Dungeon Expedition and Rewards (2)

The artifact in my hand didn't even have a proper name. I tried appraising it just in case things worked differently from the game, but all that came up was '???'.

The reason it could be appraised yet had no name was simple: in the game, this wasn't an artifact at all—it was an unusable quest item.

Normally, you'd have to go through a convoluted quest chain to figure out how to get it, then come all the way up north and clear every last dungeon just to lay hands on it...

'Mark of a manly man. Doesn't take the long way around.'

I already know exactly how to get it, so why would I ever go through all that nonsense?

The reason this seemingly useless item had stuck in my memory was the quest it unlocked—that one left quite an impression.

A noble family pushed to the brink of collapse by a trivial misunderstanding ends up reconciling with each other thanks to this item. A bit cliché, sure, but it was exactly the kind of side quest I loved.

That touching scene and storyline stayed with me for a long time, maybe because I had been an orphan with no family of my own.

'Come to think of it, what was that family's name again? Something-hoff, I think... Eh, if I can't even remember it, why should I care.'

Using the item ourselves might mean that family from the game ends up staying estranged, but I don't have any obligation to worry over nobles I've never met.

I carefully held out the item toward my family.

"Alright, everyone put a hand on this."

Mom placed her hand on the sphere the moment I said so.

Mar and Albert hesitated, reluctant to stack their hands on top of Mom's. But when I shot them a stern glare, they carefully laid their hands on top with a what-can-you-do sort of air.

And then.

"Yune, what is this... huh?"

"......!"

Only moments before, we had been standing in a dim, dark dungeon, but now we stood out in the open in a very familiar garden.

The inner courtyard of the Nordkirchen Grand Ducal residence—our home.

* * * * * *

Albert's eyes flew wide open at the sudden change of scenery, while Mar pinched her own cheek.

"This isn't teleportation. I didn't sense any magic power."

"Is it some kind of mental magic? Our senses are being distorted."

Both sisters immediately started analyzing the situation. Watching them, I could only sigh.

'Honestly. The flowers in the garden are in full bloom and they can't even appreciate it. No sense of romance, these two.'

In contrast, Mom—a true manly woman in my book—was looking around silently.

"Yune. This place is..."

"It's supposed to manifest the location with the deepest shared memories among the four of us, so I guess it turned out to be the residence garden."

"Yune, is this the artifact's effect?"

Mom asked, her tone almost interrogatory. I dredged up everything I could remember and explained the item step by step.

"Yes. The artifact we just used helps people have a heartfelt conversation with each other in a place of shared memory."

"A place of shared memory?"

"Yes. When you use this artifact, only our souls are transported to this otherworldly space. It picks the place that overlaps most in all of our memories."

"Hmph. And that's all it does...?"

"And here, you absolutely cannot lie! You can't hide your true feelings either!"

"...!"

The quest item we had just used—its effect was extremely simple. The entirety of its function was to help the people who used it communicate with each other openly and honestly.

In the game it was an unusable item, and for a manly man like me it's completely unnecessary, but... our thick-headed sisters and our poker-faced mom definitely needed it.

"As for why an item like this was at the bottom of a dungeon... that's a long story, so I'll skip it. Anyway, let's test it out right now. Mar, what do you think of me?"

"I used to feel sorry for you since you were always bedridden, but now that you're healthy, I'm glad and you're an adorable, cute little brother. Sometimes I really want to make you cry, it's a problem. ...Huh?"

"What?"

I'd asked Mar what she thought of me to test the effect, and my sister answered without a moment's hesitation.

...If the item's effect is to be believed, that was her honest, unfiltered opinion. I never imagined Mar looked at me that way.

I backed away from her and pressed myself close against Mom.

"...Anyway. As you can see, when you ask someone something here, they can't help but answer honestly. Just like Mar."

"No! I didn't think that!"

"Don't you think you were thinking it unconsciously? Sis, you want to make me cry?"

"Yeah, sometimes. ...Argh, seriously!"

Once the confirmation was locked in, my sister looked utterly wronged. I stared at her for a moment, then turned my head away with a huff.

"Hmph. Anyway. It seems like there's a ridiculous amount of misunderstanding piled up between you sisters and Mom. So use this chance to clear it all up."

* * * * * *

I'd set the stage and now stood with my arms crossed, watching my family, but instead of heartfelt words flowing like they did in the game, there was nothing but dead silence.

...Do I have to push them into it myself? Honestly, my family can't function without me.

"Good grief. At this rate we'll run out of time. First, you two. Mom scares you, doesn't she?"

"Yeah. She's scary just to look at."

"Me too."

The answers flew right out the moment I asked. Both sisters' faces went pale.

Mom listened and was silent for a moment before she spoke.

"...I understand."

"Understand what? Your own children are saying you're scary. Doesn't that bother you at all?"

"Of course it saddens me. But it's my own karma, so I consider it something that can't be helped."

"Karma? What karma?"

"After my husband Jürgen was taken into the embrace of mana, I trained Margarete and Albert harshly. Excessively so, for children who were still only nine years old."

After that, Mom began to explain in a low voice. The time she and my two sisters shared together, the events that took place—none of it existed in Yune's memories.

After Dad died, a loss I have no memory of, the two sisters wept and grieved.

Mom said that when she saw them sobbing uncontrollably in front of Dad's grave, she thought to herself, 'It falls on me now to raise these children alone. And all I know is how to hold a sword.'

And so Mom began teaching the sword to my sisters. So that even if she, too, suddenly departed this world like Dad, the two of them would still be able to survive on their own in a harsh world.

"It so happened that the eldest, Charlotte, possessed extraordinarily outstanding martial talent, so I used Charlotte as the standard for training. Charlotte always accepted my training without complaint, so I assumed Margarete and Albert—only a single year younger—would be able to endure it as well."

"That was a miscalculation. However much they carry the blood of Nordkirchen, they were still children barely ten years old. I only realized my mistake when I noticed the fear filling my children's eyes as they looked at me."

After saying that, Mom looked over at a corner of the garden.

To my eyes it was just a patch of green grass, but perhaps Mom saw something completely different. Her expression hardened a little more.

"One day after training was over, I found Margarete and Albert in the garden, covered in wounds, clinging to each other and crying. They were muffling their sobs, as if they didn't want me to hear them crying."

"Seeing that was a shock. Because I realized that what I was doing was not training, but abuse. After that day I reduced the intensity of the training... but Margarete and Albert ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠still kept their distance from me. Even as the years passed."

"And that is how I became a mother hated by her children. Without Jürgen at my side, I was simply unfit to be a mother."

Mom finished her long explanation.

When she was done, I—who had been listening quietly—let out a long sigh.

"Haaaaaaah..."

"...Yune?"

"I knew this was going to happen, I swear. What am I going to do ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠with our mom? If you felt sorry, you could've just honestly said you were sorry. Why do you bottle it all up inside by yourself? Jumping to conclusions on your own."

Mom kept her characteristic blank expression, but her eyes held a trace of bewilderment as she looked at me.

Still with my arms crossed, I looked over at Albert.

"Albert, you heard what Mom said. What do you think? Was the training back then really that hard? Hard enough to make you hate her?"

"It was incredibly hard, sure. There were times I cried from how miserable I felt. But I never once thought I hated the Head of House."

"...!"

Mom's eyes widened a little, as if Albert's words had startled her. I continued and looked at Mar.

"What about you, Mar? Do you still hate Mom because of the training when you were little?"

"No. A woman is perfectly capable of handling that level of training, so why would I hate her for it? It was tough back then, sure, but considering I don't have any lasting aftereffects, it clearly wasn't excessive training."

Mar answered just as evenly.

The two sisters glanced at each other, then both looked at Mom with an inscrutable expression.

"To be honest though, I did think it was too harsh that she never gave us a single word of praise."

"That's what I'm saying. I worked myself into a frenzy just trying to get a single compliment from the Head of House, but I gave up about halfway through."

Only then did the two sisters begin to talk freely, as if their lips had finally loosened.

Part of this was due to the artifact's effect—the one that helps you speak your true thoughts without reserve—but...

It was also because Mom, flustered by what the two sisters were saying, had let her expression slip in an extremely rare display.

"M-Margarete? Albert?"

"And you compared us to Charl every single day. That really wounded my pride, Head of House."

"I thought that was too ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠much, too. It wasn't as bad for me since I never had much passion for the sword in the first place. But Mar here genuinely applied herself to learning it."

The cold, expressionless mask Mom always wore was now thoroughly painted over with bewilderment.

...She usually goes around looking so fierce and intimidating, but when she makes a face like that, she's actually really pretty.

Seeing that, my sisters—as if delighted by this unusual reaction from Mom—forgot how they'd been avoiding her only moments ago and kept pressing her further.

"And also..."

"Head of House, you..."

"Alright, alright, that's enough."

The two sisters' cheerful rebellion kept going until I waved my hands and stepped in.

I wedged myself between my sisters and Mom.

"You heard them, right? They said they don't hate you. So no more agonizing over it by yourself."

'I knew it. They all clearly love Mom.'

I smiled, pleased at how much more like a real family the atmosphere had become, and Mom—who'd been in a constant state of fluster—finally collected herself.

"Hoo, the power of an artifact is terrifying indeed. To think even I would be thrown off like this. ...Margarete, Albert. May I ask you one thing?"

"Anything. Mother."

"M-Mother...?!"

When Mar, now wearing a mischievous smile, called her "Mother," Mom started floundering all over again.

Albert, who'd been gauging the mood from the side, also cautiously called her "Mother," and the tips of Mom's ears turned distinctly red.

"Hm hm. At any rate, then I would like to ask why you distanced yourselves from me. If it wasn't because the harshness of the training made you hate me, there seems to be no reason for you to avoid me."

"That's because, Mother, you always look so terrifying normally. Before I heard what you truly felt inside, I was convinced you found us unsatisfactory."

"Exactly. Didn't you see on the way to the dungeon? Little kids in the territory took one look at Mother's face and nearly burst into tears from fear."

When Mom heard the real reason the two sisters had been afraid of her and avoided her, her expression filled with consternation.

"...What? I was aware my expression is rather blunt, but is it truly that bad? Enough to make even my family keep their distance?"

"Yes. To be honest, I still don't quite understand how Yune can cling to you like that. Is Yune naturally fearless?"

"I'm a manly man, I don't do fear!"

Albert answered Mom's question in a matter-of-fact tone.

She mentioned me in passing, so I immediately made my most sincere declaration of manliness, but my sister didn't even dignify it with an answer—just let out a little snicker. ...That sort of pisses me off.

The conversation nearly got sidetracked, but I coughed once to clear the air and then looked straight up at Mom.

"Anyway. It's true that your face is a little too expressionless, Mom. If you smiled a bit, your whole impression would soften a lot."

"Yune is right. Mother."

"While we're at it, Mom, try smiling along with me! Chee~se!"

"L-like this?"

"...Yeesh. Okay, even I find that a little scary, Mom."

Mom tried to copy my smile. The very first smile I ever saw from her was... horrifying. Her eyebrows were deeply furrowed while the corners of her mouth were stretched upward, a visage of pure malevolence.

"Not like that, like this! Like this, okay? ...Is it hard for me to do because I'm a guy? Albert, you try!"

"Me? Hm... could you try smiling like this, Mother?"

"Albert, you think that'll do it? Here. Like this, Mother!"

"M-Sis Mar?! Gef your fhingers ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠out! (Mar, quit it! Get your fingers out!)"

There I was, demonstrating the manly way to smile, while Albert showed her a calm, gentle smile. Then Mar stuck her index fingers into Albert's mouth and pulled it wide open.

When Mom saw the three of us banding together and messing around like that...

"Heh. Since it seems you all wish to see me smile, I shall endeavor to work on it gradually. But it's certainly not something that can happen overnight, so I would be grateful if you would wait just a little while."

She smiled an incredibly natural, beautiful smile.

The brows that were always furrowed now drew a gentle arc, and a faint smile graced the corners of her mouth.

Seeing that, we all...

"...Mom!? Th-that! That right there! That's the one!!"

"Albert, did you see that?!"

"Good heavens. I always wondered why Father married Mother. So that was it..."

We couldn't contain our shock.

Good lord, I thought my mom was a manly woman, but she's totally gorgeous.

"Smile like that one more time! Look at me while you do it!!"

"I absolutely want to see it too, Mother!"

"Me too!"

"Yune, Mar? Albert...? What sort of face did I just make?"

"Mom, hurry! Smile!"

"How could it possibly happen all of a sudden like that. Goodness, you children are really..."

"That! That right there, Mom!!"

"...I haven't the faintest idea what you mean."

"Agh, seriously! This is so frustrating!"