Wait, wait for me! Valo cried out in a panic.
She barely managed to scramble out of the secret room before the Goddess Statue sealed shut.
By then, Finney was long gone from the dim chapel.
Only the wide-open door and a pitiful lolita mother remained.
With nowhere else to look, Valo could only return to the dormitory.
However, the entire night passed without her hearing the sound of the door opening.
Her precious Hero daughter had actually stayed out all night!
The sky was falling!
Early the next morning, Valo, who hadn’t slept a wink, prepared to go out and find — and comfort — Finney.
During this delicate period for Finney, any action the girl took could potentially max out her Justice Value and trigger the script where she executed her own kin for the greater good!
The longer she waited, the more likely an accident would occur.
And indeed, an accident arrived before she even stepped out the door.
“Mother, are you going out again?”
Kaika stood at the door with a “smile,” handing her a pair of black leather shoes.
“You’re in such a hurry… you wouldn’t happen to be having an affair, would you?”
‘Kaika, you don’t understand. Your sister is in a dangerous state right now… Wait.’
‘Can a mother-daughter relationship even involve “cheating”?’
After briefly reassuring Kaika, Valo rushed out the door.
Known: Finney was currently avoiding her mother.
Given the girl’s upright character, she certainly wouldn’t run off to any strange places.
Objective: Where was Finney?
Valo smiled slightly, having already deduced the answer: she was hiding in plain sight.
She immediately ran toward the site of last night’s incident — the chapel on the second floor of the Clock Tower.
On this day off, the singing of Apprentice Nuns did not echo through the chapel, but the slightly ajar door confirmed her suspicions.
Peering through the crack in the door, she saw the red-haired girl sitting silently on the bench closest to the Goddess Statue.
Her head was bowed, and she remained speechless, seemingly hoping to use introspection and prayer to slowly calm her restless heart.
More importantly, she was trying to untangle the answers to two agonizing problems: “being a daughter or being the Hero” and “treating Valo as a mother or as the Villainous Demon King.”
This was a classic CG from this part of the plot in Finney’s starting path in the game.
Looking at it through a computer screen in her past life was one thing, but now that she had truly become Finney’s mother, Valo felt somewhat guilty toward her Hero daughter.
However, when Valo’s gaze swept over Finney’s Nurturing Panel, she immediately realized she didn’t have time for sentimental displays.
After a night had passed, the girl’s Justice Value had stopped at 50% — exactly half!
Although the Justice Value fluctuated wildly during the Qualification Review stage and wasn’t very reliable, as a veteran of Valorant, Valo felt she hadn’t completely “won over” Finney yet.
A Justice Value of 50 was a clear sign that the girl’s convictions were being tested and were swaying back and forth!
Therefore, even if her intentions were somewhat ulterior, she had to find a way to keep “grinding favorability”!
Otherwise, no matter how much of a pro or veteran player she was, a dead end was a dead end!
Taking a deep breath, Valo pushed open the chapel doors with force, putting on an expression of deep concern.
Actually, she really was worried about Finney’s current state.
“Thank goodness, Finney. I finally found you.”
“Uh… M-Mother?”
Hearing her voice, Finney jumped from the bench like a startled rabbit. It seemed she hadn’t expected Valo to double back and find her at all!
‘Hmph. Do you even know the worth of a veteran player?’
However, before Valo could indulge in her small sense of pride, the panicked Finney actually used her “ultimate move”!
Watching Valo approach, the girl hesitated for a moment in conflict…
Then, as if giving up on everything, she suddenly turned and touched the Goddess Statue.
Her fingerprint unlocked the Second Floor Secret Room, and she darted inside!
By the time Valo reacted and gave chase, the Goddess Statue had already sealed shut.
Clearly, Valo did not possess the [Clock Tower Second Floor Secret Room Keycard 0/40].
Left with no choice, she returned to the bench and decided to wait for Finney to come out.
At the same time, her anxiety about the future plot grew more intense.
In the game’s story, the Qualification Review stage would inevitably be followed by the script where “the Hero daughter judges the Demon King mother.”
This plot could be triggered in any setting, at any time, and under any conditions.
With her current status and Favorability with Finney, would she be able to make Finney’s heart soften when the time came?
‘It’s enough… wait, is it enough?’
She could only wait and watch over Finney, hoping for the opportunity and the conditions for her Hero daughter to proactively continue increasing her Favorability.
However, she wasn’t sure if it was just her imagination, but that familiar and unsettling feeling of “being watched” had appeared once again.
—
At that moment, on the other side…
After taking several deep breaths and confirming that her mother hadn’t followed her into the secret room, Finney finally let out a long sigh of relief.
In the clear surface of the bronze mirror in the corner, her current appearance looked disheveled and gloomy. Dark circles hung under her dim eyes.
Where was the high-spirited vitality of a “Hero”?
“Sigh…”
Finney gave a bitter smile. If her adoptive mother saw her like this, she would likely receive more than just one or two scoldings.
Only her mother — the Demon King Valo Rante II — would be so purely concerned about her emotions and state, just as she had been a moment ago.
But… at this moment, Finney would rather face her adoptive mother.
After all, her adoptive mother was clear about rewards and punishments, maintaining strict standards.
The girl at least knew what punishment awaited her if she made a mistake.
She wouldn’t have to face Valo, this “fake mother” — especially after last night, when all her suspicions and accusations against her mother had fallen through, yet her mother hadn’t shown the slightest intention of blaming her. In a situation like that…
The unknown was far more unsettling than punishment.
But when Finney looked up, the Holy Relic floating above the stone disc — the Eye of the Goddess — gave her an idea.
Wasn’t there a way to confirm the source of her current anxiety and confusion?
The girl clenched her fists and stepped in front of the Eye of the Goddess.
Looking directly into it, she spoke softly.
“Mother… she is the Demon King Valo Rante II. I personally brought her back to the Empire, and now she has taken a Holy Relic.”
“Should I trust Mother?”
The Eye of the Goddess could discern the hidden thoughts in the hearts of those who looked into it.
However, whether the answer was “yes” or “no,” the Holy Relic before the girl remained completely unresponsive after hearing her statement.
‘Was my question too vague?’
“Then… do I hate Mother?”
Quiet.
“Do I love Mother?”
Silence.
Finney felt her subsequent questions were clear and simple enough, yet the Eye of the Goddess showed no movement at all!
She had never heard of this Holy Relic needing a cooldown period.
Or… had the Eye of the Goddess already seen into her heart and recognized her vacillation and hesitation?
Was that why it couldn’t provide a definitive “yes” or “no” answer, leaving her to figure it out herself?
That was the only explanation. What other reason could a Holy Relic have for not responding?
It couldn’t be that it was angry.
Finney’s distress and inner conflict returned to square one.
“The Qualification Review is about to end. Sigh… Mother, how should I decide?”
The girl’s soft sigh echoed in the extremely quiet secret room, but she failed to notice…
The Eye of the Goddess floating above the stone disc hadn’t failed to respond. Rather, it was trembling, struggling…
As if it were expressing some intense emotion of its own?
For example… rage?