Chapter 280: Tough Guys (2)

"Husband. Where are you going?"

Around the time the subjugation order was confirmed. Eve asked me as I dragged out the carriage of Alio Festa. She was enjoying the warm sunlight and playing with Cellu. Whenever she threw a ball to Cellu in the water, Cellu would show off an amazing trick by spinning the ball on the tip of her tail.

"That's amazing."

As AA clapped her hands and cheered, Cellu shrugged her shoulders and smiled.

"Heheh... Eve. I got praised by Sir Hero. Amazing, right?"

Eve shook her head and giggled at Cellu's joke. AA watched the two of them and laughed happily before making a request to a servant bringing in firewood, receiving a piece of wood. When both Cellu and Eve looked at her, AA scratched her head and spoke.

"I'll show you one too."

After saying that, AA threw the firewood high into the sky. While looking at the firewood that flew so high it seemed like she was playing catch with the sky, AA drew her sword, lowered her body, and took a stance. Her giggling face hardened stiffly, and a fierce murderous intent filled her eyes.

The firewood plummeted to the ground as fast as it had soared. Right before it touched the ground, AA's body disappeared, leaving only a blurry afterimage as if she were hiding in the fog. No, it must have looked that way to other people's eyes. I could see it clearly. Right before the firewood touched the ground, AA swung her sword exactly sixteen times to chop the firewood into tiny pieces.

The firewood that fell to the ground split into tiny pieces with a thud. The servants who were watching from the side began to cheer and clap. Eve and Cellu approached closer and felt the cross-section of the firewood in admiration.

"Wow, this is something I've been practicing too, but you cut it this cleanly? Fucking amazing. How much did you practice?"

"Ms. Eve is also a swordsman with excellent skill, so you'll be able to do it in no time. Um... if it's not a discourtesy, should I teach you a bit?"

"Uh, really? That's great."

Eve's face lit up. I looked at the two of them with a pleased expression. There was nothing that made me happier than seeing my women playing nicely together.

"Huh? My Lord. Where are you going?"

Sieri, who had just come outside, also said a word after seeing me getting into the carriage. Before I could even say where I was going, Eve grabbed Sieri's hand and spoke.

"Now, then it's Sieri's turn!"

"Pardon? What? Ms. Eve? H-Hold on a second!"

"Sieri. Show us a talent."

"A-A talent?"

Sieri was at a loss seeing the surroundings full of a sense of expectation. Setting aside AA and Eve, the servants and knights had also subtly gathered around and were watching. With her face turning bright red, Sieri rolled her eyes before opening her mouth.

"I-I... I will sing a hymn..."

"Alright, that's enough. Everyone. I'm going out for a bit. Aren't you going to give me a greeting for a safe trip?"

It felt like the mood would be utterly ruined if she really sang a hymn, so I decided to cut her off. Sieri looked at me with an expression as if she were facing a savior descended from heaven. I smirked and looked at my surroundings again. Eve, seemingly remembering just then, stared at me and asked.

"So where are you going?"

"Going to see my mother for a bit."

At the mention of my mother, Eve lifted her head and began to roughly estimate her age.

"Let's see, my husband's father is... an elf... and my husband's age is... uh... is she really old?"

"I don't know."

I shrugged my shoulders and shook my head. Sieri also shrugged her shoulders, seemingly having never seen my mother either. Eve asked.

"You said only a region you've visited once gets registered, so does she live in Ahildern?"

"Well... I guess?"

She was in the Southern Region of the continent, not Ahildern, but I decided to skip the bothersome explanation. There were only a few things I needed to ask my mother anyway. What the hell happened in my past, and what kind of person 'I' actually was. Knowing just that was enough. Eve said.

"Should I go with you?"

"Well, it's not like I'm going to give a greeting today. I'm going because I have business before the subjugation. I'll be back soon. Probably tomorrow? I'll probably be back by tomorrow. Just wait here."

"Alright. You have to come back soon, okay?"

After saying that, Eve turned her gaze back to the swimming pool. There was about a month left until we went to the Eastern Plains, so I planned to quickly go meet my biological mother and come back in the meantime. AA asked.

"By the way, Sir Priest. You said that carriage originally took about ten days to charge. And you used up all the magic stones previously."

"That's why I ordered magic stones through Soya. The charging efficiency isn't as good as what I originally use... but it still charges to some extent."

To normally charge the carriage of Alio Festa, it took an amount of magic stones equal to a month's budget of the territory. Thanks to that, the trunk of the carriage was stacked full of magic stones. The loss was painful to the bone, but it was worth it. This was better than asking Ati to give me another one. That was a bit too Deorgon-esque.

"I'll be going now, then."

"Have a safe trip."

Sieri smiled and waved her hand. I also smirked at Sieri and pulled the lever. In an instant, the world scattered dizzily, and the carriage dropped to the ground with a thud.

I scratched my head and looked at my surroundings. This place was a massive cliff. The ground was covered in dirt, as if an original road had been carved away. I pulled my feet out of the unpleasant ground where even the carriage wheels were sinking deeply, and forcefully took a step.

"What is this smell, fuck."

I grabbed my nose and frowned. The smell of rotten eggs came from all directions. Steam was rising from the ground. Getting closer to it made the acrid smell even thicker. It seemed like the entire neighborhood was covered in gas. I decided to drag the carriage and get out of this region first. After backing the carriage all the way to the rear, I was able to reach a region where the land was flat and the gas was thin. Just in case, I dragged the carriage all the way to a cave in the foothills and hid it.

It was a region overflowing with so much gas that just smelling it made my head dizzy. If the carriage exploded, the way back would be hopeless, so I had to handle it with the utmost caution. I shoved the magic stones into the battery and took my steps back to the place I had arrived at just a moment ago.

Dark green mud covered everywhere. When I subtly looked down the lower part of the cliff, thick smoke was endlessly surging up from the ground. The smoke rising from the ground was high-concentration methane gas, completely different in quality from the smoke rising in the surroundings.

I shook my head and continued taking steps forward. A person lived in a place like this? There was no way Salina would have told such a lie. The Oath of Meiga was just that absolute. However, it was a hard fact to believe that the human Lucius's biological mother was living here.

"Who is it?"

I heard a voice muffled by a stuffy mask. When I turned my head, a woman with her face covered by a bandana was standing there. Her sturdy build and tall stature, looking like she could have lived as a tavern keeper in Russia, made me doubt her race, but as a result of checking the status window, she was definitely a woman.

[Name: Peta Marina

Affiliation: Last Resident of the Sulfur Zone]

And she was also a woman bearing the surname 'Peta'. I waved my hand at her, who was steeped in vigilance, and spoke.

"M-Mother?"

"...Peta Lucius?"

She called my name in a calm tone. I nodded my head. Her tiger-like eyes were suddenly full of concern. She seemed to have a lot she wanted to say to me. However, with a blunt tone fitting her steadfast appearance, she pointed to the end of the valley and spoke like this.

"For now, let's go up and talk."

I followed her and went up the path. A small cabin could be seen at the edge of the valley. Peta Marina asked me as we climbed the mountain path.

"Isn't the smell of the neighborhood awful?"

"Thinking about meeting my mother, it just smells fragrant."

Peta Marina didn't give a single word of reply to my flattery. Fuck, did I overdo it? Even so, was calling the smell of sulfur fragrant an unreasonable move? I thought Peta Lucius would have spoken like this.

"...For what reason did you come?"

Peta Marina asked me when we had climbed about halfway up the valley. I decided to answer honestly.

"By coincidence in Ahildern, I learned the fact that I was under something called the Oath of Meiga."

"...I see."

Peta Marina's shoulders twitched and trembled. Her tone was feigning calmness, but emotional agitation could be seen. She knew something. It seemed I was finally getting a glimpse of a clue about 'my' past.

"Do you know about the Oath of Meiga?"

"I know. But, wouldn't it be better to go visit your father's grave before that?"

"My father's grave?"

Salina had told me that Sirius's grave was here. If those words were a fact, there was no reason not to go. Because there could have been some hints hidden in the grave as well. Behind Peta Marina's blunt voice, her muscular arm pointed to the end of the valley once again. Her finger was pointing to the rear of the small cabin.

"Yes. Sir Peta Sirius's grave. Would you go up first?"

"Yes. Understood."

After saying that, she went inside the cabin. I waited in front of the door for a moment, then saw a cross stuck in the ground at the end of the valley at the rear of the cabin and took my steps. There lay the grave of a man who once saved humanity from the Demon King. The name Peta Sirius was attached to the shabby cross. Was this really the grave of that hero? I looked to my rear.

Peta Marina's figure could be seen through the window. She was reading something before crumpling it and throwing it, then walked out through the back door to where I was. She was wearing a thick coat, and her walking footsteps looked very heavy.

"Sir Sirius is buried below this valley. We ground his bones and scattered them in the valley. Lucius. Won't you pray with me? Let's talk after that."

There was no reason I couldn't do that for her. As I approached the end of the valley, she slightly trembled her body. When I stopped ambiguously, Peta Marina spoke.

"Go a little further forward. You have to show your face to your father."

I was not a fool. Peta Marina looked desperate. Her body was trembling slightly, and her pupils were shaking. I cautiously took one more step forward.

"More."

Another step.

"More... go further..."

And the moment I took another step forward,

Sizzle.

I heard the sound of a fire being lit from my rear. When I turned my head, Peta Marina, who had thrown her coat into the empty space, lunged at me. She had explosives wrapped round and round her body.

"Die! Demon! On behalf of Sir Sirius, I will... you...!"

The fuse was lit. I quickly rolled my body and dodged her. Soaring up into the empty space, Peta Marina stared at me with a bewildered face as she floated in the air. She reached her hand out to me and screamed.

"Noooooooooo!!!"

Along with her scream, Peta Marina's figure disappeared into the valley. A moment later, a blue flare flashed brightly within the thick methane gas, and a single massive pillar of fire surged up, beginning to spew flares in all directions. I could only stare with a dumbfounded face at the flames that looked like the river of hell overflowing.