The victims you rescued were divided into two main groups.
One group consisted of those who wished to return home. They were given a share of the bandits' smaller, more convenient treasures and sent on their way.
Ronnie advised them to stick together, warning that they might face other dangers, but few heeded her advice.
Perhaps they were too eager to return to their families, or maybe they believed that traveling in a group without any real means of defense would only make them an easier target.
Either way, her words were ignored, and Ronnie couldn't help but look bitter.
The other group chose to follow Ronnie—or more accurately, you and Dorothea.
"My children were taken by the bandits! Please, help me!"
"Even if I go back to my village alone, there's nothing left but ruins."
"You're going to kill those bastards, right? Let me help!"
People with nowhere else to go and those blinded by a thirst for revenge joined the procession.
Dorothea didn't welcome them, but she didn't turn them away either.
Her attitude seemed to be that as long as they didn't get in the way, they could do as they pleased.
Having confiscated the bandits' horses and carriages, your journey became much faster.
Seeing you skillfully drive the carriage from the driver's seat, Dorothea gave you a curious look.
"And where did you learn to do that?"
[The Tin Knight says his body remembers!]
It wasn't a metaphor; it was the literal truth.
Both when you were rampaging against the bandits and now, as you handled the horses.
Whenever you tried to do something, the memories etched into your body would assist your actions.
You figured the previous owner of your body must have been quite a versatile person. Except for his cooking, which was atrocious.
Dorothea wore a strange expression but didn't press any further.
And then, at last.
Your destination, Albert City, came into view.
High walls and a sturdy-looking gate.
A long queue of people waiting to get inside.
[The Tin Knight says the walls here seem bigger and more magnificent than the ones in the royal capital!]
"That's because there aren't any real threats around the capital."
The world runs on supply and demand.
For a capital far from the borders, where monster appearances are rare, high and sturdy walls are unnecessary.
Conversely, this meant Albert City had a reason to build and maintain such imposing walls.
"Is there a particular reason the walls are so high?"
"…It's because of the bandits."
Ronnie answered Dorothea's question, her expression hardening.
You and Dorothea tilted your heads in unison.
"Didn't you say those bandits are doing business inside? I doubt even bandits would attack the very place they buy and sell their goods."
It wasn't because the bandits had some code of honor about not harming their own customers, of course. It was purely a matter of convenience.
Raiding a village to capture a horde of slaves was useless if there was nowhere to sell them.
Likewise, robbing passing merchants of their gold and jewels was pointless if there was no place to spend the money.
Even outlaws—no, especially because they were outlaws—knew not to mess with the establishments that accepted them.
"It's the other way around. The walls aren't to keep invaders out. They're to keep people from escaping from the inside."
"Escaping? Who?"
"Those who break the city's rules. The lord of Albert City is the most powerful figure in this region, and also the most powerful bandit."
A lord, a man of power, and a bandit.
The walls were built to enforce his rules and stop any runaways.
It was a contradiction, and for that reason, intriguing.
"Sounds like a pain. We can't just go wild in a place like that."
Unlike you, whose eyes were sparkling, Dorothea looked thoroughly annoyed.
You tried your best to fire up her motivation.
[The Tin Knight argues that a big shot like that might have the item Dorothea is looking for!]
"Be serious. You think it'll turn up that easily?"
[The Tin Knight insists there's no harm in checking!]
"Honestly."
Dorothea looked exasperated, but unable to resist your pestering, she took out her detector.
One of the eight emblems glowed, and just as the shadow snake popped into existence…
Shaaa!
The snake shot upright, let out a roar(?) toward Albert City, and then slithered forward in a mad dash.
It moved with the speed of a lightning flash.
"..."
Stunned by a reaction more intense than any she'd seen before, Dorothea froze like a statue.
As if to show off, you gave the stunned Dorothea a thumbs-up.
Dorothea lowered her head, trembling, as you savored the sweet taste of victory.
Though what you were victorious over remained unclear.
*
The shadow snake had vanished beyond the walls, but you and the rest of the group couldn't just charge ahead.
The people in the queue—well over a hundred at a glance—were glaring daggers at you.
Noticing bandits mixed in among them, Dorothea muttered in disbelief.
"Unbelievable. Even criminals are following the rules here."
"…It just goes to show how fearsome the lord of Albert's authority is."
As Ronnie spoke, her shoulders slumped.
It seemed she had failed to find the men who had taken the 'young lady' in the queue.
"If we wait in line like normal people, we won't get in today."
At Dorothea's words, the other women began to murmur amongst themselves.
Every one of them had a face gaunt with fatigue and hunger.
The ignorant bandits, incapable of managing their own personnel—or products—had locked them in a cage for days without food.
After killing the bandits, you had provided some emergency relief with their food supplies, but after sharing with those returning home, there was little left over.
There were no nearby forests for hunting or gathering fruit. If they couldn't enter the city today, everyone would starve.
You scanned the queue.
While many had faces that practically screamed 'I'm a bandit,' there was no proof that all of them were criminals.
More importantly, drawing your sword just to cut in line was, by your standards, 'uncool.' A very serious problem.
Besides, Dorothea, who was surprisingly sensitive about her reputation despite her appearance, was unlikely to permit such a massacre.
With the brain-dead option of simply cutting down anyone in your way off the table, you began to rack your brain.
Seek and ye shall find, as they say.
Your eyes fell on a group that had broken away from the queue.
They headed for a small side gate next to the main one and said something to the gatekeeper standing guard.
The gatekeeper held out his hand, and the group handed him a rather heavy-looking leather pouch.
And what do you know.
The side gate, which had seemed sealed shut, swung wide open, and the group passed through.
[The Tin Knight asks what about that way!]
"Hm?"
At your words, Dorothea and the others turned their gazes toward the side gate.
It seemed you weren't the only one who had seen the group enter, as another party was now approaching the gatekeeper and speaking to him.
"What do you think they're saying?"
"I don't know. Doesn't look like a pleasant conversation."
Just as Dorothea said, the atmosphere between this new group and the gatekeeper was hostile, unlike the last.
Their voices grew louder, eventually reaching you.
"Fuck that bullshit! That much just to pass through one gate!? Are you serious!?"
"If you don't like it, go wait in line. Who's forcing you to use this gate?"
"You son of a bitch, do you know who I am—"
Thwack!
The man never got to finish his introduction.
An arrow, fired from a small hole in Albert's thick walls, had pierced straight through his head.
Thud.
"B-Boss!?"
His cronies shrieked in panic at the sight of the man collapsing in a pool of blood.
The gatekeeper addressed them coldly.
"Who gives a damn who you are? That shit doesn't fly here, so get lost. Ah, I guess you can't get lost now. Hey, you lot. Hurry up and take your 'boss' or whatever. Or do you want to end up like him?"
The cronies looked furious for a moment, but realizing that an arrow could fly from any of the small holes in the wall at any time, they quickly lowered their heads, retrieved the body, and left.
Sensing the eyes of the crowd, the gatekeeper shouted.
"Unless you've got some serious coin, don't even think about coming near here! Try any funny business and you'll end up with a new hole in your body like that guy, you hear me!"
A few people in the queue flinched at the sight of the corpse being dragged away.
Ronnie frowned.
"Seeing the quality of his men, I can guess what kind of person the lord is."
Dorothea shrugged.
"He's already the most famous bandit around, right? It's not like he has a reputation to lose. Anyway, this is perfect."
"Pardon?"
"No reason not to use a shortcut when there is one. We have money."
Realizing the 'money' Dorothea was referring to was the loot recovered from the bandits, Ronnie tried to stop her in a rush.
"W-Wait a moment, please. We might be able to get through with that, but we don't know how much money we'll need inside the city. Isn't this too rash?"
"I thought you had to rescue your 'young lady'? Are you saying it's fine to let her rot for another day since she's already been kidnapped?"
Ronnie's words caught in her throat.
Dorothea was right.
It had already been several days since she was separated from the 'young lady.'
She had assumed they wouldn't harm such a valuable commodity, but that was just an assumption.
For all she knew, the young lady could be suffering a terrible fate even as they hesitated.
After confirming the resolve and venom rising in Ronnie's eyes, Dorothea headed for the side gate.
"Hoh."
The gatekeeper let out a sound of admiration upon seeing Dorothea's rare beauty.
Dorothea asked him.
"How much?"
"The one who's desperate should make the first offer."
"So there's no set price."
Without hesitation, Dorothea handed over a leather pouch.
To your eyes, it looked much heavier than the one the first group had offered.
The gatekeeper opened the pouch, checked its contents, and said, "Not enough."
Ronnie, standing beside her, bristled and was about to intervene, but Dorothea stopped her with a raised hand.
"I doubt the amount is insufficient."
"A knight covered head-to-toe in armor. A whole bunch of women who look to be in bad shape. No matter how I look at it, you're a suspicious group. A good gatekeeper must always verify the identity of those passing through."
The gatekeeper's hand landed on Dorothea's shoulder.
In a suggestive tone, he said, "Let's just do a little body search. If I confirm there's nothing suspicious, I'll let you through safely, so don't you worry."
You thought for a moment.
For about, say, one second.
Just as you, having decided this man deserved to be beaten to death, were about to move, it happened.
"You know, among a witch's curses… there's one that turns people into animals."
Out of the blue, Dorothea muttered those words.
"Huh?"
The gatekeeper looked baffled.
Ignoring him, Dorothea continued.
"There are many kinds of animals, but dogs are the most convenient to use. A dog's corpse is easy to find. The rest is just information about the target. Knowing their name helps, but it's not necessary. And it's even simpler if you've made skin-to-skin contact."
"What are you talking abou—"
"First, the skin changes. Then the skeleton. Finally, the head becomes that of a dog. But this curse has one flaw. It doesn't work properly unless the target is a child. Why do you think that is?"
Leaning in close, Dorothea whispered in the gatekeeper's ear.
"A dog's lifespan is usually about ten years. If the target is younger than that, the curse will succeed, and they'll live out the rest of their life as a dog. But what about an adult who's older than that? There's no such thing as a dog that lives for over thirty years. So, they die of old age before they can even finish turning into a dog. Because they die midway, the curse is never completed and just… stops. All that's left is the corpse of something that was once human, but never quite became a dog."
Dorothea's blue eyes glittered.
The witch's eyes curved into crescents.
"You touched my skin. You've been cursed by me. But it's okay. The full transformation takes about a day. After half a day, your limbs will twist until you can no longer walk on two feet, but you'll still be able to crawl. You'll have enough time to say goodbye to your relatives. Oh, and I should mention, killing me won't break the curse. In fact, it will only make it stronger. Fueled by a greater grudge, you'll live miserably as something that is neither human nor dog, unable to ever die. I suppose that's a form of eternal life, isn't it? Go on, give it a try if you want."
The gatekeeper trembled as he stared at his right hand.
What was once a human hand was now covered in thick, beast-like fur.
A cry that was somewhere between a scream and a plea escaped the gatekeeper's throat.
Dorothea asked him.
"—I'd like to enter. How much will it be?"