By resolving the misunderstanding between Finney and the Great Sage, Valo hoped to strengthen the bond between the foster mother and daughter.
If the Hero felt the warmth of her foster mother, she wouldn’t be so starved for affection.
Once Finney’s emotional needs were met, wouldn’t it be easier for Valo to cut ties with her role as Finney’s mother?
However, such a perfect [Behind-the-scenes Black Elbow Plan] actually failed!
The next day, Valo took Finney by the hand and headed to the top floor of the Clock Tower to clarify the previous day’s conflict with the Great Sage…
Heaven only knows what kind of inspiration struck Finney overnight, but the girl “forgave” the Great Sage in a way Valo never expected.
Roll the tape.
“The residence prepared for Lady Valo outside the Clock Tower was damaged. Since Lady Valo is intent on staying here, I will arrange a suitable dormitory for her within the tower.”
One had to admit, the Great Sage deserved her status as a high-ranking veteran; her emotional management was leagues beyond a youngster like Finney.
Yesterday, Finney had cried out, “I hate you the most!” before running out the door, leaving the youthful elder looking like she had disconnected from reality.
Yet today, she was already back to giving Finney orders with a cold, majestic air as if nothing had happened.
“Additionally, the alarm system within the Capital City recently detected the appearance of an unknown external Holy Relic. Although it was brief, there is no mistaking the fluctuations of Fel Magic.”
“This is exactly what I have been warning your Subjugation Team about. The idea that the world is at peace just because the Demon King was defeated is absolutely wrong. There are many remnants of the Demon Clan, and it wouldn’t be strange for dangerous High-ranking Demons carrying Holy Relics to have slipped in.”
“Just like the two items you possess, Holy Relics can only be activated by specific individuals. I even suspect that the Demon King has not completely perished but is waiting to be resurrected through some means. Your team must stay vigilant.”
Valo, who was sitting on the sofa sipping black tea, barely dared to breathe.
Fortunately, the Great Sage didn’t have much evidence and didn’t pursue the matter further.
Once the official business was concluded, the Great Sage seemed to want to return to her role as “Finney’s foster mother.”
“Finney…”
However, the Hero’s attitude remained strictly formal.
“I understand, Great Sage.”
“Uh, no, well… Finney, there are no outsiders here. You can call me mother.”
Oh!
Valo understood immediately. Although the Great Sage’s attitude was a bit awkward, she was clearly squeezing out every ounce of her social skills to reconcile with her foster daughter!
Go for it, Great Sage! I’m rooting for you!
However… that ship had already sailed.
“Great Sage, was it not you who said we should use official titles during work hours?” Finney replied.
“I will carry out the orders. If there are no further instructions, I will go to my studies.”
This was the attitude Finney had settled on after thinking all night.
Formal, rigorous.
Obedient, yet heartless.
There were no more complaints, but there was no intention of reconciling either.
The girl didn’t treat the Great Sage as an enemy, but she no longer treated her as a mother.
The Great Sage was completely burnt out. She looked as though she had turned to ash, remaining frozen in that posture long after Finney had left.
Valo sighed, rubbed her temples, and set down her teacup. She decided to try and ease the atmosphere first.
“Don’t—don’t take Finney’s attitude to heart, Great Sage. It’s just puberty. It’s normal—”
Unexpectedly, she was immediately attacked by the youthful elder’s gnashing teeth.
“Are you showing off to me, Lady Valo?”
‘I’m showing off my foot! I’m more anxious than you are!’
‘No wonder your relationship is so terrible. I think you’re just an NPC!’
Valo forced herself to swallow those insults. She hadn’t expected the relationship between Finney and the Great Sage to become even more strained after yesterday’s incident.
To achieve her little goal of severing her “mother” status, she had no choice but to return the Great Sage’s hostility with kindness.
Valo sighed and glanced at the elevator that had already descended to the bottom floor.
“If I wanted to show off, I wouldn’t have dragged Finney here to see you, Great Sage. I came here to give you some advice.”
“You?” The Great Sage was instantly wary.
“Given how you just treated Finney, in my opinion, you can forget about ever receiving her forgiveness,” Valo explained, suppressing her annoyance.
“What Finney dislikes right now is your identity as the Great Sage. If you want her understanding, you’d better stop acting like a superior and communicate with her more as a foster mother.”
“After all, you are still single and busy with a myriad of affairs every day. It’s only natural for you to lack experience in raising a daughter. If you encounter problems in communication in the future, you can always come to me for advice.”
The “blueberry loli” in her vision wavered for a moment.
But when it came to being stubborn, this woman was exactly like Finney.
The Great Sage muttered, “Hmph… I know you are experienced, Lady Valo. After all, you’ve had three husbands in succession, haven’t you?”
‘Tch…’
If Valo didn’t have such a strong mental state, she would be boiling over by now.
How could someone so professional in their work be as immature as a bratty child when it came to being a mother?
Was this the attitude of someone asking for help?
Fortunately, the ageless fossil was still somewhat reasonable.
“…Ahem. I… I will consider it.”
After that awkward sentence, the Great Sage shifted back into her professional mode.
“Regarding your arrangements, Lady Valo, I think… I did indeed make a mistake previously. Since Finney and Kaika both wish for you to remain in the Clock Tower, I have no objection.”
Valo narrowed her eyes. ‘Time to bet on the nation’s fate.’
Entering the Clock Tower was a “going all-in” move.
Aside from making her plan to cut ties as a mother increasingly difficult, if the main perspective also entered the tower during the [Fall of the Country Route]… then the bad endings involving identity exposure and the death of both mother and daughter would eventually be unavoidable.
They would be destined to collide.
Only if the main perspective and her daughter possessed enough power to protect themselves could they survive the trigger of a bad ending and achieve the conditions for a “good ending” in a broad sense.
This was both a danger and an opportunity.
The strength of the protagonist herself was an indispensable link; it could even give her a chance to avoid her daughter’s [Matricide Plot Kill]—which was exactly what Valo wanted!
To possess the power for self-preservation, one either had to study or obtain and use rare Holy Relics.
Both options were available within the Clock Tower.
Valo finally chose to bet her thirty million check in a Swiss bank and her property deeds.
She only had one doubt.
“Great Sage, didn’t you say before that you couldn’t lead the way in using the back door? If you let me become a student of the Clock Tower like this, wouldn’t it seem like favoritism?”
Additionally, it felt a bit strange. She, a mother, would be studying with her two daughters.
In terms of grade level, she would even be Finney’s junior.
Everything was becoming a mess.
‘If you call me “Junior” during the day, I won’t hold it against you, but what are you going to call me in bed at night?’
The hierarchy was completely scrambled.
However, the response she received was a confident smile from the Great Sage that seemed to say, “Do you think you can beat me?”
Who knew what this youthful elder was competing for.
“Not just anyone can join the Clock Tower… That is indeed true for ‘students.'”
“But you aren’t going to be a student, Lady Valo.”
“A teacher in the Clock Tower’s infirmary is nearing retirement age. For the students here who are skilled in magic, the infirmary is almost unnecessary. Lady Valo, you shall go there and serve as the Health Teacher.”
The Great Sage smiled slightly, looking like an empress who had won a palace struggle and banished a rival concubine to the cold palace.
……
Later, when she was the only one left on the top floor of the Clock Tower…
She stood up and turned toward the distant city view.
Lady Valo was willing to leave for her daughter’s sake, and she had mediated when things were tense between her and Finney…
By all accounts, she looked like a good mother who was entirely devoted to her daughter.
But the Great Sage felt something was off—and it wasn’t just because she was jealous that the other woman was more “motherly” or better liked by Finney!
That man-eating washboard…
She seemed like a calculating woman, yet she didn’t.
She seemed like a good mother, but there were issues.
Something was right, and yet wrong.
Was it?
So… she felt that not sending Lady Valo away was a good choice.
By arranging for her to enter the Clock Tower as a replaceable Health Teacher, she could keep an eye on her.
She wanted to see if this flat-chested widow really had a fox tail hidden somewhere.
She wanted to see exactly when it would show.
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