"Who are you? Herta's latest puppet? Don't tell me she's finally graduated from the loli body type. Or are you her sister?" Mo Wang and March 7th were completely flabbergasted. Who in the world could have predicted that the perpetually childlike, bratty puppet was just a front for this stunning, mature woman?
"I've told you before, haven't I?" the real Herta said, tapping Mo Wang on the head. "Human, female, young, beautiful, cute. Were you not listening?" She proudly ran a hand through her hair, emphasizing her flesh-and-blood form.
"Okay, you're definitely beautiful, but I don't think 'young' is the right word here," Mo Wang quipped, recovering from his shock. So, the bratty Herta's real body was a super-tier beauty? What kind of dream was this?
"What's wrong with me saying I'm young? Don't think I won't hit you just because you're a dual Emanator now!" she said, raising a fist. Yep, that petulant, spoiled attitude could only belong to Herta. The body had changed, but the bratty gremlin remained.
"Is this for real? Herta, stop joking around," March 7th said, a sense of crisis washing over her. The little loli puppet was fine, why did she have to turn into this? How was it fair that she was not only prettier but also had a much better figure? It was infuriating!
"I only decided to show you my real body because you became an Emanator. Is this all the reaction I get?" Herta sighed dramatically. "After all those comments you made online? 'Herta's great, but she's too short and has no figure.' 'Compared to Asta, Herta looks like a little kid.' 'If Herta were more mature, she'd be a total knockout.' Well? Here I am. And you're just standing there."
"Holy crap, how do you know all that?!" Mo Wang was floored. He'd posted all that anonymously! Was she monitoring his chat logs?! "That's an invasion of privacy! I'm calling the cops!"
"Please. Your posting style is so shameless, you don't need a name for me to know it's you," she said proudly.
"Fine. While I was at it, I also said your personality is terrible, you're a total brat, and your puppet body is too cold to be a good girlfriend."
A fist glowing with cosmic fury shot out and slammed Mo Wang into the wall. March 7th winced. This guy's death-seeking tendencies had leveled up since Belobog.
"I was just telling the truth," Mo Wang said, stepping out of the wall completely unscathed. "No need to get so worked up."
The smoke clearing from her fist, Herta just glared at him. She knew her punch wouldn't hurt him. An Emanator of Preservation's defense was no joke. She probably couldn't scratch him with a starship's main cannon.
"I came to see you as a fellow Emanator of Erudition, and this is how you act?" she huffed.
"Wait, you're an Emanator of Erudition?" Mo Wang looked her up and down. "Is Nous blind? Oh, right, that thing doesn't have eyes."
Herta silently summoned her giant hammer.
"Okay, okay, I was just kidding!" Mo Wang surrendered. "So, why did you want to see me?"
"I was originally going to discuss the differences between single and dual Emanators with you," she said, her tongue flicking across her lips as she eyed him like a particularly juicy specimen. "But now, I've found something much more interesting."
"Uh, I think we should go," March 7th whispered.
"Don't worry, I've got this," Mo Wang said, stepping forward. "I'm very interested in that discussion. The kind that involves getting naked and having some close-contact research?"
"Hey! What are you saying?!" March shrieked, her face bright red.
"Oh? You're into that kind of thing?" Herta purred, a thoughtful look on her face. "So if it was a... close-contact... investigation, you'd agree?"
"Well, it has to be a two-way street. While you're studying me, I'd like to study the meaning of life with you. I'm a man of Erudition myself, you know." He was, of course, full of it.
"Heh, that's interesting," Herta said, her eyes glinting. "But right now, I'm more interested in that giant robot of yours."
"What?! You're after my Sky Thunder?!"
"A mech that can not only withstand but also maximize the power of an Emanator... and you can summon it out of thin air. How many more secrets are you hiding?" Her curiosity was palpable.
"No way! That's a family heirloom! You can't have it!"
"Then what will it take for you to let me study it?" she asked, her voice dropping to a seductive whisper.
"Marry me," Mo Wang blurted out, his shamelessness knowing no bounds. "If you're my wife, it's marital property. Then you can look at it all you want."
March 7th was about to say that if Herta actually agreed, she'd jump off the space station.
"Alright. I accept," Herta said with a sly smile, not missing a beat.
PFFFT!
March sprayed a mouthful of water all over the floor. "Cough, cough... what did you say?! Herta, are you crazy?! You're agreeing to marry him?!"
Even Mo Wang was stunned into silence. He had just been trolling. He never expected her to actually call his bluff.
"Wait, Herta, are you serious?" he asked, taking a step back. "You're not just trying to trick me so you can dissect me, are you?"
"What's wrong?" she said, advancing on him. "A moment ago you were so bold. You proposed, and I accepted. Now you're getting cold feet?"
He backed away until his back hit the wall. "Now, Herta, let's talk about this..."
"Talk?" She leaned in, trapping him between her arms. "I thought we were done talking. I've accepted your proposal. Now, about our shared assets... Shall we start with the schematics for Sky Thunder, husband?"
He was completely outplayed. This woman was an even bigger rogue than he was! This was not going according to plan.