After being tormented by Motifiel for quite a while, Liang Lai finally realized that this girl was not only terrible at cooking and doing chores, but also an absolute mess when it came to her Crystalization Ability.
Unlike Illucy, who spent her days in a daze, always looking troubled about who knows what, constantly injured and lying in bed, or Motifiel, who just liked to hang around her all day and barely practiced, Motifiel actually seemed to enjoy learning.
Yet, when it came to the Crystalization Ability… she just never seemed to get the hang of it. This left Liang Lai somewhat distressed.
Now she could finally understand the mindset of parents who helped their children study.
But then again, she wasn’t the kind of parent who forced their child, so she could only sigh and didn’t say much to Motifiel.
She simply prayed the girl could pass the First Assessment smoothly.
At the very least, she had to pass the First Assessment. Otherwise… in half a month, there would be a Make-up Assessment for the First Assessment.
If she failed that, this child would basically be eliminated.
So far, there hadn’t been anyone who failed the Make-up Assessment. Liang Lai was terrified Motifiel would be the first.
She wasn’t sure if, after the elimination, the Church would force her to drive Motifiel out.
If not, that was fine. But if so… it would be troublesome.
With these thoughts, Liang Lai ran to Motifiel’s training room day in and day out—not only to help the girl study, but also to keep an eye on her and offer encouragement.
Motifiel was indeed working hard.
Aside from experimenting with her weird cooking and clumsily helping with chores every day, she devoted the rest of her time to practicing her Crystalization Ability.
“Sigh, it seems that hard work really is worthless in the face of talent. How tragic, this world,” Liang Lai sighed sincerely.
After subjecting Motifiel to this repeated torment for half a month, not only did Motifiel fail to lose weight, she actually gained more meat, making her slightly chubby baby face look even rounder and cuter.
Mainly, here with the Saintess, she could really eat well and be full every day, without having to be busy or go out to gather clues… Wait?!
Motifiel, who had been lying peacefully on the big bed, suddenly snapped her eyes open.
Not only that, she sat up abruptly, staring in horror at the pure white wall before her.
“Crap, wasn’t I here to do a mission?” Had she really just wasted half a month?!
She turned her head stiffly toward the mirror.
Luckily, all the mirrors in the room had been covered with cloth strips. That’s right—on her first day here, Motifiel, on a strange impulse, had covered every mirror in her room with cloth, and tied them down tightly. Not just her bedroom—even the bathing area, everywhere.
“Phew~”
Motifiel breathed a sigh of relief and lay back on the bed.
She started muttering softly to comfort herself: “It’s fine, it’s fine… I, I’ve just been watched too closely lately, so I didn’t have time to go out and collect any useful clues or things, that’s all. Uh, doing nothing right now… that’s also a kind of strategy!”
Her eyes spun twice, then she nodded firmly, agreeing with her own “strategy.”
“All I do every day is eat and sleep, then do some chores, cook, practice some abilities and so on… it’s all just to make these people lower their guard! After all, after all, humans are cunning creatures! If, if I didn’t do this, they’d definitely be more wary of me! Then it’d be even harder for me to act…”
And so, Motifiel easily coaxed herself, finding a good excuse for her lack of action.
Of course, what reassured her most was still that all the mirrors were covered.
That night, Motifiel slept especially soundly—perhaps because she’d realized something, and also because she was sure she wouldn’t see Claudious’s face in any mirror.
This “let those hateful humans lower their guard” strategy persisted right up until the day of the assessment, two months later.
The night before the assessment, Motifiel sat on the sofa, her face ashen and her whole demeanor listless, as if her soul had been drained.
Just now, Liang Lai had come to check her studies.
Though Liang Lai hadn’t said anything, that sigh and the worry in her eyes had already told Motifiel—she probably wasn’t going to pass the assessment.
Motifiel might be a bit clumsy at times, but she wasn’t truly stupid.
It was just that her habits differed from those of humans.
She’d already found out that if she failed the First Assessment, there’d be a Make-up Assessment.
But if she failed that, she’d probably be sent away… and she didn’t want to be sent away!
The thought of never seeing the Saintess’s smile again, or feeling the warmth of her embrace, left Motifiel’s heart feeling empty.
That’s right—the point wasn’t that she wouldn’t finish her mission, but that she’d never see those “hateful humans” again.
“For the sake of successfully completing my mission, I have to stay here!” Motifiel said out loud.
The next day, with her mouth agape, she sluggishly followed behind Liang Lai to the assessment site.
Ahead of her were Dolosa and Asterys, both preparing for the Third Saintess’s assessment.
“Why do you look like that?” Dolosa couldn’t help but ask, feeling as if a ghost was trailing behind her.
Motifiel was unexpectedly flattered by Dolosa’s concern, but couldn’t say it was because she was too weak, so she lowered her head and mumbled, “I-I’m just, just really, really nervous. It’s my first assessment.”
Dolosa merely frowned and said no more.
Actually, her impression of Motifiel wasn’t too bad… well, at least not since meeting Dexilensi. Dolosa now felt that it was fine for Liang Lai to take in children, so long as she didn’t bring home more like Dexilensi.
Thankfully, Motifiel was a normal, good kid… except for always making Dark Cuisine.
At the assessment site, Liang Lai once again saw Pope Alphonse VII seated above the Third Assessment area, looking as though he were lost in thought, though about what, no one knew.
Ah, he’s come again?
Liang Lai was already used to this.
She was sure of it this time—it wasn’t her imagination.
Pope Alphonse VII was definitely here for Dolosa. Had he noticed something? He’d surely be aware of his own bloodline, right? But he hadn’t said anything.
Was it because… he loved his child?
Liang Lai didn’t know, but one thing was clear: Pope Alphonse VII was protecting his daughter. For Dolosa’s sake, he came to see her often, probably to see how much she’d grown.
Fatherly love?
Perhaps.
But Liang Lai truly couldn’t understand: If he loved his daughter so much, why did he send Dolosa into the Underground Sanctuary to begin with? Wasn’t he afraid Claudious would discover the bloodline of his enemy and torment her? Yet…
Actually, Claudious did discover it, but he didn’t kill Dolosa.
He did mistreat her quite a bit—often leaving her unfed, letting other children bully her, or subjecting her to harsh training and lashings…
But in the end, Claudious released Dolosa. This, Liang Lai still didn’t understand, and even Dolosa herself couldn’t figure it out. Could it really be the False Pope’s carelessness? It didn’t seem likely…
Liang Lai sat in the audience, deep in thought, while Motifiel beside her was shivering with fear, utterly lacking the composure of her “sisters.”
She even sneaked a glance at Dolosa and Asterys not far away, only to find both girls standing tall and confident as they drew their assessment numbers.
This time, Dolosa drew the last number, and Asterys got number two.
“Gulp~”
When it was Motifiel’s turn to enter the First Assessment hall, she swallowed hard and, hands trembling, drew her own number, praying she wouldn’t be picked too early.
Perhaps after maxing out her clumsiness, her luck stat had been maxed out too—Motifiel drew number 4.
Of the five children here for the First Assessment today, drawing number 4 was already as good as it could get.
Even so, Motifiel still stood on the side, face full of worry, watching the others being assessed.
“I guess I’m really doomed this time.”
Motifiel had no idea how she was going to make it through the assessment.