Mama’s New Friends

Domu was now clad in her familiar form-fitting battle suit. She sat on the vast, emerald-green grassland, gently comforting Dove. Dove, with wide eyes, was attempting to look fierce, though her expression was more endearing than intimidating.

A thrill ran through Domu. She realized she could understand their language, and they were clearly human. Despite their seemingly weak power, their previous words sounded like something a protagonist from a novel would utter. They had called her a ‘demon lord,’ which made her wonder if she had inexplicably become a villain.

This was a most unwelcome development. Domu had always considered herself a person brimming with a sense of justice. Surely, if they all sat down and talked, she could change their perception of her. It would also be an excellent opportunity to learn more about this strange new world she found herself in.

“So you’re saying your small mercenary group, the Eye of Soaroka, came to the Velsen Forest to investigate the magical fluctuations that erupted from its center three days ago?” Domu blinked her beautiful eyes, addressing the three mercenaries who knelt docilely before her.

“Yes… yes, that’s right,” Soronna stammered. She seemed utterly bewildered by the Demon Lord’s sudden shift to such a friendly and eager demeanor.

“Then, as you approached the forest, you sensed my [Ultra-Wide Range Perception], which led you to my location. On your way, you realized your target possessed strength far beyond your own.”

“You then encountered Dove, who was about to be attacked by a rabbit, choosing to fight it rather than retreat. And out of concern for Dove’s safety, you pursued us all this way?”

Domu felt as though she had finally pieced together the sequence of events. The three individuals before her were clearly not villains, but rather kind-hearted mercenaries.

“My Lady Angel! That was no ordinary rabbit!” Kase interjected with a fawning expression. “That was a Balyaas Rabbit, one of this forest’s overlords, possessing immense power!”

“Kase! Hold your tongue!” Soronna quickly turned her head, sharply cutting him off.

“Are you referring to this rabbit?” a gentle voice suddenly asked from behind them.

A wave of confusion washed over the mercenaries. How had the Demon Lord, who had been sitting directly in front of them moments ago, appeared behind them without the slightest sound?

As their gazes shifted to the Demon Lord’s hand, cold sweat instantly trickled down their backs.

The Balyaas Rabbit, an overlord of Velsen Forest, with its three blood-red eyes and ears that would induce a frenzy with a mere touch, was currently clutched in Domu’s hand.

Domu held Dove with one arm and grasped the rabbit’s ear with the other, shaking the creature gently as she called out to the mercenary trio.

“Ah… ah… that…” Os stammered, pointing helplessly at the rabbit in Domu’s grasp.

“Be careful! It’s dangerous! Don’t touch its ears!” Soronna cried out, jumping to her feet in alarm. She worried that the enraged forest overlord would… would…

‘Could the forest overlord, which we three had barely managed to repel, truly pose a threat to this Demon Lord, who had rendered us utterly powerless with her mere presence?’ Soronna thought, a wave of despondency washing over her.

She sank back to the ground.

“Oh? Is this little rabbit really so fierce?” Domu wondered aloud, her curiosity piqued. She continued to hold the rabbit by its ears, bringing it closer to her face and scrutinizing its three blood-red eyes.

Trembling violently in Domu’s grasp, the forest overlord cast a pitiful glance towards Dove. It hoped the adorable angel might yet save it from its predicament.

“Mama~ Can Dove have the little bunny back?” Dove asked, as if responding to the overlord’s desperate plea. She was attempting to rescue her beloved little rabbit.

“Oh.” Still somewhat reluctant to let go, Domu handed the soft rabbit to Dove. The forest overlord immediately burrowed into Dove’s embrace, its rear end comically sticking out, as if desperate to escape its recent nightmare.

“Ma… Mama?”

The mercenary trio, already shaken by the forest overlord, now appeared even more profoundly shocked. All three stared, wide-eyed, their gazes darting between Domu and Dove.

“No… impossible… An… an angel… how could she be… a married woman?” Kase mumbled, collapsing onto the grass in disbelief. His eyes were vacant, his expression utterly broken.

“My Lady, she looks about your age, though her figure is… but how could it be…” Os muttered incoherently, his face a mask of incredulity.

Domu had long since realized that she involuntarily emitted an aura that instilled fear in surrounding creatures. However, with her conscious control, Soronna and the others now felt only a faint unease, rather than intense terror.

Even so, having previously experienced Domu’s overwhelming presence, none of them had dared to closely observe Dove or Domu’s appearance.

“They’re… they’re mother and daughter!”

Soronna had always suspected some connection between Dove and this shameless Demon Lord, but never in her wildest dreams had she imagined it was a parent-child relationship. Now, looking closely, they truly seemed carved from the same mold: soft, snow-white hair and large, ruby-like eyes that sparkled like stars.

Watching Dove patting the forest overlord’s backside in her ‘mother’s’ arms, Soronna felt a pang of self-ridicule. She had believed she was acting with good intentions, yet she now felt like a villain trying to snatch a child from her mother’s embrace.

Furthermore, there was no concrete evidence that the source of the powerful magical fluctuations in the forest was necessarily evil or a demon lord. While the aura she emitted was terrifying, perhaps that was merely a reflection of their own weakness.

In retrospect, despite their good intentions, they had nearly endangered the little girl’s life. Had they not repelled the enraged forest overlord, this adorable child might have faced serious harm.

Observing the forest overlord, nestled in Dove’s arms and being petted on its ears and tail, Soronna surmised that the creature was likely in a subordinate relationship with them. ‘If only we hadn’t appeared and provoked the overlord in the first place…’

A flush spread across Soronna’s ears.

“I apologize,” Soronna said, lowering her head. “I gravely misunderstood you earlier. Please accept my sincerest apologies!”

“Huh??” Domu looked at Soronna, utterly bewildered.

“Allow me to reintroduce myself,” Soronna stated, meeting Domu’s eyes with earnestness. “My name is Soronna, and these are Kase and Os. May I ask your name?”

“Why… why has it suddenly become so formal?” Domu scratched her head, a little embarrassed. “My name is Domu, and she’s Dove. In a sense, she really is my daughter, even though I’m not married yet.”

“If it were up to me, I’d prefer Dove call me ‘Papa’!” she added, glancing at Dove in her arms with a mix of helplessness and affection.

“Huh? Unmarried and pregnant?” Soronna gasped, covering her mouth with her right hand. Her eyes wide with alarm, she continuously murmured with a tone of bewildered admiration, “How bold… how incredibly bold…”

“No, no! Dove and I aren’t related in that biological sense, not as mother and child—or father and child!” Domu explained, flustered.

“Could it be that Lady Dove and Lady Domu share a parent-child relationship akin to the Monkacru’s artificial humans?” Os inquired, sounding uncertain.

“Hmm… something like that,” Domu replied. While she didn’t know what Os meant by ‘Monkacru,’ she understood the concept of ‘artificial human.’ In a way, Dove had indeed been an artificial human created by the main brain of her original world.

“An artificial human?” Soronna murmured, looking at Dove nestled in Domu’s arms. A bitter sensation welled up in her heart.

“Ah, my angel! If you don’t mind, I would be honored to be the father of your child!”

Kase, who had seemingly revived at some point, suddenly appeared before Domu. He dropped to one knee, took Domu’s free hand, and even held a rose he’d plucked from who-knows-where between his teeth.

“You’re not allowed to touch my Mama~ Dove hates you!”

Dove leaped from Domu’s arms, slapped Kase’s hand away, and spread her own arms wide in front of Domu. She glared angrily at Kase.

“Kase, you’ve gone too far!” Soronna exclaimed, kicking Kase away. She then knelt before Dove, reaching for her hand to check for injuries. Kase wore metal gauntlets, and Soronna was worried Dove might have been hurt.

Dove, however, kept her hands behind her back, refusing to let Soronna take them. She then cast a wronged look back at Domu.

“Dove, that’s not right. Sister Soronna is trying to help you out of kindness.”

Although Domu had felt a shiver of unease when a man had suddenly taken her hand, she understood Soronna’s good intentions. In her heart, Domu hoped Dove would try to interact more with others, and Soronna was, after all, a very kind girl.

Upon seeing Dove extend her small hand, Soronna’s heart soared as if countless birds were joyfully singing within her. She gently took Dove’s soft hand, carefully inspecting it. Though she found no injuries, Soronna still cast a high-level healing spell on Dove.

“Hello, Dove. My name is Soronna. Can we be friends?”

Soronna’s eyes curved into beautiful crescents of happiness. She then flashed Dove a pure, benevolent, and dazzling smile.

“Dove, they are also… Mama’s friends, you see.”

Domu had never witnessed such a radiant smile before; for a moment, she felt deeply moved. This pure, solely warm smile led Domu to trust Soronna without hesitation.

“Hello, Soronna. Mama’s friends are Dove’s friends too. Dove likes Soronna’s smile.”

Whether it was Domu’s permission or Soronna’s infectious smile, Dove seemed to be affected by it. She gently wrapped her arms around Soronna’s neck and then lightly kissed her cheek.

In a fleeting moment, Os and Kase felt as if they saw countless pure, flawless lilies blooming behind Soronna.

“Sister Domu, though I don’t know why you and Dove are in the Velsen Forest, I believe you are not bad people.”

Soronna stood up, addressing Domu, who was holding Dove’s hand. “If you don’t have anywhere urgent to go, why not consider joining our mercenary group?”

“Being called ‘Sister’ still feels incredibly strange, but… a mercenary group?”

“That’s a wonderful idea!” Dove exclaimed. “Mama, let’s become mercenaries!”