The Fake Saintess and the Elf Warrior

"This is a top secret of the kingdom. Even I don't know it."

"Is that so?"

Even when she casually inquired about the item's true nature, she only received this reply. But Lucius wasn't disappointed. Since it was a super-secret item even Bulway couldn't know about, it must be an absolutely extraordinary treasure. The Demon King's demand for her to find the Demon Dragon's Fang perfectly matched that level of value. When she first heard "valuable item," she had some doubts about whether it truly was the Demon Dragon's Fang. But now, that doubt had gradually swayed towards certainty.

But this also raised new questions for Louise.

"If it's something so precious that even you've classified it as confidential, it must be something extraordinary... So why...?"

"Are you wondering why I specifically called you here to complete this mission? It's actually quite simple. This mission is of utmost importance. As you probably know, the mountains near the capital have recently been overrun by bandits."

"Yes, I understand..."

Lucia knew more than once. It was precisely because she went to the mountains to suppress the bandits that she unfortunately encountered that demon king in the vast expanse of the world. But at the time, she didn't understand the bandits' purpose. Burway is now giving her a detailed explanation.

"Word of this item has somehow leaked out, and many thieves know about it. They've been lying in wait around the capital, gathering intelligence and preparing to steal it. Although the royal palace ordered a raid on the mountains a couple of days ago, eliminating many bandit groups, we can't guarantee there won't be any escapees. After all, those guys are extremely cunning. Your mission is to escort this valuable item with your team to the neighboring town of Reni and deliver it to the research institute there. Make sure it doesn't fall into the wrong hands."

"But...shouldn't such valuable items be under the strict guard of elite adventurers, escorted by heavy troops? But I'm just a reserve..."

If this item truly is a dragon's tooth, then all the trouble can be saved, and the report can be directly submitted to the Demon King. However, at the same time, the responsibility of "absolutely not allowing such an important item to be lost or stolen" falls on Lucia's shoulders. If she fails the mission, this ordinary female knight is completely incapable of bearing the severe consequences of such a grave mistake. Losing an item of top secret to the entire kingdom would mean punishment ranging from execution to, at the very least, the loss of her adventurer's license and expulsion from the capital, forcing her to return to a life of constant poverty. If she doesn't speak up, her and her daughter's lives will certainly end in three days.

Letting the Demon King take it away is one thing, not letting him take it away is another. Lucia felt caught in a dilemma. If she could, she would only want to refuse this mission and get rid of this heavy responsibility so that she could report to the Demon King with a clear conscience.

Although Burway was unaware that Lucius was being controlled by a demon lord, he could tell she was anxious about her ability to complete the mission and the consequences of failure. He placed his hands on Lucius's shoulders and spoke calmly.

"Indeed, this matter should have been handled directly by the elite adventurers. However, that might have made it seem like an attempt to cover something up. After all, having many elites as bodyguards would be tantamount to openly stating, 'This item is definitely not insignificant.' Therefore, the higher-ups decided to assign this mission to members of the reserve team. This will also make potential thieves doubt whether the item you are escorting is truly that valuable, thus reducing the risk of attack. However, this does not mean you will be completely free of risk. What those desperate criminals will think and do is entirely unpredictable. During this mission, you are very likely to be ambushed by thieves who are eyeing it covetously. You must be careful and remain vigilant at all times. Understand?"

"But... do I really have the ability to complete it, to live up to you... to live up to the palace's expectations of me? Why did you choose me?"

"...Because I trust you."

"...?"

The mission list listed all party members except for Lucius as the top graduates of this year's Sunflower Town Adventurer's School. Lucius was the only exception. Lucius only wanted to shift the blame to the previous graduate. But Bulway had other plans.

"The other reserve team leaders chose their personally mentored top graduates for three reasons. First, it demonstrated their trust in their abilities. Second, it provided them with a practical opportunity to develop synergy and progress alongside skilled individuals of similar rank. Third, it was also to showcase their teaching achievements... After all, the mentoring abilities of elite adventurers directly impact the graduates. Although it might be inappropriate for me to say this, even the most elite adventurers are still somewhat warlike. With the royal palace prohibiting internal sparring among elite adventurers, this is the only way to allow them to compare themselves and satisfy their vanity."

"So..."

"...But I'm different from them, Lucius. This so-called competitiveness is meaningless. I chose you for only one reason: because you are more reliable than her...more reliable than that top student who, although academically excellent, has far less experience and knowledge than you. Lucius, I believe that among the reserve team, there is no one else capable of this task but you."

"..."

The girl was indeed exceptionally talented. However, she had never participated in any actual combat missions since arriving here, and many knights doubted her combat abilities. Louise was no exception. To be honest, she was very happy to hear Bulway's assessment. This meant that Bulway had trust in her that went beyond mere statistics. Her efforts and performance had not disappointed him. For her, who had been saved by Bulway, this was undoubtedly a way of repaying his kindness.

He entrusted this task to Lucia, naturally not wanting to put too much pressure on her. He only hoped that she could approach this important task, which was also a good opportunity for experience, with a calm mindset.

This well-intentioned remark, however, gave Lucy the perfect reason to completely let go of her psychological burden.

For Wang Guoxingrong, matters of secrecy were no longer of concern. To save her and her daughter's lives, she would not hesitate to betray her country. Now that Burwell had clearly stated he wouldn't hold her responsible, she had no more reservations.

"Yes! I will do my best! I will not let you down!"

Faced with the kindness of her benefactor, whom she should have repaid with all her might, Lu Xiu did not hesitate and shamelessly lied.

Lucia ran as fast as she could on the streets of the capital.

Burway told herself to meet at a clothing store in town at 5:30 PM the next evening. There, she would meet her teammates and do some simple disguises. Burway explained that for this mission, everyone would disguise themselves as small-time vegetable vendors transporting vegetables to Rainie Town to avoid detection. While this wouldn't fool the ability detection device—the high level of the device would immediately reveal that they weren't vegetable farmers—it would at least reduce the chances of being spotted. It was better than doing nothing at all.

This mission is top secret. It cannot be carried out in broad daylight, outside the city where there is a large flow of people. The mission will not officially begin until 3:00 AM.

With more than a day to go before the appointed date, Lucius only wanted to use this time to quickly convey the information to the Demon King and confirm that her and her daughter Lucius's safety could be guaranteed as promised. After ending her secret conversation with Bulway, she went nowhere else but straight home.

"Magic...Naka!"

Finally arriving home, she eagerly called out to the Demon King as she pushed open the door. She had originally intended to call him "Demon King" directly. However, because someone was passing by her door, the magic cast on her forced her to change her words to the Demon King's false name.

But her calls went unanswered. When she left home that morning, the tyrannical devil sat there, legs crossed, acting all high and mighty. Now, all that remained of where she had sat was a chair overturned on the floor and a crooked table. Her daughter, Lutis, hadn't returned since leaving yesterday. The house was empty; not a soul was to be seen.

Where did she go?

Ruth muttered to herself as she closed the door. Naka had never told her she would be going out today. She understood that the Demon King wouldn't explain her plans to a slave like herself; Naka wouldn't tell her in advance where she was going. Her sudden disappearance without a word made her uneasy.

Naka hadn't told her about her past adventures. Ruth assumed that this Demon King had only recently arrived in the human world. Ruth was deeply worried about whether Naka knew the rules of human society, and whether she would unleash her power as a Demon King and plunge the kingdom into chaos over minor conflicts. If Naka caused trouble, Ruth feared Naka might forget all their promises.

And Lutis was the same. This child's personality changed drastically after arriving in the capital. While Lutis was busy with training and work, she seemed to have become quite familiar with some people in the capital. Initially dressed simply and neatly, she had become fashionable and fond of luxury goods over the years. Her clothing style became increasingly indecent, and her speech increasingly rude.

When Lucius warned her to be careful, this well-behaved child, who never talked back, roared angrily at her "older sister" for the first time. Lucius was so shocked that she didn't even stop Lutis when she stormed off in front of her. Now, her staying out all night has become commonplace. At first, Lucius was naturally very worried. But Lutis would always return every few days, saying she was safe and sound, so Lucius stopped asking questions lately. But no matter what, she felt that Lutis's behavior couldn't continue. Before she could think of a solution, the Demon King mercilessly entered her life.

"well...."

Whether it was the Demon King or her own daughter, neither gave Lucius a moment's peace. There were countless things she needed to worry about right now. This caused Lucius to slump into her chair and let out a sigh.

However, as she sat down, she sensed something on the table through a touch on her wrist. She raised her arm and found a piece of white paper there. It had some writing on it and was lying face down on the table. Lucy picked it up. There was only one line of text on it.

"To my slave: I have urgent business to attend to. Return tomorrow night. Do not attempt to escape or call for help, or you will face the consequences."

The Demon King had left a note for her before leaving, which surprised Luce. However, the contents of the note made Luce uneasy.

"Coming back tomorrow night? But..."

Naka hadn't expected Lucy to obtain the crucial intelligence so quickly. Unfortunately, her planned return trip completely clashed with Lucy's mission departure time.

So, where did Naka go?

Perhaps out of contempt for the lowly Luce, she didn't believe Luce could produce any valuable intelligence in just one day. After Luce left this morning, she immediately set off on her own journey.

Ruth was tasked with carrying out operations within the palace, while she, in order to fulfill Scarface's request, used her ability "Demon King's Power: Wormhole" to return to a place she had once visited.

It doesn't teleport you directly to your destination. Instead, you arrive at a relatively distant location, and then Naka slowly walks towards your destination.

She had only been here once, but the events that occurred there during those six months remained unforgettable to this day.

As she walked, she came to a massive iron gate. This enormous gate was where she had said goodbye to the people she once cared about most. Naka looked up; about ten meters above the ground, a conspicuous plaque hung above the gate, displaying the name of the place.

"Sunflower Town Adventurer Training School"

Searching for Oz

Even though less than a month had passed, there was a strange sense of things having changed. Standing before the massive iron gate, Naka remained motionless for a long time.

I was on the other side of the door back then, while Tatia is where I am standing now. Where did she go after that? Where is she now? Is she healthy? Is she safe? And Jasmine? She should have won the championship by now, and what kind of life is she living?

These thoughts just popped into Naka's mind as soon as she saw the familiar scene.

"Papa"

She slapped her cheeks hard, trying to drive away these uninvited guests who had taken over her heart without her permission.

"No, I can't think about these things. I have nothing to do with them anymore. Now I should focus on the task at hand..."

Having decided to abandon this past relationship and resume her activities as the Demon King, she only hoped to regain her former ruthlessness, rather than continue to be burdened by these weak emotions that only made her more indecisive. It took her several tens of minutes to barely suppress the feelings of friendship, pity, and sorrow—things that didn't belong to the Demon King—with coldness. She strode towards the door.

After Jasmine and her classmates graduated, the school welcomed a new class of students, beginning a six-month teaching period. Therefore, when Naka arrived, the school had already implemented a closed management system again. Naka had to state that she was a student from the previous year and show her the student ID she had been given, lying that she had left important items at school and forgotten to take them. Only then did she manage to fool the school staff and get in. Of course, she hadn't actually forgotten anything. Once inside, she quickly went to the archives department responsible for collecting student information.

Her purpose in this trip was to investigate the whereabouts of Oz, the hero who entered the school at the same time as Lucia, while Lucia gathered information within the palace. She planned to cut off his head and deliver it to Scarface, the leader of the bandit group, as a condition for obtaining information about the Dragon's Fang. This was a double-insurance strategy to advance her objective. For this reason, she specifically returned to Sunflower Town. After all, if she wanted to find Oz, this was the only place she could think of to obtain information.

When faced with the staff at the archives, she used the same trick again, claiming that she had given Oz something important before graduation but forgot to retrieve it, and inquired about Oz's whereabouts. The staff gave her the following answer.

"We're not sure either. Oz left school a long time ago."

"When did you leave? And where did you go?"

"Well... he didn't say anything when he left, he just told us to hand over his file immediately. Then he left quietly. We don't know where he went. As for when..."

The staff member remembered the exact time Oz left very clearly. However, many things happened at the school on the day he left.

"...It was probably the day after we discovered Lord Frost's disappearance."

...

At that time, graduation exams were still in full swing. Every department within the school was incredibly busy. Adding to the turmoil, a rare incident occurred during the second day's exams, causing a huge stir both within and outside the city. This placed an even heavier and more unnecessary burden on the already hectic workload. At this critical juncture, the founder, the highest-ranking official, should have stepped in to handle public relations and coordination, providing a proper solution and explanation to everyone inside and outside the school. However, at this crucial moment, the founder, Frost, suddenly vanished without a trace. His office was empty, and his home was deserted. There were no letters informing him of his whereabouts or the reason for his disappearance. The last time anyone remembered seeing him was when he was arranging the punishment for Tatia, who had violated school rules. Since then, no one could provide reliable eyewitness accounts.

In such a critical moment, the person most responsible for solving the problem suddenly abandoned his post and left. This threw the school into complete chaos. Fortunately, under Principal Cavaldo's direction, order was largely restored. The principal temporarily took over Fros's duties to handle the aftermath. Thus, the school, despite the absence of Fros, managed to finish the graduation exams without major incident, allowing the students to graduate smoothly. However, Fros's whereabouts remained a mystery.

The school had sent representatives to the capital to explain the situation and request that the royal palace send someone to investigate. The royal palace initially intended to delay the issue by claiming that Fros had retired and was an elderly man no longer fit for combat. However, he possessed a great deal of internal royal secrets, and if he were to defect to the Demon King's army, it would bring immense trouble to the human kingdom. Therefore, the royal palace reluctantly dispatched personnel to begin the investigation. However, the investigation stalled after only a few days, reaching a stalemate due to the lack of any leads.

At this time, Oz learned that Frost, who had promoted him, had disappeared. The people in the archives still remember what Oz looked like when he arrived there that day.

"I don't believe Uncle is the kind of person who neglects his duties, and he would never betray us and join the Demon King... Something must have happened to Uncle! He's in a very dangerous situation! I'm going to find Uncle, rescue him, and prove his innocence!"

Dragging his frail body, still bandaged, Oz roared at everyone, rejecting all baseless speculations about Frost. His explanation seemed utterly absurd to onlookers. Frost was one of humanity's most elite members. Even in his old age, he possessed strength enough to dominate the world. How could he possibly be in danger? Especially in peaceful Sunflower Town. There was no way anything could threaten him. Oz's words were ultimately dismissed as a joke by the mainstream.

Disillusioned with everyone else, Oz left the school before his injuries had fully healed and embarked on a journey to find Frost. He didn't even attend the final graduation ceremony. Frost, who had unilaterally established a new system, and Oz, the first test subject of this new system, disappeared from everyone's sight in such a way that they became a laughingstock.

.........

After listening to the staff's recollections, Naka remained silent. Just as Oz had said, none of this was Frost's fault. He hadn't simply disappeared; Naka herself had turned him to dust. It was only natural that he couldn't be found. Now he was just particles invisible to the naked eye, drifting across the vast sky. Even if Oz embarked on a journey, he would surely return empty-handed.

But Oz, having already left the school, wouldn't return even if he later realized he'd been wasting precious time on meaningless endeavors. For a fleeting moment, Naka considered waiting for him to return empty-handed, but quickly dismissed the unrealistic idea. The only way to find Oz was to track him down.

At this moment, noticing Naka's somewhat somber expression, a staff member assumed she was also worried about the missing Frost and Oz's solo search for him. Kindly, he pointed out a more plausible possibility to Naka.

"If you're looking for Oz, why don't you just go to Goldshire?"

"Gerdel Town?"

"That's Lord Fros's hometown. If Oz is looking for Lord Fros, he'll likely go there."

Frost, who disappeared, left no clues. Even if they went out of town to look for him, they wouldn't know what to do for the time being. The most likely place that Oz's initial destination was somewhere where he could gather more information about Frost, namely his hometown... These weren't Oz's thoughts, just the staff's speculations.

Although it was just a guess, it gave Naka a clear direction. It was much better than wandering around aimlessly. Naka nodded and thanked him.

"I understand, thank you for your suggestion."

"You're welcome. If he can really find Lord Fros, it would certainly be a great thing for us... Sigh, we've really suffered a lot since Lord Fros disappeared. Before him, there was also your Saintess Class's teacher, Miti, who also disappeared without a trace."

"..."

Naka already knew the whereabouts of these two men perfectly well, and they were both directly or indirectly related to her. But no matter how distressed they were, Naka couldn't tell them the truth. Faced with his complaints, she could only remain silent.

Then, the staff mentioned another name.

"And then there's Ms. Misha, Ms. Mitian's sister. She was originally in charge of admissions, but she suddenly disappeared before the new semester started... Fortunately, she formally submitted her resignation, unlike the other two who just vanished into thin air. Her explanation is the same as Oz's; she also believes that her sister and Lord Frost's disappearances were due to encountering danger, and because she didn't trust the people in the capital, she went out to search for them herself. As for whether she went with Oz, I'm not sure. Sigh... Why do all the key figures leave without saying goodbye? Leaving behind a huge pile of work that no one can handle, leaving us temporary replacements."

"Misha..."

Naka remembered that on the first day of the graduation exam, a person with this name came to her Saintess class, tearfully explaining the exam to the saintess. Recalling that person's appearance, Naka suddenly realized that the person who came to the classroom was the seemingly calm and unapproachable admissions teacher who had initially received her, Jasmine, and Tasia.

"So she's Teacher Mitian's sister..."

She wasn't anyone particularly noteworthy to Naka, but the fact that two people who thought they had nothing in common suddenly found themselves connected still made Naka sigh.

"So, is there anything else?"

They told Naka as much information as possible, and then grumbled a little. After finishing this trivial chatter, the staff checked with Naka again. By then, Naka had nothing else to inquire about at the school.

"No, that's all. Thank you. I'll remember."

"Do you know how to get to Gersted? After leaving Sunflower Town, head north, through a village, around a lake, and then west. That's the first big city you'll see. It'll take about five days by carriage, and almost twenty days on foot... If Oz walks there, you might even catch up with him by carriage."

Thank you for letting me know.

Naka had indeed never been to a place called Gesde Town. Therefore, she couldn't use "Demon King's Authority: Wormhole" to instantly travel there. The staff member's well-intentioned reminder unwittingly became the catalyst that completely destroyed a hero with immense potential and a bright future. Naka thanked him with a meaningful smile before leaving the school filled with bitter memories.

In order to find Oz as quickly as possible, the staff recommended that Naka take a horse-drawn carriage to the town of Gested. However, Naka did not take his advice.

Although she had begun her search for Oz, the situation in the capital, specifically in Lucy's territory, was also progressing steadily. To stay informed about the progress on both sides, Naka had to frequently return to the capital. The journey by carriage would take five days, and she had given Lucy three days. If she suddenly disappeared back to the capital within those three days, it would inevitably arouse the suspicion of the coachman. If she didn't return to the capital within those five days, she might miss important intelligence from there. Therefore, Naka ultimately decided to travel on foot to Fros's hometown.

The road to Gersde Town was wide and flat. Standing on high ground, there were no visible curves or bends. Naka believed that with her speed and stamina, even without using the "Demon King's Power," she could reach Gersde Town within twenty days. After all, a twenty-day journey would be exhausting for a human, including the time spent resting along the way. But Naka wouldn't.

She stepped onto the main road, moving at a fairly swift but not suspicious pace. For the Demon King, at this speed, she could walk for a year without tiring. However, Naka wasn't oblivious to her surroundings, blindly rushing forward. When pedestrians approached from the opposite direction, Naka would stop and ask if they had seen a boy a head taller than her, slender, with short black hair. She said his name was Oz.

Because of the trouble Tatia caused during the graduation exam, her name is practically a household name among adventurers. Almost everyone you ask will say they know her. However, most people have only heard of her by name and have never seen her. When Naka asks them if they've seen her and where she went, they all shake their heads, saying they don't know.

Naka walked and asked questions along the way, but still received no information about Oz's whereabouts. Naka was somewhat disappointed, but not discouraged. The only way to find him now was to head to Fros's hometown, the brave man who admired Fros and vowed to find him. Aside from talking to people, Naka maintained a steady pace. What would take an ordinary person two days, she covered in half a day. By this time, darkness had fallen. The stars began to twinkle in the night sky. Before she knew it, evening had arrived. Naka, preoccupied with her journey and inquiries, realized that it was almost nightfall.

"Hmm, how about we call it a day?"

Although the letter Naka left for Lucius this morning said she would return tomorrow night, that was merely extra time Naka had created to prevent any unforeseen circumstances along the way. Right now, she should first use the "wormhole" to return to Lucius's home and exchange information with her. Then she could consider continuing her journey. After all, she was already here, and next time she could simply use the "wormhole" to start again from her current location.

However, she reconsidered. Appearing out of nowhere on such a wide road would be too conspicuous. She might easily be spotted by someone passing by. Using this broad road as a marker for her return journey seemed unsuitable. She looked around, searching for a place with some cover to offer her some protection when teleporting back.

"Hmm? That's..."

Soon, Naka made a discovery. Flames flickered not far ahead of her. Small buildings could be clearly seen around the flames.

She remembered that a school staff member had told her that the journey to Gersted would first pass through a village. Judging from the number of lights in the distance, the village didn't seem sparsely populated.

Ordinary travelers might never meet Oz. But if Oz did indeed travel to Gesar, he would very likely pass through this village. Therefore, the people living in this village would very well have had a brief encounter with Oz.

"...Let's go visit that village one last time."

Before returning to the capital, Naka decided to go to the village to find out more.

Upon entering the village, Naka first observed the situation of the village.

This was a medium-sized village, perhaps slightly larger than Jasmine's hometown. There were no bustling crowds like in a big city, nor any adventurous figures brandishing swords. Only the simple villagers, carrying sickles and hoes, returning home from the fields after a day's work. This scene reminded Naka of the secluded, beautiful, and warm place where she had lived for two years.