Chapter 474: Scathach meets Mizuki.
Clan Adastreia.
Arriving at the training area where her daughters were, she saw a woman who seemed awfully familiar.
Noticing her presence, the woman stopped training with her two daughters and looked at her as if she had seen some scary monster.
"S-S-Scathach." The woman stuttered as she took two steps back.
"Mother!" Lacus and Pepper spoke at the same time as they ran to her and hugged her.
Scathach raised a curious eyebrow when seeing the same move she taught Lacus was used by Pepper. Then, a satisfied and gentle smile appeared on her face as she understood what had happened:
"Hey, Girls. How are you?"
"We are well!" Pepper spoke for Lacus.
Lacus just hugged Scathach's body but didn't take as long as Pepper did.
After all, she was an 'adult'; she didn't want to act like a child.
"Good, good. It looks like Victor took good care of you guys."
"!!!" Both girls' bodies visibly shuddered, and flashbacks of their training/torture began to appear in the girls' minds.
"Fufufu, it looks like he really took care of you." Scathach smiled in satisfaction when she saw the state of the two girls.
She was glad Victor didn't go easy on her daughters because they were…well, her daughters.
'Although I should have expected that, we both have more in common than it seems...' A small smile couldn't help but appear on Scathach's face, a loving smile that only lasted a few seconds, and then she turned her attention to the woman trying to sneak out of the training ground.
'I don't exist... I don't exist... I'm invisible... Please ignore me...'
Suddenly Mizuki's entire body shivered, and she quickly turned her face toward the 'intent' that had locked onto her and saw Scathach's blood-red eyes.
"Hmm..." Scathach stared at Mizuki, who was sweating like a pig waiting to be slaughtered.
"Don't I know you from somewhere...?" She touched her chin, trying to remember where she had seen Mizuki before.
"N-No, this is our first time meeting!" She spoke with absolute confidence while no trace of a lie could be felt in her voice or seen from her face as if she had never really encountered Scathach before in her life!
Hearing Mizuki's 'N-No', she remembered a visit she had paid to the Vatican a year ago.
"Oh, I remember you now... I removed your arm in the past."
Gulp.
Mizuki swallowed hard.
"You were the General of the Hunters who had injured my daughter..."
Scathach's eyes gleamed dangerously for a few seconds.
"E-Ex General... I am no longer related to them."
"...Oh?"
"Mother, don't bully Mizuki!" Pepper defended Mizuki.
"…Hmm?" Scathach looked at her daughter.
"She's Victor's guest, you know? She is helping him with her hunting experience and teaching him how to hunt Vampires, Werewolves, and all other beings of the night. She sleeps in his house; she also trains him in the ways of the Odachi and the way Hunters act."
"In a way, she is Victor's master too," Pepper spoke with a smug smile.
"...." Mizuki was sweating up a storm now.
'Shut up, girl! I admire your attempt to help me, but this attitude is just throwing me under the bus! Can't you see Scathach's gaze intensifying!?'
"Master, huh?... Master..."
"???" Question marks began to appear around Pepper as she saw her mother's unusual state.
"Pepper... You... Your Innocence scares me sometimes." Lacus commented with a slight tremor in her body.
"Fwueh?" Pepper looked at her sister in a manner much like a confused chick.
"Hmm? Mother has arrived." A light, tomboyish voice was heard around.
Everyone looked towards the voice and saw Ophis and Nero together.
"...What did you call me, Kid?" Scathach looked at Nero with a neutral gaze.
"...Mother?" Nero replied innocently.
"Why...?"
"I mean, why not? Are you not my mother?" She questioned; Nero could smell her father's scent all over Scathach's body, and knowing her father, she knew what that meant.
Scathach was a 'mother' too, as were the Maids, Ruby, Violet, Sasha, and Natashia.
After all, only these women had her father's scent all over their bodies.
"H-Huh? I mean, you're not wrong, but you're not right either... Ugh, it's complicated, okay?" For the first time in a long time, Scathach was without a word to return and a little confused.
Actually... She was embarrassed to admit it. After all, Victor hadn't beaten her, and she hadn't fought him either, meaning nothing had happened.
...But it was not like she didn't like Victor; she loved her foolish disciple but... He hadn't defeated her, but also, she was horny and came here for a reason.
So Nero wasn't wrong; she was a 'Mother' too...
In the end, it was just complicated...
"???" Question marks appeared around Nero and Ophis.
"Are you my mother or not?"
"Yes... But-."
"See, she's a Mother, yay," Nero spoke as she threw a victory punch as if she had solved a great riddle.
For Nero, everyone with her father's scent all over their body was a 'Mother', but she also knew not everything was so simple. They wouldn't become a 'mother' until these women confirmed it themselves.
"....." Scathach was speechless.
"...mine too?" Ophis asked as she pointed at herself.
"Maybe…? This is actually quite complicated... If she is my mother, Ruby, who is her daughter, is also my mother?"
"Mother?"
"Ugh, that's not what I'm talking about."
"???" Question marks appeared around Ophis.
"W-Wait, Wait-Wait!" Pepper stuttered a lot.
"Hold on a second!" Lacus was faster; she appeared in front of Nero.
"Why are you calling our mother, Mother!?"
"Eh...?" Nero looked at Lacus, confused.
"Isn't it obvious? It's because she f-... Hmm, bonded with my father?" She corrected her words at the end.
"...." The two sisters looked at their mother with a neutral gaze.
Scathach didn't know how to react to her daughters' gazes. She didn't want to say anything or do anything, so she simply remained silent.
The two looked back at Nero:
"I mean, Nero isn't wrong, but... Right?"
"...Yes..." Pepper confirmed.
'Right, what?' Nero thought.
A strange atmosphere descended on the group of girls.
'Eh...? They won't explain what this 'Right' is? Is this code or something?'
"Hmm... She's our mother too, but she's also your mother, and my sister is your mother too; what are we to you?" Pepper spoke as if trying to solve a puzzle.
Another awkward silence fell around the girls who were thrown into this situation because of their supposed 'guardians' relationship.
"...Ugh, this is getting more confusing the longer it goes on..." Lacus complained.
"Agreed." Pepper and Nero spoke at the same time.
Pepper started to think more deeply.
If their mother is 'something' to Victor, then what was she to Victor...?
'Daughter?' But Ruby, her sister, is Victor's wife.
I mean, wasn't she his sister-in-law too?
But here comes another problem, what about Nero? Ophis? The Maids?
...
'It's better not to think too deeply about it; my head is hurting.' Pepper felt her world spin a little.
"Hey, don't run away." Hearing their mother's voice, all the girls looked at Scathach.
'Tsk.' Mizuki clicked on her tongue; she thought Scathach had forgotten about her!
She didn't like Scathach's look at all, that look of danger. To make matters worse, her Master was gone! He didn't want to accept her call. So, obviously, she was abandoned by him!
Damned traitor!
[I'm sorry, my disciple, but... She's Scathach; my gray hairs aren't ready for this shock of life; I'll hide until she's gone, Seeya.]
'Master!? Master, you coward, come back here!' She internally roared, but not even a white hair was seen from the old man.
"So, you were the one who taught him how to handle that Odachi..."
"Yes!?" Mizuki jumped like a cat caught off guard when she heard Scathach's voice beside her.
Looking at the woman who was sizing her up,
She started to feel weird again. But, this time, she didn't have a bad feeling or fear that something was going to happen; it was something more...
Hmm... Like a child being watched by their Master?
... At least that's what she felt.
Scathach surrounded the woman like a wolf that stalked its prey. She looked all over the woman's body, her gaze containing no threat or intent to harm anyone.
Lacus and Pepper understood what that look was; it was the look their mother gave them when she was 'assessing' them.
'I don't know if it's because of what Nero said, but she's not acting with hostility towards me anymore.' Mizuki didn't know how to interact with Scathach; the woman acted like a bipolar lion. One moment she was neutral, and another moment she wanted to eat her head.
"Hmm... Not bad; you have your base, it's not at the level I like, but it's still there."
"Girl, let's fight a little."
"…Eh?" Mizuki suddenly felt as if she had gone deaf and couldn't believe what she had heard.
Scathach created an Ice Odachi with her power and threw it at Mizuki.
"W-Wait." Acting on instinct, Mizuki picked up Odachi and realized how heavy the Odachi was, but it was not too heavy. It was just the way she liked it.
'W-what? How does she know about my ideal balance?'
"Don't be too surprised; I'm a Master of various weapons, and knowing little things like that is easy."
"...How do you know what I thought?"
'She can read minds!? Now, that's another level of Bullshit!'
"Fufufu, your face gave away everything I needed to know, Girl."
Mizuki was speechless. When had she gotten so expressive to the point that her enemies knew what she was thinking? She wasn't like that!
[Your time with Victor made you soften, which I don't think is bad. You needed some rest, and this trip was a good vacation for you.] She heard her Master's voice.
'Haven't you left?'
[My daughter is going to be trained by the most terrifying Oni, I can't miss that.] Abe-No-Seimei grabbed a handful of popcorn and sat on a comfortable sofa while watching the show on an 80-inch television with 8K resolution.
Veins started popping in Mizuki's head; her Master was rooting for her misfortune! Damn you!
...Wait, train?
"Now, on guard."
"E-Eh?" Mizuki unconsciously placed the Odachi in front of her and fended off Scathach's attack.
"Don't get lost in idle thoughts in a fight; focus on your enemy. Again." Scathach disappeared and appeared beside her.
She purposely attacked at a slower pace so Mizuki could react.
Mizuki jumped back and dodged Scathach's attack.
"Use your enchantments." Scathach created a small ice thorn and launched it in Mizuki's direction.
Mizuki dodged again and took out a talisman from her thigh holster.
"Susanoo-." Before she could begin the incantation, Scathach appeared in front of her and attacked her face.
Slap!
"Too slow."
'Ugh.' Mizuki felt her cheek burn a little, and then she jumped back to escape Scathach.
"An experienced enemy will not wait for you to cast your enchantment."
Hearing Scathach's words, she couldn't help but remember when she was training with Victor.
"An experienced enemy will not wait for you to cast your enchantment; this is not a Shounen anime; you should think of creative ways to use your enchantments. Since the chant is mandatory for it to work, why not try to create a distraction?"
"And don't go around screaming your fucking enchantment!"
'It's the same...' She couldn't help but think, 'Although Victor taught more.'
Mizuki's eyes became more serious as she held her Odachi and placed the talisman around Odachi's hilt.
She held the Odachi by the handle and threw it towards Scathach; at the exact moment, she murmured:
"Yami Arts…"
"... What a fool, throwing away your weapon," Scathach commented but didn't stop looking at Mizuki. Then, utilizing her footwork, she vanished and reappeared behind her.
"Nurarihyon."
Scathach kicked Mizuki in the back, but Mizuki's image disappeared as if she didn't exist.
"Oh?"
...
