SWNOVELXO Chapter 273: Memory Wipe? [Bonus]
Marionette was hesitant to engage in a battle with her father. He was, after all, much more skilled than her. However, she doesn't doubt that with her current strength, she would be able to easily tear apart his robot body.
But...
That would be only if she would be able to harm him at all in this engagement.
Marionette drew her right foot forward before bending forward and dashing towards him with extreme speed as she enhanced her body with mana.
Marek, watching as his daughter sprinted towards him, noticed the traces of mana that had been activated in the air. He remembered that Marionette had achieved the second tier.
"L-... Let's see if you've been getting rusty... No abilities allowed."
He moved towards her as well, swiftly dodging a rapid jab towards the centre of his face. And before Marionette could follow up her attack, her father had shot a jab of his own, quickly counterattacking.
Marionette tilted her head, keeping her feet steady as she stepped back, dodging a sudden stomp by her father.
The two then went on to engage in an activity of what could only be described as close-quarters combat, with one side being quicker than the other.
This side was Marionette's.
However.
Although her speed triumphed over Marek's mechanical body, he was still faster in the sense of being able to predict her movements seconds before they could even happen.
Bam!
Leading him to get a hit on the side of Marionette's face, the knuckles of his metal fist smashing against the cheek and briefly throwing her off rhythm.
But only for a split second.
She hurriedly got back in rhythm and was even able to take off a piece of her father's face, but she was quickly met—
BAM!
—With a punch to the bottom of her chin.
She gritted through it, enduring the bruising pain and wrapped her fingers around the robot's arm. Enhancing her hands with mana, she twisted and tore off his arm.
Marek, watching this with a calm gaze in his robotic eyes, drew back his remaining fist and bashed it into Marionette's solar plexus, causing a paralysing feeling to course through her body.
Despite her father's limited strength in his mechanical body, it was still able to deliver a strong blow that even caused Marionette to double over it.
However, that was only for a moment.
As she was about to rise and continue, she felt her father pushed against her body, causing her to stumble back.
After regaining her balance, she watched as he bent over and retrieved his arm from the ground before slowly holding it out to her stump, which now had loose cogs and gears dangling.
He pressed it against his stump and held it there for a few moments before releasing his hand. The arm was now back in place.
He rolled his shoulders, moving his arm and checking if it was back in place properly and functional.
He then turned back towards his daughter and said with clear disappointment in his voice:
"Y-... You had allowed yourself to get hit multiple times by me. You failed."
Marionette widened her eyes before stuttering:
"I-I'm able to continue—"
She was then interrupted again.
"O-... Once you are permitted by the academy, you are to r-... return home and sharpen your skills. Is that under-... stood?"
"I—"
"Y-... es or no?"
Marionette's lips turned shaky. She then nodded with a shameful expression, causing her father to nod in satisfaction.
She then watched as her father turned towards Lillian, who had already got up and was watching them with wariness, especially towards her father.
Marionette then watched as her father began taking steps towards Lillian. She immediately took a step forward, intending to move in between them before realising what he was about to do.
Marek moved his hand under his cloak and behind his waist, pulling out a narrow and long device.
Lillian, staring at the device, quickly recognised what it was.
'This guy is about to erase my memories!'
Before Lillian could even say anything or do anything, the device had already been brought before her eyes, flashing into them with a bright light.
Once the device was pulled away from Lillian's face, whose expression had become blank, the girl suddenly fell back with her eyes closed.
Right as she was about to hit the ground, Marionette caught her before kneeling and laying her on the ground. She watched as the girl's nose twitched and her lips curled into a smile.
She shuffled around and moved her face into Marionette's stomach.
Marek, watching this, put away the device before muttering:
"H-... Half an hour. She'll wake up."
He then turned around to leave. But as he was about to leave, he turned his head back and said:
"Your performance in your match was entertaining. I sup-... pose you did it for your girlfriend, correct?"
"I... Yes, Lord Roselle... And thank you for the compliment."
Marek nodded and turned his head back. Just as he was about to lower the black dome, Marionette called out to him.
"May I please ask you something, Lord Roselle?"
He turned back around and stared at her silently.
His gaze lingered on the girl for an absurdly awkward time before eventually answering.
"V-... Very well. Speak."
"... Why have you come here as a machine instead of in person?"
Marek folded his arms, his voice moving away from coldness at her question as though he had been waiting for her to ask the entire time.
"B-... Because it is cool, daughter."
"..."
Marionette gave a deadpan expression at her father using the word "cool" and sighed.
She then asked:
"Is that your only reason...?"
"It is-... isn't. Since I am on a mission, I wasn't able to come here in person. So, I had s-... someone create this machine to allow me to do it."
After saying that, he lowered the dome from the Orb of Silence. However, as soon as the dome was lowered, a crowd of guards on the outside were currently surrounding them.