Chapter 5 Kids Are Kids and Parents Are Parents (but Also Human Beings), and It Takes All Kinds, but They Get Through It Together, Right?
Masato got out of the hot springs and went to the changing room.
There he found…something likely provided by the elder. Something dangerously appealing.
“…‘Maman’s milk’…?!”
No, wait. Phrasing. It was just the classic postbath drink, a nice cold bottle of milk. So named only because it was produced in Maman Village.
Drink Maman’s milk?
“Argh! Stop that! That’s not what it is! This is to build a strong body!”
Masato put a hand on his hip and chugged the bottle of milk. Pfffahhh! Delicious.
“Masato, I know you’re in there! Got a second?”
It was Wise’s voice, coming through the changing room door.
“S-sure… I’m in here, at least… Did you change your mind about the punishment, ma’am? If so, at least let me get dressed first. I’d…rather not get flung out of here naked…”
“‘Ma’am’? But no, this isn’t about that. I just want to talk.”
“Y-yeah…?”
It could have been a ploy to get his guard down before flinging him out into the woods. Masato decided it was best to get dressed quickly. He put on the teddy-bear-print underwear Porta had made for him and his shirt.
While Masato was changing, Wise kept talking, choosing her words carefully.
“So, um… I’m going to…go out for a bit.”
“Huh? Out? Out where?”
“Where…? You know, the woods. Like, for a walk. I guess?”
“Seriously? We’re about to get into a boss fight here, and you wanna take a walk? In those woods? After dark? That’s, like, really dangerous. There are monsters in there. You shouldn’t go alone.”
“Oh, yeah, that’s all true… Ugh… Then will you come with me?”
“Whaaa? Why should I?” The words slipped out before he could stop them.
Wise was silent for a long moment, as if thinking. Then she replied, softly, “…Okay, then. Bye.”
“Huh? Wait, what? You’re acting weird. Uh…”
He hastily finished up and opened the changing room door, but she was already gone.
He looked toward the forest and saw something crimson vanishing into the darkness. Wise must have gone into the woods. Was she really going for a walk there? And right into the thicket, not even following an animal trail?
“Something’s going on with her… Should I go after her? Hang on—why am I even stopping to wonder? Geez.”
Masato grabbed Firmamento off the wall and dashed out of the changing room.
But perhaps it was a little foolhardy to impulsively chase after her.
“Crap… I should’ve brought a light with me, at least… I screwed up there…”
This forest was already infamous for getting people lost, and now he couldn’t even see what lay at his feet. Masato stumbled blindly forward, tripping on tree roots, catching spiderwebs in the face, searching for Wise.
“I bet she’s lost… And now I am, too… The blind leading the blind… Gimme a break… Heeey, Wiiise! Are you there? Answer me! Please be close by…”
He picked up a stick and started using it to feel the ground, hollering for Wise as he forced his way forward. “Yikes! Pill bugs everywhere!” There shouldn’t even have been any! But for all his searching, he found no sign of her. Time passed in vain.
After a while, Masato gave up and stood staring up at the heavens. Through the tree branches overhead, he could just make out the moon hanging in the clear night sky.
And a shadow crossing it.
“Mm? Something’s up there! A monster? Uh… Wait…”
He was staring at the soles of someone’s boots. He’d seen those boots before, somewhere. They came falling silently down and once again landed right on Masato’s face, shoving his head into the dirt.
There was only one person who would do this to him.
“Sigh… What now? Is this the punishment for earlier? Didn’t we agree to forgo that?”
“This isn’t a punishment. Just a landing. It’s your fault for standing where I was trying to land.”
“Goddammit…”
Wise stepped down off Masato’s face and stood next to him, skirt fluttering in the breeze.
“…Tomorrow’s pair is pink, then?”
“Did you say something?”
“Nope, nothing.”
While Masato caught several more unobscured glimpses of tomorrow’s panties, she looked down at him, shaking her head.
“So why are you even here?”
“I could ask you the same thing. Why were you even that high up to…? Hmm…”
Halfway through, he remembered Shiraaase whispering something to Wise and how she’d acted when she heard the description of the threat to Maman Village. He had all the evidence he needed to explain what was going on. Masato felt pretty confident his theory was correct.
But just to be sure.
“So, Wise… I think I’ve figured it out, but…would you rather I not ask about any connection you may have to the Queen of the Night?”
“Right. Better you don’t know. That’ll make it easier for you to fight her.”
“I’m not seeing how that would make a big difference, really…”
“Then, what? You want to force me to admit that the woman demanding a pec-and-ab puppet from the village is my you-know-what? I’m already about to puke blood at the thought. I bet I could cry blood, too!”
Wise glared down at him, eyes wide with fury. They did look pretty red. Like, inches-away-from-blood-just-gushing-out-of-them red. Yikes.
“Uh, yeah, right. I get it. I won’t say anything.”
“Mm. Good. Thanks.”
Wise slapped him on the shoulder. Didn’t seem like the most normal way of expressing gratitude, but since it felt sort of nice anyway, Masato went with it.
“So you were gonna meet with her in secret and try to talk her out of it? That about it?”
“Yeah. Couldn’t just do nothing, you know? Not like it’s none of my business.”
“But you got a little nervous about it, so you wanted me along for moral support.”
“What? No, that’s not it! I didn’t want you with me because I was nervous or anything. I’m not nervous at all! Not in the least! Who do you think you are? Do you want me to chain death spells at you?!”
Even in the darkness, he could tell Wise had turned beet red through this string of denials, so Masato elected to take her at her word.
“Not nervous, not nervous at all! I just want to bring you along for, like, insurance purposes!”
“Insurance purposes…?”
“She might not listen, you know! It’s entirely possible she’ll just attack on sight! That’s just who she is! And if we do end up fighting her, we need to hit her three times in a row to do any damage. We’ll need the combo attack you and I can do. That’s the only way to break through her invincible defense!”
“Makes sense. So you need me—or at least my combo ring.”
“Yes. These!”
Both fished out their Aderire Rings. Wise put hers on her right ring finger.
“You, too.”
“R-right…”
Masato did the same. No deeper meaning.
A thought struck him. “If we do have to fight, wouldn’t Mom’s firepower be a big help? You sure we shouldn’t call her?”
“No, don’t. I’d definitely prefer we don’t have Mamako with us.”
“Why not?”
“Sure, she’d be great in the fight, but the idea of my god-awful mom being in the same place as a much younger and prettier mom would be, like…a live demonstration of the discrepancies between our families, and I’d really prefer to avoid that, if that makes sense. If it doesn’t, figure it out!”
She glared at him fiercely, eyes bloodshot again.
“O-okay, I get it!”
Having a mom like Mamako made him a fortunate son, and there was nothing Masato could say here that wouldn’t backfire on him. They would have to roll her way.
“So we’ll take a run at her with just the two of us, then. First goal is just to talk sense into her. If diplomacy fails, we’ll have to fight. Agreed?”
“Sure. But before we meet the idiot, we oughta check if our co-op strategy works… Oh, perfect.”
Shadows were approaching through the trees. This forest was filled with monsters. Defeating the forest boss hadn’t reduced their number at all. They were raring to go and came charging straight at the adventurers.
“Do I need to explain how this works?”
“Nope, not at all. I got the idea.”
“Cool, let’s do this! Knock one out!”
“Hell yeah! First, I’ll…tank this!”
A wolf, a deer, and a bear—a pack of sinister animals, eyes flashing, came running straight at them, and it fell to Masato to meet them head-on.
Masato jumped toward the enemies, pulling all their aggro to him. He held out his left arm, deploying the shield wall built into his armored jacket. The enemy’s first attacks all bounced off it.
“Unh! But I held my ground! Now…”
Forcing the enemy back with the shield, Masato pulled out Firmamento.
The wolf was closest, so he slashed at it, cutting it down. Next…
“Wise! Combo!”
“Cast Cancel! Bomba Fiamma! And! Bomba Fiamma!”
Two successive explosions burned the monsters to cinders. An overwhelming victory!
“Cool!”
“Collection time!”
Both scurried around collecting gems. Earning money was important.
Anyway, that’s how it worked.
“Masato, your shield worked out pretty well. Made the fight easier. I think we’re a good pair.”
“Yeah. Mind healing me, though? I took enough damage that the armor’s auto-heal can’t keep up.”
“When we fight the idiot, you soak her attack while I wait, charging power. Then the next turn, you attack, I’ll combo off that, and we’ll knock her flat.”
“Uh, no, we need to add a heal in here. Without healing, the one who gets weak and dies is the tank. I’ll die even faster than a lonely, abandoned rabbit.”
“Apparently, rabbits don’t actually die if they’re left on their own.”
“What, really? I didn’t know that… But it’s beside the point. Heal me.”
“Okay, okay, hold your horses. We’ll play it by ear on that point.”
They finished gathering gems.
“So I’d love to suggest heading on over, but…where are we going?”
“Don’t worry. The elder gave me a map of where they’re supposed to hand over the sacrifice. Leave the navigating to me.”
“Got it. Then let’s go.”
They fist-bumped and headed deeper into the woods. Deeper into darkness.
“…Feels like we’re almost there.”
“I think so, too. Stay sharp.”
They advanced carefully through the brush, avoiding the main paths. Parting the branches ahead of them, they found a clearing with something moving inside.
Shadows set against the moonlight. A whirlpool of swirling darkness.
“Um, what is that…? It’s all writhing… I’ve seen warp holes like that in other games…”
“That’s exactly what it is… Here she comes.”
The dark swirl suddenly spun faster, expanding.
When it was as large as a door, the area suddenly filled with the overpowering smell of perfume. It seemed something was headed their way.
A moment later, it revealed itself:
A curvy woman with a deep tan. Her body wrapped in a sparkling evening gown, top-heavy, slim in the middle, and round where it counted. Every inch of her walk oozed eroticism.
What caught Masato’s eye most were the two horns on either side of her head. Hideous, twisted horns that were clearly not at all human.
She actually is a demon… This is the Queen of the Night?
He knew she was a certain someone’s mother and that she was a beta tester. This queen must have been using some magic to change her form. He glanced sideways at Wise, noticing a resemblance around the eyes, and then looked back at the queen.
Fully emerged from the portal, she snapped her fingers. Five half-naked men came running out of the swirling darkness, forming a throne with their bodies. She sat down on this man-throne with a bewitching smile.
“Heh-heh-heh. Today is a day to remember. The day I obtain a sixth son. I wonder what he’ll be like? …Oh! I know. I’ll have him form a bridge, and I’ll use his stomach as a table. Won’t that be nice? I can put him right by my hand and stroke his abs whenever I pick up my wineglass. Heh-heh-heh! What luxury!”
The woman laughed, clearly enjoying herself to the hilt.
Yep. Definitely wouldn’t want anything to do with her.
Masato had no idea how to process this spectacle except stare in horror, while Wise…
“That absolute dumbass… Just how stupid can one woman be…?”
…was about to snap. Like, literally, the veins in her head were ready to burst. Visibly pulsing.
“C-calm down, Wise! First, we gotta talk sense into her! Diplomacy, remember?”
“This is no time for diplomacy! Having that for a mother is sickening! I’m gonna kill that bitch and then myself!”
“I said calm down! If you start yelling, she’ll—”
“Yes, I have already noticed.”
““!””
The queen was staring in a random direction, but she already had a thick, luridly decorated magic tome in her hand.
She was about to attack.
“Whoa, whoa, she’s already on the offensive! Not even giving us a chance to talk!”
“Then change the plan! First, we beat her into submission; then we yell at her for, like, an hour straight! Go on, Masato!”
“There’s no other choice. Let’s do this!”
But just as Masato and Wise were about to spring out…
“Tacere.”
…the queen attacked first. With her Cast Cancel skill, her spell went off instantly, hitting both of them. But Masato was unaffected.
Wise’s magic was sealed!
“Okaaay, we’re done here. Retreat! Nice try. Argh, I can’t keep doing this…”
“Yo, wait a minute! Man, you’re useless. Giving up already?”
“Morte.”
As Wise collapsed in a sulking heap, the queen cast another spell. A reaper swooped at them, and Wise died instantly, a coffin appearing around her.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Show a little mercy! Crap… I guess I’ve gotta handle this alone…”
There didn’t seem to be any point in calling out to her. Like Wise had said, first win the fight and then try talking to her. In which case…
Masato shoved his qualms aside and took a bold step forward, moving within range of the queen in a single bound. He roared and swung the Holy Sword of the Heavens, the blade gleaming in the moonlight.
A beam shot out of it, striking the queen…but all it did was shatter one layer of the veil of darkness surrounding her. It really didn’t damage her at all.
On top of that, the shattered layer quickly repaired itself, and her double defense was fully active once more.
“Tch… So that’s your multi-hit absolute defense! What a pain in my ass!”
“Heh-heh-heh… Sorry for being invincible. By the way, who are you? Swinging a sword at someone without even saying hello is hardly good manners.”
“My deepest apologies… I’m in the same party as the Sage who’s currently dead. She said she wanted to talk sense into you, so I gallantly agreed to help. I’m your average busybody hero!”
“Oh, I see…”
The second he started talking, her eyes narrowed with displeasure. Like she could barely tolerate this.
“Sigh… How completely stupid. How utterly pointless.”
“She’s not pointless! Wise has her issues, but she was genuinely—”
“Stupid.”
The Queen of the Night bent her index finger and flicked it forward. Instantly, unseen pressure erupted, and Masato was abruptly knocked several feet back.
“Guh?! Wh-what the…? What was that magic? Didn’t seem like…”
“I just flicked a finger. That’s all. Heh-heh-heh… Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!”
With a dramatic wave of her arm, the queen warped the air around them with a loud screech.
The gale from a single finger had been enough to send him flying, and now an unseen force several times more powerful struck Masato. Before he could even scream, his back slammed into a tree.
He lay there, unable to move.
“Ugh… Wh-what the hell?! Is this…some sort of stun effect?!”
“Yes, exactly that. I believe you’ll be unable to move for some time. Something like that anyway… I only received a cursory explanation myself, so I hardly remember the details. It is quite useful, though. All I have to do now…is this.”
The queen bent a hand. The swirling darkness behind her transformed into a cone, the point of which was pointed at Masato. Aimed right on course to run him through, with him unable to dodge.
Prepared to eliminate the hero for good, the queen spat, “You have a lot of nerve. Showing up after all this time? Did you actually believe you could appeal to my emotions? What a fool. Children are nothing but a thorn in one’s side… Sigh. Oh well. If I don’t like something, I just need to rid myself of it. And since you’re with her, you share her punishment. Begone!”
“Guh… Is this the end?!”
Unable to take a defensive stance, Masato could only wait for defeat.
But just then, the ground began swaying to vibrations that swelled steadily in intensity.
“An earthquake? …No, it feels different…”
“Wait… She couldn’t be…”
She was. The ground in front of Masato erupted, a giant pillar of earth sprouting forth.
He’d seen this before. The support skill that allowed Mamako to find her son wherever he might be—A Mother’s Fangs.
Which meant…
“Ma-kun! Are you there? I’m coming!”
Mamako had arrived. She came swooping in with that platinum armor on over her dress, Terra di Madre in her right hand, Altura in her left, and Porta hiding behind her.
In the moonlight, she was a sight to behold, like a hero arriving to save the helpless in their hour of peril.
“Mama! I’ll look after Wise!”
“Please do, Porta. I’d like to do the same for Ma-kun, but it looks like someone else demands my attention first.”
“Oh? You wish to fight me now? Do you know how strong I am?”
“Strength has nothing to do with it… Anyone being cruel to my beloved child will pay! On my honor as a mother!”
“Wha…?!”
It happened in an instant. Mamako was already right in front of the queen, and she swung both swords, aiming directly for the queen’s neck.
The attacks themselves were blocked by the veil of darkness. But several of the stone blades and water bullets that followed the swings grazed the queen’s skin, giving her some very mild scratches.
“Guhhh?! Wh-what?! You actually struck me?!”
There was no significant damage, but her attacks definitely got through. Reeling, the queen quickly cast a spell.
“Barriera!” She desperately buffed her defense.
“I’m not done yet! Here I go!”
“Wh-what in the…? How do you have so many attacks?! This is absurd!”
In fact, the bulk of Mamako’s damage wasn’t from the swords themselves but from the subsequent hail of stone blades and water bullets.
But the queen’s damage negation counted only individual hits. Whether the swords did damage or not, if they struck with enough force, they counted as an attack, and one of her veils would shatter.
“I’m definitely still a little jealous, but…damn, my mom’s incredible! Too strong for this world.”
With overwhelming speed, Mamako destroyed defense after defense, while the queen threw up protective walls as fast as they came tumbling down. The battle of offense versus defense raged like a storm. Mamako’s AOE shock waves were particularly intense, ripping up trees and causing the ground to explode. Like a war zone.
Masato could only watch in awe.
Then Mamako saw him staring.
“Gasp! Oh no! My duty!” she cried. One final blow to knock the queen back, and she came running to his side.
Huh? What?
“U-um, Mom? What’s wrong?”
“I’m sorry, Ma-kun! I know Mom’s part is just to support what you’re doing, but I got carried away! But I realized in time! I know what I need to do now!”
She gave him a particularly gentle smile and waved a hand at their enemy.
“Go on, Ma-kun!” Take your turn.
“What are you doing? You can’t let me have a turn now! I can’t even take it! Look—I can’t move a muscle!”
“Oh no! Then what should I do?!”
“That’s what I wanna know! Don’t worry about me. Just take care of the queen before she… Ahhh?!”
He’d glanced toward the queen, who was expanding the dark swirl, muttering, “Drat! I’ll have to ask them to raise my specs again!” Leaving the human chair behind, she fled through the portal and was gone in the blink of an eye.
Their encounter with the Queen of the Night had ended in failure.
The battle was swiftly followed by a postmortem.
“Look, in that situation, you should’ve gone after her, Mom! Just kept your firepower on her as hard as possible! You could have defeated her for good! Why’d you stop?!”
“B-but… Ma-kun…”
“What?!”
“I really don’t have any fire powers. I’m not a Bunsen burner!”
“How many times do I have to explain this extremely common word?! Firepower just means your attack power! Learn that already!”
“R-right, I remember now. Sorry. Mom’s got a mind like a sieve! I’m really sorry…”
Mamako made to bow her head apologetically.
But before she could…
“Ah! No! Back up a second!”
Masato grabbed Mamako’s face with both hands, keeping her head up.
“Mmph? Ma-fun?” she queried, her face smooshed.
“Too much force!” he said. But at least he’d maintained eye contact.
Had he caught it in time? He kinda felt like he hadn’t, but at least he’d realized at all.
I can’t just vent my frustrations on her like last time. Can’t repeat the same mistakes.
That wasn’t right. It wasn’t what he should be doing. It wasn’t what he wanted.
He had to talk to her. She was right here, trying to listen, so he needed to take a deep breath and communicate what was on his mind.
“Um, uh… That’s not it—that’s not what I meant… I didn’t mean to chew you out. I just wanted to point out what you… To propose a better alternative. Like a mini-lecture, I guess?”
“I know that. You’re trying to tell me something important, and you’re doing it for me.”
“Basically, yeah. So I shouldn’t be screaming at you like a dumb kid. Um. So my point is…next time, let’s all do better. I’ll make sure to say what I want, too.”
“Okay. I can do that!”
Mamako beamed, and Masato nodded. He was relieved to see her smile. This was what he wanted. This was how things should be. It was the right path. He’d pulled it off.
He felt as if he’d grown as a person, and this pleased him.
“…Now, for the main point,” he said, turning to where Wise sat a short distance away.
She looked extremely peeved. Like a sulky toddler squeezing the life out of a stuffed animal. She had Porta on her knees, arms tight around her, her scowling face resting atop Porta’s head.
“Yo, Wise. First, let Porta breathe. She’s not your teddy bear.”
“She doesn’t mind! Do you, Porta?”
“Y-yes! I am totally fine! I’ll be her teddy forever!”
“Well, I’ll take your word for it, Porta… Anyway, Wise. We’re all here, so I think we deserve an explanation.”
“You just made a big deal out of how close the two of you are, and you want me to share my mess? Out of what, spite?”
“No, nothing like that… Like I said, I’ve pretty much figured it out, but I think Mom and Porta deserve to know. We’re all in this together. Can’t really keep it from them, you know?”
“…Sigh… Fine. I’ll tell them. Okay?”
Wise exhaled dramatically and fixed her gaze on the moon.
“That Queen of the Night lady… She’s my mom.”
Mamako was aghast. She turned white as a sheet.
“Whaaaat?! That’s your mother?! …Ma-kun, is that true?!”
“Yeah, apparently. She might look like a demon, but I think she’s just changing her appearance with magic.”
“She is. My mother’s definitely human. She doesn’t actually have horns. And her tits aren’t that big. She went way over the top there. How vain can one woman be?”
“Oh no… Wh-wh-wh-what now…? I actually fought her!”
“Nah, don’t worry about that. It’s totally fine. I was gonna kick her ass myself. You pretty much have to if you wanna knock any sense into her, ’cause she’s such an idiot. She’s the worst!”
Wise stroked Porta’s head gently, finally letting her pent-up resentment fly.
“My mom’s always been obsessed with host clubs. She just wouldn’t stop playing around with men. I mean, my real name is Genya. She named me after the work name of one of her favorite hosts.”
“Whoa, seriously…?”
“She gave her own daughter a host’s name…?”
“Wise’s real name is Genya…”
“Yep… It is… Argh…”
Genya was doing her best not to burst into tears. So much anger and frustration bound to that name… It’s probably better to just keep calling her Wise.
“And because she’s like that, we’re always dirt poor! She wastes every single penny! She even spends her daughter’s lunch money on hosts! When she got that bad, Dad couldn’t put up with it anymore and got a divorce. Naturally, I went with him. I thought that settled things… But then she just showed up out of nowhere one day.”
“Wanting to rebuild your relationship?”
“That’s what she said. I was super against it, but she told me about this game and said it would help us get closer… And then the second she realized how much power she had and how quickly she could rake in the cash, she said she had to blow off steam and started fooling around with guys again. Treated me like I was just in the way. Can you believe it? We had a huge fight about it, and then it was good-bye.”
Wise snorted loudly.
Then she turned toward the party, a fragile, hopeless smile on her face.
“So that’s my sob story. I’m done.”
“Done…how?”
“You saw! Not only will she not listen to a word I say, the second I’m about to show myself, she casts a death spell on me. She doesn’t care about me at all.”
“U-um, I don’t think that’s true…!”
“I’m fine, I’m fine. You don’t need to try to make me feel better, Porta. I don’t care about her, either. We’re not even mother and daughter anymore, if you ask me.”
“That’s not true,” Mamako said firmly. She came over to Wise and looked her right in the eye. “That can’t be true. That kind of relationship can never truly end. Mothers are connected to their children forever.”
“Uh, Mamako… Why’re you so serious all of a sudden—?”
“Because this is a serious topic. Parents and children have a connection beyond genetics or family trees, one that can never be completely severed. That bond is eternal.”
“Yeah, well… You and Masato are super close, so I’m sure you feel that way. But I don’t—”
“You do, though. Deep down, I’m sure you feel the same. You might not be conscious of it, but it’s there—I know it… May I?”
Mamako took Wise’s hand, brought her to her feet, and pulled her in close.
She wrapped Wise in her tight embrace.
“Wha…? Mamako, what are you—?”
“Now, Wise. Here I am, hugging you. How does it feel?”
“How do I feel…? …Mamako, your chest is so big and soft, and…you smell good…”
“But it doesn’t feel right, does it? Kind of like something’s a bit different?”
“Yeah… It’s, like… It isn’t what I’m used to, I guess? The smell isn’t right. Not in a bad way—it’s just…different…”
“Different from who?”
“Who else? My own mom, duh… Oh…”
Realization dawned.
Who knows when it had started? It’d been there as long as she could remember.
A feeling with no real shape or form…but she couldn’t deny its existence.
Something we all have for our mothers.
“See? It isn’t ‘done.’ You still have it… See?”
Mamako glanced at Masato and cracked a smile.
What did that mean? He didn’t need to ask.
“Let’s take another stab at this.”
They weren’t trying to save the world. They were doing this for someone close to them and to repair a bond that had gotten twisted out of shape.
This was the beginning of a battle the Normal Hero could not afford to lose.
“D-don’t get the wrong idea, though! This isn’t what I want, but Mamako insists, so I’ve agreed to meet my mom one last time! I guess if we were somehow able to patch things up, it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.”
“Yeah, yeah, say what you like. Aren’t you glad my mom gave you a big ole hug?”
Wise’s flood of excuses showed no signs of abating, but Masato ignored them.
They were on the trail of the Queen of the Night.
“How we doin’, Porta?”
“I think the smell of her perfume is getting stronger! This way!”
“You’re really amazing, Porta! You can track scents?”
“Scents are very important when appraising items, so I make sure to keep raising that skill! Leave this to me!”
Her little nose twitching, Porta led the party into the depths of the woods.
The farther into the forest they delved, the more branches appeared overhead, diminishing the quantity of moonlight that filtered down to their level. The more they advanced, the deeper the darkness. But they pressed on, deeper and deeper.
At last, Porta found something.
“Oh! Something’s here! …What is that?”
In front of them was a strange sight: there was a coffin stuck to the side of a tree trunk. It seemed someone had died here.
“I only know one person who regularly shows up in a coffin.”
“There’s just one person I can think of, too. I’d better bring her back… Spara la magia per mirare… Rianimato!”
Wise cast a resurrection spell, the coffin vanished, and the nun emerged from within. It was her, all right. The self-described Mysterious Nun they all knew and tolerated, Shiraaase.
“…Hello, everyone. You’ve saved me once again. I do apologize for the constant inconvenience.”
“Nah, we’re used to it at this point. Don’t worry.”
“However… I would have preferred it if you’d pulled me off this tree branch I’m impaled on first… I can infooorm you…this rather…hurts…”
“Oh, sorry about that!”
Shiraaase died again. It was easy enough to bring the dead back, but it was definitely better to remove the cause of death first.
“Masato! You take this end!”
“Got it!”
They pulled her off the branch and brought her back to life yet again.
Once more, they were reunited.
“As I suspected. I knew that when my eyes opened again, I would see your smiling faces looking back at me. Would you mind apprising me of the situation? How is the quest progressing?”
“It’s progressing. The Queen of the Night got away, and we’re chasing her.”
“I see… Have you learned anything about her?”
“She’s got Cast Cancel magic, multi-hit absolute defense, and is a real pain in the ass. Also—”
“I told them the queen’s my mom,” Wise cut in.
Shiraaase looked faintly surprised. She raised her eyebrows slightly but soon resumed her usual expressionless cool.
“Then I believe I can fill you in on the rest. As one who led you to this, I can infooorm you about a number of things related to the queen. As my name is Shiraaase, I live only to infooorm.”
“Well, at least you’re consistent.”
“First…the Queen of the Night, Wise’s mother…her real name is Kazuno.”
“Kazuno? How lovely. We’ll have to get properly acquainted the next time we meet.”
“Yeah, but do that after we fight her. I dunno if I can endure a long mom talk before the battle even starts.”
“Kazuno is, of course, a beta tester, but she has elected to play the game purely for her own interests and desires. Despite us knowing full well who she is, she appears to have no shame.”
“Aaargh… She’s a disgrace to my whole family…” Wise was seething again.
“W-Wise! Please calm down! You look like you’re about to transform!”
It was bad enough her mother had turned herself into a demon. They didn’t need the daughter doing the same!
Shiraaase was just getting to the point.
“As for her stats, like Wise, she took the Sage job, and her first-login bonus was a magic tome that allowed her to start the game with access to all spells. Like Mamako’s swords, this was an official tool provided specifically to mothers.”
“Wise… I feel so sorry for you…”
“It was awful! I had to burn SP like mad trying to learn any magic, and she was just full throttle from the get-go! She handled every fight herself, and I never got to do a thing!”
“Meanwhile, Kazuno earned herself an enormous pile of SP and used those points to buy the Cast Cancel skill. That about covers the queen’s combat skills.”
“Uh… No, wait. How?” No explanation for the most problematic part. “Ms. Shiraaase, what about the queen’s absolute defense?”
“That ability has not been given to her, nor does it exist in this game.”
“Huh? Doesn’t exist how?”
If the queen was using a skill that didn’t exist, then…
“…She’s using a hack?”
“Hack? What’s that? Ma-kun, what’s a hack?”
“Uhhh… It’s kinda like cheating. A cheap trick. But a hack like this isn’t so cheap.”
This was clearly not allowed. It was actively harmful to the game, posing a real threat to the game’s continued existence.
Shiraaase nodded gravely.
“As you say, Kazuno appears to be employing some sort of cheat tool. We checked the logs and were able to verify that a suspicious program was sent in from external sources.”
“From outside the game?”
“The exact point of origin is still under investigation, but there remains a strong chance this was sent to her without her knowledge or influence. The tool functions allow her that invulnerability, let her task NPCs with behaviors for which they were not programmed, and make possible actions we consider to be account hijacking. Quite versatile. We believe she was unable to resist the temptations it dangled before her. It’s like a drug.”
“Once you try it, you can’t stop, huh?”
“That idiot… What is she thinking?! The one thing she shouldn’t be doing…”
“Indeed. I assure you, we are taking this very seriously. Use of cheat tools is strictly forbidden. Should any damage be done to game operations, management will not hesitate to press legal charges against her.”
“You’re going to sue her?”
“This game is sponsored by the government. It is planned for a nationwide rollout, and preparations for that are proceeding steadily… If this issue causes a delay, we could suffer hundreds of millions of yen in losses.”
“Wh-whoa… There’s no way my mom can pay that…”
“Whether she can or not, she will. The laws are very clear on this point.”
“But…but… Then what’ll happen to her…?”
Wise’s hands were shaking, clutching at the air…and suddenly, they found Masato’s arm. Her thin fingers took a tight grip on him, as if begging for help.
Despite her denials, deep inside her, she was clearly still concerned about her mom.
I know. It’s gonna be okay. Don’t worry. I’m… We’re with you.
He wasn’t smooth enough to whisper anything like that or even place his hand on hers, but he meant it. In that moment, Masato made up his mind.
“That definitely sounds serious, but we still have time, right? Surely there’s still something we can do, can’t we?” he asked.
Shiraaase thought for a moment, choosing her words carefully.
“This would be extreme, but…if we destroy the computer Kazuno is using in the real world, that might resolve the issue. That’s one way of handling things.”
“But solving it by force like that would light a fire. There’d be consequences.”
“You are correct. If the situation leaks, the government managing this game will be flooded with complaints. That would severely damage operations. Worst of all, if the computer being used as a full-dive intermediary is destroyed, we cannot guarantee Kazuno will emerge unharmed. For a government to harm a citizen is out of the question. Therefore, we’re unable to take this approach.”
“So this can only be solved inside the game?”
“Yes… Inside the game, per the rules. The best solution would be to somehow engineer an emotional resolution, a means by which the bonds between parent and child can be restored as a result of this dire incident. If that occurred, we could file a much more positive report. So…”
“That settles it, then.”
In the end, it would be up to Wise, but they could lead her to that point. They could fight and win. They could stop the queen. That was the first step.
Now that they knew what they had to do, Masato looked around at his party.
“I don’t need to ask if you’re in, Wise.”
“Of course not! I’m obviously in!”
“Cool… And Porta’s noncombat, so…”
“No! I want to help! I’ll do whatever I can!”
“Mm, okay. Wise’ll get her magic sealed and then die, so we’ll need Porta’s items.”
“Wait, don’t act like that’s inevitable! I’ll do my damnedest not to be deadweight!”
“Please do… What about you, Mom?”
“Well, I do feel it’s awfully nosy to pry into another family’s business, but given the circumstances, it’s high time we interfere. Full mom firepower! Let’s burn this baby down!”
“I’m not even gonna question that phrasing… So it’s settled, Ms. Shiraaase.”
He looked her right in the eye—a look that said, “Leave this to us.” A display of their will to take on these odds.
Shiraaase surveyed the would-be warriors and nodded.
“Understood. Then I shall use the forbidden power vested in me to guide you all to the queen’s location.”
Shiraaase turned toward the forest depths, placed her hands together, and prayed.
“You know where she is?”
“Yes. The queen is hiding herself in another dimension, a space that should not exist. She is attempting to raise her power to still greater heights.”
“…‘Another dimension’?”
“If I may be blunt, she’s opened another window and is busy making inappropriate system changes. I just received word from the system engineers a moment ago.”
“That’s pretty blunt. Way to ruin the whole mystique.”
Even in a game that didn’t allow multitasking, with a cheat tool, you’d be able to have multiple screens open on your computer and run multiple copies of the same game.
Where normally you’d have to use your limited time and focus on either quests or crafting, this way you could perform both at once, giving you quite an advantage.
But this sort of activity was strictly forbidden.
“Queen of the Night… If this is how you want to do things, we’ll show no mercy. Let might meet might. However much power you give yourself, you’ll get what you deserve. We’ll connect to this other dimension so we can drag you out to face your judgment!”
Shiraaase raised her voice, chanting.
“I call upon the Power of the State! Authoritative Magic: Account Ban!”
“Yiiikes, they didn’t even bother giving that spell an in-world name…”
With that, the greatest power available in the online game MMMMMORPG (working title) was activated.
The forest in front of them distorted…and when the distortion resolved, they were in the exact same place.
Except different.
The smell of perfume only Porta had been able to detect was now so strong they all choked on it. This was clearly the queen’s doing.
“Flusso di Lava!”
The queen’s voice echoed, and the dark forest turned red. A gush of molten rock came toward them, burning the trees and swallowing everything whole. Immediately, their surroundings transformed into a sea of fire.
Impossible to dismiss as a mere effect.
“Ugh, she’s already starting! …Masato! You’re up!”
“To be totally honest with you, I wanna cry, but if I don’t handle this, I can’t call myself a heroooooooooo!”
Masato leaped toward the edge of the molten flow, held out his left arm, and deployed the shield wall. Could it hold the lava back? Even if it couldn’t, he would! The heat alone was roasting him, but he resolutely stood his ground, keeping the lava from his party.
“I think I’ve stopped it, but at this rate, I’m gonna get boiled alive! My HP’s draining fast!”
“Then I’ll cool you down! Spara la magia per mirare… Vento Neve! And! Ghiaccio Grumo!”
Wise chain cast a blizzard that swirled around them, lowering the temperature, and massive hail fell, hardening the lava. Once it cooled, they could pass over it.
Beyond, a woman stood calmly with a magic tome in her hand.
“Mom! I’m coming for you, so stay right there!”
“Ah! Hey, Wise!”
The second she saw the queen, Wise broke into a run, racing ahead of the others. Masato tried to hurry after her…
…but he heard something beside him slicing through the air before falling to the ground.
“What? A monster?!”
He jumped, dodging to one side…but it was a tree branch.
A tree monster? No. Just one of the trees growing around them.
The trees around them, ordinary ones, were moving across the ground, spinning their branches or falling directly toward them. It was uncanny.
“Is…is she manipulating the terrain objects to get in our way? Urgh, this is gonna be trouble! We’re in the middle of the forest—she has all the trees she could want!”
“Leave this to Mommy! No matter how many trees there are, I’ll attack them all!”
“Thank God for your multi-target attacks! You handle this—I’ll go after Wise! Porta, you stay at Mom’s side!”
“R-right! I’ll be with Mama!”
“Ms. Shiraaase, you go and— Huh?”
There was no sign of Shiraaase.
…Oh, there was a coffin underneath one of the fallen trees.
“I’ll revive her!”
“Cool. She’s all yours.”
Porta had that situation covered.
Having unleashed her first wave, the queen quickly summoned another dark vortex and stepped inside it. Heedless of her surroundings, Wise plunged in after her.
“Dammit, Wise! I know how you feel, but don’t run off alone!”
Masato kicked a tree out of his way, vaulted over the trunk, and jumped into the dark whirlpool after her.
Fighting the murky stream, he ran through the hideous swirl. On and on.
When he finally reached solid ground again, Masato stopped.
“…Where the hell am I?”
It was a perfect cube: six flat surfaces. The walls and ceiling were made of frameless monitor screens covered in lines of some programming language—a very tech-heavy room. But he didn’t have time to gawk.
Masato quickly ran to Wise’s side, drawing Firmamento.
“You’re late, Masato!”
“You ran out ahead! …So what’s going on here?”
“Literally nothing worth mentioning.”
Wise glared at the queen, who scoffed, then turned her gaze to Masato, looking him over.
“Humph… Not a very impressive boy. Neither his face nor his body are at all memorable. Your boyfriend?”
“No! And don’t inflict your awful taste in men on him! That’s not what I’m here to talk about! …First, answer my damn question! What is this place? Explain!”
“Sigh… Blah, blah, blah, blah! Don’t you ever shut up? Honestly, I don’t know where we are. I don’t know anything.”
“Huuuh?! The heck?! Don’t pretend you’re innocent now!”
“But it’s the truth! I don’t know what this place is. I found a gift from an unknown sender in my item storage, and when I opened it, this room appeared. All I know about it otherwise is that if I make a wish here, it will always be granted.”
“Wh-what’s that supposed to mean?”
“Exactly what it sounds like. I say I want to make some particular stud mine, and they tell me how to control him at will. I say I want to be strong, and they give me a veil that prevents attacks from hitting me. I say I want to defeat my enemies without using magic, and they give me the ability to slaughter my enemies by waving my arms or pointing at them. Simple.”
“H-hold up… I’m confused…”
“No, wait. You mean…?”
This was the cheat tool the queen was using? They were inside that program?
Someone else is operating it in response to her requests? Creating the effects she wants?
But then…who?
He could think about that later. The queen was done talking.
“I’ve answered your questions. Time for you to leave… Coniglio, Orecchio, Tifone. Come forth.”
At her request, three beings materialized:
A rabbit with blue fur. A butterfly with an earlike pattern on its wings. A whirlwind with precious gems swirling within.
Flanked by these three strange creatures, the queen smiled, as if she had everything the world could ever grant her.
“I got these little ones in this room, too. They’re excellent. As long as I have this place, whatever I desire is mine. It’s so easy to stand atop this world. So simple to control everything. And…I might even be able to control things in the other world, in the real one.”
“Whoa, what the hell’s she going on about? She’s nuts!”
“It’s the truth. I mean, I asked, and they replied, ‘It’s possible.’ This game is run by the Cabinet Office, so they just have to network in and… Well, whatever… They can make it happen.”
The Cabinet Office—the heart of the Japanese government. The very core of the country.
“If I say ‘I want top secret government intel’ and they get it for me, how much do you think I could sell that for? If I can bend the public institutions to my will, they’d do anything to avoid disaster!”
“Whoa, stop! Do you have any idea what the consequences would be? This mess is dangerous enough already! Think for a second!”
“I have thought about it. This is entirely possible. No, this is what I will do! I’ve made up my mind. I will become the ruler of everything! Everything will turn out as I please. So don’t you get in my way! Get out of my sight! Your presence alone makes me ill.”
“Is that any way to talk to your own daughter?!”
“I’ll talk to you any way I want. You’ve never been anything but a thorn in my side.”
The queen glared at Wise, clearly disgusted, and muttered.
“You know, I really did try. I really thought this game would let us make a fresh start… But I’m done with that now.”
“Uh…”
“Children are pests. They only think about themselves. They make your life hell. They do nothing but destroy your peace and freedom… That’s why I’m done, Genya.”
“W-wait! Wait, Mom! Just one more—”
“No more. I don’t need you. Get out of my sight.”
The queen pointed her finger at Wise. As the same time, the ear-patterned butterfly shot forward, too fast for the eye to follow, knocking Wise back. Before she even had a chance to scream, she was flung back through the swirling darkness.
Leaving Masato with a horrible rage boiling up inside him.
He didn’t need to stifle this anger. His grip tightened on his sword.
“Hey, lady… What made you like this? Are you even a mother?”
“Oh, you’re going to lecture me? Spare me. You’re just like that brat, aren’t you? You don’t give a second thought for your mother. You just say and do whatever you please.”
His ears stung a little. Her words had definitely found their mark.
Masato knew he’d done just that.
“…I’ll admit it.”
“Heh-heh. Of course you do! That’s just what children are.”
“Yeah, you’re right… My dreams came true, and I was sent into this game world but so was my mom. I was so mad about it. I just kept yelling at her.”
So much he’d made Mamako cry.
“And once we actually started adventuring, I didn’t like what Mom said or what she did, so I kept going off on her. Chewing her out for everything.”
Mamako had grown so despondent, she couldn’t look at him.
But.
“But…my mom never talked like you do.”
He remembered it clearly: Mamako’s expression after the tears stopped.
No matter how selfish her son was, no matter how he hurt her, she forgave him, and her old smile returned.
Mothers forgave and accepted.
Masato knew this.
“I know we can be totally selfish… But you gotta accept that children can be like that sometimes.”
“Do you have any idea how much crap I put up with? I can assure you she’s unbearable.”
“Even then. Try to accept her anyway. She said she wants to try to fix things…”
“Sigh… This is a waste of my time.”
She heaved a disgusted sigh, completely exasperated.
“This is why I can’t stand children. They only think about themselves! Did you think this self-centered nonsense would actually work?”
“I know it’s crazy, but it’s the only thing I’ve got.”
“No. I’m not some merciful god. Look, see? I’m a demon. I have no intention of forgiving some selfish child…”
“I’m sure there’s a part of you that wants to. No matter what you say, you’re still a mother. If you can’t find it yourself…”
“You’ll what?”
“I’ll strip you of that demon form and make you remember. By force.”
Ready to fight, he pointed his Holy Sword at her.
The demon stroked her voluptuous figure, cackling.
“Oh my, you’re going to strip me naked? Heh-heh-heh! Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha! Go ahead and try. Let’s see if you can.”
The queen’s mouth twisted manically. Time remaining before a magic spell passed between those smirking lips: zero.
Battle start.
“Bomba Sfera!”
“That spell’s a small-range explosion! I can avoid it by jumping backward!”
“Vento Neve!”
“That’s an AOE! I can’t dodge it, but I can defend!”
A blast of heat and then a harsh chill. She was humming as she cast, forcing Masato on the defensive.
But he’d avoided a clean hit. Taken no unnecessary damage.
“You handled that well.”
“I guessed right! You’re using the same spells as your daughter! Parents and children do think alike, even when it comes to attack patterns!”
“Humph. You little snot.”
He’d gotten under her skin with that one. She waved an arm. The shock wave that hit him was something other than magic.
“Here comes the rough one! Guh…!”
This attack was invisible and un-dodgeable. Masato made the snap decision to guard, but…
…he was unable to absorb the full force of the gale, and his feet were lifted off the floor.
When he found his footing again, it was on ground that smelled of dirt and grass. He’d been sent tumbling through the dark vortex, stopping only when his back hit something hard.
“Guh…! Ow… Wh-what the hell…?”
The scenery around him was totally different. What had once been a gloomy forest was now an open space with almost no trees in sight. There was a coffin impaled on one of the few remaining trees, but… Was that Wise? Porta was trying desperately to pull it down.
Masato had come crashing into a pile of wood made from all the trees that had once surrounded them.
“…Ma-kun! …Are you out there?!”
He heard Mamako’s voice inside the coffin.
“Mom? …Are you trapped in here?!”
Masato swung Firmamento, striking the mountain of trees with all his might.
But it remained unblemished. He didn’t even make so much as a scratch.
“Yo, what the hell? You were able to destroy the Adventurers Guild, right? I thought we could attack and destroy objects…!”
“You’re right. Thanks to a bug, we could. Until now! …Looks like they finally fixed it. Your mom isn’t getting out of there! I’ve successfully sealed away the bulk of her firepower. Heh-heh-heh… Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha!”
The queen came striding out of the darkness, doing her best evil laugh.
“You look so desperate to save her… What? Do you need Mommy’s help? You treat her like she’s in your way, but the moment you’re in trouble, suddenly you need her.”
“That’s not it! I just want to save her! Any normal kid would want to save their parents if they were in trouble!”
“Excuses, excuses. You just borrow her power when it’s convenient. Ugh! No more! All children are selfish! I’ve had enough! I’m sure your mommy has, too.”
“My mom isn’t like you!”
“Sure she is. We’re both mothers. So I’ll tell you how your precious mommy feels. About how her child tries to use her…”
The queen raised a hand and insta-cast.
“Luce della Dannazione!”
As her voice echoed, a lightning bolt shot down out of the sky, and electricity coursed through Masato.
Masato had raised his left arm in time, and the defensive wall was active, but he took a lot of damage.
“Ow…! That…was…pretty effective…”
He tried in vain to keep his knees from buckling and hit the ground.
“Well? Did you get a taste of how mothers feel? We’re all angry. And this is the hammer of anger! Heh-heh-heh!”
“I understand being angry, sure. But this…”
“Not just anger! Failure, disappointment, remorse… No mothers in the world are happy with how their children turned out. They’re in our way. They’re nothing but trouble. We wish to be rid of them.”
“That’s not—”
“To a parent, children are mere shackles! A burden that prevents them from being free. Nothing more. Heh-heh-heh-heh, ah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!”
The queen’s screeching laughter filled the air. Masato tried to argue, but…
…then he felt it; the ground moved.
He’d felt this enough by now to know what was coming. He was sure of it.
Mother Earth was responding to a mother’s call.
In a show of mercy, Masato warned the queen.
“…Hey, this is your last chance to rethink this whole thing.”
“Hunh? What are you talking about? Everything I said is the truth! A mother’s truth! There’s nothing to rethink.”
“All right… Just be ready for the consequences.”
Masato shouted with all his might.
“My mom’s here with me, and she’s nothing like you! Right, Mom?”
A moment later, the ground jerked violently.
The shaking was so strong that not only could they not stand, they couldn’t even manage to stay on all fours.
A massive chasm split the earth around the mountain of trees, which was subsequently washed away by the ensuing torrent of water.
When the deluge finished raging, there stood Mamako, holding both the Holy Sword of Mother Earth and the Holy Sword of Mother Ocean.
There was no trace of her usual smile.
“B-but… How? …They’re indestructible… You couldn’t have gotten out!” the queen spluttered. But she couldn’t deny the truth.
Mamako caught the queen’s gaze, held it, and slowly approached.
“I’ve never once forgotten…the moment my child was born! So many times I have genuinely felt that I would die for him. The day my child first smiled, they day he first called me Mama… I could never forget those, either. Because I’m a mother.”
Her tone was as measured as her pace.
“How could anyone forget such joy? …Nothing could ever replace it. That precious bond between mother and child, unique to the two of you… How could anyone ever try to rid themselves of that? …I cannot fathom it. The very idea makes me angry…and terribly sad.”
A glimmer of pity crossed Mamako’s face.
At the end of her gaze, the queen stood steadfast.
“But I have faith,” Mamako continued. “If you are a mother, you will remember… No, we’ll make you remember. For the sake of your child, Wise, no matter what it takes!”
“Humph. You needn’t bother. I’m against it. I have no interest… I don’t need children. I am doing just fine all on my own. I have power. Nothing can get in my way. I have the strength to bend the world to my will…”
“Then that strength you dismissed will defeat the power you’re so proud of. And that will make you see the light.”
“What nonsense. You think you can do that?”
“Yes. I know I can. Because I have my beloved son with me… Right, Ma-kun?”
When she called his name, Mamako turned toward Masato…and she looked just as she always did. That smiling face, too young to ever be a mother’s, yet unmistakably his mother’s.
Maaaan… After she builds me up like that, I gotta deliver.
Masato forced his aching body upright. He puffed out his chest, gripped his sword, and ran to Mamako’s side, battered but ready to go.
And then he softly said the one thing he knew he needed to tell her.
“I’m sorry for all the selfish things I’ve said and done. But…thank you. I’m glad you’re my mom.”
“You’re welcome!”
Mamako wiped a tear away before it fell.
This was it. Mother and son united together against a common foe.
The queen had her magic tome in hand, ready for anything. She seemed ready to cast at any moment, but before she could…
“Masato! Here!”
A voice called to him from behind. He turned around, and Porta tossed him a small orb.
“Throw that up in the air! That’ll activate it!”
“R-right!”
As instructed, he caught the orb and immediately threw it as high as he could.
The dimly glowing sphere released a strange pulse, almost like vibrations. These pulsations rained down on everyone.
Masato was unaffected. Mamako was unaffected. Porta and Wise (still in her coffin) were unaffected.
The queen’s magic was sealed.
“Wha…? What the…? That’s not…”
“For all you deny it, you’re exactly like your daughter! …Porta, nice one! Gold star!”
“Thank you! Glad I could help!”
“Well, Mom, shall we? Let’s teach her what being mother and child is all about!”
“Yes! Let’s do it!”
Even standing was hard, but Masato forced his body into a run. They couldn’t blow this chance. Take the advantage—press it.
Masato attacked first. As the queen struggled to recover from the shock of having her magic sealed, he stepped right up to her and swung Firmamento. One layer of the darkness veil shattered.
“Tch! Sealed magic can be easily fixed…!”
“Not if we don’t let you! Hyah!”
Mamako’s attack followed Masato’s. She swung Terra di Madre down, and rock spikes shot out of the ground, all aimed at the queen. The second veil shattered.
Mamako went to strike again, but before she could, the queen called out, panicking.
“W-wait! You there… Mamako, was it? You’re this boy’s mom?”
“Yes! I am Ma-kun’s mother! What of it?”
“Then doesn’t it bother you? Getting dragged this way and that by your selfish kid? Hasn’t it been a struggle?! I know it has!”
“Well…”
Mamako’s hand faltered. Wondering how she would answer, Masato paused, too.
But Mamako’s maternal heart didn’t waver at all.
“That’s true. There were some very sad times. Some very hard times… But I understood. That’s all part of having a child.”
“But that…that doesn’t justify…”
“I entirely agree with what you’re saying. I have felt the same way sometimes. Parents are only human. We can’t remain unshaking, unhurt, and all-forgiving no matter what is said to us. We’re not gods.”
“R-right! Then…!”
“But think about it. Think about what you get from them. All the things you can only have when your child is by your side. All the moments that only exist in passing. Treasures only a parent could ever obtain. That’s why…!”
Mamako finished Altura’s swing. The water it spawned fired liquid bullets, riddling the queen’s body mercilessly.
“Gaaah?!” Damage taken.
“That’s why I accept everything about my son. That’s why I embrace the good with the bad. No matter what happens, I will never abandon him.”
A torrent of words following a rushing attack.
The queen went pale, howling.
“T-to hell with that! I don’t believe you! That’s nothing more than a pipe dream! Reality doesn’t work like that! …I’m in the right, here! I’m the one justified! Children are selfish, self-centered pests!”
The three strange creatures appeared before her: the blue rabbit, the ear-patterned butterfly, and the bejeweled whirlwind. She had summoned them to serve as her shield.
But this was a desperate last move. Masato attacked.
“Cut the crap, lady! Your kid is trying to get through to you, desperately trying to reach out! Listen to her!”
The blue rabbit jumped at him, but his beam cut it down. Two to go.
Mamako followed suit.
“I know only too well how you feel! But the only one who can accept her is you, her mother! So stop running! Face your own daughter!”
Mamako’s turn. Terra di Madre’s stone spikes pierced the whirlwind’s jewels.
And now her second. Altura’s water bullets fired. But the ear-patterned butterfly darted around, dodging all of Mamako’s moves.
And then.
“Spara la magia per mirare… Bomba Fiamma!”
A fiery explosion hit the butterfly, and it fell, burning.
“And! …Indebolito!”
Another spell lowered the queen’s defense.
Wise had chain cast. Revived by Porta’s items, she’d finished the last enemy off and successfully debuffed the queen.
“Mom! It’s over! I’m gonna hit you once real hard, cool your head off, and then have a long chat with you! …No matter what you say about me, I just can’t bring myself to totally hate you. I’m still your daughter!”
“Genya… You…”
“Now, Masato! Mamako! Don’t hold back! Get her!”
“I—I won’t let you! …Come!”
At the queen’s beckoning, the dark swirl moved. It sprouted two large, twisted wings and attached itself to the queen’s back, flying her into the air, high into the sky. She must have thought she’d be safe from attack up there.
But she wasn’t. In fact, this was in their favor.
“This is your chance, Ma-kun! Go for it!”
“Yeah! Flying enemies are miiiiine!”
The antiair Holy Sword howled, and the beam it fired sliced off one of the queen’s wings.
The one-winged demon plummeted toward the ground.
“Mom! Finish her!”
“Full mom power! …I’ll make you remember that you’re a mom, too!”
Mamako’s double attack: stone spikes and water bullets.
With the full weight of her desire behind them, every assault hit home. The queen’s body was riddled with holes and impaled on a spike through the belly.
She was finished.
“Urgh… H-how…could I have lost…?”
Defeated, the queen tumbled downward. Her eyes barely open, she clutched at the pain in her gut.
But just before she hit the ground, she slowed down.
Someone caught the queen.
“Huh…? …Genya…?”
Her daughter wrapped her arms around her from behind, squeezing, her forehead pressed against her mother’s back. Just standing there, saying nothing.
The queen stroked her daughter’s hand and let a single tear fall.
Smiling as he watched, Masato said, “Nicely done, Mom.”
“Yes. You too!”
So as not to interrupt them, Masato and Mamako very quietly high-fived each other.
“Um, um, can I do that, too…?”
“Oh, sure, Porta! Didn’t mean to leave you out.”
“Good job, Porta, sweetie!”
All three high-fived.
And with that, their battle was over.
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