Chapter 180 - Storming the Elven Palace and the Mother-Daughter Showdown
I walked over to Marmie.
"Think you can win?"
"...I don't think so. But Mash, you said you 'loved' me in front of everyone. I'll at least show some grit for that."
I took out a magic seed from my storage, gauging the reactions of those around us as I handed it to her. The expressions of the surrounding knights didn't change. I took out another magic seed and gave it to her. Still no change. I took out one more.
"Isn't it cheating to use magic seeds in a duel?" one of the knights said. Hearing this, Marmie returned the seeds to me. Even the one I had given her during our charge was returned.
So the difference in their abilities was worth about three magic seeds. But even after testing the waters, I couldn't picture just how large that gap was. I couldn't find the right words to say to her.
"You're too honest."
"...I'm going to be traveling with you from now on, Mash. I can't tarnish your name."
She hadn't given up on becoming my companion. It seemed she had no intention of losing easily. A powerful fighting spirit seemed to fill her eyes. She was a sore loser, just like me.
"...Earlier, when you and Cecily were fighting, about when the fireball and water ball collided..."
"Ah, was it you who shouted the warning, Marmie?"
She shook her head. In that case, was it Mizuki who had yelled?
"If you pour water on an extremely hot object or liquid, the water instantly vaporizes and expands explosively. That scatters heat all around. It's even more intense if the surroundings are enclosed by something hard. Mizuki probably knows a lot about this sort of thing."
It had been a long, long time since I'd learned about that. I barely remembered it. But Mizuki was a current high school student, so the knowledge should be fresh in her mind, even if it was just for exam prep. Marmie seemed to be looking silently in Mizuki's direction, but her eyes weren't focused. She seemed to be lost in thought.
"Don't tell me you're planning to use water magic with your left hand and fire magic with your right!"
"...I won't. Just step back and watch."
I moved back, leaving Marmie and Marina facing each other in the center. The elven knight order surrounded the two, deploying a barrier spell. It was likely to prevent the battle from affecting the surroundings.
"You were looking at me earlier, what were you talking about?" Mizuki asked curiously.
"Oh, just that it's better to ask you about physics."
"I'm still a sparkling first-year, so I've barely learned anything."
"There's no such thing as a sparkling first-year with a chest like that!"
"Y-Yes there is!" she protested, covering her chest.
Meanwhile, Marmie and Marina faced each other from a distance of over ten meters. They both held wands, but they hadn't taken a stance yet, merely gazing at each other in silence. What was a magical duel like? If they just shot spells at each other, wouldn't a direct hit be fatal? They were mother and daughter, so I wanted to believe it wouldn't be that intense. But as if to shatter that silence, Marina raised her wand high. Countless chunks of ice materialized at its tip. Each was shaped like an icicle, their tips sharpened and aimed at Marmie.
"Hey, are you trying to kill your own daughter?!"
"Water Magic, Icicle!"
Simultaneously with my scream-like shout, all the icicles were launched toward Marmie. Reacting a moment too late, Marmie hastily deployed a magical defensive barrier. But even that barrier couldn't withstand the impact of countless icicles and shattered into pieces.
"Marmie!"
As I yelled, I got a chop on the back of my head.
"You've been so noisy. Shut up and watch," Cecily scolded me.
"What am I supposed to do? Don't you have any advice?"
"I don't know. But she might have something planned, don't you think?"
"You're not helping! This is a long-range shootout, so isn't it better to just spam spells so fast the opponent can't block them all?"
"I guess that's true, but..."
Cecily's answer was just as unreliable. My anxiety was only growing. Marmie seemed to have avoided a direct hit, but the hem of her dress was torn, and she had a cut on her arm. She didn't raise her wand. It remained at her side. Countless new icicles were forming in front of Marina. But this time, there were more than twice as many as before.
"Water magic again..." Cecily murmured.
"You're one to talk, all you use is fire magic!"
"Fire magic is the strongest magic there is!"
Is that how mages were? Just endlessly casting the magic they believed in. Did Marina specialize in water magic? Her expression didn't change as she unleashed her spells; it felt like she wasn't even using half of her true power.
"...Yes, fire magic is the strongest magic."
Marmie muttered, as if she had overheard our conversation.
"Hey, Marmie, can you hear me? If so, just unleash a volley of lightning!"
"Don't distract her. Just be quiet and watch."
Cecily scolded me again. But Marina's attacks were beyond a simple test of strength; she was launching blows that could kill Marmie. There was no way I could stay calm. While we were arguing, Marina unleashed the icicles. Just like before, Marmie deployed her defensive barrier at the very last second.
"See? She's thinking about something," Cecily said.
"But..."
Marmie was down on one knee. Blood was flowing from her thigh. Marina pointed her wand at her.
"Next, I will triple the amount."
Her voice was as cold as the icicles she wielded.
"...I'm ready, too."
Marmie finally raised her wand. Just as Marina had said, three times the number of icicles appeared around her. It looked like a towering wall of ice. And every single point was aimed at Marmie. Meanwhile, floating above Marmie's head was an object shaped like a spear, about her height. It looked like a chunk of red-hot iron. It was red, then white, seeming to ripple and writhe, distorting the scenery around it. It felt like something ominous. Even through the elven knights' magic barrier, I could feel the heat, a testament to the object's super-high temperature. Its tip was aimed not at Marina, but at the ground midway between them. Was she planning to incinerate Marina's icicles? If so, it seemed more efficient to just defend with a barrier. Her own barrier couldn't block the icicles completely, but she was capable of creating a wall strong enough to block a cannon blast from a special skill. As I pondered this, I realized the reason for her strange behavior. She hadn't been waiting for Marina's attack with her wand down. She had said she was ready. What if she had been preparing the ground by casting a spell into it? That's why she had been trying to evade Marina's attacks with minimal magic. And now, without even a barrier, she was about to unleash a powerful, all-or-nothing magical attack.
"Fam! This one-on-one duel is over! Use your special skill to protect Marmie and the rest of us! Magic Knights! Not the whole area! Protect yourselves and Marina!" I roared.
Fam shot out from my side. I pulled Mizuki and the others close and moved behind Marmie.
"Water Magic, Icicle!"
"Fire Magic, Bunker Buster!"
The countless icicles flew toward Marmie. In response, she launched her superheated spear. Its speed was slow, tracing a parabola as its tip gently angled downward and fell. It vaporized several icicles as it plunged perpendicularly into the ground. The spear didn't stop, but burrowed deep into the earth and vanished. In that instant, the ground swelled up like a great wave.
"Fam, hurry!"
At my voice, Fam stood before Marmie.
"Special Skill, Yata no Kagami!" she shouted. A glowing circular plate appeared in front of her.
"Fam, don't block the icicles! Block what's below! Aim for the ground!"
With a violent explosion, my vision was dyed pure white. A blast wave, along with a torrent of hot wind and countless stone fragments, rained down on us. After hearing my story about steam explosions, Marmie had used water magic to create a layer of water underground. Then, she had driven a superheated mass of heat into it. The water instantly vaporized, expanding to over a thousand times its volume and blowing away the topsoil.
In other words, she had artificially created a phreatic eruption, just like one from a volcano.
When the steam cleared, the once beautiful garden had been transformed into a wasteland of mud and earth. A massive crater now gaped between Marmie and Marina. The mansion, too, had its white marble walls stained with mud and scorch marks, its windows shattered, looking like a ruin. Only the areas protected by Fam's Yata no Kagami and the magic knights barely retained their greenery.
"...That was surprising..."
Marmie staggered to her feet and looked around. I placed a hand on the shoulder of the girl, whose mouth was hanging open.
"You overdid it."
"...I heard what you said and tried it. I didn't think this would happen."
After she murmured that, she continued to stare at the scene for a while.
"...There's something I want you to hear."
She turned to face me. Her cheeks and hair were caked with mud. Only the color of her eyes seemed to shine.
"What is it?"
"...Mash, I'm not someone for you to protect. I can't use a special skill. But I have magic. I won't lose to anyone. Not even to a hero summoned by a god. I will protect you and fight with you alongside Fam. So please, choose me and take me with you."
My first thought was that she was a dangerous ally who could wipe out our entire party, but I decided to keep that to myself. My second thought was that I didn't want Cecily to become this kind of mage, but I kept that to myself, too. She spread her arms.
"What's that pose for?"
"...At times like this, we're supposed to embrace and affirm our feelings for each other. That thing we saved in Heilong—do it now, right here."
"Before that..."
I looked over at Marina. She was brushing the mud and dust from her clothes. Noticing our gazes, she returned the look.
"...Mother, I..."
"Marmie, no matter where you are or what you do, you will always be my daughter."
Hearing those words, Marmie ran to her mother and threw her arms around her.
Thank you for reading. To those who have liked, bookmarked, and rated this story, your support is a great encouragement. Thank you always for pointing out typos. I'm very grateful.