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Soudouki Vol 6 Chapter 5
🕑 Added 2020-05-27 07:44:21 +0000 UTC
Chapter 5 – Stormy Duel
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Part 1
After getting better, Maggot swung her spear after so long in order to train her dull body. She was working hard with her stance training.
And then she thrust forward with extremely swift step as though to drill a hole into a rock, then she rolled her spear to make the spear coil around the opponent’s spear so they dropped their weapon, then she unleashed a rotating slash to mow down the enemies around her using centrifugal force.
Her beautiful figure that was drenched with sweat looked like a young female warrior who was still in her twenty.
「Looks like I can somehow recover my form……」
She was still not at her best like when she was at her heyday, but she was recovering the sharpness of her body from before she was pregnant.
For Maggot, the pathetic sight that she showed at the battle against Marquis Selvi was really humiliating.
After recovering from the fatigue of giving birth, Maggot’s priority was to regain her fighting stamina.
The support of Maggot’s heart was her superhuman martial prowess. So this was a problem that she could ignore.
「Okaa-sama, it will be time for milk soon.」
Seyruun handed a towel and cooled fruit water with a bright smile to Maggot.
Although there hadn’t been any official marriage ceremony yet, Seyruun was already acknowledged as Baldr’s wife by Maggot. And so they were already enjoying this kind of daughter-in-law and mother-in-law relationship in advance.
It was like it had been so long ago since the young Baldr was entrusted to her as the master who she should serve.
「It’s already the time for that huh. Thank you Seyruun.」
It didn’t feel bad at all to interact with her son’s wife like this.
To feel her family grew bigger like this was something irreplaceable for Maggot.
Maggot poured cold water from a well on her head and wiped her body inside a simple hut, then she returned to the mansion together with Seyruun.
「Welcome back.」
「Aa, thanks for looking after them every time.」
「No, a small thing like this is no problem at all.」
Baldr’s childhood friend, Tyros was watching after Marguerite and Nigel while comforting them affectionately.
Tyros had grown much taller within this one year and his looks had also become like an adult. He displayed a cheat capability that surpassed Baldr in a sense and he was already managing Antrim territory even when Agatha wasn’t present.
He steadily managed the old administrative officials like Brandon and the administrative officials who were newly recruited through Agatha’s connection. Like that Antrim territory was operating safely without any accident while its lord was gone. Such thing was only possible thanks to this man’s skill.
In addition he even took time between his extremely busy schedules to also look after Nigel and Marguerite like a faithful dog.
As expected even Maggot was feeling an emotion that was similar to timidity when facing Tyros who was doing all those.
「Please close the window because the sunlight will darken soon. I don’t want the two of them to catch cold.」
「Understood.」
Seyruun replied with a light bow and took Tyros’s place. Tyros then stood up calmly from his chair without showing any fatigue at all.
「Tyros, don’t force yourself too much okay? There is already Seyruun here to help me looking after these two.」
Maggot had told Tyros this many times, but Tyros simply replied with a smile.
「Thank you very much for madam’s concern. But I’m also having fun doing this.」
In fact Tyros was really feeling extremely happy.
Receiving Baldr’s immense trust and being entrusted with the adorable twins who were just born filled him with incomparable feeling of satisfaction.
──He was glad to be alive.
Tyros had sworn his loyalty to Baldr at Cornelius and he had grown both in appearance and ability to be completely different from before despite still being recognizable from the old Tyros, but his feeling from his childhood still hadn’t changed.
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「Even though it’s not my problem, but I’m worried about Tyros’s future. I’ve got to tell Baldr to find a wife for him, if not he might end up a bachelor for his whole life.」
「I also think so.」
Seyruun also agreed with a troubled smile.
The only thing that might be able to put a brake to Tyros’s immense love to Baldr was family, which was wife and children. Although they also couldn’t imagine Tyros becoming a good family man.
「Come on, it’s time for milk. Nigel, Marguerite.」
Maggot also did this with Baldr. She didn’t leave raising children to wet nurse.
This was unusual for a noble, but Maggot didn’t intend to yield in this matter no matter what.
When it came to Maggot, reason and logic would be thrown out of window.
Almost everything that Maggot decided was carried out in Cornelius House.
For Maggot, no matter how unconventional it was, being a mother was something that should be prioritized above all things.
Maggot gave her children milk and watched them affectionately. Her expression was happy but there was also sorrow somewhere in it.
Just by holding her small babies on her chest would make something jump in her heart.
She was blessed with a husband who she loved and a son who was a hero. And now she also encountered new lives that she gave birth herself like this.
This was a good fortune that she never even dreamed of when she was a mercenary. At that time she would only end up as a lifeless blood bag in the battlefield one day.
However when she thought of the weight of her family’s life, she was also caught by a doubt whether she had the qualification to be happy.
「Are you full already? Nigel won’t eat much unlike Marguerite huh.」
Even so, she wondered what kind of fateful sign was this that the little sister had more appetite and also more stamina.
Nigel was a boy with faint brown hair. It seemed the blood of the father Ignis was stronger in him.
In contrast the girl Marguerite had silver hair and violet eyes. She looked exactly like Maggot. She even embodied Maggot’s strong-willed personality.
Maggot couldn’t stop praying that these two children would be able to live ordinary lives while getting along well with each other.
「Okaa-samaMother-in-law?」
Seyruun unconsciously called on Maggot because she hallucinated Maggot crying soundlessly.
「What is it, Seyruun?」
Maggot replied back with a cheerful smile. Seyruun couldn’t feel any sign of sorrow that she felt just now.
Was that just her imagination?
Seyruun said some random thing before she rubbed her eyes.
「──Looks like there will be rain……」
Maggot looked up to the sky at the far north while holding Nigel and Marguerite who were squealing in high spirits inside her arms.
The rain cloud hanging over Morgan Mountains looked like a hand of white mist rapidly reaching out toward the foot of the mountain.
A storm would come in the near future.
The damp air that was blowing down from the mountain would increase the strength of the storm drastically.
「Ah! I have to bring in the laundry quickly then!」
Seyruun rushed out of the baby room in hurry.
A low sound of distant thunder could be heard from the summit of the mountain.
Maggot felt a hazy premonition that perhaps that portent of storm might be coming down on her. She tightened her grips on her arms that were holding the babies.
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Part 2
That night it was unusually stormy at Antrim.
Although the weather at mountain could change quickly, the area around Gawain at the foot of the mountain wasn’t affected by that much.
The gust of wind that sometimes blew was rattling the windows of Gawain Castle. Nigel and Marguerite were surprised by the sound and cried loudly.
「There there, there is nothing to fear. Mama is beside you two.」
Maggot spouted a sweet line that would make Baldr’s eyes opened wide in surprise if he heard it. Maggot gently caressed the head of the two.
Maggot was a woman with strong passion from the start. The majority of her abusive language could be said as mere bluffing. And so she was a very sweet woman toward someone who she didn’t need to bluff at.
Suddenly there was a flash that illuminated the dark. Then *bam* an impact that shook the floor ran through the area.
It seemed a lightning fell nearby. The crying voice of the twins became even louder.
「What an unpleasant weather……I hate lightning.」
It reminded Maggot of the memory of a parting that Maggot wanted to forget.
It felt like she was shown of her own naivety when she was still powerless and didn’t understand the callousness of the world.
Each time that happened, a feeling that was similar to a curse would imprison Maggot.
──Why are you, you alone can have such happy look on your face? Even though we are this unfortunate!
Was it really alright for her to enjoy her current happiness that was built on top of the misfortune of many people?
Although she thought that, it was impossible for her to abandon Ignis and her children.
However the guilt was simply crushing Maggot’s chest. And then, she felt a despair from being crushed by the misfortunes that her existence invited.
Entrusting your fate to other people was weakness, ignorance was a betrayal toward your beloved people.
The thunder was also roaring like this at the night when she learned that.
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*Slam!*
Suddenly the door at the entrance was slammed open.
If this was in the middle of a war, the intensity of the sound would make Maggot suspect that there was enemy attack. Furthermore this was occurring in the middle of this storm.
She wondered just what kind of eccentric was visiting in this weather.
「Baldr-sama! Welcome back!」
Seyruun welcomed Baldr back with a surprised voice.
She immediately moved to take care of Baldr’s need right away with devotion. Joy that couldn’t be repressed was overflowing from her action.
The usual Baldr would be bashful but happy and reacted accordingly.
「I’m back, Seyruun. Sorry that I’m late. Selina and Agatha will arrive here tomorrow.」
However Baldr only caressed Seyruun’s cheek with a calm face. It made Seyruun blushed and looked down.
「W-w-w-what’s the matter Baldr-sama? It feels like you’re different.」
It was like a butterfly breaking out from its pupa, or a willow that was formerly swaying from the wind had been turned into a giant old tree. Seyruun felt bewildered from the invisible dignity that Baldr emitted.
On the other hand it also caused her heart to pound in her chest. Feeling of love also welled up inside.
(Uuu……for some reason Baldr-sama look even cooler than before……)
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「Do you want to meet Seyruun that much that you came here even through this storm? (I also wanted to meet you. Also quickly go meet Nigel and Marguerite too!)」
Maggot had also sensed Baldr’s change.
He had the face of a man who had overcome a large wall.
It was also the proof that Baldr had been exposed to a trial that forced him to grow in order to overcome it.
Perhaps it was the fate of a hero since his birth to be continuously facing trial like this.
Seyruun wiped Baldr’s wet hair while he took off his coat and jacket. Then he took a deep breath as though to resolve himself and turned a sharp gaze toward Maggot.
「There is something that I want to ask. But before that……can I ask Kaa-san to have a match with me? One without holding back.」
Baldr asked dispassionately without any heat in his voice.
Maggot sensed from Baldr’s composed bearing that he was seriously trying to win against her. She felt an exaltation seething within her body after so long.
「A brat who had only just graduated from wearing diaper dare to……that’s really impudent of you to oppose your mother like this!」
One wouldn’t be able to protect anything unless they were strong.
She had to prove that Silver Light Maggot was the strongest without any doubt.
Maggot glared at Baldr hostile. She had to clear up this feeling of guilt and melancholy inside herself.
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Part 3
「Does the fight really need to happen now?」
Baldr and Maggot raised their spear without paying any mind to the rain and wind battering their body.
It was cold. Their wet forelock got stuck on their forehead and it hindered their sight, but the two of them kept glaring at each other without even stirring an inch.
「Geez! Both of you, listen to me!」
Seyruun got furious. Baldr spoke to her with a calm but unyielding tone.
「──Don’t interfere.」
Seyruun stiffened and closed her mouth against the strength of the will inside that voice that felt like iron.
She didn’t understand the reason for this battle. But she painfully understood that this battle was something that was absolutely necessary for Baldr.
「Hah, your face has grown up a lot there. Though it’s still far away from Ignis.」
Maggot brushed away her wet silver hair casually. She narrowed her eyes seeing Baldr dispersing unsuppressed fighting spirit in front of her.
She once decided that she would firmly train Baldr who was wandering between the line of life and death after Sanai and Masaharu’s personalities woke up inside him.
Each time she trained him with an intensity that resembled a torture, she couldn’t help but felt affectionate seeing her son’s capability growing visibly before her.
His talent to combine magic into the way he fought clearly surpassed her by much, so Maggot believed that her son would definitely become famous as a warrior.
One day Baldr would be able to surpass Maggot’s martial skill with the condition that they were simply fighting in their base state.
However in the end that was the case only as long as Maggot didn’t use her trump card.
She had imposed to herself the oath to be the strongest at that day far away in the past.
As long as she held fast to that oath, even if her opponent was her son, Maggot had to continue proving herself as the strongest.
「Maggot-sama is still recovering from her childbirth so…….you two, you understand right? Be careful to not get injured……!」
Although she understood that it was pointless, Seyruun couldn’t stop herself from yelling that to them.
That was just how tense the atmosphere between the two of them. It was like they were going to seriously kill each other.
「Don’t worry. It will be troubling if the feudal lord dies in this place. I’ll let him off with just one broken bone.」
Maggot replied generously.
However Baldr didn’t take off his cold gaze from Maggot.
「……No holding back. I said that didn’t I?」
「Irritating!」
Baldr was completely serious.
He was seriously trying to defeat Maggot. Furthermore he believed that such thing was possible.
──This wasn’t funny.
Silver Light Maggot wasn’t a wall so low that it could be surpassed just because a brat had grown to be an adult.
「Baldr, it’s time for punishment after so long! If you don’t want to show your shame in front of Seyruun, you better surrender right away!」
Then she would make him remember.
Of the greatness of his mother that she had carved into his body until the marrow of his bones.
Maggot moved like a comet.
Rapid attacks that made the tip of the spear looked like it was rotating aimed at Baldr’s wrist.
The hand was the area that was the hardest to protect for the defending side. It was the basic of the basics to attack there in spear fighting.
In respond to this, Baldr crouched low on the ground and thrust with his spear aiming at Maggot’s shin.
His spear swept with a trajectory that drew a half circle. But it couldn’t catch up to Maggot’s godspeed.
Baldr switched into offense resolutely even though his posture wasn’t good. Maggot felt an emotion of joy seeing that.
It felt like her son was finally standing on the same stage with her.
「How fun! I didn’t expect that you have come this far!」
「……Kaa-san is a monster like usual.」
Maggot was still composed, but Baldr hadn’t been holding back since the beginning.
From the beginning he had attempted the magic of Friction Zero and also a magic to make the ground caved in and he did them without chanting, but everything was negated before they got invoked.
The activation timing, Baldr’s habit and thought, Maggot had completely seen through all of them.
「What’s the matter? You were talking big, so show me properly just how manly you are now!」
「No need to tell me that!」
If magic didn’t work, he could only surpass her with his skill in weapon──.
It was thought that doing that was next to impossible when the opponent was the legendary mercenary, Silver Light Maggot.
Even so that couldn’t be a reason to give up.
Because Baldr had a reason why he should surpass Maggot.
「You have become better only at dodging!」
The difference in speed was gradually getting pronounced. Baldr was cornered into a defensive battle.
Even then he was handling almost all of Maggot’s attack nicely. Maggot was honestly surprised by that.
「Take this and this! You won’t win with just dodging!」
Provocation was sometimes more dangerous than a sharp blade.
Baldr was only barely handling Maggot’s attacks. If he made a mistake with his balance in offense and defense here, this battle would be decided in that instant.
However Baldr’s heart didn’t even twitch. Rather his heart was enveloped in soundless silence each time he handled Maggot’s spear.
Baldr dispassionately continued to endure the fierce assault without showing any sign of agitation at all. It was Maggot who got irritated instead seeing that.
「That composure is irritating!」
Baldr wasn’t composed by any means. It was simply his unshakable determination to win that didn’t allow him to be shaken.
At the same time, Baldr’s tenacity toward victory allowed him to master the warrior manner that he inherited from Sanai.
「──What’s so funny-!」
A faint smile floated on Baldr’s lips. It enraged Maggot.
When it came to martial skill, Maggot wouldn’t allow herself to be underestimated no matter who she was facing.
Even if it was Baldr, if he dared to look down on Maggot’s prowess then she would make him pay for it no matter what.
Being strong. And then being an existence who no one would dare to look down at.
Maggot had walked through an inhuman path until now for the sake of those.
『The enemy is also human. No bitterness shall touch you if you see with calm and great joy in your eyes.』
That was the rule of Houzouin-style spearmanship. One had to relax and smile exactly when they were in mortal combat. They wouldn’t be defeated if they could observe their opponent’s heart with such mentality. That was the meaning of this rule.
However Maggot who didn’t understand Japanese language only grimaced greatly hearing Baldr’s incomprehensible words.
「Keh, are you going to rely on other people after making that big talk?」
If that was the case then this was a real killjoy. Perhaps her evaluation that Baldr had grown up was just her overestimation.
Baldr warded off Maggot’s words with a cool smile. He silently entrusted his heart to the thing that he inherited from Sanai.
「──I am me.」
There were things that were entrusted to him from Sanai and Masaharu.
Those were things that Baldr had to illuminate with his own life so those things could be the proof of those two’s existence.
「They aren’t……hitting?」
Her attacks needed to be knocked aside by Baldr’s spear until just now so they wouldn’t hit. But now Baldr was starting to not needing to do even that.
Baldr continued to dodge Maggot’s godly fast spear with a movement that looked like staggering old man. The faint smile was also still tugged on his lips.
It spurred on Maggot’s violent emotion whether she wanted it or not.
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Just like how Yagyuu Tajima no Kami loved noh theatre, Oka Sanai was also a warrior who loved noh theatre.
There was a record that when Sanai was at Aizu, while his colleagues were busily preparing for the battle, he was leisurely holding a party with noh show instead.
Why did they loved noh that much?
There was also a theory that was because the special walking method of noh could also be used in martial art.
The story of a noh actor Konparu Shichirou and Yagyuu Tajima no Kami exchanging secret techniques of Issoku IkkenOne Foot One Glimpse and SeikouzuiWest River Water was especially famous.
In the first place noh originated from rice dance, a dance at paddy field to pray for abundant harvest when planting rice.
Because of that the dancer had to dance on a muddy paddy field without disturbing the rice plants……the way of walking that was handed down in the dance was a special way to move without throwing their center of gravity off balance.
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「Annoying!」
Baldr continued to dodge with swaying movement. Maggot was unable to see through Baldr’s center of gravity and her irritation was displayed plain to see.
She had forgotten when was the last time she felt this irritated in a battle.
Maggot had real battle experience dozens of times greater than Baldr.
Even then, she was unable to perceive Baldr’s movement.
She should have complete knowledge of Baldr’s habit and breathing pattern. She couldn’t believe that she was now being forced into a struggle like this.
Baldr himself was skillfully using Sanai’s technique with perfection.
Human couldn’t move their body using only their memory.
Baldr was moving his body using his own will, so he couldn’t master a technique with only his memory, he had to train his body too in order to realize the technique.
Baldr was able to comprehend the principle of an old general’s technique at his age. Even though this was her son, she still felt a vague fear at how talented he was.
「──Here I come.」
For an instant, Maggot wondered if Baldr had fainted. His body was pitching forward very naturally, like when a person lost consciousness and fell down powerlessly.
Among noh music, there was a piece that was called YoroboshiFeeble Priest. The blind main character would totter to that way and this way with reeling footsteps.
And yet regardless of such unsteady looking movement, the spear thrust that Baldr unleashed was surprisingly fast and powerful.
Maggot’s spear that was going to spring up from below to above got sent flying instead. Maggot then hurriedly dodged the tip of Baldr’s spear.
「Kuh……!」
She couldn’t read it.
She should be familiar with Baldr’s movement like the back of her own hand, but now his movement had immediately become unreadable to her.
Baldr’s spear pursued the agitated Maggot.
She had never seen this kind of movement anywhere in the continent. Maggot was immediately cornered into one-sided defensive battle.
The essence of Yoroboshi’s movement was transmitting the body weight to the feet without any wasted movement through letting go of any tension from the knees.
And then through that one could put their body weight into the swing of their arm too. First they lifted the thumb of their feet and transmitted that strength into the torso. It was the teaching of Miyamoto Musashi.
Sanai didn’t know about Miyamoto Musashi, but he knew about that stance that was called MinariBodying.
Perhaps because this world had the magic of body strengthening that was too powerful, that kind of technique principle was lagging behind compared to earth.
(──I won’t accept this!)
She wouldn’t accept that her skill that she had trained for many years was inferior against Baldr.
Even though this was because Baldr was absorbing knowledge from Sanai, it was baldr himself who put the effort to master it.
Above all else, Maggot’s pride wouldn’t allow her to do something like blaming other people to make excuse in this battle.
「Then, what about this?」
Maggot secretly tore off a button on her clothes outside of Baldr’s eyes and threw it. At the same time she kicked up Baldr’s spear with all her strength.
This was a mercenary’s old trick that didn’t care of appearance to change the flow of battle.
Baldr’s spear was kicked up while he was dodging the button. It greatly broke his balance.
「Got you!」
Maggot didn’t miss that opening and leap to deal the finishing blow. But then a loud sound that felt like it would broke the eardrum assaulted her.
It was a simple magic to produce loud sound.
The simplicity of it and Maggot’s impatience to finish this fight clouded Maggot’s eyes.
Maggot gave up her attack because her organs were shaken and she took some distance.
With Baldr catching up to Maggot in pure martial arts like now, Maggot had become unable to read the timing of Baldr’s magic like before.
Maggot clicked her tongue a little because she missed that golden opportunity.
The wind and rain were getting even stronger. The raindrops that hit her cheeks felt like pebbles.
Their hair, clothes, and their shoes were soaked wet as though they had just gone swimming. But Baldr, Maggot, and Seyruun who were watching over them didn’t pay any attention to that at all.
Under the roaring sound of rain, Maggot was muttering with a small voice that was almost inaudible.
「──You have become strong, Baldr.」
Maggot was far inferior to Baldr when it came to the diversity of magic.
With brute force approach in close-range combat not working well, she would get defeated by Baldr sooner or later at this rate.
She was happy by her son’s growth.
Even so, she was unable to accept defeat.
She wanted to become strong.
She wanted to be strong.
Silver Light Maggot had to continue being the strongest. If not, she would lose something important to her again just like that day.
「As reward, I’ll show you my real serious strength.」
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Maggot had completely liberated her King’s Gate only several times when she was at disadvantage and her life was in danger, including at the war more than ten years ago.
It had been a long time since her strength seethed like this. Maggot even felt some kind of omnipotent feeling in this state.
No, with her King’s Gate liberated Maggot was certainly qualified to be called peerless.
As a god who ruled over an invisible world that transcended the visible world, no one was allowed to touch her body.
Maggot was convinced that she was the strongest exactly because of this power.
The King’s Gate couldn’t be maintained for that long.
This technique was like forcing another boost on a body that had been boosted. Its structure was similar with the Over Boost that Baldr invented.
However compared to piling up magic of the same system on top of each other, the synergy from combining body strengthening magic with beastman’s Transformation was higher.
It felt like the flow of time of her and her surrounding was rapidly getting out of sync from each other. Maggot looked at Baldr with a predatory grin.
「……」
(It feels like he is making a pitying gaze.)
Maggot was brimming with the intention to bloody the nose of her son who was getting full of himself, so she couldn’t hide her bewilderment seeing Baldr’s expression that was completely outside of her expectation.
At the same time a fierce rage was welling up inside Maggot.
The most important thing for Maggot in her life was the strength to protect life from other people, but there was one other thing that she couldn’t tolerate no matter what.
──It was pity.
Maggot put up a bold front more than necessary and acted like a strong-minded woman because behind it she didn’t want to be pitied by anyone. She had a feeling that was similar to an unreasonable obsession, where she didn’t want anybody to thoughtlessly poke into her past with their pity.
Baldr’s eyes looked like he was staring at the past memory that she wanted to hide.
Maggot found it hard to tolerate that.
「Stop looking at me like that!」
No good.
Don’t remind me of my past powerless self.
Maggot’s body shook with a rage that could be said as unreasonable. She let out an attack that wasn’t holding back at all.
(Crap!)
She forgot herself because of her rage. She was thrusting her spear completely seriously.
If the spear hit at a bad place, Baldr would die.
She immediately tried to shift the trajectory, but she couldn’t make it in time.
She tried to at least put a brake to the attack to lessen the power, but her worry ended up as a needless anxiety.
*Clang* A clear metallic sound echoed. Maggot’s spear was deflected by Baldr’s spear.
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「……Lies」
Just now was her serious attack, without any holding back.
Even Ignis or Ramillies would be unable to dodge that attack.
It was a full powered and full speed attack from Maggot who boasted a record of invincibility until now. That attack was deflected by Baldr with a movement that was clearly not a fluke.
It wasn’t the product of coincidence.
He was undoubtedly following Maggot’s movement with his eyes.
Maggot was unable to accept that fact.
Something like that, was impossible.
Such feat of godspeed was only possible because of King’s Gate existence, the power of Transformation that was only possessed by beastman race which was sublimated even further to surpass the operation limit of human body.
Although human was a creature that could polish their talent with effort, making what was physically impossible to be possible was beyond their means.
That was why Maggot had survived numerous battlefields and continued to slaughter her enemies with her spear.
「Lies-!」
Could it be that perhaps she had gotten rusty?
Maggot continuously lunged with her spear while succumbing to such paranoia.
Her speed left behind even sound in the dust. It wasn’t at all inferior to what Maggot remembered about her own capability.
Seyruun who was watching the two of them also couldn’t see them with her eyes anymore.
Before this she could somehow still follow their direction from their presence and the sound of weapons cutting through wind, but now she couldn’t even do that.
And yet Baldr was accurately intercepting Maggot’s spear without faltering at the slightest.
Oka Sanai inside Baldr was certainly a fighter who ought to be respected.
His martial principle that was invented in another world was also something that Maggot recognized as magnificent.
However it shouldn’t be something that surpassed the boundary of human.
Maggot’s godspeed had stepped into the realm of god. It should be impossible for human to react against it.
Something like this should never happened.
There shouldn’t be any opponent who could win against her in this state.
Maggot was flustered. Her spearmanship was changing into a style of rough brute force.
Her spear was swung around from every direction. The physical strength behind them was something abnormal that could lightly send fully armored knight flying. But Baldr was blocking them all in a hair’s breadth.
He was clearly not using any mysterious technique. It was the proof that he was rivaling Maggot with pure strength and speed.
「──How?」
「……There is only one answer to how I can catch up to Kaa-san who has reached that domain. By becoming the same like you.」
Baldr’s tone was extremely flat. However in contrast to that, his eyes were filled with sorrow.
「The……same?」
Maggot understood what Baldr meant by that.
However she absolutely couldn’t accept it.
Because that meant her biological son had found out what kind of creature she was.
「──There isn’t anyone like me in this world!」
If she accepted it, the misfortune that she summoned would also be directed to Baldr.
Maggot had to be the strongest and solitary at all cost. It was for the sake of the little Nigel and Marguerite too.
She would crush Baldr at all cost.
In addition of her godly fast spear, Maggot also used the unarmed fighting style that she cultivated in her mercenary period without holding anything back.
The fighting style of mercenary was specialized for winning. Crushing the opponent’s eye, kicking them in the jewels. Those weren’t something that should be directed to one’s own son.
Even so Maggot intentionally used them.
The deepest part of her heart was starting to notice that Baldr wasn’t an opponent she could win against while holding back.
Although it didn’t mean that she was honestly recognizing that realization.
She thrust with her spear and kicked from a blind spot. She feinted with her gaze while throwing rock. It looked like Baldr was helpless against Maggot’s fierce assault.
Wounds were starting to increase in number on Baldr’s body.
Baldr was still persevering even then, but Maggot was finally regaining her self-confidence.
As she thought, there was a wall of strength that was hard to overcome between Baldr and Maggot.
Originally her fighting Baldr in this way was already indicating a single fact, but as long as she won, she would be able to deceive her heart later.
Maggot was getting absorbed in wounding her son with a demonic look.
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──Maggot’s voice sounded like a scream in Baldr’s ears.
Her mother was like a walking disaster.
An overwhelming violence, a lump of boundless irrationality. No amount of effort or talent could shorten the gap between them.
Let alone defeating her, even facing her already required courage that approached the point of recklessness. A wall that couldn’t be overcome──Maggot’s back was always far away in front of Baldr.
He wished to catch up to that domain one day.
However now that he had caught up to her like this, a part of him didn’t feel any sense of accomplishment from it.
Rather he felt pity toward Maggot who continued to be alone in this domain. The reason why she had to be this strong was also painful.
Maggot didn’t miss the opening when he let his guard down just for a moment.
A spinning kick beautifully landed on Baldr’s face. He was blown away while rotating like a spinning top.
「It looks like you have gotten a bit better, but you’re still not on my level.」
That’s right, it was impossible for Baldr to surpass her.
Maggot held up her head high to persuade herself of that.
「──No, Kaa-san, you’re going to be the one who lose.」
「I won’t lose!」
Maggot yelled at her son who was already wounded all over. She sounded scared.
Me, lose?
She never even imagined something like that.
Rather than saying that she was scared of losing, it was more that she had no other path than single-mindedly continuing to win.
And yet why was it now that she was feeling this scared of losing?
「……Gina-san has a message for Kaa-san.」
Those words dealt an impact on Maggot as though the sky was falling.
Something that she had continued to protect until now by desperately tricking herself was making a cracking sound like glass inside herself.
「You……met Gina?」
「Other than that person, who else can open my King’s Gate like this?」
She didn’t want to believe that it was true, but as expected, Baldr could fight her till this point was because his King’s Gate had been liberated.
「That rotten haaag……!」
She did something unnecessary. As she thought, she should kill her at that time using every method at her disposal!
Maggot gritted her teeth in regret.
The skin of her moist lips broke and a trickle of blood slid down along her chin.
If Baldr had his King’s Gate liberated by Gina, then he must have learned about her past too.
At the very least, there was no doubt that Baldr had learned that beastman blood was flowing inside his body.
After all liberating King’s Gate was only allowed after receiving the baptism of the beast god. Because it was the secret ritual of the beastman race.
Baldr stared quietly at Maggot whose mind was racing like that.
Right now Baldr was the one who understood best what kind of painful discord his mother was feeling.
「The message──you can’t forgive yourself no matter what, so ask your son for forgiveness then.」
Maggot let out a shrill laugh as though she had gone crazy when she heard those words.
「Forgiveness? Forgiveness she said? You don’t have any qualification to talk about forgiveness, Gina!」
You too! You too are one of the causes!
You are just like me, a woman born under an unlucky star who also bring misfortune to your family!
If only you didn’t leave for a journey, there would be no one who needs to die!
With what kind of face you’re talking about forgiveness at this point!
Maggot swung her spear ferociously as though Baldr in front of her was Gina herself.
Baldr simply endured it. Blood spurted out from his shoulder and arm.
The damage was gradually reaching beyond the skin until even the muscle structure too.
Even so, the glint in Baldr’s gaze toward Maggot didn’t weaken.
No, Baldr was already convinced that he won.
「That’s why, I’ll defeat you. Because that will be the proof of my qualification.」
「Bullshit! No human can win against me!」
「……There wasn’t one until now. I’ll become one from now on.」
Baldr let out a long exhale and chanted the spell to end the fight.
「……Over Boost.」
Body strengthening, King’s Gate’s liberation, and then the third boost to accelerate further.
It was Baldr’s trump card that allowed him to stand on par with Gina even just for an instant without liberating the King’s Gate. What would happen if it was casted when the King’s Gate was liberated?
For an instant, Maggot saw a sight that surpassed even the limit of godspeed.
If it was measured, it was something that only lasted for around a tenth of second.
However it was more than enough time to take away Maggot’s fighting ability.
Her body was one-sidedly engraved with thrusts and blows that numbered dozens. Maggot slowly fell backward.
From Seyruun’s perspective, it was like the two suddenly appeared after they vanished, and then Maggot collapsed with wounds covering her body all over.
「Okaa-sama!」
Maggot yelled sharply at Seyruun who ran toward her.
「Don’t come! I’m not defeated!」
Maggot stood up like a ghost with trembling knees.
She didn’t even have any strength to even swing her spear, but Maggot didn’t give up fighting even if it was just with her spirit.
「I won’t lose! I’ll protect everything this time for sure!」
Maggot repeatedly muttered incoherently that she wouldn’t lose with a bloodcurdling look. But Baldr gently embraced her.
Her body was far thinner and softer than he thought.
「Kaa-san doesn’t need to shoulder everything alone anymore. I’ll protect everything together with you from now on.」
「I……I……」
「I’m none other than your son. Family should protect family.」
No matter what kind of blood was flowing inside her body.
Baldr would always be a proud son of Maggot no matter what.
「UWAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!」
The thing that she had been holding back alone for so long burst. Maggot clung on Baldr’s chest and wailed.
The binding curse of Maggot’s loneliness was dispelled by the hand of none other than her son who finally stood at her side on the height of martial art that no human could reach.
.
──Today marked the end of the juvenile period of Baldr Antrim Cornelius.
