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188. Mother’s Chance (1)

A woman stood in a desolate land.

There were buildings that looked like they could have housed people once, but they were all dilapidated and crumbling.

Nearby, lizards and insects crawled around. Animals that made eye contact with the woman hurriedly hid.

Was this meant to signify her as a middle ground existence?

The woman with pure white hair seemed to be a mysterious being in such a filthy land.

Swoosh—

Drip drop—

Suddenly, the woman moved and started fiddling with a nearby pillar. Powder fell from the pillar onto her head.

“How about it? Do you remember anything?”

A man’s voice came from above at that moment.

The man sitting on the pillar, looking down at the woman, was none other than Talema.

“You’ve just been resurrected, so you must be confused. You probably came here instinctively to grasp that. Am I wrong?”

“…”

“Don’t misunderstand, though. I’m in the same boat, so I can somewhat understand. Plus, we’ve got free time until the plan is executed, right?”

Talema had already recognized that he was a resurrected corpse.

He didn’t recall anything yet, but he acted as he desired.

The woman also had no memory but had arrived at this place guided by instinct.

“I’ve heard this area wasn’t always desolate. About 30 years ago, a fierce battle known as the Demon Beast War took place, completely turning it into ruins.”

Once a village inhabited by people, it was destroyed by an invasion from the demon horde.

A masked demon led a legion of monsters, transforming the village into its current state.

“Seems like it was a pretty powerful demon. They say even Papias’s mercenary corps was annihilated by this monstrous foe.”

“…”

“But monsters aren’t only found on the demon side.”

This destroyed village bore traces of pain and sorrow.

Yet on the other hand, it was also a place to commemorate the birth of a hero.

“Out of nowhere, a sword-wielding girl appeared and stood against those demons. In an instant, she avenged the villagers.”

That girl, facing the legion alone and slaying even the masked demon, was no less than a hero.

The girl with white hair, dancing through the battlefield with blood-stained swords.

“Her name was… Rayla Bludia. Though she has since passed away, many owe their lives to her.”

The girl who felled demons became a hero.

She had been recognized for her accumulated achievements but had never shown a smile.

“Strangely enough, rather than rejoicing in victory, the girl… was said to be in despair.”

“…”

“I wish I could ask her why.”

Talema said while looking at the woman, as he already knew who she was.

Having resurrected before her, Talema had learned a lot in the meantime.

Thanks to that, he had the sharpest mind among those who had ‘come back to life.’

Stomp stomp—

Suddenly, the woman began to walk somewhere.

Talema slowly followed her, curious about where she was going without providing an answer.

Eventually, they arrived at the center of the village.

This place, even more ruined than before, was where that battle had concluded.

The traces of the battle left fissured ground and deeply hollowed hills, and the bloodstains that hadn’t been wiped away still remained.

“It seems this was where that hero was born. Was her power so great that the blood is still not erased?”

The woman approached the dried blood on the ground. As she squatted down and touched it, something reflected in her mind.

A young girl resembling herself fought fiercely and pierced the masked demon.

However, upon seeing the face of the unmasked demon, the girl had wept.

“By the way, I’ve heard that the demon the hero fought was strange too. A magical autopsy revealed that it was a young girl who had been transformed into a demon.”

“…”

“Are you crying right now?”

For some reason, tears welled up in the woman’s eyes.

Even without a change in expression, it felt as if she was empathizing with the girl from her mind.

This feeling was akin to… the sensation of having killed a precious friend with one’s own hands.

“I don’t know what you were like in life, but for now, I need you to help me.”

“…”

“You can’t escape. We need to constantly replenish our mana if we want to survive.”

The woman straightened up and looked at Talema, as if asking what that help entailed.

“I need to find something. It’ll help me disable the Academy’s barrier later on.”

Talema grabbed the woman’s shoulder, smiling as he spoke.

“The Aligieri diploma. I must have kept it in some storeroom back in my day. We need to go there together.”

“…”

“Let’s do well as fellow alumni.”

Though he spoke as if he were addressing an old friend, Talema’s smile was condescending.

*

Aligieri Town was undergoing significant reforms.

Some buildings were decorated for a festival, while others had giant statues erected, transforming the town’s atmosphere.

Additionally, some shops were changing their business types during the festival, and theaters and exhibition halls were undergoing renovations.

Unused buildings were being reconstructed for the event as well.

The once ordinary town appeared as a colorful tapestry when viewed from above.

Guests, including royalty, were already starting to arrive in droves.

One must make hay while the sun shines. In a bid to impress them with a good festival, people prepared wholeheartedly.

Not all of those invited were mere onlookers.

Some nobles also sent people to assist with the preparations.

And I… couldn’t help but widen my eyes at the sight of them.

“What are Mom and Dad doing here?”

I had just finished submitting a manuscript to the literary society and was taking a brief stroll through the town.

There, I spotted my Crawler family, contributing to the town’s decoration.

“Hahaha! You look quite surprised, Radon. As you can see, we’re helping with the event preparations.”

“Duke Gerard asked us. We owe him a favor, so this is no problem at all.”

It appeared Duke Gerard had also arrived at the Academy. Following him, our family had come along.

Currently, we were rebuilding an unused building.

From the looks of it, they seemed to be creating a shooting range one might find in an amusement park.

Except, instead of guns, bows were to be used.

“Hey, this is super convenient, huh? It tells us exactly where to remodel the building.”

-Beep…

Mom, Skilla Crawler, marveled at the artificial golem.

Thanks to the golem’s precise calculations, all tasks were progressing smoothly.

As Mom summoned the wind spirit to carry the wood, the golem chimed in.

-Due to the wind spirit’s pressure, there is a risk of damaging the wood. Please handle it more carefully. Beep.

“Oh my, how clever.”

Even with the sharp commentary, Mom petted the golem like a pet.

As a result, the golem’s face turned red.

-Madam, please do not pet me with those dusty, dirty hands. Beep.

“Oh ho ho. Standing here in a dusty place, what are you talking about? And I’m not ‘madam,’ I’m ‘miss.’”

She was starting those ridiculous lies again.

I could only laugh at this point.

“Go say hi to that handsome brother over there.”

That handsome brother referred to none other than Dad.

Dad then acted as if he were indeed the handsome brother.

“Hmm, indeed, my beauty… is more exquisite than flowers.”

Is he out of his mind?

I nearly cursed aloud in that moment.

If they weren’t my family, one punch would’ve been too little.

No matter how much he’s cursed, can he not be this embarrassing? Just how thick is his skin?

-Unable to process. Unable to process.

Even the AI (artificial spirit) was confused to the point of dizziness.

In that sense, my family was truly something else.

Just then, a large figure ran toward us.

“Radon! Long time no see!”

The creature with an unexpectedly cute voice was my younger sister, Amy.

She too was wearing a metal safety helmet, presumably to help with the work.

“Yeah, good to see you. Are you helping out?”

“Yep! We promised to eat something delicious once this is done!”

My sister, not in her usual cute appearance but rather muscular from the work.

With her wearing a helmet-like appendage, it was hard to tell her apart.

Who would think this girl was my sister?

“Is that you, Radon?”

“Professor.”

The next person to appear was Professor Radian. I was momentarily taken aback at his sudden appearance.

“What brings you here?”

“I’m overseeing the site for a bit. Have you met someone you know?”

Radian accurately guessed, and my family greeted him.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Rotas Crawler, Radon’s father.”

“I’m Skilla Crawler, his mother.”

Upon revealing our identities, Radian greeted us with joy.

“It’s an honor to meet you. I’m Radian Vercern, the Combat Department professor for the second year.”

“Seems like a fateful meeting.”

“Is our Radon behaving well for you?”

“Hahaha! No way! He might have been like that at first, but he’s not at all now.”

As the conversation between the parents and faculty continued… Amy standing next to me caught Radian’s eye.

“By the way, who’s this?”

“Oh, this girl is…”

Just as I was about to introduce her as my younger sister.

“This friend is Radon’s uncle.”

Huh?

Dad, did you just say what I think you did?

“His name is Eight Crawler. He’s 30 years old this year.”

Uh, Mom?

Isn’t that a bit too exaggerated?

No matter how you lie, the voice gives it away…

“I’m Eight Crawler. Nice to meet you, Professor.”

His voice had changed.

Now it matched the rugged male tone befitting the image.

In a flash, my younger sister transformed into an uncle.

But how did that voice even…

Chuckle chuckle! This is more fun than I expected?

That crazy snake bastard!

When did he attach himself behind Amy?

And why were Mom and Muto making wink signals at each other?

Since when were they in cahoots?

“I’m pleased to meet you too, Eight.”

“Just call me Eight. Hahaha!”

Thanks to Muto’s voice modulation, Amy casually adapted to the rough male voice.

Just then, Radian’s eyes sparkled suddenly.

His gaze seemed to fixate on Amy’s muscular build, as if he admired it.

“Shall we head over there and share a bond, brother?”

“Sounds good! Brother.”

We’ve only just met, and now we’re bonding?

What, is this a set-up for some musclehead camaraderie?

And why wasn’t Amy intimidated, just accepting it so readily?

Isn’t it scary?

“Well then, I’ll be off… uh, brother. I’ll be back.”

“Okay.”

Did I almost just call him ‘Dad’?

But Dad, is it really okay to let this go?

What if they find out his muscles were magically inflated instead of built through hard work?

You know how scary muscleheads like Radian can be.

“Radon, your uncle will be back after having a chat with the professor.”

Amy said with an air of maturity.

She looked like a true man, but knowing her true identity made it hard for me to suppress my laughter.

Reluctantly getting into the mood,

“Yeah. See you later, uncle.”

[Erosion Rate Decreased: -4%]

[+400 Credits]

With this settled, all I could do was slide through the situation.

Even if I got caught, I didn’t think Radian would harm a child.

As they disappeared completely, my parents spoke.

“Make sure to deceive them well, Amy.”

“I’ll treat you to something delicious when it’s over.”

It’s worth noting that being a con artist isn’t something just anyone can do.

If Jenny were there, she would’ve taught me about that scene just now, which is disappointing.

Flap—

At that moment, Aisha appeared, flapping her wings in a small form.

I was left alone after Muto vanished, but I wasn’t exactly one to feel sad about it.

However, Aisha was staring intently at my mother, Skilla.

Thinking about it, the reason Aisha had formed a contract with me without hesitation was because of my mother.

“Radon Crawler. Is that your mother?”

Aisha quietly spoke to me.

Even the usually blunt Aisha conveyed a flutter of emotion.

Following the father’s chance before, this was now the mother’s chance.

Are Mom and Dad divine beings?

Surviving as an Academy Scammer.

 

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