Finney supervises for one day, and the Saintess investigates for the next—this was the schedule Valo had to follow during the Qualification Review phase.
Valo was completely in favor of this. Being stuck with Finney every day provided more opportunities to increase her favorability, but it also meant being constantly tense and careful with her answers.
The risk of exposing a weakness was simply too high.
Alternating between them every day provided a perfect balance of work and rest.
And to be honest, compared to Finney—who was currently suffocating her with constant pressure because she knew her identity as the Villainous Demon King—spending time with the angelic, kind, and cute Saintess Anqi was much more relaxing.
“Teacher Valo, good morning! I’ll be troubling you for another day!” Anqi said, her small wings fluttering happily.
“Teacher Valo, why don’t I teach you how to braid a new hairstyle?”
“Oh, right, Teacher Valo! Why don’t we take advantage of our day off and go out to play? What? You’re worried my identity will cause a stir? It’s fine! I’m very confident in my disguises~ After all, I sneak out all the time (whispers).”
“Don’t be so nervous. Don’t think of it as a Qualification Review—just think of it as a date!”
Valo (after 0.1 seconds of deep thought) replied, “Hehehe, then I’ll listen to you, Saintess…”
“Teacher Valo, please call me Anqi when we’re out. Actually, you should just call me that from now on~ You’re the very first member of the Demon Clan qualified to call me by my name~”
“Mm-hmm~”
‘Ah~ the Saintess in this timeline is simply a pure angel!’
‘She’s too dazzling! As the Villainous Demon King, I’m going to be burned to ashes by her holy light!’
However, after Valo and Saintess Anqi—who had changed into a brown trench coat, hidden her wings, pinned up her hair, and put on a hat—happily headed out hand-in-hand…
Neither of them noticed a pair of eyes staring intently at them from the shadows. The owner of those eyes began to move as well.
The Hero was playing for keeps today!
Forget Anqi and Mother—even if her adoptive mother were here, she might not be able to detect her presence!
After learning from Mother yesterday that “she would be with Anqi today,” Finney had been secretly preparing for today’s stalking mission!
After all, unlike her, who knew Mother’s true identity, Anqi genuinely believed the Demon King Valo Rante II was simply her mother!
Furthermore, Anqi’s personality within the party was so simple it was as if she had never experienced the evils of the world.
Finney was terrified that the Demon King would exploit Anqi’s innocence to deceive her, or even do something outrageous to her.
For instance, making Anqi acknowledge her as “Mother” too!
Just thinking about it made Finney certain that Anqi would happily agree.
How could that be allowed?!
Even if they both called her Mother… would it be the same?
Betraying her name as the Hero, she had to observe from the shadows to uncover Mother’s true purpose for obtaining the Holy Relic!
—
Morning.
Mother and Anqi took the electric trolley and headed straight for the Havoc Empire National Emblem Statue in the center of the Capital City.
It was the most classic and famous landmark in the city, a place where many tourists from out of town or other races would head immediately upon arrival.
It seemed Mother had chosen this place just to check it off her list. She even paid a street realist painter there to paint them.
“Ladies, it would be quite boring if you both just stood there. You can strike a pose before I start,” the painter said, giving a thumbs-up as he measured the angles.
“Mother, that’s what he said~”
The painter’s brush instantly hit the ground. At that moment, he was likely wondering which prison the father was currently serving time in.
“Well, let’s turn our backs to the statue and change our pose~”
Then, the distant Finney, who had pulled her hat low, saw it: Saintess Anqi, who was already calling Valo “Mother,” leaned close to her, and the two of them each used a hand to form a heart shape together.
…Correcting previous statement.
Mother was definitely not just visiting landmarks with Anqi.
It was highly likely she wanted to record Saintess Anqi’s disguised appearance through the painting to make it easier to send people to find and assassinate her later.
‘Demon King Valo Rante II! You really know how to manipulate an innocent girl! A heart! A heart, of all things!’
—
Noon.
Tired from walking, Mother and Anqi chose a nearby cafe for lunch.
In the eyes of the pragmatic Finney, the prices of restaurants near the Empire’s landmarks were ridiculously expensive.
They were nothing more than pretty presentations that felt good for tourists.
‘Sigh… can Mother’s salary as a Health Teacher at the Clock Tower really handle this kind of spending? Maybe I should remind her to be more frugal later…’
‘Wait! Could it be!?’
“Uh, sorry Anqi. Even though I’m the adult, I’m letting you spend money.”
“It’s fine, it’s fine~ Mother, do you see this card in my hand? This is the [Saintess’s Card]. It’s a magical card that automatically refills the next day no matter how much you spend~”
‘That’s just the allowance card for your daily expenses! Don’t spend the entire Hidden Sea Church’s income on the Demon King! Saintess Anqi, you’re funding the enemy!’
“Mother, this omurice looks really good~ I especially like the ‘Valo ❤️ Anqi’ written in ketchup on top. Oh, let me give you a bite~ Even though the saliva of the Demon Clan must be dirty, I won’t hold it against you~”
“Ahhh—”
Crack
Finney instantly squeezed a dent into the roadside lamppost.
‘Saintess Anqi, do you even remember that you’re supposed to be in the middle of reviewing Mother’s qualification to hold a Holy Relic?’
‘Hey, is feeding her part of the review too? Are you reviewing Mother’s level of obedience!?’
—
Afternoon.
Feeling a bit sluggish from the carbs, the two went to the Capital City’s central park to walk off their meal.
In Finney’s view, this was fine. Anqi could easily use this time to test Mother’s intentions regarding the Holy Relic.
What are your plans after obtaining the Holy Relic?
Under what circumstances would you use the Holy Relic?
These were the questions that needed to be settled during the review!
However, after a while, when Finney looked again, Mother and Anqi were in a completely different position.
Anqi was lying across Mother’s lap, letting Mother groom the feathers of the wings on her back!
The sharp-eared Finney could even vaguely hear their interaction!
“Mm… ❤️ Mother, if you use too much force there, it’ll hurt me~”
“Ah, whoops! Sorry! I accidentally pulled out one of your feathers! What should I do?”
“A fallen feather of the Skywing Race is a symbol of protection and blessings to ward off evil. It will surely be able to purify that Demon Clan aura on you, Mother~ I would be very happy if you could treasure it and keep it safe.”
…Anqi!
‘Is this how you, as the Saintess of the Hidden Sea Church, review a candidate for a Holy Relic!?’
Finney, hiding in the shadows, ripped off her disguise cap!
The cloak on her body—one of her Holy Relics, the Phoenix Feather Robe—sent an emotion her way at that moment!
Most Holy Relics could not speak, but they could establish a connection with the user who had claimed them, allowing the master to vaguely sense the Holy Relic’s general thoughts and emotions.
For example, right now, the emotion being transmitted by the Phoenix Feather Robe was one of comfort and consolation.
‘Comfort? Why… why would I need comfort!? It’s as if it thinks I’m jealous of Anqi right now, or that I’m disgusted by Mother being so overly intimate with another girl!’
‘I-I-I… I am not!’
‘I just feel that as one of the reviewers, Anqi’s review of Mother today is completely inadequate! If the subject were an ordinary person, it would be one thing, but Mother is the Demon King Valo Rante II!’
‘If she harbors any ill intent, Anqi has already fallen into a trap!’
‘This is it! I’ve reached my limit!’
Even if it meant acting on her own, she was going to confront Mother and use “that method” to thoroughly verify Mother’s inner thoughts and see if this Demon King truly had any ulterior motives!
The young girl completely ignored the emotions being sent by the Phoenix Feather Robe and charged angrily toward Anqi and Mother’s location!
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