Chapter 4 – Hidden Past
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Beast god Zoras had three wolf heads, a human body, and a lion tail. He was worshipped as the protector god of beastman race.
The history of his religion was long. It was actually even olrder than Europa religion.
The religion spread in an extremely limited fashion because the god’s believer was a minority race, but Orebro’s shrine maintained a vast influence at least in this Nordland.
By the way the beast god Zoras at the neighboring country Gartlake had cat ears. Although all the beastmen were considered as a single beastman race, they were generally divided into dog ear race and cat ear race at the present time.
The statue of god Zoras here was around ten meters in size. Baldr and Ernst were facing each other in front of it.
「Choose your weapon. It’s also alright to use magic, but please don’t use magic in too wide range. Fight in a way that you two can hold up your head with pride. Zoras-sama is watching this battle.」
Both sides chose sword as their weapon. Both of them had spear as their main weapon as a knight, but as expected sword was the most suitable option for this kind of duel.
「A son of Cornelius, Baldr Antrim Cornelius!」
「Ernst Waldmann.」
「Be ready」
「Here I come!」
Both sides tilted their head to each other in a salute before Ernst leaped.
Ernst closed the distance in an instant using the agility that was distinctive of a beastman. Baldr dodged by lowering his stance extremely lowly. Their swords crossed while they passed each other. *Clang* The exchange produced a clear sound.
「Splendid.」
「You too.」
Looking closer, there was a trace of light scratch on Baldr’s shoulder.
Baldr was unable to completely dodge the attack. It made him recognized the height of Ernst’s body strengthening. At the same time Ernst reevaluated Baldr’s true strength after he was unable to deal damage on Baldr who wasn’t using magic.
It could be said that they were about equal at the first exchange.
「Baldr! Do your best!」
Selina cheered at Baldr with worry. Beside her was Gustav who was cheering for Ernst inside his heart.
He didn’t want to turn Baldr into enemy politically, but he couldn’t help but wishing that the love of his likable retainer would come true.
Even so his eyes were wide open in astonishment that Baldr was able to fight Ernst evenly.
As a margrave, Baldr’s ability to lead was more important than the martial prowess to fight at the frontline. Even so history had proved that many generals could display their charisma more when they excelled in both commanding and fighting valorously.
Gustav could see that it wasn’t just for show that Baldr was able to miraculously obtain victory against Haurelia.
(As I thought, this is the caliber of a hero……)
There was no way for hero to be born in a peaceful time. The first cry of the birth of a hero would only be heard in the middle of turbulent times.
If Baldr really had the destiny of a hero, then the wars still wouldn’t end yet.
Was his next opponent going to be Trystovy, or Answerer, or perhaps some other country? Either way Gustav renewed his thought that he absolutely didn’t want to turn this man into enemy.
「What’s wrong? Is that all you’re going to do?」
Baldr silently sheathed his sword toward Ernst’s question.
If Baldr used the magic of optical camouflage or friction manipulation, it would be easy to defeat Ernst who had no experience facing such tricks.
The side who got taken by surprise would be the loser in an even fight like this.
Even if Ernst could ready himself against magic like wind scythe or fire ball, his power of imagination would be unable to oppose Baldr’s magic that made use of knowledge from earth.
However Baldr wanted to win without using that kind of magic.
In a duel, such wish could be said as an unnecessary composure. Perhaps it could even be said that Baldr was being negligence to not use every trick in his bag.
In fact, Ernst’s irritation was fanned up seeing Baldr wasn’t trying to use magic at all other than body strengthening.
Even now he was within the top five among the knights in Nordland. He also had the confidence that one day he would be crowned with the title of the strongest. Of course he was aware of his own inexperience, but he wasn’t so weak that his opponent could look down and go easy on him.
「I’m asking you one more time. Is this all you’re going to do?」
「Enough talk!」
Baldr replied decisively. Ernst too hardened his resolve.
If that how Baldr replied, he would crush him with everything he had. If as the result Ernst’s engagement with Selina wouldn’t be annulled, that was a disaster that Baldr himself asked for.
「I won’t listen to any excuse of your defeat then!」
Ernst circulated power through his whole body.
「UOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!」
Ernst’s muscles bloated up along with his howl. His hair stood on ends as though static electricity was generated on his body.
This phenomenon was unique to beastman race. It was called Transformation.
It was different from human’s body strengthening using mana. This Transformation temporarily heightened vitality to display power that surpassed the limit. This power wasn’t at all inferior to body strengthening.
Beastman race already possessed superior basic specs even at normal time. Added with this Transformation, this was the reason why the boasted overwhelming superiority in close-range combat against human.
If Baldr continued to not use magic, he would be simply trounced in front of the overwhelming difference in physical ability. Gustav also thought the same. He wondered what was making Baldr hesitated to use magic.
Ernst used a rapid footwork to pressure Baldr, but Baldr wasn’t moving as though his feet were rooted to the ground.
(Then I’ll simply defeat you!)
However the instant Ernst decided to leap into Baldr’s range, his natural instinct made his feet stopped moving.
It felt as though a sword was sending an invisible slash toward him.
His spine shivered. It convinced Ernst that Baldr wasn’t holding back by any means. Baldr’s strange stance with his sword sheathed surely had a significant reason to it.
(……What now?)
Even so there was no option for Ernst to simply stand and watch as he was right now.
His physical ability was already surpassing his opponent. Beastman wasn’t a defensive race who would choose to defend because of cowardice. Going into offensive belligerently was the characteristic of beastman race.
Then he could only advance. No matter what kind of danger was waiting for him.
(He has grown even though I haven’t seen him only for a short time. Being young is really nice.)
Gina accurately evaluated the increase of sharpness in Ernst’s movement and the height of his danger perception.
People who were able to detect danger instinctually was few, especially at this young age.
Even so, Gina’s gaze was fixed on Baldr’s stance of stillness.
(What kind of thing he has gone through to be able to take such stance in such age?)
Setting aside the technical aspect, Gina had seen through that Baldr’s stance was something that had been polished through many long years.
She had also seen through just how much time was needed to master such stance.
Since some time ago, Bald looked like a veteran warrior whose skill had matured in Gina’s eyes.
Ernst accelerated and circled to the left, the opposite side of Baldr’s dominant arm.
In a glance, it looked like Baldr couldn’t keep up with Ernst’s acceleration.
The diameter of the movement Baldr took should be smaller , but his reaction bit by bit was lagging behind Ernst’s movement that was moving through larger diameter.
(It’s pointless. You can’t perceive me by sight anymore!)
Ernst finally got out of Baldr’s field of vision completely and he was assured of his victory.
(You’re too naïve if you think you can win without magic!)
Ernst slashed from behind, a completely blind spot of Baldr. It was difficult for Baldr to dodge it when his speed was inferior.
Baldr didn’t show any sign of turning around. Ernst swung down his sword without the slightest hesitation but──.
「Ura no Battoujutsu, San no Hou, Sakamaki.」
In an instant, Baldr pushed his sword handle with all his strength. His sheath struck out in accelerating speed.
The sword he was using wasn’t Japanese katana, but he wasn’t drawing out katana from the sheath, he was drawing the sheath away from the katana. This strange technique of sword drawing art was something that Baldr had learned with his body.
──It was a story when Gamou Ujisato’s territory was still located at Isekameyama.
While Hayashizaki Kazuke was traveling throughout the country, he visited Ise by chance and taught sword to Gamou Clan members at that time.
Oka Sanai was still a newbie in Gamou Clan at that time. He was also one of the people who received that sword teaching.
Later on Hayashizaki Jinsuke would be called as the pioneer of art of sword drawing and also the inventor of Hayashizaki Dream Style. Oka Sanai learned many techniques from him. (TN: Looks like this Hayashizaki Jinsuke is the ancestor of Kazuki in Magika, lol)
This was a proof that Sanai was also outstanding as a swordsman too.
Art of sword drawing that was represented by battoujutsu would display peerless strength especially in a one-on-one duel where its practitioner was at the defensive and had seen the move the attacker made. However there was no way a beatman of Nordland could possibly be aware of this.
Baldr’s sheath surged from below and swept aside Ernst’s sword. Then he reversed his wrist like a swallow in flight and struck hard on Ernst’s neck.
「Stupid disciple. I have always warned him to pay attention of the distance.」
Ernst received Baldr’s attack in an almost defenseless state. Gina muttered in displeasure seeing that.
The power of the counter was also greater because Ernst was moving really fast. Ernst was slammed on the floor fiercely and he could only groan there.
Even he himself was unable to grasp what had happened.
An attack came from a place where there should be nothing just when he thought he had won.
Even though it should have been beaten into him that the most dangerous time for a swordsman was at the moment when they were convinced of their victory.
Ernst bit his lips in frustration at his own immaturity.
But, Baldr who should have won completely was looking gloomy instead as though he was the one who lost.
Even though he had just reproduced a technique within Sanai’s memory as perfectly as possible, as expected that old man still wouldn’t wake up.
Sanai’s memory had been asleep since the battle against Haurelia was over.
Masaharu would still respond to Baldr’s call even if half-heartedly, but Sanai’s memory had kept being buried in the deep part of Baldr’s consciousness where his call couldn’t reach. Sanai was continuing to refuse interfering to the real world anymore.
Baldr was unable to forget the sensation when he spent time together with Sanai’s consciousness. It made the feeling of lost to be even deeper than he expected.
「It’s over, Lord Baldr is the winner.」
Gina raised her hand high and announced the end of the short but deep battle.
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「──It’s my complete defeat. I never thought I would be taken down without any use of magic at all. I realized that I’m still very inexperienced from this.」
Baldr naturally grasped the hand that Ernst offered.
「I can’t win against you in speed and power. So I had no choice but to stay still and wait for the right timing.」
Besides Baldr wouldn’t be victorious if he didn’t have the knowledge and experience that he inherited from Sanai.
Baldr honestly recognized that Ernst was far superior than him in the field of body strengthening.
Gustav who was watching the match of martial arts that were exchanged before his eyes couldn’t suppress the excitement that was burning his body. His whole body shivered.
For Gustav who had never seen Gina or Selina’s martial prowess at their heyday, the match between Baldr and Ernst felt like a drama that was taking place in a legend.
It felt like he was clearly showed a height that was impossible to be reached with his personal martial skill.
On the other hand, Gina’s excitement also wasn’t at all inferior compared to Gustav. She never even imagined that Baldr would overwhelm Ernst completely using only technique.
If she liberated that that for someone with this kind of skill, how strong would Baldr become?
Gina was trembling from imagining that.
「Splendid. It was a splendid battle. Surely the beast god Zoras-sama is also pleased by such display.」
Gina’s eyes squinted fondly and she embraced Baldr’s shoulders appreciatively.
The warmth of Baldr’s skin made Gina got a faraway look from her remembrance of the past.
「There is no choice for me but to accept the annulment of the engagement after you showed a fight of such level. Please take a good care of Selina.」
Ernst also placed his hand on Baldr’s shoulder with a refreshed expression.
The time for him to end the first love that he had been keeping for so long in his heart had come.
His heart would shake even now when he thought of Selina, but it didn’t fit Ernst’s nature to regretfully chase after an unrewarded love.
Ernst entrusted Selina to Baldr with a flood of emotions and a drop of tear.
「Please make Selina happy……」
「I promise, even if it cost me my life.」
Baldr and Ernst shook each other’s right hand without any prompting.
Selina was overcame with emotion and covered her face with both hands. She crouched down and sobbed.
This was also the moment when the first love from her childhood was over in its truest meaning for her too.
「──Lord Baldr, there is a secret about the beastman race that I have to explained to you now that the engagement is annulled. I’m sorry, but please you visit me one more time at night.」
Gina silently told Baldr that with a determined gaze.
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The inside of the gloomy room of the shrine was illuminated with only a single swaying fire of a candly.
Gina was sitting at the window’s sill. Her shadow was stretching long on the floor like a tall withering tree.
Gina let out a long sigh and recalled her memory of the long past.
「Is this also destiny……」
It was a miraculous probability like the possibility of finding a lost jewel at the desert. Something like this wasn’t an accident any more but a type of inevitability.
Most likely Baldr’s arrival here was that kind of thing.
「──Have I made you wait?」
「No, the elderly’s sense of time is vague.」
Gina chuckled in respond to Baldr’s tense voice.
Gina still looked hale and hearty without looking like her condition had declined at all. Baldr shrugged in astonishment.
「And? What is your reason calling me here alone?」
「Fumu, I should have told ou that it’s about a secret of the engagement annulment though?」
「Only Ernst and Selina would believe something like that. His majesty Gustav has definitely noticed something.」
「Well, I guess I owe a favor to his highness with this then.」
Gina coughed and changed her speaking tone.
「Baldr, are you planning to ask your mother about Marguerite?」
Baldr couldn’t read Gina’s intention for suddenly bringing up the heart of the matter like this.
He wondered if Gina actually knew about the relationship of Maggot and Marguerite.
Even so he hesitated to talk to Gina about the possibility of the two names belonging to one person. This matter was already not something that would affect Baldr alone.
「……I guess it can’t be helped that you can’t answer that question. But I can guarantee this, your mother will surely feign ignorance. What are you going to do then?」
「T-that’s──」
Baldr noticed for the first time after Gina told him that.
Maggot most likely kept her background a secret even toward Ignis until now.
『Marguerite? You think someone like me is really a princess?』
The figure of Maggot playing stupid like that flashed at the back of Baldr’s mind.
That scene was certainly very likely to happen.
「That girl hate her own bloodline. You can even say that she loathe it. That’s why she absolutely won’t allow her cherished son to inherit this matter. Even though she look like that, she is a girl with deep emotion.」
「How can you know my mother that well? The way you talk, it’s like you are her family or friend.」
「That girl is my granddaughter after all.」
「EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEH!?」
「I’m joking.」
「Please read the atmosphere a bit more!」
It made him thought that this beastman head priestess was his great granddaughter when she said that. It felt even more real because this person’s atmosphere felt somewhat similar with his mother.
「No, actually it’s not a joke.」
「Haah?」
Was she teasing him?
Baldr was about to run out of patience already. It was then,
「──It’s not like me to act like this. Baldr, have a little match with me. I’ll teach you the truth if you can touch me.」
Gina’s lips twisted. It was like she had broken free from something.
Baldr spontaneously got annoyed by her attitude that was completely looking down on him. No one could blame him.
He had struggled through the borderline between life and death that would even make his deathly battle with Haurelia’s large army looked lukewarm.
Even if Gina was a warrior with the nickname of the Thunder of Helsing, Baldr’s martial prowess shouldn’t be so cheap that she could underestimate him.
「Can I use any method?」
「You won’t be able to even get close to me if you hold back like when you fought that Ernst boy.」
Her tone made it sounded like she was speaking the hard fact.
At the very least Baldr could feel that Gina was convinced of that.
「Then, I won’t hold anything back.」
At the same time when he said that, Baldr changed the air’s temperature and erased himself from Gina’s view. It was a magic that made use of light refraction that he also used when fighting Haurelia.
It was also easy to manipulate his footstep sound if he manipulated the vibration in the air.
People with honest personality like Ernst would be unable to gauge their distance with Baldr and couldn’t display even half of their true strength.
「Naïve, naïve! It’s like you are thinking that opponent will just wait quietly for you.」
Baldr turned around in surprise. There Gina was already stepping out of the room from behind Baldr.
Baldr couldn’t even perceive her until she talked to him. It filled him with an emotion that was similar to fear.
「I wonder if I’m destined to keep meeting monsters.」
Baldr was flooded with an emotion that he couldn’t understand. Perhaps it was resignation, or perhaps it was uneasiness instead. He followed Gina’s back with such feeling.
Gina got out of the small room and headed toward the spacious ritual ground.
Her speed reminded him vividly of a serious Maggot. Baldr could only chase her shadow even though he had strengthened his vision.
(Who is this person……)
If Maggot and Marguerite was a same person, Gina was someone who once defeated that Maggot.
Baldr finally realized that.
Gina turned to face Baldr in front of the status of beast god Zoras.
「I don’t mind even if you give up you know?」
Her brazen grin looked similar with Maggot’s grin just as he thought.
──It was difficult for someone to maintain their will to fight even after witnessing Silver Light Maggot’s true strength. Only two types of people could think that they could keep up with her instantaneous speed, an overconfident person or a crazy person.
But, Baldr was an exception who didn’t belong to either of those types.
「Good eyes. Those are hopeful eyes that are still hiding an ace up your sleeves. Interesting. I’ll tell you this, if your ace doesn’t work against me then it won’t work against Marguerite too you know?」
「I seeso , putting it another way, it will work even against Marguerite if it work against you won’t it?」
Baldr unconsciously made a fearless grin.
It was a godsend that he could test his numerous trump cards that he polished for use against Maggot with an opponent of the same level.
「It has been a long time. It has been a long time since I feel my blood boiling like this!」
Gina also made a similar grin.
Even Liselina or Ernst couldn’t make her blood boil like this.
What was left was to confirm the bottom of Baldr’s strength!
Gina took a deep breath to stockpile oxygen at the bottom of her abdomen and moved.
Her figure vanished from view. Only the sound of her foot kicking on the ground echoed in the ritual ground.
「Friction Zero!」
「DOWAAAAAAAAAH!?」
Gina’s feet slipped in a big way. She crashed on the wall with her accelerated speed. It was Baldr’s magic to erase the friction.
The match would be over if this was used against normal human, but Gina wasn’t normal in every sense of the word.
「……This is really unexpected. If you use this against the Ernst boy, it will be one hit kill.」
Gina was laughing happily instead. Her fierce grin was still fixed on her face──then she accelerated even further.
「What kind of brute force is that!」
Baldr was astonished by how unprecedented his opponent was.
Gina destroyed the stone floor with every single step of her feet to jump around.
Even with the coefficient of friction turned to zero, the physical endurance of the stone floor hadn’t changed. By destroying the floor and driving in the feet into it like a stake, it was possible for her to move with all her strength.
Was this person considering about the aftermath of this fight?
Although Baldr too never thought that he would be able to win with a small trick of this level.
It was most satisfactory already that he could confirm that he could take her by surprise and there was some effect from it.
Perhaps if it was Maggot it was even possible that he would do something even more out of the world than this.
「What’s next? How many more tricks you are still keeping in your sleeves?」
「I don’t have any intention to pointlessly expose my hands.」
There was a chance someone might hear this sound of destruction and came to check the situation.
Baldr dispelled the Friction Zero and calmed his breathing.
He had understood that Gina was undoubtedly equal to Maggot. He couldn’t be stingy with playing his trump cards.
「Hm……? You have given up using magic?」
Baldr’s stance was obviously intended for close-range combat. Gina tilted her head in puzzlement seeing that.
It was impossible for Baldr to surpass Gina in physical ability.
If Baldr wanted to fulfill the victory condition, his only method was to use his magic skillfully or using some kind of technique like when he fought Ernst.
「I’m being underestimated huh.」
Baldr would win if he could touch Gina.
It seemed simple, but catching an opponent who was superior in speed was impossible without considerable experience and technique.
Gina’s age was more than 80 years old and she had survived numerous battles. There was no way her experience and technique were inferior against Baldr.
Gina stopped moving and calmly gazed at Baldr. He ignored her and circulated his mana inside his body.
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Body strengthening was a magic formula to temporarily strengthen the body using mana.
However there was a limit to human’s mana. Flesh body also had a limit in how much mana it could receive.
Because of that partial strengthening to effectively use the limited amount of mana became popular.
It was difficult to control partial strengthening, but Baldr had mastered it to a degree where he could be called as first class.
──Even so it wasn’t enough.
In order to catch up to a monster like Maggot, he wouldn’t be able to catch sight of her back unless he went up two levels above such common method.
He didn’t know how but, Maggot’s godspeed was in a domain that surpassed the limit that was possible for human.
What could he do in order to catch up to that?
Perhaps because Baldr had three souls inside him from the addition of Sanai and Masaharu, he boasted an abnormal amount of mana for a single human.
The result of Maggot thoroughly tormenting Baldr’s body since his childhood was also bearing fruit along with the growth of Baldr’s body.
The method that Baldr thought was strengthening a body that was already strengthened with another magic formula, a double strengthening. It was a reckless plan that would tear apart his whole body if he made a single mistake.
It was a recklessness that was like piling up a roof over another roof.
(I’m not gonna catch up to Kaa-san unless I’m that reckless!)
「Over Boost!」
──*Shiver*, a chill assaulted Gina.
It was a feeling of terror that she last experienced dozens of years ago when she fought Marguerite. Gina accepted that feeling together with a joy.
(To think he can make me tremble like this at this stage! Then I too have to respond with all my strength!)
Gina kicked on the floor to accelerate to her greatest speed.
Her speed was truly like a silver light. It only looked like there was a light running.
「GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!」
Baldr’s magic could only be maintained for a short time around several dozen seconds.
Baldr also turned into silver light that chased after Gina. His godspeed was equal to Gina. No, perhaps Gina was just a bit faster than him.
But──.
(How is he catching up to me?)
Even though Gina was doing her best to open up the distance, Baldr was still closing the distance. She was unable to hide her bewilderment.
She was being approached closer even though their speed was the same. That meant Baldr’s technique was surpassing her.
There was no way a teenage like Baldr had technique at such level.
(As I thought──she is similar.)
Baldr had fought Maggot so many times he got fed up of it. On the other hand Gina hadn’t fought anyone who could be called a formidable enemy for dozens of years.
Furthermore the mannerism of Gina and Maggot’s movements was similar. It became a great advantage for Baldr.
It was like a nightmare for Gina. After all the movement of her who was Baldr’s senior was being predicted completely.
Baldr’s hand was finally about to reach Gina’s shoulder. It was there Gina was about to counterattack reflexively, but she froze.
She would lose if she got touched, so why was she going to touch Baldr instead?
However it was certainly impossible for her to continue running away at this situation.
So Gina decided to at least land an attack, but this time Baldr was the one who reached his time limit when Gina was making such decision.
「Muguh!」
For some reason Baldr crashed on Gina’s chest while both side’s speed wasn’t matching each other. His face got buried into Gina’s breasts that were large in contrast to Maggot.
「──What a sloppy way to end this but, it’s my defeat.」
Gina muttered that sentence, then she put her hands around Baldr’s back lovingly and hugged him tightly.
Normally Baldr would turn red and got away immediately, but for some reason he was unable to resist. He was unable to grasp at Gina’s hand that was gently caressing his head.
He wondered if he also felt like this when Maggot hugged him at his childhood.
「……I wonder what kind of destiny is this……to think I’m going to make not only my grandchild, but even my great grandchild to shoulder this kind of fate……」
Baldr lifted up his head. Gina’s words made him convinced of his speculation.
「Yeah, Marguerite is my granddaughter.」
Gina took off the hood that was covering her head.
「Eh?」
Baldr reflexively let out a disarrayed voice and his eyes were opened wide.
On Gina’s head wasn’t a beastman’s dog ears, but normal ears that weren’t any different from human.
Gina fiddled with her own ears shyly and said.
「Well, the people closest to me know about this, but since I got an exaggerated nickname like Thunder of Helsing and became famous, it will create bad rumor if I don’t cover this up.」
「I get that but, the problem here isn’t that!」
Why was Gina’s ears looked like human ears?
She was the head priestess of a beast god shrine. The blood of beastman should definitely flow inside her.
Furthermore that bloodline should be considerably thick and strong blood.
「Both my father and mother are beastman, but my grandfather is human. I’m what you called a quarter.」
「So this is, something like atavism?」
Gina nodded.
「A half who is born between a human and a beastman generally will inherit the beastman’s trait. Selina is a good example of that. That is also the reason why human avoid marriage with beastman.」
Even if the love between a young human and beastman was recognized, if the child that was born between them was a beastman, it would be something unbearable for a distinguished family with long history.
Even in this Nordland where many beastmen were living, marriage between beastman and human was exceedingly rare. In other countries where beastman’s status in society was low, such marriage was almost nonexistent.
Of course exception could be found anywhere.
Like Selina’s father Massoud.
「However based on the information that I know, around one of ten children born from such marriage will inherit the human side’s trait instead. Well, this kind of case isn’t really a problem though……」
「So Gina-san is one of the few exceptions who inherited human trait?」
「No.」
Gina’s expression changed.
「What I’m going to say from now is a secret that is passed down to only few people even among the beastman race. You have the qualification to hear it, but you must never leak it to other people no matter what. Even if it’s Selina, you must not told her.」
If Baldr didn’t swear to keep it a secret, she wouldn’t tell him anything. Gina’s glare was telling Baldr that.
「──I swear.」
He had to know about this secret. Baldr’s instinct was telling him that.
He also sensed, that if he didn’t confront the secret that his mother kept hiding, he would only end as a chew toy of fate.
Gina secretly chuckled at how discerning her great grandson was.
It was a joyful matter to be able to confirm how capable someone’s family was.
That would be even truer for someone who didn’t have long to live.
「……Perhaps there isn’t even one in a hundred people who is born with human appearance from a beastman’s lineage. In my knowledge I only know three people at the very least but──」
Gina took a deep breath as though to harden her resolve.
「There are those who are born possessing the special quality of both human and beastman.」
A shiver ran through Baldr’s back.
Maggot’s godspeed that couldn’t possibly be performed with just body strengthening.
The Silver Light’s speed that surpassed the limitation of human couldn’t be explained simply as talent. So where did such feat come from?
Baldr felt like he could see the answer.
「Normally the people who are born with such thing will carry on with their life without even noticing that they have such capability. Only very few beastman priests are able to liberate that special quality of beastman within a human. It was my grandmother who did it for me.」
Baldr was gasping for oxygen as though the air was growing thin.
All the puzzle pieces were slotted into their places with a snap.
He had imagined it but, Baldr couldn’t help but fearing to accept that fact.
「Once it get liberated, that power will become something that outdo even beastman’s Transformation. This power is called King’s Gate. This is the reason I’m extolled as the strongest of the beastman race. Although I was unable to use magic because my King’s Gate was liberated late.」
Baldr asked while being aware that his voice was cracking pathetically.
「──And, Gina-san, did you liberate Marguerite’s King’s Gate?」
「It was hard to believe but, that girl’s King Gate was already liberated when I met her. Though it was an incomplete liberation from something forced.」
For some reason tears spilled out from Baldr’s eyes even though he shouldn’t be feeling sad.
「And──is Marguerite, my mother Maggot?」
Gina nodded deeply with a terribly pained expression.
「So that girl is still introducing herself with that name……」
What a pitiful granddaughter. Even though the responsibility that she was feeling wasn’t because of her fault no matter what she said.
Gina vividly recalled the cold eyes of Marguerite who became unable to believe on anything in this world.
Gina closed her eyes and surrendered herself to her reminiscence.
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「This is a story from when I was still young. At that time I was still severely discriminated because I am a quarter. My grandmother was the head priestess, and when I became aware of my surrounding my human grandfather was already gone. Apparently my grandmother forcefully approached my grandfather when he was just passing by.」
Perhaps the genetic of forceful woman was passed down in this family. Such rude thought flashed in Baldr’s mind.
Gina seemed to sense that rude thought and glared fiercely at Baldr before she continued.
「I was full of hubris at that time. I thought of myself as the strongest among beastmen. Other beastmen disliked me because my appearance isn’t any different from human, so I left to travel around and improve my skill through combat. At that time there were still many skirmishes everywhere.」
Anyway, everything felt fresh in her travel at that time.
Each time she encountered a new culture and battle in a new country, she would feel an exaltation that she couldn’t describe with words.
During her travel, no one ever saw through her that she was a beastman.
「At that time Trystovy Kingdom was in a conflict of influence with Sanjuan Kingdom and Answerer Kingdom. They invaded their neighboring country Nedras Kingdom because of that. There I met Count Viktor Pazarov(ヴィクトール-パザロフ), the man who was Marguerite’s grandfather.」
He was a tall and good-looking man, an excellent swordsman, and someone reliable with great caliber as human.
Gina’s heart that was never disarrayed until then was throbbing fiercely just from her staring at Viktor.
──It was her first love.
Although Viktor was a fair-skinned handsome man, he was also a dauntlessly courageous general in the battlefield. Even Gina became obsessed with him.
「Of course I was only looking at him from afar because our status was too different. But we never knew what will happen in this world. Answerer Kingdom set about in earnest and interfered into the conflict, because of that Nedras’s nobles that finally surrendered to Trystovy Kingdom turned traitor and Viktor became isolated in the middle of enemies. There were only enemies around him and even his few guards were taken down one after another. At that time I was watching over Viktor because I thought that something like that might happen.」
「In other words you were stalking him. Yandere girl will get hated you know?」
「Viktor told me that he love me so everything is alright!」
Baldr understood a little now where did Maggot’s jealous personality come from.
「A-anyway! I barely saved Viktor’s life. Later on I heard that Viktor also knew about my reputation and apparently he was thinking to recruit me to be his aide one day. Since that day, I became Viktor’s squire.」
At that time Gina was a beautiful and lovely woman. It was a fact and not just her conceit.
She also often got insulted that she wasn’t womanly from others who were jealous and harassed her, but she extinguished all hostilities toward her with her strength. No knight or soldier was a match against Gina, not even one of them.
And then Viktor suppressed the rebellion and returned to his homeland Trystovy Kingdom with his military achievements.
「──After that……various things happened and I got pregnant, but the children who were born were twin children of human and beastman. Normally a beastwoman who inherited human trait would also give birth to human, but it seems the bestman blood in me is too thick. Also in the first place only a fourth of my blood is human blood.」
Gina looked bashful like a maiden even though she was a grandma whose aged had gone past 80. It convinced Baldr. This woman definitely pushed down Count Viktor and assaulted him.
Of course, it was a fact that Viktor was devoured by Gina.
「You know, Viktor told me that he doesn’t care that I’m a beastman, so let’s marry……but Viktor’s status was too high for us to do that. A capable man like Viktor grew to be a great man with influence that could even form his own faction in the kingdom. I was in love with him, but exactly because of that I couldn’t bear to crush his future.」
Gina obstinately refused Viktor’s marriage proposal.
And then she took her son who had beastman trait, Brad(ブラッド) back home to Nordland Empire.
「Actually I also planned to bring my daughter Dahlia back with me. But Viktor insisted to be at least allowed to raise Dahlia who had my looks. I couldn’t sense any indication of beastman from Dahlia, so I entrusted her to him.」
If Dahlia was going to live as a human, then she would be happier to be raised as a daughter of a count rather than coming with Gina.
Gina thought like that at that time.
Viktor also swore that he would definitely make Dahlia happy.
And so Gina said farewell with her fist and last husband with a flood of emotions filling her chest. She went home to her birthplace with Brad who was still a baby in her arms
──While she wished for the happiness of her daughter that she would never meet again anymore in this life.
「Dahlia, forget about mama and be happy.」
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「After that dozens of years passed. My son Brad married and gave birth to Liselina. I too got called with nickname like Thunder of Helsing and before I realized it I got the position of the head priestess of this beast god shrine. I thought that I would grow old like this and die peacefully. It was then. The past that I should have forgotten crossed over time and appeared in front of me.」
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「──Is there a hag named Gina here?」
「What? You bitch, don’t you know how to have manner?」
The furious Liselina intended to lightly twist the arm of this woman who was dressed like a mercenary who suddenly appeared.
Liselina was starting to distinguish herself as the granddaughter of Gina at that time. Her strength was top class even among the beastman race. There was no way she would lose against a mere human girl.
However her expectation was easily betrayed.
Liselina’s jaw was struck with a godspeed punch that she couldn’t even perceive. She then fainted soundlessly.
「Nice skill you have there. There isn’t even three people in this country who can defeat Liselina so easily like that.」
Gina who was watching the two of them realized that the woman’s strength rivaled her.
Even so, she was puzzled by the woman’s lightless eyes.
She thought that this woman might have a grudge against her, but it seemed that wasn’t the case.
「……Are you Gina?」
「That’s right.」
The woman stared at Gina without reservation to evaluate her.
「I see, you’re strong.」
「Are you still going to fight me even then?」
「Sorry but, I won’t be satisfied unless I sock your face once. Keep me company here, I won’t take no for answer.」
Gina wondered how many battlefields this woman had gone through.
The woman who wasn’t even 20 years old yet laughed fiercely like a veteran warrior.
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「My name is Marguerite. The daughter of dahlia flower you discarded at Answerer.」
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Gina was speechless as though she had frozen.
The woman’s martial aura clearly surpassed the average people. And then her magnificent silver hair that grew until her waist certainly looked similar with Gina’s daughter too. And above all else, the woman’s deep violet eyes looked the same like Dahlia’s eyes.
「──Can I ask you why you are coming until this far away?」
「I’ll tell you after I get bored punching your ugly mug.」
The two of them started running as though they had come to an agreement with each other.
Their speed couldn’t be perceived even by well trained soldiers.
The two transformed into a gust of wind as though they had melted into the air. They danced in the air to ascertain each other’s skill, weaved through the trees, and landed on a large empty plot of land.
「There won’t be any hindrance here.」
「I too am getting tired of holding back.」
No matter what kind of emotion was harbored inside their chest, the two of them were excited right now to be able to fight formidable enemy who was their equal.
Gina and Marguerite kicked the ground. They didn’t even try to suppress the grin that had formed on their lips without being aware of it.
──Impact.
If there was a spectator here, they would only be able to see flashes and whirlwind running around.
In less time than it took to blink, Gina had exchanged more than a hundred punches.
(Tsk! This hag, she is fighting with brute force like a hungry demon even though she is so old.)
Human’s stamina would wither along with their increasing age, but their skill would be polished in inverse proportion to that.
Veteran warrior could handle youngster like baby despite their inferior stamina was because they had polished their skill like that.
Even beastman should be unable to escape from this destiny.
However what was this youthfulness that she felt from Gina?
She was attacking like surging waves by taking full advantage of body strengthening as though she was a young woman at her teen. Marguerite felt like she was fighting someone younger than her.
「This is nice, how many years it has been since I last got serious?」
Gina was unleashing hundreds of attacks that would definitely kill the average humans, but Marguerite kept dodging without allowing even one of them landing on her body. Gina was rejoicing in such fight.
The banked fire that was sputtering all this time within her had obtained a fuel in the form of Marguerite. It was blazing fiercely right now inside her.
「I don’t come here to make you satisfied!」
Marguerite howled. An emotion of perhaps malice or hatred, or perhaps an unreasonable emotion that wasn’t either of them was stirring her up.
At the same time, Marguerite’s fighting spirit increased explosively.
Gina’s reaction was slightly late because she went to offensive. Marguerite’s fist struck on her face.
「Guhah!」
「Uguh!」
Even then Gina managed to land her own attack at the same time. Such extraordinary feat could only be called magnificent. But Gina was the one with greater damage because she didn’t brace herself enough.
「Hehe……finally. I got your face!」
Marguerite let out a pure smile, in contrast Gina’s eyes were opened wide in surprise.
「You……your King’s Gate is opened?」
「King’s Gate? What’s that?」
「You are unaware?」
Impossible. Something like that was impossible.
King’s Gate was a dormant organ that a beastman with a lineage close to human would rarely be born with.
It could only be liberated by beastman who was able to do beastman skill Transformation and also knew about the existence of King’s Gate.
At the very least that was the King’s Gate that Gina knew about.
If Marguerite liberated her King’s Gate unconsciously, the battle sense and survival instinct that she had must be something that defy the accepted norms.
「What’s wrong? Are you so surprised your legs are shaking in their boots?」
Marguerite lunged with another punch at Gina who was rooted on the spot.
「──But, it’s still incomplete.」
「What?」
Even though her fist was just about to land, Marguerite only punched empty air without feeling any recoil.
This was the first time Marguerite lost in speed since she obtained this power.
Even while she was realizing that, her instinct detected danger and she threw her body on the ground to dodge Gina’s kick.
「……You have good instinct.」
Not only she had an exceptional martial prowess, she also possessed excellent instinct.
The talent that Marguerite was born with would make any martial artist green with envy. Gina let out a sigh of admiration secretly.
If her words were true, then she was also her granddaughter.
She never expected that another possessor of King’s Gate would appear from her bloodline.
「Really composed aren’t you. That’s irritating.」
「You aren’t an idiot who can’t sense the difference in strength right?」
Gina who had liberated her King’s Gate was superior in physical ability right now. Marguerite’s chance to win was hopelessly low added with her inferior experience and skill.
However Marguerite didn’t choose the option of giving up just because the possibility was low.
That was the reason why she was able to liberate her King’s Gate by her own effort and survived to this day.
「Unfortunately I’m bad in giving up, that’s my only saving grace.」
The gloominess in Marguerite’s chest was still not cleared up. She wouldn’t give up fighting until she could land a satisfactory attack on Gina.
Gina felt that such youthful guts was dazzling.
But, battle wasn’t so lenient that it could be won simply by being obstinate. The possibility of that became endlessly lower when the opponent was someone powerful like Gina.
Gina had to teach that to Marguerite as a strong person who Marguerite likely encountered for the first time.
──The match after that became a one-sided trouncing by Gina.
Speed, power, skill, Gina greatly surpassed Marguerite in all of them. Marguerite only barely won in instinct.
It didn’t take that much time until Marguerite’s beautiful face swelled up unsightly.
(What a woman……)
Gina was astonished by Marguerite who persisted in fighting even now despite barely standing.
At this rate she would get killed.
It was a warrior’s manner to not hold back, but Gina had no intention of killing her own granddaughter.
But, as expected she was at the limit of her stamina.
Light puffed out from Marguerite’s eyes. She lost consciousness and her body pitched forward. Gina completely let down her guard at that moment.
Gina approached Marguerite to treat her heavily wounded granddaughter. It was at that moment,
「THIS DAMN STUPID MOROOOOOOOOOONN!」
Marguerite was clearly unconscious.
Marguerite’s attack simply came from the deep-seated grudge that was clinging at the bottom of her subconscious. It blew Gina off her feet and she spun in the air like a spinning top.
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「……I heard about the story from Marguerite when she woke up. The king of Trystovy fell in love with Dahlia at first sight and took her as his concubine and placed her into the inner palace. But from the perspective of the queen, Pazarov House was a threat that she couldn’t overlook. Dahlia’s acceptance into the inner palace caused a new conflict between factions and in the end Pazarov House lost the factional strife. They were turned into scapegoat and the house ceased to exist. It seemed Viktor also died at that time. Dahlia’s sentence was reduced because she was pregnant with Marguerite and she was sent out to a detached palace where she lived in house arrest.」
Gina looked down with a gloomy sigh.
「I never imagined that Dahlia would be taken as the king’s concubine. She was certainly a lovely girl. I thought she was only going to marry a good man to succeed after the count house, and yet, an unlucky fate befell her.」
If Gina knew that such future was waiting for her daughter, she wouldn’t leave Dahlia behind.
Since then Gina was unable to free herself from that regret.
Her half-baked consideration killed her lover Viktor and ruined the life of her daughter in the end.
The wish to punch Gina that Marguerite harbored was completely justified.
Gina was resolved to be judged for her sin in hell one day.
「However the story didn’t end there. The two of them should have been freed from the power struggle and lived in peace, and yet hostility was directed toward them once more. Most likely──the matter of beastman blood flowing in their vein was exposed.」
At the present time, there was no royal family with beastman blood mixed in their lineage, at the very least that was how it was at the surface.
Even nations like Nordland and Gartlake that tolerated beastman were the same.
If a princess who had a right of inheritance even if it was the lowest, had the blood of beastman flowing inside her, it would become a huge scandal.
「Assassins were sent after them many times. Each time the knight who was assigned to protect Dahlia would repel them. But then the enemy lost their patience and they finally summoned Dahlia and her daughter directly to attend a tea party. Of course the tea party was to poison them.」
「But, Marguerite survived that right?」
From the way the story was progressing, it didn’t look like there was any prospect of surviving such thing.
No matter how skilled of a fighter Marguerite was, it would be difficult to escape such attempt when they had no ally within the palace.
「──It seemed there was a body double. I couldn’t tell you the detail though.」
It seemed it was a really sorrowful circumstance. Marguerite refused to talk to Gina about it.
And then Dahlia quietly accepted her death in order to camouflage her daughter’s death.
As the result, it was announced that Dahlia and her daughter the princess both died from sickness.
「The knight and maid who served Dahlia took Marguerite away over the border. That maid also fell sick because she wasn’t used to the life on the run. Marguerite nursed her until she died before she left to travel. That was what she told me.」
Her mother and a body doubled died for her. And then the maid who was her only remaining family also died. Faced with that, something inside Marguerite changed conclusively.
The way she looked at the world turned cold somewhere inside her. She also thought little of her own life. She became an incarnation of carnage who crushed anyone opposing her without mercy.
That was the Maggot right now who Baldr also knew.
Gina was pained to see her great granddaughter living like that.
However Gina didn’t have any qualification to say anything to her.
Gina let out a self-depreciating smile toward her own powerlessness and her eyes moistened.
「──That girl hasn’t forgiven herself even now. She told me when we parted. That she is throwing away the name of Marguerite. After all she is just a maggot that is infesting a rotten flesh.」
And then Marguerite Pazarov Trystovy became the Silver Light Maggot.
Baldr forgot to even breathe while listening to Gina’s long confession.
The past of his mother that had been wrapped in mystery all this time was far heavier than Baldr imagined.
What should he say to his mother the next time they met?
And then, what should he do now that he had learned about his mother’s past?
Baldr realized that he had only prioritized the question whether his mother was Princess Marguerite or not without thinking any further ahead of it.
(I’m pushing this kind of choice to even my cute great grandson too. Just how far I’m going to fall.)
Gina couldn’t stop talking even knowing the discord in Baldr’s heart.
「I liberated Marguerite’s incomplete King’s Gate. At that time Marguerite also received the baptism of beast god. Her baptismal name is Lisha(リーシャ). It seems to be the name of the maid who raised her in the place of her mother.」
A beastman who received baptism would have their own sign engraved.
It would become enough proof to prove that Maggot and Marguerite were the same person.
「Trystovy’s king presented Dahlia with a sword for self-defense when Marguerite was born. I’m also the one keeping that sword. If you want the proof that she is the princess of Trystovy, you can also ask me to give testimony about Dahlia’s birth.」
Gina continued speaking while being aware of the depth of her own sin.
「Baldr, amazingly you also have King’s Gate inside you. If you wish to be baptized, I’ll liberate your King’s Gate. You will need some time until you get used to it, but if your King’s Gate is liberated, your strength will truly catch up to Maggot or perhaps even surpass her.」
But in that case the things that Baldr would lose would be beyond measure.
The fact that he inherited beastman blood and even got baptized was significant. Furthermore it would also mean that he accepted the reality that he was the first heir to Trystovy’s throne.
「You can also treat it like this never happen. Marguerite will never speak about the truth from herself, and I also promise that I will never leak this secret as long as I’m alive. In that case no one will be able to arrive to the truth.」
Everything was relying on Baldr’s decision.
Gina was perfectly aware that she was pressing Baldr who was still too young to make a harsh decision, even so Gina was unable to make this decision in his place.
However Gina knew that there was no need for that.
She already understood what kind of decision Baldr would make from the start. He was the one who inherited her blood and also Marguerite’s blood.
That was unbearably painful for Gina.
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「Baldr, ya came back really late last night. Have ya slept enough?」
Selina and Agatha slept earlier before Baldr returned late at night. They welcomed Baldr when he got out of his bedroom.
「Morning, Selina, Agatha.」
Baldr’s voice and smile were like usual, but the depth had increased as though he was a different person. The two of them noticed that Baldr had lost the lively air that was the characteristic of a youth.
「Baldr, did something happen?」
「Can I ask the reason of your late return yesterday?」
Baldr didn’t show the slightest agitation even though the two of them pressed him like that.
Baldr’s clear smile made Selina and Agatha felt like they got gently admonished by a father. Their faces unconsciously blushed.
「──Let’s go meet Kaa-san quickly. After that I’ll tell you everything.」
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