The Fake Saintess and the Elf Warrior

As a last resort, unable to move, the centipede unleashed a magical beam. But this attack was easily blocked by Tatsia's greatsword. Despair finally appeared in its beastly eyes. Unable to dodge, unable to retaliate. To Tatsia, it was now nothing more than meat on a chopping block.

"We succeeded!"

As she roared her victory declaration, Tatia aimed at the magic circle and swung her greatsword with all her might. A flash of light, and the centipede's forehead was severed in two. The circular magic circle was cut straight through the center and quickly lost its light.

The magic circle, the source of its life force, had been shattered, and the centipede's body instantly ceased all struggling. After Mayera withdrew her tentacles, its body collapsed limply to the ground. This time, it would never rise again.

In the distance, a figure holding binoculars witnessed everything that happened on the plain. As the centipede fell, he withdrew his binoculars. He seemed to be talking to himself, or perhaps communicating with someone else, as he spoke...

"The target has successfully made contact with Subject Seven. The target has won... Yes, just like in the second research lab, the target has broken free of the seal and used 'that weapon'... No, the target didn't fight alone; she acted with two teammates. One of the saintesses is just an ordinary person, not worth mentioning. But the other teammate is very strange. She can use bizarre magic never seen before, and she didn't die even after being directly attacked by Subject Seven... Yes, I understand. From now on, both of them will be listed as observation targets. Report complete."

After saying that, the figure muttered a spell and vanished instantly.

Author's Note: I tried posting an update in the morning yesterday, but the number of favorites decreased instead of increasing. Therefore, I'm updating a little later today. I wanted to see if there would be more readers in the evening. Also, I've started a new work, and updating two works simultaneously is far more demanding than I imagined; my time and energy have been pushed to the limit. That's why it's been so late. I'm truly sorry.

First mission a success

With a combined attack from Meera and Tatia, the head marked with the magic circle was finally severed by Tatia. This troublesome centipede was finally rendered incapable of movement forever. It collapsed completely.

Tatia landed on the ground, and Mayera deactivated the magic circle. Pais, who had been almost entirely unhelpful, remained rooted to the spot. She glanced around at the two women, and only when she saw they had relaxed and ceased their combat stance did she confirm that their target had indeed been defeated. Only then did she dare approach.

"Hey! Mayella! Are...are you alright?"

He watched helplessly as she was sent flying by a lash from the centipede's tail, crashing heavily to the ground. At first, Pais thought she was dead. After all, Mayera's frail frame didn't seem like the type to survive such a powerful attack. When she reappeared and used strange magic to control the centipede, Pais still assumed she was using her last breath to help Tatsia. Just as he was about to treat the dying woman, Pais realized Mayera was standing there completely unharmed. She still had the strength to maintain her graceful posture, indicating she hadn't suffered any serious injury.

This was incredibly strange no matter how you looked at it. Pais, unsure if she was just putting on a brave face, inquired about her situation with skepticism. Mayera simply returned her a sweet smile.

"You're really lucky, Pais. You completed the mission without even doing anything."

"...Looks like you're really lucky to be alive."

Her smile was indeed sweet, but her words were undeniably malicious. This reassured Pais somewhat. This girl, who still had the leisure to mock her, was definitely not pretending to be unaffected. At the same time, she knew Pais was right. So she could only offer a casual, evasive answer.

"But are you really sure it's okay? Let me treat you anyway."

Judging from her posture and tone, Mayella appeared unharmed. However, her face was still covered in blood, even the upper part of her dress was stained red. Pais still seemed somewhat worried. He began to gather magic power in his hands, emitting a pale blue light representing healing magic, and extended it towards Mayella's head.

"...No need."

But Mayera grabbed Pais's hand and shook her head.

"I'm alright. I did bleed quite a bit when it hit me, but the wound has healed. I'm completely unharmed now."

"It's healed? In such a short time?"

"Yes. Sister Pais, would you like to confirm?"

As she spoke, Mayera brushed her hair aside, revealing her scalp to Pais. Pais leaned closer to look, and it was indeed as she had said. Even though there was a thin layer of blood on it, the skin beneath the bloodstains showed no signs of injury. The bloodstains didn't seem to have come from her; it looked as if she had simply been splashed with someone else's blood.

During her studies, Pais had some exposure to medicine and the human body. She knew that recovery abilities varied from person to person, some faster and some slower. But Mayera's speed made Pais question whether she, as a saintess, still had any reason to exist. A severe head injury that healed completely without any external force after just a rest, leaving no trace of the injury, couldn't be called self-healing; it was more like regeneration.

Pais looked at her with a mixture of surprise and admiration, and gave her a thumbs up.

"You, you're really amazing... No wonder you're from a wealthy family."

Although she didn't know whether it was related to being rich or not.

"Heh...but compared to me, doesn't Sister Pais have someone else who needs treatment more?"

Mei Ai stretched out her finger and pointed to the side of the centipede's corpse...

"Sister Tatia's situation is not as optimistic as mine."

"Oh, right... Tatia!"

Because she believed Maya's condition was likely more serious, Pais approached her first. After confirming that Maya didn't require treatment, Pais remembered Tatsia, who was also severely injured. She immediately ran towards Tatsia, who remained lying in front of the centipede's broken head. Reaching her side, Pais realized the gravity of the situation.

"Takia...she's lost so much blood..."

After landing, Tatsia was left only with the strength to kneel on the ground, panting heavily. The exhaustion from the multiple high jumps and wielding the greatsword was obvious, and blood continued to gush from the wound on her shoulder inflicted by the centipede's magical beam. Although Tatsia was still conscious, she was too weak to stand up.

When she saw Pais arrive, she was still asking others with concern.

"Pays...are you alright?"

"What could possibly happen to me! I've been hiding behind you the whole time and haven't participated in the fight. It would be strange if something happened to me... Don't say anything."

The pale blue light in her hand was ultimately reserved for the person who needed it most. Paisna placed her hand, which had been casting intermediate healing magic, on Tatsia's shoulder. Her severely injured body repaired itself rapidly, like parched seedlings receiving spring rain. For intermediate healing magic, which could heal injuries as severe as severed limbs, Tatsia's shoulder was completely restored within seconds.

Although the wound had healed, the lost blood couldn't be replenished immediately. Tatsia tried to stand, but she was still somewhat unsteady. Pais quickly supported her. Tatsia smiled and thanked her.

"Thank you, Pais."

Pais, however, gritted her teeth and shook her head. She knew she was not worthy of Tatsia's gratitude.

"No, if I hadn't been so useless and unable to help you when you were in trouble, you wouldn't have been so badly injured, Tatsia..."

After the initial joy of mission success faded, the fact that she had accomplished nothing except for casting a physical enhancement spell at the beginning still bothered the competitive Pais. Tatia and Meera were both adventurers who met her expectations—powerful enough—while she, who had set high standards for others, had only been a burden to her teammates. Pais couldn't help but feel ashamed.

"No, this time it wasn't your fault. It was just bad luck with your opponent. If it were a different monster, I think you could have played a much better role."

"...Maybe so."

Even though Tatia tried to comfort her, she couldn't immediately cheer up. The matter of the modified monster involved too many complicated circumstances to explain to Pais at this moment. Tatia didn't want to say anything more.

Pais helped Tatia, and the two slowly walked back to Mayera's side. Mayera opened her arms to welcome them.

"Welcome back, Takiya-neechan. It must have been tough for you, taking so much effort to fight someone like that..."

"...I'm exhausted."

"Well, Sister Tatya, you should thank me. I originally wanted to personally eliminate this rude scoundrel who dared to disrespect the princess, but I gave you the greatest credit. Aren't I very generous and magnanimous?"

"...yes"

This wasn't the first time Mayera's words had been barbed. Tatya didn't care. Besides, if it weren't for Mayera's help, she probably wouldn't have been able to defeat that centipede by now. Tatya simply lowered her head to Mayera and said softly...

"....Thank you"

Even though this wicked little devil had deceived her and caused her a lot of trouble, she was still the biggest contributor to the successful end of the battle. Therefore, Tatia would thank her.

Tatia's direct and frank thanks left Mayra, who was demanding gratitude, somewhat bewildered. For her, the pleasure lay in enjoying the resentment of this human, secretly confronting her, who was unwillingly accepting her help. Tatia, however, seemed to feel none of that. She awkwardly looked away and stammered in response.

"Hmm, hmm... good to know. I hope you can become stronger in the future and not be a burden to me."

"I know"

"First published on 705u.com - Book Club"

"Um..."

Tatia and Pais both nodded. Mayera, having failed to achieve her desired outcome, said no more.

They then used Tatsia's sword to cut off the centipede's head tentacles as proof of completing their mission, and began their return journey.

Perhaps it was because everyone was exhausted after the great battle, or perhaps it was because each of them carried their own worries. The journey back was not as lively as the way there. No one uttered a single word. They maintained this cold atmosphere as they returned to Vado Town.

It took them half a day to get here, and because Tatsia hadn't fully recovered, the return journey would take even longer. By the time they arrived in Vado Town, it was already around 3 a.m.

The Adventurers' Guild is open 24/7. To prevent the corpse from rotting and others from taking advantage of the situation, the three discussed it and decided that Pais would take the tentacles and immediately go to the guild to report the mission. Tatia, who was feeling unwell, and Meera, who had not yet registered as an adventurer, would wait outside.

A moment later, Pais came out. Taqia noticed that the tentacles were no longer in her hand, so she went up to her and asked...

"how's it going?"

"Yes. It's all done. The guild leader said they'll send someone to verify the situation first thing tomorrow morning. Once the body is identified, the quest reward will be sent to my home."

"Shall we talk about it tomorrow morning?...Yeah, it's so late now."

"Also... the person in charge asked me something very strange."

"Something strange?"

"Yes. She asked me repeatedly... 'Did you really complete this mission together as a couple?'"

"...Um?"

This morning, Tatia arrived at the guild alone. Later, she joined a party with Pais, who had barged in. By all accounts, it was a two-person party. Even if it were possible to temporarily join a party mid-journey, that wouldn't be something worth asking repeatedly. How the rewards for the quest are divided afterward is an internal matter for the adventure party and has nothing to do with the guild. This unusual situation made Tatia suspicious.

However, she didn't dwell on it much at this point. She simply thought that perhaps she had underestimated herself, believing that the two of them alone couldn't complete the task. She didn't take the fact that the task, listed as difficulty 15, was actually far more difficult than that number to heart. She assumed the Adventurers' Guild was unaware of the monster modification incident.

"So, what did you say to her? Did you mention Mayella to her?"

"I already said so."

Pais answered naively.

"Since Mayra is already working with us, why don't we just take her with us to complete the team registration tomorrow? She said they're not accepting applications tonight."

"...I see."

To be honest, neither Meera nor Tatia wanted to casually reveal her identity as the Demon King's daughter to a kingdom-affiliated department like the Adventurers' Guild. Once leaked, it would bring endless trouble... But at this stage, no one except Tatia knew her identity. Simply mentioning her name wouldn't cause any serious consequences... Not only Pais, but these two girls, barely ten years old, shared the same innocent and naive thoughts.

In the end, they didn't take it too seriously. The topic ended there. After briefly explaining the mission to her two teammates, Pais hurriedly left, citing the late hour and her family's concern, and returned home. Only Maya and Tatia remained in front of the Adventurers' Guild. Tatia spoke first, asking...

"What are you going to do? Have you found a place to stay?"

"Not yet. I only arrived in this town today. I haven't found a place to stay yet."

"Actually, me too..."

"Huh? Did Tatia only arrive today too?"

"Really? Have you forgotten that you left first by the lake, and then I left?"

"Hmm...it seems like that's true."

Mayera's attitude—whether she'd forgotten or simply didn't care—truly made Tasia feel somewhat embarrassed. They hadn't expected the mission to drag on this late, so neither of them had had time to check into the hotel. That's why they were now standing there, staring blankly at each other on the street.

However, all the hotels are open 24 hours a day. Finding accommodation now wouldn't be difficult. But there's one problem that remains unsolved for Tatsia.

Tatia rummaged through her empty wallet and sighed. She couldn't even afford a hotel room before the quest reward was paid. Although as a hero, and with a deep-seated hatred for the Demon King, she desperately didn't want to make that decision, she still "sold" her dignity rather than end up homeless, humbly speaking to the daughter of her enemy.

"Um...Meira?"

"What is it, Sister Tatia?"

"I need to discuss something with you..."

"Do you want to borrow money from me to stay in a hotel?"

"How...how did you know?"

"Hehe, your little thoughts are all written on your face, Takiya."

Mayera giggled, watching the embarrassed Tatia. After glancing at her wallet, she immediately made this expression. Anyone could tell what she was thinking. Tatia scratched her head sheepishly. Since the other woman already knew, she could only continue, shamelessly.

"I'm sorry, I really don't have any money... but I won't owe you anything! I'll pay you back once I get my reward for the mission, so please, could you pay me for me first..."

"But unfortunately, I have no money either."

As she spoke, Mayera opened her palm.

"I come from the Demon King's castle, how could I possibly have human currency?"

"Huh!?"

"Hahaha... But don't worry, Sister Tatia."

Seeing Tatia's obvious anxiety, Mayera's smile widened. It was true that there was no human currency. However, that didn't mean Mayera lacked methods of communication. She removed one of the bracelets from her wrist and waved it in front of Tatia.

"As long as I offer this as collateral, no innkeeper can refuse my request to stay. I always did that before coming here."

"Is...is it really okay? These aren't your mothers..."

Tatia also noticed the gold and silver jewelry on Mayra. But those were all gifts from the Demon King, Nama Kalena. As an outsider, Tatia felt it inappropriate to ask Mayra to use her parents' belongings as collateral for her own convenience. But upon closer inspection, she noticed that Mayra was now wearing a somewhat relieved expression.

Just as Tatsia had suspected, all the expensive ornaments she wore were gifts from Naka, given to her in the hope that they would make her happy.

But that was just Naka's opinion. Mayera didn't seem to think so.

"It's alright... To me, these things are utterly worthless... I wouldn't even feel bad if you threw them into the river. If they could be of some help to you, Sister Tatya, then they would be much more valuable... Besides, there's another reason why I'm willing to help you."

For Mayera, maintaining a certain distance from this person who knew her identity and threatened to monitor her was the proper course of action. But from the moment she spoke, Mayera changed her mind. She turned to look at Tatsia. The false flattery and childlike innocence were gone from her eyes. In their place was a seriousness and earnestness that Tatsia had never seen in her before.

"Sister Tatia, I have something I want to ask you."

Author's Note: Celebrating the book officially surpassing 600,000 words.

Exchange of intelligence

Mayera wanted to ask Tatia some important questions, so they couldn't possibly talk about it in the open air on a cold, late-night street. Sensing her intention, Tatia nodded in agreement.

In the relatively developed town of Vado, as long as you have money, you can easily find lodging even in the dead of night. In fact, since most homes and shops have already turned off their lights and gone to bed, the lights of the inns still open are even more easily identifiable. They quickly found an inn with available rooms near the Adventurers' Guild.

The innkeeper seemed to be a seasoned veteran, well-versed in the ways of the world. Just three seconds after Maya entered, the innkeeper, judging from her attire and accessories, immediately greeted her with a bright smile. Adding to this, Maya once again employed her winning formula against humans, especially men: feigning helplessness and charm. Even when she said she had no cash on hand, the innkeeper simply waved his hand, saying it was no problem. He readily accepted a bracelet as collateral and arranged for them to stay in the most spacious, luxurious, and of course, the most expensive room. The greatest crisis facing Tatia was thus effortlessly resolved by Maya.

"This...this is..."