Chapter 5 I Hoped Against Hope the Wish Would Not Be Granted. But It Totally Was.
The Cleric Medhi chanted a spell.
“…Spara la magia per mirare… Rianimato!”
Light poured out of the raised staff and rained down on the coffin in front of them.
The coffin opened. Masato was resurrected, and he looked nonplussed.
“Hmm… Underestimating the force of the explosion was quite the miscalculation.”
“Dying from your own plan is certainly something, Sucky Calculation Hero.”
She wasn’t wrong, but he didn’t really need Wise giving him any new names.
“Sorry! I tried too hard when I was making it!” “Oh, no, don’t worry about it.”
If he pressed this point, Porta was also gonna look sad, so he dropped it.
“So…did I miss anything?”
Masato looked around.
They were still in the ninetieth-floor boss room.
Blowing up the magic circle seemed to have counted as beating the boss. The doors were open… And hey, everyone had their gear back. Dang. Never mind. Anyway.
Pocchi was prostrating himself before his mother.
“I can’t apologize enough!” Bow.
“That’s right. If you do something bad, first thing to do is say you’re sorry. Apology accepted.”
Pocchi’s mother wasn’t about to give him a hard time. She gave his Mohawk a ruffle. It reminded Masato of himself and Mamako and was definitely making old wounds ache.
Similar interactions were happening all around them. “Sorry, Mama!” “No, it was my fault, too!” “Mom! Mercy!” “Geez, are you seriously my kid?” Different ways of apologizing and different ways of accepting it, but all of them were ending in smiles.
Looks like the monsterization of the town adventurers had ended well.
“Oh, Ma-kun! You’re alive again! I’m so glad!”
“Augh! Why are you here?! I liked it better when you weren’t!”
Mamako had come racing over and given him a huge hug, squeezing his face relentlessly against her. “Mmff?!” Soft. Warm. Smells nice. Can’t breathe. The definition of a mom hug.
“Gaaaah! Mom! How many times have I asked you not to do that?!”
“Oh, Ma-kun, you don’t need to be embarrassed! You did very well, and you’ve earned yourself a nice relaxing cuddle. Go right ahead and indulge!” She started rubbing his head.
“It’s not an indulgence! And you know I’ve been trying not to indulge! I’ve even been skipping dessert! …Argghh, what am I even talking about?!”
Masato pried himself from Mamako’s grasp.
Time to gather intel. Masato’s party gathered around the Pocchi family.
“Pardon me, Pocchi. Can we talk?”
“Uh, sure… I s’pose I owe you an explanation.”
Pocchi turned from his mother toward them, straightening himself.
“Mom probably explained everything, but basically, I gathered up everyone who’d got away and came back here to take Amante down.”
“Why did you—?”
“Simple. I thought we had to do something about that idiot… Y’know what wish Amante’s tryin’ to have granted up there?”
“Uh, no…”
“Then I’ll tell ya. That idiot’s gonna ask for one thing: ‘I wish there were no mothers in this world.’”
“Huh…?”
Amante wanted to make it so there were no mothers?
Masato was at a loss for words. He just stared at Pocchi in disbelief.
“Stupid, right? But she’s dead serious… And so were we. We had this big fight and ran away, and then we bumped into her and she started tellin’ us about it. She was so excited, and it seemed kinda fun, so we got on board.”
“B-but…you changed your minds, right? You went home and made up with your mothers?”
“Yeah, basically. Thanks to Mamako, we woke up, I guess, and…really missed being home. So we went back, got a looooong lecture, and then Mom started making dinner. Just a simple veggie stir-fry, only soy sauce for seasoning.”
“P-Pocchi! You don’t need to describe it like that! It makes it sound like I’m a lousy cook!”
“What? I didn’t say it was bad. I’m just saying that was my mom’s cookin’,” he said, his smiling face settling his mother down. “That’s right! That’s our cooking. No good or bad about it. It’s what hits home.”
Everyone had a flavor like that in mind.
“And the bath was the same. Not some fancy hot spring. Always way too hot so it’ll still be warm for the next person. But that’s how it always was, how I grew up… Same with the bed. It wasn’t nothin’ fancy, but it was just right. And I was asleep before I knew it.”
The home you grew up in had so many things like that.
You didn’t even have to look. They were just everywhere.
“And I just got to thinking… I dunno how to say this…but…it’s all ’cause of Mom, y’know? Only my mom can do that.”
The food his mom made. The way his mom did things. That’s why it felt so right.
An essence only Mom could provide.
“So if all moms vanished from the world, I couldn’t have that. And I couldn’t let that happen. So…”
“So you came back here to stop Amante from making her wish?”
“I did… We totally messed that up, though.”
They’d ended up turned into monsters and attacking their moms. Pocchi scratched his head, ashamed of himself.
“I never thought it’d get that bad… When we reached the tower, we talked everyone else here into joining us. Ended up with thirty frontline adventurers fighting Amante together. And she turned the tables on us…”
“Huh? …W-wait, you had thirty against one, but you still couldn’t beat Amante?”
“Yeah, exactly… There’s somethin’ weird about her strength… I ain’t talking better stats or nothin’ like that… I think if she wanted to she could totally clear this tower all on her own…”
“Wow, really?”
This last line wasn’t from any of them.
They turned toward the voice…and saw Amante standing in the open doorway. She’d retreated to change clothes and had only just returned.
“I could totally clear this tower all on my own… I could! I’m strong! The hundredth-floor boss can’t do squat to me…in which case…!”
Even though she’d just got here, Amante turned around and ran off up the stairs beyond the door. Was she seriously going for the solo clear?
Then she’d make her wish at the top of the tower…and all mothers in the world would vanish.
They couldn’t let that happen.
“Yo! Wait, Amante! Dammit! We’ve gotta hurry!”
Masato checked on the guild members.
Mamako, Wise, Medhi, Porta, and himself were all ready to go.
But the mothers weren’t looking so hot. They were new to dungeon exploring in the first place, and with the shock of their children’s transformation and attacks, they all seemed exhausted. None of them looked like they were getting up anytime soon. Some were upright only because their kids were supporting them. These moms could never leave like this…
Then Shiraaase, who was looking after them, called out.
“I’ll take care of them. Masato, you and your party go on ahead!”
“Thanks! …But wow, you’re actually cooperating voluntarily?”
“If I do nothing here, then it will be like I only came here to do a striptease on the tower traps. I’ll take advantage of the admin system rights to send everyone else back out of the tower.”
“Glad you weren’t into that sort of thing! …All right, everyone!”
“Okay! Let’s go!”
“We’re totally set! Let’s hurry!”
“I have the perfect item ready! This will let us move faster!”
“Thank you, Porta! That’s so helpful!”
“Great! Come on!”
They ran off through the doors.
“I’m countin’ on you guys!” Pocchi yelled after them, fist raised. “You’re the only ones who can save our moms!”
They ran up the stairs after Amante.
Once the hero’s party was out of sight…
“Now then, one job to do before we move everyone,” Shiraaase muttered. She scanned the floor around her, searching for something nearby…
There—the dark jewel.
“Our first time securing one of these undamaged. And we’ve positively identified the user… As soon as we have her in custody, we’ll conduct a thorough investigation into the dark item, changing NPCs into monsters and altering the ninetieth-floor boss.”
Shiraaase scooped up the dark jewel, wrapped it in cloth, and slipped it into her pocket. Evidence secured.
But just then…
“Haahh, haahh… I—I forgot to mention! You may have turned those monsters back into adventurers, but that doesn’t mean Mamako Oosuki won! The winner of this contest will be whoever reaches the top first… Huh?”
Amante was standing at the base of the stairs, panting.
She looked around, confused.
“W-wait… Um… If Mamako Oosuki and her party aren’t here, then…”
“I believe the ones you’re looking for just went up the stairs you’re standing on… Did you not run into them?”
“Huh? No, didn’t see any sign of… C-crap! I’d better go after them!”
Amante turned and raced back up the stairs.
Shiraaase watched her leave impassively.
“With Mamako not here, she certainly could have brainwashed all the adventurers here again…but if even that doesn’t occur to her…I’m not sure we’ll really learn anything of value interrogating someone so stupid.”
Shiraaase could be quite mean sometimes.
The stratum starting from the ninety-first floor could not be more different from the hellscape below.
Simply put, this was a heavenly palace: vast spaces built out of beautiful porcelain-white material, flowers blooming all around, detailed carvings covering the pillars and walls, murals praising the gods on the ceilings above. A carpet laid out on the polished floors.
This place had a divine aura quite unlike the more dungeon-y sections below. The sort of place where you wanted to stand still and let soak in… Unfortunately, time was of the essence.
“Hurry! Everyone, keep running!”
Masato’s party sped across the floors of heaven.
It might look like heaven, but this was still a dungeon. There were still monsters.
But they didn’t care. And this time, it wasn’t because Mamako was with them.
“Your item’s amazing, Porta! We’re not running into any monsters! That effect is crazy strong!”
“For real! …Um, what was it called again…?”
“It’s Thou Dost Not Wish to Fight water!”
“Normally, it just lowers the encounter rate a little, but with Porta’s Item Creation, the effect is so strong we aren’t seeing any enemies at all!”
“Um, there are enemies, but they don’t notice us, and we can’t see them! So it’s safe for us to just keep going!”
“You’re amazing, Porta! So clever!”
“Th-thank you!”
So.
“Then let’s get a move on! …Y’know, I felt like something whizzed past us earlier… I guess it was a monster… Or maybe Amante…?”
“No way. I mean, she said she was one of the Four Heavenly Kings, right? She’s, like, a boss or something. Don’t see why an item designed to let us avoid normal fights would work on her.”
“Good point… Unless the settings accidentally had her designated as a trash mob or something. Which would just be sad. So we’re bound to bump into her!” replied Medhi.
“Yeah! We gotta be ready for a fight whenever, Porta!” said Masato.
“Yes! I’ll do everything I can! Everyone else, conserve your strength!”
Poor Amante.
Porta was in the lead, scattering the contents of a vial dramatically labeled THOU DOST NOT WISH TO FIGHT! Their safe passage was assured. The party progressed without interruption. “…Oh, a jump tile!” They bounded upward, surging ahead.
The group reached the ninety-seventh floor.
“Still no sign of Amante… Is she farther ahead or wandering around nearby? …Oh, found the stairs! Sweet!”
They spied the stairs to the ninety-eighth floor. There were a hundred floors in all, so only three left.
If they couldn’t find Amante, then they could just reach the top first and take her down when she caught up. Not slowing down for a second, they went up the stairs, pressing onward.
“Whoa, what the…?”
The ninety-eighth floor: a very simple layout with just a single long corridor.
But there was a magic circle drawn in the middle of it, so large they couldn’t get past without stepping on it.
“That’s clearly bad news… A final difficulty spike before the last boss… But no point in hesitating… Let’s just charge on through!”
Letting momentum take them, they tried to run straight across the magic circle.
A moment later, they all vanished.
Masato found himself standing at the end of a corridor.
“…Uh… Huh?”
It was made of stone, just like the lower floors. But this was much smaller. Only two or three people could walk through side by side.
And Masato was the only one here. There were no signs of his party.
Was this…?
“Ohhh… Oh, yeah, yeah. I get it. One of these.”
Masato knew what was going on.
“Classic dungeon design. RPGs do this all the time. You start clearing a dungeon together, step on a trap, and all get thrown to separate areas!”
Yep. Clearly that. No proof, but what else could it be?
“But annoying as it is, we just each have to clear our bit of dungeon and we’ll be together again. We’ll all make it just fine! Obviously. That’s how these things work! That’s the point!”
His voice was a little tense and maybe a bit too loud considering he was talking to himself. He was mostly trying to keep the fear at bay. To push back a wave of anxiety.
He couldn’t let it get to him.
“…Right! Let’s move!”
Masato slapped himself across his cheeks, trying to fire himself up, and began walking forward. He’d better draw his sword and be ready for a fight… Nah, it’d be no good to be all cowardly. “Okay! Let’s move!” he shouted again.
It was a very simple layout. Just a single path leading straight ahead. Humming loudly like he normally never would, desperately trying to cheer himself up, he walked along it.
After a while, he found a side passage.
“Oh, come on! You can’t give me branches now! …Wait… Is someone there?”
They were hidden behind the corner, but he could see a shadow on the floor. He wasn’t scared. Definitely not. But his knees were shaking a bit. And when he called out…
The person stepped out of hiding, a huge smile on her face.
“Hee-hee! Ma-kun, I found yooou!”
It was Mamako—her face, her voice, definitely her. Mommy appeared!
Masato let out a sigh so dramatic his insides nearly came out with it.
“Geez… Mooooooom… Don’t scare me like thaaat…”
“Sorry! I didn’t mean to! Hee-hee.”
“Don’t ‘hee-hee’ me! Gawd, so annoying! …Anyway, looks like you’re safe and everything, so that’s good… Let’s keep moving!”
Masato complained quite loudly but said how he really felt quite softly—keeping his relief a secret.
His posture remarkably improved. He started walking again with nothing to fear. Not that he was scared to begin with, obviously.
He stepped forward, passing the side passage.
“So if you’re here, Mom, then the other three… Huh?”
He turned to address her, assuming she’d joined him, but she clearly hadn’t.
She was staring at him from around the corner of the side passage. Still with that broad smile.
“Hee-hee. Ma-kun, not that way. This way. Come over here.”
“Huh? Oh, that’s the way to go? You could’ve said something first, for cryin’ out loud.”
Masato turned back and was about to start down the side passage…
But it was a dead end.
“…So not this way, then.”
“No, you’re right where I want you. Come, Ma-kun. This way.”
Mamako was beckoning to him.
But that was clearly the wrong way. Something was off here.
“…Hmm.”
An idea was forming in his mind. Masato picked up a pebble off the ground and tossed it down the passage behind Mamako.
It bounced a couple of times and then SCHUNK! “Whoa!” Iron bars slammed down from above, turning the side passage into a prison cell.
“Y-yo, what the—?! …Oh, never mind. I get it.”
“My, my! I was so close to catching you, Ma-kun. Too bad!”
Behind the bars, Mamako kept on smiling like Mamako. The one saving grace was that she hadn’t suddenly transformed into a monster or anything.
And yet, she was one.
“A trap, huh?”
If he’d listened to his fake mother and stepped into that passage, the doors would have come slamming shut and he’d be at Game Over.
Right.
“Oh, Ma-kun! Mommy’s right here! This way! Hee-hee.”
There was another side passage ahead of Masato and another Mamako in it. Masato’s mother was not the sort of mother who could make doppelgangers of herself… No, he could totally see her doing that somehow if the situation called for it. Point was, this Mamako was a fake. Masato did not have two moms.
“Ma-kun, you must be tired. Come rest here. Look, there’s a futon and everything! Mommy will pat the futon down for you…”
“I hear you shouldn’t do that,” he said, walking right past her. “Bad for the cotton inside.”
Not even worth a sideways glance.
Yep, a trap. See?
“Ma-kun!” “Hey, Ma-kun! It’s Mommy!” “Maaa-kuuuun!” “Over here!”
As Masato moved forward, he passed one side passage after another, each one with a different Mamako cooing for his attention. He ignored them all.
“Geez, who has time for this? Gimme a break.”
The fake Mamakos never came out of the side passages. It seemed like their movements were limited to those cells. As long as he didn’t step inside and just walked right past them, he’d be fine.
So he did.
“…Oh, is that the exit?”
He saw a staircase up ahead of him. An end at last! No more of this aggravating corridor.
He’d been unsure how he’d fare on his own, but it looked like he’d made it through unscathed. Relieved to have passed this trial, Masato glanced over his shoulder.
““““Hee-hee. Ma-kun. You can’t just leave Mommy behind.””””
See? Nothing but Mamakos behind him.
“The horror… The unspeakable horrorrrrrrrrrrrrr!!”
The corridor behind Masato was completely filled with Mamakos.
And not just ordinary Mamakos—dark Mamakos, all with a sinister aura like Medhi during her episodes. Seriously terrifying.
The pack of dark Mamakos was hot on his heels.
“Hee-hee-hee. Say, Ma-kun, why don’t you listen to Mommy? You baaad boy.”
“If you don’t do what Mommy says, I’ll have to punish you!”
“But how, I wonder? …What about a nice hug, then some cuddling, then…”
“Bite off his head! I wonder what Ma-kun tastes like. Hee-hee.”
“N-no… No… NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!”
Masato went full Munch’s The Scream, frozen on the spot. The fear rising up from deep within left him completely paralyzed. What was so frightening? Having this many of his own mom!
And thus, Masato was gobbled up, unable to resist at all…
However.
“Ma-kun! There you are! I’m coming!”
Yet another Mamako. Here comes Mamako. This Mamako came down the stairs behind him. “Not another oooooone!” Masato screamed, snot flying everywhere.
But the moment his eyes hit her, he knew.
Oh… She’s my mom… My real mom.
She looked exactly like all the other Mamakos. The expression was the only difference.
But there was something he sensed from only her. Masato had the power to sense that thing:
A Child’s Sense.
Masato obtained that skill in this moment.
But sadly, Masato was not capable of noticing this skill. The situation was too dire.
All that mattered now was whether the Mamako coming down the stairs was real or not.
“Y-you’re my mom, right? You’re absolutely the real one?!”
“Yes, I am! I see there are lots of mommies here, but…you know which is me, don’t you?”
“Yeah! I can tell! I’d know you anywhere! You’re my mom!”
“That’s right! So leave this to Mommy!”
“No one else pushes me aside and takes over like Mom!”
Mamako ran down the stairs, facing the mass of dark Mamakos.
She looked very grim indeed. He’d never seen her look this angry.
“How dare you… How dare you scare Ma-kun like that…! And with my face and voice…? What if you made Ma-kun afraid of me…? What if Ma-kun stopped liking me because of you…? …This is just… This is just unforgivable! I’m going to do everything I can to see that you are thoroughly scolded!”
Mamako’s full-power scolding!
One hand on her hip, one finger raised in front of her!
“Tut, tut!”
Such scoldings! Mamako’s most powerful mark of scorn! A genuine “Tut, tut!”
No, wait, what the heck?! Just as Masato was about to say something …
The light of anger collected in front of Mamako, compressing into a beam of light! Like a laser cannon on a spaceship, it fired!
“Aughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!! Something crazy just came out of herrrrrr!!”
Masato could only scream, his eyes rolling up in his head.
The insane thing that shot out of Mamako swallowed up all the dark Mamakos in the corridor, filling the entire passage with a light so bright Masato didn’t dare open his eyes.
When the brightness faded, nothing remained. Maybe those tuts were actually short for destruction?
“Whew, that settles that… Ma-kun, Mommy did it! Hee-hee.”
Mamako’s smile after firing a laser cannon was so normal it was actually pretty scary.
But then… “Hey, what happened? “There was a loud noise and a bright light!” “Mama, are you okay? …Oh, Masato!” Wise, Medhi, and Porta came running down the stairs.
“Oh! You guys are all okay! So you made it past the traps, huh?”
“Yeah. Like, tons of my mom showed up and were all like, ‘Rest here!’ and honestly, how obvious can you be? I just chain cast and blew ’em all to hell.”
“I, too, had a large number of fake mothers, so I just used my staff to thwack them into silence. It was delightful. Heh-heh-heh.”
“Um… I—I was totally fine! Nothing weird happened at all!”
“Cool, cool, glad we made it! …But, uh, listen to this, just now…”
Masato, tears in his eyes, was about to tell them all about the laser cannon.
But just then, the corridor was suddenly rocked by a massive explosion.
“That came from above… That must be the ninety-ninth floor, so up there… Gasp! Oh no!”
Everyone looked at one another, already all too sure of the situation, before breaking into a run.
They raced through the dust-covered ninety-ninth floor and up the stairs at the end.
This was floor one hundred—surrounded by beautiful white walls, the floor containing the final boss.
Or at least, it should have been.
“Um… Uh-oh.”
The boss was gone. Only the remains of it lingered, moments from fading away.
It had most likely been some sort of giant angelic warrior. Glowing light armor, wings, a halo over its head…all filled with holes like someone had unloaded a shotgun at it.
And the one picking it up and flinging it at the closed doors…was Amante.
“Hey! Why are they still closed?! Open at once! I said open!”
No matter how many times she slammed the corpse against the doors, no matter how many times she yelled, they would not open.
This tower was a solo killer—a tower impossible to clear on your own. Its design was absolute. There was no way she could leave by herself.
Amante had not yet reached the top. That was a relief.
But no one felt relieved. They were clearly staring at a monster.
“…She really did solo the boss.”
“Yeah, I did! I kicked its ass! But the door closed while we were fighting! This door is stupid strong, and I used all the crystal bombs I had, but it didn’t budge! …Wait… Huh?”
Amante heard Masato whisper and turned toward the party.
“When did you get here?! …F-fine, whatever! If we can’t reach the top, we’ll just have to finish this here! Let’s do this!”
Amante pulled her sword out of the angel’s neck and pointed it at them.
“We’ve gotta fight her? …Honestly, this could be real rough.”
“Seriously… This is a guild-focused dungeon and that was clearly the last boss… It’s supposed to be impossible to solo.”
“Which means she’s impossibly powerful…”
“Eep… M-Mama! Amante seems really strong!”
“She does. This could be tricky… Porta, you go hide somewhere safe. If you can support us from back there, that would be lovely, but don’t push yourself.”
“R-right! Got it!”
Porta ran back to the stairs and hid.
The challengers forced back their trepidation and made ready. The fight could no longer be avoided.
Mamako held a Holy Sword in each hand, ready to start the fight by swinging both of them. Wise pulled out her tome, focusing her mind. Medhi had already started a chant.
At the front of the party, Masato tightened his grip on Firmamento.
“…Hey, Amante. You might be after a one-on-one fight with Mom, but if we say the third battle is worth a thousand times the points, is it cool if we join in?”
“Sure, whatever. Mamako Oosuki, of course…and Wise the Sage and Medhi the Cleric, was it? They’ve said a lotta crap I wanna pay them back for.”
“I don’t remember saying a single thing that wasn’t true,” remarked Wise.
“We simply stated the facts, as honest people do. This is so petty and unfair.”
“Nah, you guys were pretty mean a few times…but, uh, what about me? I’m the hero, the leader, possibly your greatest threat.”
“Masato Oosuki… Well… I don’t feel very strongly about you one way or the other…”
“You don’t?!”
“Yeah, you’re just Mamako Oosuki’s kid, so that sorta puts you on the list, I guess.”
“I’m only your enemy because of my mom?! …Why am I even heeeeere?!”
What was the point of his existence? He had some introspection coming.
But first, they had to fight.
“There’s no way I’d just up and vanish without settling things with Mamako Oosuki. I need to crush her here and give her party a pounding while I’m at it! Get ready to lose, suckers!” Amante yelled.
And with that, she threw her thin sword high overhead. “Huh?” It spun through the air, flying toward them.
And while they were distracted by that—
“Now!”
—Amante kicked the ground and flung herself toward them, catching the group completely off guard.
“Whoa! She’s fast…!!”
“Masato Oosuki! You don’t matter, so you go down first!”
It was a pretty mean thing of her to say, but before Masato could complain, Amante landed her attack. The full force of her charge was concentrated in a kick aimed right at his gut.
In that instant:
“Barriera!”
Medhi had already finished her chant, and she activated her spell. A defensive wall appeared in front of Masato. “Like I’d just let you hit me!” Masato yelled, thrusting his left arm forward and deploying his own shield wall.
Now Masato had two walls protecting him.
“Those are pointless! Useless!”
But as thin as Amante’s leg looked, her kick easily shattered both walls and dug deep in Masato’s gut. “Guh?!” The blow threatened to obliterate both body and consciousness. Masato fell to his knees.
“Good position! I can work with that!”
Amante used Masato as a springboard to launch herself high in the air. She reached one hand out and caught her sword as it fell past her…
…aiming it right at Mamako.
“Mamako Oosuki! I’ll finish you with one blow!”
“Oh… Ah…?!”
While Mamako was distracted by her son’s injuries, Amante attacked from above.
But Wise was here.
“I won’t let you! …Spara la magia per mirare… Vento Tagliare! And! Vento Tagliare!”
Her chain cast spells activated. Double gale-force winds slammed against Amante. Unable to dodge in midair, the full impact hit her, pushing her far away.
“Drat! You’ve got a lotta nerve!”
“Ha-hah! Serves you… Wait, huh?”
The attack was successfully blocked, but a moment later, the wind suddenly reversed itself, blowing back at them. “Wah!!” “Eeek!!” Mamako and Wise were flung away. “Unh!” “Aiieeee!” Masato and Medhi were flung away with them. The wind had a hit box, and they all took damage.
Covered in cuts, Medhi yelled, “Are you insane, Wise? You just attacked your own side! Who does that?!”
“I—I didn’t mean to! Seriously, I aimed that properly! Something’s not right here—”
“Medhi! Wise! This is no time for arguing!”
“Yeah, save the argument for later and focus on the battle at hand! …She’s seriously tough!”
Masato glared at Amante—who appeared to be totally fine.
She’d soaked a powerful attack spell head-on without sustaining any visible injuries.
But we’re covered in cuts… What’s going on here?
They’d experienced her toughness firsthand after watching her survive the jump off of the Mom’s Guild Hotel roof. But even so, she should have taken some damage. Either her magic resist was incredibly high or she had some equipment on that nulled magic… Or…
“Right, then,” Medhi said. “Leave the magic attacks to me! You there, Sage who sucks at magic, watch how I fight! You just might learn a thing or two!”
“Wha…?! I do not suck! Ugh, you piss me off! …Wait, you’re a Healer! Do you even have any attack magic? You can’t do it! Don’t make things up!”
“Oh, I can! And I will now demonstrate! Zip it, watch, and weep!”
“Uh, hey, Medhi! Don’t—”
Masato tried to stop her but was too late.
Fueled by her squabble with Wise, Medhi unleashed the dark power within her and chanted, “…Spara la magia per mirare… Morte!”
A specter of death appeared above Medhi’s raised staff and flew directly toward Amante. “Whoa, instant death spell!” Did that count as attack magic or support magic? Could be either, but clearly, Medhi could use it. Except…
“Mwa-ha-ha, useless.”
Where this reaper should have passed through its target, snatching her soul…
…it instead stopped right in front of Amante—“…Uh?”—turned around—“Huh?”—wafted back—“Wait…”—split in four—“Crap!”—and shot through the entire party.
The instant death spell activated. But Masato was unaffected. Mamako was unaffected, too. They were both wearing armor that resisted status effects and therefore managed to withstand it.
Medhi died. Wise died, too. Both went straight into their coffins.
“The heck are you guys even dooooinngggg?!”
“Oh my goodness! How awful!”
Besties in death, it seemed like there were sobs coming from the pair of coffins lying side by side—but really, it was Masato who wanted to cry. “Uggghhh!” “Porta, sweetie, can you take care of them?” “Yes, coming!” Neither wanted to bring Porta into harm’s way, but only she could Rianimato the party mages.
Masato and Mamako drew their swords, watching Amante as she walked slowly toward them.
Medhi’s action had taken Wise out with her, the worst kind of self-destruct, but it had made one thing very clear.
“…So, Amante, you seem to have some nasty little powers there.”
“Heh-heh-heh. Whatever do you mean? …I am one who stands against all mothers, the embodiment of rebellion! My body harbors the power to send anything you throw at me flying right back at you! In other words, I have a passive skill that reflects attacks! But you think I’m just going to tell you that?”
“You don’t say? Well, thanks for explaining all that.”
A passive skill that reflected damage. That was ridiculous.
“Ma-kun! Mommy’s gonna attack now! Here goes—”
“No, wait, stop! Let me make sure of something first!”
He hastily restrained his mother.
Masato first tried going for some light damage as a test. Amante approached him, grinning confidently, and he stepped forward and tapped her on the shoulder.
Amante didn’t even try to block it. Instead, a cut opened up on Masato’s body. The damage was reflected back at Masato.
Which meant… Yep, this was beyond ridiculous and went straight into cheat territory.
“Hey… Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! If you reflect both magic and physical attacks, that’s not even fair! We can’t attack you at all!”
“Don’t worry, Ma-kun! Mommy’s attacking next! Here goes—!”
“Stop!! For the love of God, please, quit trying to attack!! Did you not listen to the words I just said?! If your attack gets reflected, you’ll wipe us all out!!”
And they wouldn’t just wipe once. They might seriously die, like, five times. Masato threw his entire weight on Mamako’s arm, forcibly stopping her. “Goodness… How embarrassing! Hee-hee!” “Now’s not the time for that, Mom!!” She was just happy for her son’s touch, but somehow he managed to get her to back down.
Then Amante laughed. A malicious, sneering laugh.
“Seriously, moms are the worst… You agree with me, don’t you, Masato Oosuki?”
“W-well, she does make life hard for me sometimes.”
“That’s right! That’s what moms do… You’d be better off if I kill her for you. Wouldn’t you?”
“Huh?! That’s not true! I didn’t say—”
“Once your mother’s gone, you’ll be free—free of all the torments she brings you, free to adventure to your heart’s desire. No one getting in your way, no one making you suffer. Every day will be so great. You’ll truly enjoy living inside this game for once. Right?”
“Th-that’s…”
Not true, he started to say, but suddenly he couldn’t quite get the words out.
Adventuring with his mother had definitely taken its toll on Masato. He had a laundry list of complaints. And it was absolutely clear that most of those were Mamako’s fault.
Part of him wanted to admit Amante had a point…
“Masato! You can’t let her get to you! Keep it together!” Wise yelled.
Alive again, she came running over, tome in her hand. Was she seriously going to attack again?
“Ah! No, wait, Amante is—”
“She can reflect attacks, right? I heard! But even if that’s true, we can still do something! …An eye for an eye, a reflection for a reflection!”
If the enemy reflected magic, then you could attack them by reflecting spells off your allies. There were any number of games where this was a viable technique.
Wise started to chant a spell, but before she could…
“…Spara la magia per mirare… Tacere!”
…Amante got her spell off first. Wise was wrapped in a mist that sealed magic.
Wise’s magic was sealed!
“Whaaa…?! Y-you’re a Fencer! How can you use magic?!”
“I may be a Fencer, but I’m a Magic Fencer! Of course I can use magic. Not that I need to tell you what my job is! …No matter. Sage Wise! Tell me one thing.”
“What?”
“I thought you despised your own selfish mother. You had a huge fight, parted ways…and if it weren’t for Mamako Oosuki’s meddling, you would never have even tried to patch things up with her. You could have lived a life of freedom on your own! Well?”
“W-well… I mean, how do you know about—? …Ah!”
Wise’s gaze shifted to behind Amante.
Where Medhi was. Dark power fully unleashed, her expression one of total fury, her staff raised high…and swinging toward Amante’s head.
But Amante didn’t even turn around. She just raised her sword and easily blocked the blow.
“Wha…?! One-handed? With that flimsy blade?!”
“If I hadn’t blocked it, the attack damage would have been reflected onto you. Be grateful I showed you that mercy… And, Cleric Medhi. I should ask you as well.”
“Wh-what? Make it snappy!”
“Then I’ll get right to the point. You resented your mother. Why wouldn’t you? No mother should be as domineering as yours. You even wanted her dead! You actually tried to kill her!”
“W-well… B-but that’s not true now! She changed her mind! Now she’s actually putting me first—!”
“Sure, sure. That’s how they pull one over on you… Pfft.”
“Eep!!”
Amante brushed Medhi’s staff away like she was swatting a fly.
She then turned her gaze on Porta, who stood a safe distance back.
“I’ve got nothing to say to you, Porta. You’re already on my side.”
“Huh…?”
Neither Porta nor the others seemed to know what she meant by that.
But Amante went on without waiting for them to figure it out.
“Adventuring with your mothers makes no sense at all. All of you agree with that much. Of course you do. It’s downright insane! …And being trapped in this insane situation had been driving you all mad.”
“Hold on! We’re not crazy—!”
“It’s only common sense that boys and girls your age don’t take baths together.”
Point taken. That hit way too close to home.
“Right, Sage Wise?”
“W-well… That might be the case, but…”
“Wait! Certainly, the bath thing is a tad unusual, but that doesn’t make us crazy! When we’re in the bath with Masato, Mamako is always with us, which is why we can relax and—”
“Come on, Cleric Medhi. ‘Mom’s with us, so it’s okay’? That logic doesn’t even make sense! …You’re with a mother, so you can take a bath with a boy or parade around in your underwear like earlier? And that doesn’t seem weird to you?”
“Um… Well… It’s certainly…”
“You sure had a lot to say about me, but it’s like you’ve forgotten what being a girl is all about. And you know why? Because Mamako Oosuki is here, you’re not even allowed to be a girl… Right, Masato Oosuki?”
Amante turned on him, her gaze piercing right through him.
“Masato Oosuki, you’ve been traveling with them. Haven’t you noticed?”
“Noticed what?”
“You’re adventuring with girls your own age. Normally, wouldn’t you start harboring feelings for one another? Have moments that make your heart skip a beat? …Perhaps catch the scent of romance in the air? That’s how these things work, no? But is that happening?”
“Well…”
Masato and Wise. Masato and Medhi. There’d been moments with each where they’d bonded. They’d met, gotten to know each other, and he’d helped them resolve their predicaments. They had their share of contacts, necessary evils or otherwise.
But had that led to any budding romance? Not really, no.
“Masato Oosuki… These girls don’t even see you as a male anymore. You’ve sensed that before, haven’t you?”
“Erk…”
He’d thought as much. When bellies were exposed, when piggyback rides were given without comment, and especially during the whole underwear parade incident.
He’d been worried about exactly that.
When she saw him at a loss for words, Amante nodded, satisfied.
“I knew it! I was right… If they saw you as a male, you’d be a potential romantic partner. But nothing like that has happened…and the reason why is clear.”
“…And what reason is that?”
“Your mom’s here with you. With her in tow and at your group’s center, you all become a family. You stop seeing one another as members of the opposite sex.”
“Family…?”
“Yes, Masato Oosuki. You get it now? …Days spent adventuring in pursuit of love… Your mother has robbed you of that possibility. Mamako Oosuki stole that from you!”
Amante pointed her sword at Mamako, who seemed caught off guard by all this. Amante seemed sure no one would stop her attack this time…
…but Masato stepped between them.
“Stop it.”
“Why would you stop me? Didn’t you understand a word I said? Your destiny is all twisted out of shape, and it’s your mother’s fault! Because of Mamako Oosuki, nothing makes sense—!”
“So what if it doesn’t?”
This wasn’t apathy talking. He had clear, strong emotions backing his words.
Masato looked Amante right in the eye, no hesitation in his voice.
“We’re on an adventure with my mother. An adventure nobody else has had, with so many things we haven’t even begun to understand. Of course, lots of those things rattle us…and from an outsider’s perspective might seem pretty weird.”
He’d been brought inside a video game with his mother—and she was much, much stronger than her son, the ostensible hero.
She’d even come with him to school, something mothers should never do. And not just that—she’d put on a sailor uniform and a school swimsuit. That sort of thing happened all the time to him.
It was weird.
How many times had Masato said that same thing?
“It is weird. I totally agree! Every part of this has been weird. My mom’s just insane… Even this tower quest is nuts. Forming a guild out of nothing but moms, trying to clear a dungeon with them at our heels… My mother’s gotten me into all kinds of crap. It’s pretty exhausting.”
“So—!”
“But, you know…that’s what the adventure is, I think.”
A real adventure, by its very nature, did not mean following the roads everyone had already traveled.
“Even right this instant, we’re in a situation nobody else has ever experienced. We don’t know the right way out of it, but we’re trying to get through it anyway… This right here? This is a real adventure.”
Reeling with surprise in the face of unbelievable events, tormented by events his mind couldn’t quite accept—
—that was an adventure. All of this was. Everything Masato had gone through.
Even as he explained this to Amante, the truth of it began to permeate his very being.
“An adventure with your mother… It’s an adventure that’s ours alone, one only we can have.”
One of a kind. Unique. Without compare.
If he’d gotten what he thought he wanted, he couldn’t have had this. This adventure could only happen here.
“So I’m gonna keep being myself and continue adventuring with my mom. Even if it’s weird. We’ll trust that it’ll take us forward… We’ve got everything we need to make that happen.”
He didn’t need to say what that was.
Wise, Medhi, and Porta all stood by his side.
His party was with him.
“That’s our answer. But…can we get a word from someone who’s been uncharacteristically quiet this whole time? Or are you too touched to speak?”
Only half teasing, he called to her.
“Yes… Mommy is just so overcome… I don’t know what to say!”
Mamako took her place at Masato’s side.
He glanced over at her. She was smiling just like always, but her eyes were glistening. This was nothing to cry about, but mothers were prone to this sort of thing.
“Ma-kun. Wise. Medhi. Porta. Thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome. Especially for staying out of it for once and letting me, your son, get a chance to take center stage. Figured we might as well have ourselves an adventure together.”
“No need to thank us. We didn’t do anything to warrant your thanks, Mamako.”
“Yes. We’re all here because we chose to be.”
“I think I should be the one thanking you! So thank you!”
“There you have it… Mom, as one mother, can you give Amante a piece of your mind?”
“Yes, I think I will.”
Mamako took a step forward, facing Amante.
“Amante, I have something to say.”
“Grr… I don’t want to talk to you…but okay. I’ll give you this one shot. Let’s hear it.”
“Okay… Amante, dear. Why are you like this? Why do you treat mothers like they’re a nuisance? Do you hate yours?”
“Hmph. This is way beyond love and hate! I refuse to accept their very existence! …What I desire is a world with no mothers… That’s what I’m gonna wish for once I get to the top of the tower! ‘I wish there were no mothers in the world.’ Not that I have to explain that to you!”
“So you really are going to wish for something that awful… I see.” Mamako sighed, frowning slightly. “…Amante, I am quite upset… Maybe you have good reasons for being like this… I’m sure you do. But even so, I can’t help being angry. I can’t help scolding you.”
Mamako’s scoldings.
That didn’t sound good. “Uh, Mom?!” Masato had a bad feeling about this and tried to stop her, but… “Masato! Stay out of it!” “I’m sure Mamako knows what she’s doing!” …Wise and Medhi grabbed him, preventing him from interfering.
As he struggled, Mamako put a hand on her hip and raised an index finger.
“Gathering those runaway children, making so many mothers worry, and then making them attack their own mothers…and to top it all off, wishing to have all mothers eliminated from the world… I cannot forgive that! So I’m going to scold you, Amante! Are you ready for it?!”
“Huh? Scold me? You think I’m just gonna stand here and let you? Useless, useless! This is ridiculous.”
“Then here I go! …Aaand… Tut, tut!”
Masato yelled for her to stop, but his cries echoed in futility.
Mamako’s focused light of fury became a massive laser and surged forth. The tut tut cannon of scolding!
The beam was not reflected. “Buh?” Stunned, Amante was swallowed up in it. The laser went through her and the doors behind her.
Everyone gaped in amazement, blinded by the light.
“M-Mamako shoots beams now…”
“Sh-she’s literally a weapon…”
“Wow! Mama Beam! So bright! Amazing!”
“I just told you to stay out of it, and here you are butting into everythiiiiing!!”
Had Amante been destroyed? Something like this would surely do the trick, leave her totally obliterated. Good-bye, world.
No, wait, there was something left.
The light of the tuts passed, and Amante remained.
“Huh? …Wait, seriously?! She survived Mom’s beam?! Holy crap!”
Masato couldn’t believe his eyes, but it was no illusion. Half her body was charred, her aggressive ponytail frizzled end to end, and she looked ready to topple over, but she was without a doubt still standing.
“Gah… H-how is that move so strong?! …And I couldn’t reflect it… What does that even mean?! …What was that attack…?!”
“That wasn’t an attack at all! I merely scolded you.”
“That raised scolding to another level!! I was seriously convinced you were about to wipe me from existence, y’know?! You really are insane!! …Ugh, I was an idiot to even try to fight you… Fine!”
Amante turned on her heel and staggered away. She was headed for the doors.
The doors were still closed, but Mamako’s cannon had punched a hole through them, leaving an Amante-shaped section behind. There was still enough space on either side for a person to step through, however.
This was the tower’s hundredth floor; if she went up the stairs behind those doors, she’d be…
“Ah! Wait, is she—?!”
“She knows she doesn’t stand a chance against Mamako, so she’s gonna use her wish to eliminate her!”
“What a sore loser! We can’t let that happen!”
“Yes! We have to stop her! I’m giving chase!”
“That’s right! Let’s hurry!”
They all broke into a run, chasing Amante up the stairs.
Soon, they arrived at the tower’s roof. There was nothing up there but a single stone slab with the words MAKE THY WISH carved into it. All that surrounded them was the sky above.
Amante reached the slab first.
“All I have to do is make my wish here, right? Very well! I wish that all mothers—”
But before Amante could make her wish:
“Not happening! I’m gonna make my wish first! …Um, uh…”
“Yes, Ma-kun! Remember what Wise said before we came to this town! About what would happen here! Go on!”
“Huh? O-oh, right! That!”
Heeding Mamako’s advice, Masato hurriedly made his wish!
“I wish we each had a freshly laid egg! …Wait, no, not that, I didn’t mean—!!”
Too late.
From far above, a pack of half a dozen eggs came drifting down and landed in Mamako’s hands—one each for Mamako, Masato, Medhi, Wise, Porta, and even Amante. A farm-fresh half-dozen.
Masato’s wish was granted!
“Oh my! We were just out of eggs, too! How helpful. What a nice way to end things.”
Mamako was extremely pleased! This was perfect for tomorrow’s breakfast!
But wait a second.
“Huh? …Y-you’re kidding, right? … Th-that’s not… That’s not what I…! …I wish there were no mothers in this world! That’s my wish! Grant my wish!”
Amante grabbed the stone slab, screaming, but not only was her wish not granted, the slab sank into the floor, vanishing without a trace.
“N-no… My wish… I finally had my chance… Six fresh eggs? What even—?! …Argghh! This is why I haaaaate mothers!!”
Amante fled down the stairs, sobbing.
Meanwhile…
“I’ve gotta learn to think before I speak… Please, fix that for me… Fix it…”
…tears flowing down his cheeks, Masato made a new wish of his own—but it was not granted.
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