Chapter 1 Things That I Believed Were Forever: Parents, Money, and…Porta?
It happened suddenly.
The hero’s party were exploring a grassy field, when…
“Huh? …Mm?”
…the Traveling Merchant, Porta, stopped in her tracks, staring at the sky to the north.
Nothing but a small cloud drifted slowly along, yet her eyes stayed fixed to it.
She remained like that for over a minute.
Long enough that her friends began to get worried.
“Um…what’s gotten into Porta?” Masato asked.
“Beats me…,” Wise replied.
“Doesn’t seem like she’s spotted any monsters…,” Medhi said.
All three were at a loss.
“Oh?” Mamako, the hero’s mother, said. It seemed she’d sensed something. “Hmm…yes…there is, well…”
“Uh, Mom, what’s going on? Clue us in.”
“Hmm…I’m not quite sure how to put this… It’s just a nebulous anxious feeling.”
“Can you be more specific…?”
“I wish I could, but it’s definitely upsetting. Like I have to do this to calm myself.”
Mamako wrapped her arms around Masato’s head, pulling him in tight against her chest. “Oh, that’s much better.” “Leggo!” Stroking the head of her beloved son was such a relief!
But it was definitely a destabilizing influence on his psyche, so he soon wriggled out from her embrace.
“Anyway, if you’re sensing it, Mom, then there’s definitely something going on…”
“Yeah…,” Wise agreed. “Oh, maybe it’s, like, a hidden threat to the world that’s emerged?”
“You think she’s sensing the appearance of a demon lord?” wondered Medhi.
“Wait, wait. If that’s true, then as the Hero, this is my field. Let me take a look.”
Masato stared at the sky to the north, focusing his mind.
Ten seconds passed. Thirty.
“Well? Go on, fess up. The sooner you apologize, the better.”
“Honesty will prove your salvation. We promise to send you off with warm smiles.”
“Argh…!”
Clearly neither girl expected anything from him. How demoralizing.
But that only further motivated him to pick up something! …That said, this was looking more and more pointless by the minute—
No, wait.
…Mm? Is that…?
It could be a trick of the light, or an eye floater.
But he could see a very thin thread that appeared ready to snap at any moment. Just looking at it made him anxious.
And it seemed to be reaching toward Porta…
“Sorry!” Porta said suddenly. “I was kinda out of it for a moment there!”
“Er…?” Masato’s concentration instantly dissipated. “W-well, uh, welcome back.”
Porta came running to him, and he looked her over carefully, but saw no signs of anything stringlike. Maybe he’d been seeing things…
“Masato? Is there something on me?”
“Er, no…I dunno how to put this… It was like I saw a sort of nebulous anxiety…”
“How can you see anxiety?!”
“Masato, don’t strain yourself. We know better.”
“That doesn’t sound like a compliment…but fair enough; I’m pretty confused about it myself.”
“So what were you looking at, Porta?” asked Mamako.
“I don’t know!” Porta replied. “I felt like my eyes were drawn to something, but I don’t know what!”
She wasn’t the type to lie.
“Right…we felt like we sensed something, but nobody’s clear what. It’s alarming, but…worrying about it isn’t gonna get us anywhere. So I guess we should just drop it?” Masato looked around the group. “Well, then, let’s do what we came for! Today’s goal is to try out the new combat style I thought up!”
It was an indisputable fact that Mamako dominated all combat. The instant an encounter began, she would sweep the field clear of enemies.
The time for mutiny was nigh.
“We, the children, have nonetheless grown stronger by the day! Come, comrades! Let us demonstrate our power!”
“Sure, sure, we’ll pretend to go along with it for now.”
“The results are a foregone conclusion, but for the time being, we’ll grin and bear it.”
“Ladies, a little enthusiasm, if you could?”
“Um, Ma-kun, Mommy hasn’t heard any explanation for this new combat style…”
“Mom, you just attack at will, like you always have. Our goal here is to see how we can fit in around your attacks.”
“Okay, then. Mommy will just do her thing!”
“Great. Now, to make this new combat style work, one member of our party’s actions will be extra critical. Namely…”
The party’s item master and mental care expert. The twelve-year-old Traveling Merchant named…
“Porta! We’re counting on you!”
“Right! I’ll do my best!”
The sincerity in her eyes gave them courage. Also, it was really cute. “Adorbs!” “Eep!” Masato’s fingers danced around her cheeks.
It was time to begin.
As always, the party set off across the field. Just walking around in circles…
“Oh—whoops!” Porta found some monsters, but quickly clapped her hands over her mouth.
Before announcing the enemies’ arrival, she quickly ran over to Mamako’s side.
“Oh my, what is it?”
“Mama! Come here!”
Porta took a picnic blanket out of her shoulder bag and spread it out on the ground.
Then she took out a tea set, and some sweets, and laid them out over top.
By the time combat began, the tea party was under way!
“Oh, that looks lovely. I suppose it’s time for a break!”
“Yes! Mama, you have tea with me, while…!”
The moment Mamako sat down, Porta shot the others a look. To the left, it said.
They nodded and ran in the direction she’d indicated.
“Right! All according to plan! Let us put our knowledge and hard work to the test! We’ll find these monsters before Mom does and… There they are!”
They located the monster horde: a bunch of wolf- and spider-type monsters on the ground…
…and several huge bird monsters in the sky.
“Hell yes, flying enemies! Leave them to me! Here goes!”
Masato went first. Savoring the delight of getting an attack off before Mamako, he swung the Holy Sword of the Heavens as hard as he could.
“Enemies that fly are no match for…me!”
A beam of light shot toward the screeching bird monsters.
There were several of them, and only one beam…but the beam split, changing into four hawks, each tracking a different target.
“Yes, there it is! I’m growing stronger! Go!”
“Heh…even Masato has his moments. Right, then land enemies are up to the ultimate Sage, yours truly!”
“…Spara la magia per mirare… Morte!”
“Wha—Medhi! Leave some for me! …Spara la magia per mirare… Fiamma Cerchio! And! Fiamma Cerchio!”
Medhi’s instant death spell went off while Wise was talking, but Wise quickly rushed through her chant, and chain cast two spells.
Large magic circles appeared above and below the land monsters, spouting columns of flames.
Meanwhile, a reaper sped between the fires, slashing monsters and removing their souls.
“Nicely done, Wise, Medhi! Man, this is great! This new combat style is a massive success!”
“Even if it just amounts to Porta distracting Mamako,” noted Wise.
“I can’t help but feel we could just ask her nicely to let us go first…,” said Medhi.
“Oh…,” said Masato. “I mean, that’s true, but…isn’t that kinda…depressing?”
“This way she’ll be forced to entertain Mamako during every battle.”
“And the amount of extra sugar and water Mamako will consume during those tea parties would really add up.”
“Uh…well, we can cross that bridge when we come to it! For now, let’s enjoy this battle! It’s still our turn! Bwa-ha-ha-ha!”
Even Masato knew this combat style was probably already canceled, but for the moment he was still fighting.
Mamako was watching with a smile.
“They’ve all gotten so good at fighting!”
“Yes! Masato, Wise, and Medhi are all very strong!”
“And Porta, you’ve gotten so good at supporting everyone! You even prepared this lovely party. I was so surprised!”
“I’m glad to be able to do so many things now!”
“Hee-hee. Well, it makes me so happy to see how everyone’s grown. But…”
Mamako’s smile dimmed.
“But I do feel a little left out.”
“Huh? Left out?”
“Yes. Children grow up, and you can let them do so many things, and soon Mommy doesn’t have anything to do, and…I start to wonder if they really need a mommy.”
“That’s not true! I want a mommy!”
A sudden shriek.
Mamako, the three children fighting, the monsters, even the instant death reaper—everyone froze, startled.
Porta looked ready to burst into tears, but then she gasped, and recovered.
“Um…s-sorry, that was really loud! I just, uh…”
“It’s okay, Porta, dear. I’m sorry I said something so upsetting.”
“N-no! It’s not your fault, Mama. But I…I just thought not needing a mommy is wrong, so…”
“I see.”
Porta hung her head, and Mamako reached out and rubbed it gently.
“So you still need a mommy, Porta. That’s lovely to hear. In that case, let me go show everyone they still need Mommy around.”
“O-okay! Please do!”
Mamako slowly stood up, a Holy Sword in each hand.
Then—“Hyah!”—Mamako attacked. Rock spikes shot up, water bullets fired, and the rest of the monsters were instantly slain. “Wha—heeyyyyyyyy!” Masato yelled, but the battle was over.
“This is Mommy’s power! See?”
“Yes! Mommies are amazing! We need mommies!”
“That’s right. You still need Mommy. I’ll stay right here with you. Hee-hee-hee.”
She shot Porta an impish wink.
Then Mamako turned and went over to Masato. “Mom!” “Oh? What?” Her son looked ready to protest. Another family squabble?
Porta watched them closely.
“I do want a mommy…my mommy…,” she whispered.
She turned and looked north again.
With their new combat style experiment concluded, the party returned to the nearby town.
“Well, we knew it was doomed to fail when Masato thought of it.”
“And what a failure it was. I feel like the specific cause was an excess of faith in his own growth.”
“No, no, we can’t be sure of that!” Masato protested. “It might still work! This isn’t a style that can work during regular combat, but it might still be really effective at key moments! So…”
Not wanting to waste a moment, they went straight to the Adventurers Guild.
Directly to the board where quests were posted.
“To test the full potential, we need a quest!”
“Why a quest?”
“The reason is simple. I believe the style I invented may work wonders in boss battles. I know it will! So we need a hunt quest to test it on.”
“I feel like even if we try this, Mamako will just sit there enjoying her tea and cakes while defeating the boss with her free hand…,” said Medhi.
“Don’t even suggest that! You’ll jinx us for sure! A-anyway, that’s the plan, so help me find a suitable quest!”
“Got it! I’ll do my best!”
“Mommy will, too! I’ll show you how reliable I am!”
“That’s…also frustrating but…go ahead.”
Wise, Medhi, Masato, Mamako, and Porta lined up along the giant bulletin board, checking the postings one by one.
Some postings were just text, while others had photorealistic illustrations. And the board was packed full of them, in all shapes and sizes—over a hundred in all. It could be a real challenge locating the exact type you wanted.
“A specific enemy, one we can quickly get to and defeat…hmm…”
You’d think a hunt quest or two would be lying around, but of course, when you really wanted one, there was nothing. It was all material gathering or fetch quests.
Masato moved down the row, and his shoulder bumped Mamako’s.
“Whoops, sorry.”
“Oh, don’t worry, Ma-kun. You can stay as close to me as you like!”
“No, thanks.”
Masato pulled away, but Mamako clung to him. “…Yo.” “Hee-hee-hee.” It was like iron filings being dragged by a magnet.
Obnoxious…but maybe it worked in his favor.
He actually had something he’d been wanting to ask her.
“…Uh, Mom, question for you. Why did Porta suddenly start yelling while we were fighting? What was that about?”
“Oh, that…”
“Whoa?!”
Before Mamako could answer, Porta let out a yelp of surprise.
Masato was worried she’d heard them whispering, but apparently not.
She had a quest posting in her hand and was gaping at it, frozen stiff.
“Wh-what’s up, Porta? You found an astonishingly good quest?”
“Whaaa…oh, um… N-no, I didn’t!”
“You didn’t? Then what’s that in your hand?” asked Mamako.
“Eeek…i-it’s nothing!”
She crumpled up the page and hid it behind her, shaking her head as hard as she could.
This was waaaay beyond suspicious.
“Uh, Porta?” Grin.
“Porta, dear?” Grin.
“It’s nothing!” Porta squeaked, rummaging around behind her back. Then she held up both hands “See?!”
Ah-ha. Nothing in her hands… Yeah, no.
“Okay, Porta. Turn to the right!”
“Um, um…I-I don’t know right from left so I can’t turn!”
“Right is the hand you hold your chopsticks in! You hold the bowl in your left,” said Mamako.
“Tell you what, I’ll go around Porta’s right side, and Mom, you take the left. I wonder what Porta’s hiiiiding…”
“Eeeeek?! I’m not hiding anythiiiiing!”
Masato and Mamako gradually surrounded the panicked Porta when…
“Oh, Masato. Do you have a spare moment?”
…Medhi suddenly stepped up behind him.
“Sorry, Medhi, we’re busy investigating Porta. Can it wait? …All right, Porta! Behave. We don’t want to have to hurt you! Heh-heh-heh.”
“You can listen to me or get arrested for being a creep. Which do you prefer?”
“I always have time for you, Medhi.”
Realizing his last statement had been pretty creepy, Masato elected to obey.
Medhi showed him a quest. It was written on high-quality paper, with gold foil—clearly a top-class quest.
Investigate the earth and the ocean, it read.
The quest giver was the Queen of Catharn (who was actually Catharn’s queen).
“A request from the queen…to investigate the earth and ocean…the investigation range is the entire world, including worlds in other servers, so also Materland… That’s…quite a scale.”
“That means something’s happening that needs investigating. I’m a little concerned.”
“Yeah. Plus, we know the queen, and she and Mom got pretty chummy…so we should probably go along with it.”
“Yes, Mommy agrees.”
“I do, too! That quest is the most important thing right now!” Porta agreed, very enthusiastically.
Maybe a bit too enthusiastically. “Mm? Porta?” “Porta, dear?” “Eeek!” She was very obviously trying to turn their attention to the queen’s quest.
But before Masato could go after her again, someone smacked the back of his head.
“Yo, creep. C’mere. I found a concerning quest, too.”
“I absolutely refute the creep designation, just so you know. But what is it, Wise?”
Wise showed him a posting rolled up into a cylinder—all of ordinary quality.
It read: Provide information about unnaturally rapid growth in children.
And the request came from Mone of the Mom Shop.
“Mone’s looking for information? Unnaturally rapid growth in children…what’s going on?”
“I dunno, but that’s what it says. Can’t very well ignore that, either, can we?”
“Right. If something’s happening to children, that could be bad.”
“Yes! I agree! That quest is our top priority!”
Porta was being obvious again. “Mm? Porta?” “Eeek!” Masato wanted nothing more than to hound her for answers and torment her…
But this was no laughing matter.
“Guess we’d better cancel our plans and take care of these.”
“Wow, how noble of you, Masato! I was expecting a brattier response.”
“You think that little of me?! …Still, how do we handle this?”
An investigation of the ocean and the earth. Sudden growth in children. And mounting concerns about Porta’s behavior.
He looked over the two postings and stole another glance at Porta’s highly suspicious fidgeting.
It was time for the Hero Masato to make a deci—
“I’m just so worried about the children! Let’s go to the Mom Shop first and hear Mone out. Right, Ma-kun?”
“Yep. I knew it. Go right ahead, then.”
“Okay! My transport spell will take us there in a snap!” said Wise.
Mamako’s decision set the party in motion.
“So there we have it… You must be so glad, aren’t you, Porta?” asked Mamako.
“Y-yes! I’m very reliev—I mean, n-no! I’m not hiding anything!”
They raced out of the Adventurers Guild. The party was surrounded by the light of the transport spell and swept away from the town.
Masato and his group landed at the entrance to the Catharn capital.
Passersby noticed them at once, and some called out, but they were in a hurry. Mamako greeted them politely, but the party kept moving toward the Mom Shop.
“The town doesn’t seem different,” Mamako said. “Maybe this problem isn’t as bad as it sounds?”
“Let’s hope not. But we still gotta fix things before they get worse. Here we are!”
They burst into the Mom Shop like they owned the place.
Behind the counter was the girl who ran the shop for them—Mone. Seated at the table was a mother with a young boy. It seemed Mone was busy seeing to them.
“Oh, Masato! Everyone! You came!”
“Uh, yeah…didn’t mean to interrupt, though. Bad timing?”
“Not at all! It’s actually perfect timing. Maaasaaatooo!”
Mone threw herself into Masato’s arms, as nimble as a small animal. Her face melted into a puddle of happiness, and she rubbed it against his chest. “Rub, rub!” “Hey!” The mother at the table was staring at them, mouth agape.
Everyone else seemed used to this. Mamako smiled. Porta smiled. And…
“Yeah, yeah, typical.” Wise seemed unbothered.
“Wonders never cease.” Medhi seemed exasperated.
“I really feel like you guys could stand to act a little jealous,” Masato grumbled. “Whatever—settle down, Mone! You’re on the job, remember? Not the time to make me dote on you.”
“Just a minute! I need to recharge! Things are getting real bad and I’m sooo tired!”
“You mean this rapid child growth thing? We’re here because of the quest you posted…”
“Right, that! The customer here is one of them! Let me introduce you.”
Mone snapped back into work mode and pulled the party over to the customers.
The mother had brought her four-year-old son to the Mom Shop. She hopped up, greeting Mamako, going for the handshake—judging from her excitement level, she was obviously a fan. But her enthusiasm soon faded away.
She was clearly very worried about her son.
“If I could read better, Mommy wouldn’t need to read to me… I gotta…work harder! ‘Once…upon…a time…’”
The little boy was looking unusually stressed for a four-year-old, scowling at a picture book on the table, reading out loud as he copied the words onto a different piece of paper.
He was so focused on his studying that he seemed oblivious to his surroundings.
“Uh, he seems like a real go-getter?”
“He is, he really is. But…” The mother frowned. Then she sat down next to her son. “You’ve been working so hard! Time for a little break. How about a snack?”
“No, I’m good.”
“You mean…you don’t need a snack?”
“If I get hungry, I’ll get something to eat.”
“Y-you will? Then what’s Mommy supposed to do?”
“You don’t need to do anything, Mommy. If I can do something myself, I’ll do it. I need to work harder so I can do everything by myself, so don’t bother me, okay?”
“R-right…sorry…” The mother pulled back, looking ever so sad. “It’s always like this now. Just the other day he was always begging for my help and attention. I could barely peel him off me! But now…”
“He just suddenly changed? Weird,” said Wise.
“An independent streak developing this suddenly and this dramatically is clearly unnatural,” remarked Medhi.
“Yes…if he had just grown up naturally, I would be delighted, but…it all happened so fast that I got worried and decided I should get help here.”
“Yeah, this definitely seems like a problem.”
“Right…and this isn’t the only report I’ve had,” Mone said. She ran to the counter and came back with a stack of documents.
Each contained a summary of consultations the Mom Shop had received. In addition to statements taken from mothers in person, there were others that had letters attached to them—over fifty documents in all.
“This entire pile is all the same kind of thing. The first one was about a week ago…and they’ve been coming in faster and faster.”
“Maman Village…Mahweh…Thermo…Yomamaburg…Myma…and Materville. Reports from all around the world.”
“Yeah…this is definitely weird, right? Something must be going on.”
“I agree,” Masato said. “But we’ll have to think about it later. Only one thing we should do right here and now. Solve the problem in front of us.”
Even with the entire party together, if they couldn’t do anything about this issue, the world-famous Mom Shop’s reputation would plummet. They needed to get to the bottom of this.
Seeing Masato so determined made the little boy’s mother tear up. Mamako looked ready to cry with her.
Wise and Medhi just looked confused.
“Yo, you two! What’s with the sour expressions?” Masato demanded of Wise and Medhi.
“It’s just, like… You suddenly developed leadership? And that’s, like…ew.”
“Ew, how? What’s wrong with that?! You should be glad!”
“This must be more unnatural growth! It is totally unlike Masato.”
“I’ve just been taking my time to grow and develop! One step at a time! It’s not at all unnatural!”
“Ma-kun’s all grown up… He can do anything now… He doesn’t need Mommy any more. Sniff.”
“You, too, Mom? This is no time to goof off! Let’s focus!”
“Hee-hee-hee. You’re right, I’m sorry. But don’t worry! Our hardest worker is already investigating.”
“Bwuh?! She beat me to it?!”
While they’d been squabbling, one party member had taken action:
Porta.
“Um…do you want something?” the boy asked.
“I’m investigating if there’s anything strange about you! Please don’t mind me!”
“Uh…okay…”
Porta had sat down opposite the boy, and was looking him over intently, like a lot was riding on this.
“It’s a waste not to be spoiled when you have the chance… Your mommy won’t always be with you. So…hnggg!”
Her keen, Appraise skill–oriented eyes activated, and she stared at the boy so intently, he couldn’t concentrate at all. This continued for a full minute.
And then Porta found it.
“Can I see that kitty-cat pin you’ve got on your chest?”
“Huh? This? Hmm…well, you’re not Mommy, so I guess it’s okay.”
The pin had an adorable cat’s face on it. The boy unpinned it and handed it to Porta.
Immediately afterward…
“Mm…wow, I’m sooo hungry… Mommy! I’m hungry!”
“Huh? Oh, of course! You want a snack?”
“Yes! I do! Gimme a snack!”
“You want a snack now? Should Mommy get you one? You’re done studying?”
“I don’t wanna study! I want a snack from Mommy!”
The boy’s expression loosened and he threw his arms around his mom’s leg. “Mm!” he started rubbing his cheek on it, then took her hand, yanked it back and forth a minute, and then attached himself to her leg again.
This sudden transformation shocked his mother. She looked up at the party.
They stared back at her, equally shocked.
“Uh…huh?”
“He’s suddenly super spoiled…”
“Y-yes…this is how he used to be. He hates studying but loves clinging to me. This is what my son is supposed to be like!”
“So, he’s suddenly back to normal…which means…”
“The cause of his sudden maturation was that pin?”
All eyes turned to the pin in Porta’s hands.
Porta had been Appraising it carefully. She nodded.
“Yes! I think this is the cause! Look here!”
Engraved in tiny letters on the back of the pin near the edge was: © 20XX LIBERE REBELLION.
In accordance with the Universal Copyright Convention, they had claimed their full rights as creators to produce a perfectly legal product.
“Thanks to them being sticklers for the most pointless things, this mystery has been easily solved.”
“So basically, it’s the usual suspects.”
“Forcing children to mature early, urging them to become independent of their parents, making mothers unhappy. That’s their plan, huh? Seems to be a form of brainwashing.”
“Similar to the effect those dark stones had. We smashed the machine that made those back at their base, but I guess they found a new way. It’s like playing Whac-A-Mole. So how did he get this?”
Masato glanced at the mother, but she just shook her head, clearly at a loss.
So only the boy himself would know. Mamako knelt down before him, smiling.
“Hi there! Can you tell me something? Who gave you that pin?”
“Santa did! I woke up in the morning and it was left on my windowsill!”
So three Santas in black Rebellion coats were searching for houses where children lived and leaving pins behind. That sounded like a lot of work.
“Hey, look at this! I think the other problem children might have pins, too!”
“Seriously?”
Mone had been checking over her other documentation. She passed it around, and the many statements mentioned pins with animal faces on them.
“‘My daughter is wearing a pin I’ve never seen before, and when I try to take it off, she flies into a rage,’” Masato read from one of the statements. “This one…and this one, too? That settles it.”
“The pins are behind it,” said Wise. “If we confiscate those, the problem goes away. Time to take action.”
“The documents all have their addresses, so we should start by at least collecting the ones in Catharn,” suggested Medhi.
“I’ll make a public warning notice and have it posted all over the world!” Mone said. “That should take care of the rest of the pins!”
“Right, then…,” Masato began.
“Everyone, be caref—” Mamako started to talk over him like she always did, but…
“Let’s gather the bad pins! I’ll do my best!” Porta was even more enthusiastic.
“Y-yeah…,” Masato said.
Porta was already running out the door, so everyone else hastily scrambled to their feet and gave chase.
Masato’s party split up to cover more houses in less time.
“Hello, Mom Shop!”
“Hi, there! How can I help you, suspicious man?”
“I’m not suspicious! Don’t call the cops, okay?!”
The bossy little girl who answered the door had a rabbit pin on her chest. This could prove to be a thorny interaction, but Masato had locked on to the first recovery target.
At another house, so had Wise.
“Mwah-ha-ha! Cute pin ya got there! Can I take a look?”
“Mm…sure, but who are you, ma’am?”
“Ma’am—?! …N-No, never mind, at your age I must look way older. Rrgh…”
Wise forced herself to lower the shaking fist she’d raised. Pin recovery still seemed likely.
Meanwhile, at another house, Medhi was growling, “Fork over that pin if you know what’s good for you!”
“E-eeek! You can have it!”
The child immediately sensed the depths of her terrifying dark power and held out the pin willingly. Easily recovered! One down.
But while the teens were handling their tasks well, Mamako was struggling.
“You’re somebody’s mom, right? You can’t have it!”
“Oh, don’t be like that! Won’t you let me see it for just a moment?”
“No! Go away!”
It seemed like the children had been manipulated to reject mothers—all of them refused to respond to Mamako’s requests. “Oh dear…” “I’m so sorry…” Mamako was left exchanging apologetic looks with the children’s own mothers.
But the most impressive performance by far was Porta’s.
“Can I have that pin?”
“Okay! I don’t mind if you take it. Here!”
At each house, she instantly made contact with the child and easily recovered the pin. She was already on her fourth!
She’d recovered her entire allotment.
“Mission complete! I did it!” she said, pumping her fist as she left the last house. Feeling very satisfied, she went back the way she’d come.
The party had agreed to meet up at the Mom Shop once they’d collected their pins.
Porta had intended to head directly there, but…
“…Oh, that’s…”
…her path had taken her past the Catharn capital’s Adventurers Guild.
This was where Porta had first met Masato and Mamako. It was a lovely place—the start of their adventures together.
But she had other things on her mind right now.
“……!”
Porta took a quick look around her and then hid in the shadows of the building.
Making sure no one could see her, she pulled a crumpled piece of paper out of her bag, spreading it out.
It was the posting she’d found at the town guild and quickly hidden.
Specifically, it was a wanted poster asking for information leading to the arrest of a certain criminal.
The picture included was very realistic, like they’d just xeroxed a photograph.
It showed a woman in glasses, eyes downcast, looking tired, face turned slightly away from the camera. She appeared to be in her mid-thirties.
Porta knew this “criminal” well. Better than anyone else in the world.
“I wonder if it’s posted at this guild, too? In that case…!”
She had to recover it before anyone else could see. Otherwise, someone might capture the person on the poster.
Porta slipped out of the shadows and dashed into the guild.
She made a beeline for the bulletin board. “…ah!” The poster was on display, but she managed to recover it without anyone seeing…
Well, except for the receptionist.
“Oh, wait! That’s…!”
“Eep?! E-er, I didn’t take anything! Pardon me!”
“I said wait! We were told not to post that—oh, she’s gone.”
Porta had not stopped to listen.
She moved quickly to a deserted area, desperately, blindly trying to wipe the tears that wouldn’t stop flowing…until she was safely back in the shadows.
Her heart was pounding like she’d done something bad. It was awful. But she tried to convince herself she’d had no choice.
“N-now what? I don’t know what to do…”
She stared down at the face on the page, thinking. Her thoughts were already a mess, but she had to make up her mind or…
Just then, she noticed something swaying out of the corner of her eye.
The little doll that hung from her bag.
“…Oh, right! I have this!”
Having remembered something important, Porta clutched her bag tightly and ran off.
Porta sprinted until she reached a field outside the Catharn capital.
She was a noncombatant, so the monsters did not register her as an enemy. They just watched in confusion as she dashed past them.
She was headed for the plateau overlooking the city, where the transport point was. This was a special point that allowed you to pass through an area known as the Transport Palace, connecting to the real world or to the worlds on other servers.
“I’m sure I can contact her here! I’ll get in touch, talk a bit, and hurry back to the Mom Shop! It’ll be fine!”
Porta raced up the stairs, reaching the transport point and the mystic pillars that surrounded it.
She immediately put the doll, Piita, to use.
“Here goes! Ready…hah!”
Porta tugged on Piita’s legs.
Suddenly, an earsplitting alarm sounded.
“This should do it! If she knows there’s an emergency…”
Pii! Pii! Pii!
“…she’ll come and check on it…I think…”
Pii! Pii! Pii!
“Uh…that’s so loud…”
Figuring the signal must have been received by now, Porta tugged on the doll’s arms, and the sound stopped. The legs switched it on, and the arms switched it off—like a child distress alarm. Now then.
She just had to wait.
“…Ah! She came!”
A ball of blinding light descended from the sky and onto the transport point. The person she’d been waiting for had arrived. Porta ran over, ecstatic…
But.
“We finally get away from Hahako, and now there’s an emergency summons? My head’s spinning with everything we’re juggling already, jeez.”
“You never responded to any of our caaaalls, but now you call uuuuus? Who do you think you aaaare?”
“Y’all just remember we’re only here ’cause we’re obligated to be. This better be worth…mm?”
As the light dissipated, three figures were revealed.
Fierce as a tiger, radiating indignation—Anti-Mom Amante.
Gazing languidly at her through her bangs, toying with a bone-shaped accessory—Scorn-Mom Sorella.
And with a sharklike hood pulled low over her face, spitting words in a manly tone, the bleary-eyed Fighter—Frighten-Mom Fratello.
Three of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Libere Rebellion appeared!
Porta’s jaw dropped, astonished.
“Uh…wahhhh…?!”
“What in tarnation? It’s Porta, y’all.”
“You’re right. What’s she doing here?”
“Heeey! Long time no seeee, Porta… Is it just youuuuu?”
“Y-yes! I’m the only one here! Ohhh, this is no time to answer…um, um…whaaa?!”
Porta had definitely not been calling them. Never.
But here they were anyway, getting closer.
Porta took a step backward, but they took three steps closer.
“We’re officially enemies, but we have no intention of harming you, Porta. Don’t worry. Do you mind answering some questions?”
“Were you the one who called uuuus?”
“N-no! I didn’t call you!”
“Yer the only person here. Who else coulda? This don’t make a lick of sense. We got a call on the Rebellion emergency broadcast… Wait, now hold on just one darn minute!”
“Huh? Oh…!”
Porta had backed all the way to the edge of the cliff, and one foot slipped off the edge.
Fratello’s hands shot out, but too late—Porta went over the edge, falling…!
But then, a dark swirl appeared behind her. A hand emerged from within it, catching Porta’s back.
“…H-huh?”
“Humph. There you are, Master.”
“Er…Master? The leader of the Libere Rebellion…?”
“Mm. That there’s our boss. Only the Master can operate them dark swirly things. Ain’t no doubt about it.”
The hand pushed Porta safely back onto the plateau, and a person stepped out of the swirl.
It was a woman just starting to show signs of age. She was clad in jet-black armor, with the Rebellion’s trademark coat over it.
The eyes behind her glasses looked exhausted. They were staring at the ground, never once meeting Porta’s gaze.
The intense gloom on her face combined with her dreary getup made her look like the ruler of the underworld—however…
“Oh! Mommy!”
“““……Huh?”””
…Porta would know her anywhere. The woman from the dark swirl was Porta’s mother.
Now it was the Four Heavenly Kings whose mouths hung open.
“Hold on…wh-what?”
“This woman…is Porta’s moooom? B-But…if she can use the swiiiirls…she’s also our Maaaster? What does that meeean?”
“I ain’t never met her in the flesh before, neither… Porta! Fill us in here, would ya?”
“Er, um, I’m also confused! But this is my mommy!” Porta said with a huge smile.
Then she ran over with the wanted poster.
“Mommy! I found this and was so shocked that I decided to summon you! I’m sure it’s all a big mistake, but I was so worried… Oh…!”
Without a word, Porta’s mother had grabbed the poster from her, crumpled it up, and flung it away.
Not even glancing at her daughter, she addressed the Heavenly Kings.
“I’ll explain what is needed. But not here. We must move before the Hero’s Mother or Hahako sense something amiss. Come.”
“Y-yeah…if Porta’s here, Mamako Oosuki must be nearby. And that awful Hahako…”
“I guess…we go with herrr?”
“Mm. I’m fixin’ for an explanation ’bout your identity, and for abandoning us all in Materland. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.”
Porta’s mother turned on her heel and vanished into the swirl. The three Heavenly Kings followed cautiously.
Only Porta was left behind.
“Er, um…Mommy? What should I—?”
“Go back to your friends,” a cold voice replied. The swirl began to vanish.
Porta bit her lip, wiped the tears welling up, and tried to think.
Should she run after her mother and jump into the swirl?
Or go back to Catharn and her party?
She wavered between the two options for a moment—then made up her mind.
The sun was setting. It would soon be night.
Masato’s party had gathered at the Mom Shop a long time ago.
Sitting at the table, Masato dragged his eyes way from his long-since-empty teacup and looked around.
Mamako was sitting next to him, being very quiet. Wise was across from him, staring at the ceiling. Next to her was Medhi, staring out the window.
Mone was behind the counter, organizing paperwork.
One party member was missing.
“…She’s way too late. I’m gonna go look for her.”
“Yes. Mommy’s coming, too.”
Wise and Medhi both stood up as well. The four of them left Mone to watch the shop in case Porta returned, and they headed for the door.
But as they did, the doorbell rang.
“Oh! She’s finally back…?”
Everyone looked.
Someone was attempting to push a giant bundle through the door. It was too big and was stuck in the doorframe, so they weren’t making much progress, but were doing a decent job of brute-forcing it.
“Hngg…I shoulda turned it the other way around… I made a real darn mess of this…”
“Uh…I know that voice… Fratello?!”
“That you, sonny? How goes it? Hate to ask, but can y’all gimme a hand with this? You pull on that end… Oh, there it goes! Mahhh!”
“Whoa, stop! What even is this thing? It’s not dangerous, is it?!”
The black-cloaked Santas behind the earlier pin-cident could well be bringing disaster directly to the Mom Shop. Masato tried to push the package back outside—but was too late.
The cloth around the package came undone, and the contents came tumbling out. “Crap!” “Ma-kun?!” They all fell on Masato’s head.
But he was unharmed. The impact was extremely soft.
“Uh…what are these?”
There was something resting on his head. He picked it up and saw it was a triangular piece of cloth.
Women’s underwear. With green stripes.
“I’ve seen these before… Oh, I know! They’re Wise’s Thursday panties!”
“What? For real?! …Whoa, you’re right, these are mine.”
“I knew it! You wrote a W on the tag to avoid getting them mixed up with Medhi’s. She put an M.”
“Yep. But if you get it upside-down, they look the same, so it hasn’t really helped… Wait, why do you know any of this?”
“I was thinking the same thing. You’re too well informed.”
“L-look, they just got mixed in with my laundry once and I happened to catch a glimpse! No malicious intent, I swear!”
Intent didn’t seem to matter. Both girls were advancing on him, smiling from ear to ear. “Gah?!” A magic tome hit the side of his face. “Urgh!” A staff rapped the top of his head. Masato was no longer unharmed.
There were a lot of ordinary household things lying around him. Not just underwear; pajamas, school uniforms, swimsuits. Cooking supplies, too; rice, miso, soy sauce…
“My spare clothes, Mom’s costume collection…ingredients we use every day…this is our luggage, right?”
“Mm. It’s all your things, sonny! Came here to return them to y’all.”
“Return…no, wait! Porta was carrying these for us! You didn’t…do something to her, did you?!”
Masato scrambled to his feet, drawing his sword. Wise, Medhi, and even Mamako all braced themselves, looking tense. “I’ll, uh…evacuate!” Mone hid behind the counter.
Fratello just gave them all a dazed look, then held her hands up.
“…What’s the meaning of this?”
“I ain’t here to fight, sonny. Y’all’re jumping to conclusions. We ain’t done a thing to Porta.”
“I don’t believe that for a second.”
“Then y’all will have to take her word for it.”
Fratello turned and left. “Wait!” The party ran out of the Mom Shop in pursuit.
Outside, they found not just Fratello, but Amante and Sorella as well.
“You guys, too? The Heavenly Kings out in force?”
“Heh-heh…that’s right. The Four Heavenly Kings have assembled at last.”
“The heck are you sounding all high-and-mighty about?” said Wise.
“If something happened, we certainly wouldn’t mind you just explaining it,” added Medhi.
“Don’t be stupid, no reason I’d…”
“Oh, ohhh! I think rather than have Amante explaaaaain, it would be better if she just came oooout. Come, cooome!”
Amante and Sorella stepped aside, opening a path between them.
A tiny figure stepped forward.
Dressed in a long black Rebellion coat, with a bag slung over her shoulder…
…was Porta, looking extremely stressed.
“Uh…wait…Porta, why are you…huh?”
“Please listen to me!” she said, bowing her head. “Masato, Mama, Wise, Medhi—thank you for everything! I’m now the Fourth Heavenly King of the Libere Rebellion! I’m…she who loves moms, Praise-Mom Porta!”
Porta had left the party and turned to the dark side.
“Uh…no, hang on… Porta, this is a joke, right?” asked Wise.
“It’s true! I’m one of the Four Heavenly Kings! I’m now in a party with Amante, Sorella, and Fratello!”
“This doesn’t make sense! It just can’t be possible…,” said Medhi. “Oh, I know—it’s the pin, right? You’ve been brainwashed by the Rebellion’s schemes! Amante, explain.”
“Pins? Brainwashing? I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t play dumb now, Amante!” shouted Masato. “This is your moment to just blab everything! That’s your role in life!”
“How rude! I’ve never once just blabbed anything! I don’t remember getting assigned that role ever!”
“Sure, suuuure, you don’t even realize you’re doing iiiit. Just shut up, okaaay?”
“Y’all need to calm down. I know this is a helluva shock, but we legitimately have no idea what you’re talking about, ya hear? We ain’t brainwashing nobody.”
They really didn’t seem to know anything about the pins. That didn’t make sense…but there was no time to press the point.
“I’ve returned all your things! I’ve said my good-byes! I’ll be going back to the Rebellion castle now!”
Porta took out an item with the word GO carved into it—a jewel with a transport spell effect.
“Wait, Porta! I said wait!”
“I won’t wait! Forgive me! Good-bye!”
“Porta, dear! Please, wait! …At least tell us one thing!”
“Mama…wh-what is it?”
“Do you not want to be with us anymore? Is that why you joined the Four Heavenly Kings?”
“That’s not true! I love all of you! But I…I want to be with my real mommy more! So…!”
She held the jewel aloft. Porta and the other three Heavenly Kings were encased in a cocoon of light, which rocketed up into the night sky.
“With her mom…? What does that mean…?” Masato asked.
But no one knew the answer. The rest of the party stared wordlessly into the sky as the light of the spell faded from view.
Porta had been in their party since their adventure began. Always at their side. And in the blink of an eye…
…Porta was gone.
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