Arton frowned and his body couldn't help but tremble.
It wasn't just because of the system's notification—there was also the offensive coming from Robin down below that made it hard for him to keep his composure.
What he didn't know was that what he'd just written in the diary about Ain being able to use Signora's template had slightly provoked Robin.
Even though Arton had already said Ain could use Signora's template, with Robin's personality, she had no intention of just giving up.
So when Arton rested his hand on her head, she launched an even fiercer attack.
Arton took a deep breath, adjusted himself a little to put Robin at ease, then quietly opened his diary system.
He also wanted to record what was happening with Robin.
After all, having two girls in a row both be compatible with the same template was rare even for him.
[Aside from Ain, Robin also has the potential to use Signora's template?]
[And she actually corresponds to five of Signora's traits: "Female," "Beauty," "Hatred," "Witch," and "Scholar."]
[In a way, Robin is extremely compatible with Signora template.]
Uta: "So even Robin is compatible with this Signora template."
Nojiko: "I thought the outcome was already decided, but now it looks like Robin and Ain will have to compete a bit."
Carina: "I really want to see what Ain and Robin are doing right now."
…
When Robin saw what Arton had written in the diary, her whole spirit jolted. At the same time, just like Ain, she started working even harder.
Arton, on the other hand, was starting to feel conflicted.
When he'd first seen that Ain had "Hatred" among her traits, he'd already been thinking of letting her stay and use Signora's template. But now that Robin had turned out to match five of Signora's traits, Arton was starting to hesitate.
[In theory, having three traits for a given template is the minimum requirement to use it.]
[Anything beyond those three traits means that person is highly compatible with the template, and has a much better chance of drawing out its full power.]
[So if Robin gets this template, she might be able to use it even better than Ain.]
[Should I let Robin inherit this power after all?]
Seeing those lines, Ain's body visibly trembled, and her eyes were full of anxiety.
Even so, Arton had already made up his mind; no matter how anxious she was now, it wouldn't change anything.
Arton relaxed his mind, handed the "ammo" over to Robin, stood up, and carefully tidied his clothes.
Seeing this, Ain and Robin both seemed to guess what Arton was about to do.
They also got to their feet, adjusted their outfits, and looked at Arton very solemnly.
Arton gave the two of them a small smile and raised his hand to turn on the recording and video functions of his diary copy.
That made all the diary copy holders—who had only been able to see scattered lines of text before—snap to attention immediately.
…
And when they saw Arton, Robin, and Ain all standing there quietly, some of the ones who had been imagining what Ain and Robin were doing to please Arton couldn't help feeling a bit disappointed.
"A-Arton, what… what are you going to do?" Ain swallowed, asking nervously. "Why are you looking at us like that?"
What had to come would come sooner or later. Since she couldn't avoid it, she might as well find out the result sooner.
Arton smiled and said to the two standing before him, "I've already understood how sincere you both are."
"I'll tentatively acknowledge you two—I think you're both trustworthy." He paused, then continued as the two of them grew even more nervous, "So, I'm planning to give you a certain power so that you can help me."
"Unfortunately, I only have one such power in my hands right now but there are two of you, so I'll have to wrong one of you for the time being."
Chapter 426: Signora's Ice Envelops the Field
Only one of the two could inherit Signora's template?! Hearing Arton say that, Robin and Ain both grew even more nervous.
They had been busy serving Arton just now, but they had still seen the latest entries appearing in their diary copies.
They both knew they were able to use Signora template Arton had just drawn.
They didn't know exactly how strong Signora's power was, but just thinking back on the previous templates was enough for Ain and Robin not to believe this one would be weak.
On top of that, if they could receive one of Arton's templates, they would, in effect, be officially recognized as members of the Flameblade Pirates.
So no matter what, each of them wanted to be the one who obtained the template.
Just as Ain and Robin were thinking about how to further move Arton, Arton himself took action.
He didn't rush to announce who would receive Signora's template but instead snapped his fingers.
In the next instant, the demonstration effect attached to the "Signora" template pulled all three of them into a completely unfamiliar space.
Of course, unfamiliar only applied to Robin, Ain, and the diary copy holders who were watching the situation through their copies.
To Arton himself, this environment actually felt rather familiar.
Having played Genshin Impact, he recognized this immediately—from the surroundings and the three figures appearing in this mysterious space—as the Raiden Shogun's estate in Inazuma.
What surprised him a bit was that, even though this space clearly existed to showcase Signora's power, aside from Signora, the Raiden Shogun and the Traveler, Lumine, were also present.
Nami: "Huh! That's Raiden Ei? Is that the template I'm holding?"
Gion: "This is supposed to be a demonstration of Signora's power, but there are three people here. Putting that Raiden Shogun aside, which one is the 'Signora' Arton mentioned on his ship?"
Viola: "That blonde woman looks very young. She probably isn't at the age where people would call her 'Lady.' So then, Signora must be that other one."
Kalifa: "What a stunning figure and lovely face. No wonder using her template requires 'Beauty' as one of the traits."
Monet: "Come to think of it, the 'Witch' trait that Signora has does seem quite fitting for Robin."
Whitey Bay: "From the look of this scene… is Signora going to fight the Raiden Shogun, or that blonde woman?"
…
"The woman in the dress you see there is named Rosalyne-Kruzchka Lohefalter. Her codename is 'Signora.' The power I intend to grant you comes from this Lady."
"So watch carefully how she fights—once one of you accepts her template, it might help you wield it better."
Arton gave Ain and Robin a brief explanation, and the previously frozen scene immediately began to move.
The blonde Traveler solemnly initiated a duel before the throne against Signora.
Faced with this, Signora was a little surprised but still accepted the challenge. Soon, the two of them stood facing each other in a formal duel under the Raiden Shogun's supervision.
At the start of the duel, Signora immediately unleashed her ice powers to freeze the Traveler.
In an instant, it was as if the entire hall had been swallowed by ice. It wasn't until the Raiden Shogun slashed out a thunder barrier that enveloped both Signora and the Traveler that the spread of frost finally stopped.
Even so, within that thunder barrier, the power of ice kept relentlessly chasing after the Traveler.
If the Traveler weren't constantly using the powers of Anemo, Geo, and Electro to maneuver against Signora, she would probably have been frozen solid by Signora's ice a long time ago.
Gion: "Ice powers… if you ignore the elementalization part, Signora's power is somewhat similar to Kuzan's."
Whitey Bay: "So it's an ice-type power, huh. Even if her fighting style is different from mine, ice abilities really are enticing."
....
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