The Villainous Son Loves His Mother - Chapter 38

◆

“…Whew. Even so, Hein, I was watching the match too, and it ended so quickly. Oh, but I don’t think you cheated or anything. I don’t know much about swordsmanship, but I’m sure there was a high-level exchange of techniques.”

…!
Ah, so she’s saying I need to work on my presentation.
Mother is right.
The Inferior are fragile, after all. They need to be handled gently. But that doesn’t mean I should slack off.
To demonstrate my power to inferior audiences, merely winning isn’t enough. I need to win in a way they can easily understand.
How could I have made such a blunder…?
The thought of atoning with death crossed my mind, but that would merely be an escape.

“I’ll put even more effort into my next match.”

I said, meeting Mother’s gaze without wavering.
Then—

“…That’s right, Hein. I’m looking forward to it. And there’s still some time before your next match, isn’t there?”

Mother said those words.
Is it just my imagination? There’s something, like a shadow, over her.

“Yes, I believe we have a brief respite for now…”

“In that case, come to the VIP room afterward. There’s something I need to discuss with you.”

I immediately recognized it as a reprimand.
The VIP room was a private chamber reserved for high-ranking nobles.
The room was protected by magical soundproofing barriers, ensuring that conversations couldn’t be overheard.
It also had magical defenses to prevent eavesdropping through magical means.
Even a bed was provided.
If she wanted to talk in such a place, the matter must be extremely serious…
With a heavy heart, I nodded faintly.

“…Yes.”

◆◆◆

“I’m going to try even harder in the next match.”

As Hein declared this, magic power began to seep from his body.
Though the quantity was small, its quality was enough to send a chill down the spines of the nobles gathered in the VIP seats.
The Magic Power that had leaked from Helga earlier had conjured a vision of beautiful flowers blooming, their petals laced with poison.
But Hein’s…
In an instant, one noble’s consciousness was hurled into the void.
A dark abyss far beyond the sky, beyond human comprehension.
What he witnessed there defied all reason.

(A blue sun?!)

A brilliant blue star blazed, illuminating the boundless darkness.
Around it swirled countless meteors, moving with a life of their own, crisscrossing the void.
These innumerable meteors orbited the central blue sun, as if drawn to it yet unable to approach.
When the noble regained his senses, he was drenched in cold sweat.

(S-so this is Aster’s “Star”…)

It was known that the House of Aster’s Bloodline Magic was connected to the astral realm, but its precise nature had remained shrouded in mystery.
Neither Damian, the previous head of the House of Aster, nor Jagann, his predecessor, had ever actually used the family’s Bloodline Magic, Star Magic, despite their undeniable magical prowess.
Even so, it is said that the family is able to call themselves Aster because, in addition to their ability in common magic, they have the bl00d of the first head of the family, Cthul, flowing in their veins.
But now, that bl00d may finally be showing its true power.

(The truly terrifying figure isn’t Hein Sera Aster, the Star Child…)

The noble, Duke Giza Sera Sarion, found Helga far more frightening.
Giza was Fore’s father, the former Duke Sarion, renowned as a master of barrier magic.
Having already passed on the ducal title to Faure, he now simply bears the title of “Lord”
Anyway, in Giza’s view, Helga Ira Aster was certainly an excellent magician, but still far too weak to be the head of one of the Twelve Noble Houses.
Yet her complete control over Hein terrified him.

(That kid looked down on Fore completely. It wasn’t even the way you’d look at livestock—more like a stone lying by the roadside or a weed growing in the field. How could someone with such a gaze act like a timid kitten in front of Helga Ira Aster?)

Nobles worship power, especially in the Empire. Even when dealing with their own parents, blindly obeying someone clearly inferior in ability would be considered unbefitting of a noble. Yet Hein didn’t seem to be reluctantly following Helga.

(I previously told Esmeralda to control Hein Sera Aster’s heart. But maybe that was a mistake.)

Giza watched Helga and Hein depart, resolving to change his approach to future dealings with the House of Aster.

◆

So heavy!
Too heavy. My legs feel like lead.
And I’m someone who’s trained my legs and back pretty thoroughly. I’ve even climbed mountains while conjuring magical weights—ten tons, twenty tons heavy.
For my well-trained legs to feel this heavy… this has to be more than just physical weight.
I don’t want to disappoint Mother… I promised I’d try harder next time. This is unfair, Mama…
I know this is just my inferiority complex kicking in, but sometimes things are beyond my control.
As I was lost in these thoughts, unexpectedly—

“Hein, come on, don’t walk like that.”

She took my hand and pulled me along.
Is it really that simple? Does that little gesture make me feel better? Am I just that naive?

・
・
・

When we arrived in front of the VIP room, I took the initiative to open the door.

“Oh, thank you,”

Mother said, patting my head as she entered the room.
This is one of the things I love about her.
I adore everything about Mother—no, I love her… love? Yes, I love her, but she always says “thank you” even for the smallest things.
That’s what I especially love about her.
It’s not that I need her gratitude.
It’s just that I’m happy to know she acknowledges my existence.
Anyway, after watching Mother enter the room, I followed her inside—

◆

“Mmph!”

The sound escaped my lips involuntarily.
This softness, this scent, this Magic Power, this tenderness… It’s Mother’s embrace.
In other words, I’ve been hugged by Mother.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize sooner,”

Mother said. I had no idea what she was talking about.

“Lately, I feel like I’ve been a little cold towards you.”

Was that really the case?

“But it wasn’t because I wanted to be cold to Hein. It’s just that your dependence on me might make you a target for the surrounding nobles, and even the Empire… No, that’s just an excuse.”

I see…
I understood what Mother was trying to say.
I was being looked down upon…
By the Gaines Empire itself!
That was unforgivable, but there was something even more intolerable.
The fact that if I were looked down upon, Mother would be too.
The proof was right there in Sarius the Inferior’s condescending attitude.

It’s all connected.
In other words, at this tournament, I needed to:
-Win decisively and unmistakably.
-Win in a way that showcases my strength.
-Win in a way that ensures the House of Aster will never be underestimated again.

I need to keep these things in mind.
Otherwise, I don’t deserve Mother’s love.
Understood, Mother.
This Hein will show those inferiors hell, all for the sake of love!
With that resolve, I turned to return to the spectators’ area and gather information on the other inferior participants, ensuring there would be no chance of failure.
But Mother wouldn’t let me go.

“I can see it in your eyes. As I said before, I’m sorry I didn’t notice sooner. I should have praised you more. Your eyes spoke so eloquently, Hein. Now, tell me anything. What do you want me to do for you?”

Anything?!
S-so this is an advance on my reward…?
If I accept this reward now and fail to redeem my honor, what will become of me?
Death might be preferable… but the worst-case scenario could be disinheritance.
Should I refuse?
No, I couldn’t do that.
Instead, I should embrace it.
By cutting off my escape route, I’d force myself into a situation where excuses were impossible—that was the plan.
So I spoke, telling her what I truly wanted right now.

“T-then… kiss me again, like before…”

Then Mother──

“…Yes, Hein must be tired after his match. Let’s take a nap together, like we used to.”

With that, she took my hand and led me to the opulent bed in the VIP room.
There, Mother stole my lips.

◆

Her tongue slipped into my mouth, caressing the roof of my mouth.
As anyone who’s tried it knows, the inside of the mouth is surprisingly sensitive.
The sensation of her tongue rubbing against the back of my upper jaw sent shivers down my spine.
Still, it wasn’t that intense, and I should have been able to endure it easily──normally.
But it’d been a long time since I’d done something like this, and with Mother as the partner.
If it kept going like this, I might climax while still standing!
Just as I was beginning to feel this sense of danger, my lips finally released.
My mother gazed at me with sultry eyes and said,

“You’re such a good boy, Hein. Mama loves you very much.”

I was speechless.
I knew perfectly well that my mother—Mama—cared deeply for me, but hearing it said directly to my face filled me with overwhelming emotion.

“…Th-thank you…”

I nearly burst into tears from the overwhelming emotion.
No, I have to control myself— But my resolve crumbled instantly.
Mama’s delicate hand gently stroked upward across my groin.

“You see, I feel a little guilty about doing this with you, Hein. Normally, a mother and son shouldn’t do this.”

Mom said those words, but she didn’t stop her hands.
In fact, her movements only grew more intense.

“…But that’s why I want to love you like this.”

Mom’s hand touched my lower abdomen directly.

“I know this is wrong, and I know that if anyone found out, the honor of the House of Aster would be ruined.”

I gasped and buried my face in Mama’s chest.
And then, to my surprise, Mama exposed her br3asts──

“You like it, don’t you, Hein? Mama’s br3asts.”

With those words, she skillfully shifted our positions, and before I knew it, I was lying with my head in her lap.
Her n1pple was pressed against my lips as her hand continued to caress my lower body.
T-this is…

“Mmm… chu, chupa… nku…”

As I desperately sucked on her n1pple, I felt my intelligence rapidly degenerating.
No, it’s not so much degeneration as regression.
Of course, Mama’s br3ast didn’t produce milk, but that didn’t matter.
In this compressed mental world, I had constructed a virtual infancy. I projected multiple facets of my personality into it, gave them illusory flesh and bl00d, and then simply imagined the taste of br3ast milk.
Simple, right? Wrong!
Mama’s hands were disrupting my mental focus, making it impossible to concentrate.

“You’ve recovered so quickly…”

Mama’s hands were caressing my crotch, making squelching sounds.

“Ah, aah! Mama!”

“Oh my, you’re such a spoiled kid♡.”

In an instant, I came….
It was over in an instant.
I didn’t feel ashamed.
This was to be expected when Mama was involved.
But…

“You’ve let out a lot.”

Mom said, gathering wind in her hand to peel off my white stuff. She then played with it, spinning it around in a tiny whirlwind.
Watching her, I suddenly felt intensely embarrassed.
Feri, who had appeared out of nowhere, wiped Mommy’s hands with a steamed towel… and then wrapped up my spinning white thing.
I was overwhelmed by a feeling I couldn’t quite describe.