How could Valo have known her precious Hero daughter had followed her the whole way?
After carefully tucking away the pure white feather she had accidentally plucked from Anqi’s wing inside a book in her bag for safekeeping, the two of them had changed positions at Anqi’s suggestion—now, she was lying with her head on Miss Anqi’s lap.
Bathing in the warm sunlight, she enjoyed the ear-cleaning service provided by the Saintess.
“Hmm… Even though you are a filthy member of the Demon Clan, you have such clean and beautiful pointed ears, Mother…”
The young woman gently pinched the tip of Valo’s ear. She picked up a cotton swab and gave a soft puff of air into Valo’s ear canal.
“It feels like they don’t need much rough cleaning, but if it hurts, remember to speak up, Mother.”
“Hehe…”
Valo felt like her entire body was turning to mush.
It was no wonder those stories about brainwashing magical girls always included electric shock scenes; this tingling sensation was so pleasurable it almost made her drool.
Anqi’s soft breathing tickled her ear.
Oh ho ho, I even get live ASMR?
What is there to be afraid of? Just listen and enjoy it!
However, after a short while, Valo, who had been closing her eyes in bliss, felt Anqi’s movements suddenly come to a halt.
Opening her eyes, she didn’t see the half of the sky usually obscured by Miss Anqi’s chest. Instead… she saw the cold, stony face of her Hero daughter, Finney.
Valo’s grin vanished instantly.
Particularly because within the [Nurturing Panel] in her field of vision, the girl’s [Justice Value] had just dropped from 95% to 85%!
This strange fluctuation of numerical values made Valo instinctively nervous.
But before she could wrap her head around it, the lap-pillow service was forced to an end.
“Finney? What are you doing here?”
The Saintess stood up, looking somewhat confused. “According to the schedule, I’m the one supposed to be supervising Mot—your mother today, right?”
“Tch…”
For a fleeting moment, Valo thought she saw an expression of extreme resentment on the Hero’s magnificent face.
By the time she looked again, Finney had already adopted a strictly professional attitude.
“The shift changed early, Anqi. Besides, I never heard that your qualification review for Mother involved taking her on a date in the Capital City.”
“Sigh… You’re too strict with Mother, Finney. And the qualification review rules never said I couldn’t take her out, right?”
Anqi crossed her arms and puffed out her cheeks in protest, acting as if nothing were wrong.
However, she was immediately deflated by a single sentence from Finney.
“The problem is you, Saintess. You changed your clothes and ran out this far. If the Sister Superior found out, I’m afraid you would…”
The Saintess grew visibly panicked.
The small wings on her back retracted, and she hurriedly pulled on her trench coat before bidding Valo a reluctant farewell.
“That’s how it is, Teacher Valo… I have to head back to the Church headquarters.”
“With Finney protecting you, I can rest easy regarding your safety.”
“Today’s date was wonderful. I’ll see you the day after tomorrow. Oh, and please cherish that feather! It’s the first time I’ve ever gifted a feather to a member of the Demon Clan.”
With that, Anqi waved and jogged away, gradually disappearing at the end of the street.
At first, Valo was busy lamenting: Anqi is seriously an angel.
Rather than a daughter, she’s more like a superstar girlfriend!
But a moment later, her gaze inadvertently swept over her Hero daughter.
Finney’s eerily calm demeanor caused goosebumps to crawl up Valo’s spine.
Now was not the time to be mooning over Anqi!
Wait, something was wrong!
Finney didn’t seem surprised or curious at all about her so-called “review activity” with Anqi today. It was almost… as if Finney had known what was happening all along.
Furthermore, Finney’s [Justice Value] had actually decreased!
In the early stages of Finney’s route, the information conveyed by the fluctuations in the Hero’s Justice Value was for reference only and could not be judged by common sense.
A decrease definitely did not mean that Finney had lowered her guard against her mother or that the matricide script would no longer happen.
So, setting aside the matricide plot, a lower Justice Value meant that Finney cared more about her in a capacity other than that of a Hero.
Combining that with Finney’s behavior today…
Their eyes met. Valo cautiously studied her precious daughter’s expression and asked, “Finney, you couldn’t be… jealous, could you?”
“!”
The girl’s breathing hitched!
She stared with wide, crimson eyes, her mouth opening as if to speak but saying nothing.
Her pretty face quickly flushed red as her fingers fiddled nervously.
However, Finney didn’t start shouting or offer a panicked explanation.
Aha! Finney clearly feels like her mom has been getting too close to Anqi lately, and it’s bothering her, right?
It’s fine, it’s fine. Mom will stay with you from now on. In fact, I’d quite like to grind some Favorability with you.
Clinging to Finney all the time to raise her Favorability would only make the girl get tired of her quickly.
Only a rhythmic, planned approach—slowly building up then making a big move—was the mark of a master of gal games.
Valo felt like she was a genius.
However, Finney’s reaction after her initial shy embarrassment was a bit different from what she expected.
Finney reached out a hand, signaling Valo to take it, and the two began walking back toward the Clock Tower.
The moment the surroundings grew quiet, the girl beside her took a deep breath, appearing to have made a decision.
Then, in the calmest tone possible, she asked her mother a most terrifying question.
“Mother… now that you have Holy Relics in your possession… are you thinking of rebuilding the Demon Clan and staging a comeback?”
“Cough, cough, cough!”
“I am helping you with your disguise, but it is certainly not to assist a villain. I hope you can more clearly understand the dangers of this qualification review. Because the moment I discover you have ill intentions, I truly will choose to slay you…”
“Stop, stop right there,” Valo hurriedly interrupted. “Finney, you’re really overthinking this. Even if I have Holy Relics, I have no intention of doing that.”
This wasn’t just an excuse; she really wasn’t hunting Holy Relics for the sake of “restoring the Demon Clan.”
She was simply doing it to gain the power needed to avoid the bad endings that were inevitable in the [Fall of the Country Route].
Wait, why was Finney asking this?
Did she want to confirm…?
“Mother, since you are so certain, I have a method that is more direct and effective than a qualification review.”
The girl remained noncommittal toward her vow. Instead, with an incredibly serious attitude, she made a request.
It struck right at Valo’s worst premonition regarding the upcoming plot.
“Behind the secret door of the chapel for the [Hidden Sea Church] on the second floor of the Clock Tower, there is a special Holy Relic. Only a very few people know of its existence.”
“It is a Holy Relic called the [Eye of the Goddess]. It can see the true thoughts deep within a person’s heart. Even if a liar has a perfect disguise on the surface, as long as there are hidden intentions in their heart, they cannot hide them from the Eye of the Goddess.”
The girl came to a halt.
With her back to the setting sun, she looked toward Valo in her dual capacity as a Hero and a daughter.
It was as if she were judging Valo’s heart, yet also as if she were hoping for proof—proof that Valo was truly a good mother, and not the Villainous Demon King Valo Rante II who would eventually reveal her fangs.
“Mother, if your conscience is clear…”
“Prove it to me there.”
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