towards the Tin Knight.

Seemingly delighted, the Tin Knight caught the cup with his sword blade and sent it soaring into the sky after gently rotating it like a skilled bartender.

Despite being struck and caught by metal weapons, the glass cup did not break, or acquire even the slightest scratch.

That was only the beginning.

The Tin Knight and the White Knight began hurling objects at each other, deflected them, and sent them soaring high into the sky.

The momentum grew more intense, and the number of objects passing between them also increased.

Eventually, it became impossible to distinguish between the Tin Knight’s juggling and the White Knight’s juggling.

Moreover, throughout all this, neither of them stopped moving or changed their walking speed.

“Wow...”

The spectators couldn’t close their mouths.

As if not wanting to miss even a single moment of this once-in-a-lifetime spectacle unfolding before their eyes, everyone was absorbed in watching, reluctant to even blink.

If the two witches waiting on standby, just in case, hadn’t assisted with their magic, someone might have gotten hurt by walking while distracted.

Clang!

With a sharp sound, the Tin Knight’s sword made a particularly loud noise compared to before.

A pause.

The White Knight’s footsteps, which had been unwavering until now, slightly faltered, if only minimally.

The audience realized it too.

Just a little more, just a tiny bit more.

The conclusion of this breathtaking match was about to reach its conclusion.

And finally, at the very moment when the winner and loser were about to be determined.

Stop.

The two knights halted their steps right then and there.

The audience felt puzzled and then sighed in realization.

Smith & Sinc Doll Workshop.

They had somehow arrived at the destination the two knights had been aiming for.

“Sir Knight!” a girl with golden hair dressed in adventurer’s clothing shouted.

The girl spun her whole body and used that momentum to throw two large, wide pieces of cloth into the air, and as the Tin Knight’s sword and the White Knight’s spear moved skillfully, all the objects floating in the air were wrapped in the cloths, turning into two bundles.

After the two bundles landed on the ground with a thump.

A moment of silence passed.

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And then.

““Wooooooah!””

Cheers and applause loud enough to deafen one’s ears filled the street.

It didn’t take long for the legendary opening performance and the rumor of the Smith & Sinc Doll Workshop to spread throughout Tik-Tok.

***After the commotion settled.

Watching the workshop bustling with all sorts of customers from a distance, Gale Elilaz looked on, satisfied.

“The advertisement seems to have been a huge success. With this, they shouldn’t be easily pushed around by that greedy old man even after we leave.”

Rationally speaking, there was no reason for the two witches to help the Geppetto siblings to this extent.

Dorothea and Gale’s purpose was solely the maintenance and strengthening of the two knights, and that purpose was achieved at the point when they overcame Stromboli’s interference and completed the workshop. Whether the Geppetto siblings thrived or failed after officially starting their business was not the witches’ concern.

Yet Gale prepared this performance.

For the somewhat un-witch-like reason that it left a better aftertaste.

“Dorothea ended up cooperating too, despite her complaints. That’s good. If we’re going to compete anyway, one’s like her are more fun.”

Dorothea herself gave the reason that “We invested money and even built a building, so just getting one maintenance isn’t worth it,” but Gale decided to interpret that as just an excuse.

Gale smiled happily.

She had achieved her original purpose in visiting the City of Clockwork, and she had made good encounters, so it had been a journey with many gains.

“That aside, it was unexpected. I never thought there would be a magic doll that could stand equally with you, Sig.”

Gale was genuinely amazed.

And for good reason, as until now, Gale had never encountered a magic doll that could even compete in the same realm as her White Knight, let alone stand as an equal.

— Magic dolls are versatile and easy to handle, but difficult to reach the extreme.

The White Knight was a masterpiece that Gale had created by mobilizing all her techniques and connections to break the prejudice circulating among mages, so it couldn’t be helped.

It was then that the small jewel near the White Knight’s neck lit up.

“Hmm?”

Gale’s constantly smiling face was tinged with doubt.

“...Not equal, but you lost, you say?”

She blinked blankly, like someone who had experienced something completely unexpected.

She was so surprised that even her speech pattern crumbled a bit.

The White Knight made no sound.

But Gale, who had formed a master-servant contract with the White Knight, could hear its will.

[I used both hands to wield my spear, but the Tin Knight never used his left hand holding the shield until the end. Therefore, it’s my defeat.]

Gale was surprised.

First, she was surprised by the fact that her knight had been defeated, but what truly left her astonished was the emotion of “frustration” contained in the White Knight’s will.

Until now, the White Knight had never expressed its own will.

It had always followed Gale’s orders and accomplished any task smoothly, but that was all.

The artificial soul forming the core of the White Knight contained vast information and numerous ”response patterns” inputted, but that was just a process of deriving predetermined answers according to set procedures.

Therefore, Gale assumed this match would be no different.

Since she had ordered “Don’t lose,” she thought the White Knight had simply compiled with that order—without any feelings about the match itself.

But that wasn’t the case.

The White Knight was now showing emotion.

It considered the defeat humiliating and was burning with the will to win next time.

The doll that had no heart, or perhaps had a heart but hadn’t been aware of it, had taken its first step forward.

For Gale, this was—an incredibly, incredibly joyous thing.

Gale smiled more brightly than any smile she had shown so far and said, “Yes, let’s win next time, for sure.”

Around the same time.

In another place.

***“Will you drop dead if you go even a moment without causing trouble?”

To Dorothea’s question, the Tin Knight gave a thumbs up.

[The ‘Tin Knight’ insists that there’s no need to be sarcastic when giving compliments!]

[The ‘Tin Knight’ proudly states that he can read Dorothea’s warm inner feelings, so he has no connection with regret, devastation, or obsession!]

“Die.”

It was a short and blunt word.

It was a voice so cold that it could leave those of weak-heart traumatized, but the Tin Knight was unfazed.

Dorothea seemed to lack even the energy to swing her staff as usual and let out a big sigh.

“You. Didn’t you think about what would happen to those left behind if you show people something like that as an opening event? It’s obvious they’ll pester them asking if they don’t have magic dolls like you or that white one.”

[The ‘Tin Knight’ expresses the opinion that the first impressions should always be left strongly!]

[The ‘Tin Knight’ speculates that even if they might not be able to create something to match him, they should be able to create a 0.5 Tin Knight!]

“No, that... Forget it. They’ll figure it out themselves. I’m not their nanny.”

Dorothea scratched her cheek.

Most of the workers at the construction site ended their contracts with the completion, but five or six people whom the souls had pointed out as having good potential had been introduced as employees of the Smith & Sinc Workshop.

As for the souls, while they wouldn’t be able to directly possess and move their bodies like before, they had received enough mana from Dorothea to whisper advice to the workers for about half a year.

“So, what do you think? This should be more than enough to pay the guide fee and have change left over, right?”

Dorothea’s blue eyes turned towards a soul in the corner of the alley.

To others, it might look like just a flickering will-o’-the-wisp, but Dorothea could tell.

This soul was the one who had first guided her and the Tin Knight to Smith’s shop.

《──》

Even under Dorothea’s piercing gaze, the soul showed no sign of shrinking, or feeling embarrassed.

On the contrary, it snorted as if to say she was making a big deal out of nothing.

“This shameless old man, really. Should I materialize you and drag you to your grandchildren? Want to hear a bucket full of curses and resentment from the grandchildren who suffered because of you?”

《──!》

The guide.

The soul of Pollen Geppetto swelled violently, as if protesting.

He, who would have complained about today’s youngsters if he had a proper body, flew towards the Tin Knight.

Upon contact with the Tin Knight’s brooch, he burned himself while emitting an intense light, and in response to that fire, letters were engraved on the brooch.

No, to be precise, it wasn’t newly engraved, but rather seemed to be restoring letters that had gradually worn away over the long years.

Eventually, when Pollen, now with a much fainter presence, fell away from the brooch, Dorothea picked up the brooch and examined it.

On its back, the following words were written.

To my beloved knight.

In an age abandoned by light and threatened by the darkness, you were our hope.

May the children of the land of ashes, whom you protected, never forget your loyalty and devotion.

And in the distant future, when you grow weary and frail, may this small gift serve as your voice when yours has rested.

Weronika V.A.

“Weronika... Is V short for ‘von’? Does anyone come to mind?”

The Tin Knight shook his head.

Dorothea made a “hmm” sound for a moment, then put the brooch back in its original place with little emotion.

The soul of Pollen Geppetto disappeared, fading away as if it had paid off its debt with this.

As if he no longer had any lingering attachments to this world. As if what happened next was up to his grandchildren.

Grumbling about the eccentric old man, Dorothea started to move.

[The ‘Tin Knight’ asks if they’re not going to deliver the final blow to the evil company!]

“Well, they played their little tricks, sure, but in the end, they never resorted to actual violence, right? If they don’t point a sword at us, I won’t point a sword at them either.”

[The ‘Tin Knight’ is shocked, asking wasn’t it supposed to be about completely destroying anyone who even slightly annoyed Dorothea!]

“I like peace and tranquility, you know?”

[The ‘Tin Knight’ encourages Dorothea not to deny her own nature!]

[The ‘Tin Knight’ claims that a peace-loving Dorothea is like a cicada that doesn’t cry!]

[The ‘Tin Knight’ advises that if Dorothea holds back too much, she’ll get stress-related illnesses, so she should embrace her true nature!]

Clang!

The sound of Dorothea’s staff hitting the Tin Knight’s head echoed through the alley.