"Oh—so that means things on Edison's side have returned to normal?"
Hearing about Edison's encounter, Billy the Kid cheered and then asked.
"After Nightingale broke his limbs several times, he's tentatively returned to normal, I suppose..."
Takumi scratched his head, not daring to be too certain.
After all, Edison was a capitalist at his core; no matter how much he was beaten, that essence wouldn't change.
"Actually that simple? You don't look like you've been through a battle."
Geronimo sized up Takumi, who looked no different from before he left, finding it hard to believe it was settled so quickly and simply.
"Karna and Helena are very sensible themselves. I just went there to add fuel to their fire."
Takumi explained.
Karna and Helena already intended to help Edison solve his problems, but as his subordinates and friends, it was hard to act directly. Otherwise, Edison—who was already sensitive to betrayal—might have seen his two trusted friends suddenly "turn" on him without cause and might have spiraled into another extreme.
So the two could only play along with Edison's antics while maintaining basic order.
Until Takumi—the super Master who could wipe them out along with their base—appeared. With a sufficient reason, the two finally found their opportunity.
Geronimo looked thoughtful.
"Anyway, the current Edison can be trusted. Everyone pack up and head to Edison's base; it's much safer there."
"Also, that ridiculous 20-hour workday has been canceled at my strong request!"
Seeing that Geronimo still seemed to have doubts, Takumi looked at the others and said with a smile.
He even gave a thumbs up.
"Hell yeah! That bullsh*t 20-hour workday is finally gone—by the way, is it appropriate for an outlaw like me to join a national organization?"
"Whatever, we won't be staying in this era for long anyway. Just treat it as being hired for a temp job."
"There should be a lot of people over at Edison's place, right?"
"Probably quite a lot, otherwise they wouldn't be able to maintain such a large production scale. Why do you ask?"
"Hehe! To hold a concert, of course! This time, I'm definitely going to hold the biggest, most crowded concert ever!"
"You guys here have zero appreciation for art, but that side clearly has more of an artistic vibe. There will definitely be people who appreciate my voice!"
Looking at the high-spirited Elisabeth, who was already lost in fantasy, Billy the Kid and Robin Hood exchanged a glance.
Then, they simultaneously gave a thumbs up, revealing two rows of white teeth:
"Well said! We support you!"
"Too true! The people over there haven't heard your name or your songs; I guarantee there will be plenty of people coming to the concert!"
Though I don't know if any fans will be left after they actually hear it.
"Hehehe... really..."
Elisabeth cupped her small face, looking intoxicated, as if pink bubbles were popping out of her head.
Takumi: "..."
Geronimo: "..."
"Fine, we trust your judgment. We'll move the base there as soon as possible, especially since we were already packing."
Geronimo said with a slight headache.
Although as a native he didn't have much affection for America, given the current situation on the path to "saving the world," he could only bite the bullet and accept it. Besides, as Robin Hood said, they wouldn't be in this era for long.
"So, are you done talking? If you're done, we're taking this Master with us."
Scáthach, waiting on the side, spoke with some impatience.
"We're done talking, but what exactly do you two want with me?"
Takumi looked at the two in confusion.
[Heart of Fire] hadn't reached the level of full mind-reading for both parties yet.
"Don't worry about that, just come outside with us. We can't cut loose in here."
With that, the two grabbed Takumi again and headed toward the outskirts of town.
Takumi, who could roughly sense their moods, already had a guess.
'The target is me, and both are teacher-type characters, especially Scáthach...'
'Could it be they want to take me as a disciple?'
Hey, given my current aptitude, it wasn't impossible.
Before long.
The three arrived at a clearing outside the town.
Just as Takumi expected, the two had traveled far just to take him as a student.
"Masters, what are we learning first?"
Takumi first warmed up his body and then looked at the two with expectation.
Scáthach and Li Shuwen were both masters of martial arts, and among the first set of Type-Moon characters established to have reached the domain of gods. In a sense, Takumi—whose martial arts and magecraft were self-taught and "wild"—really looked forward to what these two formal teachers could show him.
"Who goes first?"
Li Shuwen didn't answer, but looked at Scáthach.
"I will!"
Scáthach stepped forward toward Takumi without hesitation.
Alright then.
Seeing Scáthach take the lead, Li Shuwen just shrugged and found a safe place to sit. Li Shuwen was quite the gentleman, but mainly, humility is a traditional virtue of the China. Since they had waited this long, waiting a bit more was fine.
After Master Li took his seat in the audience, Scáthach's instruction officially began.
"First, we'll start with the basics. But before that, you need to temporarily seal your 'ultra-high-speed' state. Otherwise, fighting in that state won't give you true training."
Scáthach summoned a demonic spear and planted it on the ground, her red eyes flashing with a light called excitement as she looked at Takumi.
"Mmh, I know that much!"
Takumi nodded seriously.
Having used this ability as his core, Takumi naturally knew how "broken" his ultra-acceleration was. Even Fergus, an elite among first-rate Servants, couldn't find an opening to counter-attack against him. Moreover, even if Takumi met an opponent he couldn't handle, this god-speed was enough to let him escape, making him inherently invincible.
"Then what weapon should I use to learn your martial arts, Master? Spear? Sword? Or both?"
Takumi shook the two weapons in his hands.
It felt a bit redundant, but mainly because Takumi preferred swords over spears. Jeanne's Noble Phantasm, while having a spear-like feel, was technically a flag, so after Takumi's martial skills surged, it wasn't perfectly smooth to use.
"Using both weapons is your strongest state, right? Then use both. It'll give me a chance to see your true colors in a normal state."
Scáthach took her stance, a smile on her lips, speaking with total nonchalance.
"Okay, I understand!"
This was instruction from a truly legendary master; he had to be extra serious!
Takumi, his sense of anticipation maxed out, assumed his usual starting stance, his eyes fixed on Scáthach.
'Such strong focus. As expected of a Master who has walked through four Singularities...'
Being stared at by Takumi, Scáthach felt as if all her movements were exposed, and she couldn't help but feel impressed. But it made sense—how could someone who crossed so many hurdles to get here not have some real skill?
After a brief moment of admiration, Scáthach's gaze turned sharp again, and she lunged at Takumi first.
The fact that an aggressive existence like Takumi was actually better at defense than offense was a bit of a wonder to Scáthach.
But no matter. Since Takumi was better at defense, she would take the initiative!