Goblin Knight - Chapter 304



Only Noblemtl

EP.304 Tin Heart (12)

“First, let’s talk about the old days. Let’s see, it’s been a while since… I don’t remember exactly. Mr. Nicola, how long has it been since we first met?”

“───!!”

“Ah, I wasn’t in a position to answer. Well, it’s not like I have to go back in time by several decades… … .”

Gilan rolled his eyes as he recalled memories from the distant past.

“When the Empire was finishing up its rough post-war reorganization and starting to turn its attention to the unexplored lands of the East, I found Mr. Nicola, creaking and rusty, nearby.”

“Oh, the order is reversed? I thought the merchant could go over the rippling land after he got that tin man. Why is a mere merchant going to this dangerous place?”

“There are times when a merchant has to cross a dangerous bridge. Looking back, I can only say that I was lucky.”

Gilan continued, briefly answering Ella’s question.

“Of course, there was no reason for me to help Mr. Nicola just because he was broken. Why would I repair a killing machine that could kill someone in the blink of an eye? If I got lucky and got a run for my money, I would have done it.”

“But you didn’t do that. Why?”

“I was trying to run away when Mr. Nicola proposed a deal. He said that he would give me what I wanted, so I should help him. A fighting doll that only carries out orders, without emotions or ego.”

“Uh… So you’re saying that before she met you, Nicola was like that… so… ‘human’?”

“──!!”

“Probably not!” I was going to shout. Anyway, that’s it. The fact that it was broken, unlike other battle dolls, must have been due to its uniqueness.”

Gilan said, “Hmm,” clearing his throat.

“Having heard this far, what do you think Mr. Nicola would have asked me for help in that situation?”

“Isn’t that just asking you to fix it?”

“I thought so too. And if that had been the case, Mr. Nicola would not have been here, or if he had been, our relationship would have been very different. But that was not the case.”

Gilan said, laughing as he thought about it again.

“He said that he must have been wrong, that he wanted to have a human heart, but that his own strength was not enough, and asked me to pass on his news to a woman living in a nearby village.”

“her…….”

“Mr. Nicola had already developed a good relationship with that woman before he met me.”

Blanc, whose story was starting to get interesting, leaned forward slightly and spoke.

“Love between different races. It’s a beautiful story, but it must have been unusual for the people involved and those around them. What did the woman think?”

“That part might be boring for outsiders like us to talk about. What’s clear is that the two of you had feelings for each other.”

“That’s true. Please continue the story. As for me, the part about ‘wanting to have a human heart’ is what really bothers me… … .”

“I did that too.”

Gilan nodded and continued.

“I was intrigued by Mr. Nicola’s words, so I repaired him. At best, it was just rusted, so all I had to do was oil it. It must have been a predestined death for the tin man, left alone on the rippling ground.”

“Hmm.”

“After moving to a safer place, I asked him a few questions. Mostly, like Sir Blanc was curious about, ‘What kind of connection is there between winning a human’s heart and being left to rust on the rippling ground?’ To which Mr. Nicolas replied as follows.”

– You can’t love with a tin heart.

– This cold, hard, rusty mechanical heart cannot have a human heart.

– I want to have a heart.

– I want to have a heart with a warm heart… … .

“Wait. Wait. Wait.”

As the story progressed, an ominous thought suddenly crossed Blanc’s mind, causing him to abruptly stop talking.

“I’m just asking, just in case. You’re not saying that you’d rip a human’s heart out and put it inside your body to have a human’s heart or anything like that, are you?”

“──!? ────!!?”

“Huh- what kind of horrible words are those?”

“Oh, no, that… or else, that’s fine. I apologize for my rude remark. I just remembered a similar incident while traveling, so… … .”

Blanc let out a sigh of relief and embarrassment as the worst imagination that came to his mind was immediately denied.

The word heart was never used in a positive sense during his journey.

Why, among the stories I’ve heard not long ago, there was also a scary story about a girl who, when told to ‘take flesh as the verdict says, but no blood can come out in the process’, had all the blood drained from her body and her dried and twisted heart taken out…

“Rather, I’m more afraid that such an idea came to you right away. What kind of trip were you on? What kind of monster could have committed such a terrible act?”

“… … .”

“That was… uh… ah, a very scary enemy… uh, anyway, I’m really sorry. But then, how can you obtain a human’s heart, a human’s mind?”

Blanc glanced sideways at Ella as she slowly turned her gaze away, and brought the subject back to its original subject.

Gilan seemed to think for a moment and then said.

“This is exactly the part where I want Sir Blanc to help me. At the same time… it’s also a top secret that must never be leaked to the public.”

“… … !”

“So, I would like you to sign this confidentiality agreement. There are no other provisions. Its sole purpose is to ‘prohibit any knowledge gained from this place from being revealed to anyone else.’”

Blanc’s eyes turned to Annelie, who was lying down, as she read the pure white memorandum that Gilan had handed her.

If Agnelli had been in good health, he would have answered the question of whether this memorandum was authentic and whether he could sign it or not.

But I can’t get an answer from her now.

Ella, the other advisor, also looked puzzled, and Glass Shoes and Trasha were both as blind as Blanc when it came to such matters.

It seemed that the only way to get Gilan’s cooperation to ensure Annely’s safety was to sign the memorandum without the same level of certainty as before… … .

“Don’t do that.”

Blanc stroked his pen calmly over the note.

For a moment, the room they were in seemed to be covered by some kind of curtain, and Blanc knew that something was restricting his will, something he could not dare to resist.

It must have been imbued with the magic of a contract.

“I can now talk with peace of mind. In fact, if the story I’m about to tell were to get out, my life would be in immediate danger.”

“Is that so?”

“You can speak again, Mr. Nicola. I didn’t mean to harass you. I just had to limit you because you’re not used to this kind of thing, and you might accidentally reveal confidential information while talking.”

“… … Is that so?”

“That’s it. Okay, reactivate your vocal function.”

“You damn organic bastard, your ability to play with your mouth is like that of a river running through a mountain… …!”

Nicola, who had finally regained his voice, glared at Gilan in a dry but clearly angry voice.

Why on earth do we need the human mind?

Either way, Gilan said, single-mindedly.

“Now, Mr. Nicola, please speak from here. From here on out, I have only heard the story, so it would be more accurate if you spoke yourself.”

“… … That’s not wrong.”

Nicola replied in an unpleasant voice and glared at Blanc.

“So, how far did you go? Was it a way to win over a human’s heart? Don’t worry. It’s not like you thought, where you rip out a healthy human heart and eat it!”

“So I’m sorry.”

“Huh, I didn’t really take it to heart. I don’t have any ill feelings or petty things like that. I just confirmed the facts. And… … .”

The tin man said, glaring through the slit in Blanc’s helmet.

“Perhaps… I think this will be a very meaningful story for you as well.”

“what?”

“There may be differences in environment, but I find you more curious than an abnormal entity like me. I don’t know what’s going on. However, in accordance with Article 17, I will not invade your secrets any further. I am not like that damned merchant.”

“… … ?”

“anyway…….”

“Ahem,” said Nicola, clearing his throat.

“Have you ever wondered where these tin men of this rippling land came from?”

“Uh… no. I just saw it for the first time today. I heard it was left behind a long time ago?”

“That’s true, but there’s something to correct. We’re not left behind. We’re carrying out orders.”

“command?”

As Blanc tilted his head, Nicolas answered in a flat voice.

“Protecting the facility until the last moment.”

“……facilities?”

“Yes. In the center of this land, there exists a building that was built for some purpose in the distant past, and our dolls and mines are being automatically manufactured and maintained at this very moment and deployed to the defense line.”

“Probably by tomorrow or the day after, the landmines that the soldiers stepped on will be planted again in that spot.”

“Yeah, well… it’s a rippling ground. But what about that building?”

“I am the tin man who was created there. Ultimately, I still haven’t figured out why the facility exists, but I do know one thing for sure: its role.”

Nicola said solemnly.

“Making the existence of a different type human.”

“… … !!”

Even though he didn’t say anything else.

Blanc couldn’t help but wonder what Nicolas might have said next.

‘Yes, even for someone like you’, he said.