Chapter 29 – The Evil Dragon’s First Battle 【Part 2】

While traveling on the highway toward their destination, the carriage carrying Ryuuji and the others was suddenly surrounded by a pack of Wild Hounds.

They were dog-type monsters characterized by white fur and sharp fangs. At a quick glance, there were about ten of them. Since Hounds always hunted in packs, she figured this was a standard number.

“Alright. Sheila, stay back and prep your magic. Kaasan and I will take the front and buy you some time! Let’s go!”

“Yes,” Karma answered.

In short, all she had to do was make sure no danger befell her son and Sheila. Karma crouched down low and then launched herself high into the sky with a booming shockwave.

“Heh?!”

“Hawawa?!”

Down on the ground, her son and the others looked completely shocked.

After leaping into the air, Karma made a fist with the hand holding her sword and pulled her arm way back. Gravity took hold of her body, pulling her into a freefall toward the ground. Combining the momentum of her fall, she thrust her drawn-back fist forward with explosive force and slammed it right into the earth.

BA-DOOOOOOM!

She had jumped high into the sky and followed it with a falling punch. With just that, a crater formed in the ground as if a meteorite had struck. A fierce gale raged and blew the ten Hounds far away into the distant sky.

Of course, she had cast a 【Barrier】 spell on her son and the carriage, so their physical safety was absolutely guaranteed. The Hounds were blasted away cleanly and flew off to who-knows-where.

“Phew… Danger averted.”

Karma wiped her forehead with the hand holding the sword. Come to think of it, I didn’t even use this sword, she realized just now. She sheathed the blade at her waist and rushed over to her son.

“Are you alright?! Are you hurt anywhere?!”

After all, they had been surrounded by terrifying enemies. What if her son had gotten hurt somewhere? No, what if being surrounded by scary monsters had left him emotionally scarred?! She was so unbearably anxious and worried that she couldn’t stand it.

“…………”

Ryuuji had fallen back onto his rear. Then, directing sparkling eyes at Karma, he said, “A-Amazing…!”

“You’re amazing, Kaasan!”

Her son was directing a gaze of pure respect at her! Usually, whenever Karma did something, her son would get mad and yell at her to stop doing unnecessary things. But today of all days, he was actually happy about it!

“It’s amazing, you’re so incredibly strong! As expected of an SSS-Rank Adventurer!”

“He, hehe… fuhehe… I-It’s really… nothing much…”

Oh my god. I’m so happy. This is too much happiness. She had never been showered with such joyous praise from her son before.

But then Karma realized something. From Ryuuji’s perspective, her actions just now weren’t the meddling of his mother, but the grand deeds of an SSS-Rank Adventurer. He interpreted it as an accomplishment befitting her supposed strength.

“It’s amazing, Kaasan… I want to become strong like you…”

It was also nice that her son was calling her Kaasan. It felt exactly like she was being praised directly, which was simply wonderful.

“You can become it, Ryu…uuji-san. Even stronger than someone like me.”

Karma said this with absolute conviction. After all, her son was a celestial being on par with the gods. He would quickly surpass a mother who had merely devoured an Evil God.

Right at that moment, Sheila called out.

“Ryuuji-kun! More enemies have arrived!”

“What?!”

Looking in the direction Sheila was pointing, they saw another pack of Wild Hounds approaching them.

Karma remembered that Hounds hunted in packs and always split their group in two to perform a pincer attack. They were born hunters who employed tactics to ensure they caught their prey.

“Dammit!”

Ryuuji was panicking. He had been so absorbed in his conversation with Kaasan that he had neglected to keep watch on their surroundings.

Karma said, “It’s alright, Ryuuji-san! Leave it to Mother!!”

Karma drew her sword and stepped forward. She thrust her sword-holding hand out as mana gathered in her palm. It was a minuscule amount of mana, about one ten-thousandth of her usual output.

“【Fire Javelin】!”

That minuscule amount of mana by Karma’s standards formed absolutely massive spears of flame from her hand. In terms of numbers, there were about a thousand of them. Such an incredibly low amount.

The flame spears Karma conjured flew straight toward the incoming Wild Hounds.

RAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!

Sounding just like machine-gun fire, the endless barrage of fire spears rained down, slamming into the enemies and the ground alike. Since there were only ten enemies, the remaining 990 spears just slammed into the earth. They riddled the surrounding area with holes, and then only silence remained.

“Phew…”

Karma returned her sword to her waist. Like, do I even need a sword? she thought while looking back toward Ryuuji and the others.

“Haaa…”

“Hawawaa…”

Both of them were directing sparkling eyes at Karma.

“That was amazing!”

“As expected of Kaasan-san!”

Her son and his companion were genuinely rejoicing! What is this, a reward…? Karma trembled with awe. Up until now, everything she had done with good intentions had only been a nuisance to her son. But now, he was genuinely happy and calling her amazing.

“T-This is… I think I’m going to get addicted to this…”

Floating a blissfully happy smile, she answered brightly. “I’m just glad you two are safe.”

After that, being repeatedly showered with praise by her son and his companion, Karma very nearly fainted from pure joy.