Chapter 354 : Mother and Daughter part 2

"Mother? Wait a moment, Miss Violetta, did you just call Lady Arnett 'Mother'?" I asked, slightly startled.

Miss Violetta remained silent, offering no answer to my question. She kept her gaze fixed on Duchess Arnett. Then, Duchess Arnett launched another attack with her long whip, snapping it rapidly toward Lady Violetta. However, Miss Violetta easily dodged the strike. Having evaded the attack, she immediately darted straight toward Duchess Arnett.

"Miss Violetta," I murmured, watching her rush toward the Duchess.

While my attention was on Miss Violetta, the four massive wolves created by Senior Vyn and Commander Dayne’s longsword came hurtling toward me. Realizing they were closing in, I braced myself to face them. Just as Commander Dayne’s longsword was about to strike me, I quickly deflected it with my own sword. The longsword veered off course and hit two of the wolves—creatures wreathed in wind and lightning magic. Although the longsword made contact, it merely passed through their bodies rather than slicing them apart.

"I had intended to use Commander Dayne’s sword to defeat those wolves. But as I suspected, they can't be beaten by ordinary attacks. They can only be taken down by an elemental attack that exploits their weakness, or by an 'element-slaying' slash like the ones I usually employ," I thought, observing how the commander's sword had failed to cut down the two wolves.

Just then, two wolves—whose bodies had withstood Commander Dayne’s sword strikes—approached and prepared to attack me. The remaining two wolves were also getting ready to strike. Seeing them poised to attack, I immediately dodged their lunges. Although I managed to evade their initial moves, they kept pressing the attack. I continued to dodge while looking for an opening to take them down one by one.

I soon found that opening: three wolves—manifestations of wind, lightning, and earth magic—were moving toward me in unison, while the water-magic wolf lagged behind. As the trio lunged, I dodged their attacks and instantly darted toward the water wolf.

~Secret Sword Art: Aqua Slayer Slash~

I sliced the water wolf in two with a single strike. Having been cut in half, its body slowly began to dissipate.

"Three left," I thought.

After destroying that one, I turned to face the remaining three wolves, ready to take them down one by one.

-

Meanwhile, on Miss Violetta side.

Miss Violetta was locked in close-quarters combat with Duchess Arnett. Duchess Arnett was now wielding a rapier instead of the whip she had used earlier.

"Answer me, Mother! Why have you changed like this? Who turned you into this?" Miss Violetta demanded, even as she continued to clash with the Duchess.

Duchess Arnett immediately responded to Miss Violetta's words.

"I don't understand why you keep calling me 'Mother'. I am not your mother," said Duchess Arnett in a flat tone.

Miss Violetta looked utterly shocked upon hearing Duchess Arnett's words.

"What did you just say, Mother?! You aren't joking, are you?" Miss Violetta asked.

"I am not joking," Duchess Arnett replied.

With that, Duchess Arnett prepared to attack Miss Violetta.

~Rose Magic: Growing Roses~

A large number of roses suddenly appeared around Duchess Arnett and Miss Violetta. Miss Violetta, who had been looking at Duchess Arnett, immediately turned her gaze toward the roses that had suddenly materialized.

~Rose Magic: Blooming Roses - Blast~

The roses instantly bloomed and then suddenly exploded. Miss Violetta, caught in the vicinity of the exploding roses, quickly dodged to avoid the blasts. She managed to evade the explosions surrounding her, but she could not avoid them all; several blasts struck her, causing burn injuries.

A few moments later, the explosions ceased. Having dodged the blasts, Miss Violetta now stood at a considerable distance from Duchess Arnett. She kept her eyes fixed on Duchess Arnett despite the gap between them. Duchess Arnett appeared completely unscathed, despite having been within the range of the rose explosions she herself had created.

"Mother..." Miss Violetta said.

A look of sadness crossed her face as she spoke.

-

Back to Rid's side.

While I was facing the three remaining wolves, I heard the sounds of multiple explosions. However, I decided to ignore the noise and continued to engage the three wolves. Now, only one of the five wolves created by Senior Vyn remained—the one wreathed in electrical magic. With only a single wolf left, defeating it seemed like it would be an easy task. I quickly darted toward the beast, preparing to strike. However, as I rushed forward, two long swords suddenly came hurtling toward me. I recognized one as Commander Dayne’s sword, but I didn't know who was wielding the other. I glanced toward the source of the second sword and saw that it was Senior Vyn attacking me, mirroring Commander Dayne’s technique.

"I already knew they were father and son, so it’s no surprise they share the same techniques," I thought.

The two long swords were nearly upon me, but I swiftly deflected them both with my own sword, sending them veering off course. I then resumed my charge toward the electric wolf. It appeared to be preparing a counterattack as I closed the distance. When the attack came, I dodged it instantly; now within striking range, I immediately launched my own offensive.

~Secret Sword Art: Electric Slayer Slash~

I landed a decisive blow on the electric wolf, cleaving its body in two. As it split apart, the wolf slowly began to fade away. After defeating the electric wolf, I immediately approached Miss Violetta, who still appeared to be gazing toward Duchess Arnett—standing quite a distance away.

"Miss Violetta," I said.

Upon hearing me call out, Miss Violetta turned to look at me. Unlike before, she actually responded to my words this time.

"Ah, Rid... I apologize for ignoring you earlier. I was aware that you were speaking to me, but my mind was in turmoil at the time. That is why I ended up ignoring you," Miss Violetta said.

"It is quite alright, Miss. That aside, I noticed you kept addressing Lady Arnett as 'Mother'. Is she your mother?" I asked.

"Yes, she is. I had always kept my family background a secret from you, hadn't I? But I won't hide it anymore. My full name is Violetta Laterza San Quentine. As my name implies, I come from the San Quentine family; the current Duke and Duchess San Quentine are my parents."

"But I am no longer a member of the San Quentine family; I left for a certain reason. Duke San Quentine surely doesn't consider me his daughter anymore, either. Even so, I still regard them as my family—especially my mother and my younger sister, Amelia," said Miss Violetta.

Upon hearing Miss Violetta's words, I fell silent, deep in thought.

"If I recall correctly, when Miss Violetta first became the commander of the guards at the academy, I saw her chatting familiarly with Princess Amelia. So, they were sisters all along," I mused.

Then, I responded to Miss Violetta.

"I see. So, you are the daughter of Lord Remy and Lady Arnett. That explains why you call Lady Arnett 'Mother'. It also explains why you were so shocked to see her transformed into a demon," I said.

"Yes, I never imagined my mother would turn into a demon. I must find out who transformed her, and then I will kill them with my own hands," Miss Violetta declared.

As she said this, I sensed a murderous aura radiating from her.

"Lady Arnett, Commander Dayne, Senior Vyn, and Princess Amelia—they were all closest to Lord Remy, and now they have turned into demons. This seems to prove that Lord Remy is the one who transformed them all," I said.

"I see... that makes sense. It seems he really was the one who turned Mother and Amelia into demons," Miss Violetta said.

The murderous aura emanating from her grew even more intense.

"If you wish to go straight to Lord Remy, please do so immediately, Miss. Leave it to me to deal with them—including Lady Arnett, your mother. As her daughter, you would surely find it difficult to fight against your own mother," I said.

"No, I will be the one to fight my own mother. As her daughter, it is up to me to stop and defeat her myself. Only after that will I go to that person's place—to that bastard father's place," said Miss Violetta, looking angry.

-

Meanwhile, at Irene's place.

Irene was running along the path she was currently traversing. Not long after, as she made her way along the road, someone suddenly darted rapidly toward her. The figure lunged, attacking Irene with the rapier they held. However, Irene reacted swiftly, instantly parrying the strike with her own rapier. Their blades clashed.

As the rapiers met, Irene caught a glimpse of her attacker's face. Upon seeing who it was, she looked slightly taken aback.

"Princess Amelia?!" Irene exclaimed.

-To be continued