The half-Yokai seemed unable to make eye contact,
his face turning red as he fidgeted and muttered in protest.

[My father used to tell me this. My mother was the most beautiful human in this world.]
[It can’t have been a lie. My father, who fell in love with her, even stopped his invasion of In-Gye (the human world).]
[After my father died, the former servants of my father who took over the palace, along with his first wife, made sure that not even a single portrait remains.]
[But if my mother were to return...]
[Yes, she would definitely be as beautiful as you.]

The seduction strategy was an absolute success.
The Yokai King’s illegitimate child was completely captivated by the Silent Swordmaster.

[I said I would find a master for the arena. If you grant me just one request, I’ll do it.]

“?”

[Can I... call you mother?]

It was an utterly ridiculous proposal.

Mama!!
Wait, the human here wants to be my mama now?
How can I resist calling her "Mama"
This isn’t a wicked Yokai, it’s a Mama-Yokai, haha!
Mama-Yokai, haha!
A rare mama-Yokai, haha!
The chat had already exploded with "Mama" calls.
Though everyone expected an angry outburst or her immediately cutting him down with her sword,
for a brief moment, everyone wished the Mama-Yokai’s soul well.

Speedmaster, a top-tier physical streamer,
also acknowledged the Silent Swordmaster’s legendary swordsmanship.
As she slowly reached out to stroke the half-Yokai's head,
the chat exploded again.

[▷The Yokai King's illegitimate child has become your temporary ally.]

After three seconds of silence, the chat exploded.

Did she actually accept that?
MAMAAAA!!!!!!
I want to be petted by her too!!!
Why is everyone suddenly a simp? Hahaha
The era of the human landlord and wandering merchant is over. Now it's the age of Mama-Daisuki-Champi!
This feels like the end of civilization, doesn’t it?
Nostradamus, you were right... The age of strong men ended in July 1999, and in November 2050, we’re flooded with weak Mama Boys.
So, what if Silent Swordmaster says she’ll hug me?
Typical strong man move > dives in
(Hug me emoji)(Hug me emoji)(Hug me emoji)
(Mama emoji)(Mama emoji)(Mama emoji)
The overwhelming attention
was almost unbearable, but unlike a normal person,
Silent Swordmaster handled it without a second thought.
She simply pointed to a gladiator registration form she had picked up off the street.

[Gladiator League (36th Round)]
[Participation Requirement 1 – Submit a ticket for the 36th round.]
[Participation Requirement 2 – Submit a list of 2–6 participants.]

Her boldness left viewers, including real-life Awakeners who were joining the stream through Speedmaster,
in awe.

“She’s one of us, right?”
“Are you talking about Awakeners, or entertainers?”
“Both.”

Those who possessed both combat strength as Awakeners and star quality as entertainers
wielded great influence in the entertainment industry.
Unlike traditional entertainment companies where capital and politics dominate,
the Royal Club, an entertainment company made entirely of Awakeners with combat skills and star power,
was actively recruiting Awakeners for its 3rd generation.
They were recruiting not only for the 1st generation of the 2030s or the 2nd generation of the 2040s,
but for the 3rd generation of Awakeners for the 2050s.

“I just want to hug her. How great would it be if such a beautiful girl worked with us every day?”
“She’s already hugging me right now.”
“Hehe, Nanase, you’re funny. You hated it at first, but now you’re jealous, aren’t you?”
“No, I’m not.”
“Your ears are turning red. Doesn’t it feel hot?”
“Eh. Really?”
“Just kidding~”
“...Back off. No hugging today.”
“Ah, sorry!”

Royal Club’s 3rd generation Awakeners:
Elogio Sherry Nina,
B-Class Ice Awakener.

Royal Club’s 3rd generation Awakeners:
Isuno Nanase,
B-Class Vector Manipulation Awakener.

Despite the vast differences in personality, eating habits, and physical types,
there was one undeniable similarity among the two of them.

‘Awakeners who are powerful mixed-race beauties.’

Strong Awakeners and mixed-race beauties
were incredibly rare in Korea,
but because of their rarity, they drew even more popularity and attention.

“Do you really like Silent Swordmaster that much?”

Nanase, pushing Sherry’s hand away from her face,
didn’t dislike her but wasn’t particularly fond of her either.
Sherry had been a great friend, always helping her with various exercises and sports massages.
She trusted Sherry even outside of work.

“Look at her close combat skills. She’d be the perfect fit for us.”
“She might have a bad attitude.”
“You won’t know until you meet her.”
“I heard she’s called the ‘Massacre Swordswoman’ online.”
“That’s because her opponents were monsters. Isn’t that reassuring?”
“Isn’t she accepting a half-Yokai’s childish request to call her ‘mother’?”
“Surprisingly, her maternal instinct is her hidden charm!”
“…That’s true.”

Nanase, raised by a Japanese mother who valued femininity,
found a maternal woman like Silent Swordmaster appealing.

“Do you dislike Silent Swordmaster, Nanase?”
“It’d be uncomfortable. When more people start disliking her, it could get awkward.”
“On the other hand, it could be good!”
“The first generation girl group had a rumor of conflict.”
“Ugh.”
“The second-generation boy group had bullying rumors.”
“We’ll take care of that!”

Sherry, who had completely fallen for Silent Swordmaster,
was enjoying the attention, while Nanase wasn’t too fond of it.

“Are you trying to recruit her to the company, CEO?”
“She’s such a rare talent, I wouldn’t want to waste her.”

It was clear that Silent Swordmaster fit the concept perfectly.
Her attitude was uncertain, but her maternal side stood out.
Still, Nanase didn’t like it.

‘I’d prefer it if it were just me and Sherry.’

Speedmaster, who was known for having good skin and skill,
was highly respected even by active Awakeners.
He casually mentioned that Silent Swordmaster was a female streamer he strongly recommended.
Naively, Nanase watched Silent Swordmaster’s stream in the waiting room,
thinking the purpose was to spread Speedmaster’s stream to Sherry.
However, it was Nanase herself who got caught up in the idea of Silent Swordmaster joining the 3rd generation of Royal Club’s female group.
At this rate, the trio was going to be completed, and Nanase had no choice.

‘I need to find an excuse, anything.’

Silent Swordmaster was still human,
so if she looked hard enough, there would surely be flaws to find.
With that thought in mind, Nanase, staring at the broadcast screen with a sour face,
bit her lower lip unknowingly.
As she watched the video, she started to think more like Sherry.

‘A close combat swordswoman with healing abilities. If I were the CEO, I’d recruit her right now.’

Despite everything, what truly stood out was Silent Swordmaster’s healing abilities.

The illegitimate child of the Yokai King.
After giving up the name his father had given him,
he barely saved his life and was thrown out of the palace penniless.
The only thing he had left was his bloodline, worthless in the Yokai society.
The attention he received from other Yokai was just that—nothing more than trash.

‘Without family or friends, I was just waiting to disappear with this decaying Yokai realm.’

They say even the heavens show mercy to those in despair.
In that moment, this woman’s existence might just be the last mercy in his life.

“Doesn’t my mother feel scared or disgusted by me?”

Perhaps that’s why.
If he had kept it inside, it would have been fine,
but he just had to ask her about her ‘true feelings’—
that desire to know the truth, which he spoke out loud,
hoping for confirmation from her.

“….”

The painting, done on fine rice paper,
showed his real mother’s appearance.
The beautiful features, now ashes and gone,
stared back at him as if they had returned to life.
Her expression, though seemingly indifferent at first glance,
was filled with compassion for him,
and self-reproach,
a gaze so familiar, it felt like his real mother was there.

[依支]

Silent Swordmaster placed her sword on the ground
and wrote two characters.

“It’s Chinese characters. ‘I’ for depend and ‘Zhi’ for support. What’s the meaning behind this writing?”

The Yokai King, once the ruler of all Yokai,
had studied many languages to rule over them,
and even though he was an illegitimate child,
he was well-versed in languages, including Chinese.

‘It’s a relief. If I can read Chinese, even if I can’t speak, the meaning will be conveyed.’

Silent Swordmaster meticulously rearranged the radicals in the characters.

[亻衣 十又]

The viewers were flooded with question marks,
but the illegitimate child of the Yokai King,
touched deeply, felt tears welling up in his eyes.

The character ‘I’ (依),
meaning a person (亻) supported by clothing (衣),
and ‘Zhi’ (支),
meaning a branch (十) supported by a hand (又),
represented the message of a mother who wished
to be a cover against the cold world,
and a hand to support the frail branch that couldn’t stand alone.

The feeling of deep compassion for the beautiful mother,
and the shame of asking to call her mother
in the moment of his weakness,
was not just an act of Silent Swordmaster accepting a request,
but something deeply accepted in her heart.

“Ah. Ah…”

Tears flowed from him as he felt deeply moved by her kindness,
and feeling the shame of his request,
Silent Swordmaster quietly stood by him, gently patting his shoulder.

She didn’t reject him.
Instead, she carefully placed her hand on his head,
comforting him like a child.

‘So this is what a mother is.’

A mother is the place a child can rely on,
her gentle hands soothing him.

The sweet fragrance that heals a tired heart in a harsh world
is a mother’s fragrance.

The illegitimate son of the Yokai King
finally realized what a mother truly was,
today.

The dirty mixed-blood of the Yokai realm,
a prince who had never appeared on the main stage,
just another background character in the world of Banyogok,
but after ten years,
meeting Silent Swordmaster,
he had finally become a true half-Yokai,
and for the first time, he found salvation.