The Fake Saintess and the Elf Warrior

Even if Naka is lucky enough not to run into the person whose identity she's impersonated, the quests she completes will be recorded in the impersonator's file. Once the impersonator checks it, they'll immediately discover the extra quest records, and the impersonation will inevitably come to light sooner or later. The outcome won't change much. To prevent this from being exposed, Naka would have to assassinate the impersonator beforehand. However, the guild, for the sake of protecting personal privacy, won't disclose adventurers' addresses to others. This is extremely difficult to implement. Incidentally, the first young master who teamed up with Naka was so famous that almost everyone in the city knew where he lived, which allowed Naka to take him home. However, Naka instinctively refused to transform into his appearance.

Despite its many shortcomings, it's too late to fix the immediate crisis. The most pressing issue needs to be addressed immediately. Even though it's the worst possible solution, Naka ultimately decided to give it a try.

Now, Naka, transformed into a young warrior, coughed lightly and pushed open the doors of the Adventurers' Guild in a masculine tone.

"Yeah, how are you guys? I'm here to take on the mission."

"It's you! Haven't seen you for days, young man."

"Yes, yes. I've had a few things to take care of these past few days."

Fortunately, the warrior himself wasn't in the guild. Otherwise, the plan would have failed before it even began. But he could still walk in at any moment. And Naka knew only a limited amount about him; if he were to talk to someone from the guild, he might inadvertently reveal his true identity. Therefore, Naka didn't intend to linger. She rushed to the quest board, grabbed a form, and slammed it on the receptionist's desk.

"I want to do this, get it done for me quickly."

The receptionist was startled and somewhat bewildered by the slap. He had no idea why the man was in such a hurry. But unable to discern the reason, he quickly completed the formalities for Naka. The moment he handed the quest form back to Naka, she dashed out like a shot. The guild members exchanged bewildered glances, wondering what he was up to.

"Although he survived, he did team up with that cursed saintess after all, so he might have been affected by some kind of curse."

Someone said this, and the other adventurers nodded in agreement.

Once outside the city gates, Naka began to check the difficulty and requirements on the mission list.

"Heading to West Mountain to hunt boar-type monsters...wait, isn't that...?"

This was the very same quest that the rich young master had accepted when they first teamed up. Because the quest was so easy, it had been sitting there unattended for a month. Taking such a big risk for such a simple quest seemed like a huge waste. But going back to change quests now would be even riskier, since the owner of that face could accept the quest at any time. Thinking this, Naka had no choice but to go with the flow and quicken her pace towards West Mountain.

To avoid attracting attention, Nakat deliberately chose a sparsely populated route. And instead of taking the main road uphill, she opted for rugged paths that were difficult for most people to traverse. Although it took considerably longer, she finally arrived at a mountainous area that most adventurers wouldn't venture into.

"If we get this far, everything should be fine, right?"

After looking around and confirming that there were no unauthorized persons, Naka deactivated her disguise and returned to her original appearance.

"So, next, we need to find that wild boar. Last time we came, we took the main road and encountered it quickly, but I don't know how to find its trail if we start searching from here. Fan, I don't know much about that monster. You should have seen it through the cross last time, right? What are its habits or anything?"

"Please wait a moment, Your Majesty the Demon King."

A rustling sound came from the other end of the cross, seemingly from turning the pages of a book. Farn quickly responded.

"This monster is called Inosishi, and it's not a very strong monster. It's a social monster, often moving in groups."

"Traveling in pairs? But I only saw one last time."

Naka took out the mission sheet and checked the human descriptions of it. The mission requirements only stated the need to defeat one Inosiri. There were no descriptions of multiple Inosiri appearing. Farn, who was also reviewing the files, noticed some issues and immediately added...

"And there's another point worth noting..."

"What?"

"Inosiris should only be a monster that lives in the forests on the eastern border. We've never received any information about them migrating to other places, let alone near a human center like Isaad. Especially in the mountains... It's already strange that Inosiris is here. And as a social animal, it's even more impossible that only one has been sighted by humans."

"In short, a monster that shouldn't be here has appeared on this mountain, right?"

"Yes..."

"What's going on...?"

This question caught Naka's attention. What she initially thought was a simple, neglected task turned out to be surprisingly rewarding. This monster, so weak that no adventurer would even consider it, seemed to be hiding some secret. After all, the monster was her own kind, and as the Demon King, Naka couldn't simply ignore it.

But in any case, we must first find that Inosimira before we can even begin to talk.

"Fan, is there any way to lure it out?"

"Yes, it is. Inosilicon is very sensitive to smells. If we set up bait in various places that emit pungent smells that it likes, such as blood or sweetness, we might be able to lure it here."

"...Are there any other methods?"

However, Naka's trip up the mountain was rushed, and she hadn't prepared any supplies beforehand. This method is temporarily unfeasible.

"If you don't use bait, then you'll have to find it yourself. Inosiris has large hooves, so its footprints are very clear. And because it has a huge appetite, it's likely to leave droppings in various places. You can tell how long ago it stayed in a place by the temperature of its droppings, thus estimating the direction and distance it might have traveled. You can use this information to determine its whereabouts."

"That's easy to say."

Having had similar experiences before, Naka found it easy to search for traces of creatures based on subtle clues. Naka began to move forward, carefully observing her surroundings.

Naka was heading towards the mountain path leading to the summit. It would be best if she could encounter it along the way. If not, she could take advantage of the excellent vantage point at the summit to observe as much as possible of the other areas on the mountain. Naka walked for about an hour without encountering any people or animals.

To alleviate the boredom of the journey, Naka chatted with Fan about trivial things as they walked.

"It's strange, really. Last time I came here with that rich kid, we ran into him right away, but this time I just couldn't find him. Have you ever felt this way, Fane? It's like something that's always in front of you, but when you actually need it, you just can't find it. That's probably how I feel right now."

"Of course, Your Majesty. I recall someone summarizing this phenomenon, something like a law..."

"Wait! What's that?"

Suddenly, Naka's attention was drawn to a broken sapling. The tree was snapped in half, its branches and leaves scattered haphazardly across the road. Something seemed to be stuck to the broken section of the trunk. Its color clashed with the rest of the tree, making it stand out conspicuously.

"This is... a mane?"

Naka leaned closer and picked up the strange-colored object to examine it. It looked like the fur of some animal, with a tuft of fur at the base that seemed to have some bloodstains. And the color of this tuft of fur was exactly the same as the fur of the Inosise that Naka had seen that day.

Naka extended her index finger and gently traced the broken surface, leaving behind still-wet resin that adhered to her finger. It seemed the tree had only recently broken. Looking again at the tree's location, the broken upper half faced the path leading uphill, meaning the tree had been snapped by an upward force. The scattered patterns of the leaves on the tree, like a message left by the deceased pointing to the depths of the grove to the right, seemed to be a clue to the murderer.

After a brief analysis of this intelligence, Naka was able to identify the creature that had broken the tree and determine its whereabouts.

"Fan, I think I've found our target."

"Congratulations, Your Majesty the Demon King"

Beforehand, to avoid missing any details, Naka had slowed her pace. Now that she had determined the direction, Naka rushed forward with all her might. After only a few steps, she spotted Inosishi, whom she was looking for, through a few bushes. Inosishi lay motionless on the ground, her body throbbing irregularly, her breathing rapid and erratic.

"It must have been injured when it bumped into the tree. It's probably resting and recovering here now..."

To avoid alerting the snake, Naka crouched down and approached it stealthily. Naka's cautious manner puzzled Fan.

"Your Majesty, that demon is of a very low level; you don't need to do this..."

"I'm not afraid of it. I'm worried about other adventurers on this mountain."

Over the past month, Naka has completed many missions, some with different objectives, but all leading to this Western Mountain. Numerous adventurers come here daily to complete their tasks. If she were to rashly disturb Inosiri and cause it to go berserk in the mountains, it could very well attract other adventurers. Naka naturally hopes to complete her missions discreetly, avoiding unnecessary trouble. Understanding Naka's intentions, Fane didn't say anything more.

The distance kept shrinking. When they were only ten meters apart, Naka stopped.

"This distance is perfect. It can't avoid it."

With the power of a Level 4 Saintess, it was impossible to kill Inosishi. Therefore, Naka had already shed her disguise; she was now the Level ∞ Demon Lord: Nama Kalena. Killing a wild boar, let alone leveling an entire mountain, would be a piece of cake for the Demon Lord... But Naka didn't want to make a scene, so powerful but noisy magic was useless. Naka had no choice but to choose magic that wouldn't attract anyone's attention, but had a shorter range and lower power. Therefore, she had to quietly close the distance to her target.

Now, the target was within firing range. They hadn't noticed Naka's presence. Looking around, all they saw was lush green grass. There was no one else in sight.

Now was the perfect time to strike. A sharp, needle-like magical energy surged from Naka's hand, pointing towards Inosishi's forehead.

"go!"

At a command, a needle made of magic flew out swiftly, piercing Inosishi's skull with pinpoint accuracy. Inosishi didn't even have time to utter a cry before her body slumped to the ground.

"Good! Success!"

But it wasn't Naka who cheered the victory.

Just as Naka stood up to investigate, a sound that shouldn't have been there came from her right. At the same moment she stood up, another figure darted out of the bushes to her right. The adventurer, still basking in his joy, immediately noticed Naka's movement and looked to his left.

"..."

The two remained locked in this eye contact for a long time without saying a word.

Wasted effort

During this period of silence, Naka wasn't entirely silent. She was communicating with Fain.

Was that guy just here?

"No, I didn't find it..."

"By the way, did he see me use magic just now?"

"have no idea..."

"Then I'll just kill him now to silence him, okay?"

"Please calm down, Your Majesty!"

Naka, rambling incoherently, was clearly flustered. Her pupils seemed to swirl and spin. Fan quickly pulled her back from her panic. Even the Demon King had lost his composure due to the unexpected situation.

Naka took a deep breath with minimal movement, her panic somewhat eased. Though somewhat forced, she managed to maintain her composure. Only then did Naka begin to properly examine this person who had appeared out of nowhere.

The adventurer standing there was almost the same height as Naka. Naka was often mistaken for a thirteen or fourteen-year-old girl, and this adventurer was probably around the same age. His medium-length green hair barely reached his shoulders, and his face was covered in dirt and weeds, suggesting he had been on the mountain for a long time. However, upon closer inspection, his features were quite handsome; if he washed his face, he would likely reveal a beautiful, refined face. He carried a tattered longsword. He appeared to be a young hero.

Observing his clothing further, she noticed a rope tied around his neck, the other end of which was a large patch of turf; he wore a grass-green cloth shirt and a green headscarf; even his shorts and boots were green. Naka finally understood why she hadn't noticed him earlier. The camouflage he wore allowed him to blend perfectly into his surroundings.

While Naka was observing him, his eyes were also darting around, studying Naka's appearance. Fearing Naka's identity would be exposed, Faen quickly reminded her...

"Your Majesty, did you use a disguise?"

"not yet"

Judging by appearance alone, no one would guess that Naka is the Demon King. At least until this boy produced his detection device, Naka had no need to disguise herself. However, the real reason Naka didn't need to disguise herself wasn't like that.

"Should we kill him?"

Naka slowly concealed her right hand behind her back, a surge of magic gathering in her palm, forming a magic needle once more. He had likely witnessed her using this technique to kill Inosishi. If that were the case, then Naka had no choice but to silence him.

"Please wait a moment, Your Majesty the Demon King. We're not sure if he's seen this yet..."

"It's better to kill the innocent than to leave any hidden dangers."

Ignoring Fan's attempts to stop her, Naka's eyes were already fixed on the boy's choked throat, her magic ready to be unleashed...

"Ah! Sister, you're trying to steal my prey! I killed it, I'm not sharing it with you!"

Just one second before the magic circle was about to be cast, the boy had already finished observing Naka. His conclusion was that Naka was also an adventurer who had his eye on the wild boar. He quickly stepped forward and lay down on Inosishi's corpse, gripping it tightly with both hands.

"...Huh? What nonsense are you talking about?"

This scene truly baffled Naka. She was the one who killed the Inosiri. Even if the boy didn't see her attack, it couldn't have been the boy who killed it. Naka believed the boy was simply faking it.

"I'm not lying! I've been watching this guy for days! I chased him all over the mountain, and finally exhausted him to death. I haven't seen you at all these past few days. So I killed him! It has nothing to do with you!"

The boy's self-righteous expression made Naka wonder if she was in the wrong. Thinking about it, the fact that Inosiri had crashed into the tree and the bloodstained mane left on it seemed to match what the boy had said. His filthy appearance suggested he had indeed been on the mountain for several days. It seemed he had accepted the same quest several days ago. Generally, a quest can only be accepted and completed by one adventure party. However, if a quest has been shelved for too long without anyone accepting it, the guild will make an exception and allow multiple adventurers to complete it simultaneously, with the reward given on a first-come, first-served basis, in order to resolve the issue quickly. That's why the boy so vehemently insisted that he killed Inosiri.

Judging from his words, he genuinely didn't realize that he was the one who killed Inosishi. Therefore, Naka suppressed her murderous intent and released the magic needles hidden behind her.

However, one thing is one thing. Naka carefully examined Inosishi's corpse and couldn't find any marks from his sword. Now Naka was 100% certain that she had killed the monster herself, not the boy. Naka wasn't going to back down on that.

"You say you killed it, but what proof do you have? This monster doesn't have any external wounds at all."

"No... there are no external wounds because... that's right! What I inflicted were all internal injuries! It died from internal bleeding, that's why you can't see the wounds!"

"What? Internal injuries?"

Naka had never heard of someone inflicting internal injuries on an opponent with a longsword before. While the sword in the boy's hand was indeed so worn and dilapidated that it seemed unlikely to be able to cut through a monster, this claim was utterly far-fetched. Normally, Naka would have ignored him completely. But after hearing his explanation, she was determined to argue with him.

"Should we cut him open to see if there's internal bleeding? If not, what should we say?"

The boy was not to be outdone

"Even if it wasn't from internal bleeding, what does that have to do with you, sister? Are you trying to say that you killed him? What evidence do you have?"

"this..."

Naka was momentarily speechless. To be honest, she had evidence, but she knew she couldn't say things like she was actually the Demon King and had killed the monster with magic. She also couldn't explain away the fact that she hadn't carried any tools and had used traps or weapons to defeat it. Seeing her hesitation, the boy asserted his ownership of the prey even further.

"Whatever the cause of this monster's death, I was the one who started chasing it, and I was the one who encountered it. So it's mine!"

"This, this kid..."

Judging solely from the conversation, someone unaware of the inside story might think they were fighting over some gold and silver treasure. But even with the most frugal lifestyle, the reward for this mission would only last for two meals at most. However, every little bit helps. Naka, desperate and penniless, didn't want this easy prize to slip through her fingers. What infuriated her even more was that someone was actually trying to steal this tiny piece of meat from her. The murderous intent that Naka had just suppressed surged up again.

"Let's just kill him."

Naka once again hid her hands behind her back, channeling her magic...

"Please wait a moment, Your Majesty the Demon King."

At this moment, Farn suddenly spoke up, interrupting her.

"What are you doing, Farn?"

"To be frank, it's better to avoid trouble. Besides, you're currently struggling to find teammates, so why don't you do this..."

Fan secretly passed on a plan to Naka. Naka nodded after listening. Compared to impersonating someone else to accept a mission, this plan was somewhat more reliable. Naka dispelled her attack magic again and spoke.

"Young man, do you have any other teammates now?"

"No! What do you want to do!"

"I bet you don't either. Who else would have the time to sit with you in this godforsaken mountain for days with such a useless monster? Well then, how about this?"

Naka slowly approached the wary boy and extended her right hand to him.