“Since you still can’t understand why Finney chose to shield me and even turned her blade against you, Anqi, why don’t you become my daughter as well?”
This was the flash of inspiration Valo had just before the Sister Superior followed the scent to her dormitory.
It was not a move born of desperation, but a way to find life within a dead end.
As the saying goes, just when the mountains and rivers end and there seems to be no way out, a new path reveals itself.
In Kaika’s and Finney’s routes, she, the Villainous Demon King mother, had been exhausted just trying to avoid the various Bad Endings of the Matricide Scripts brought about by her two eccentric daughters.
Fortunately, after tonight’s crisis and accidents, Valo had discovered a definitive spark of life within the game’s Anqi Route!
As long as she could open the route with Anqi as a “daughter” from the main perspective, the Saintess would no longer view her, the Villainous Demon King, with such intense hatred.
Making Anqi assist in concealing her true identity would no longer be a pipe dream.
And that was only one of the benefits. What Valo truly aimed for and anticipated were the “Good Endings” for the Villainous Demon King that existed within the Anqi Route.
A life where everything was provided for her? A scenario where she wouldn’t face a death ending even if her identity as the Demon King was exposed?
She could even naturally sever her identity as the mother of Finney and Kaika, preventing the Spirit Pearl and the Demon Seed from accidentally triggering a matricide event.
All of Valo’s ultimate goals could be achieved through the corresponding endings in the Anqi Route.
‘Damn, for someone known as the peak of intellectual combat, she was still far too overpowered.’
The first step had already been realized. Although Anqi had made a few sarcastic remarks, she had ultimately helped hide tonight’s incident for the three of them out of curiosity.
As for the rest, it would depend on Valo’s five-centimeter micro-management. Facing Anqi’s doubt, Valo immediately waved her hand.
“I don’t have a power like ‘hypnosis,’ Anqi. You’re overthinking it. I just want you to personally experience life as a daughter for a while to verify whether I am truly the ‘Evil Demon King’ you claim I am. Wouldn’t a firsthand experience be more persuasive than any of Finney’s attempts to convince you?”
This was the micro-management—she wasn’t asking Anqi to be her daughter forever, but merely to “experience being her daughter.”
By doing this, Valo satisfied the conditions to enter the Anqi Route while leaving enough room to discard the role of Anqi’s mother later.
If anyone asked, she would just say the Valo Mom Trial Card had expired.
Before she could finish her sentence, Valo felt a resentful gaze from Kaika.
“Mother, did a mere Saintess of the Church actually scare you? How pathetic…”
The elf girl’s voice sounded calm, but how could Valo not understand Kaika?
Her Demon Seed daughter’s head had recently been filled with thoughts of “finding an opportunity to possess and imprison her in revenge.”
She was incredibly jealous of a new daughter joining the mix.
Fortunately, Valo was prepared.
“Kaika, more than the so-called pride of a Demon King, I want to fulfill my duties as a mother first. I cannot let you live a life of wandering and displacement because of my problems.”
While maintaining her persona as the perfect mother, Valo leaned in close to Kaika.
As she stroked the girl’s head, she whispered into her pointed ear so only she could hear.
“Don’t worry, Kaika. Your mother isn’t stupid. I’m just putting on an act to keep the Saintess in check.”
“Yawn… I’m tired, Mother. I’m going back to rest.” Kaika finally stood up and left, satisfied. It was a silent agreement.
But it wasn’t over yet!
As she saw Kaika off, Valo turned around to comfort Finney, who was still hesitant on the other side.
“Finney, the same goes for you. I’m doing this because I want you to continue being the Hero. If Finney were to lose her ideals and standing as a Hero because of me… then I would rather have died in the Colosseum tonight.”
Valo’s gaze was earnest and sincere. Since she didn’t actually have to die, she was an expert at making empty promises.
“Mother… ugh.”
Sure enough, Finney, who was being emotionally pressured by the threat of death, immediately lost her temper.
After some stammering, she honestly chose to accept.
“I understand. Then… Anqi, please consider this carefully!” After giving Anqi a threatening reminder, Finney also got up and left.
She left the final decision to Valo and Anqi alone. The bedroom fell silent for a moment.
Under the warm yellow light, only the soft breathing of the two remained.
After stabilizing her other two daughters, Valo was left with one last problem—how to get Anqi to agree to be her temporary daughter.
Anqi was not her daughter yet, and her attitude toward the Villainous Demon King was one of instinctive loathing.
It wouldn’t be surprising if Anqi made difficult demands to trouble her in exchange for the deal.
‘Admitting my identity as the Villainous Demon King in public. Although I wouldn’t die, I would become a target for everyone and be bullied by all the teachers and students of the Clock Tower.’
‘Thumbtacks stuffed into my shoe locker; super glue smeared on the chairs in the Infirmary; being tied up with ropes while walking and having a steel bucket shoved on my head like a bucket zombie.’
‘Despite being a teacher, my status in the Clock Tower would plummet. If I wanted to gain Anqi’s pity, I would have to endure it. Resistance? That would mean death!’
Valo had already mentally prepared herself for the scenes she had seen in the game. But when the Skywing girl’s breathing hitched and Valo looked up to meet her eyes, she realized…
Things were going much more smoothly than she had anticipated. The instinctive disgust and revulsion on the Saintess’s face had largely vanished.
Her expression had even returned to something similar to how she acted before their confrontation!
“Valo Lant, even if you are the Demon King, I must apologize to you. From the moment I was caught by Finney’s Holy Relic until just now, I was a bit too heated. I’ve calmed down a bit now, Lady Varo.”
A playful smile gradually appeared in Anqi’s eyes as she sized Valo up.
Having grasped Valo’s secret and taken the initiative in the negotiation, a composed Anqi was showing Valo exactly what a “reversal of roles” looked like.
“With Finney vouching for you, and Kaika’s excellence in the Clock Tower being well known, I believe you are qualified as a ‘mother.’ Hmph, I really didn’t misjudge you.”
Suddenly, the girl sitting on the bed took a step forward and spread her pure white wings.
Like a domineering CEO, she reached out and pinched Valo’s chin. With the most sacred smile, she spoke words of pure malice.
“In exchange, I have a simple request, Lady Varo. If it were just a normal mother-daughter relationship, not only would I be unable to verify your sincerity, but it would also be far too easy on you. Therefore, you must obey my every command from now on. That is my request. What do you think?”
Valo had only one thing to say: No more talk, sign me up for motherhood! Did her answer even need thought?
The moment she nodded, the [Nurturing Panel] appeared in her vision, displaying the stats of her new daughter—Anqi, the Saintess of the Hidden Sea Church!
In this timeline, the current Anqi naturally had a perfect Saintess stat block.
Valo immediately noticed that Anqi had the same stat as Finney, the [Justice Value], and it was currently at its maximum!
Hallelujah! It was perfect!
‘I want 100 percent! I wouldn’t even want it if it weren’t that high!’
Because as one of the daughters who wasn’t very difficult to conquer in the game, Anqi wouldn’t trigger a Matricide Script even if her [Justice Value] was full, unlike Finney.
Instead, a script where Anqi stripped the protagonist of her Villainous Demon King identity might appear!
‘Being stripped of my Demon King status by my daughter… that is clearly a Bad Ending for a player. But for the current me, it’s exactly what I’ve been wishing for!’
“It’s wonderful that you’re willing to agree to my request!”
The next moment, seeing Valo nod so readily, a burst of fanatical joy erupted in the Saintess’s eyes. She no longer found Valo disgusting or filthy.
Her arms and wings immediately pulled Valo into a tight embrace, as if she had caught a precious toy.
“Then, from today on, please take good care of me, Mother. Now that I know your secret, I actually have many, many things I want to do to you.”
Valo couldn’t help but shiver as the girl breathed against her neck.
Although she felt that Anqi’s enthusiasm after becoming her daughter was a bit too eerily excited, she didn’t care.
So be it! Let it happen!
She would let this new daughter mess with her however she wanted.
‘You might think you’ve made a killing, but I’ll never lose.’