When she came to, Valo found herself abandoned alone on the beach.
During that time, a lifeguard ran over with a concerned expression and crouched down to ask,
‘Little girl, did you get separated from your mother?’
‘Darn it! I am the mother!’ Valo snapped, hands on her hips as she shooed the lifeguard away.
Unable to find a moment alone with Anqi, Valo slumped under a sun umbrella, sitting cross-legged.
Staring at the deep blue sea ahead, she pinched her little toes and started pondering:
Her “gentle, nurturing, perfect mother” persona had just been so stable, and her comforting words to Anqi had been full of maternal warmth…
So where did it go wrong?
Could it really be because she had secretly entertained a little “switching roles” mischief at first, and Anqi, being perceptive, noticed?
Did Anqi run away in fear of retaliation?
No way!
Anqi’s identity as Saintess of the Hidden Sea Church was one of the prerequisites for Valo to reach the Magneto Ending.
As long as she could maintain Anqi’s Justice Value, pretending to be the weak, bullied “loli mother” wasn’t impossible.
‘Come back, Anqi! This time, you just have to stay put,’ Valo thought.
Unfortunately, the girl was nowhere to be seen.
To calm herself, Valo grabbed a perfectly frozen cream popsicle from a nearby basket and licked it delicately.
Under the blazing sun, the cream melted quickly, dripping down onto Valo’s thighs. The cold made her shiver.
‘Ah!’
She bent down and lifted her leg to lick it off with her tongue, marveling at how flexible her body was while adjusting her strategy: this cream popsicle needed to be licked along the edges.
Just as Valo was enjoying her ice cream and mentally analyzing why Anqi had run away, the Conquest Panel appeared in her vision, and her two Holy Relics suddenly sprang to life!
Guess what? Perfect timing.
One relic was devoted to maintaining “normal mother-daughter relationships,” while the other could read hearts. Valo had hoped they would help.
But Ascara was not there to relieve her of worry.
‘[Ascara has vaguely guessed why Anqi ran away!]’
‘Oh?’
‘[But Ascara says: only by discovering the answer yourself can you deepen a normal mother-daughter bond with Anqi.]’
‘[Therefore, Ascara will not tell you.]’
Valo raised her middle finger. ‘Ugh, fine, I’ll just snack on my seeds!’
No problem. Valo had never relied on Ascara. Her true ally was the Eye of the Goddess, capable of seeing through hearts.
‘Your daughter is rebelling. Help this poor mother, Goddess A Dream!’
‘[Eye of the Goddess questions your motive: you could resolve your relationship peacefully with Anqi, so why cling so tightly to your role as her mother? Do you truly want to be Anqi’s mother?]’
Of course! Genuine feelings for genuine feelings!
Valo was calm: she truly hoped Anqi would support her as a daughter to fulfill one of the prerequisites for the Magneto Ending.
‘[Eye of the Goddess agrees with Ascara’s perspective and will not reveal the answer: your mother-daughter relationship with Anqi is for you to decide.]’
‘Pfft, useless relics. Maybe I’ll sell you to the national treasure guild someday,’ Valo muttered.
But the Eye of the Goddess grudgingly granted her a way to seek the answer.
Favorability: fifteen percent
With this increase, Valo unlocked one of the Eye’s non-secret abilities:
Lv1: Directly sense the truthfulness of the respondent’s heart.
A lie detector! The Eye of the Goddess had agreed to help her test honesty.
Valo immediately apologized dramatically: ‘Forgive me, Eye of the Goddess, I was too loud earlier.’
‘[Eye of the Goddess scoffs: I’m only helping you this once! Don’t expect another chance if you don’t use it wisely.]’
Wow! Even tsundere can be charming.
Valo realized she had never noticed the Eye’s cuteness before.
Just as she prepared to take advantage of the moment, both relics went silent. Looking up, she saw Emma running toward her in a panic.
‘Phew… Demon King Valo…’
Seeing no one around, Emma switched to addressing Valo formally.
She slid on the sand, knees and hands planted, stopping just in front of Valo, almost wagging her tail like a little dog.
‘So sorry to disturb you, but the Saintess went to see the Sister Superior, so I had no choice but to return and report to you.’
Valo nodded. Correct—if Emma chased Anqi and asked too many questions now, it would be stressful for her.
‘That’s enough. Just avoid arousing suspicion from the Saintess and Sister Superior.’
Valo reached for a new popsicle and asked, ‘Want one, Emma?’
The pink-haired girl blushed in delight. ‘H-Hey! How could I accept such a reward from you, Demon King?’
She kept glancing at Valo’s nearly finished cream popsicle.
‘Just give me the stick after you’re done. Ha… ha~’
‘Enough, silly dog!’
Valo tossed a strawberry popsicle straight at Emma. It landed perfectly between the girl’s pink swimsuit and chest.
‘Ah!’
Emma squealed and flailed comically, but carefully licked the popsicle without spilling a drop, kneeling the whole time. She began praising Valo:
‘When I bought shaved ice with the Sister Superior earlier, I was secretly watching you, Demon King!’
‘You applied sunscreen to the Saintess, right? Hmph! The foolish Saintess exposed her weak spots to you. It’s only a matter of time before you have her under your control!’
Valo twitched her mouth. How did this silly dog always hit her vulnerable points?
Control Anqi?
Not even close! She had failed, and Anqi’s Justice Value even dropped.
Yet before Emma, she had to maintain the image of the mastermind Demon King effortlessly manipulating the Saintess.
Wait!
She could take a roundabout approach—use Emma to discover Anqi’s hidden worries, then verify them with the Eye of the Goddess’s lie-detecting skill, creating an opportunity to soothe her.
The Sister Superior obviously sided with Anqi. Asking her directly was too risky.
But now she had a “helper”—Emma, who was happily licking her popsicle.
She couldn’t open the situation as Anqi’s mother. Why not have Emma, as a “friend,” approach Anqi, gather intelligence, and then Valo could take control? Brilliant.
At that moment, Valo felt like Light Yagami manipulating the world.
Clearing her throat, she spoke to the girl standing at attention: ‘Applying sunscreen doesn’t mean much. I can sense that the Saintess is desperately hiding something from me.’
It wasn’t a lie; it was true.
‘As me, the Saintess’s mother, progress is difficult. So… Emma…’
‘Yes!’
‘I want you to approach Anqi and find out what she’s thinking from your perspective.’
A Demon King must not only plan strategically but also masterfully handle people.
In her previous life, Valo had expertly managed Demon Clan members through the main game’s perspective.
Emma froze, then gasped in amazement.
‘Demon King, you mean…?’
‘Are you deaf? This is an order! You won’t disappoint me, will you?’
‘Of course not!’
The pink-haired girl, sand still on her cheeks, almost spun in excitement. Her crimson eyes sparkled as she panted, repeating Valo’s command:
‘I’ll contact Anqi for you, Demon King! I… I’ll complete your task… no, I’ll exceed expectations so you’ll be impressed!’
‘Quiet, silly dog!’
Valo hushed her excited companion.
Though Emma’s enthusiasm was over the top, Valo now had no choice but to use her perspective to break through the barrier of “soothing Anqi’s emotions and Justice Value.”
She didn’t need Emma to make much progress—just not ruin it.
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