Chapter 213
The unusual tension between the two had long since driven the prisoners and guards far away from the duel arena.
“…Hey.”
Maible, who had been momentarily stunned by Helga’s provocation, spoke up.
“I came here to prove my pride. I can tolerate a lot of things, but I can’t stand being told I have no pride. But…”
Maible began to stretch her body.
“Now that I think about it, this was all that man’s plan, wasn’t it? He set up this whole stage just to lure me out. Right?”
“Was it that obvious?”
“Yeah. But you guys already knew I was here, didn’t you? This was bound to happen eventually.”
A cracking sound came from her tightly clenched fist.
“Whether you’re a pursuer or an assassin sent by the Imperial Family, it doesn’t matter. I won’t just sit back and take it.”
With those final words, Maible slowly reached out toward Helga.
‘…?’
The movement was so slow that Helga didn’t even realize it was an attack.
But the moment Maible’s fingers touched her sleeve, Helga’s vision flipped.
“Ugh!?”
Helga, who had landed on her back, was so shocked she could barely breathe.
Her mind caught up with the situation belatedly. Maible had grabbed her sleeve and slammed her to the ground in an instant.
Helga was confused.
She had only grabbed her sleeve? What kind of…?
Maible looked down at the fallen Helga and spoke.
“Pathetic. You just lost to me once.”
Helga quickly got up.
She immediately took a stance, keeping her distance.
“…So, you’re a pirate, but have you also learned martial arts?”
“Nah. Not really.”
Maible smirked and reached out toward Helga again.
This time, it was a fist. It wasn’t particularly heavy or fast.
Normally, Helga could have just taken a hit like that, but her instinct made her raise her guard.
“?!”
And Helga’s judgment was correct.
The moment Maible’s fist touched her guarded elbow, Helga felt a pain as if she had been hit by a sledgehammer in the chest.
“Are you underestimating me right now?”
Helga looked up, and Maible spoke with a confident attitude.
“You seem like the type who strengthens your body with magic. Don’t be stubborn, use your magic. You can’t beat me with just your body. I may not look like much, but I’ve never lost in a one-on-one fight.”
“Haha… That’s me. And if I use magic, the Count will scold me.”
Tristan had sternly warned her not to expose her magic power.
He was probably worried she might accidentally kill the prisoners, but Helga hadn’t planned on using magic anyway.
She knew all too well the danger of her power, having lost an eye in an accident. Just a slight move from her could injure many people.
Especially since the person in front of her now was someone she never wanted to hurt.
The place where she reunited with her long-lost mother was, of all places, a duel arena. How cruel could fate be?
But that thought only lasted a moment. Helga wasn’t despairing; oddly, she was excited.
The mother she had always imagined was right in front of her.
She was happy to know that her mother, whom she thought was dead, was alive, but she was also worried.
Because her mother was a pirate… a notorious criminal who had once shaken the entire nation.
Helga was afraid. Afraid that the image of her kind, maternal mother she had built in her imagination would shatter. Afraid that seeing her mother’s true self would make her deny her.
But those worries disappeared the moment she faced Maible.
‘Ah… How majestic she is.’
Honestly, she hadn’t expected her to be kind. She just hoped her mother wouldn’t be someone to be ashamed of, but she never imagined she’d be this majestic!
Just from a few words, she could tell.
Maible was far from the despicable image of a pirate; she was a charismatic woman. Her confidence in the way she had lived her life, without a hint of shame, was like that of a proud and noble knight.
And she was strong.
Whatever trick she used, she had landed two effective blows on Helga.
Even Helga, who had defeated countless enemies, had never faced an opponent like this.
“Hahaha…”
She couldn’t help but laugh.
To think such strength existed in that petite frame! And that it was her mother!
She wanted to know her mother’s true strength.
The only way to know her mother’s true strength, without holding back because she was her daughter, was in this moment.
Helga suppressed her emotions and spoke.
“I’m proud. That you’re such a strong person.”
“…What?”
“Teach me. That way, I can understand what kind of life you’ve lived.”
This time, Helga moved first.
She reached out and grabbed Maible’s collar. With the intention of returning the favor, she threw Maible toward the ground.
Compared to Helga, Maible’s petite frame was lifted into the air in an instant.
The sensation was disappointingly light.
No… she slipped away.
What Helga had thrown to the ground wasn’t Maible, but a torn piece of clothing.
The clothes might have been old, but Maible had skillfully redirected Helga’s force.
“You’re strong.”
Maible was tying her torn collar back together.
“This brings back memories. I know a man similar to you. When he first fought me, he tore my collar clean off…”
“Ugh! Please! Stop there! Don’t say anymore!”
“Huh?”
“I don’t want to know who that man is, so don’t say it!”
“Huh? Did I say something inappropriate?”
“It’s not just inappropriate; it’s practically an insult to me.”
“Sorry about that.”
“Forget it!”
Ugh, of all people, to be compared to that man.
Helga gritted her teeth and charged at Maible again.
“Slow!”
“I’m not slow! You’re just fast!”
Maible skillfully dodged or redirected Helga’s attacks. It felt like she was just a hair’s breadth away from being caught.
“!?”
In an instant, Helga sensed an inexplicable danger and quickly pulled her hand back. But she was a bit too late, and Maible grabbed her left wrist and twisted it.
Crack-.
With just a slight twist, Helga felt her left wrist bone dislocate.
“Pretty sharp senses. I was trying to break it.”
Helga nonchalantly grabbed her dislocated wrist and popped it back into place. After flexing her fist a few times, she nodded and spoke to Maible again.
“I’m fine now.”
“Tough…”
After exchanging a few blows, it became clear that Maible’s physical strength was far inferior to Helga’s.
But her fighting sense was exceptional. Not just exceptional, but insanely good.
‘I think I get it now…’
Helga could guess.
How many battles Maible had been through and how they had shaped her fighting style.
Maible’s way of fighting was different from those who had trained in martial arts. Her movements weren’t systematic and seemed to lack foundation. But they were extremely efficient.
How to fight with the least amount of strength. How to fight for a long time. How to quickly defeat an opponent.
The traces of such thoughts were evident.
That’s why, even without formal training, she could fight like a seasoned martial artist.
The reason Maible had made a name for herself as a pirate was likely due to this relentless thought process and her genius-level fighting sense.
As Helga was thinking this, Maible spoke up.
“Your name.”
“Huh?”
“Tell me your name. It’s not fair that only you know mine.”
“Ah…”
So the moment had finally come.
Helga made an awkward expression.
Seeing this, Maible tilted her head.
“Do you have a reason not to reveal your name? Whatever it is, it can’t be worse than mine.”
“No, it’s not that… I just don’t think it’s necessary…”
“Huh?”
“You already know my name.”
*
“What do you mean…”
Maible instinctively frowned.
The woman in front of her was muttering something strange.
“Ah… I really don’t want to get scolded by the Count…”
After hesitating, the woman finally seemed to make a decision and spoke to Maible.
“I’ll admit it. You’re much more impressive than I thought.”
As she said this, magic power surged from her body.
“…! You’re going to use magic now?”
“I have no choice… Even if I tell you who I am, you probably won’t believe me… And I don’t think I can beat you without magic.”
The woman exhaled slowly.
“Hoo… The reason I didn’t want to use magic wasn’t just because of my promise to the Count… It’s also because I was afraid you’d recognize me if I did.”
“What?”
The air began to vibrate faintly.
Her skin tingled. Her hair stood on end from the extraordinary magic power.
Even someone insensitive to magic could feel the threatening amount of power.
But… why didn’t it feel threatening?
“This sensation…”
“I was able to have this power because of you.”
As she said this, the woman in the black uniform released the condensed magic power.
Boom-!!
Sparks flashed before their eyes.
Lightning began to strike the dry ground repeatedly.
It looked like divine punishment from the gods.
“Ahhh!”
“What, what’s going on! Dodge!”
“Get back! Quickly!”
The prisoners and guards, startled by the continuous lightning, scattered in all directions.
But Maible could only stand still.
“You… you…”
An electric sensation enveloped her.
The tingling magic power she felt around her was something she knew all too well.
The lightning magic used by those with Wolfbert blood.
The magic used by the man she once loved.
And now, the young woman in front of her was wielding the same magic…
“Really… you… you…”
As the puzzle pieces in her mind fell into place, her vision blurred strangely.
Tears flowed without her even realizing it.
Despite the chaos of lightning strikes and people scrambling to escape, Maible’s attention was entirely focused on the woman in front of her.
“Ah… God…”
Unable to believe the reality before her, Maible’s legs gave out. The woman in the black uniform embraced her.
“I missed you, Mother.”
