25-263

EP.263. [The Reunion of Adopted Son Eugene Schneider and Adoptive Mother Marianne.] 

“Mother!” 

When Eugene turned his head at a strange sense of déjà vu, sure enough, there was his mother Marianne. At the same time, Charlotte, who had been carrying the heavy burdens of being Bahad’s de facto leader for the past ten days, also turned her head. Seeing Marianne again, Charlotte cried out in a voice filled with emotion, unable to contain her joy. 

“Yes, my Charlotte!” 

Step, step, step! 

Marianne, standing tall at 179cm, strode confidently toward her beloved eldest daughter Charlotte with open arms. She understood and sympathized with Charlotte’s hardships more than anyone. 

“Mother, I was so worried about you!” 

Da-da-da-da-da-da! 

Charlotte ran toward Marianne. While Marianne had worried about Charlotte, the same was true for her eldest daughter. Charlotte had been secretly concerned that her mother might overexert herself out of worry for her. Now, seeing her mother safe and sound before her, it felt almost unreal. Usually so composed and mature, Charlotte now became just a daughter in front of her mother. 

“You’re safe! I missed you so much!” 

Hug! 

“Haha! Of course, Charlotte. Where would this mother go, leaving behind her beloved children?” 

Charlotte threw herself into Marianne’s ample embrace. It was a different feeling from when she hugged Eugene. She let go of all her burdens and simply became Marianne’s daughter. Marianne, too, set aside her role as the top commander and comforted her eldest daughter. 

“And my son...” 

Marianne, still holding Charlotte, turned her gaze forward. 

“It’s me, Mother. Eugene de Sel Oblaing, Mother!” 

Her adopted son Eugene Schneider had come up to her side. 

“So this strong and dependable man is my son Eugene! Oh... Eugene! My son Eugene has returned to me as such a fine man!” 

Looking at Eugene Schneider, Marianne exclaimed in admiration. It had been over two years since their last meeting. Though Eugene had corresponded most frequently with Marianne among the women of House Oblaing, due to turmoil on the continent, this was the first time they’d met face-to-face in a long while. After years apart, Marianne saw her son again, now grown into a true man and a warrior among warriors. For a mother who had hoped for her adopted son’s healthy return, it was deeply moving. 

“Hurry, Eugene, hug your mother!” 

“Yes! Come, hug your mother, my beloved son!” 

With a blooming smile, Charlotte stood by and encouraged Eugene to embrace Marianne’s warm and loving arms. She, too, wanted to see this loving reunion. 

“Mother...!!!” 

Tight hug...!! 

“Oh my! My son! My son Eugene de Sel Oblaing!” 

After more than two years, Eugene, having completely shed his former frailty, embraced his beloved mother Marianne de Sel Oblaing. He held her as if she were the most precious treasure, and that was exactly how he felt at that moment. 

‘It’s overwhelming! Such joy! Such emotion! I’m feeling the love I once only knew from letters, now directly and physically!’ 

It was only natural he also carried memories of a previous life as an orphan for over thirty years. The mother’s embrace he had dreamed of all that time was now real, not just in his imagination, and he felt an unprecedented thrill and emotion. 

“I missed you, Eugene... This mother has never forgotten you for a moment... I’m so happy you’ve come back to me, my beloved son...” 

Pat... pat... pat... 

Marianne poured out her love so Eugene could feel the utmost maternal affection. Though his body had grown large enough to slay a Minotaur, Eugene Schneider held his adoptive mother with the utmost care. His body had grown, but in Marianne’s arms, he was still her child. Marianne, as if comforting her little boy, gently stroked Eugene’s back and whispered her love. 

“I’ll protect you... Mother, and my sisters too, I’ll stay by your side and protect you from any threat...” 

Eugene made his vow. He had become as strong as he wished, and now he was determined to use that strength to protect those who had reached out to him in difficult times and stayed by his side. Perhaps this reunion with Marianne, the last piece of the puzzle, completed Eugene’s motivation. 

“Out of the way, you bastards!!!!” 

 Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash! 

With his motivation at 200 percent, Eugene Schneider’s energy was off the charts. 

After finishing with the dimensional rift, Eugene’s group headed to Bahad’s central plaza, where the most monsters had gathered. Their goal was to join forces with the Bahad Defense Force for a pincer attack. As soon as the assault began, Eugene Schneider became the vanguard, slaughtering monsters at the front lines. 

“ Kkuuuugh!” “ Kieeeh!” “ Kkeeeh!” “ Kkuueeeh!!” 

It was like autumn leaves falling. Although there were no high-level monsters, the square was mostly filled with mid-level ones, but before Eugene’s greatsword, it was a massacre. Not only had he grown strong enough to duel a top-tier monster, but now he was also accompanied by his beloved adoptive mother. With his own dopamine buff, Eugene swung his sword tirelessly. 

“Bishop-Nun Charlotte, we’ll take the left side.” 

“Understood, Grand Duchess Marianne. Be careful!” 

The two women who loved Eugene Schneider were also highly motivated and took command of the field. Marianne had brought about forty reinforcements from outside, and with Charlotte and fifty or so nuns, they split into two groups to prevent too many monsters from focusing on Eugene. 

“The monsters are starting to panic! Let’s push into the center and finish this quickly!” 

From atop a huge barricade, Defense Commander Memphis pointed his sword forward. When monsters attack head-on, their mindless aggression is terrifying, but when surrounded, the situation changes. The monsters in the square, now turning to face the attacking forces, began to show signs of confusion. With superior numbers, the defense force aimed to push in from the rear. 

 Slash!!! 

Screams and blood filled the air. Weapons flashed everywhere. It was Bahad’s great battle. 

About thirty minutes later, at the center of the square, Bishop-Nun Charlotte raised her holy flail high into the sky. 

“In the glory of the Lord, we are victorious!” 

It was a declaration of victory. 

This was a battle against monsters tainted by the Demon God’s energy a holy war for the Elysium Empire, where the Radiant Goddess Church is the state religion. Bishop-Nun Charlotte proclaimed victory in the Bahad crusade. 

“Wow!! We won!! With the Lord’s grace, we defeated the monsters!!!” 

“Mother!!! I survived!!!” 

“Hooray! Hooray! We survived! We won!!!!” 

The soldiers of the Bahad Defense Force erupted in cheers. For over twenty days, it had felt like hell, but now they had peeled away a layer of that hell with their own hands. Having won a crucial battle and reclaimed a key position, their elation was overwhelming. 

“Nice to meet you. I’m Nazrid, leader of the Salvador Gray Bear Mercenary Corps.” 

After the victory, the Bahad camp went into recovery mode. In the defense force command tent, new allies introduced themselves these were the reinforcements Marianne had recruited. 

“Nice to meet you, Leader Nazrid. I’m Memphis, commander of the Bahad Defense Force. This is Bishop-Nun Charlotte of the Holy See, and next to her is Greatsword Eugene de Sel Oblaing, on special assignment from the Imperial Knights.” 

Now a victor, Memphis introduced the Bahad camp to Nazrid with pride. 

“The Gray Bear Mercenary Corps is a hundred-strong group with a ‘plus’ title from Salvador.” 

“Oh! Plus!” 

“Yes, it’s a very solid mercenary corps, Commander Memphis.” 

Marianne, who had recruited the Gray Bear Mercenary Corps, explained further. Like the Red Fox Mercenary Corps, they were a hundred-strong group with a “plus” title, but their background was different. Leader Nazrid and the main members had been key figures in a much larger mercenary group, but after disagreements, they formed a smaller corps in their homeland. 

“There was chaos in Salvador, and I wanted to help, but it wasn’t easy. Then I heard Grand Duchess Marianne was recruiting reinforcements, so I volunteered to help.” 

Nazrid added to Marianne’s introduction. Salvador, in the empire’s south, has the most active mercenary market, and the crisis there was tied to money and interests. As a result, the Gray Bear Corps, despite their goodwill, couldn’t get involved in the turf wars. But for Marianne, this turned out to be a blessing. 

“Thank you so much! This is a huge help! To have a mercenary corps with three expert-level members! We’ll give you all the support we can!” 

Nazrid is a Sword Expert, and both the deputy leader and assault captain are also expert-level awakened. With many user-level members as well, Commander Memphis felt reassured. 

“There are a lot more variables now.” 

But for those who had to make real plans Eugene, Charlotte, and Grand Duchess Marianne the real challenge was just beginning. 

After the defense force’s command tent meeting, the three gathered privately in Marianne’s office for a serious discussion. Eugene Schneider spoke first. 

“That’s right. We should gather more data on the dimensional rift and come up with a concrete plan.” 

Charlotte nodded in agreement. They hadn’t yet explained the rift situation to the defense force or the Gray Bear Mercenary Corps. Talking about it without a solution would only cause fear. 

“I have a plan.” 

At that, Grand Duchess Marianne, who had been quietly listening, spoke up in a low voice, delivering unexpected news.