Chapter 1279: Mother and Daughter

The Holy Mother had been lying motionless on the ground the entire time, so I mistakenly believed her to be unconscious. However, she began speaking without so much as a twitch.

「I believe I can suppress the girl’s transformation slightly.」

「…You’re helping Sibylla?」

「Better than sitting around doing nothing, right?」

Fran had already placed her trust in the Holy Mother, but it seems Apollonius and the others were still somewhat skeptical.

She was aligned with our enemies, the Black Skeleton Corps, so I can understand why.

However, the Holy Mother had kept resisting even while incorporated into Laranflura, and was also cooperative towards us. Apollonius should be able to understand that much.

「Apollonius, it’s okay.」

「…If you say so…」

「Nn. Holy Mother, go ahead.」

「Understood. Please place me next to Sibylla.」

After laying her down next to Sibylla, the Holy Mother slowly raised her hand. Though she was apparently barely able to move, she could at least do this much.

Then, she gently overlapped her left hand with Sibylla’s right.

「Here I go.」

「Nn.」

We felt a faint mana emanating from the Holy Mother. The vast majority of her power had been lost, so expending the little that remained might actually cause her to disappear.

Considering that fact, I didn’t think there was much she could do, but…

「Kin Intelligence.」

「Ugh…!」

The Holy Mother had activated her Extra Skill for giving intelligence to her undead subordinates. Perhaps she was countering Sibylla’s berserk transformation by forcibly keeping her sane?

Either way, this seemed to be effective. The transformation occurring in Sibylla’s body was noticeably suppressed.

But why did it work in the first place? Shouldn’t the skill only work on her kin? Why could she use it on Sibylla?

While I was wondering about that, the power flowing from the Holy Mother to Sibylla gradually increased, and Sibylla’s expression softened accordingly.

She would achieve a full recovery at this rate. But suddenly, Sibylla regained her consciousness and brushed away the Holy Mother’s hand.

「Stop it. Any more, and you’ll…」

「Sibylla! What’s wrong? Oi!」

「The Holy Mother barely has any mana left. Any more of this, and she’ll disappear for good…!」

It seems Sibylla sensed how the Holy Mother was putting herself at risk. However, Sibylla’s symptoms had yet to be fully healed.

「Guh, gah…!」

「Good grief! Sibylla!」

Apollonius called out to Sibylla as she began suffering again. If this keeps up, what would happen to her…?

Meanwhile, the Holy Mother placed her hand on Sibylla again, activating her skill once more.

The Holy Mother’s skill proved effective, as Sibylla’s suffering was visibly eased.

「Holy Mother! You… why…?」

「I am finished either way if you go berserk. Thus, stopping you from going berserk is the most logical solution. If you don’t want me to disappear, then you had best wrest control over your monster factor before then.」

「…Fine.」

「I’m glad to see you understand.」

Strength returned to Sibylla’s eyes when she heard the Holy Mother’s scolding.

Sibylla grit her teeth and tightly grabbed the handle of the Red Sword, resisting the power raging with her.

「Ugh… Aaah…!」

「Good, keep at it.」

The Holy Mother’s remaining mana fell at a rapid pace. Is this going to work? And why would she go so far?

「Ugh… Aaah!」

「Give it your all. I know you can overcome this.」

「That’s right, Sibylla! You’re the leader of the Red Knights! Hang in there!」

「Ugh…」

All we could hear was the encouragement from the Holy Mother and Apollonius, along with Sibylla’s agonized voice. The other Hero Zombies observed quietly.

「Hah… I won’t… lose.」

Yes! Sibylla’s mana suddenly started stabilizing!

「Guh…」

「Hang in there, Sibylla!」

Sibylla moaned again, and the Holy Mother shouted one final time. At that moment, the transformation of Sibylla’s body came to a complete stop.

The circulation of mana throughout Sibylla’s body was regular and smooth. Everything was under control. In fact, she might have even gotten stronger, as suppressing the monster factor gave her greater control over her powers.

On the other hand, the Holy Mother’s condition was…

「You did well…」

「Why…? Why would you do this for me…?」

「For survival.」

「No way! Fran and the others could easily carry you away and escape! But you…」

Sibylla lowered her eyes in sorrow. The Holy Mother had exceeded her limits, and the hand she placed on Sibylla’s arm was now crumbling like sand.

After receiving Sibylla’s stare head on, the Holy Mother realized that no lies would work.

「…Perhaps I wanted to try imitating a mother.」

The Holy Mother whispered as she reached out her remaining right hand to Sibylla. She tried to give Sibylla a gentle stroke, but this hand crumbled away too.

「After going through the pains of childbirth… Well, not that I can feel pain. Either way, as someone who grew up in my belly, you are a child of mine…」

「Huh? You’re my mom? But those researchers said an experimental undead they made gave birth to me…」

「Then those assholes were lying. There were some idiots who stumbled upon an ancient magical tool and claimed they made it themselves to get additional research funding. I found someone that spilled the beans after crushing a few labs. You were actually born from a powerful undead that existed since ancient times.」

Apparently, Apollonius had been worried whether or not Sibylla could really live a proper life, so he investigated the research labs that created Sibylla.

「So… This is the truth then…?」

「Fufu… Though I do not think I am truly fit to call myself a mother…」

「W-Wait! Don’t go! There’s still things I have to ask you!」

「Ah… I’m glad I could save you in the end.」

「Oi! Holy Mother! M-Mom!」

「Hehe…」

In her final moments, the face of the supposed motionless mummy seemed to be smiling.