The Villainous Son Loves His Mother - Chapter 50

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“Emmy!”

Azel shouted involuntarily.
The sword tournament—
The stone arena, worn from countless matches, was dusted with a hazy white powder from chipped fragments.
At its center, the duel between Esmeralda and Hein had begun and ended in a literal instant.
Esmeralda’s razor-sharp thrust pierced Hein’s chest, but almost simultaneously, Hein’s sword pierced Esmeralda’s abdomen.
For a moment, Azel thought they had both struck vital points.
It was a clash of devastating blows, either of which could have been fatal.
Before Azel’s eyes, Esmeralda groaned in pain from the sword buried deep in her abdomen, yet she remained standing, her feet firmly planted on the arena floor.
Even so, Azel doubted he could maintain this charade for long.

“Damn…”

He cursed inwardly.

(Has Hein truly been possessed by the demon?)

Having retained memories from his previous life, Azel possessed a considerable understanding of this world’s dynamics. He knew all too well the ruthlessness and cold-bloodedness Hein had displayed in his original world.
But—

“No, wait… I see…”

That’s right. Something crucial was missing: the venomous, malevolent killing intent.
Though the sword had pierced Esmeralda’s abdomen, upon closer inspection, it became clear that her life force remained completely unscathed.
Having been thoroughly trained by the Sword Saint in his previous life, Azel possessed sword skills that could modestly be described as unparalleled throughout history.
From Azel’s perspective, Hein’s swordsmanship was truly remarkable.
The thrusts, speed, angles, and positioning of his blade—none of them seemed designed to kill.

This made it difficult for Azel to form a definitive judgment about Hein.
The outcome, however, was Esmeralda’s defeat.
Pinned by Hein’s sword through her abdomen, she was immobilized. In a final act of defiance, she forced a kiss on him before collapsing unconscious.
Azel lunged toward the ring, but staff members immediately restrained him.
He could only watch as medical personnel placed Esmeralda on a stretcher and rushed her to the infirmary.
Yet even then, Azel couldn’t shake the feeling that Esmeralda’s bl00d loss seemed surprisingly minimal.

(She just lost consciousness from the shock of the pain? Hein… The old you from my original world would never have been able to do something like this, and even if you could, you wouldn’t have.)

This really isn’t the Hein I know.
Well, he’s still as brusque and unfriendly as ever.

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“Azel-kun.”

Light footsteps approached from behind.
A faint, sweet floral scent tickled Azel’s nose.
It was Serena.
In the “original world,” she was one of Azel’s lovers.
Incidentally, Esmeralda was also one of them.
Azel knew this scent well.
It wasn’t from a sachet.
This fragrance was Serena’s magical power.

The Hero and the Holy Maiden were like a key and a lock, destined to be together.
Their magical powers drew them to each other, and the more aware the Holy Maiden became of the Hero, and vice versa, the stronger the attraction grew.
The force of attraction between them was irresistible to ordinary willpower.
When they first met, Azel was not yet the Hero, nor had Serena awakened as the Holy Maiden.
They had been on the verge of awakening after their battle with the Sky Eater, Ormund, but Hein’s interference had prevented Serena from fully awakening as the Holy Maiden.
Azel suppressed the urge to embrace Serena. If she had awakened as the Holy Maiden and become aware of him, he doubted whether a simple embrace would have sufficed.

“It seems you’re not just worried about Lady Esmeralda… Are you concerned about Lord Hein?”

“Ah… Well, I’m sure they’re both safe…”

Azel replied with a troubled expression, while Serena hummed thoughtfully.
And then…

“Hmm… So, you think Lord Hein might have been planning to, well, do something to Lady Esmeralda? Like, seriously injure her?”

Azel nodded in response to Serena’s question.

Serena smiled.

“I don’t know… I didn’t sense anything unpleasant from Lord Hein’s sword. So, I’m sure everything will be alright.”

Azel was momentarily speechless.

(Is this the Holy Maiden’s intuition?)

In their original world, Serena had been a Holy Maiden blessed by God, capable of performing healing miracles. Her senses for malice and demonic entities were exceptionally sharp. Though she hadn’t fully awakened as a Holy Maiden in this world, she still retained some of her former sensitivity.

“…Right. You’re probably right,”

Serena’s smile deepened.

“Yes, I’m sure everything will be fine,”

But this peaceful atmosphere wouldn’t last long.
As the match resumed and the crowd began to focus on the next bout, Azel was suddenly struck by a chilling sensation, as if an icicle had been thrust down his spine.

“…What is this feeling?”

His gaze fixed on the distant horizon, Azel held his breath. A disturbing premonition surged through him, like a cold, sharp blade being pressed deep into his chest.

“Azel, what’s wrong?”

Serena asked, peering at him with concern. Azel didn’t answer, his eyes still fixed on the direction where the Imperial City should be.

(This… could it be the Demon King’s evil aura…?)

“Serena, don’t you feel anything?”

Azel asked, his face serious. Serena blinked in surprise, then met his gaze. Their eyes locked for a moment before Serena’s cheeks flushed slightly, and she looked away.

“N-not really…”

Under normal circumstances, Azel would have teased Serena about her reaction, finding it endearing. But at that moment, he had no room for such lightheartedness.
In his original world, Azel had faced the Demon King and his retainers.
The negative energy he had felt then…
At this very moment, the aura emanating from the Imperial City was unmistakably that same presence.

(Has he finally been resurrected?)

Azel pressed his lips together, as if biting back the surge of urgency.

“Serena, I’m sorry. I have something I need to take care of.”

“Eh, Azel-kun? Wait…”

Ignoring Serena’s call, Azel dashed away, leaving the arena behind.

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His destination was the Imperial City.
He weaved through the crowd in an instant, breached the gates, and leaped beyond the arena grounds.
A nearby guard turned to investigate the commotion, but Azel had already vanished from sight.
Azel gnashed his teeth inwardly.

(If the Demon King has truly been resurrected, what will I do?)

He scoffed at the thought.
What else is there to do? I’ll defeat him right here, right now.

(I’ll use the Holy Sword.)

Using the intangible Holy Sword that binds that light could potentially lead to the collapse of the Imperial City, but that was far better than leaving the Demon King unchecked.
The Demon King was that terrifying.
But the next moment, Azel’s eyes widened in shock.
Just as he was nearing the Imperial City, the malevolent aura of the Demon King, which he had clearly sensed moments before, had vanished without a trace.

“What?!”

(Could it be… did he escape?)

Azel quickened his pace, flying toward the Imperial City.
The massive city walls, which had seemed so distant moments ago, rapidly loomed before him.
Any closer and he would surely be spotted by the guards.
But there was no need to approach further.
He looked up at the sky.
Nothing was visible.
Yet there was a faint disturbance in the magical power, like lingering traces.
It was a cleverly concealed effect, so subtle that an ordinary magician might never notice it.
However, Azel, the Hero who had survived countless deadly trials in his original world, possessed eyes that could pierce even the most advanced concealment.

“The Demon King fought someone in the sky…?”

And either the Demon King had been destroyed or had fled.
Azel knew the Demon King’s power well. He understood all too clearly that this Great Demon could only be defeated by the power of a Hero.
So what was this situation?

“Damn… I don’t get it…”

Still, Azel gazed up at the sky again.
The wind brushed against his cheek, but there was no trace of anything left.

(The Demon King’s evil aura has completely vanished.)

For now, he had no choice but to accept that.
Storming the castle and interrogating the Emperor and his retainers would likely yield nothing. Worse, he might be arrested as a suspicious person.

“There’s no point in rushing,” he muttered to himself as he left the scene.