The Qualification Review began under an atmosphere that made Valo feel incredibly uneasy.
According to Anqi, Valo wouldn’t need to stay in the infirmary at all times over the next few days.
She simply had to enjoy a few days of life accompanied by the two young girls and fulfill certain necessary requests they proposed.
This part was actually quite similar to the “Qualification Review” in the game.
Then… the Saintess excitedly presented her first request to Valo, her eyes practically sparkling with little stars.
In the morning, at the small chapel on the second floor of the Clock Tower.
There were no hymns echoing in the chapel today. Instead, beneath the Goddess Statue and before the small podium, the Saintess’s special guest—Lady Valo, the mother of the Hero—was giving a speech titled [Recall Bitterness].
Without exception, the apprentice nuns sat upright on the benches, listening quietly and seriously to the only voice resonating through the chapel.
“Back then, Kaika couldn’t even walk, and Finney wasn’t yet old enough to take her younger sister and flee. The Demon King’s army was about to arrive, and I had no choice but to entrust Finney to someone and send her away.”
“…Afterward, to protect Kaika, I chose to endure humiliation and remain by the Demon King’s side.”
During their daily hymns, a few of these apprentice nuns might occasionally zone out from boredom.
Today, however, everyone was listening with intense focus. Many of the more emotional girls even began to feel sorrowful empathy as they listened.
Apprentice Nun A: ‘Captured by an evil Demon King with an Ancient God-tier fetish for “Loli Widows”… I can’t even imagine how much mental and physical devastation Mama has suffered over the years. Just thinking about Mama’s delicate body being subjected to that terrifying, hideous invasion… Ugh, I can’t think about it anymore! The Demon King really is too perverted, too much of an animal! Good riddance to him!’
Apprentice Nun B (after deep thought for 0.1 seconds): ‘I swear I will spend my whole life protecting Mama. I love her.’
On the podium, Valo felt as if her collection of “cheap daughters” was growing by the second. But… one lie had to be covered by another.
Having been asked by Saintess Anqi to tell the apprentice nuns of the Hidden Sea Church about “how to raise a daughter,” she had already become like Commander Orga—she couldn’t stop now.
“The Demon King attempted to turn Kaika into an evil existence just like him, and the young Kaika had no ability to distinguish right from wrong.”
“Every time it came to that, I could only use my own body to please that man so that he wouldn’t target my daughter… Sniff…”
The words came to a jarring halt!
The chapel became deathly silent. The pure young girls didn’t even dare to breathe, fearing that their recklessness might touch upon Valo’s painful memories.
Standing beside Valo, Saintess Anqi grew even more worried. She approached and thoughtfully handed her a handkerchief.
Gently patting Valo’s shoulder, she reminded her with concern, “Lady Valo, it’s all right if you don’t want to speak of memories you’d rather not recall. The Demon King has already been subjugated; you never have to live in fear again.”
Valo kept her head down and remained silent.
However, it wasn’t because she was “at a sorrowful point, looking down with tears streaming.”
It was because she didn’t dare look up—with a slight glance, she could see her Hero daughter, Finney, leaning quietly against the chapel doors. Her gaze hadn’t moved from her “mother” once!
Unlike the other girls, including the Saintess, who were moved by her “tragic yet strong heroic mother” persona, Finney knew from the beginning that she was lying just to obtain the Holy Relics.
The one Valo was actually afraid of was her Hero daughter!
With a quick glance at the [Nurturing Panel], Finney’s [Justice Value] had already reached 99%!
The grand and righteous Hero could assist her mother’s facade out of sympathy, but she would just as easily perform a “righteous execution of kin” because this Villainous Demon King had “shown her fangs”!
Valo simply wanted to use the power of the Holy Relics to survive the Bad Endings that would inevitably appear in the [Fall of the Country Route], making it easier to cut ties with her role as a mother and live out her days in peace later.
But… she couldn’t explain this secret, and the Hero lady whose Justice Value was nearing its limit wouldn’t necessarily believe her anyway.
With the start of the Qualification Review, the triggering conditions for the [Matricide Script]—where “Finney executes her relative and then takes her own life”—had already been met.
This was the greatest difficulty in Finney’s starting path in [Valorant]!
If the player successfully raised the daughter, Finney, with the goal of becoming a “Hero,” then the player would inevitably clash with her after obtaining the Holy Relics.
No need for procedures; they would head straight toward being tragic lovers.
During this period, Finney’s [Justice Value] would become extremely unstable and sensitive.
Every move and word from the player, every unintentional comment from bystanders, even the thoughts conveyed by Finney’s own Holy Relics…
Any situation could max out Finney’s [Justice Value] and rapidly trigger the matricide plot!
At this point, any player attempt to control the level of [Justice Value] was futile; no amount of effort could overcome it.
The only solution was to grind enough affection with Finney before she, as the Hero, felt forced to make a final judgment against the player, the Villainous Demon King.
The image of a mother in the eyes of others, her care for Finney, even charming Finney’s Holy Relics to leave a good impression… all of it was to ensure that when the moment of judgment arrived, Finney’s Holy Relics might speak up for the player or provide abilities to help them escape the death flag…
Regardless, from this moment on, Valo had to seize every opportunity to be a “model mother” in front of Finney.
As for cutting ties with her identity as Finney’s mother? That could wait.
Once this obstacle was cleared, there would be plenty of opportunities.
If she dared to cut ties now, she would probably be turned into scrap metal or a candied apple at the market entrance in the next second.
What was meant to come could not be avoided.
As Valo’s distracted speech concluded, the chapel was immediately filled with thunderous applause from the apprentice nuns.
Many of the simple and kind-hearted girls were already moved to tears. Who would notice that this heroic mother had been a bit distracted just now?
The Sister Superior, Kenes, materialized from her hidden state at the perfect moment and clapped her hands to signal for silence.
“All right, everyone, please leave in an orderly fashion. After you return, each of you must write a 1,000-word essay on your thoughts and feelings. I will then give them to Teacher Valo so she can select the best examples. Everyone agrees, right?”
Valo really wanted to raise her hand in objection!
Reading the reflections of dozens of apprentice nuns would make her head spin.
She suspected the Sister Superior was finding an excuse to mess with her, but she had no evidence.
However, Valo no longer had the energy to bicker with the Sister Superior.
As the apprentice nuns gradually left while whispering about how great the Hero’s mother was, Saintess Anqi and the Sister Superior also took their leave for official business.
Before leaving, Anqi even entrusted Valo to Finney’s care.
“Finney, you must protect your mother while I’m away. After all, attackers with ill intentions might appear while your mother is obtaining the Holy Relics.”
“Don’t always talk about those rigid rules of yours. Do you really want to see your mother sad?”
‘Stop talking, stop talking! Lady Saintess, please put away your “divine powers”!’
‘Stop saying “Mama”! You’re clearly asking for my death!’
Sure enough…
The moment the chapel returned to silence, leaving only the mother and daughter, Valo and Finney…
The red-haired girl before Valo had already taken on a cold expression.
With a straight back and freezing footsteps, she approached one step at a time, radiating a dangerous aura that made Valo shiver.
Finney had heard the entire speech. She definitely realized that this Villainous Demon King had been making up stories the entire time for the sake of the Holy Relics.
In this situation, how was she supposed to grind affection?
Before Valo could find an excuse, the girl in front of her grabbed her by the collar!
Using enough strength to nearly lift her off the ground, Finney shoved her against the small podium!
“The story is quite realistic, isn’t it, Demon King Valo Rante II?”
[Justice Value] reached 100%! The switch between “obedient daughter” and “Hero who subjugates the Demon King” rested entirely on Finney’s whim.
It was over. This was a disastrous start.
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