Chapter 150: Chapter 133 – Mother’s Love

This morning, Kanae had come out to the barracks with Esta and Rog, the orc blacksmith, to see how things were going. After recruitment led to a sharp increase in soldiers, they had to put a halt on conscripting more. The Commonwealth of Sin was a prosperous country, but not that wealthy. Each soldier was a person to pay, house, and feed. It had gotten to the point where they had more bodies than weapons and armor.

"As you can see, Master. The current armory isn't enough. Manabe and Ulric have reported that, across the Commonwealth, the army rose from 2,000 to 10,000 over the course of three weeks. Garrisons outside of Ehmvier have also reported they are bursting at the seams," Esta explained.

"We have an abundance of food for them and lumber to expand the garrisons. As for the weapons… Maybe Radevic, Orturic, and Lograin are willing to trade," Kanae said aloud to herself.

Talahurah, Highgreen, and Ehmvier were the three largest and most populous places in the Commonwealth, but they couldn't keep up with demands. Ulric suggested they send excess ores and ingots to weapon and armor smiths outside of the country. It was made possible thanks to Renya and Rown Company. However, if the demons were to attack right now, most of their people would be fighting with bare fists and wooden spears.

"Hurmph." Rog grunted and picked up a sword from a weapons rack. He inspected the blade, then swung it down on a mannequin wearing a closed helmet. The blade cracked, and his demeanor wrinkled with disappointment. "Current weapons bad. Not maintained and work too fast make bad weapons. Weapons like delicate elf body. Dangerous, but brittle and must be treated gently in orc hands like Rog."

Kanae sighed. "Thanks for that analogy, Rog…"

"You welcome. Rog help. Colorful Knights pay good money. Makes wife happy," he said.

"It's Knights of Colors," Esta corrected him and went to pick up the broken blade. "Rog makes a good point. We're sacrificing quality for quantity, and it is just as important to teach proper care for equipment. Unfortunately, many recruits are untrained. I don't blame them."

They exited the barracks and walked past hundreds of new soldiers training outside, sparring with each other, and trying weapons best suited to their race and capabilities. Many were uncrowned, but their passion to serve was inspiring.

"Rog go back to making weapons that don't break easy." The orc blacksmith regarded each of them with a nod before leaving.

"Thanks for coming by, Rog. Tell Lina I said hi." Kanae nodded back.

"Are you feeling alight, Master?" Esta asked worriedly. "Lately, you have had a shadow over your face."

She shook her head. "I'm not okay. We've found critical weaknesses in our army these past few weeks. It turns out we were weaker than I thought. If Ortesia or the demons decide to attack us outright, there wouldn't be much for us to do to stop them."

"We will get through this. The recruits learn quickly and have their hearts in the right places. They just—"

"Ah! I've tripped, and I'm going to fall!" A young human recruit's exaggerated movements made it obvious he did it on purpose, planting to the ground at Kanae's feet to get an upskirt view. "Oh! Good morning, Queen Kanae! Fine day, isn't it?"

"What was that about their hearts being in the right place?" Kanae folded her arms and frowned.

"If you will excuse me, Master… I believe some severe discipline is in order…" Esta picked up the troublemaker and hurled him back to the training grounds before storming off.

With there still being plenty to do, Kanae made her way back to the castle when her daughters intercepted her. They weren't dressed in their usual tunics, but in the equipment to depart for quests to fight monsters on.

"Mama!" Teana led the charge while Revah, Pan, and Mikki struggled to catch up.

Kanae paused to let Teana tackle her with a hug. "Oh, what's the matter?"

"We want to hang out with you today. You've been so busy, we hardly see you anymore. Can we do a quest together? Can we?" her eldest daughter asked.

"Right now? But…"

Today was another busy schedule of bureaucratic and political work. All four of them looked so eager for a mom and daughter day, too. Kanae had little chance to spend time with any of them since returning. All of this work was to make sure they were safe from a demon threat.

"That's a no," Revah, the most perceptive of the four, answered in Kanae's place.

"I'm sorry. I really wish I could, but there's so much work to do. Maybe next time when I'm not so busy?" Kanae suggested.

"It won't take long. The quest is just to kill a couple of monsters. The five of us together are invincible!" Teana pumped her fists excitedly.

"The four of you are plenty strong. Mama's busy, so—"

"That's the thing. You're always busy now…" Her daughter groaned and wrenched away. When Kanae reached out to her, she took off running.

"Teana! Where are you going?" Pan cried and chased after her with Mikki.

The only one who didn't follow after them was Revah, who stood by Kanae's side and watched them leave.

"Mom, do you still love us?" Revah asked calmly.

"What?" Kanae was taken aback. "Of course, I do. I love all of you, and you know that!"

"I know. Without you telling me. With Teana, you have to show it. " she said.

Well, it was Kanae's fault for traumatizing Teana by leaving her as a baby. Words meant nothing if she didn't back it up with actions.

"Alright. Just for a little." Kanae sighed.

"You mean…?" Behind the hood and cloth mask, Revah's eyes widened a little.

"Yes, I'll go on a quest with you all." She cupped her second eldest goblin daughter's cheeks. "Have you ever thought about finally taking off your mask? I always thought you had the prettiest smile."

Revah avoided eye-contact and blushed behind the mask. "No…"

They traveled to the adventurer's hall together. Tiny, the giant devil mutt that had long become Teana's best friend and served as the city's guard dog, wagged his tail when Kanae approached.

"You're always protecting my girls, haven't you? Good boy." Kanae scratched the beast behind the ears. He expelled a breath through his nose and nuzzled back affectionately.

Inside, a moping Teana, Pan, and Mikki were occupying a table and had their backs to the door. Nelly, who sat with them, was the only one who lifted his head to see Kanae and Revah coming in. They snuck up behind the three in the middle of a rant.

"It wasn't even going to take long anyway…" Teana mumbled with her head pressed to the table.

"Chin up, Teana! We don't need Mom. All that strength is in her boobs anyway. What good are they when fighting monsters?" Pan joked.

Nelly kept his mouth shut to let Pan dig her own grave. Mikki followed his gaze and froze up upon seeing Kanae behind them.

Pan continued unabashedly, "I bet inheriting Dad's Hobgoblin Ancestry makes us a thousand times stronger than Mom. We don't need her, and we certainly don't… need…" She finally noticed the atmosphere, turned around, and uttered, "Oh."

"My boobs are my only strength, huh?" Kanae lifted her errant daughter off the seat by the horns. "That's quite the thing to say about your mom!"

"Owowow! I'm sorry, Mom! Mercy!" Pan cried.

"Are you here to tell us not to go out now?" Teana asked dejectedly.

"I'm here to tell you I changed my mind," she said, letting Pan back down.

The three of them lit up.

"Really?" they asked.

"Only for one quick quest. You have Revah to thank for this," Kanae said.

"Revah, you're the best!" Teana bolted out of the seat to hug her younger sister.

"Please stop hugging me," Revah replied in a troubled tone.

"Well, it looks like the party is getting crowded. You guys have fun and don't cause your mom too much trouble like you do me!" Nelly got up and dusted his pants.

"You sure you don't want to come along?" Kanae asked.

"Yeah. Since it looks like everyone's visiting their mother, I'll go do the same and drop by to play with Suvee and Kanade."

After Nelly had gone, Kanae and her daughters set off into the wilderness by sky. They soared together, a family of succubus, across lands that belonged to them. Some day in the far future, she would pass the mantle of queen down to one of her daughters. They would have their own problems as she was having now. Until then, moments like these were precious.

"Since Pan seemed to have forgotten, who remembers what you inherited from me?" Kanae asked the girls.

"Oh! We got a passive skill called Mother's Love a while ago," Teana answered correctly.

"But I don't feel any smarter," Pan said.

"Because you aren't," Revah retorted.

"Hey!"

"It says the passive skill makes our succubus skills stronger and increases INT to A now. I don't get that much stronger since I'm not crowned," Mikki grumbled to herself.

"That's not true at all," Kanae began. "You're all physically stronger thanks to your dad's Hobgoblin Ancestry, and Mother's Love is my proof that you're capable succubi. Don't forget that. Now, sound off what you're crowned or specialized in! Proudly!"

"Alchemist!" Mikki exclaimed.

"Headhunter!" Teana followed up.

"Shaman!" Pan lifted her gnarled, spellcasting cane and grinned.

"Trapper," Revah answered softly.

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Kanae nodded approvingly. Their crowned classes were nothing like regular adventurers. It surprised both her and Arenade when they received the gods' blessings. According to Mitty, he recognized their daughters' classes as something other goblins had in the past. Which meant they were race specific like Seductress was to a succubus.

They descended into the forest where the quest had asked them to go. A group of squirrels darted up trees as soon as they landed.

"Travelers and merchants reported that something attacked them out here. We're supposed to find out what it is and kill it if possible," Teana said, reading from a copy of the quest notice.

As they fanned out, the trees around them began to creak and groan. Mikki immediately hid underneath Kanae's wing.

"You're not growing stronger being a scaredy-cat like that," Pan teased.

"I-I'm not scared! Just got surprised…" Mikki snapped away and cleared her throat.

"Mikki." Kanae leaned down next to her uncrowned daughter. "You're what ties the group together, remember? As the alchemist, you—"

"Bring out the best in everyone. I remember. Thanks, Mom!" She took several deep breaths to steel herself and continued forth.

While everyone searched for the cause of disturbance in the area, Revah was staring at something in the canopy.

"What is it, Revah?" Kanae joined and looked up, too.

"Must have been my imagination," Revah answered curtly.

"Over here!" Pan stuck a hand out of the shrubs and waved. She dragged a rotting dire bear covered in dirt into the clearing. The body looked like it was crushed by constriction. "This thing was half-buried."

"Gross… Did a big snake do this?" Teana asked, pinching her nose shut from the decay.

Something grunted from behind them. They spun around, coming face to face with a giant dire boar with huge tusks. It scraped the ground with one leg.

"I think we found the culprit!" Teana exclaimed just as it stampeded for them.

"Stay behind me, girls!" Kanae yelled.

"Wait, Mom! Let us handle it!" Pan charged ahead and brandished the gnarled staff. "Chain Lightning!"

Electricity surged from the staff. Revah flung iron knives into the trunk of the trees around them. Pan's magic skill bounced from one knife to the next, creating an electric web that stunned the dire boar.

"Teana, an elixir of lightning resistance!" Mikki tossed a potion to her older sister, who downed the liquid and dove in to meet the beast head on.

"Thanks, Mikki! The finishing blow is mine!" Teana entered the electric field unscathed, armed with two spears. She jumped onto the back of the dire boar and plunged them into its head. It let loose a shrill cry before going still.

The girls gathered up and gave each other a round of high-fives.

"How was that, Mama? Did we do good?" Teana asked, seemingly eager for praise.

"You four really have your teamwork down pat!" Kanae applauded them as her chest welled with pride.

They kept Mikki out of the fight but included her where possible. Revah served to augment Pan's magical prowess. Teana, being the only frontliner when Nelly wasn't around, only went in when it was safe to do so. What was this incredible feeling of joy? It must be how parents felt whenever their child achieved something amazing. She wanted to shower them with hugs and praise.

The new, enchanted weapons that Edina bought them were giving them a big boost though.

"Don't drop your guards now. Stay on alert and come back," Kanae hollered.

"Oh, come on. Didn't you see how amazing we were? There's nothing to worry about, Mom!" Pan assured her.

The ground beneath Kanae's feet elevated. She glanced down to find something in the dirt— many things in the dirt, snaking towards her daughters.

"Girls, get back here!" Kanae cried.

Thick tree roots sprouted from the ground. Revah leaped away, but Mikki, Teana, and Pan were caught unawares. They were lifted high off the ground.

Kanae narrowly avoided the roots coming to her and regrouped with Revah.

"What's going on?!" Pan yelled as she was being flung back and forth like a ragdoll.

"I'm getting… dizzy… going to be sick…" Mikki's cheeks puffed up.

"I can't break out! These damn things are tightening, too!" Teana hacked away at the roots to little success.

Three trees around them uprooted and let loose a bellowing roar.

"Treants," Kanae cursed under her breath.

"Sorry, Mom! I saw a branch move weird and thought it was nothing!" Revah's voice was wracked full of guilt.

It wasn't the dire boar's doing. That explained the crushed and half-buried dire bear. Treants killed and buried it in the soil for nutrients.

"This isn't your fault, Revah. Stay focused and help me save your sisters. Can you trap them?" Kanae asked as they were slowly getting surrounded.

"Leave it to me." Revah vanished from sight with magical invisibility.

The ground beneath the treants caved in and sank two-thirds of their length.

"Instantaneous Trap: Pitfall." The Trapper appeared behind the sinking treant with a shovel in hand and shot a thumbs up.

"Nice!" Kanae cheered.

However, that didn't stop them from being able to dig through the dirt with their roots. Revah didn't see the root sweep her feet out from under her. She hit the ground and panicked. Kanae flew in to pick her daughter up just as the root smashed down where she was lying.

"Arcane Net." Revah twirled bolas over their heads and flung it towards the treants. They exploded into giant, magical nets that bound their roots and arms together.

While they were stuck in the holes, Kanae put Revah down and kissed the ruby ring Mitty had gifted her.

"Let my daughters go!" Kanae pointed the gem at treants and fired Scorching Ray, a beam of raging flames that bisected them in half.

They began to shrivel up and die. The branches holding Teana, Pan, and Mikki snapped, and her daughters plummeted.

"I got them— Capture Net." Revah weaved a string on her ten fingers and cast a projection of a net underneath her sisters, catching them before they hit the ground.

"That was a close call." Kanae flew over and ripped away the desiccate branches holding them still.

They touched ground, but all three looked like they would rather have died to the treants than be saved.

Teana lowered her head in shame. "Sorry, Mama… We just wanted to show you how strong we've gotten, but we…"

"You're telling me you brought me out here just for that?" Kanae asked.

"We know you're working hard for all our sake, and you have the whole country to protect. Teana thought if we could show you that we can handle ourselves, it would take some of the burden off your shoulders," Pan explained.

"But it looks like Revah's the only capable one…" Mikki moped behind her sisters.

"That's not true," Revah said, shaking her head. "If I spoke up about what I saw, this wouldn't have happened… I didn't trust my instincts at first."

What was supposed to be a family quest turned out to be a journey of self-derision.

"Girls, I'm proud of all four of you." Kanae embraced them with her arms and wings, drawing them in together.

"Even though we… screwed up?" Teana whimpered.

"Your aunts and I screwed up a lot in the past, too. We sometimes still do, but I think we've gotten better! What's important is that you're doing this as a team and as a family. Your strongest weapon isn't what's in your hand, but the sisters you're standing next to. You screwed up today, and you're probably going to screw up tomorrow. But slowly, you're going to screw up less and less. That's how you grow stronger. Together," Kanae said, squeezing them tighter.

They traded glances and fell silently into thought, but it looked like Kanae got through to them.

"Thanks, Mama." Teana smiled.

"You know, for how quiet Revah is, that was pretty cool. She worked together with mom so well, I'm jealous!" Pan said about her sister.

"Yeah! I almost can't believe they haven't gone on quests together until today," Mikki added.

The sister in question, whose hood and mask had been knocked away during the scuffle, turned red. Her tanned skin from Hobgoblin Ancestry made the blush that much more pronounced. Out of embarrassment, she instinctively went to pull down a hood that wasn't there to hide her face and grabbed hair instead. Unlike the others, Revah had small tusks on her lower jaw that protruded from her mouth and pointed upwards. Another trait from Hobgoblin Ancestry, but unique to only her.

"It's true," Kanae said, letting her daughters go. "I'm counting on you to protect your sisters when I'm not around."

Revah covered her mouth to hide a budding smile, glanced away, and mumbled, "I'll do my best…"

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