Chapter 176 : Guests (1)
Guests (1)
A few days after Ian returned from the Frozen Sea.
Madam Marceline visited Sunshine Castle.
A bright morning.
The parlor of Sunshine Castle.
"I greet Madam Marceline."
Ian bowed politely.
Sitting across from him was the enchanting woman in a crimson dress, Marceline Hisperion.
A dignified posture, a beauty that seemed untouched by time.
She elegantly raised the teacup on the table and spoke.
"I'm sorry for visiting so suddenly, Young Master Ian. There's something I urgently need to return to you."
"Something to return to me?"
When Ian showed a puzzled expression, Marceline took out a brooch inlaid with a red gem from her bosom and placed it on the table.
"This, right here. I thought you might have lost it, young master."
"......"
Ian looked down at the brooch.
A red gem engraved with the Rubenstein family crest.
The brooch he had given to Zakar Hisperion.
And the very brooch Zakar had used to meet Marceline.
'So Zakar must have safely returned to his family. That's a relief.'
Ian kept a facade of innocence.
"This brooch... It's quite similar to one you gifted me long ago, madam. But I have never lost it."
"Oh... Is that so?"
Marceline narrowed her eyes and smiled.
"My son Zakar brought this to me. He said that a man saved him and then handed him this brooch."
"So something like that happened to Young Master Zakar. Is he safe now?"
"Yes. He is doing very well."
"That's a relief. But I am not the one who gave the brooch to Young Master Zakar."
Ian firmly denied it.
If he admitted it here, his secret—that he was hunting the Demon Cult while concealing his identity—might be discovered.
Once a secret starts to leak, it becomes like a small crack in a dam that can, at any moment, become uncontrollable.
It could lead to all sorts of problems and variables, and to continue operating secretly, it was best to keep his actions hidden as much as possible.
"Is that so? Are you certain?"
Marceline pressed again.
"Yes. My brooch is right here."
Ian reached into his pocket.
And took out a fake brooch he'd prepared in advance using the Authority of Projection.
*swish*
The shape, color, weight—all identical to the original brooch.
"As you can see, I have mine right here. The person who saved Young Master Zakar must be someone else who has received the same decoration as I have."
Ian calmly offered the brooch.
With this undeniable proof, he thought even Madam Marceline wouldn't be able to suspect further.
But.
"Hmmm..."
Marceline quietly looked down at the brooch Ian handed her.
Then she picked up the original brooch from the table and placed it next to Ian's brooch.
Her golden eyes scrutinized both gems intensely.
A moment later.
"Haaa."
Marceline let out a short sigh and shook her head.
"Young master Ian. Forgery is not good."
"... Excuse me?"
"And it's even worse to lie to a mother, you know."
"...!"
Ian's heart thudded.
'D-did she find out?'
How?
The appearance was perfect.
The weight, the texture— all the same.
Even the material shouldn't be off by as much as a hair.
Even an appraiser wouldn't be able to tell them apart.
So how did she immediately know it was a fake?
"You seem taken aback."
Marceline put the brooch down on the table with a teasing smile.
"Are you curious how I found out?"
"... To be honest, yes."
Ian had to admit it.
He was caught perfectly.
That's why he usually tried not to lie if he could help it.
This time, he thought there was no choice, but as expected, he was instantly found out.
"It's because of the unique resonance."
"A unique resonance?"
"Each gem has its own unique resonance. Like a fingerprint. No two gems can have absolutely identical resonances."
Marceline pointed at the two brooches with her finger.
"But these two gems... their resonance is perfectly the same. As if reflected in a mirror."
"Oh."
Ian finally realized his mistake.
The Authority of Projection.
The power to 'perfectly' replicate an object.
That perfection had turned out to be a trap.
The authority had copied even the unique resonance of the original gem, and had created an 'identical-resonance gem'—something impossible in the world.
"There are no two gems in the world with the same resonance. So one of them must be fake. A replica made with magic, in other words."
"......"
He could not refute that.
He was completely caught.
Ian awkwardly wiped his lips.
"I'm sorry. I lied. For trying to deceive you... I'll accept any punishment."
Ian admitted fault plainly.
Making further excuses would only worsen things.
"Hehe. Dear Ian. It's alright. I didn't come to interrogate you, so don't worry."
Marceline's expression softened greatly.
"If you hid your identity and saved my son, you must have had a good reason. I won't press you about it. I just..."
She stood up and slowly approached Ian.
"This mother just wanted to say thank you."
"Madam...?"
"After Kargon, and now Zakar as well. You saved my sons twice. Please let me repay you."
Marceline picked up the brooch from the table and pressed it into Ian's hand.
"Let me return this to you first. Next time, use it for yourself, not someone else."
"......"
"And... would you come here for a moment?"
She gently took Ian's wrist and drew him closer.
As Ian awkwardly followed her, Marceline embraced him tenderly.
*foom*
Ian's face was buried in the fullness of her chest.
"Ah..."
Warm, soft feeling.
A luxurious scent of perfume, the warmth of an embrace like a cradle.
"Ian. You are no different from my own son."
Marceline stroked his head and whispered.
"That's truly how I feel. All the things you've done for me... If not for you, even this mother may have lost the will to live by now."
"......"
Ian listened quietly, not sure what to say.
He realized for the first time that someone known for her coldness in public had such a warm embrace.
"If you're ever troubled, you must come see this mother no matter what. Understood? Young master Ian?"
Marceline hugged Ian even tighter.
He could feel her heartbeat through her chest.
"Do you feel my sincerity?"
Sincerity...
He felt it fully.
In her gentle voice, her warmth, her heartbeat.
There was no pretense, no political calculation.
Pure kindness. Pure motherly love.
'... Hmm.'
A strange ache welled up in a corner of Ian's heart.
A mother's love—something he had never felt in his previous or current life.
A longing he never even knew existed was suddenly being comforted.
'I only did what I had to do.'
He saved Zakar, but he never expected anything in return.
He'd been satisfied just stopping the Demon Cult's plot.
He never imagined such a great reward would come back to him for it.
"... Thank you, madam."
Before he knew it, Ian felt a little choked up and hugged Marceline back.
Marceline gently stroked Ian's head in response.
"If you wish, you may call me mother as much as you want. If you're shy in front of others, then at least when we're alone..."
Ian replied in a hoarse voice.
"Yes. Mother."
As he murmured, Ian felt another strange pang in his chest.
Marceline smiled with joy and embraced him even tighter.
"Yes, my son."
And thus, a warm moment of mother and son, bound by shared feelings, passed.
"I'd love to hug you more, but I suppose I should stop here."
Marceline slowly let go of Ian, a little reluctant.
Ian stepped back, his face a little red.
"Ah... I'm sorry. I may have acted too needy."
He thought he might have been a little too informal, lost in sentiment.
But Marceline shook her head with a twinkle in her eye.
"No, your affection is always welcome, young master..."
She motioned with her eyes toward the window.
"But, the stares from over there are rather intense."
"...?"
Ian turned his head in confusion.
Outside the large parlor window.
He could see the terrace of the tower opposite.
And there—
"...!"
Yuria and Sophia were there.
They stood pressed against the railing, glaring into the parlor with hawk-like eyes.
It was some distance away, but Ian's keen sight could clearly catch their expressions.
'... Th-they're angry!?'
Yuria was gripping the railing with a deadly expression, and Sophia's mouth was agape in shock.
They had clearly watched the entire scene of Ian being embraced by Marceline. Even the mutual hug at the end.
They had certainly been watching from start to finish.
*Drrrrip...*
A cold sweat ran down Ian's back.
Marceline covered her mouth and laughed as if greatly amused.
"Heheh... My son certainly is popular, so this mother is in a good mood. You'll have to soothe them well."
"......"
Ian forced a dry smile at the two women outside the window.
But their expressions showed no sign of softening.
'Th-this is bad.'
It looked like he'd need quite a long explanation session tonight.
* * *
That night.
"Ian."
"Young master."
Yuria and Sophia made Ian sit on the bed, standing on either side.
The atmosphere was as serious as an interrogation.
"Explain yourself. What was that earlier?"
Yuria asked with a stern look.
"How could you hug auntie so tightly? I saw it with my own eyes."
Sophia chimed in.
"I saw it too! Your face was completely buried in those big breasts! Ugh!"
Ian protested as if wronged.
"I think you're misunderstanding. That was just... an expression of gratitude. In the middle, madam Marceline said she thought of me as her son... I was simply responding to that feeling..."
"As her son?"
Yuria squawked.
"That didn't look like a mother-son thing! It felt strange!"
"Right! It looked like you two were secret lovers!"
"Ah. Sophia, that's a bit..."
Ian rubbed his forehead in embarrassment.
"Please listen, lady Yuria. It was Madam Marceline. She is the Heavenly Sword Lord's second wife, someone who could be called my mother. But calling her my lover is absurd. Besides, I have... you and Sophia, don't I?"
"Hmph! Age means nothing to a Grandmaster! She always looks young! And auntie is a real beauty too! How do we know you weren't taken by her, Ian!"
"Besides, madam Marceline's outfit was outright suspicious! Her chest was completely exposed! She was definitely trying to seduce you!"
"Haaa..."
Ian let out a deep sigh.
He had a feeling the two were just teaming up to be unreasonable.
It was clear they wanted something else.
In that case—
"Alright, then what will make you believe me?"
Ian raised both hands in surrender.
At that, Yuria and Sophia exchanged a sly look.
"Hehehe... Now you're talking. In that case..."
"Hehehe..."
"... Huh."
Ian had a blank look.
'... So this was their goal all along.'
Pretending to be jealous and angry, just so they could ask for a play they'd always wanted.
It was kind of cute, yet also ridiculous.
Tonight won't be easy...
"All right... I suppose there's no helping it."
Ian had no choice but to let them tie his arms as they wished.