kscans

Chapter 180 - The Raid on the Elven Palace and the Mother-Daughter Showdown

I walked over to Mo.

"Think you can win?"

"...I don't think so. But Mash, you said you 'liked' me in front of everyone. For that, I'll show some spirit."

I took a Mana Seed from my storage, gauging the reactions of those around us as I handed it to her. There was no particular change in the expressions of the surrounding knights. I took out another Mana Seed and gave it to her. Still no change. I took out one more.

"Isn't it cowardly to use Mana Seeds in a duel?"

one of the knights said. Hearing that, Mo handed the Mana Seeds back to me. The ones I had given her during the raid were also returned. So the difference in their strength was about three Mana Seeds' worth. But even after probing the reactions of those around me, I couldn't get a concrete sense of that power gap. I couldn't find the right words to say to her.

"Such an honest girl."

"...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. Her eyes seemed to be brimming with a powerful fighting spirit. She was a sore loser, just like me.

"...About what happened earlier, when Cecily and you were fighting, when the fireball and water sphere collided..."

"Ah, was it you who warned me, Mo?"

She shook her head. In that case, was it Mizuki who had shouted?

"When you pour water on an extremely hot object or liquid, the water instantly evaporates and expands explosively. That scatters heat all around. It gets even more intense if the surroundings are enclosed by something hard. Mizuki probably knows this stuff well."

I had learned about it a long time ago. I barely remembered. But Mizuki was still a high school girl, so the knowledge should be stored in her head, even if just for exams. Mo seemed to be looking silently in her direction, but her gaze wasn't focused. She seemed to be deep 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 stepped back, leaving Mo and Marina facing each other in the center. The elven knights surrounded the two of them, deploying a barrier magic. The barrier was likely to prevent the effects of the battle from reaching the surroundings.

"You were looking at me earlier. What were you talking about?"

Mizuki asked, looking puzzled.

"Oh, just that it's better to ask you about physics knowledge."

"I'm still a fresh-faced first-year, so I haven't learned most of it."

"There's no fresh-faced first-year with a chest like that!"

"Y-Yes, there is!"

She covered her chest. Meanwhile, Mo and Marina faced each other, maintaining a distance of over ten meters. They both held wands, but they hadn't yet taken a stance, simply staring at each other quietly. What was a magical duel like? If they shot at each other and scored a direct hit, wouldn't they die? I wanted to believe that since they were mother and daughter, it wouldn't become such a fierce battle. But as if to break that silence, Marina raised her wand high. Countless chunks of ice appeared at the tip of her wand. All were shaped like icicles, their tips aimed at Mo, sharp and pointed.

"Hey, are you trying to kill your own daughter?!"

"Water Magic, [Icicle]!"

Simultaneous with my scream-like cry, all the icicles were launched towards Mo. Her initial reaction was slow, and she hurriedly deployed a magical defensive wall. But that wall couldn't withstand the impact of the countless icicles and shattered.

"Mo!"

I yelled, and someone chopped me on the back of the head.

"You've been noisy for a while now. Shut up and watch,"

Cecily scolded.

"What should I do? Any advice?"

"I don't know, but maybe she's thinking of something?"

"That's a vague answer! But since it's a long-range shootout, isn't it better to just keep blasting magic so fast the opponent can't handle it?"

"I suppose so, but..."

Cecily's answer was also unreliable. My anxiety only grew. Mo seemed to have avoided a direct hit, but the hem of her dress was torn, and she had a wound on her arm. She didn't raise her wand. It remained lowered. Before Marina, countless icicles were forming again. But this time, there were more than twice as many as before.

"Water magic again..."

Cecily muttered.

"You only use fire magic, don't you?!"

"Fire magic is the strongest magic!"

Was that what mages were like? They just kept casting the magic they believed in. Was Marina skilled with water magic? She fired off her spells without a change in expression, looking like she hadn't even used half of her real power.

"...Yes, fire magic is the strongest magic,"

Mo murmured, as if she had heard our conversation.

"Hey, Mo, can you hear me? If you can, then unleash a barrage of lightning strikes!"

"Don't interfere with Mo. Just watch quietly."

Cecily scolded me again. But Marina was launching attacks that could kill Mo, going beyond the realm of a mere test of strength. There was no way I could stay calm. While we argued, Marina launched the icicles. Mo deployed a defensive wall at the last possible moment, just as before.

"See? She's thinking of something,"

Cecily said.

"But..."

Mo was on one knee. Blood was flowing from around her thigh. Marina pointed her wand at her.

"Next, I will triple the number."

Her voice was as cold as the icicles she wielded.

"...I'm ready, too."

Mo finally raised her wand. Around Marina, as she had said, three times the number of icicles appeared. It looked like a towering wall of ice. And the tips of every single one were aimed at Mo. Above Mo's head, an object shaped like a spear, about her height, floated. It looked like a red-hot iron mass. Red, and then white, it seemed to pulse and writhe, distorting the scenery around it. It seemed like a malevolent thing. Even through the elven magic knights' barrier, the heat was palpable, telling us the object was at an ultra-high temperature. Its tip was aimed not at Marina, but at the ground midway between them. Was she planning to burn away Marina's icicles? If so, it seemed quicker to deploy a magic barrier to defend. Her barrier hadn't been able to block all the icicles, but she was capable of creating a wall strong enough to block a cannonball fired with a special skill. As I pondered that question, I realized the meaning of her strange behavior. She hadn't been waiting for Marina's attack with her wand lowered. She had said she was ready. What if she had been preparing by casting magic towards the ground? That's why she had been trying to evade Marina's attacks with minimal magic. And now, she was about to unleash a powerful magical attack, defenseless, without even a barrier.

"Famu! The one-on-one duel is over. Use your special skill to protect Mo and us! Magic Knights! Not the whole area! Protect yourselves and Marina!"

I shouted. Famu leaped out from beside me. I pulled Mizuki and the others close and moved behind Mo.

"Water Magic, [Icicle]!"

"Fire Magic, [Bunker Buster]!"

Innumerable icicles were launched towards Mo. In response, she too launched her super-heated spear. Its speed was slow, falling in a gentle parabola, its tip turning downwards. It evaporated several icicles as it stabbed vertically into the ground. The spear didn't stop, but plunged deep into the earth and vanished. In that instant, the ground swelled up as if it were a wave.

"Famu, hurry!"

Hearing my voice, Famu stood before Mo.

"Special Skill, [Yata no Kagami]!"

she shouted. A shining circular plate appeared in front of her.

"Famu, don't block the icicles. Down! Aim it at the ground!"

With a violent explosion, my vision was dyed pure white. A blast of hot air and a shower of stone fragments rained down on us. After hearing my talk about steam explosions, Mo had used water magic to create a layer of water underground. Then, she had driven a mass of super-heated energy into it. The water vaporized in an instant, expanding over a thousand times and blowing away the topsoil. In short, she had artificially created a phreatic eruption, like one that occurs in a volcano.

When the steam and mist cleared, the place that had been a beautiful garden had been transformed into a desolate land of earth and sand. A large crater had formed between Mo and Marina. The building's white marble walls were now stained with mud and scorch marks, the windows shattered, looking like ruins. Only the areas protected by Famu's Yata no Kagami and the Magic Knights barely retained their greenery.

"...That was surprising..."

Mo staggered to her feet and looked around. I placed a hand on her shoulder as she stood there with her mouth agape.

"You overdid it."

"...I tried what you told me. I didn't think this would happen,"

she murmured, then continued to gaze at the scene for a while.

"...There's something I want you to hear."

She turned to face me. Her cheeks and hair were stained 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 Famu. So please, choose me and take me with you."

I thought she was a dangerous person who could wipe out her own allies, but I decided to keep that to myself. I thought I didn't want Cecily to become this kind of mage, but I kept that to myself, too. She spread her arms.

"What's this pose?"

"...In times like these, we embrace and affirm our feelings for each other. What you saved for later in Heilon, do it now, here."

"Before that,"

I said, turning my gaze to Marina. She was brushing the mud and dust off her own clothes. Noticing our gazes, she returned them.

"...Mother, I..."

"Mo, no matter where you are, or what you are doing, you are my daughter."

Hearing those words, Mo ran to her and embraced her.