Before coming to the infirmary, she had walked with light, breezy steps.
The moment she stepped inside and saw the mother she hated most, she suddenly felt unwell.
Fine. So this is how you want to play it?
Valo was now completely certain: Kaika had calculated the exact day she became the Health Teacher.
She waited until the students who had pestered her all morning finally left, waited until her stomach was growling, and then showed up to take revenge, torment her, and make her miserable.
As for why Kaika was carrying two portions of lunch?
Have you never heard of giving a stick and then a date?
Valo even suspected that her portion had already been seasoned in advance with a bit of the girl’s saliva.
Hmm…
……
Actually, maybe that would not be so bad?
The next moment, her precious daughter’s retaliatory voice urged her on.
“My shoulder feels a little uncomfortable. Please give me a massage to ease it, Teacher Valo… just like you did for those female students earlier.”
Valo felt that there was something oddly pointed in that last sentence. She was being called out.
Before she could think further, the girl grew impatient. She removed her cream-colored uniform jacket and faced her directly, slowly lifting her chest.
The resentment in those dark violet eyes was still there, but when Valo’s stomach let out a dull growl, a conflicted expression flickered across her face.
In a low voice, she added, “Mother, I can feed you lunch while you massage me.”
“Just leave it there for now.”
Putting aside how strange it was for a daughter to feed her mother, if Kaika dared to feed her today, she might dare to pull the plug on her tomorrow.
And did she really think Valo could not see through her little schemes?
In this timeline, Kaika hated her to the core. How could she possibly mean well?
Most likely, the moment Valo opened her mouth to eat, Kaika would report her to the Great Sage for eating during work hours.
Valo understood workplace scheming well enough.
So she quietly shook her head, placed both hands on Kaika’s shoulders, and began kneading while reminding her, “How is the pressure? Tell me if it is too light or too heavy.”
She had her own plan. Although the request for a shoulder massage had been Kaika’s idea, in the game, interactions like this could raise affection with one’s daughter.
In Kaika’s case, it could also reduce the Blackening Value.
Slender arms and soft shoulders spoke of a body as fresh as an apple.
Yet beneath the red ribbon tie and white blouse, the pale swell pressing against the gaps between buttons desperately emphasized the girl’s growth and figure.
Valo could only marvel at the unsolved mystery: before transmigrating, how had she, a flat little demon king, managed to both abuse and humiliate Kaika while somehow feeding her so well?
Could she even squeeze out a single drop?
It was not until the girl’s increasingly warm and sweet breath brushed against her face that Valo snapped back to her senses.
But when she glanced at the Nurturing Panel, reality taught her a harsh lesson.
Kaika’s Blackening Value remained frozen at ninety-five percent.
Valo could only sigh inwardly. Just how much did this unfilial daughter hate her?
Even the standard affection-raising interactions from the game were useless now.
And it was not over yet.
At such close proximity, Kaika’s unpredictable voice questioned her again.
“Mother, do you use this same technique when you massage other female students?”
A faint blush colored the girl’s cheeks, yet her gaze locked onto Valo’s wandering eyes as if she had caught her in guilt.
“Do you even remember how many female students you did this for this morning?”
“Mother, are you really not going to let me feed you lunch? Your stomach is growling.”
Not only had the Blackening Value failed to decrease, but the pressure and questions kept coming one after another.
A single careless answer could provoke this unfilial daughter or give her leverage.
This was a high-pressure match where one mistake meant total defeat.
Spotting other students passing outside the infirmary, Valo hurriedly cast a pleading glance toward them, hoping they would understand her hint and come in with some excuse to interrupt this “blackened daughter judging her mother” scene.
However, her silent plea was answered only by envious whispers from the girls outside.
“That is the Hero’s mother and sister, right?”
“Kaika brought lunch for her hardworking mother, and Teacher Valo is giving her daughter a massage to relieve fatigue. Ah, it looks like a painting.”
“I am so jealous of Kaika having such a gentle mother. Mine only cares about my grades and etiquette.”
Where exactly did you see peaceful family bliss in this infirmary?
Help!
But it was too late.
“Mother, who are you looking at? Should you not focus on giving me a massage?”
“I understand. You must be distracted because you are hungry, right? So let me feed you lunch.”
“I stood in line for a long time to buy this specially for you. You would not dislike it, would you?”
Fine, fine, eat. Even if there is a little extra seasoning, she is not losing anything.
She would not even mind drinking directly from Kaika’s mouth.
After that—
Full-body massage.
Feeding play.
Lap pillow nap.
Not until the afternoon sun tilted westward did Kaika, who had lingered in the infirmary all afternoon under various excuses, finally leave.
Valo did not know if it was just her imagination, but ever since the kidnapping incident, this unfilial daughter’s surveillance of her had grown increasingly intense, as if guarding against any possible attempt she might make to seek help.
This was clearly heading toward the Imprisonment Revenge Ending.
Valo clenched her small fists and temporarily shook off her unease.
She raised her arms in a big stretch, then rubbed her slightly sore backside from sitting most of the day.
It was already time for the faculty to get off work. Valo planned to head to the restaurant inside the Clock Tower for a lavish dinner.
In the game, all three daily meals at the Clock Tower were provided free of charge, with a wide variety of dishes.
You could even make reservations for custom creations. If you wanted something outrageous like mooncakes stir-fried with strawberries, they would make it.
The Kingdom of Havoc did have its redeeming qualities.
After dinner, she would visit the café for a cup of coffee.
Like a middle-aged husband lingering in his car for a smoke before going home, she would dawdle until late at night before returning to the dormitory.
That way, she could minimize contact with her two daughters.
However, just as Valo made up her mind, removed her white coat, and began tidying the tea set on her desk in preparation to close up—
Hurried, stumbling footsteps sounded outside the door, and a girl dressed differently from most Clock Tower students rushed in.
A black veil, and a long black-and-white dress that looked part uniform, part nun’s habit—Valo recognized it at a glance.
This was a student from one of the factions within the Clock Tower: the Hidden Sea Church.
They were both students and members of the Church within the Kingdom of Havoc.
Their distinctive attire made them easy to identify.
“S-sorry, Health Teacher!”
“I think I sprained my ankle. Could you please apply an ice pack for me?”
The girl limped with her head lowered. She was clearly not pretending.
Just as Valo nodded and prepared to fetch ointment—
She took a closer look at the young nun seeking help.
Shoulder-length white hair with sakura-pink highlights that signified magical traits.
A petite figure not much taller than herself. Clumsy movements from the very beginning.
None of that mattered. What mattered was her face.
Valo…
She recognized her.
Not as the Hero’s mother, but as her true identity—the Villainous Demon King, Valo Rante II.
“Emma…”
She murmured as their eyes met.
Worse still… the girl clearly recognized her too.
Her expression shifted from confusion to shock, then from shock to panic.
Finally, she opened her mouth and pointed.
“Ah! You are the Demon King—”
“Shh! Shut up!”
Valo moved faster than ever before, stepping forward in a flash, hooking an arm around the girl’s neck and covering her mouth.