Chapter 267: The Day Before the Decisive Battle
* * *
"..."
Lairine stopped signing documents, leaned back in her office chair to stretch, and then slowly stood up.
This is Lairine's office in her mansion on Vera Kenu.
The warm afternoon sunlight pours into the room through the large window, making the carpet with beautifully drawn young grass and the glossy office desk with luxurious decorations sparkle.
She rarely used this room before because she mainly worked in the office at the Adventurer's Guild headquarters.
Recently, that situation has completely changed, and she now brings most of her work home to handle.
The reason is, of course, because she wants to be with Emi.
Lairine slowly approached the large window and looked down at the grassland spreading around the mansion while erasing her presence.
There is Emi.
Her beloved daughter.
Emi is continuously moving her body there.
Punching, kicking, jumping around, she continues her solo combat training.
Her movements are becoming sharper day by day.
Her movements, which were already impossible for ordinary people to perceive, are acquiring an even more incomprehensible speed.
Landing a single blow on a serious Lairine.
Ever since this goal was presented, Emi's growth has been remarkable.
Probably, in terms of her current specs, to put it simply, she has the foundation to exert a power of 1000.
However, when she travels the outside world, even though there might be occasional exceptions, a power of 300 would be more than enough to defeat external enemies.
That's why she didn't know how to intentionally use her full power.
That is about to change with the appearance of the wall called Lairine.
Her body is beginning to change to be able to fully exert a power of 1000, her full power, by her own will.
Seeing Emi like that, Lairine unconsciously smiled.
She was happy.
Her daughter is growing, and she is the trigger for it.
She is influencing Emi.
That made her unbearably happy.
* * *
Since the day Emi wished to Lairine to embark on a journey from this island, their relationship has definitely changed.
Emi started clearly rejecting Lairine and stopped showing her face much except at mealtimes.
They talk less, too.
But this was already rare to begin with, so it's fine.
Not sleeping in the same bed anymore, not taking baths together anymore.
This is... lonely.
However, looking at this alone, it seems that what has changed is Emi's attitude towards Lairine, but in reality, what has greatly changed is Lairine's inner self.
If it were the previous her, no matter how much Emi rejected her, she would have embraced Emi without caring.
Because for the previous Lairine, the world was basically something that would go as she pleased.
If she didn't like something, she would crush it.
Everyone feared her and knelt before her.
Living like that, for the arrogant her, communication with others was basically all about "pushing herself onto them" in every aspect.
That's why Lairine loved Emi as she pleased without considering Emi's feelings.
She kept her by her side and gazed at her forever and ever.
She simply continued to pour her idea of "love" as she pleased.
But Emi tells her to stop that.
I hate you, let me go outside.
Saying that, she defies Lairine.
Lairine was shocked, dumbfounded, and perplexed by that.
She didn't know what to do.
This was the first time she had such an experience.
Of course, in her long life up until now, there have been countless beings who defied her.
But they were utterly irrelevant to her.
So she just casually beat them up and destroyed them, and that was the end of it.
The next day, she had completely forgotten about those guys and lived a new day.
But Emi is different from them.
Lairine loves Emi.
She can't just beat her up, destroy her, and say it's over.
In other words, for the first time in her over 300 years of life, Lairine was troubled by a human relationship.
She didn't know what to do.
She couldn't come up with a good idea on her own.
Therefore, she had no choice but to compromise.
She had to accept the form of love that Emi desired, "Being far away and thinking of the other person."
However, that doesn't mean.
Lairine had no intention of parting with Emi right away.
That's why she imposed the condition on Emi, "Land a single blow on my serious self."
After that, upon hearing this condition, Emi immediately attacked Lairine.
...Just looking at that attitude, Lairine truly thinks Emi is a wonderful child.
Lairine's power, when she stops suppressing it, is said to potentially reach the gods, yes, with the endorsement of the Adventure God.
In this world, a very small number of people call beings like Lairine, who have the capacity to become gods, do not oppose the gods, and are not involved in maintaining the world like the gods, "demigods."
Emi fearlessly challenges that demigod Lairine without the slightest hesitation.
Emi's courage is not ordinary.
Still, the difference in actual ability cannot be helped.
Earlier, I explained Emi's power using 1000 as an example, but even if that power were to become 2000, for Lairine, it would be like 1 becoming 2.
Such a vast difference in power lies between the two of them.
And in Lairine's opinion, what can fill that gap is not "techniques" or such.
It's the specs as a being.
It can also be rephrased as basic ability values.
And to nurture that, time is needed.
Emi is given ingredients rich in magical power (which are deadly poison for ordinary people) such as dragon meat at every meal to promote efficient growth.
Still, even so, to land a single blow on a serious Lairine, Lairine estimates that it will take several more decades.
In other words, during that time, even if their relationship is a bit strained, Lairine can be with Emi.
* * *
"Fufu, ufufu..."
While gazing at Emi, who was frantically honing her techniques under the window, Lairine unconsciously let out a laugh at the endearing sight.
On that day when she told Emi to "land a single blow on my serious self," as mentioned earlier, Emi immediately challenged Lairine.
Even though she said she would get serious, if Lairine were to attack, it wouldn't even be a conversation.
Therefore, they set a time limit, and during that time, Lairine would defend against Emi's attacks.
It was a battle with such rules.
The result was, of course, Lairine's victory.
When time ran out, Emi was lightly poked by Lairine, became unable to fight, and rolled onto the grassland.
"You still have a long way to go."
While looking down at the immobilized Emi, Lairine smiled happily.
She thought that maybe Emi's spirit was broken due to showing too much of their difference in power, but that was fine too.
If that's the case, she can keep Emi by her side forever.
However, Emi, who desperately raised her face from a prone position and glared at Lairine, had eyes burning with fighting spirit.
"One more... month."
Emi shouted.
"I will... polish what I have 'inherited'! And in one month, I will definitely... land a single blow on you!!"
And then she fainted.
What she has "inherited."
In other words, the "Grim Reaper's" techniques, huh?
Every time she remembers these words, Lairine unconsciously furrows her brow out of resentment.
Does Emi value the "Grim Reaper's" techniques to the extent of declaring that?
It's utterly infuriating.
Emi says she doesn't know the "Grim Reaper," but there's no doubt.
Those movements are the "Grim Reaper's" movements.
If this was going to happen, she should have killed that man on the day she saw him in Ashgo.
At that time, she was unintentionally impressed by his master skill of cleverly utilizing a small amount of magical power, but to think that it would come around and stir up her heart this much.
You never know how things will turn out.
"Phew... haa..."
Noticing that the mansion had started shaking due to the release of magical power accompanying her irritation, Lairine hurriedly took a deep breath.
It's okay.
From now on, Lairine can stay close to Emi forever and ever.
Taking a long, long time, she just needs to gradually fill Emi's heart with herself.
Time is on her side.
Having calmed her feelings, Lairine moved away from the window, sat back down in her office chair, and resumed work.
She must finish the mountain of work in front of her today.
Because tomorrow is the "one month later" that Emi declared.
To accept Emi's challenge in perfect condition, she must handle her work now.
But even though she thought that way, she ended up thinking about something else.
She unintentionally worried about how to support Emi when she fails the challenge.
She was absent-minded.
That's why.
Lairine didn't notice.
That for some reason, Emi was staring intently at the window of the office where Lairine's figure had disappeared, from the grassland.