The Fake Saintess and the Elf Warrior

"Sister, let's team up. We can go back together to turn in the quest. How about it?"

It's common for adventurers to meet in the wild and spontaneously decide to team up, whether out of shared ideals or a desire to fight side-by-side. Therefore, the Adventurers' Guild recognizes team requests made during quests. As long as you return to submit a team request and then come back to retrieve Inosishi's body, you'll receive the reward. Furthermore, with a team, Naka no longer needs to impersonate someone else and can legitimately accept quests. Currently, it's certainly the best strategy.

"don't want!"

However, the boy refused.

"You're only teaming up with me to get a share of my earnings, aren't you?! I won't fall for that! Why would I share my earnings with you!"

Naka's hand stopped in front of the boy, but he wouldn't even glance at it, stubbornly turning his head away. The Demon King's well-intentioned advice had been met with a refusal. Naka withdrew her hand, hiding it behind her back for the third time.

"Fan, you heard it too. That brat won't listen to reason. This problem can't be solved by communication anymore. Don't blame me for this."

Because Naka had reached her limit of patience, she didn't try to conceal her movement. The boy, who had turned around, witnessed this. He assumed Naka was about to pull out a weapon. He immediately gripped his sword and aimed it at Naka.

"Want to fight?! I won't hold back just because you're a girl!"

"You little rascal, you'd better not regret this..."

A callow youth, unable to even wound a wild boar, dared to disrespect the Demon King. His defiance only fueled Naka's rage. She didn't hesitate, extending her right hand and raising it high above her head. What this gesture meant was crystal clear to Fan.

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger!"

"Too late, Farn. Since this kid asked for it, I'll let him have his just desserts."

"Even if you wanted to kill him, you didn't need to use this magic..."

"Killing him alone wouldn't be enough. But if he doesn't die from this attack, my hatred won't be appeased."

Enraged, Naka no longer intended to use the ineffective magic needles. Instead, she unleashed something far more powerful. A massive amount of magic began to gather. Sensing that Naka was about to unleash something extraordinary, the boy assumed a fighting stance, nervously observing Naka's movements.

Then at this moment

"HI!!"

The seemingly lifeless Inosis suddenly let out a piercing scream and stood up from the ground. Thin lines of blood were still seeping from its forehead.

"Varied...!"

"Ah! You're still alive! Looks like I didn't hit you hard enough."

This wasn't particularly surprising to the boy. But for Naka, who had personally carried out the deed, it was an absolutely impossible scene. She was completely stunned.

"HI!!!"

Inosixi seemed to spot the boy nearby and slammed him to the ground. Then, she charged into the woods like a madwoman and disappeared in an instant.

"Hey! Don't run away!"

Seeing that his prey was still alive, the boy disregarded his confrontation with Naka and followed Inosishi into the woods. In just a few seconds, Naka was left alone in the spot.

"Ah! They escaped! Your Majesty, you must chase after them... Your Majesty?"

Despite Alyn's repeated calls, Naka neither moved nor responded. She simply stood there motionless. After a long while, she finally spoke and asked...

"Fan, is that wild boar an undead like you?"

"No, that's not true. There's absolutely no record of anything like it."

"But I clearly punched through his skull and destroyed his brainstem. How could he still be standing?"

"This...this subordinate is also...forgive my lack of knowledge and understanding..."

"..."

She was a great demon king with limitless power. No matter how strong a hero or monster, none could survive a single round against her. Naka, who had always firmly believed in her power, naturally could not accept this fact that was enough to shatter her confidence.

Monsters that should have died can be resurrected? Neither Naka, the Demon King, nor Fan, a high-ranking official, had ever heard of such a thing.

Naka was struck by both the power and the knowledge, staring blankly at the footprints left by the monster as it fled, unable to sort out her thoughts.

Soon, cries for help, roars, and commands from an adventurer directing others into battle echoed from the foot of the mountain. Naka intended to handle the situation discreetly, but the Inosishi ultimately came into the sight of the other adventurers.

"Your Majesty, now is not the time to go looking for that monster. Let's retreat quickly, or if someone else sees you..."

Now, Naka's mind was in complete chaos. Countless emotions were constantly assaulting her reason. In just one day, Naka had experienced far too many unexpected events. No money, fearfully impersonating someone else, monsters that shouldn't be here, a boy stealing her prey, monsters inexplicably resurrecting, risking everything all day only to flee in disarray, reaping nothing... All these negative thoughts flooded Naka's mind at once. Finally, anger broke through the last line of defense of reason. Naka raised her fist and slammed it heavily onto the ground...

In an instant, the entire West Mountain shook violently.

An unexpected reunion

Recently, a problem has been troubling Saint Jasmine: her close friend, Saint Naka.

A few days ago, Naka rushed out early in the morning, saying she had some things to take care of. When she returned, she looked travel-worn and her eyes were vacant, as if she had experienced something devastating. After returning, Naka went straight to sleep without saying a word, and for several days she remained in a daze, locking herself in her room and refusing to step out.

When Jasmine spoke to her, Naka only gave her a dismissive look. No matter what topic Jasmine tried to discuss, Naka would brush it off with a few words of perfunctory response.

In the two years they'd known each other, this was the first time Jasmine had seen Naka like this. Even when asked what was on her mind, Naka wouldn't say a word. Pressed to the end, all Naka would say was, "Leave me alone." Jasmine didn't know how to comfort her.

Naka has barely eaten anything these past few days. She'll occasionally take a couple of bites, then immediately say she has no appetite and push the food away. Jasmine is really worried about Naka's health. That day, she bought another bag of food and placed it in front of Naka.

"Eat something, Naka. No matter what happened, you can't ruin your health."

Naka shook her head and said she had no appetite.

Jasmine had always felt that Naka possessed an inexplicable maturity. But at this moment, she was behaving like a child throwing a tantrum. Jasmine simply used the same approach as when soothing a child, gently stroking Naka's head. Perhaps because the gesture was too sudden, and because Naka had never imagined she would be patted on the head, she finally reacted.

"Jasmine, what are you doing?"

"Because you won't tell me anything, I don't know what to say to you. But seeing how down you are, I feel I should do something for you, so this is all I can do."

"I don't need you to do anything for me..."

"Really? Then I'll forget about paying your accommodation fee?"

"No, that's..."

"So Naka, you'd better just stay put."

"..."

As soon as Naka tried to get up, Jasmine deliberately pressed her head down harder, as if she didn't want her to get up. Naka had no choice but to sit down obediently, continuing to feel the soft touch of Jasmine's palm on her head while covering her slightly flushed cheeks.

Jasmine's tactic was quite effective; Naka, who had been isolating herself in her own inner world for days, finally became more obedient. Seeing this, Jasmine suggested...

"I said, let's grab something to eat later, then go out for a walk to clear our heads."

"If you want to go, you can go by yourself..."

"You're the one with a guilty conscience, not me. What's the point of me going out for a walk by myself? How can I feel good if I stay cooped up in a dark, stuffy room? Go out and get some sunshine and fresh air. Maybe you'll see things more clearly."

"Your Majesty, I believe Miss Jasmine's words make sense."

Fan, who hadn't spoken to Naka for several days, also chimed in.

"Locking yourself in your room won't solve anything. Our plan still needs to move forward. I think you should go out and gather some intelligence to prepare for the next phase of the plan. This is both to solve the current problem and to prevent similar situations from happening again in the future."

Both Fan and Jasmine's advice, offered from different perspectives, had their merits, and Naka agreed. If she continued to wallow in despair, the already dire situation would only worsen.

"....Oh well"

"Yes, this is the Naka I know. Come on, eat up!"

Seeing that she had finally persuaded Naka, Jasmine quickly presented the food she had bought to her. It wasn't a lavish meal, just some snacks that hardly qualify as a proper meal. Jasmine had chosen it so that Naka could eat it quickly and replenish her sugar levels.

Naka, who hadn't eaten for several days, finally succumbed to temptation, picked up a pancake, and opened her mouth...

"Boss! Two chocolate tabi-o'-kalas, please!"

"Oh, aren't these the ladies who booked the entire venue last time? You want two this time?"

"Please don't make fun of us... Last time it was our first day in the city, so we just couldn't contain our curiosity..."

Not far after leaving the hotel, they came to the stall where they had tasted Tabioca on their first day in Isad. Jasmine suggested that Naka buy a cup of her favorite Tabioca. Naka sat on a bench while she ran to the stall.

"Here, your favorite chocolate flavor."

A little while later, Jasmine returned. She had bought two drinks with the same flavor and handed one to Naka.

Naka slowly reached out and took it, whispering her thanks.

"Thanks..."

"No need, no need. There's no need for us to be so polite."

As if to make Naka feel at ease, Jasmine sat down close to Naka's body.

"Um... Jasmine? Don't you think you're getting a little too close..."

"No? You must be imagining things."

After saying that, Jasmine pressed herself against him again. Naka immediately understood that this was Jasmine's kindness and said nothing more.

For the rest of the time, the two didn't exchange any words. They simply leaned against each other, sipping their drinks, feeling the gentle breeze, and listening to the sounds of passing cars and conversations. Silence reigned. This was a scene and experience impossible to achieve in a room. And it did indeed ease some of the tension that had been weighing on Naka's mind these past few days.

Recalling the events of the past few days, Naka still couldn't shake the feeling of humiliation. When she was the Demon King, she had never experienced such a profound disgrace. She had thought she could accomplish anything with her power. But reality proved that some things simply don't go as planned.

But that's life; there are always unexpected situations. It's been a very rewarding new experience. Although Naka is incredibly long-lived compared to humans, she's still in her youth among monsters. Naka doesn't reject opportunities to absorb more experience. This failure, if it can become a stepping stone for future success, won't just be frustrating. Even though she doesn't have a clear plan for the next step, she should take action instead of staying home brooding and wasting time.

Perhaps it really did help her clear her head. Naka's mood had improved significantly. She drank her entire beverage in one gulp and murmured softly...

"Thanks"

Although Jasmine had told her there was no need to thank her, Naka couldn't suppress her gratitude. Her whispered thanks were so soft Jasmine didn't hear them. But even just uttering those two words held immense significance for Naka.

"Hurry! Hurry!"

Just then, a carriage drove past them. A group of fully armed adventurers followed nearby, all looking exhausted. A middle-aged warrior at the head urged the driver on, and the group headed straight for the city center.

"That's...!"

In that fleeting moment as they passed each other, Naka saw something wrapped in hemp cloth on the wooden planks of the carriage. Naka jumped to her feet and grabbed Jasmine's hand beside her.

"Jasmine! Come with me!"

"Huh? W-what's wrong?"

Jasmine, of course, was unaware of what was going on. Before she could react, Naka forcefully pulled her up, leaving her no choice but to follow.

"Fan! Fan! Are you there?!"

As Jasmine ran, she clutched the crucifix in her hand and called out to Fane. Fane responded immediately.

"Yes, Your Majesty. What are your orders?"

"I think I've found it."

"What did you find?"

"We found that pig."

The carriage was moving too fast for Farn to notice. But Naka didn't miss that moment. She saw it clearly. From the size of the thing and the color of the fur peeking out from the numb gaps, Naka recognized it at a glance—it was Inosishi, the one she hadn't managed to kill that day.

"What? That wild boar... was it only just dealt with by those adventurers?"

"There's definitely something fishy going on."

The strength of this Inosiri was beyond the capabilities of even a group of adventurers. Even a barely competent adventurer could easily handle it. Quite some time had passed since that day. If so many adventurers had only managed to defeat it today, there must be a reason. This might be directly related to its inexplicable resurrection. Based on this conclusion, Naka decisively decided to investigate.

The carriage did indeed stop at the entrance of the Adventurers' Guild. By the time Naka arrived, a large group of adventurers and curious civilians had already formed a circle. Naka managed to squeeze in with great difficulty.

"Naka, I'm glad you're cheering, but what are you doing here, and why were you running so fast..."

Only then did Naka realize she had been holding Jasmine's hand, and she quickly let go. To be honest, Naka didn't want any humans to know about this. She had intended to keep it a secret and handle it herself. But in a moment of impulse, she somehow ended up pulling Jasmine along. Unable to explain the reason to her, she could only try to gloss over it.

"It's nothing... I just felt there might be something going on here and wanted you to come and take a look..."

"What's going on?"

"Wait, wait! It might not be completely dead yet! Put it on the ground, and then get those chains and tie it up properly!"

Meanwhile, under the middle-aged adventurer's direction, a group of strong young men carefully lifted Inosishi from the carriage and placed her on the ground. Inosishi's hands and feet were tightly bound with thick hemp ropes tied with knots. Her body was covered in horrifying wounds, her internal organs clearly visible. Jasmine felt a wave of nausea and looked away.

"What exactly happened? When I received your distress signal, I couldn't believe it. Was this wild boar really that difficult to deal with?"

The guild leader stared at Inossie with an incredulous expression. This was a low-level quest so simple that no one would even consider it worthwhile. Yet, it had taken a group of adventurers several days of arduous struggle to barely complete it.

"At first, we didn't think it was anything special. But for some reason, no matter how we slashed or attacked it, it didn't react at all. Even though every hit we took was aimed at a vital spot. But can you believe it? It could still move even with its heart pierced. The more we attacked it, the more ferocious it became. It seemed like it was unkillable... Several of our brothers were seriously injured because of this."

The middle-aged adventurer still felt lingering fear as he recalled the battles of the past few days.

"So what happened? How did you bring it back? Is it dead or alive now?"

"We don't know either. During today's battle, someone accidentally struck it, and it suddenly stopped moving. When we checked on it again, we found it wasn't breathing. But because of what happened before, we're not sure if it's really dead. So we tied it up to prevent it from going berserk again. Does your guild have any opinions on this?"

"Well... if what you say is true, then it's true that our guild lacked understanding of this monster and set the difficulty too low. This resulted in many adventurers being injured. Our guild will take responsibility. So, what is the situation regarding casualties?"

"Three warriors and one mage were pushed off the hillside and suffered serious injuries. The others sustained minor injuries. There was also an earthquake in between, but thankfully no one died."