Charlotte: I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.

Raishin: I already told you not to apologize. It doesn't suit you, Dinosaur Girl.

Charlotte: But both of you were badly injured. Who's to blame for that if not me?

Raishin: You're the one who's been hurt most. We'll defeat him. And this Cannibal Candy mess will be done for good!

- - - OP - - -

Yaya: Raishin, are you sure you're up for this?

Raishin: I'll be fine. Just tell me everything you learnt, all right?

Yaya: Okay. Sigmund told Yaya what Charlotte's really up to. Apparently she's trying to find a way to get back the family she lost years ago.

Raishin: Lost how?

Yaya: Sigmund said the House of Belew was once the pride of England for its prowess in machinart.
Their estate was filled with automatons, who they consider to be true members of the family.
But one day, something terrible happened. Something none of the Belews had expected.
A dog automaton Charlotte loved injured a boy of very high social status.
Because of that one incident, the family was stripped of its title. Their lands were taken away, and almost all of their automatons were dismantled.
It seemed things couldn't get worse, but while Charlotte was away at boarding school, her parents and younger sister went missing.
Not long after that, Charlotte herself was kicked out of school.
She's still racked with guilt over the whole situation. She blames herself because the automaton was hers.
Charlotte holds herself responsible for her family's disappearance.

Raishin: How terrible for her.

Yaya: She's been scrimping and saving whatever scholarship money she can to buy back the hearts of her automaton family.
Her hope is to restore them and the House of Belew.

Raishin: That's why Cannibal Candy upset her so much. Because she considers automatons to be more than just puppets on a string.

Yaya: Yes. And her dream is to have her whole family reunited, automatons and all.

Raishin: That's her plan, seriously? That's why she wants to win the festival?
So her family can live together again? If that's true, she's a bigger idiot than I am!
We will defeat him! And this Cannibal Candy mess will be done!

Felix: You don't want to do this. Charl is the real Cannibal Candy, we found proof in her room.

Raishin: She doesn't kill. No matter how outnumbered she is, she never resorts to that.
Everyone knows how difficult Sigmund's attacks are to control. Keeping them nonlethal requires work.
Charl'll always preserve others' lives, even when her own is in danger. Sorry, Felix, but that doesn't sound like a serial killer to me.

Felix: You're really gonna turn against me.

Raishin: You and your automaton, a.k.a. Lisette.
Yeah, you heard me. Now sit back and watch while I bust that mask open and show you her face.
Whistle, 48 Sho!

Yaya: Right!

Sigmund: Easy, Charl. Easy.

Charlotte: But it is her!

Sigmund: I very much doubt that is the original Lisette Norden. That Lisette was human.
I imagine they killed her and replaced her with an automaton.

Raishin: That's a mask too, but at least it's prettier than the other one was. So Lisette, what's your real name?

Felix: My, you do like to prattle on. However I have no reason to give you that information.

Raishin: Well, it's a good thing I wasn't asking you, isn't it? I'm talking to her.

Lisette: Eliza.

Raishin: Okay, Eliza. Another question: Would you be willing to stand down?
Tools don't get to choose their wielders. Which means you've done nothing wrong. Please stand down.

Eliza: What a bunch of tosh. Do you actually expect that to work?

Raishin: Are you saying that of your own volition?

Eliza: Blimey, you are fuddled. Thing is, when I come off peckish, I eat.

Raishin: Glad to hear that, it'll make this easier! Do it, Yaya! Flare 36 Sho!

Yaya: Right!

Charlotte: Water magic?! I've seen that use before. When we fought together.

Raishin: Yeah. That was Undine magic. What does this mean? Does Cannibal Candy acquire magic from the dolls it eats?

Felix: Your fighting style is woefully simple. Relying on brute strength to wrestle your enemy down. But...

Yaya: Raishin!

Felix: There, see? Strong fighter, slow reaction time. You stand no chance of defeating me.

Yaya: Raishin, no!

Raishin: Don't take your eyes off the enemy! Flare 24 Sho!

Felix: It's been fun, ta.

Yaya: Sorry, Yaya will not let you harm Raishin!

Felix: No worries. I have plenty of tricks up my sleeve.

Magnus: Who's there?

Kimberley: Watching the situation unfold from on high, are you? How lordly, Magnus.
No, I suppose I'm up here as well, so who am I to talk, right?
Second Last already has one foot in the grave. I wonder where he finds the energy to continue fighting.

Magnus: This battle is as good as over.

Kimberley: Is it?

Magnus: Once you see through a magic trick, it's no more than a game.

Kimberley: My, how cryptic.

Magnus: He gave too much away for the charade to continue for long.
When you leave too many clues behind, it's only a matter of time until you're found out.
It may interfere with your investigation, too, Professor.

Kimberley: Thanks, I'll bear that in mind.

Charlotte: Now it's got boule magic?! Absurd!
Does this mean Cannibal Candy is somehow able to wield multiple types of magic?!
It shouldn't be possible! It violates the Principle of Discordant Magical Activity!
Stop this... There's nothing I can do. Sigmund still can't fight!
You don't have to do this! Please Raishin, they'll kill you!

Raishin: It'll be okay, Charl. Stay calm, this'll be over soon.

Charlotte: But you still have the festival to compete in. Don't toss it all away because of me!

Raishin: You're accused of crimes you didn't commit. How is it wrong to defend you?

Charlotte: I can't prove my innocence. It'll be for nothing.
They'll drag you down with me, claim you're an accomplice. And it won't stop at the academy.
England, the Brotherhood of Migi, everyone-- the entire world will turn against you!

Raishin: This whining doesn't become you. This is my choice. If it's me against the world, so be it!

- - -

Charlotte: You're an idiot.

Felix: Still going for the jugular, I see. It is so gratifying to know you're every bit the man I thought you were.
Shall we strike another bargain, Raishin? If you agree to fight as my ally in the festival, we'll pretend this unpleasantness never happened.
There's really no need for you to be destroyed along with dear Charl.

Raishin: No deal, Felix.

Felix: Perhaps you'd like to give it a bit more consideration.

Raishin: I'd never go along with your dirty scheme. Not even if my mother herself asked me!

Felix: See, now that's part of your problem. You ought to show your mother more respect.

Raishin: I paid my respects to her when she died.

Felix: You have my sympathies. But now Raishin, we must part. You'll rejoin your mother soon!

Raishin: Stronghold 48 Sho!
I thought as much. Why didn't Eliza turn herself to liquid this time and escape her attack?
'Cause she can absorb magics, but can't use them all at once.
Seems when you wanna switch powers, you gotta get rid of the previous one.
And once you eject a magic circuit, you can't ever reequip it.
So your solution: build up a big enough collection of circuits and it wouldn't matter.
Sound about right?

Felix: Brilliant deduction. I now withdraw my invitation for you to fight beside me. You're far too dangerous!

Charlotte: What is this?! Did Eliza turn herself into mist?!

Sigmund: That's no ordinary mist. It seems to be corroding Yaya's body.

Felix: Have you deduced yet that you're going to lose?
When this fight began, Eliza was equipped with 47 different magics.
Your magic is extraordinary, I won't argue that. However, you cannot fight what you cannot touch!
Yes! This is my White Mist! I had meant to save it for my trump card against Magnus in the festival!

Raishin: Yaya. Knock'em on their asses.

Felix: It's time to admit defeat, old chap. How did you...? Did those fluids come from your automaton?!

Raishin: Brilliant deduction. Yes, her blood was the key to making this work.

Kimberley: Oh I see what he did. Rather clever actually.
While Eliza's body was mist, she absorbed Yaya's blood, and with it, her magic.
As we know, two magics cannot coexist within one body.
Machinart's fundamental law: the Principle of Discordant Magical Activity. Neat trick.

Sigmund: If two magics cause mutual interference within a body, one cannot utilize either to full effect.
I assure you what we're seeing now is no happy accident.

Charlotte: Raishin did all that on purpose? You're saying he planned it this way from the start?

Sigmund: I have little doubt. He allowed Yaya to sustain that damage so her wounds would reopen in the grip of Eliza's magic.

Raishin: Yaya's circuit may not be complex. I may not have talent. And everyone knows I'm an awful student.
But in the end, it doesn't matter! Because my partner is the best damn automaton in the world!
Final Stronghold... Razing Moon Reflection. Bye, Eliza.

Eliza: Done in by you--it is too much to bear. Farewell, you worm.

Raishin: Now.

Felix: What do you intend to do with me?
As a son of the honorable Kingsfort family, I am untouchable!
If you harm me, there will be consequences the royal family will not be pleased!
Now wait, let's talk about this, shall we? That's it, far enough!

Raishin: Yaya, I'm so sorry.

Yaya: What do you have to apologize for?

Raishin: You were hurt. I let you keep getting wounded. Once you shed so much blood. I'm sorry.

Yaya: No, Raishin! It was nothing! Yaya can be fixed quickly enough.
Yaya is unbreakable. She can't ever be truly hurt.
Besides, you're the one who always gets wounded when we fight.
That's what frightens Ya...

Raishin: Thank you. I owe you an apology, too.

Charlotte: What?

Raishin: I should've let the great Tyrant Rex have the first turn punch in his face.
Sorry, guess I got a little carried away.
Come on, Dinosaur Girl, on your feet. Or did your legs stop working?

Charlotte: My legs work well enough, thank you, you cad. Though, you might at least offer your hand.

Kimberley: Second Last is an interesting one, don't you think?
After I gave him his entrance exam marks, low marks, the first thing he did was ask about entering the festival.
You're not laughing.

Magnus: Of course not. If anyone here can stage an upset, I imagine he is that one.

Kimberley: Indeed. A man of your exalted rank thinks so highly of him. What is that?

Magnus: A token he gave me when we met.
I can't be completely certain without analyzing it, but I believe this jar contains someone's ashes.

Kimberley: Ashes?

Magnus: You English have an old custom. Throwing a glove to propose a duel. From what I've heard, this is similar.
There are clans in the far east who throw the ashes of their dead before exacting their vengeance.

Kimberley: Sounds like you've made yourself a mortal enemy.
Oh, and by the way, I heard the most interesting rumor.
Allegedly, your automatons are all Banned Dolls.
Care to comment, Magnus?

Magnus: There is no clause in the festival regulations prohibiting the use of Banned Dolls. None of which I'm aware.

Kimberley: Always talking around the subject. All right, I'll take that as your answer then.

Magnus: Do as you please.

Kimberley: It's truly a fearsome man who can do what he's done.
Successfully creating Banned Dolls at such a young age.
But I wonder whose parts did he use to make them.

Man: Attention, students and faculty.
The Walpurgis Royal Academy of Machinart will now formally award an entry to the prestigious "Walpurgis Night Festival."

Edward: Raishin Akabane, step forward and receive your due.
As Headmaster, I, Edward Rutherford, hereby recognize you as an official candidate for the title of Wise Man.
You are now authorized to participate in Walpurgis Night. Congratulations.
From this moment forwards on, you shall be known as a Gauntlet.
You shall fulfill your duty to the academy.
Grow as a puppeteer with honor and grace. Prove that you are worthy of the glove you bear.

Raishin: Sir. What was the purpose of such a large ceremony?

Kimberley: The headmaster did some backroom lobbying.
The chief of our disciplinary board has just been proven a criminal.
As you might imagine, that doesn't inspire much confidence in the school's performance.
Headmaster Rutherford hopes to divert attention from the embarrassment by celebrating you as our new hero.
The glove suits you. And now everyone'll know your official title "Second Last."

Raishin: And who should I thank for coming up with such an excellent registration code for me?

Kimberley: Who do you think, genius?
Be a sport. If not for me, things would have turned out quite differently.
After all, it was my eyewitness testimony that proved your innocence.
In fact, you might even say I'm your benefactress.
Don't keep the masses waiting now. Go on, Hero Boy. Make a spectacle of yourself.

Charlotte: Seems everyone's standards are slipping.
The world's come to a pretty pass indeed, if you're a Gauntlet now.

Raishin: What's that?

Charlotte: You complete knobhead! It's a thank-you gift, obviously!
You did give me some assistance, though I would have been fine without you so it was incidental at best.
Still I am a lady and feel it's only proper to show my appreciation.

Raishin: Oh wow, an amulet. I've never seen one quite like this before. And is that a rune inscribed on it?

Charlotte: It's a defensive spell, intended to complement your barbaric fighting style!

Sigmund: Please do accept. Charl thought this over so hard, I was afraid she would hurt herself.

Charlotte: One more word from you, blasted reptile, and you dine on salad tonight!

Raishin: Thank you, Charl. It's keen.

Charlotte: Yes, well, this doesn't mean a thing. Not when it comes to the festival!

Raishin: Where we'll be enemies.

Charlotte: To the bitter end, Sigmund and I won't hold back. We'll come on with everything we've got.

Raishin: I'm not sure I can make the same threat unfortunately.

Charlotte: But you can't take it easy on me.

Yaya: Yaya sure won't! Yaya will gladly fight you to the death!

Charlotte: We shall go at it until only one is left standing.

Yaya: Yaya will not let you touch him! As Raishin's wife, touching him is Yaya's job!

Raishin: Hey! You wanna rephrase that now!

- - - ED - - -