C296: Bride and Mother-in-Law War

“Ahem!”
“Hush, Darling.”
“Ahem…”

The Mermaid King immediately said something, but he was also immediately rebuked by his wife.
Perhaps he was giving his son the green light with his ‘ahem,’ but to express all his intentions with one word is just too inconvenient to those around him.

“…Arowana dear.”

The queen turns to the young couple, Prince Arowana and Puffer.

“Mommy loves you from the bottom of her heart. I only want your life to be a happy one, through and through.”
“Then please grant me permission to marry her,” insists the prince. “I am also aware of my position. I want to marry with the blessings of my beloved parents!”

He’s pretty serious.
I wonder if his aggressive temperament is something he acquired during his pilgrimage.
I don’t think he was like this before.

Either way, it will prove beneficial for him to seize the initiative in political measures.

“You said your name was Puffer, yes? Which school did you go to?”
“…Nowhere in particular. My knowledge regarding pharmacy magic is mostly self-acquired.”

An auditory hallucination that sounds like cracking thin ice when treaded on reverberates throughout the room.
Gods, what is this tension in the air?!

“That won’t do. If the queen is an illiterate, a nation’s prestige will be tarnished.”
“Isn’t it rather ignorant to assume someone is illiterate just because they didn’t finish school? The potions I concoct are better than those of elite scholars.”
“Well, someone’s confident. You’re as grand as a little girl who knows nothing about the world.”
“I’ve seen the world with Prince Arowana. If you call me ignorant, wouldn’t that mean your son’s journey was meaningless?”

Crack. Crack. Crack!!!

Cracking sounds can be heard loud and clear even though nothing broken is in sight!

Terrifying!
The tremendous clash of spirits between Queen Mahi and Puffer is terrifying!!!

Is this one of the most terrifying things in the world?
A bride and mother-in-law war?!

“Mother! Puffer! Um, please calm down!”
“Ahemahemahem!”

The father and son are flustered.
These men are hopeless.

Then again, there’s no room for me, a less-related person, to intervene, nor do I have the guts to.
Who should be the mediator in this situation?!

“…I guess it’s my turn to try!”

Oh!
It’s my wife, Platy.

She is Queen Mahi’s beloved daughter and Puffer’s good friend.
In other words, her position in this situation is a sister-in-law!

“Mediating between the mother-in-law and the bride is the sister-in-law’s role! I, Platy, the merprincess, will do her royal duty for a change!”

You’re so reliable, my wife!
Please do everything you can to ease this tension!

“Quiet, Platy dear.”
“You stay out of this, Platy.”

She was rejected with a few words and came back dejected.
Wow, the sister-in-law is weak.

“No, I won’t lose!”

Or so I thought, but she rouses herself up.

“I’m a mother now! Mothers are strong! I’ll make a giant step with a mother’s power!”

Hang in there!

“Mom! Listen to me!”
“Like I said, we’ll have a nice little chat after I’m done with this woman here…”
“Just listen!”

Her daughter’s spirit made Queen Mahi change her stance.
That was incredible, Platy.

“I’m also in favor of Arowana’s marriage to Puffer!”

First of all, she clearly states her opinion.

“Why? Because it seems interesting!”

Her motive is all over the place, though.

“You look like you’re against their marriage because of Puffer’s educational background. But I don’t think it’s a problem. After all, her skills in potion compounding are top-notch!”

She’s also one of the best potion compounders herself, so she makes a compelling point.

“You do know the rumored Six Witches, right, Mom?”
“You mean The Six Mad Witches?”
“You don’t need to add the ‘mad’ part… Anyway, Puffer here is one of the Six Witches, along with me! That is the most striking proof of her ability!”

Being part of the Six Witches is practically like being recognized as a top-class potion compounder.

“I think that alone is a brand worthy of a mermaid queen!”
“But witches are also infamous for being troublemakers…” interrupts Puffer.
“Could you not butt in with a negative remark?!”

The queen boldly tries to counterargue.

“Magic isn’t the only thing taught in school, dear. It’s also a place to learn etiquette, social wit, and worldly wisdom. Those are the most important things for royalty, you know.”
“But I didn’t finish school either, remember?” replies Platy, a fully-fledged royalty. “I dropped out of Mermaid Witch Academia!!!”

Is that something to be proud of?

“Since I’m still royalty, who even received marriage proposals from other nations, it’s also okay for Puffer to be queen, right?”
“P-Platy? To think you’d go this far to support me… You really are kind!” says Puffer, moved to tears.

Meanwhile, the father and son, who are just watching from the sidelines, look miserable.

“I mean, wouldn’t it be more interesting for the Mermaid Kingdom to have an outlaw like you as the future queen?”
“Platy?!”
“By the way, I don’t even know where you went to school, Mom. So, I don’t think you have any right to criticize your future daughter-in-law about her educational background.”

Perhaps Platy hit the bullseye, the queen replies with a sigh instead of a rebuttal.

“…It’s as you say, dear. Mommy has never been to school either.”
“I knew it. You’re not very good at magic, after all. I didn’t think you had any experience.”

Her judgment is impressive.
The queen’s basis for opposing their marriage because of Puffer’s education is now destroyed.

“…Oh, alright. Then let’s drop the opposition from that aspect.”
“You still intend to be against it?!”

Why is she so stubborn?

“Let’s do this instead. Puffer, you said you’re one of The Six Mad Witches, yes?”
“…Yes.”
“Then I will directly test your abilities as a witch to see if you are qualified to be a queen. In a real fight, of course.”
“Huh?”

Both Puffer and Platy tilt their heads, wondering what she said out of the blue.
As for the men? Total air.

“Test her skills? You might want to think again, Mom. Mock battle or whatever, you must be a witch to take on someone like Puffer. Even the head of Mermaid Witch Academia can’t handle her.”

It may be a harsh way to talk to her mother, but it just means Puffer’s abilities are the real deal.

“If so, the easiest way to find out is to fight a witch with a witch, yes?”
“?”

The queen’s words make less and less sense.

She’s saying that she wants Puffer, one of the Six Witches, to fight other witches?
But with whom?
I think all five other witches, including Platy, favor her marriage to Prince Arowana and won’t be on board with the idea of fighting her.

…Wait, four of them, to be more precise.
One witch’s identity remains unknown, if I recall.

“I’ll be fighting her.”
“?”
“It’s been ages, but I think it’s time to remember when I, Mahi Kanne, was known as the Witch of Darkness,” says the queen.

It seems this mother and daughter-in-law war is about to escalate into a confrontation between two witches.