"A painful choice…"
Painful?
That is just right!
Miles had been wanting to see that bitter expression on Luca's face for a long time.
But what truly made Luca bitter was that she didn't even know the effects of the Dragonmaid cards.
In any case, Monster Reborn was absolutely not an option. If she chose Monster Reborn, that would basically allow Miles to freely revive any monster he had sent to the Graveyard.
At times like this, you just had to judge by appearances.
Pick the monster that looked the weakest.
Luca slowly raised her finger and made her final choice.
"This one looks so dumb, I'll pick her!"
The card Luca chose—the one that looked the dumbest—was Laundry Dragonmaid.
Lan-maid was officially recognized as "the dumb-looking one."
"Thanks for your patronage!"
After Luca made her painful choice, Miles successfully obtained Lan-maid's card. He sent the other four unchosen cards to the Graveyard.
The moment he touched Lan-maid's card, Miles could faintly feel a trace of anger radiating from it.
It wasn't hard to see that Lan-maid was angry—no need to guess why.
"Let's show her just how wrong that choice was! Come forth, Lan-maid, Normal Summon in Attack Position!"
Impatiently tossing out the painfully chosen card, Miles's field, silent for two turns, finally shone with the long-lost light of a physical Summon.
[Laundry Dragonmaid] Level 2│WATER│Dragon│500 ATK/1600 DEF
Dressed in a blue maid outfit, her peculiar hairstyle looked like either dragon ears or twin tails. Lan-maid's cuteness carried an air of… well, definitely not-so-bright charm right now.
"Damn it, who are you calling dumb? Today, I, Lan-maid, will punish you all!"
Synchronizing with Miles's body—currently the little princess's—Lan-maid struck a haughty hands-on-hips pose and pointed her finger toward Luca.
Nova shouted, "I can't believe it… M-M-Miles, you actually summoned Lan-maid in a duel! That's amazing!"
It was her first time experiencing a Duel so up close, and everything was fascinating to the little princess. The first time seeing her monster summoned left her voice brimming with excitement.
But Lan-maid's appearance made Luca burst into laughter.
"Pfft—500 Attack Points?"
Though she covered her mouth as if to stifle it, Luca made no effort to hide the ridicule in her eyes.
"Even a trash monster that can't beat the Supremacy Sun, whose Attack was weakened by a Trap Card, dares talk big. Truly dumb to the core."
"Lurrrr—!"
Barred teeth and gritted jaws, the maid-clad Lan-maid let out a low growl like a dragon's rumble from her cute girl's body.
"Let's teach her a good lesson, Master Goshujin-sama!"
Miles, who had never had a maid before, was suddenly addressed as "Master." To be honest, it felt weird.
But now, since he was controlling the body of a Kaiser princess—even if still immature—he should already be used to this. He couldn't let his host lose face.
"I was thinking the same. Now let's get ready for battle, Lan-maid!"
With a sweeping gesture, Miles led his first maid, Lan-maid, and declared entry into the Battle Phase.
"Fighting with a monster that has 500 Attack? Is stupidity contagious, Miles?"
Luca's face turned into a look of outright disgust, like "don't you dare come infect me too."
"Looks like you don't understand at all. Show her that, Lan-maid!"
Lan-maid nodded proudly. "Mm-hm, that thing, right? No problem!"
Aisha said, "You mean it's coming already?!"
Nova yelled, "Finally, that thing?!"
Luca scowled, "What thing??"
Miles & Lan-maid shouted in unison, "Obviously—henshin!"
Dragonmaid Transformation—at the start of the Battle Phase, Lan-maid activated her effect, her draconic maiden body gradually enveloped in pure, holy white light.
"This is Laundry Dragonmaid's effect!"
[During the start of either player's Battle Phase: Return this card to the hand. Then Special Summon 1 Level 7 Dragonmaid monster from your hand or Graveyard.]
The Dragonmaid transformation effect required a corresponding big-dragon form in the hand or Graveyard.
And thanks to Painful Choice, the big-dragon forms had all already been sent to the Graveyard.
That four-card dump allowed Miles, who had been stuck for two turns, to fully unfold his comeback.
Such was the terror of an A-rank Forbidden card.
After returning Laundry Dragonmaid to the hand, the Level 7 Dragonmaid from the Graveyard floated forth.
"Special Summon Lan-maid's transformed form in Attack Position—roar forth, Dragonmaid Nudyarl!"
[Dragonmaid Nudyarl] Level 7│WATER│Dragon│2600 ATK/1600 DEF
From 500 Attack, she evolved straight into a 2600 Attack Dragonmaid. The sight of her plush and majestic azure dragon body made the princess's eyes sparkle.
"It's fluffy! So fluffy! Amazing!"
This child had probably only ever seen bare, metallic Cyber Dragons growing up, so she was obsessed with fluffiness.
"But it's not just about being fluffy! Go, Nudyarl!"
To Miles, the jump to 2600 Attack was the real beauty.
"—Azure Dragon Sunset!!"
Though a move name Miles came up with on the spot, striking down the Supremacy Sun with Dragonmaid Nudyarl made "Azure Dragon Sunset" feel fitting.
A radiant azure beam gathered in her draconic maw, then burst forth, blasting through the battlefield and instantly engulfing the Sun weakened by Wall of Disruption.
[Luca, LP: 3000 → 1800]
"Gwahhh—!"
The counterblow's blue shockwave pierced Luca's chest, hurling her body against the edge of the Shadow Game barrier, slamming her hard against its invisible wall.
Sliding down with a thud, Luca Slint knelt, yet chuckled faintly.
"So stupidity really is contagious. Destroying a Supremacy Sun weakened by Trap effects just means that next turn it'll be back at its original 3000 Attack. With your pitiful monsters, there's no way you can stop it!"
"Oh, still planning to revive it?"
Miles wasn't concerned. If he dared destroy the Supremacy Sun, of course, he had foreseen this.
"I end this Battle Phase, and activate Dragonmaid Nudyarl's effect!"
[At the end of either Battle Phase: Return this card to the hand. Then Special Summon 1 Level 2 Dragonmaid monster from your hand.]
Dragonmaids could transform into their big-dragon forms at the start of battle, and revert back at the end. Their alternating forms were their fundamental way of fighting.
Returning Dragonmaid Nudyarl to the hand, Miles tossed Laundry Dragonmaid from his hand in Defense Position.
[Laundry Dragonmaid, DEF: 1600]
Back in her maid form, Lan-maid shouted angrily, "How dare you call me dumb! I'll show you today who the real idiot is! Goshujin-sama, let's do it!"
"Yeah. From my hand, I activate Dragonmaid Nudyarl's effect!"
[Discard this card; target 1 monster in either Graveyard; return it to the Deck.]
"I discard Nudyarl from my hand and return your Supremacy Sun in the Graveyard to your Deck."
"Gawwrrr—!"
Lan-maid raised her clawed hands to her cheeks and actually breathed out a beam of white light, scorching Luca's Graveyard zone clean.
If the card wasn't in the Graveyard, the Supremacy Sun could not revive in the next Standby Phase.
Miles said, "Still thinking of revival? No chance—your ashes are scattered!"
Lan-maid repeated louder, "Scattered!"
Their master-and-maid routine clicked in perfect sync. Miles never thought there'd come a day he'd be doing comedy banter with his Duel Monsters.
...
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