Chapter 38: Malicious Violators Will Be Removed.

"It looks like she finally showed up, nya."

As we watched Shogo and Beatrix after their duel, the palace gates slowly opened, and a single woman stepped out from within.

"Yuu-kun! Are you okay!? Did those people bully you!?"

She recoiled in shock at the sight of Beatrix collapsed on the ground, then shifted her gaze toward us. Her eyes burned with hatred as she glared at everyone surrounding her.

"...I-Is that Yuta’s mom...?"

"...M-Maybe...?"

Natsumi whispered beside me, clearly confused, but I had no answer either. I’d never seen her in person before.

Even so, she looked nothing like what I had imagined.

She wore a flashy gold dress, wrapped head to toe in multicolored jewels and accessories. Her semi-long black hair framed a well-proportioned but otherwise unremarkable face. Plain features—paired with an absurdly extravagant outfit.

"A level 1 low-tier mage. Name is... Yuta Mama. No mistake, nya. ...But that avatar hasn’t been customized at all—it’s completely default, nya."

"Now that you mention it, I think she did look like that... but what’s with that outfit...?"

"So she forces restrictions on everyone else while living in luxury herself... that’s the deal, huh? Disgusting."

The overdressed plain woman—Yuta Mama—trembled with rage as she called out to Beatrix.

"Yuu-kun, Mommy’s here now. You’re safe. Let’s punish this crazy, half-naked group of perverts together."

Beatrix kept both hands on the ground and slowly shook her head.

"...No, Mom. They’re right. Even coming to a world like this, trying to push the same kinds of regulations you enforced back in Japan just isn’t right."

"What are you saying, Yuu-kun!? Mommy is doing this for your own good!"

"Even so, you didn’t have to log into the game I’m playing just to watch me! Because of that, you ended up coming to this world too!"

"That’s because you were playing such a shameless game! You get obsessed with this worthless stuff, hang around idiots like these, get influenced in bad ways, and turn into a disgusting otaku—what then!? Do you want to become a loser for the rest of your life!?"

As Yuta Mama screamed in a surge of emotion, the surrounding players bristled.

"That’s not something I can just let slide."

Dias stepped forward, placing himself protectively in front of Beatrix.

"Yeah, sure, S Sword B Blaze O Online isn’t exactly what you’d call morally upright, but you’ve got no right to trash-talk the people here."

Shogo stood up and moved beside Dias.

"It’s true there’s a lot of lewd stuff, nya, but that’s not all there is, nya."

"Having someone shove their biased views down your throat is literally what I hate most."

"Parents worrying about their kids is one thing, but what you’re doing goes way too far."

Ririka, Natsumi, and I stepped forward as well, positioning ourselves in front of Beatrix.

"I don’t really get it, but if you don’t do dirty stuff, kids don’t get born, right? A mom denying that is kinda weird, yeah?"

"We can’t have kids no matter what we do, but if you keep being that uptight, men are gonna run away, you know?"

"Children grow up eventually. You can’t keep them locked in your cage forever."

"Y-Yeah, oink! I think saying no to everything is just cruel, oink!"

"Even beasts can’t live if they don’t develop independence, oink! Only those who stand on their own legs can be called intelligent beings, oink!"

"Sometimes you mess up when you go wild, but you can’t learn unless you experience things yourself, gob!"

Scarlet, Sapphire, the succubi, the captain of Godart City’s guard, the count, the orc Gumro, the goblin Zaza, and even the surrounding citizens and adventurers all stepped forward, as if forming a wall to shield Beatrix.

"That’s enough, Yuta Mama. We’ve heard your true intentions clearly. No one will follow you anymore. Behave yourself."

At last, Queen Tilda stepped to the front, looking up at Yuta Mama as she stood atop the palace entrance stairs.

Yuta Mama’s face twitched as she forced the words out.

"Don’t screw with me, you little brat...! This country’s full of lunatics because some stupid kid like you is playing queen...! I’m way more refined and sensible than you—I’m the one who deserves to be queen! You’re all trash! Garbage! Worthless ◯◯◯s! Making me suffer this humiliation! Apologize and compensate me! You filthy ◯◯◯◯!"

Her rant escalated into a shriek as she turned her fury back toward Beatrix.

"Yuu-kun! Look around you! Don’t let those shameless freaks in filthy outfits deceive you!"

Beatrix, who had risen to her feet at some point, shook her head again.

"Yuu-kun! You really want to play with these perverts that badly!? When did you start playing such a disgusting game!? Why won’t you listen to Mommy!?"

Shogo nodded firmly toward Beatrix and spoke in a calm, steady voice.

"You’re not a kid who just obeys his mother anymore. You’re a grown man. I fought you—I can vouch for that. Now prove it to your mother, Yuta."

The crowd followed with voices of encouragement.

"You’re the only one who can reach her! Let her have it, Yuta!"

"Tell her how you really feel, nya! Do your best, nya, Yuta!"

"Just because she’s your mom doesn’t mean you have to hold back! Yuta!"

"Now’s your chance to break free from your mother’s control! Go, Yuta!"

"That’s right! Say it! Yuta!"

"Hang in there! Yuta!"

"Stand up! Yuta!"

"Yuta!" "Yuta!" "Yuta!" "Yuta!" "Yuta!"

Red-faced, Beatrix shouted over the chanting crowd.

"In this world, I’m not Yuta! I’m Beatrix!"

Somewhere, someone muttered, "...o-oh."

As the crowd fell silent, Beatrix turned back to face Yuta Mama and yelled.

"Mom! I’m an adult now! I can judge right from wrong on my own, and I’m not going to be influenced by some game at this point! I pay for it with money I earn myself, and I contribute properly to household expenses! What I do with my leftover allowance is my own business!"

...Huh?

"What are you talking about!? The company you work for was introduced by Mommy, wasn’t it!?"

"All the executives you pulled strings with have already retired! At this point, I’m basically the one running the place!"

...Huhhh?

"But you’re Mommy’s child!"

"I’m turning 40 next year! It’s embarrassing having you follow me everywhere forever!"

Uh...

"And besides, I didn’t play this game because I was tempted by sexy girls or dirty stuff!"

Beatrix took a deep breath, then screamed with everything she had.

"I just...! I just wanted to become a cute girl and wear cute clothes!! I wanted to wear frilly, adorable outfits like these girls and be cuteeeee!!"

At Beatrix’s shocking confession, every former Earth adventurer present stood there slack-jawed, utterly speechless.

For some reason, Ririka and Natsumi both turned to look at me, and I instinctively averted my gaze.

"...What does that mean? If you want to wear cute clothes, can’t you just wear them?"

Scarlet poked my side as she asked, but I had no idea how to answer.

"N-No way...! Yuu-kun, does Ritsuko-san know about this...?"

"Ritsuko-san understands. She didn’t play this game, but she loves romance games where you date young, handsome guys. We get along just fine."

Who is Ritsuko-san?

I could more or less guess, but the family situation was already far deeper than I wanted to deal with. I really didn’t want to dig any further.

As we exchanged awkward looks, Yuta Mama suddenly staggered, then thrust her hand into empty space—her item box—and pulled out a lavishly decorated, glittering shakujo staff. She raised it high overhead.

"Heeheehee... ahahahahahaha! You really are a hopeless child! You need punishment! In this world, you can revive even if you die, right!? Then die over and over until we return to real-world Japan! Along with all these filthy ◯◯◯s!"

The shakujo began to glow, and dark storm clouds rapidly gathered overhead as thunder roared across the sky.

"T-This is bad, nya! Everyone, use defensive magic, nya!"

The next instant, a deafening boom shook the plaza as a bolt of lightning was drawn into the raised shakujo. From there, it exploded outward in countless arcs of electricity, lashing the surroundings indiscriminately.

At Ririka’s shout, Natsumi, Queen Tilda, Beatrix, the Count of Godart, and nearby adventurer players reacted a split second faster, deploying magical barriers that shielded us—and the crowd behind us—from a direct hit. Even so, stray lightning bolts slammed into the palace plaza, exploding against stone paving, ornamental trees, and fountain towers.

The crowd erupted into screams and panic.

"She’s not even aiming anymore!? Erika! Take the three in the rear and evacuate the civilians! Goblins, orcs, all players—help too! Get anyone who can’t fight to a safe place!"

"Understood. Confirmed an underground waterway entrance outside the plaza. I’ll guide them there."

"Leave it to us, oink! Everyone, follow me, oink!"

"This way, gob! Help anyone who can’t move, gob!"

When the lightning from Yuta Mama’s staff momentarily ceased, the gathered civilians began evacuating under the guidance of the orcs, goblins, and adventurer players.

"Your Excellency the Regent! What do you think you’re doing!?"

The palace guards stationed behind Yuta Mama rushed to restrain her—but another blast of lightning erupted from the shakujo, piercing through them, scorching their bodies, and even shattering the palace wall and pillars behind them.

"Ahahahahaha! Useless trash! Bureaucrats are the same in every country! Die! You tax-stealing freeloaders! Lackeys of the ◯◯ Party!"

Laughing hysterically as she swung the staff, Yuta Mama unleashed relentless lightning. Queen Tilda grimaced as she maintained a massive magical barrier protecting herself and those around her, while the others began shouting their limits.

"Unthinkable…! Another direct hit and we won’t be able to hold it!"

"Our barrier’s at its limit too!"

"There are weapons that can cast magic attacks when used as items, nya, but I’ve never seen anything that powerful, nya! How does a level 1 even have something like that, nya!?"

"I don’t know! Mom only logged in to monitor me—she barely played the game at all!"

"More importantly, is the evacuation done!? Anyone still left behind!?"

"It’ll be finished soon! The orcs, goblins, and succubi are doing an amazing job!"

"Leave this sort of thing to us, dear~"

I answered Shogo after confirming that the Count of Godart and the guard captain—carrying a woman between them—had finally exited the plaza.

The evacuation had been unnaturally fast. Apparently, the succubi had charmed the men and forcibly made them comply.

Now, the only ones left were me, Erika, Ririka, Natsumi, Shogo, Dias, Scarlet, Sapphire, Beatrix, and Queen Tilda.

"Letting that trash escape doesn’t matter! I don’t care about those worthless ◯◯◯s anyway! As long as I kill you!"

Yuta Mama raised the glowing shakujo high once more.

She was charging lightning again.

There was no way we were letting that happen.

"Erika! Snipe the staff!"

"Roger."

Erika, dressed in her white maid outfit, raised her right arm and fired a red, glowing heat beam from her palm.

The beam struck the head of the shakujo with perfect accuracy, melting what appeared to be metal under extreme heat.

The thunder roaring overhead faded rapidly.

"W-What…!? It’s hot!?"

Staring wide-eyed at the staff—now melted nearly halfway through—Yuta Mama threw it aside and collapsed onto the palace entrance steps.

"You don’t have any more weapons, nya? Any further resistance is pointless, nya."

"It’s over, Yuta Mama. Your actions are unforgivable. As an adventurer, your life will be spared—but you will spend the rest of your days imprisoned."

"Mom… I’ll stay with you too… Let’s stop causing trouble for everyone… and quietly wait until someone finds a way back to reality…"

Watching Beatrix rush to Yuta Mama’s side, I finally let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding.

With this, the temple in Larentia would be freed and reconnected with Granshir. Then we’d send Dias back to Rick and Dom, gather the Demon King’s keys, summon the Demon King somewhere remote, and maybe try nuking it with a nuclear missile.

Whether that would actually get us back to the real world was questionable—but it seemed worth trying.

"Master! Detecting abnormal particle vibrations in the immediate area! Moisture in the surrounding air is rapidly freezing!"

Erika’s voice snapped me out of my idle thoughts.

Ice spread outward from Erika’s feet, climbing rapidly up her body.

The same thing was happening beneath me.

"W-What!? What is this!? Did Yuta Mama still have something!?"

I tried to move, but my frozen feet were already stuck to the ground, ice crawling upward with alarming speed.

"Clarisse-nyan!? Erika-nyan!? What’s happening, nya!?"

It seemed only Erika and I were being encased in ice, but everyone else looked just as confused.

Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.

Suddenly, the sound of applause echoed through the plaza.

"It was a ridiculous farce, but entertaining enough. Thanks to that, I even found a rule-breaking cheater. Sorry for the suddenness, but malicious violators—cheaters who bring dangerous androids that shoot beams from their hands into a world of swords and magic—will be asked to leave."

When did he get there?

Drifting down from above Yuta Mama’s head, as lightly as a falling feather—

A white-haired boy descended from the air.