eurekapd Chapter 154 Why are you wearing a beaded dress?
Chapter 154 Why are you wearing a beaded dress?
The night wind swept through the dense forest on the outskirts of Misaki Town, and the air, which should have been filled with the fresh scent of earth and grass, was instead filled with the acrid smell of burning engine oil and dissipating magic.
"Click...click..."
Beside a spiritual vein node hidden at the roots of an ancient tree.
Three bizarre humanoid bodies are frantically destroying the faintly glowing magical runes on the ground in a twisted, inhuman manner.
They have no facial features; their faces are only smooth, pale white masks.
The intricate gears and hydraulic lines operated mechanically at the exposed joints, exuding a chillingly cold feeling.
"Is this disgusting scrap metal what ruined my dinner?!"
Aozaki Aoko strode out of the shadows in the forest, her azure eyes burning with rage in the night.
The three automatons keenly sensed the intense hostility emanating from Aoko, and their actions of destroying the barrier instantly ceased.
The pale mask turned to Qingzi in horror, and sharp alloy claws suddenly sprang out from their wrists.
"Arthur, step back."
Aoko twisted her wrist in frustration, her knuckles cracking crisply. "Dirty trash should be burned to ashes!"
Before he could finish speaking, the soil beneath Aoko's feet exploded violently!
This so-called "unreasonable" magician did not employ the cumbersome long-distance chanting of modern magicians.
She was like a raging lioness, brutally pouring pure magic directly into her legs.
Then she transformed into a dazzling blue afterimage and charged towards the nearest doll.
"An eyesore!"
Faced with the doll's viciously thrusting alloy claws, Aoko advanced instead of retreating.
She pulled her right arm back sharply, and terrifying pure blue magic rapidly compressed and condensed on her fair fist.
Ultimately, it transformed into a dazzling [Destruction Magic Bullet], resembling a miniature star!
"boom!!!"
This is a perfect combination of pure physical kinetic energy and a violent explosion of magical power!
Aoko's heavy punch landed precisely and brutally on the doll's mask.
There was absolutely no room for resistance. The moment the sturdy alloy head came into contact with the magic bullet, it was as if it had been hit head-on by a heavy armor-piercing bullet, and it exploded into countless tiny fragments and sparks on the spot.
The first doll was swiftly and decisively destroyed by Aoko.
The other two puppets reacted quickly, splitting up to pounce on Aoko from both sides simultaneously.
"Too slow."
A cold, emotionless female voice suddenly rang out in the woods.
Kuonji Yuzu, who had been standing quietly beside Arthur, did not move an inch.
Her hands, hidden beneath black lace gloves, were elegantly folded in front of her, her dark eyes coldly fixed on the two dolls that were trying to attack Aoko.
"Foolish creation, clamor is forbidden in the witch's forest!"
Accompanied by a brief, obscure incantation, the dense shadow beneath the two rapidly moving dolls suddenly began to boil violently like a vibrant swamp!
"Snap!"
Without any warning, several thick chains of thorns, composed entirely of viscous, pure black shadows, silently emerged from the ground.
Like hungry venomous snakes, they precisely and ruthlessly coiled around the limbs and torsos of the two puppets.
The gears inside the automaton began to groan in pain from overload, trying to break free from this strange constraint.
"A boring struggle, crush them."
Youzhu coldly sentenced them to death.
"Bang! Bang!"
With two muffled thuds, the hard alloy doll, under the terrifying crushing force of the shadowy thorns, was crushed and shredded instantly like two fragile soda cans!
Amidst the ear-piercing metallic creaking, black engine oil sprayed like blood onto the surrounding withered leaves.
The battle lasted only a brief ten seconds from start to finish.
The berserk melee mage and the elegant long-range control witch perfectly demonstrate the tacit understanding between the administrators of Misaki Town.
"call……"
Aoko disgustedly shook the remaining magical embers off her fist and kicked the twisted metal debris on the ground in annoyance.
"This kind of junk dares to try and break the barrier of Misaki Town? Is the mastermind a junk collector?"
However, Yuzhu ignored Aoko's complaints.
She knelt down in front of the pitiful metal wreckage and carefully fiddled with a gear that still faintly shimmered with magical energy.
"An exquisite magic transmission system, a rare autonomous biomimetic structure..."
Yu-zhu stood up, a serious and dangerous look appearing on her face.
In the entire Mage's Association, there are very few people who can make automata so detailed that they are almost 'human'!
The other party's covert work was very well done. Youzhu carefully examined the wreckage, but for the time being, she was unable to find out the true identity of the mastermind from the pile of gears and the ruined circuits.
They could only continue heading to the other damaged nodes.
……
The night wind in the deep mountains dispersed the remaining magical scorch marks in the forest.
Originally, bringing Arthur, this "unknown combatant," was a precautionary measure to deal with potential powerful enemies.
But the result was somewhat unexpected. Although the automatons were well-made, their combat capabilities were really negligible.
Under the strangulation of Aoko's magic bullets and Azuma's shadow, the automatons everywhere were easily dealt with.
Until the damaged barrier nodes were fully repaired, Arthur did not have a single opportunity to contribute.
This left Yuzhu, who had hoped to take this opportunity to properly assess Arthur's strength, feeling a slight sense of regret.
However, considering that this man is currently suffering from amnesia, even if he encounters a powerful enemy, it would probably be difficult for him to fully unleash that unfathomable power immediately.
By the time the three of them returned to the mansion along the mountain path, it was already completely dark.
"I'm exhausted!"
As soon as she pushed open the heavy door of the mansion, Aoko changed into her slippers and pointed at Arthur, who was standing by the door, giving him orders without any politeness:
"Hey Arthur, you're the only one who didn't do any work tonight! Go to the kitchen and prepare a super lavish dinner to treat us!"
"If you don't have at least three main courses, I won't let you off the hook!"
"As you wish, Miss Aoko." Arthur smiled and touched his chest in response, then turned and walked into the kitchen.
Watching Arthur tie on his apron, Aoko breathed a sigh of relief.
Actually, dealing with those broken pieces of metal didn't take much effort at all; she just desperately wanted to find a reason to get Arthur away.
She wanted to take a shower.
However, the thought of bumping into Arthur in the lobby last night while wearing only a thin bathrobe made her feel an uncontrollable wave of embarrassment.
So, to avoid repeating the same mistake, she could only come up with this reason to keep the man firmly in the kitchen.
An hour later.
When Arthur served the sumptuous French-style pan-fried lamb chops, cream soup, and ham salad to the long table, Aoko and Ayumi had already finished showering and changed into neat home clothes.
Aoko's hair was still slightly damp, but her expression had clearly returned to its usual composure.
Dinner ended in a subtle and quiet atmosphere.
Just as Arthur was clearing away the dishes, Yuzhu came down from the second floor, carrying a neatly folded pure white bathrobe.
"Take it."
Yuzhu handed the bathrobe to Arthur, her gaze slightly shifting away.
"This is a brand new set of spare clothes that was left in the house. I just realized that you didn't have any change of clothes to shower with after you moved in."
"Thank you so much for your thoughtfulness, Ms. Yuzhu." Arthur accepted the bathrobe with both hands.
However, when Arthur finished his bath, changed into the bathrobe, and walked out of the bathroom, the air in the hall seemed to freeze for a moment.
The spare bathrobe that Ayumi had bought was originally designed to fit her own body size.
When worn by Arthur, who is over 1.8 meters tall, with broad shoulders and muscular build, the image suddenly takes on a comical and awkward feel.
The hem of the bathrobe barely covered half of his thighs...
To avoid tearing his clothes, Arthur dared not make any large movements, like an adult trying to wear children's clothes...
Seeing this, Qingzi, who was passing by with a water cup, almost spat out all the water she had just drunk.
She desperately covered her mouth, her shoulders heaving violently, trying to hold back her laughter until tears were about to fall.
Even on Yuzhu's perpetually cold face, a faint blush couldn't be suppressed.
"...Let's just make do with this for tonight." Yuzhu rubbed her temples, looking a little annoyed, her voice carrying an unusual sense of frustration.
"I'll go to the city tomorrow and buy you a few sets of clothes and a bathrobe that fit you properly. Go and rest."
"Okay, goodnight, Ms. Aoko, Ms. Ayumi."
Although Arthur felt the fabric was a bit tight, his subconscious composure prevented him from showing any dissatisfaction.
It was late at night.
Arthur lay flat in his sleeping bag, and the robin emitting a ghostly blue light reappeared on the stair railing, looking down at him.
"Good evening, little guy," Arthur greeted it softly.
The robin tilted its head and looked at him for a while, seemingly confirming once again that the man posed no threat, before flapping its wings and flying away.
……
The next morning.
The sounds of washing up could be heard early in the morning at the Kuonji Western-style mansion.
As the managers of the spiritual veins of Misaki Town, these two girls are not only magicians but also students.
After breakfast, Yuzhu changed into the uniform of Reiwon Girls' Academy.
She walked up to Arthur, who was wiping the table, took out several ten-thousand-yuan bills from the pocket of his black uniform, and placed them on the table.
"Arthur, go to the downtown shopping street today and try to buy some ingredients for tomorrow and the day after," Yu-zhu instructed Arthur.
This was the result of her careful consideration.
Arthur's existence has already been discovered by the members of the Holy Church, so there is no point in continuing to lock him up in the mansion.
Moreover, although Arthur has lost his memory, he could not possibly treat him as livestock being kept in captivity.
"These are currencies used to buy things; you only need to buy what's on the list."
Yuzhu handed him a note filled with the names of vegetables and meats, then her tone turned serious, her dark eyes fixed on Arthur:
"However, there is one thing you must remember: no matter what the situation, never use any power that is beyond the comprehension of ordinary people."
Do you understand?
Arthur carefully took the banknotes and note, examined them closely, then looked up, his bright green eyes filled with undisguised doubt:
"Ms. Yuzhu, I will keep your instructions in mind, but... what kind of existence is considered an 'ordinary person' in your words?"
Furthermore, what kind of power falls into the category of the incomprehensible?
"..."
A deathly silence fell over the hall for ten seconds.
As Qingzi was putting on her shoes in the entryway, she slipped and almost bumped her head on the door frame.
Looking at the man in front of her who was asking questions with a straight face and who had absolutely no common sense, Yu-joo, whose heart had never been turbulent for years, suddenly felt a deep sense of powerlessness.
She was silent for a moment, then finally sighed and picked up her schoolbag.
"Change your clothes and come with me." Yuzhu turned around.
"On the way to school, I will personally stuff the common sense of modern society into your empty head, bit by bit."
[Sorry, I'm at the factory tightening screws, and my mind is completely blank when it comes to the Arthur storyline.]