Luz's POV
So cool…
So, Eda really is that strong?
"Damn, I think Arlecchino's about to get serious," Mr. Stan's voice snapped me back to reality.
Despite Eda's heavy hit, the robot woman stands up like nothing happened and dusts off her clothes.
She doesn't even have a scratch on her face after Eda's attack. I wonder what her skin is made of.
"I see… I underestimated your race, probably because Master was able to conquer your island in 48 hours." Even with her harsh words, it sounds like she's complimenting Eda's strength.
"Hold it right there. I wasn't around when the bunch of losers lost to that guy over there," Eda says in a casual tone, but with an extremely serious look. Her eyes glow with a yellow light.
'I thought that hit would hurt her a little, but she's totally fine,' Eda thought as she observed the thing in front of her.
"I see…" Arlecchino says nothing more; she pulls out an object that unfolds like a staff and then disappears.
Bam! A shockwave noise echoes.
"Where did they go?!" I quickly look around.
Eda has teleported into the sky after Arlecchino vanished, and she looks confused, staring at the ground with no sight of her target.
Shortly after, a shockwave from where Eda was standing creates a whirlwind, with Eda at its center.
Though Eda thought it was a good idea to gain altitude when Arlecchino disappeared, she didn't seem to anticipate this kind of strange counterattack.
"Since you'll be Eda's disciple, I'll give you a little advice, Luz," Mr. Stan says in a serious tone as he watches the fight.
"What advice?" I'm a bit confused by the serious air around him.
"Avoid facing assassin-type opponents alone, or to put it simply, those who are extremely fast." As he says this, the whirlwind takes on a red glow.
Slash! Everything happens incredibly fast.
One moment, the whirlwind is gone, and right after, Arlecchino is walking slowly towards where Eda seems to have fallen from the sky.
"Why is Eda hurt, and where did that scythe come from?" I'm starting to worry a bit for Eda; this friendly match is going a little too far.
"Arlecchino hid the existence of that scythe from me." Mr. Stan's words and expression show he really had no idea about this weapon.
"I… I'm not done yet!!!" Eda reaches out to her distant palisman, and it quickly flies to her.
She begins shooting multiple energy beams in every direction, but despite such a wide area attack…
Arlecchino's face remains stoic before she starts rushing towards Eda, cutting through all the magic attacks with a quick sweep of her scythe.
She looks like an unstoppable tornado.
"Your tricks don't stand a chance against my logic, and I haven't even needed to use my entire arsenal," Arlecchino declares coldly after countering Eda's attacks.
Bam! Another shockwave echoes as Arlecchino's scythe shatters Eda's shield.
"This fight was pointless. You have impressive versatility, that's for sure, but so what?" Arlecchino has her laser blade at Eda's neck.
"You… you little… grrr…" I can't quite hear what Eda is muttering, but she doesn't seem to be taking her defeat well.
"That's enough, good fight, but you two made quite a mess here." Looking around, I realize they weren't holding back.
"I'll fix it, but Arlecchino, don't look down on magic—it's really useful, you know." After this, Mr. Stan projects a strange glyph onto the ground, and all the destroyed plants grow back instantly.
"Apologies if my words offended you, Master, but… I just find my technological side more useful than the biological or magical part," Arlecchino explains, walking away from Eda.
"I don't admit defeat. I was just surprised by her speed and physical strength. If that thing had a soul, I could've body-swapped," Eda grumbles, trying to stop the heavy bleeding at her waist.
"Don't be a sore loser, and to be honest, I think Arlecchino could've conquered this place even faster than I did," Mr. Stan says as he approaches Eda, injecting her with something and murmuring a few words.
I'll ask Eda about it later, but it's decided: I'll do like Mr. Pines and learn both magic and technology.
Maybe I'll even make myself a super-powerful robot to go to school in my place.
…
Stan's POV
"You should step up your game. After all, it's not a great look to see the woman I married lose ~," I say after healing Eda with an emergency nanomachine injection.
These little wonders were created to cure people of almost any known disease and provide incredible treatment. A few injuries from a laser blade are no match for them.
I should also re-read Arlecchino's files carefully; it seems I missed a few paragraphs. She apparently updated herself while I was away.
"Eda, your fight with Arlecchino was amazing! She went 'boom,' and then you were like 'bam'…" Luz goes on a long rant about the fight, but Eda gives me a complicated look after what I said, not paying much attention to Luz.
After that duel between Arlecchino and Eda, we returned to the witch's place so I could craft my palisman with Eda's help.
"Honestly, I still can't believe that my wife comes from another dimension," I said after shaping an egg at the top of a stick.
I wanted a palisman similar to Luz's, an entity that fully reflects my ambitions and will support me.
Now, I was alone with Eda.
It wasn't just for my palisman but also because I'd asked Arlecchino to teach Luz the basics of Titan magic. After all, she was destined for it from the start.
"And I never thought I'd be dating a mad scientist, hehe." Even though she's laughing, I feel the atmosphere is slightly awkward.
"Listen, Stanley… back then, I honestly found you interesting, but I was…" As Eda started to open up, I immediately cut her off. My instincts tell me I'm heading straight into wall if I let her continue.
No way!!!
"I know, but I was being sincere… and to be honest, I kinda lied to Luz earlier." Eda's pupils widen like she's seen something shiny. I have to say it's honestly cute to see, but also a bit weird.
Not that I really lied, either. Old Stan was sincere on the day of his wedding.
"I'm not asking you to rush things. A lot happened after we separated… Who knows, maybe Marilyn's changed and isn't a 'bad girl' anymore ~ Ow!" I don't get to finish my sentence before I take a hit to the shoulder.
"I am and will always be a member of the 'Bad Girls' coven, and… yeah, I think we can try something." At the end of her words, Eda looks surprisingly… soft.
'Damn, Johan, it's now or never!' I instantly go in for a kiss, and thankfully, she doesn't push me away.
As we engage in a battle for dominance with our tongues, a strange noise from the door grabs our attention.
"Uh… sorry… I'll come back later," King says, quickly closing the door.
Eda tries to pull away to go after King, but I'd been holding her head so tightly during our embrace that her head stays in my hands as her body moves toward the door.
(Image)
"Looks like the curse left you with a few inconveniences," I say, a bit awkwardly, holding her head.
I already knew the curse wouldn't be a drawback for Eda anymore, but I didn't expect it to leave a few minor side effects.
"An inconvenience? Personally, I find it handy," she says with a suggestive wink.
I'd have to be a Japanese isekai protagonist not to get this joke… particular. We laugh a bit before I put Eda's head back in place, then leave her house with Arlecchino.
Of course, I promised to come back often.
I was extremely tempted to stay, but with Camila waiting for me and King's traumatized face fresh in my mind, I felt a bit uneasy.