[Beep]
[Administrator Mode activated. Magic supply is about to restart. All staff and students please leave the elevator area immediately.]
A cold, mechanical female voice echoed through the elevator space at the center of the Clock Tower.
Having made her decision, Finney stepped into the elevator alone.
She used her Administrator Permissions to lock down the platform, which was normally free for all members of the Clock Tower to use.
At this moment, Finney did not want anyone to see her looking so despondent.
Furthermore, the girl wanted to think quietly before asking her foster mother for help: ‘How can I stop Mom from becoming a Saintess Candidate?’
As for those in a hurry to go down the tower? ‘Aren’t the emergency stairs spacious enough?’
As the gate closed with a clatter, the girl’s gaze grew sharp.
Finney felt as though she was facing a choice unlike any other in her life.
Tremors ran down her spine, bringing a sense of unrest, tension, and dread that surpassed even the moment she was attacked by Kaika before the crusade against the Demon King!
She could no longer stop Mom from becoming a Saintess Candidate on her own.
During working hours, the Sister Superior of the Church always stood guard outside the Infirmary door, and once work ended, Mom would be escorted back to the Hidden Sea Church Headquarters by that same Sister Superior.
Even with her status as a Hero, Finney could not simply set foot in that place.
Now, she could not meet Mom freely, nor did she have any details or schedules regarding the Saintess Candidate Plan.
The only thing she could guess from her intelligence was the timing: Mom would become a Saintess Candidate on the day of the Victory Anniversary!
‘Sigh… if it weren’t for Mom, I really wouldn’t want to see my foster mother.’
Feeling the elevator slowly ascend, the girl let out a dejected sigh and muttered to herself, “And even if I see her, what reason should I use to ask for help?”
‘Should I tell her about Mom’s identity as the Demon King?’
‘No, my foster mother has always been prejudiced against the Demon Clan. Revealing Mom’s secret now would be as good as asking for her execution.’
‘Should I tell her that Mom isn’t becoming a Saintess Candidate voluntarily?’
‘That won’t work either. Why would that rigid, heartless foster mother of mine believe me?’
…
After a moment of silence, a soft, timid thought suddenly popped into the brave Hero’s head.
‘Maybe I should just go back and figure it out myself…’
But!
She had only just thought it when the elevator seemed to confirm her doubt. With a clack-clack, it slowly ground to a halt, and the gate opened wide.
Then, a familiar figure walked in casually from outside the Chapel on the second floor.
It was Kaika, her “sister.”
‘Mom’s real daughter… what is she so smug about? It’s not like any of us are related by blood.’
“Does it surprise you that I also have Administrator Permissions for the elevator, Sister?”
Questioned expressionlessly by her younger sister, Finney could only watch blankly as Kaika entered the elevator and activated the floor for the same destination — the top floor, where the Great Sage lived.
A moment later, as a slight sensation of weightlessness took hold, her eyes met Kaika’s as the latter turned around.
Finney had never experienced such an awkward feeling — not even when she had forced herself to accompany Ain to a social tea party for the Empire’s young nobles had she felt this uncomfortable.
Finney already knew that Mom was about to become a Saintess Candidate, so Kaika must know as well.
Was her presence on this elevator to the top floor an indication that she intended to ask the Great Sage for help, just like her?
A wave of guilt suddenly washed over Finney. Kaika’s disguise and studies at the Clock Tower had been going smoothly, yet Finney had made a mistake that forced Mom to make this sacrifice.
It was her fault that Kaika was losing her mother too.
Her throat tightened, and her fists clenched instinctively.
However, just as Finney was searching for the right words to apologize, Kaika, who was standing diagonally across the elevator, suddenly flashed a “haughty noble lady” smile and spoke.
“Thank you so much, Sister.”
“Huh?”
“It’s all thanks to you that Mom gets to be a Saintess Candidate~”
The words caught in Finney’s throat. For a second, Kaika’s first sentence had made her wonder if the girl was poorly informed.
Well, she understood perfectly now: Kaika was criticizing her with pure sarcasm.
At first, Finney simply closed her eyes and remained silent. It was indeed her responsibility, and she would accept the mockery from Mom’s true daughter.
But…
“And those teammates of yours are quite something too, aren’t they? To abandon their actual duties just to worry about someone else’s mother~ Is it because they don’t have mothers of their own?”
As Kaika’s sarcasm grew sharper…
“Especially that Saintess. She’s truly kind, isn’t she? Even after learning about Mom’s identity as the Demon King, she’s still willing to let Mom become a Saintess Candidate. Wonderful, things will surely only get better from here.”
The intensity continued to rise…
“I must say, Sister, you have excellent taste in people, becoming friends and teammates with a Saintess like that. I suppose birds of a feather really do flock together.”
Finney finally reached her limit!
Yes! Fine! It was her fault! She was in the wrong!
But didn’t this sister of hers bear even a shred of responsibility?!
Finney opened her eyes and glared back, refusing to back down!
Though she hated to admit it and felt incredibly jealous, Finney believed that Mom’s sacrifice was largely to protect her real daughter, Kaika!
“If it weren’t for you, would Mom have to become a Saintess Candidate?”
Kaika, who had been using her “good girl” persona for her sarcasm just a second ago, instantly switched to her true form.
With a darkened face, she tilted her head and looked over.
“Ha? Female Hero… has your brain rotted? It’s because you have bad taste in friends that Mom was tricked by that winged pest.”
Finney felt that Kaika’s perspective on why Mom was becoming a Saintess Candidate was a bit different from hers, but with her temper flared, she couldn’t care less!
Once she started, her jealousy was uncontrollable!
“Worry about yourself first, Kaika! You’re just playing the good girl in front of Mom! Think about how many secrets you’re keeping from her!”
“It’s because of your disgusting personality and the trouble you cause that Mom has a weakness! What’s with this sudden act of filial piety…”
The elevator groaned with a clack-clack as it slowly ascended.
A scene that had seemed peaceful changed in an instant.
One moment, Kaika was wearing an elegant smile…
The next, she had lunged into the air, throwing a sharp jab toward Finney’s face!
Finney wasn’t surprised at all.
She had wanted to teach this unfilial sister of hers a lesson for a long time!
Why couldn’t she just be a good daughter instead of acting like some mysterious, brooding loner?
If she were Mom’s first real daughter, would Mom be in such a pathetic state?!
‘I would have unified the Demon Clan long ago!’
While her cheek took the brunt of Kaika’s fist, Finney sent her sister flying with a roundhouse kick.
Kaika slammed into the stone wall at the edge of the elevator with a thud, creating a curved indentation!
Finney didn’t even bother to look worried. ‘She won’t die. This sister of mine is anything but “fragile.”‘
‘We’re the same type of daughter, after all.’
Sure enough, Kaika, who had bounced off the wall, immediately activated her Fel Magic with a grim expression!
Massive spheres of dark purple magic struck Finney one after another!
Amidst the thunderous explosions, the stone walls shattered, and the elevator began making dangerous, creaking sounds!
But neither of them cared!
After the magical exchange, they fell into a brawl like rams locking horns or beasts competing for dominance!
Except animals fought for mates, while they fought for their place in their mother’s heart!
You kick my mouth, I land a punch on your eye socket!
After knocking each other into the walls, they immediately resumed the magical bombardment!
The short journey to the top of the Clock Tower felt exceptionally long.
It wasn’t until the walls around the elevator were in ruins, and the platform itself malfunctioned and stopped with a horrific screech, that everything finally settled.
Finney and her sister, Kaika, lay exhausted on the ground…
Heavy breathing echoed in the small circular space.
Finney tried to touch her bruised and swollen face. Siss… it hurt.
Of course, she hadn’t lost. Kaika didn’t look any better.
After a bout of pure aggression without defense, the hesitation and gloom Finney had felt earlier were swept away.
She let out a deep sigh and spoke while still lying down.
“I’m sorry, Kaika. It’s my fault Mom had to become a Saintess Candidate. I want to make amends and stop it, but I don’t have a plan. That’s why I intended to…”
Before she could finish, Kaika interrupted her.
“No, it’s my fault. It seems I put too much trust in your social circle, and that allowed a bug to get close to Mom.”
“Since you know you were wrong, Sister, why don’t you have some shame and stop being Mom’s daughter?”
Finney laughed in spite of herself. ‘Why is she still acting like this even now?’
‘Shouldn’t we apologize to each other and work together to save Mom?’
Still, since she was the older sister in name, she would let Kaika have this one.
“Give up on being her daughter? Not a chance. How much more do you know about Mom’s current situation?”
“Why do you think I came looking for you tonight, Sister?”
For a moment, Finney even heard Kaika click her tongue. “To think a Hero can’t even enter the Hidden Sea Church Headquarters… how pathetic.”
‘How annoying.’
‘How does Mom usually keep this dark-crawling, humanoid Elf monster so well-behaved?’
Finney sighed. It was just as she thought; Kaika didn’t have any good ideas for saving Mom either.
If anything… they were like headless flies right now, not even knowing what the Hidden Sea Church had planned for Mom.
At this stage, they could only hope the Great Sage would exert her influence.
But her foster mother was a rational person; would she really use her power to challenge the Hidden Sea Church just because of a single word from her?
‘No, no, no, Finney, how can you be so discouraged?’
‘This is to save Mom! Show some of your spirit as a Hero, and at the very least, don’t let your foster mother look down on you!’
The next moment, as Finney prepared to pull herself together… she suddenly felt a ripple of magic beside her.
At first, she thought Kaika was being persistent and wanted another beating!
She was about to yell for her to stop, but she realized Kaika hadn’t moved. Instead, there was a feather…
A magical feather drifted down between the two of them.
They were in a closed elevator; where could a feather have come from?
Filled with confusion, Finney instinctively reached out. At the same time she and Kaika touched the strange white feather…
A familiar surge of magic erupted!
‘Is this… the magic of the Eye of the Goddess?! But hasn’t the Eye of the Goddess become Anqi’s Holy Relic?’
Before she could figure it out, a series of images flashed before her eyes — images of Mom, of Anqi, and… of the inside of the Hidden Sea Church Headquarters!
And these scenes were clearly…
The next moment, Finney looked up at Kaika with a stunned expression. Her sister’s face finally showed a reaction that looked human.
Surprise was only natural, because the Eye of the Goddess had actually sent them detailed images and plans for the Saintess Candidate Plan!
How could a Holy Relic activate its power outside of its user’s control under normal circumstances?
Finney felt that the Eye of the Goddess might have used this special feather as a medium.
And this feather… seemed to be some kind of power from the Holy Relic Mom possessed — Ascara.
‘Could it be!’
[Oh dear, oh dear.]
Suddenly, the large elevator could no longer withstand the damage from their fight. It groaned and plunged down several floors!
Then, it came to a jarring halt!
Finney struggled to her feet and pulled Kaika up, intending to leave this broken elevator and take the emergency stairs to find the Great Sage on the top floor…
The next moment, the gate was pulled open from the outside.
Outside, half of the view was a dark stone wall, and the other half… was clearly Finney’s foster mother, the head of the Clock Tower — the Great Sage.
She looked down at them.
Her eyes were filled with helplessness, as if she were speechless.
To think that the two genius girls of the Clock Tower would be here fighting like delinquent girls over territory until they were both bruised and swollen!
Private duels were not permitted in the Clock Tower.
“And do you two have any idea how much material and delicate craftsmanship went into making this elevator operational?”
The Great Sage’s gaze flickered with a hint of concern when she looked at Finney.
Then, she cleared her throat and began a serious interrogation.
“Kaika, Finney, did you two activate Administrator Permissions just so you could brawl here?”
“Foster Mother!”
‘I should be professional during working hours…’
But Finney could no longer care about her current appearance or her foster mother’s flustered reaction to her bluntness.
“Foster Mother! I… Kaika and I need your help!” Finney took a deep breath.
“We have to save Mom!”