The Tin Knight returned after about two hours.
Dorothea, who had been debating whether or not to eat the jerky and dried fruit in her hand, saw the chunk of roasted meat the Tin Knight brought back, and her eyes lit up.
"I was starting to wonder why you were taking so long. You cooked it already?"
[The 'Tin Knight' gives a thumbs-up!]
A faint smile graced Dorothea's lips.
If he had only just finished hunting and the actual cooking was about to begin, Dorothea's patience would have worn thin. But since he had brought a finished product, it was a different story.
Where on earth he had managed to cook it was a mystery, but she didn't dwell on it.
Dorothea herself could easily start a fire if she wanted to, so she figured the knight before her must have managed somehow.
[The 'Tin Knight' urges you to eat before it gets cold!]
The Tin Knight offered her the meat.
There wasn't a proper plate, so she had to use the bone as a handle, but the simple warmth of it was a welcome treat for a meal in the wilderness.
"Thanks for the food."
After offering the basic courtesy, Dorothea bit into the meat.
As for the flavor that spread through her mouth…
"Ptooey!"
[The 'Tin Knight' is startled!]
"I'm the one who should be startled! Why does it taste like this!?" Dorothea shrieked.
In hindsight, it was to be expected.
No bleeding, no skinning, no removing the gamey smell, no trimming the fat, no seasoning.
At this point, it was already a culinary disaster, but to make matters worse, he had been swinging it around like a blunt weapon to beat down bandits, so it was covered in bruises.
He had carved off the burnt hide and the outer layer of meat, bringing only the inside, so it looked passable on the surface, but that was it.
The unimaginably gamy, sooty smell combined with the tough meat to create the worst possible flavor.
[The 'Tin Knight' slumps his shoulders!]
"Hey, no matter how you look at it, this is your fault, you know?"
After glaring at the Tin Knight, who was exuding the sorrow of a tragic hero, Dorothea was about to reach for her rations again.
Just then, with a sound of murmuring, a group of people holding torches began to approach from the distance, heading toward Dorothea and the Tin Knight.
"Excuse me. May we have a word?" the golden-haired woman at the lead asked cautiously, raising both her hands.
Dorothea's eyes narrowed.
"State your identity and your purpose."
At her cold voice, the other women in the group flinched as if frightened.
The only exception was the golden-haired woman.
"I am Ronnie Roxly. We were being sold off by slave traders when the knight over there helped us gain our freedom. The others are in a similar situation."
"…What have you been up to?"
[The 'Tin Knight' claims that since he saw their campfire, he took care of them while he was at it!]
Dorothea pressed a hand to her forehead and sighed.
Misinterpreting her reaction, the golden-haired woman, Ronnie, quickly continued.
"It's not a lie. I, uh, tried to speak with the knight first, but he wouldn't answer."
Dorothea roughly guessed the situation.
She could hear the 'Voice of Guidance' and understand the Tin Knight's thoughts and intentions, but to outsiders who couldn't hear the voice, he would just seem like a silent doll—or rather, a knight incarnate.
Some mysterious knight had stormed their camp in the middle of the night, slaughtered all the slave traders, and then vanished without a word. It was only natural for the women to be confused.
'…Wait a minute. Does that mean he roasted this meat right there after killing the slave traders?'
Dorothea stared intently at the Tin Knight.
[The 'Tin Knight' asks if there's something on his face!]
Dorothea sighed once more.
Reminding herself again that she shouldn't expect common sense from this Tin Knight, she asked Ronnie, "I understand who you are. What's your purpose? You didn't come all this way just to say thank you."
Ronnie spoke with a cautious air.
"We came to ask what to do with the belongings the slave traders left behind. We can't just do as we please with the knight's spoils of war."
"Hmph. And what are they?"
"Horses, a cargo wagon, and the goods they plundered from the area."
Her tone on the last part was tinged with suppressed anger.
Staring at Ronnie, Dorothea turned to the Tin Knight beside her.
"You want any of it?"
[The 'Tin Knight' replies that he has no interest in anything other than rare equipment!]
[The 'Tin Knight' suggests that 'Dorothea' can have it if she wants!]
"Why would I take that?" Dorothea scoffed.
If she had a 'normal' familiar contract with the Tin Knight, anything the familiar obtained would become hers, the master's… but the contract she had with him was the very definition of informal.
The Tin Knight's only duty was to protect Dorothea's body; no other obligations existed.
Dorothea addressed the women.
"Do what you want with it. You'll need the money anyway, now that you've been freed from slavery."
"Are you… really sure?"
"I said it's fine."
Seeing Dorothea's genuinely uninterested attitude, the women began to whisper among themselves with delight.
Ronnie calmed them down and said, "The others will be worried, so please go back and tell them the news. The forest is dark, so don't forget to stick together."
"What about you, Lady Ronnie?"
"I may not look it, but I used to be a knight's page. I can protect myself. Now, go on."
The way Ronnie spoke was so dependable that it was hard to believe she had been a captive slave just a short while ago.
Reassured by her demeanor, the women who had followed her turned and left.
Only Ronnie remained.
After confirming their presence had faded, Dorothea spoke.
"You're going through a lot."
Ronnie flinched.
"…I couldn't help or save them on my own, so I suppose I have to do what I can now."
A self-deprecating tone colored her words, a stark contrast to the strong, reliable front she had put on for the other women.
"So, what's the real reason you came to us?"
It wasn't a question of 'Do you have another motive?' but a declaration of 'I know you have another motive, so spit it out.'
Ronnie gave a bitter smile but didn't waste time with excuses.
Thud.
Ronnie dropped to her knees before Dorothea and the Tin Knight.
"I beg of you. Please help the young lady who was captured by the slave traders."
*
You listened to Ronnie's story.
A lord who answered his master's call to war, only to meet death instead of the victory he sought.
The eldest son, who worked tirelessly to fill his father's shoes and revive their declining domain, only to die suddenly in a fall from his horse.
The only remaining heir was a young girl, but even she was attacked and captured by bandits while touring the domain to soothe the people's hearts. That was the story.
You tilted your head.
[The 'Tin Knight' asks if a lord's domain can really be plundered so easily by bandits!]
Since Ronnie couldn't hear your question, Dorothea answered instead.
"It depends on the domain. If the domain itself was insignificant to begin with, or if it was reeling from the lord's death in the war, it wouldn't be strange for it to become a target for bandits."
"…It's the latter. My master's family is a branch of the renowned Lion Duke's bloodline. Normally, bandits wouldn't dare to look their way. But… during the last battle, the lord, along with his knights and elite soldiers, were all wiped out."
"Even so, isn't it common practice to leave enough forces to defend your home?"
Ronnie fell silent. It was unclear whether she was at a loss for words, afraid of criticizing a thoughtless lord, or if there was some other reason.
Dorothea stroked her chin with her left hand, lost in thought.
[The 'Tin Knight' suggests that you should help!]
Dorothea's blue eyes stared at you.
"Why?"
It was a short question, but one laden with many meanings.
You answered clearly.
[The 'Tin Knight' argues that killing human traffickers won't hurt his reputation!]
A moment of silence followed.
Dorothea stared at you with a dumbfounded expression for a long moment before finally muttering, "…That's absurd."
[The 'Tin Knight' exclaims that he is still hungry for blood!]
"You weren't sealed in that basement, were you? For being a cursed, crazy doll or something."
[The 'Tin Knight' insists he isn't crazy, but that backstory is cool, so he'll adopt it!]
"Sounds like you're crazy to me."
Dorothea habitually fiddled with the hair that had fallen over her shoulder, then turned her gaze to Ronnie.
Unable to understand the conversation between you and Dorothea, Ronnie, who had been watching them cautiously, flinched.
"Do you know the destination?"
"It must be Albert City. It's the only place around here where large-scale slave trading takes place."
"Which direction?"
"A day's ride south from this forest."
"So we don't have to backtrack."
As if that were the minimum requirement, Dorothea nodded.
"If it looks like it'll take too long, I'm just going to ditch you and leave. I have my own business to attend to. And I'll be expecting proper compensation. Are we clear?"
"We are! Please, help us!"
Ronnie's reply was filled with desperation.
[The 'Tin Knight' says that at this rate, she's going to get fleeced!]
At your words, Dorothea let out a small smirk.
She said nothing, but you felt as if you heard her reply all the same.
I know, right? Making a rash deal with a witch is a big mistake.