At a certain noble’s mansion –
“So, Halt’s already entering the Ultimate Clan Battle... Are you sure about this?”
“It’s information straight from the Royal Capital’s Adventurer’s Guild, so I’m certain.”
A beauty with long, jet-black hair was talking to a handsome young man with a similar shade of hair. They were discussing the upcoming Ultimate Clan Battle’s preliminary matches that would be held next month.
"No one will stand a chance against him if it’s done the usual way."
"Yes. He’ll win the finals without exerting any effort at all."
"But isn’t that… a little boring?"
"Apparently, It seems he wants the world to recognize how powerful he and his family are."
"Hmm."
The black-haired woman seemed deep in thought.She knew that Halt was a reincarnated soul.
"Hey, Cain."
"Yes, Mother?"
The handsome man, Cain, was Halt’s brother. The woman, Anna Vie Silveray, was their mother. Anna had just come up with an idea.
"Let’s have me, you, Leon, and Charles join the Ultimate Clan Battle."
"W-What? Pardon me, Mother, but what are you talking about?"
Cain was confused by his mother’s sudden and seemingly absurd idea. But Anna continued without missing a beat.
"Because if I let this Ultimate Clan Battle slip me by, I won’t get another chance to show that kid how powerful his mom is."
"…I’m sorry, what?"The Silveray family was known for their beautiful silver hair. Even their current head, Count Abel Vie Silveray, had it. But the black-haired Anna, who had married into the family, gave birth to all black-haired children.
In this world, people with pure black hair were rare.
Anyone with black hair was likely related to someone from another world. The closer their hair was to pure black, the stronger the otherworldly blood. However, only very few people know about this truth. Cain, Leon, Halt, and Charles all had nearly pure black hair, Anna’s hair was even darker than theirs.
"Come to think of it, I don’t think I ever told you. I’m from the same world as Halt."
"What?"
"Unlike Halt, who was reincarnated, I was summoned to this world."
"Eh…EHH!? No, no, wait, no way—"
Cain had a special skill called Extreme Intuition, but he never noticed that his mother was from another world. No, he couldn’t have realized it.
"Charles' mind-reading, Leon’s keen eye for observation—they both got those from me. Cain, your Extreme Intuition too. And by the way, I also have a skill that can forcibly turn off other people’s abilities, so it’s no wonder you didn’t figure out who I really am."
Anna was far stronger than Akari.
"M-my skill… was yours, Mother?"
"Yup, that’s right. But I couldn’t pass on any of my skills or abilities to Halt, and that made me anxious. I always thought he’d grow up to be a hero, sage, or holy knight blessed by the gods and save this world."
Halt did become a sage after Haruto was reincarnated into his body. The creator god had blessed Halt when he was born, preparing him to become the vessel for a future hero, which was why Anna’s powers weren’t passed down to him.
"He was supposed to become the hero’s vessel. But out of all my kids, he’s the only one I couldn’t give any of my abilities to. I was so worried until he turned five."
"...But those worries turned out to be unnecessary, didn’t they?""Exactly! There was even a time when I thought about forcibly giving Halt my skills, like [Magic Immunity], [Spatial Teleportation], or [God's Eye] but he ended up being so strong on his own that he didn’t need any of that."
"Wait, Mother, did you just mention some skills I’m pretty sure I shouldn’t ignore?"
"Nah, it’s not like they’re dangerous abilities like [Evil God Summoning] or [Causality Manipulation], so it’s fine, it’s fine. I was just going to make sure he was strong enough to enjoy life as a normal human in this world."
"This is insane. I thought my little brother was a monster, but apparently the real monster is in my own family."
In order to convince Cain that Anna wasn’t just sputtering utter nonsense, she turned off her [Skill Suppression], allowing Cain’s Extreme Intuition to confirm the truth.
"I truly understand now that you’re way beyond any ordinary person, Mother."
"Sorry for keeping it from you all this time."
"You’re just sad that Halt’s starting his own clan and fully becoming independent, aren’t you?"
"Exactly! I just want to show him my strength so that he’ll still rely on me if something comes up in the future."
Anna knew that once Halt won the Ultimate Clan Battle, he’d probably stop entering tournaments. He wasn’t interested in maintaining a high rank or reputation, and once he achieved something, he was content. Anna, fully aware of his personality, realized this might be his last serious competition.
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"Halt’s grown up, but you’re the one who can’t let go, Mother."
"That’s impossible. I’m his mother, after all."
"That doesn’t really answer the issue. Also, you need at least ten people to participate in the Ultimate Clan Battle. Even if we add Father, that’s still only four of us —"
"Your father’s just an ordinary human, so he can’t fight."
"…How did Father even manage to win you over?"
"That’s a secret. Strength isn’t the only reason to fall in love, you know. As for the remaining six members, I’m thinking of calling up my old allies from when we took down the Demon Lord 500 years ago. Even the retired King of Alheim is still quite capable, I’m sure."
"U-Uhm, how old are you again, Mother?"
"That’s a secret too. It’s rude to ask a lady her age. Don’t worry, I’ll handle gathering the rest of the team. I just need you to agree to join."
"But I’m on royal guard duty. I can’t just—"
"Don’t worry. I’ll talk to Gil-chan about that."
"Did you just casually call His Majesty by his first name, and with ‘-chan’?"
"I’ve saved this country a few times behind the scenes since his great-grandfather’s reign. But I’m respectful in public, don’t worry."
"…I understand. I’ll participate too – though I feel like I didn’t really have a choice here."
"That’s right! If you refuse, Mom will probably just brainwash you and drag you along."
Thanks to his Extreme Intuition, Cain realized she wasn’t joking.
"Alright then! It’s been a while since I’ve gone all out!"
The qualifiers for the Ultimate Clan Battle in Glendale were coming up, and Anna was making her move to ensure that the strongest sage wouldn’t have an easy time getting through them.
A month later, the tournament would turn into a massive showdown involving the entire world…But for now, Cain was the only one who knew that.