Chapter 23 – The Evil Dragon Misunderstands That Her Son Has a Lover 【Part 1】

It was the day after Ryuuji and his partner Sheila defeated the Adamantine Kabuto.

Around noon.

Karma Abyss was in the living room of their home.

There, Chekiita the Observer elf arrived.

“Haaai, Karma. Are you monitoring Ryu again?”

Chekiita said with a wry smile as she looked at Karma Abyss.

The evil dragon was sitting in a chair, clutching the 【Mirror】 with bloodshot eyes fixed on the image displayed within.

“Shut up. An incredibly emergency situation is happening right now. I don’t have time to deal with you!!!”

Karma Abyss said while pressing her face against the mirror.

“That’s dangerous. Ryu is off duty today, right? He’s not even in the dungeon, so there shouldn’t be anything dangerous happening.”

“You idiot! It’s precisely because he’s off duty that this is an emergency! Look at this!”

Karma Abyss shoved the mirror toward Chekiita.

“Oh my, it’s Ryu and Sheila-chan. The two of them… oh dear, they’re entering a jewelry store.”

The mirror displayed the surveillance footage sent from the Sky Castle.

According to it, Ryuuji, who was off duty, had invited Sheila out into the city.

“You didn’t insist on following them this time, huh.”

“That’s… because Ryu-kun said ‘Don’t follow me~’. I really wanted to go with him, but I couldn’t risk making him depressed again like last time…”

“Last time” referred to the boss monster courtesy match incident.

Because his mother had followed him, Ryuuji had become very depressed.

“I see. You’ve grown, Karma.”

Chekiita smiled with composure.

“But ugh… I really should have gone with them after all… ugh…”

In the mirror, Sheila and Ryuuji were choosing jewelry.

『Which one do you think is good?』

『I think anything would look good on you!』

Watching her son and Sheila happily interacting… Karma Abyss’s teeth began chattering: clack clack clack…

“T-this is… could this be what they call…”

“Hmm hmm.”

“Choosing jewelry to give to his lover?!?!”

It had to be! Karma Abyss declared with full conviction.

A boy and girl of similar age. A jewelry store. “Which one would look good?”

From these factors, she concluded that Ryuuji was confessing to Sheila and asking her out.

Ah, it’s too early! Dating is still way too early! At least let me do the Mother Interview (2nd round) first!

Karma Abyss was extremely flustered.

On the other hand, after staring with her mouth open, Chekiita burst out laughing.

“Ah~… That’s hilarious~… Why would you reach that conclusion?”

The elf shook her head in amusement.

“But you really are entertaining. Yeah, I never get bored watching you.”

Chekiita grinned and patted Karma Abyss on the shoulder.

“That relaxed attitude of yours is extremely irritating, so please stop it immediately.”

Slap. Karma Abyss brushed away the Observer’s hand.

“Oh my, why are you getting mad~?”

Giggling, Chekiita hugged Karma Abyss from behind.

Her soft breasts pressed against her back.

“Don’t push those useless lumps of fat onto me. It’s annoying.”

“Isn’t that just jealousy? Because they’re the breasts that fed Ryu.”

“Shuuuuuuut up shut up! Get lost already!”

Karma Abyss summoned the lightning of All-Destruction in her right hand.

“Okay okay, sorry. Big sis will leave now~”

Chekiita waved lightly and was about to leave… when it happened.

…tug.

Karma Abyss had grabbed the hem of the Observer’s clothes.

“Oh? What is it?”

“…………It’s nothing.”

Karma Abyss spoke vaguely.

The words she had prepared got caught in her emotional filter and vanished before coming out.

Asking this woman for help was extremely, incredibly mortifying.

But this long-lived elf might know the answer.

…Earlier, this woman had said 【”Why would you reach that conclusion?”】

Which meant that Karma Abyss’s previous assumption — that her son was proposing to his lover — might be wrong.

And it seemed this woman knew the correct answer.

So even though she wanted to ask… she really didn’t want to.

Chekiita acted like a mother who knew everything about Ryuuji and carried herself with motherly composure.

Karma Abyss hated how much more “motherly” this woman was than her.

…Because compared to her, her own immaturity stood out so clearly.

But even so, she couldn’t completely push this woman away.

She wanted to hear it. Advice. The answer.

Because she wanted to understand her son more deeply as a mother.

“Fufu, Karma. You’ve really grown. You’re doing a wonderful job as a mother.”

Chekiita approached and hugged her tightly.

“…Please stop with the flattery.”

“Oh, how rude~ It’s not flattery. You’re a wonderful mother. Even if you don’t share blood, even if you didn’t give birth to him.”

“…………Hmph.”

She wasn’t happy at all… or so she told herself, but her heart did feel a little lighter. That part was a secret.

She swore she would never show her vulnerability to this woman.

“Alright then~ Here’s a hint.”

Chekiita suddenly pulled away.

“If you were really giving a present to your lover, you wouldn’t go into the store together with them.”

“Is that so?”

“That’s how it is. It’s obvious. A present is something you 【give】 to the other person. Why would you choose it together with the recipient?”

“…Now that you mention it, that does make sense.”

Until the elf pointed it out, Karma Abyss hadn’t noticed the inconsistency.

Her mind had been flooded with fantasies of Ryuuji marrying Sheila, getting her pregnant, reaching the marriage goal, and then the birth of her first grandchild!

Because of that, she had become too emotional to think calmly.

Chekiita smiled as if she had seen right through Karma Abyss’s thought process.

“Well, even if you’re a wonderful mother, your level as a mother is still barely passing with a failing grade.”

Being told that made Karma Abyss extremely irritated.

Because deep down she knew Chekiita was more motherly than her, having the truth pointed out made her angry.

“Get out already, you useless-meat elf!”

Karma Abyss tried to activate All-Destruction.

But in the next instant, the Observer had vanished without a sound.

【When Ryu comes home, you’ll understand everything. See you later~】

Leaving only her voice, Chekiita’s presence completely disappeared.

Only Karma Abyss remained.

“…Seriously, what an unpleasant woman.”

Karma Abyss sat back in her chair and let out a long sigh.

The emotional turmoil from earlier had vanished.

…When he comes home, everything will become clear.

She didn’t exactly trust the elf’s words, but well, just in case.

There was still a chance the woman was lying, but still.

“For now, I’ll just wait for him to come back.”

Before she realized it, Karma Abyss was able to wait for her son’s return with a calmer heart than before.

No, it’s not like she felt reassured because of that woman or anything.