The Fake Saintess and the Elf Warrior

"Then why did you become an adventurer?"

"Why? To kill time, of course. I've tried countless interesting things in this city. The only thing I haven't done yet is be an adventurer. Anyway, with my resources, I can definitely do anything. Money makes the world go round, right? Hey! Let's go!"

At his command, the ten burly men marched off in unison. Watching this pathetic and laughable scene, Naka was speechless. When the receptionist called him "Young Master," Naka had already suspected something was amiss. Now, Naka only wanted to go back to this morning and strangle the version of herself who had chosen him as her first companion. But regret was useless now. He was a rich and powerful man; if she withdrew before the mission was complete, she might offend him. Naka didn't want to attract so much attention so early in the morning. She had no choice but to bite the bullet and follow.

The outcome, naturally, was exactly as Naka had predicted. This young master claimed to be afraid of others lying about their levels, but he was completely the one crying wolf. Overconfident in his abilities, he insisted on personally confronting the first boar-type monster that attacked them. Naka even cast a physical enhancement spell on him. If this young master were truly level 10, he should have easily won. However, in less than a round, the young master fell under the boar's hooves. The ten burly men scattered immediately, leaving Naka standing there, completely speechless.

"Help...help me..."

This young master was surprisingly resilient; the boar-like monster's attack hadn't killed him, leaving him barely alive. From Naka's perspective, she really wanted to just abandon him. But then she thought, if she let him die in the wilderness, his parents would never let it go. Even if it wasn't Naka's fault, they would insist that she was incompetent, that the saintess who saved her teammates' lives had failed to save their son... Although Naka had never actually seen such humans, judging from the young master's behavior, she could easily imagine how doting and spoiled his family was towards him. Her pretense of peace was likely to be shattered from now on.

Although extremely unwilling, Naka had no choice but to use her demon king persona to drive away the boar-like monster and rescue the young master from its clutches. After providing some basic first aid, she took him back to Isard Town. Before sending him home, Naka reminded his parents not to let him try to do things he couldn't handle, especially not beyond his capabilities. It was for his own good.

Naka's first mission ended in failure.

The first offering

"This is terrible...it's absolutely terrible."

Dejected, Naka slumped listlessly onto the Adventurers' Guild table. Although she hadn't actually participated in the battle or been injured, she felt utterly exhausted. The male receptionist sat opposite her, repeatedly apologizing.

"I'm so sorry, Miss Naka. That man is the son of a very wealthy businessman in our area, and he's invested a lot in our Adventurers' Guild. We really don't dare to contradict him. We can only try to keep our distance from him. Actually, I wanted to stop you when you said you wanted to choose him..."

"You don't need to say anything. It's not your problem."

Naka remained prone and raised her hand to interrupt him. Just listening to him speak made her feel exhausted. Although her current identity was merely a disguise, the fact that the Demon King had given her such a low-difficulty beginner's quest for the first time, only to fail and flee in disgrace, and that she was forced to rescue an arrogant spoiled brat out of fear of human power, made Naka feel utterly humiliated.

Just as Naka was feeling down, the guild doors were suddenly pushed open. A familiar voice rang out from there.

"Naka! Naka! Are you alright!"

"Jasmine?"

Upon hearing the sound, Naka immediately sat up. Before her stood Jasmine, who had rushed from the hotel. She was panting heavily, her face covered in sweat from the tension and exhaustion of her run. But upon seeing Naka, she completely disregarded her own fatigue and rushed forward to embrace Naka tightly.

"Thank goodness... I'm so glad you're alright! I heard you had an accident during your mission, and someone was seriously injured. I was worried that it might be you..."

"Jasmine..."

Jasmine's tears soaked Naka's clothes. These were tears of complex emotions, a mixture of anxiety for her friend and relief at seeing her safe and sound. Even though there were utterly repulsive individuals among humans, like that self-inflicted young master, there were also people like Jasmine who cherished their friends like treasures. Naka slowly wrapped her arms around Jasmine's waist, gently stroking her back.

"I'm sorry I made you worry, Jasmine."

"It's not your fault, Naka. I've heard everything. That warrior lied about his rank and took on a mission beyond his capabilities, and you, Naka, knew nothing about it. It's all that guy's fault for showing off with a little money, which caused you to get into danger. Naka, you don't need to apologize to anyone."

"Yes, that's right."

"That's why I set the team requirements high. Naka, you're too impatient. Let me tell you, teammates in an adventurer's party are important partners to whom you entrust your life. You have to be very, very careful in choosing them before forming a team. It's better to not be able to form a team at all than to just settle for anyone. Otherwise, there will be countless unreliable guys like today. It's like finding a boyfriend; if you choose the wrong one, your whole life might be ruined!"

"Does it have to be an example like finding a boyfriend...?"

Seeing that Naka was no longer depressed and even had the leisure to complain under Jasmine's encouragement, the receptionist dared to interject.

"I'm so sorry, Miss Naka. We knew he wasn't capable enough, yet we still sent you on the mission. We should have stopped you much earlier..."

"You don't need to apologize. I know you have your own difficulties."

Naka waved her hand magnanimously, indicating that she wouldn't pursue the matter. The receptionist was relieved. After all, she couldn't bear the consequences if a scandal that would damage the reputation of the entire Adventurers' Guild were to occur under her watch.

"So, do you still want to team up with the remaining two adventurers? They are definitely not the kind of people who got in by paying bribes; they are genuine adventurers. I assure you of that beforehand."

"Otherwise, I might really start to suspect you."

This "you" doesn't just refer to the receptionist or the guild, but rather to a much broader concept. Anyway, the first mission passed without major incident. Naka agreed to meet the other two adventurers. The receptionist immediately made arrangements for her.

The next day, the second person Naka was to meet: a 21-year-old Lv13 hero met Naka at the guild right on time.

"My name is Pasio, nice to meet you."

Please give me your guidance.

He was a polite and handsome young man. Even without comparing him to the special case on the first day, his first impression on Naka was quite good.

Having learned from her previous experience, Nakatari specifically purchased a Level 5 detection device. She scanned the young man, and the results showed that his ability information was reliable and accurate. Pasio had also heard that the saintess had encountered danger yesterday due to Level 5 fraud, so his extra caution regarding his teammate's true ability value was understandable. Their first meeting at the Adventurers' Guild went relatively smoothly.

Their mission was to travel to a plain some distance from Isard Town. There was a small goblin settlement there that occasionally attacked travelers and villagers, robbing and killing them. Several roadside murders had already occurred.

Because the number of goblins wasn't large, and there was no information about high-ranking goblins appearing, it wasn't considered a difficult mission. Especially since Pasio was only level 13, already a skilled hero with some combat experience. Furthermore, the saintess was there to assist him. Therefore, Pasio never dreamed that he would end up in such a predicament.

"No...impossible...who...are you...?"

Pacio clutched the gaping wound on his stomach, from which blood gushed. He stared in terror at his enemy, who advanced slowly and heavily. Pacio was cornered, unable to retreat even a step.

Upon arriving at their destination, he and Naka quickly located the goblins, killing several and destroying their stronghold. However, a few goblins escaped in the chaos. Pasio pursued the remaining remnants to a village destroyed by the goblins, where he was shocked by the ruins. The scorched earth, the broken bricks and shattered kilns were irrefutable evidence of the heinous acts committed by these goblins. Not even a corpse could be found in the ruins; it was hard to imagine that this was a village inhabited not long ago.

"These monsters are truly unforgivable, don't you think, Miss Naka..."

Before he could finish speaking, the enemy launched an attack from a blind spot that Pacio would never have noticed. It was already night. He didn't see what struck him. He only felt an unbearable pain in his abdomen, followed by a suffocating feeling that made it impossible to breathe. His legs gave way, and he collapsed to the ground. Only then did he see the enemy's true face.

It was no one else, because there was no one else within a radius of several dozen meters. Only Pasio and Naka standing behind him.

Blood dripped from Naka's fingers, falling onto the scorched earth. She stared coldly at Pacio lying on the ground. The unbelievable sight made Pacio ask the question he had just asked in a trembling voice.

"Who am I? Hmm, how should I put it... never mind, just use your own eyes to see for yourself."

As she spoke, Naka pulled an Level 5 detector from her pocket and tossed it to Pacio. Pacio picked it up with all his might and tried to scan it with Naka. The scan results, however, caused him to drop the detector.

"No, this isn't real... Why is the Demon King here?!"

Even disregarding her name and race, the mere mention of "Lv∞" speaks volumes. This girl is no saint. She is the only being in the world to have reached the Lv∞ level—a being whose true form humanity has yet to grasp, even those seasoned heroes have abandoned the idea of ​​defeating her: the Demon King Nama Kalera herself.

"Why are we here? Well, that's a long story."

Naka scratched her head impatiently, using the hand stained with Pacio's blood.

"But you must be very surprised. Why was the Demon King able to successfully register with the Adventurers' Guild? Why did I disguise myself as a saintess? And why did I treat you so cruelly... Oh well, you're going to die soon anyway, and you're the first memorable sacrifice of my journey. So I'll let you die knowing why."

Naka picked up the detection device from the ground, pointed the lens at herself, and handed it to Pacio. The dialogue box then displayed the Saintess's stats at level 4.

"this..."

"Look closely, don't blink."

In an instant, Lv4 became Lv∞. The next instant, it returned to Lv4. Naka's appearance remained unchanged, but her level kept fluctuating between 4 and infinity. Pasio had never heard of such a phenomenon before.

"This is probably incomprehensible to you humans... no, it's probably the same for demons. I'm the only one in the world capable of doing this. Because this is a power unique to me: the effect of the Demon King's authority."

The title of Demon Lord is not merely an empty name. The moment a monster becomes a Demon Lord, it gains a power called "Demon Lord's Authority." It is neither magic nor any kind of spell. Rather, it is a special ability that only a Demon Lord can use. And only a Demon Lord can wield it. To be precise, possessing "Demon Lord's Authority" is proof that a monster has become a Demon Lord. The ability Naka uses to conceal her identity is one of the Demon Lord's Authority: "Disguise." "Disguise" can deceive all ability detection devices and skills, allowing one to freely change their race. Nama Karenla, originally a monster, could not learn the skills of a Saintess. Therefore, only by temporarily transforming her race into a human through disguise could she learn skills that only humans could acquire and thus infiltrate the adventurers' ranks.

"Second question. Why did I disguise myself as a saintess...? Actually, it's quite simple. Because it makes it easier for me to kill you."

The primary responsibility of a Saintess is to provide support to combat classes like heroes, warriors, and mages, offering stamina recovery, wound healing, and enhancements to their attack and defense. She doesn't need to directly engage in combat with monsters. As the Demon King, Naka naturally wants to avoid harming her own kind as much as possible. Secondly, a Saintess only needs to stand at the rear, observing her teammates. She can have a complete view of the entire team, making it the perfect position for observing other adventurers. If she determines that a hero has some talent and might pose a threat to her or the monsters, she can ambush and kill the hero if necessary. Even the most cautious and vigilant hero wouldn't expect the Saintess in their party to suddenly betray them. Therefore, Naka chose the Saintess profession—the one that allows for the most direct observation and the simplest way to kill heroes—as her disguise when infiltrating human society.

"The third question is, why should I kill you? That's even simpler. Because you're quite talented, aren't you?"

From the start of the mission, Naka had been observing Pasio. He calmly devised tactics, successfully catching the goblins off guard at the most opportune moment. In the ensuing battle, he displayed combat abilities beyond his years. His swordsmanship was skillful, his magic powerful, his reactions quick, and he remained calm and composed. His qualities as an adventurer were impeccable. Given time, he would surely become a formidable hero. Moreover, he had indeed killed several goblins. Although goblins were low-level monsters, they were still Naka's kin. Therefore, Naka decided to kill him.

Naka calmly explained his doubts to Pacio one by one. This, however, raised new questions for Pacio.

"Why, why are you telling me all this...?"

"Didn't I tell you? You're my first sacrifice on this journey... To put it bluntly, you're the first person I've killed since I started this disguise. You're really unlucky. So I want to make it up to you a little by telling you everything. Anyway, you can't tell anyone else."

"Did you deliberately miss...?"

Since the opponent was a Demon Lord of Level ∞, there were countless ways to kill a mere Level 13 hero instantly. Yet Naka spared his life. Only now did Pasio understand Naka's intention: she wanted to announce her plan to him. Naka preferred the grotesque, twisted expressions of despair and fear on a human's face before death to a death shrouded in mystery.

"Of course. Who do you think I am? If I wanted to kill you, you wouldn't even have time to react. So, aren't you grateful that I let you die knowing why? The heroes after you won't get this special treatment. Alright, I've answered all your questions, so you have no regrets now. Although I could also let you die from blood loss, that kind of death would be too painful. After all, you are my first... don't misunderstand, not in that sense. Well, in short, I'll just give you a quick death."

As Naka closed in, she spoke in words that Pacio could no longer understand. But what would happen next was already obvious. Pacio, his mouth twitching and bleeding, pleaded for mercy in a barely audible voice.

"No...no...I don't want to die...Demon King, Demon King, please spare my life..."

Naka ignored him. She stretched out her fingers and placed her entire palm on Pacio's face. Finally, she gave Pacio a sweet smile.

Farewell, hero.

After saying that, the hero's head shattered.

An imminent crisis

"Fan, this is bad, really bad... This is a huge mess we've made!"

"No, don't worry, Your Majesty. There will definitely be a chance..."

As the saying goes, man proposes, God disposes. Despite Naka's painstaking planning and tireless efforts, the outcome was completely unexpected, spiraling out of control towards the most dire consequences. Even Farn, trapped in the Demon King's castle, was utterly powerless. He could only awkwardly offer Naka comfort, unable to provide any solutions. None of them had anticipated such a massive oversight in their seemingly flawless plan, plunging Naka into a life-or-death crisis.

"I didn't expect that I could only hold on for three more days at most."

"Your Majesty, you mustn't be so pessimistic..."

"Three days is already a very optimistic estimate."

Naka desperately wanted to escape this reality. But reality always finds its way back. No matter where Naka ran, she would eventually have to face this problem. Time ticked by. With each passing second, a heavier burden and pressure were added to Naka's heart. Naka had to admit that she had seriously underestimated humanity. Lv∞ and the Demon King's power were now utterly ineffective. Naka's terrified eyes stared at the source that even the Demon King feared, and with her trembling left hand, she picked up... a shrunken cloth bag.

"Because the prices here are just too expensive..."

Yes. She has no money now.

The mission failed, but the plan succeeded. This was Naka's summary of her mission with Pacio. Afterwards, Naka ordered the goblins to destroy Pacio's body. She then returned and claimed that Pacio had been ambushed and killed by the goblins. By the time the Adventurers' Guild sent a large force to verify, Pacio's body was already in a gruesome state. Even the cause of death was unconfirmed. The Adventurers' Guild ultimately had no choice but to accept Naka's explanation. Thus, the Demon Queen Kalena successfully killed the hero while maintaining her innocence.

Naka wanted to continue her encounter with the 15-year-old hero, but the receptionist said he had already teamed up with others while Naka and Pacio were on their mission. Naka had no choice but to give up. Her remaining targets were the other adventurers who had sent invitations.

Among the adventurers Naka later encountered were many talented and promising individuals, as well as quite a few mediocre ones who barely passed the test, and even some incompetent individuals who simply coasted along. The truly capable teammates were all killed by Naka during missions, their deaths disguised as accidents or monster attacks. The mediocre and incompetent either genuinely died at the hands of monsters before Naka could intervene, or were deemed harmless by Naka and miraculously survived. Naka's records show that most of her team-building experiences ended with the deaths of her teammates, a small number barely surviving, and a very small percentage with successful missions. In short, aside from a handful of successful missions, the rest were all failures. The few successful ones were mostly low-difficulty missions like fighting human bandits, not worth the attention of any even slightly capable adventurer.

For the Demon Queen Kalena, the results of her observations over the past month were quite satisfactory. The proportion of truly capable human adventurers was low; most were just charlatans. Those with real ability all met untimely deaths. The Demon Queen had steadily weakened the human side's capabilities. However, for the Saintess Naka, her numerous failed missions and horrifying number of her teammates' deaths would only have one consequence: in the past few days, not a single adventurer had extended an invitation to her. Even when Naka extended invitations to other adventurers, not a single one replied.

Mission failure meant no reward. No reward meant no income. A month after arriving in Isaad Town, Naka's gold coins were finally running out. Now, more pressing than her grand ambitions of conquering the world, Naka was worried about how to fill her stomach.

"Naka, you are truly a rare talent, you could even be called genius... Do you know what the adventurers outside call you?"

"I know. They call me the cursed saint."

"I think you'd better find a fortune teller to take a look at you. Maybe you really are a once-in-a-century jinx, the kind who brings bad luck to your teammates."

"Don't mention fortune tellers to me. I hate guys who casually talk about other people's futures."

Jasmine, who used to cry and worry about Naka when she first heard about her mission failures, has recently become completely used to it, or rather, numb to it. No matter how gruesome the deaths of her teammates are, Naka always returns unharmed. Later, Jasmine even learned to calculate Naka's return time to town based on the time the intelligence about her team's mission failures came in, and prepared bathwater for her in advance to welcome her back.

During this time, Jasmine also formed a team and successfully completed the mission. However, in the end, perhaps due to appearance or personality issues, Jasmine felt that the heroes were not suitable as boyfriends and disbanded the team. Now, like Naka, she is in a state of idleness, waiting for the next instruction at the inn. When there is really nothing to do, the two saintesses will have the above-mentioned joking conversation. Jasmine has at least completed several rather difficult tasks and has earned some rewards that she can spend. Naka, on the other hand, has truly reached the end of her rope. Even after deducting all unnecessary expenses, Naka will soon be unable to afford the inn's accommodation and three meals a day. Thinking of herself, a demon lord, reduced to such a state, Naka couldn't help but sigh.

"You don't need to look so gloomy. You're a saintess who's much more capable than me. The fact that I've completed several missions only proves that it's not a problem with you as a saintess, but rather that the adventurers you're paired with are just too weak."

Jasmine quickly comforted him.

Joking aside, seeing Naka's worried expression, Jasmine felt a pang of sympathy. After so many failures, Naka must be incredibly sad, Jasmine thought.

Jasmine knew exactly what was troubling Naka. After all, they had traveled together from the same village, and Jasmine knew exactly how much Naka had and how long she could last. To help her friend in her predicament, Jasmine decided to generously offer her assistance.

"It's just money, right? I'll cover your accommodation and food expenses for the next few days. You can pay me back after you successfully complete the mission and receive your reward."

That's what they say. Even if Naka is unable to repay, Jasmine will never pursue the matter. Upon hearing this, Naka jumped up, leaned on the table, tightly grasped her understanding friend's small hand, and looked at her with teary eyes.

"Jasmine, I will never forget your great kindness and generosity."

"That's...that's way too exaggerated..."

In Naka's eyes now, Jasmine is like a savior. The problem that had been troubling her for several days was thus solved.

That being said, they couldn't rely on Jasmine forever. It was impossible to predict when Jasmine would be able to go on missions again. Even if she did, the missions weren't guaranteed to succeed. If she had to bear all the expenses for both of them alone, she would eventually reach her limit. Naka couldn't remain indifferent; she should find something to do to relieve Jasmine's stress. With this in mind, Naka held a small meeting with Fain during a break when Jasmine was away.

"It seems the plan to eliminate the hero will have to be put on hold for now, Fan."

"Judging from the current situation, you really should tone it down a bit. Although I feel very sorry for our demon people, if you don't successfully complete a few missions, it will be difficult to continue with the next plan."

"If I could, I would have done that already. But the Saintess class can't take on quests solo. If I don't team up with others through a guild, even if I kill a few monsters, the guild won't recognize me. Besides, wouldn't it be very suspicious for a Saintess to return from battle alone?"

Now that you mention it, it really is true...

"I originally chose the Saintess profession because it's convenient for observation and ambushes. I didn't expect it to have this backlash... What a miscalculation. Do you have any ideas, Fan?"

Complaining won't solve anything. The important thing is how to get out of this situation. After a moment of thought, Fain offered his opinion.

"Your Majesty, perhaps you should do this..."

"..."

Fane spent a long time explaining his idea. To be honest, Naka didn't think Fane's suggestion was a good one. But for now, there was no other way but to give it a try.

A Fateful Encounter

The next day, Naka lied to Jasmine, saying she had something to take care of, and left the inn early in the morning, disappearing into a deserted alley. After confirming that no one was around, she used the power of "Demon King's Authority: Disguise" to transform her appearance into that of the young warrior who had once been her partymate and hadn't died. She then headed directly to the Adventurers' Guild.

Fane's proposal was for Naka to impersonate other adventurers and complete missions. Disguise could not only change race, but also the Demon King's appearance and voice. However, Naka was naturally human, so there was no need for her to change her appearance to blend in. It was just unexpected that this ability would come in handy in this situation.

Unlike the Saintess, heroes, warriors, and mages, who possess combat abilities, can accept quests independently. Naka accepts a quest disguised as a warrior, then removes the disguise upon arrival at the destination, uses the Demon King's power to defeat the monster, and then returns to her warrior form to complete the quest. In this way, Naka can successfully obtain rewards without teaming up with others.

Fane said it was theoretically possible. But Naka wasn't sure if it would actually work. You can't accept a quest if you're not a registered adventurer. So you have to impersonate an adventurer who's currently alive and registered with the guild. But because the target is alive, if you're unlucky, the two might bump into each other at the guild or on the street. If that happens, Naka will have no way to explain herself. Even if Naka escapes, once the identity theft is exposed, the guild will strengthen its verification of adventurers accepting quests. At that point, this tactic will be much harder to implement.