Like a sulky daughter who still had to come home for dinner when the time came, Phinney returned with a cold, pretty face a moment later to pick Valo up.
At the same time, the Female Hero puffed out her cheeks, angrily setting three rules for the upcoming investigation.
First: Never act on impulse, and no acting alone!
Second: Valo needs to follow Phinney’s daily activities as much as possible; after all, as a Health Teacher, she can move freely within the Clock Tower.
Third: Minimize private contact with suspicious persons, such as the black-haired, purple-eyed elf!
‘Phinney, you might as well just say Kaika’s name directly.’
Valo felt as though the Female Hero was using the investigation as an excuse to do exactly what she wanted.
However, when faced with Phinney’s follow-up question after she finished her speech…
“I’ve finished speaking. Mom, are you for or against it?”
She still smiled and agreed in a gentle tone, “Of course~ Mom supports you~”
In reality…
‘Wryyy! You fell for it, Female Hero! This is my way of grinding Favorability!’
‘Haven’t you realized it yet? This mother is going to stick to you like glue just to find an opportunity!’
……
The next day, inside the Clock Tower.
The third to fifth floors of the Clock Tower had been allocated by the Great Sage to one of the schools with the largest number of students—the [Knight Order].
The [Knight Order] was a group of young people aiming to cultivate martial arts.
Compared to the [Arcane Society], which was mentally taxing, expensive, and heavily dependent on talent and family background, the threshold for the Knight Order was much lower, making it very popular among commoner children.
Furthermore, job placement was guaranteed upon graduation.
Depending on their grades and performance, they would be sent to various official Knight Order outposts of the Havoc Empire to become reserves.
Actually, they were just temporary workers, essentially interns.
In this timeline where Valo existed, Phinney, who had been adopted by the Great Sage, followed the orthodox path of a Hero originating from the [Knight Order].
Should it be said that she truly lived up to being a Female Hero with an extremely high Justice Value?
Even though the current Phinney had long since become a perfect, all-around powerhouse, she still maintained the regular routine and basic training of a [Knight Order] student.
During the day, on the third floor of the Clock Tower.
The space, which resembled an ultra-large gym, was roughly divided according to different training contents.
There was a fitness area for strength, technique, and physical endurance, as well as a practical sparring area covered by a transparent magical barrier.
Weapon racks were packed to the brim with all kinds of training weapons, and the vast space echoed with the battle cries of young men and women as they exerted themselves.
There were no posers here who only trained for show with massive upper bodies and shriveled legs, nor were there “gym queens” flaunting themselves just to hook a rich guy.
The boys didn’t care if the girls in sports bras and leggings were sexy, and the girls didn’t peek to see which boy was the most handsome or well-built.
There were only Sigma warriors here!
At this moment, Valo, who seemed completely out of place among these humanoid tanks, was sitting on a bench in the rest area.
Holding a water bottle and a towel, she watched Phinney, who was silently performing swing practice not far away.
Regarding Phinney’s request to “follow her as much as possible,” Valo naturally wouldn’t refuse.
Look at her now—she looked exactly like a good mother silently watching her daughter study and train from the sidelines.
But in reality, this was the “Favorability grinding” opportunity she had been waiting for.
While smiling and waving to Phinney to acknowledge the girl’s occasional glances, Valo turned her gaze toward Phinney’s equipment nearby.
The neatly folded Academy uniform—’Hmm… high-quality stuff.’
And, the two most critical items—the two Holy Relics that the Female Hero Phinney Kess had obtained at this stage of the game: the weapon Pandora and the cloak-like defensive gear, the Phoenix Feather Robe.
This was her true objective.
In this stage where Phinney’s [Justice Value] fluctuated wildly, if she could win over the Holy Relics on Phinney’s person, then at critical moments, even if the relics couldn’t speak, they could still transmit certain emotions and feelings to their master, Phinney, that favored the protagonist’s perspective.
It was like having someone whisper in her ear.
Moreover, in the setting of [Valorant], even if a Holy Relic already had a master, the protagonist could still obtain certain gifts and BUFF bonuses by winning them over.
What do you mean NTR? This is called the gift-back mode of a nurturing game! It’s not a bug; it’s a mechanic!
It might even save her life at a critical moment.
Taking a deep breath, Valo began attempting to communicate.
Following her gaze, the [Inscription] of Phinney’s two Holy Relics began to appear on the [Nurturing Panel].
[Pandora]
[Favorability: 0]
Pandora’s appearance was like a small rectangular violin case.
In the game, it could change into different weapons according to the Female Hero’s will to seize the initiative.
It was a classic example of “the shorter the name, the more broken the stats.”
Unfortunately…
[…]
This thing was as cold as the number of characters in its name. Even though it clearly sensed Valo’s greeting, it didn’t spare her a single glance.
‘Hmph, acting like a pro by staying silent?’
Instead, the other Holy Relic took the initiative to respond to her.
[Phoenix Feather Robe — Chi Luan]
[Favorability: 0]
[Chi Luan is very happy with your greeting: I didn’t expect you to be able to communicate with Holy Relics. This big sister has been waiting for quite a while.]
Valo suddenly felt something was off.
Although there were many styles of Holy Relics in the game, the one in front of her seemed to have a completely different vibe.
But since she had already initiated the greeting, she could only bite the bullet and continue trying to win over this Holy Relic whose Inscription was Chi Luan.
[Chi Luan has seen every move you’ve made while playing Phinney’s mother, and she is very satisfied with you as this fake mother.]
[Chi Luan states: She protects Phinney’s safety daily and is also like a mother to her. Therefore, she suggests: Why don’t you two address each other as sisters? It would be fitting for Phinney’s mother~]
‘Ugh, such strong vibes of an ancient-style stepmother.’
However, Valo wasn’t about to let the opportunity slip away.
‘What else is there to say? This little sister gives her respects to Big Sister Chi Luan. May you have eternal peace and health~’
[Favorability: 5%]
[Chi Luan gives you a kind warning: Don’t be in such a hurry, little sister. Recently, Phinney has just entered a sentimental age and doesn’t quite know how to handle her feelings for her mother…]
But before Chi Luan could finish her long speech, perhaps Phinney, as the owner of the Holy Relic, sensed its abnormal activity?
The girl, who had already been somewhat absent-minded while practicing her swings, let out a heavy, troubled sigh before turning around and walking quickly toward Valo with her sword in hand!
“Mom, while I was practicing just now, you seemed to be acting a bit… suspicious…”
However, before the suspicious-looking girl could finish, Valo had already stood up and handed her the water bottle.
How could she miss an opportunity to publicly act like a good mother?
The moment the girl put down her training weapon and was forced to take the water bottle, Valo was already holding the towel, standing on her tiptoes to wipe the sweat from the girl’s cheeks and neck.
As the Hero, Phinney was already the center of everyone’s attention, and Valo, as the Hero’s mother, had recently become a top trending topic of discussion in the Clock Tower.
Such a beautiful scene of a mother and daughter interacting naturally caught the attention of all the nearby [Knight Order] students immediately.
Envious and well-wishing gazes were cast toward Phinney one after another.
“The Hero is so lucky. Her mom wipes her sweat and gives her water as soon as training ends.”
“I love Teacher Valo; I don’t care about her past. If Teacher Valo doesn’t mind, I’m willing to be her adopted son.”
The commotion around them made the already uncomfortable Phinney even more embarrassed, so she naturally couldn’t keep staring at Valo with suspicion.
“Wait… Mom, Mommy, I can wipe it myself.”
The girl’s pretty face, already flushed from exercise, looked increasingly vibrant.
After a bit of awkward tugging, she finally let out a sigh and allowed the tiptoeing Valo to wipe away her sweat.
Then… she held her breath, looking down at Valo in front of her, and suddenly blurted out a strange question.
“Mom, will you… be coming tomorrow too?”
“I won’t be coming tomorrow~”
Valo blinked and said naturally, “According to the order of the investigators, isn’t it Anqi’s turn tomorrow? So, I’ll be with Anqi tomorrow~”
Valo had thought it through thoroughly.
While being a good mother in front of Phinney and grinding the daughter’s Favorability was important, her Hero daughter wasn’t stupid—deliberate closeness and fawning would only arouse Phinney’s suspicion.
Therefore, following the schedule and normally accepting the supervision of both Phinney and Saintess Anqi was the safest play.
Valo suddenly felt that she had calculated everything.
…Wait, that’s not right?
“Phinney, what’s wrong?”
Looking up, she was met with the girl’s calm response.
“It’s nothing, Mom. I was just confirming. I hope you… behave yourself while you’re with the Saintess.”
Valo finally breathed a sigh of relief. ‘Right, right.’
However, busy as she was wiping her dear daughter’s sweat, she didn’t notice that the Female Hero’s expression was quietly becoming increasingly conflicted and tormented.