118. Mother
118. Mother
Blink, blink.
Just how many times today... had I made that dumb face?
"So, Samaella... you're saying you're going to kill that woman? In the Demon World?"
"Kill? Your mother isn't such a violent person, you know."
"Isn't that just another way of saying kill—"
"Eli?"
"Yes. To scold her. You're going to the Demon World yourself... to scold that Black Wizard, right?"
"That's right."
Heh-heh. Mom laughed.
"Scold that person, and also scold the... bad thing that gave that person such orders."
"...A bad thing, you say."
My voice grew a little heavier.
The emotions that had been writhing on their own settled down.
"What if that being is a Legion Commander...? What are you going to do? Are you going to kill— scold them all the same?"
"If necessary."
Mom's voice was still gentle.
How... am I supposed to respond to this?
My position, obviously, was...
"Do you have to go?"
"Oh my?"
"It's dangerous. The Demon World, I mean. And if Nameless leaves its post, Eustetia becomes dangerous in all sorts of ways too. So... if you do go, how about going later?"
Rustle-rustle. Mom's slender, supple fingers brushed along the rim of my ear.
"Are you worried about the branch family?"
I was surprised once again.
"...So you did know."
"Mom knows everything."
"Then... you can't leave your post. If you just stayed in the Imperial Capital—"
"It's fine."
The fingers that had been tickling my ear lightly pinched my cheek. It didn't hurt; it was a soft sensation.
"Our Eli just needs to trust Mom and Dad and do well at the academy."
"...I'm not just some little kid, you know."
"In Mom's eyes, you're still a baby. And that's how it'll always be. Heh-heh."
If I'd heard that from anyone else, I would have immediately snarled and bared my teeth.
"...Do you really have to go?"
"I really have to go."
"Can't you go with me later?"
"A parent's job isn't to carve out the path alongside their child. It's to go ahead first and make it nice and pretty."
"Then you could have just not sent me to the academy and taught me yourself. You're a Martial Artist... too."
Mom smiled bitterly.
"You're right, Eli. There was also the option of not sending you to the academy and Mom teaching you directly. But... I couldn't do that."
"Why not?"
The fingers that had been holding my cheek now poked my nose—boop.
"The smell of blood."
"Ugh."
"The smell of blood that clings to Mom. You smelled it too, didn't you?"
"...Yes."
A scent wafting from her Intent.
A thick fragrance of slaughter.
That was Shadowless's Intent.
I still couldn't tell what kind of power that Intent held. But across both my Past Life and this one, I had never smelled blood that strong.
"I can't pass something like that on to the daughter I love most."
"...There's no guarantee it would turn out that way. Intent... changes depending on the person who wields the power."
"I didn't want to leave even the slightest possibility."
"Then, right now. Right now I'm some kind of—"
"Eli."
Mom cut me off.
"At the academy, there's someone you're looking for, isn't there?"
"Someone I'm looking for?"
"Leona Megenberta."
"...The Vice Dean? Me? I'm looking for the Vice Dean?"
"Leona is Arisa's last disciple."
"...Huh."
I had roughly expected it.
I had thought she was probably close to being her last disciple.
But hearing it confirmed like this left me a little dazed.
Her last disciple, huh.
Does Mom know that Arisa was a Martial Artist? She even knows about Leona's identity. Just how far does her knowledge go?
No, wait... then how old is Leona, exactly? She has to be at least over 400, right?
"How does Mom know all that...?"
"I told you. Mom can know everything."
"That doesn't seem related to this at all..."
"If Mom says so, then it's so."
Mom laughed heh-heh and popped a candy into my mouth—plop. It probably meant "no more questions."
"If Mom—if Nameless goes to Ge Vihenum, Leona will return to the academy. And after that, she won't leave her post like this again. So Eli can just relax and attend her lectures."
"...The Vice Dean is in Ge Vihenum?"
"Probably, right?"
"People keep going on about how the world is in an era of peace."
"Do you believe the words of Demons?"
"I don't believe people's words either."
"Do you believe Mom?"
"Of course... Mom and Dad. Uncle and Eurasia, I believe them."
A strange light crossed Mom's face.
"What about Stella, that child?"
"...Uh, her... how do I put it. It feels like talking behind her back, so I don't usually say it, but her too... I do believe her."
Stella is a goof.
So, how do I put it. I can't imagine Stella meticulously planning to betray me.
"Oh, and Pina too. You saw that squirrel Beastkin friend, right? I believe her too. She's connected to a spirit. So she can't lie to me."
A spirit—to be precise, we had formed a contract with the World Tree.
There were a lot of details, but the main one was that we couldn't lie to each other.
Actually, I'm not sure whether that applies to me too, but if my soul is the same as Sparkle said... I think it probably does.
"Ahaha. I see. With a spirit too... Heh. Mom sure gave birth to an amazing daughter, didn't she?"
"...Well, yes. You can go brag about it anywhere."
I giggled along with Mom, who was laughing heh-heh.
After a moment, Mom's laughter faded and she spoke.
"Anyway, I'm sorry. It seems like I won't be able to see you for quite a while... Eli."
"...You're mean."
"What is?"
"Talking about all this... all these things, and then saying you won't see me for a while."
Scratching my cheek, I glanced up at Mom.
"Mom is the only one who knows my secrets... who knows this much about me. No, wait, that's not the point. What child in the world would be happy... that their mom is going somewhere dangerous?"
Mom didn't answer. She just smiled quietly.
"If only I'd had five more years... I could have stopped you."
"Oh my? By force?"
"Do I look like that kind of ungrateful brat to you?"
"Hmm... no. Our Eli is a dutiful daughter."
"...That's right. I am, yes. A duti... dutiful daughter. So, yeah. I'll do some filial duty for the first time in a while."
I hopped off Mom's lap and set down the subspace pouch I'd hung at my waist.
Watching my actions, Mom's eyes sparkled with interest as she twirled her hair around her finger.
"Originally, I'd planned separate things... one to give to you, Mom, and one to give to Shadowless."
"And?"
"Since things turned out this way, I'll give them all at once."
I reached into the pouch and rummaged around.
First... a sword. I pulled out a one-handed sword.
A pitch-black, thin blade. It was similar in shape to the sword Uncle Kerion used to carry at his waist.
Though the length and weight were a little different.
Well, it didn't matter much.
If you just let the wielder's blood flow into it, it adjusts itself.
"This is Uncle Kerion's."
Mom's eyes went wide when she saw the sword.
"Its name is... hmm, I didn't really give it one, but the material used for the sword is Darksteel Cold Iron."
"...Good heavens."
"Even Mom gets surprised, huh."
"...Because something far beyond Mom's expectations... came out. And from my daughter's pouch, at that..."
Seeing Mom's thoroughly flustered expression, I giggled.
"Here, if you let Uncle's blood flow into the pommel, it'll change to a length and weight that's comfortable for him to use. You don't need much—about five drops? Unfortunately, there's no scabbard."
Luna had lost it gambling.
I'd gritted my teeth and tried to get it back, but the bastard who'd taken the scabbard had already been captured by Demons long ago.
So I couldn't find it.
"Next... this was something I was going to give to Shadowless."
I'd thought about it a lot.
What would a Martial Artist need?
A Martial Artist who doesn't use weapons... their whole body is a weapon.
Excessive armor would only get in the way.
After all that deliberation, what I settled on was.
An Elixir.
Honestly, at Shadowless—at Mom's Realm, she doesn't need something like an Elixir.
Because even if she took it, it wouldn't have much effect.
But this one is different.
"It's an Elixir made by grinding up Dragon bones, hide, blood, and heart. What was its name again... hmm, its effects are that your bones harden, your skin toughens, your Mana thickens... well, it's similar to other Elixirs, but it's one that even Mom—even Shadowless would see considerable effects from."
And it extends lifespan.
It also keeps you youthful for a long time and is good for beauty.
"Oh, and of course I've saved some for myself, so you don't need to worry about me."
Mom's eyes grew even wider.
Was filial duty always this thrilling?
I hadn't known in my Past Life, since I had no parents.
It felt really good.
Keeping my beaming smile, I moved on.
"This one was going to be for you, Mom."
I pulled out a new Elixir.
"Actually, this overlaps a little with the one I took out before, but this Elixir has a more reliable beauty effect. Honestly, you're already pretty enough as you are, so I wondered if you'd even need it... but still, wouldn't it be nice if you got even prettier?"
Oh, and also.
"There's one more thing for you, Mom."
Rummage-rummage. Fumble-fumble.
A little awkwardly... I pulled out the next Elixir.
This wasn't one bottle. It was a set of ten.
Why did I have something like this? Why wouldn't I have it?
In my Past Life... it was something I'd carried around.
And now... something I couldn't use even if I wanted to... Of course, I hadn't gotten to use it in my Past Life either. Fuck.
"...Actually, calling it yours is a bit ambiguous, and Dad's...? Hmm... just, you two, yeah... you two might like... it, or maybe... not...?"
Carefully, I slipped it into Mom's pouch.
Then I whispered softly into Mom's ear.
"...Oh my."
After hearing its effects, Mom smiled brightly and said.
"I'd better come back as soon as possible, then?"
...Dad's going to be okay, right?