"Fufu, do your mother and I resemble each other that much?"
…I might have made her uncomfortable. It probably doesn't feel great to hear, "I'm being nice to you because you look identical to my mom."
"It makes me happy, though. I, too, lived as a mother of two…"
"…Were they wonderful children?"
I intentionally press a little deeper. Wanting to let her express even a fraction of her feelings for those who passed away, I dare to ask the impolite question.
"Yes, very much so. My son, well…"
She speaks with joy. Her son was wild, mischievous, and possessed Herculean strength. Once he went into the mountains, he wouldn't come back, causing her endless trouble. On top of that, he was awkward and constantly running away from his mother. Even so, he would give her flowers on her birthday… He was a kind son, she says.
"…He's just like him…"
He sounds just like Kintoki-anii. Paradoxically, it makes me feel sad. To lose a son she can remember so vividly to war…
"..."
"Fufu, he must be happy that you're mourning for him. My daughter, well…"
She says her daughter was abandoned, and she took her in and raised her. She was a daughter who smiled often, spoke clearly and directly, and was a lively girl who could become friends with anyone. However…
"It took a great deal of effort until she opened her heart. She was always busy reading my expressions, wondering what she should do, what she must accomplish. She surely thought that unless she made herself useful, she wouldn't be loved. …I patiently kept telling her that no reason is needed for someone to love another."
…It's so similar. It's far too similar. Because it was so identical, I couldn't help but ask.
"What was her name?"
Yori-san looked up at the sky mournfully and spoke.
—Ritsuka [立香]. A name given with the wish that she would be an elegant, beautiful girl, like rising incense [立ち上る香].
…Hearing that name, I felt a little… happy. In spite of myself, I rejoiced.
That no matter the place, Mother is still Mother, striving to be a mother to those who do not know love. That simple fact filled me with joy.
Just like Mother did for me on that day. Just like that day she swore that she loved me.
…If possible, I wanted to stay together a little longer. At least by her side until the wounds in her heart healed. But… I can't do that.
The Mother who told me she loved me is a different existence. Her beloved daughter is no longer in this world. Besides, I can't stay by Yori-san's side forever. Parting is inevitable.
"…Are you crying?"
Before I realized it, tears were falling. Is it because of my own helplessness, unable to do anything for her wounded heart? Are these tears out of frustration?
"Thank you. For crying on my behalf. It feels as though my daughter has been brought back to life."
Gently, she wipes away my tears. She said those words and smiled at me.
"Taking my meeting with you as encouragement, I shall try my best. Perhaps you were a messenger sent by God to give me a push on the back."
Saying so, Yori-san smiled warmly at me. A soft smile devoid of any somber expression.
…Drawn in by Yori-san, I ended up smiling too. Even if she wasn't my Mother, even if she was a different existence…
The fact that you, who shared the exact same way of being as my Mother, smiled at me… made me so deeply happy.
~
The sun sets, and the sky turns into a twilight glow. It's about time we must return to the hermitage.
"It's time to say goodbye, isn't it?"
Strength fills the hand I hold. To be honest, I'm anxious. Won't some bad person take advantage of her? To be honest, I want to stay by her side longer. But…
I have a home to return to, and I have everyone waiting for me. If we can't stay together forever, I shouldn't drag out the parting.
"Yeah. …Thank you so much for today."
It was fun. It had been a long time since I spent time without a mission, without a duty. It was truly a tranquil time.
"Likewise. I shall never forget your kindness."
Vigor has returned to her eyes. She'll surely be alright now. I believe so. If she fought as a mother of two, she will surely find a new way to live.
"Well then, see you."
Releasing her hand, just as I turn to leave the town—
"Lastly, just two things. Please, do not forget them."
Words are offered to my back. Without turning around, I listen to her words over my shoulder.
"No matter what happens, your mother loves you. Please, never forget that."
Those words were filled with affirmation and affection. Asking me to please believe in her feelings for me.
"And… as for the second thing."
Without turning around, I receive her words.
"No matter what happens… a mother will never resent you. Please, do not forget that."
Hearing those two things, I couldn't help but turn around. They were far too identical. Because they were completely, utterly the same.
To the Mother who stays by my side every day. To my second Mother… who taught me what it means to be parent and child.
"——!"
I ended up turning around. Even though I had decided not to look back. Even though I had accepted that she wasn't my Mother.
The castle town was dyeing in the crimson sky. Yori-san, who had been watching my back from the thoroughfare, was nowhere to be found.
"…"
…There is nothing, no one. Feeling the faint trace that someone had been there, I turn on my heel and leave the town behind. Riding the Dragon Knight, I press forward.
[Let's go, Ruler-sama.]
『—Indeed. She was no threat. That was merely a mother.』
Carrying Ruler-sama's words in my heart, I set off on the Dragon Knight.
Quietly savoring that fleeting, momentary encounter…
"...Goodbye, Rikka."
(The reason why I, implanted with karmic destiny, could walk through the town without slaying a single person was because you were by my side. You are always so kind and so strong, aren't you?)
"…I must not hesitate. What stands in this place is merely a husk, a single ogre masquerading as your mother. There is no need for your heart to ache, nor is this anything but a beast that you ought to strike down. Ah, but still—"
(You will surely be troubled by it, won't you? Slaying this monster wearing a husk with the same appearance and the same voice.)
"…No, it is fine. It is quite fine, Rikka. It is precisely you—precisely you whom I wish to bring down the curtain upon me. Following Kintoki, it is you—the one and only who looked up to me as a mother."
(So… Rikka. Do not waver. Please, please… handle the aftermath of this husk, of this body that can no longer be stopped… I leave it in your hands.)
"…Your mother is Minamoto-no-Raikou in Chaldea, and she alone. Please do not waver, and strike me down without fail…—"
『—Master.』
[Yeah.]
『—Are words unnecessary?』
[…Yeah. I won't waver.]
『...—You are a strong child, Master.』
[—Thank you, Ruler-sama.]
(…Mother. Thank you.)
Hermitage
"…Man, this is a real head-scratcher."
『A Great Katana Laden with Divine Energy』
『A Jet-Black Katana Bearing a Blood-Stained Temper Line』
"…It's great that I realized I could forge swords using a bounded field, sure. But the problem is… I ended up crafting two Meitou Cursed Blades…"
『Doujigiri Yasutsuna』
"Did my hammer slip after laying eyes on a National Treasure…? These are way too heavy for that girl to swing…"
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