The Villainous Son Loves His Mother - Chapter 39

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There exists a nation called the Demon Empire Aster, a name synonymous with terror and despair, now controlling 80% of humanity’s habitable territory.
At the top of it all is one human woman – Empress Helga Ira Aster.
Supporting her are renowned generals and commanders, many of whom were once high-ranking nobles of the Gaines Empire, such as the Duke of Sarion House.
Esmeralda Ira Sarion, one of the Twelve Star Generals of the Aster Imperial Army, is the current Duke Sarion. The Sarion House was once one of the Twelve Great Noble Houses of the Gaines Empire.
But the truly terrifying figure is Hein Sera Aster, the Empress’s son and Commander-in-Chief of the Aster Imperial Army.
Aster’s rise to power occurred just a few years ago.
Before its emergence, this land was dominated by the Gaines Empire, a great power steeped in history and tradition.

However, that prosperity came to an abrupt end.
Hein Sera Aster, the young head of Duke Aster’s House—one of the most powerful noble families in the Gaines Empire—suddenly raised the banner of rebellion.
Hein was a dark hero, possessing both unparalleled magical talent and overwhelming charisma.
With his overwhelming power, he swiftly eliminated the Emperor’s faction within the Empire, consolidating his own power base.
Then, through a lightning-fast coup, he seized control of the Gaines Empire and renamed it “Aster.”
Yet, contrary to all expectations, Hein did not claim the imperial throne for himself.
Astonishingly, he placed his mother, Helga Ila Aster, as Empress, choosing instead to serve as her loyal general and support her path to dominance.

“Mother, Aster is about to enter a new era. I will become your sword and shield, clearing all obstacles to show you the way.”

After his coronation, Hein swore this oath to Helga.
True to his word, Hein stood at the forefront of Aster’s wars of conquest as Commander-in-Chief of the Aster Imperial Army.
Hein’s advance was unstoppable.
One by one, nations that dared to resist fell under Aster’s banner, its territory expanding daily.
Naturally, neighboring countries didn’t stand idly by in the face of this unprecedented threat.
Various factions united to form the Anti-Aster Coalition Army.

Among them, the one that boasted particularly formidable military strength was the Principality of Yggdra.
Yggdra was an ancient nation renowned for its advanced magical technology, its military strength said to rival even that of the Gaines Empire.
The Principality mobilized its full strength, dispatching its elite forces to the front lines to confront Aster.
Then the fateful day arrived.
On a vast plain, the Aster Imperial Army faced off against the Anti-Aster Allied Forces.
Their numbers were staggering, totaling hundreds of thousands.
Soldiers from both sides glared at each other across the battlefield.

“Today, we will put an end to Aster’s demonic magic!”

The Commander-in-Chief of the Anti-Aster Coalition Army declared loudly.
His voice echoed across the battlefield, greatly boosting the morale of his troops.
But Hein, watching from afar, sneered mockingly.

“Fools, you inferior creatures! You utterly foolish pests who refuse to submit to Mother’s rule! …No, wait, Mother adores insects. So, let’s see… pests, pests… pests… What should I call you? Never mind! I, Hein, will personally send you to your doom!”

Hein soared high into the sky, gazing down upon the Allied Forces.
Slowly, he raised his right hand, pointing his fingers toward the heavens.

“This world should be ruled by the strong. The weak must either submit or be eliminated. You are the latter.”

As if responding to Hein’s words, the space around him began to distort.
His immense magical power was warping the laws of the material world!
—Spiritus Terrae (Spirit of the Earth)
—Spiritus Ignis (Spirit of Fire)
—Spiritus Aquae (Spirit of Water)
—Spiritus Venti (Spirit of Wind)
—Deus Stellarum Magnus (Great Star God)
—Da Manibus Indiscriminate! (Become the hammer that shatters all principles!)”
Hein clenched his fist, thrust it toward the Allied Forces, and roared,

“Die, you inferiors! 『Star Sphere Annihilation』!”

In the next instant, space shuddered violently—
The Allied Forces were plunged into utter hell.

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This was a wide-area annihilation magic that created a vacuum zone with a radius of 69 kilometers from its point of origin.
Soldiers engulfed by the vacuum stood frozen, momentarily unable to comprehend what was happening.
But they soon realized the horror unfolding within their bodies.
They couldn’t breathe.
Their lungs burned fiercely, desperately gasping for air.
Their bl00d boiled, rupturing their veins.
Their eyeballs bulged from their sockets, and bl00d streamed from their ears.
Soldiers and generals, men and women—every living creature within the magic’s range—collapsed one by one, helpless and contorted in agony.
Their skin dried, cracked, and their bodies rapidly lost moisture.
Their internal organs ceased functioning, and their bodies collapsed from within.
Near the boundary of the vacuum zone, a tremendous pressure difference generated violent gusts of wind.
These gusts uprooted trees and sent soldiers flying into the air.
Those dragged into the vacuum zone met gruesome deaths without exception.

After a few minutes, Hein’s magic dissipated.
The plain, once teeming with hundreds of thousands of soldiers, had transformed into a lifeless wasteland.
Not a single elite soldier from the Principality of Yggdra survived.
The Anti-Aster Allied Forces completely lost their will to fight.
With this battle as a turning point, the Demon Empire Aster’s invasion entered its final phase of world conquest.

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“Mother! I’ve annihilated those inferiors!”

When her son Hein gleefully reported his victory, Helga slumped her shoulders and sighed, “Oh…”
I never told him to annihilate them, she thought bitterly.
Helga wished he had chosen a method that resulted in fewer deaths. Death was an irreversible tragedy, an irrevocable loss. Such losses bred deep resentment. Those who had lost friends, family, or lovers to the slaughter would undoubtedly harbor intense hatred for the perpetrators. Hatred was a double-edged sword, but it also generated immense power. How could she be sure that this power wouldn’t ultimately lead to Hein’s downfall?

Yet…

Wasn’t it the Empire that had deemed Hein a threat and sought to eliminate him, despite his long and arduous battles against the terrifying remnants of the Demon Lord’s Army? What was wrong with eliminating the Empire itself?
And it was the “world” itself that had arbitrarily deemed his righteous actions dangerous. If that were the case, what harm could come from eliminating the world?
Such thoughts swirled within Helga’s mind.
Helga loved peace, but if forced to choose between peace and her son, her heart would undoubtedly tip toward the latter.
Just as Hein loved Helga, his mother, so too did Helga love Hein with equal fervor.
Those who sought to eliminate someone she cherished deserved to be eliminated themselves—wouldn’t that be their just deserts?
Therefore…

“…You did well, Hein. Come to my room tonight. You must be exhausted. Let’s sleep together for once.”

She didn’t condemn Hein’s massacre.
Though Helga believed this, she often wondered if there might have been a path where things didn’t come to this.
In the end, it’s probably my fault.
Helga sighed deeply inwardly.

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Helga believed that the root cause of Hein’s rebellion against the Empire lay in nothing other than her own weakness.
This wasn’t entirely wrong.
Helga recalled those days.
Back then, as Hein’s influence grew daily, so did the number of noble houses that resented him.
In short, after a certain point, the number of assassins increased.
The Emperor at the time was losing his vigor day by day, his words and actions becoming increasingly erratic and suspicious. He was no longer a reliable backer for Duke Aster’s House.
Duke Aster’s House was a Robe Noble family, meaning they held no territory.
As such, the family itself possessed little real power.
Given these circumstances, and because Helga’s own “power” was simply too weak, Duke Aster’s House was looked down upon, and assassins were sent after them.
However, most of these attempts were secretly dealt with by Hein and his trusted subordinates.
Yet, the relentless harassment and daily escalating threats eventually pushed Hein’s patience to its breaking point.

“Mother, I can’t endure this any longer. I refuse to tolerate such despicable acts.”

Hein pleaded directly with Helga.

“This empire is trying to kill you and me. The Emperor has abandoned his role as our protector. Otherwise, assassins wouldn’t be sent after us day after day!”

Helga had no response to Hein’s words.
She found it far more unbearable that her son was in such danger than her own peril.
And Hein’s resolve was unwavering; no one could stop him now.
The coup d’état unfolded swiftly.
Though House Aster seized control of the empire, the matter didn’t end there.
Neighboring nations, seizing upon the chaos, plotted to seize imperial territories.
They saw Hein’s coup as the perfect opportunity to intervene.
The result was predictable: Hein mercilessly annihilated the forces sent by neighboring countries.

“We must also embark on foreign campaigns. Those insolent fools who took advantage of the civil unrest and even dared to harm my mother must pay. And we will purge all the evil that plagues this world.”

Hein declared, smiling at Helga. Thus, the Demon Empire Aster found itself at war with the world.

(If only I had been stronger, none of this would have happened…)

Helga was tormented by regret.
But no amount of remorse could change the past.

(At least… this child…)

Helga wished—

◆◆◆

She woke with a gasp.

“W-was that just now… a dream…?”

Helga was drenched in sweat.
It had been a terrifying nightmare.
At the time, she told herself it was just because she was tired.
But night after night, she was tormented by the same recurring nightmare.
In her dreams, Hein was always drenched in bl00d.
He had taken thousands, tens of thousands of lives, and all for Helga’s sake.

(Could this be some kind of revelation…?)

Helga began to wonder.
Then, one night, after waking from yet another nightmare, she finally resolved:

(This can’t go on. I must protect Hein, House Aster…)

(I mustn’t let them exploit my weakness.)

First, Helga considered this.
Her weakness was none other than her deep affection for Hein.
Was loving him too much truly a weakness?
The Gaines Empire revered primal strength, and clinging to familial bonds was often seen as a sign of weakness.
If such a weakness were exposed to the world, the House of Aster might be held in contempt.

(Hein needs to become independent, and I need to let him go…)

Easier said than done.
After all, Hein was the most precious thing in the world to Helga.
The mere thought of distancing herself from him made her chest ache with unbearable pain.

(But that’s not enough. I myself must become stronger as a noble…)

One of her strategies was to meet with Habakiri, the foremost magician of their era.

(I must gain power enough to protect my family and Hein.)

Helga swore this to herself.

(Hein has always protected me, whether in dreams or reality. It’s unbecoming for a mother to constantly rely on her child for protection.)

This was the reason behind Helga’s apparent change of heart, which had briefly troubled Hein.