What a Mess
It's a total mess. If I had to name the skill I used the most in my previous life... it would hands-down be Iltoyangdan. The reason was incredibly simple. It was concise, had a short motion, low mana cost, and yet its base damage was ridiculously powerful. The attack itself even carried an execution judgment on enemies below a certain HP threshold. Thanks to that, there was no better technique for instantly clearing out the random encounters that popped up now and then in that encounter-based game. The skill acquisition wasn't all that hard either. Sure, it started as the low-tier Horizontal Slash, but its power scaled exponentially with the protagonist's growth. It was probably one of the signature skills of the "Hero" Aurelia. I'd used it that much. I'd cleaved through countless monsters just for leveling up... I think there was even an achievement for it? Continent's Greatest Sword, right?
The protagonist was originally an all-rounder who could wield any weapon. But because I spammed Iltoyangdan so much, all my stats ended up skewed toward swordsmanship. In the end, I cleared the game using only a sword right up to the ending, without any specific weapon.
But...
- Drip, drip...
"Gasp... M-Madam... Huff... P-Please lower your sword..."
"......"
A sound like teeth grinding against a whetstone echoed out. Grind, grind. The fierce clenching of her jaw crushed the entire banquet hall under its weight.
A massive sword scar gaped across the banquet hall's walls. Like it was trying to split space itself in two, the lingering blue slash trembled, cracking the air.
The banquet hall was engulfed in massive chaos. No, it was such an awe-inspiring sight that everyone in the hall held their breath, maintaining utter silence.
A person—no, not even a monster—just a pure human with flesh and blood, had nearly bisected the banquet hall with a single swing of her sword. Everyone had probably heard the rumors. But witnessing it with their own eyes? That shock was beyond words.
...Which also meant that the moment anyone disturbed Mom even slightly, their head and body could part ways forever without so much as a dying scream...
And that slash just now had even been blocked by powerful defensive magic.
"P-Please... C-Calm down..."
Blocking Mom's path was a skeleton deploying dozens of layers of magic circles, shouting desperately. Beneath the flesh sliced away by the sword strike, pristine white bones were exposed, and the core inside its ribs pulsed wildly, pouring out mana.
Jet-black mana scattered across the banquet hall floor. The skeleton faced Mom without even wiping the mana leaking from its mouth.
"C-Calm... P-Please calm do—down..."
"...Lich."
"Y-Yes... Ma'am..."
"...Do you want to be erased?"
"Eep...!"
Despite the skeleton's pleas, Mom kept her icy expression and spoke. Her longsword didn't leave her hand. She spat out her words in a sneering tone, as if he was merely an annoyance.
"Move."
"B-But the opponent is the imperial princess...!"
"Move. I won't kill her. I won't."
"B-But just now, that was definitely Iltoyangdan...!"
"...I wasn't trying to kill her. It was a mistake."
"T-To call something tied to life and death a 'mistake'...!"
"......"
Mom fell silent at the skeleton's words, unable to continue. Then she slowly sheathed her longsword, and the murderous aura enveloping her body gradually dispersed.
...Was she even using Body Enhancement that whole time? It was a mistake, right...?
Even after reining in her presence, Mom roughly shoved the skeleton's shoulder aside and stepped forward. At that sight, I hurriedly leaped from the princess's arms and toddled toward Mom as fast as my little legs could carry me. Pat pat pat.
"M-Mom...!"
"......"
M-Mom wasn't even looking at me? She'd pulled back her aura, but how could she still radiate that much killing intent!
"I-I'm totally fine...! In fact, being held by the princess was super comfy, and..."
- Grind...
While I babbled on, a faint grinding of teeth leaked from inside Mom's mouth.
Why... did she seem even angrier now...?
This was super dangerous. If things kept going like this, the princess might actually die. For real. This wasn't Mom's usual self.
Screams filled my head like a banshee's wail. Gulping hard, I threw myself desperately at Mom.
- Squeeze...!
"M-Mom, I looove you...! I love you soooo much...! Y-You're the best, way better than anyone else...! I-I'm gonna marry you, Mom...!"
I stretched my arms as far as they could go around her waist, burying my face deep into her huge bosom. The cold, still heartbeat in my ear made me jump, and I pressed myself even tighter against her body.
"Sniff... Mooom... Mooom... I reeeally reeeally loooove youuu..."
"...Ngh..."
"I loooove you soooo much, Mom...! More than anything in the world...! If you hate me, I'll die...! You don't hate me, right...?"
"What are you saying? As if I'd ever hate you."
"Then don't scowl like that...! I-It's scary...! It feels like you hate me...!"
I shook my head with a teary pout. If I didn't do this, that deep, terrifying killing intent would turn straight toward the princess...!
Mom loved and adored me so much... And I loved and adored her just as much...!
So I desperately kept up the aegyo, like a spoiled tantrum. Clinging to her waist, refusing to let go no matter what, I dangled there. Mom looked down at me.
Her frozen face slowly—very faintly—began to melt.
"N-No, that's not it... I don't hate you. That girl just—"
"I loooove Mom the moooost...! You love me too, right...?!?!"
"...Y-Yes... I love you... So relax and let go. Right now, I—"
"Yeees... If you loooove me soooo much... P-Pet me quick... Don't look at the princess... Looook at meee onlyyy..."
"......"
Mom's lips quivered. Her icy eyes softened, the rippling blue orbs shaking. And finally, that wavering gaze held only me.
Her eyes kept drifting toward the princess, but they snapped back to me, capturing my face fully. Like she was forcing herself to hold her gaze there.
- Stroke...
Her trembling fingertips gently caressed my cheek. She placed her thumb softly over my lips, rubbing my eyelids tenderly. Then she tousled my snow-white hair teasingly before sliding her hand under my armpit with natural, familiar ease, lifting me into her embrace.
"Mooom..."
"...Yeah. Only you."
Mom's voice sank low and quiet.
"My precious son... Why would I ever hate you..."
Her arms tightened around me. From this distance where even our breaths mingled, she swallowed a trembling breath and whispered.
"I love you. So much it hurts... You're always on my mind. What if you fall while running and get hurt? What if you suddenly cough up blood and collapse like before? You're always on my mind, it makes it hard to even breathe... Even this time... this Debutante Ball... it was too much..."
She hugged me even tighter. Her voice began to tremble. Each word quivered, her breath heavy as she whispered on.
"I really... really didn't want to send you to the Debutante Ball... to a place like this... Even if I had no choice... I didn't want to let you go..."
"...Ehehe... Why didn't you just say so... I almost hated you for a sec... You're not some bad person who ignores how I feel..."
I giggled and burrowed deeper into her embrace.
"Sorry... I'm really sorry... Are you hurt anywhere? I precisely controlled the slash so it wouldn't cut you..."
"Uh... uh-huh..."
...Wait, does that mean everyone else was fair game as long as it wasn't me?
M-Mom...?
I looked up at her with uneasy eyes.
"...Ahem, that was a slip of the tongue. I aimed it as a threat, to avoid hurting bystanders."
"R-Really...?"
"...Yeah."
Mom has this tell when she lies. She forces an unnatural blank expression, then slowly turns her head away, avoiding eye contact.
...Exactly what she was doing now.
The moment I realized it, my mouth hung open in a daze.
"...What a mess."
A low voice echoed through the banquet hall. Emperor Ashtoret, who had entered amid the massive sword scar, sighed and pinched her forehead, shaking her head.
"Well... even if it hadn't been my daughter, I figured something like this would blow up eventually."
The emperor smirked mockingly and summoned the servants with a simple gesture.
"Everyone, move. Repair the damage from the Hero's slash immediately, and continue the Debutante Ball as if nothing happened."
The servants scrambled into action. The emperor's gaze slowly turned toward us.
Me, and Mom holding me tight with eyes wide, refusing to let go. And in front of her, the skeleton trembling, dripping cold sweat—or rather, cold mana—overwhelmed by fear.
...Finally, her eyes landed on Princess Crois, still calmly tilting her teacup from the dais, her serenity all the more terrifying.
"...Kael, young lord, and this black-haired young lady. My daughter will withdraw from this Debutante Ball for now. We need to have a private word. No issues, I assume?"
The emperor shrugged, and the Debutante Ball's host nodded with a pale face.
"N-No issues...!"
"Good."
The emperor turned on her heel with a curt wave.
"Follow me."
I looked up at Mom's face.
"...Let's go."
"Yeees."
I replied softly from her arms.
Something... felt like it had gotten really tangled up, but it was probably just my imagination...?
...Yeah, no way it was.