Chapter 40: The Tin Knight and The Hanging Sinner (3)
The negotiations with the guild were successful.
Even the staff who had been treating the Tin Knight’s party with a high-handed attitude were pushed back, finding themselves helplessly retreating when Lorentz—and by extension the Halder Company—stepped in and applied pressure.
“We’re in a superior position both contractually and justifiably. If we can’t win this, we might as well give up being merchants.”
Lorentz was confident that unless they entered the labyrinth again, there would be no issue with the items they had obtained this time.
The party was also satisfied with this outcome.
The labyrinth was wider than expected and there were many hidden treasures. Some treasures couldn’t fit in the cart so they had to be left behind, but they had already secured all the ones that looked valuable.
Above all, it was decisive that they had obtained the most important treasure.
However, the witch was dissatisfied because the form of that treasure was quite different from what she had expected.
In the exclusive lodging prepared by the Halder Company.
The party was gathered in a space devoid of prying eyes and ears.
The atmosphere in the room was subtle.
This was because Dorothea was openly sighing with irritation.
At the end of her gaze was a wine-colored goat.
The goat, which usually tended to move around as it pleased, was lingering in the room without any sign of leaving.
Next to it was the vampire lying on the bed.
The vampire’s condition was “fairly” good.
Instead of the clothes that were close to rags, she was now dressed in a clean white dress, and her body, which had been crushed when the pillar fell on her, was recovered without a single wound.
However, her complexion was still pale—without sign of vitality.
Staring blankly at the goat rubbing its head against the vampire’s palm, Dorothea opened her mouth, “I checked while changing her clothes, but the kingdom’s secret treasure... that is, the ‘Chalice of Tuberose’ was nowhere to be seen. Yet that goat doesn’t want to leave the vampire. So the treasure really is inside her body. What on earth did this damn vampire do?”
[The ‘Tin Knight’ asks if the phrase ‘damn vampire’ is also conveyed!]
“Uh, Sir Knight. If you say that, won’t she hear it?”
At Adelaide’s point, the Tin Knight made a gesture as if saying, “Oops.”
The vampire herself didn’t show much reaction, though.
Under such circumstances, one might expect wariness after hearing threatening words about staking her heart while she was unable to move, yet the vampire’s demeanor remained relaxed.
“Haa. Really. This is annoying.”
Dorothea grumbled that at this rate, it might have been better to have a clean fight as that stupid tin can had wanted.
If the vampire had threatened their lives, they could have fought back without hesitation and taken the treasure, but with her being so docile, it was uncomfortable to point a blade at her.
By conventional standards, being a vampire was a capital offense in itself, but Dorothea couldn’t think that way.
To begin with, if one started considering general common sense, the profession of necromancer itself had many problems in various ways. It was a pitiful sense of camaraderie born of shared struggles.
[The ‘Tin Knight’ suggests that if it’s troubling, we should just defeat her and obtain the item!]
...There was also a stubbornness about not wanting to fall to the same level as that thing.
After groaning for about ten minutes, Dorothea finally shouted as if saying, “Whatever happens, happens.”
“Ah, I don’t know! We’ll just carry her around like that. We can just treat her as somewhat bulky luggage, right?”
It was a wicked statement that suggested treating someone human—no—human-like as luggage. It was truly a witch-like conclusion.
Adelaide let out a sigh of relief.
She had been anxious that Dorothea might accept the Tin Knight’s suggestion and decide to cut the vampire into pieces.
The Tin Knight, who sometimes made Adelaide cut up live animals or insects for “practice”, might have entrusted the handling of the vampire to Adelaide as well.
Adelaide would rather fight tooth and nail within the labyrinth than “practice” vampire anatomy.
The Tin Knight stepped forward to ask a question.
[The ‘Tin Knight’ asks what specifically they will do if she’s luggage!]
“Can’t we just get something like a coffin and physically seal her in it? We can stick the coffin in a corner of the carriage.”
[The ‘Tin Knight’ points out that’s wasteful!]
“Then what do you suggest?”
[The ‘Tin Knight’ argues that if we’re going to carry her around anyway, it’s better to have her as a companion rather than luggage!]
Dorothea’s eyebrow twitched, and Adelaide made a surprised expression.
Dorothea sneered grumpily, “You were all about fighting and killing earlier, what’s with this sudden change of heart?”
[The ‘Tin Knight’ passionately argues that the development of taking a potential boss as an ally is thrilling in its own way!]
[The ‘Tin Knight’ also notes that if we walk around with her in a coffin, it will be troublesome when passing through checkpoints and such!]
“Even if I dismiss the first statement as your usual nonsense, the latter is worth listening to.”
Dorothea continued, “However, it would also be troublesome if we just took the vampire along. Even if her appearance doesn’t stand out much, she’ll burst into flames as soon as sunlight touches her, how are we going to hide that...”
Dorothea, who was about to discuss “extremely obvious common sense”, suddenly stopped speaking.
And then she recalled something.
“...Didn’t she touch sunlight earlier when we were bringing her to the room?”
“Oh? Now that you mention it, that’s right?”
Although Dorothea had used magic to reduce others’ attention, since its effect wasn’t absolute, the party had to be very careful when moving the vampire.
They had been so busy avoiding other people’s eyes that they hadn’t paid attention to the sunlight but thinking back, something seemed strange.
Seeing was believing.
When the Tin Knight pulled back the curtain hanging over the window, sunlight poured onto the bed where the vampire was lying.
Flinch.
The vampire frowned.
It seemed the sunlight was dazzling to her eyes.
In other words, that was all. Her skin didn’t burn, not even turning red.
[The ‘Tin Knight’ wonders if the assumption that she’s a vampire might just be completely wrong!]
Dorothea’s mouth gaped open.
After seeming to search for a rebuttal for a moment, she apparently couldn’t find anything appropriate to say and changed the subject, “Ahem, well. Anyway, even if we put aside the sunlight issue, if we’re treating her as a companion rather than cargo, her opinion is important. We can’t decide this matter on our own.”
[The ‘Tin Knight’ points out that her treatment has suddenly improved dramatically!]
“Shut up.”
The Tin Knight’s gaze turned to the vampire.
[The ‘Tin Knight’ asks if she’s willing to join the party as a companion!]
It was an invitation that had thrown away all context and preamble.
Dorothea scoffed, thinking there was no way she would agree to that.
Nod.
The vampire nodded without hesitation.
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“No, why!?”
Dorothea was genuinely bewildered.
Glaring at the triumphant Tin Knight, Dorothea questioned in a sharp tone, “Wait. You can say anything with words. Ask her if she can swear with a Blood Oath that she won’t harm us in any situation.”
Even as she said it herself, Dorothea didn’t think the other party would accept the terms.
If she accepted this condition, even if the party tried to kill the vampire when push came to shove, the vampire wouldn’t be able to retaliate at all.
Nod.
But contrary to Dorothea’s expectations, the vampire nodded too easily.
Dorothea wore a blank expression.
“Miss Witch.”
Adelaide looked at Dorothea.
Seeing the face that practically screamed, “Isn’t this enough?” Dorothea felt indignant.
Am I the strange one here?
She was surely making sensible and rational statements, but Dorothea couldn’t understand why the atmosphere was flowing as if she was the bad one.
However, with the vampire being so agreeable, she couldn’t make all the discussions so far meaningless by insisting on her own opinion.
Of course, if she was determined, she could do it, but in Dorothea’s opinion, that would be an “unsightly” action.
Thinking, “Might as well do it,” Dorothea stepped forward, half-gritting her teeth.
As she cut her palm with a dagger, the blood that flowed out circled in the air instead of falling to the floor, creating characters.
【’Sophia Hubris’ swears not to harm ‘Tin Knight’, ‘Dorothea Aschengard’, or ‘Adelaide von Lennart’ under any circumstances. The penalty for violating the oath is death.】
“Translate it. A Blood Oath can’t be established unless both parties fully understand the content and agree.”
When the Tin Knight conveyed the message, the vampire nodded.
The contract, confirming the intention to agree, moved gently in the air and touched the back of the vampire’s hand.
The blood composing the contract fluctuated greatly, and it was then that its content changed.
【’Sophia Hubris’ swears not to harm ‘Tin Knight’, ‘Dorothea Aschengard’, or ‘Adelaide von Lennart’ under any circumstances. The penalty for violating the oath is ■■■■■.】
Dorothea’s eyebrow twitched.
It was good that the name was added in a language Dorothea could recognize. That was why she had deliberately used her own blood instead of the vampire’s.
The issue laid in the penalty section.
The phrase corresponding to death was blurred, rendering its content illegible.
Dorothea swung her staff.
The blood of the contract fluctuated, attempting to form the word “death”, but it only lasted for a moment.
After a while, it turned back into an unrecognizable lump.
Dorothea knew this phenomenon.
Assuming there was an ordinary person A and a mage B, the contents that could be specified as a penalty were as follows:
When A violates the contract, A stops breathing for 10 seconds.
When A violates the contract, A turns into a frog.
The first one could be specified as a penalty because A could do it alone, and the latter was possible because even though A couldn’t do it alone, B had the ability to do so.
Conversely, a penalty like “A turns into the sun” couldn’t be specified, as neither A nor B could accomplish that, even if they cooperate.
In short, the current situation was essentially proof that no matter what method was used, “death” couldn’t be sentenced to the vampire.
Not by Dorothea’s will—nor by the vampire’s own will.
“You... what exactly is your identity?”
It wasn’t a question expecting an answer.
Since communication wasn’t possible in the first place, it might have been closer to talking to herself rather than a question.
“─You’re asking quite the philosophical question.”
An unexpected answer came to her rhetorical query.
Dorothea and Adelaide’s eyes widened.
The Tin Knight’s eye light fluctuated.
Whether she noticed their astonishment or not, the vampire—Sophia Hubris—calmly continued speaking.
Blood had somehow stained her lips.
“I am a scholar. Although I suppose the nation that once validated my degree seems to have long since perished into the annals of history. I am a cleric. Although I was excommunicated for being designated as a heretic...”
With a beautiful smile, Sophia swung her legs over the edge of the bed and sat right up.
“...and I am a monster. That much hasn’t changed, then or now.”
The Tin Knight drew his sword.
Dorothea pointed her staff.
Only Adelaide was at a loss, unable to keep up with the sudden change in the situation.
Dorothea asked sharply, “You could speak all along, and you pretended not to?”
“No? I genuinely didn’t understand at first. Watching you all chatter, I figured out your intentions through the effect of that gentleman’s magic tool and pieced things together by getting a bit of information from the young lady’s blood. I was fortunate that even though the words were different from when I was outside, the grammar itself was nearly identical,” Sophia answered with a beaming smile.
Although she made it sound simple, it was obviously far from an easy feat.
“Also, until just now, I didn’t have the energy to speak. Even nodding was quite an ordeal.”
“So, now you’re full of energy after siphoning off and drinking my blood?”
“I’d evaluate it as ambrosia after hundreds of years. Ah, please don’t misunderstand. I have no intention of fighting. I drank the blood because I thought free communication would make the conversation faster, not because I had any complaints about the contract. Rather, I think it’s a perfectly reasonable clause. It would be foolish not to have such safety measures against an unidentified monster.”
“You’re quite talkative.”
“Quite the common remark, even from centuries prior.”
Dorothea thought for a moment, then brought up the contract, “You said it would be faster if you could speak. Then answer. Why can’t ‘death’ be specified as the penalty for violating the contract? Is it because you’re a vampire? Is it impossible to kill you again because you’re already a corpse?”
“Good reasoning, but incorrect. Certainly, vampires are closer to corpses if you want to be precise, but the concept of death does exist properly. You can kill them by piercing the heart with a stake and cutting off the head, or by sunbathing them in sunlight—any of these methods can be used to kill us.”
“Then why?”
“Well? I’ve rarely seen other vampires beyond myself, so I couldn’t do direct comparative experiments, but I do know I’m hard to kill. The people of the order couldn’t kill me despite all sorts of attempts, it probably means that neither I nor the young witch possess the ability to kill me?”
Dorothea’s expression twisted grotesquely.
It wasn’t pleasant to be told outright that her ability was lacking, but it was odd to get angry when the vampire herself said she couldn’t do it either. It was roughly that kind of face.
“...Alright, then how about this.”
【’Sophia Hubris’ swears not to harm ‘Tin Knight’, ‘Dorothea Aschengard’, or ‘Adelaide von Lennart’ under any circumstance. If the oath is violated, ‘Sophia Hubris’ falls into a sleep from which she cannot wake.】
“If death can’t be the price, then a sleep close to death, is it? Clever idea.”
“Shut up and decide whether to accept it or not. The idiot next to me is dying to fight right now.”
“Please add one clause. It’s frightening if there’s no way to reverse it.”
At Sophia’s suggestion, Dorothea was silent for a moment, then nodded.
【However, ‘Sophia Hubris’ can exceptionally wake from sleep when ‘Tin Knight’, ‘Dorothea Aschengard’, or ‘Adelaide von Lennart’ try to wake her of their own will.】
This time, Sophia readily accepted the contract.
And then, she asked, “Ah, by the way, what kind of party are you? I just realized I have yet to hear about your goal.”
Dorothea suddenly found herself staring at the ceiling.
This entire situation was a complete mess, no matter how she looked at it.
The Scarecrow Has Joined The Party!