"Shogun, you must sit here and wait obediently until I come back, okay~!"
"Mm..."
Looking at Emilia standing before her with hands on her hips like a mother scolding a child, the Shogun felt a bit helpless inside, yet she still answered obediently.
At the moment, she was sitting properly on a bench while being lectured by the silver-haired girl in front of her.
"No running around!"
Emilia puffed out her cheeks and warned her with a worried look.
"I'm not a child."
She replied.
"You say you're not a child, but everything you do is childish~! Honestly."
Emilia shot back.
[That is indeed true...]
Ei added in agreement.
"..."
The Shogun was speechless.
"Haa... It's a good thing Reinhard came over just now and helped me settle what happened earlier. Otherwise we would have been in serious trouble."
Emilia glanced at the red-haired handsome man in the distance who was waving at her with a bright smile and sighed tiredly.
"This body does not fear them."
The Shogun glanced over there with disdain.
"But I do! Okay? Please don't cause trouble for me again. Be good~!"
Emilia sat down beside her, grabbed both of the Shogun's hands, and gently shook them as if pleading.
"He was the one who was rude first..."
The Shogun turned her eyes away and muttered stubbornly.
"Haa... But didn't you already beat him up? Feeling better now?"
Emilia didn't say things like "you shouldn't use violence." She knew the Shogun wouldn't listen anyway, so she simply went along with it, asking in a tone like she was coaxing a child.
"...Much better."
The Shogun nodded toward her. For a moment, she even looked rather adorable.
She didn't know why she had lost control of her anger earlier, but for now she decided to cooperate obediently.
"Haa... Since you're feeling better, you can't cause any more trouble. Stay here, sit properly. Here~ I bought apples for you. Hold them."
Rustle.
Obediently, the Shogun hugged the bag of shiny red apples that had been placed in her arms. Looking inside, there were about ten of them.
Wasn't that a bit too many?
"Wait here for me, okay~? If you get bored, eat some apples. I'll be right back."
Emilia gently brushed aside the stray hair near her ear and smiled at her. Then she stood up. Before leaving, she looked back once more. Seeing the Shogun still sitting obediently, she nodded in satisfaction and walked toward Reinhard in the distance.
[Let me have some.]
Ei said.
'Then come out and take one yourself.'
The Shogun replied.
Buzz.
A faint violet glow formed on the seat beside her, and Ei appeared there. Wearing a gentian-colored kimono, she picked up an apple and took a bite.
The sweet taste made her narrow her eyes in satisfaction. Her beautiful legs, wrapped in dark purple thigh-high stockings, crossed casually. One of her high-heeled sandals dangled from her toes as she absentmindedly toyed with it.
"..."
The Shogun silently watched her movements the whole time without saying anything.
"?"
After eating half the apple, Ei noticed the gaze and tilted her head to look at her.
"Still thinking about what happened earlier? It's already over. Don't dwell on it."
She set her leg down, leaned closer, and spoke gently.
"My emotions earlier felt... unfamiliar. Including the way I treated you at that time. I couldn't control it."
The Shogun lowered her eyes and looked at the apples in the bag, answering with a trace of guilt.
"Mm... that is true. You're usually not like that."
Ei thought for a moment and murmured thoughtfully.
"...Haa. I don't know. I don't know what's happening to me here."
The Shogun shook her head, giving up on trying to figure it out, and pushed the bag toward Ei again.
"Do you want another one?"
"No. Sweet things shouldn't be eaten in excess."
Ei shook her head.
"Is that really something you can say?"
The Shogun smiled slightly.
"...I learned it from you."
Ei supported herself with both hands on the bench, stretching her legs forward in a relaxed posture where they lightly overlapped. She smiled back at her daughter.
Looking at the smile on the Shogun's face now, she knew she had already recovered. Still, Ei couldn't stop thinking about how she had acted earlier.
"..."
The Shogun fell silent, staring absentmindedly at the apples still left in the bag.
"You're not eating any?"
Ei asked.
"No."
She shook her head.
"I don't feel like it."
Her voice sounded somewhat dull.
"..."
Now it was Ei's turn to fall silent.
Looking at her daughter's profile, so similar to her own, Ei reached out and gently brushed the girl's cheek with the back of her fingers. The gesture carried the tenderness of a loving mother.
The Shogun neither resisted nor avoided it. She simply sat there quietly and allowed the touch.
During this time, Ei glanced toward the distance, where Reinhard and Emilia had entered the Knights' headquarters. Then she looked back at her daughter and noticed that the Shogun was staring somewhere ahead.
"?"
Following her gaze, Ei looked over and saw a blonde girl in a red-and-black aristocratic dress being dragged by several men who looked like street thugs into a narrow alley.
"Shogun? You're not planning to—"
"Ei, hold the apples for me. I'm going to take a look."
Just as expected.
The Shogun's eyes narrowed slightly. She stood up and stuffed the apple bag into her mother's arms.
"Wait. Didn't that girl tell you not to run around?"
Ei asked helplessly.
"She's not my mother."
The Shogun complained, looking at the kimono-clad woman now holding the bag of apples.
"Haa... You really are like a child sometimes."
Ei sighed, unsure whether she felt indulgent or exasperated.
"So then, what is your opinion~?"
The Shogun suddenly sat back down and wrapped her arm around Ei's, asking like a clingy little girl.
"Haa... Go on then~!"
Ei rolled her eyes and sighed again, unable to refuse her.
"Hehe~ When she comes back, help me pretend for a bit."
The Shogun smiled, released her arm, and quickly walked toward the alley.
...Pretend?
How was she supposed to pretend when even the clothes were different?
The only similarities were their faces, the apples in her arms, and maybe the voice.
Inside the alley—
"Hey, little girl..."
"Are you kidding me?!"
"Careful, or I'll smash that pretty face of yours~!!!"
Three thugs with completely different builds and appearances surrounded a noble-looking young lady wearing a red-and-black dress. They cracked their knuckles threateningly as they closed in.
"Heh~ How noisy."
The blonde girl in the Lolita-style dress showed no fear at all. She calmly crossed her arms and mocked them.
"Even the way scum like you tries to pick fights is tasteless. Truly foolish."
She opened the patterned folding fan in her hand and raised it to cover the lower half of her face. Her voice was clear and melodious, carrying a perfect aristocratic tone.
The three men were momentarily stunned and embarrassed by her scathing words.
"Nothing to say? As expected, birds of a feather. Hardly worth my effort to speak at length."
She fanned herself leisurely and smiled with lofty arrogance, treating them as if they were nothing.
"This bitch!!"
"Boss, let's just take her!"
"Yeah! All together!"
The thugs grew impatient and rushed forward.
"Heh, fools..."
The girl sneered, about to act—when she suddenly noticed a purple-haired beauty standing at the alley entrance in the distance.
The woman gave her a small signal with her eyes.
"Oh~? Hehe~ In that case... if the three of you want to admire my beauty, then come closer~ First come, first served~?"
She immediately played along, speaking casually.
"!!!" ×3
The three men instantly flushed with excitement and rushed forward eagerly.
Crackle.
At that moment, particles of light appeared in front of them and quickly reassembled into the figure of a purple-haired woman.
"Huh? Who the hell are you?!"
"Hey, not bad looking. Want to join her too~?"
"Don't block our—"
"How noisy."
Crackle!
The Shogun spoke in a bored tone. She didn't even bother raising a hand.
Lightning suddenly burst from her body in a violent flash. In an instant, the three men were struck by electricity. Their bodies went rigid, their clothes scorched black, and they collapsed to the ground twitching like burnt charcoal.
"Oh my~? You're quite skilled. May I ask your name?"
The blonde woman, holding her fan to her lips, offered praise in her distinctive aristocratic tone. The Shogun instinctively glanced at her.
"Raiden Shogun."
She answered.
"Raiden... Shogun? What a rather unique name. Why call yourself 'Shogun'?"
The other woman asked curiously.
"You could consider it a codename. If it sounds strange, you may call me Mio."
She recalled the nickname Kokomi had once given her.
"That sounds much more normal. I am Priscilla Barielle~"
Priscilla declared proudly, placing a hand over her chest.
"Your name is too long. Troublesome to remember."
The Shogun replied, as if in mild retaliation.
"Hehe... Is that your revenge for earlier? Very well. It matters not if you don't remember me. You will remember in the future. And as for you—"
Priscilla's ruby-like eyes swept sharply over her from head to toe—her attire, her appearance, her figure—before she nodded in satisfaction.
"Judging by your clothing and bearing, are you also a member of the nobility? I have not heard of any family with the surname Raiden in this area."
"No. I am merely a passing commoner."
She leaned lightly against the wall with her arms folded, answering indifferently.
"A lie~ A commoner could not possibly possess such an extraordinary aura. This outfit of yours must have been custom-made at great expense. My eyes are quite discerning."
Priscilla stepped closer and lightly touched the hem of her skirt, teasing with a smile.
"...That is true."
She admitted.
"You had it made?"
"No. A friend of mine did."
"Your friend has excellent taste. In my opinion, this ensemble is a great success and suits your temperament perfectly. Perhaps you are from an out-of-town noble family, Mio~?"
Priscilla tapped her chin with her fan, her gaze vivid and probing.
"Something like that."
After saying that, the Shogun turned and began walking toward the alley entrance.
"It seems I worried unnecessarily. You clearly did not require my assistance."
She glanced back at the girl as she spoke.
"Indeed. You saved them, in a sense. Otherwise, none of them would have survived under my hand."
Priscilla narrowed her reddish eyes dangerously, her tone like a devil whispering.
Tap, tap.
Footsteps approached—light and delicate. The sound was familiar. The Shogun already knew who it was.
"Shogun..."
As expected, Ei, dressed in her gentian kimono and holding the bag of apples, appeared at the alley entrance and called out to her.
The Shogun walked over and took the bag from her.
"You hadn't returned for some time. I was worried, so I came to check."
Ei's eyes were filled with warm concern, and it stirred a gentle warmth in the Shogun's heart.
So this is what a mother is... No matter when, no matter how far, she is always thinking of you.
"Oh my~? You look so alike. Are you sisters?"
Priscilla asked in surprise upon seeing Ei's face.
"My mother."
The Shogun answered casually.
In the past she might have felt a little embarrassed, but now she had grown accustomed to it. She no longer felt shy.
"How remarkable. Your preservation is truly excellent. One cannot see your age at all."
Priscilla praised.
"...Thank you for the compliment."
Ei did not bother explaining that she had no particular beauty regimen. She simply nodded along. It was the quickest way to end the topic.
"By the way... Mio, what fruit is in that bag?"
Priscilla pointed at the apples.
"Apples."
"A lie. Apples are white."
Priscilla immediately refuted her.
"..." ×2
Mother and daughter exchanged a silent glance of confusion before realization dawned simultaneously.
Had this girl only ever eaten apples that had been peeled by servants since childhood?
A true little princess.
When the Shogun was "young," she certainly had not received such treatment. Half because she did not desire it, and half because Ei would not allow it.
Ei's educational philosophy was simple—she would dote where appropriate, but she would never indulge excessively. At the very least, her child must possess basic common sense and never grow into a useless person.
That was Raiden Ei's way.
"Young lady, have you only ever seen peeled apples?"
Ei asked gently.
"Huh? Peeled? Apples... have skins?"
As expected, she responded exactly so.
"Then why not try it and find out?"
The Shogun tossed an apple toward her.
Thud.
Priscilla caught it instinctively and stared blankly at the red fruit in her hand.
"You can't eat it like this. Peel it for me~!"
She walked over somewhat awkwardly and held the apple out to the two purple-haired women.
"Young lady, one must be self-reliant to find joy in life. A peeled apple is like a life stripped of its limbs, is it not?"
"...!"
Priscilla froze slightly.
"Besides, apples with their skin are quite delicious. If you never try, you will never know their taste. Life is like a blank sheet of paper—each attempt you make becomes ink upon it. When one day it forms a painting, that will be the moment you have grown."
After finishing her poetic words, Ei took the Shogun's hand and prepared to leave.
"Wait—"
Priscilla came back to her senses and called out to them.
"?"
Ei stopped and looked at her.
"Your name?"
Priscilla asked with curiosity.
"My surname is Raiden. My name is Ei. I am merely an ordinary mother, nothing worth mentioning."
With that, she once again led the Shogun away.
"..."
Priscilla watched their retreating figures, then looked down at the apple in her hand. After a moment of thought, she opened her mouth—
Crunch.
She took a direct bite. Sweet juice flowed into her mouth.
"Mm... it is indeed delicious~"
She smiled.
And it was far more convenient to hold and eat this way. After peeling, one always needed to wipe one's hands. Such a nuisance.
She did not know why she had listened to that woman. Perhaps it was the elder's aura she carried. Or perhaps her words had simply made sense.
In the distance, she saw the woman named Raiden Ei dissolve into particles of light and merge back into the other purple-haired woman.
Priscilla paused slightly, narrowing her eyes as she continued watching. Soon after, she saw that woman rejoin the silver-haired half-elf who had just exited the Knights' headquarters.
"I see~"
She covered her lips with her fan, smiling mysteriously.
"No wonder... so they belong to Emilia's camp. How interesting, isn't it, Mio."
Which meant they would meet again tomorrow—this time face to face as enemies.
Very good. She was looking forward to this Royal Selection stage more and more.
"Lady Priscilla, my apologies... I am late."
At that moment, a somewhat muffled male voice sounded beside her. A man clad in partial armor approached awkwardly, scratching the back of his helmeted head.
"It's fine, Al~ Let us return."
She turned without concern.
"As you command."
He followed.
"Oh, and when we return, prepare a few apples for me. Unpeeled ones. I wish to eat them."
"Huh? Unpeeled?!"
He sounded shocked.
"Is that so strange~?"
"N-Not at all! I'll prepare them immediately once we return!"
What was wrong with Lady Priscilla today?!
Had the sun risen in the west?
"What is there to be so surprised about~? Am I not allowed to eat a normal apple for once?"
As if seeing through his thoughts, Priscilla teased him in her usual tone.
"Of course not! You may eat whatever you desire. I have no objections whatsoever."
He bowed deeply, survival instinct on full display.
"Good~"
On the other side...
The Shogun, holding the bag of apples, glanced back toward where the noble young lady had been standing. Then she cast a probing look at Ei walking beside her, remaining silent.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
Sensing her daughter's gaze, Ei casually glanced at her and asked.
"Nothing. I was just wondering why you said those things to her."
The Shogun did not hide her thoughts and voiced her question directly.
"There was no particular reason. I merely spoke as I felt."
Ei shook her head, unconcerned.
"Were you like that in the past as well?"
"Like what?"
Ei looked at her in confusion.
"That sort of... moral lecture. Did you use to say such things?"
The Shogun looked at her skeptically.
To whom would she have said them? To Makoto?
That did not seem right. With Makoto's personality, she would not have needed motherly lectures. If anything, it would have been the other way around.
"...In the past, I would not have. But now, I have you. Whether human or god, once one has a family, one's state of mind changes."
Ei answered with a gentle smile.
"For example?"
"For example... when I was young, I was very much like you. Whenever something displeased me, I would become combative. Now, however, I am more at ease. Back then, Makoto played the role to me that I now play for you. Do you understand?"
"..."
The Shogun nodded obediently.
"Pfft..."
Seeing her expression, Ei could not help but laugh softly. She raised her hand to stroke her daughter's cheek and brushed aside her bangs, revealing the tear mole in the same place as her own.
Her daughter's path was still long. She would continue to grow.
That was nothing to worry about.
For now, all Ei needed to do was fulfill her duty as a mother.
—
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