The Fake Saintess and the Elf Warrior

Money always runs out eventually. Instead of living off past savings, it's better to find a teammate to secure a stable income. Naka nodded in agreement with Jasmine's view. Furthermore, Jasmine, whose dream was to help others, wouldn't be content to stay cooped up in a small house doing nothing.

From Naka's perspective, the battle with Tatya was purely accidental. The money she gained was also a windfall, and who knew when she would have another similar opportunity? Besides, her trip to the human world wasn't for making money, but rather to investigate potential heroes and nip them in the bud. Forming a team was Naka's primary goal. Therefore, the two quickly reached an agreement.

"Let's leave this money as our seed money for now. Anyone who needs it can take it; there's no need to distinguish between you and me."

"it is good"

That noon, they arrived at the bank in Isad Town. Naka kept only the same amount she had brought with her when she first arrived in Isad as living expenses; the rest was deposited into the bank account Jasmine had opened in Isad Town. The deposited money was not a small sum, and it also served as a testament to the two saints' somewhat unexpected life over the past month. They decided to regroup and get everything back on track.

After leaving the bank, they headed to the Adventurers' Guild again. However, before setting off, Jasmine went to a clothing store first. When she returned, she was carrying a huge scarf and a hat.

"Jasmine, what's this?"

"It's all to help you with the disguise. It's all thanks to the commotion caused by that powerful saintess yesterday. If you just swaggered over like that, who knows what might have happened on the way. Sigh, I'm really worried you still won't find any teammates."

A scarf covered her face, and a hat concealed her hair. This way, she wouldn't be noticed by passersby. Naka couldn't help but reflect: she had acted too impulsively. She had intended to deal with the adventurers discreetly, but instead, she had become the center of attention.

It was the height of summer, and the scarf and hat—unsuitable attire—made Naka feel instantly sweltering. To avoid causing a commotion, she endured it... but as she walked, everyone who passed her silently cast her gaze. There seemed to be a hint of admiration in their eyes. Only then did Naka notice a more crucial issue and turned to Jasmine, saying...

"Seriously, wouldn't dressing like that just make you more conspicuous on such a hot day?"

"You are conspicuous, but as long as you cover your face, even if someone looks at you, no one will recognize you. Don't worry."

Naka inexplicably felt like she'd been played by Jasmine. However, no one recognized her until she arrived at the guild entrance. It was a close call, but ultimately harmless.

However, even before I opened the door, the sounds from inside could be heard through it.

"Mr. Ijima! Please! If you don't let me take this mission, my father will..."

"Rules-wise, it's not impossible. But I'm genuinely worried about your safety. You'd better go home and practice your level first."

One of the adult male voices belonged to the guild leader. His name appeared to be Ijima. The other voice, however, was all too familiar to Naka.

"Jasmine, let's go back today."

"I never expected him to be here too... Maybe you two really are destined to meet."

"Sigh... Is today a day to avoid going out?"

Jasmine sighed and rubbed her forehead. Naka, on the other hand, looked like she wanted to slip away.

It was strange, really. Naka hadn't seen him once in the first month she'd been in the city. But these past few days, it was as if he'd latched onto her, and she couldn't shake him off no matter where she went. Naka couldn't help but wonder if she really was cursed.

"I won't give up! If you won't let me take on the quest, then I'll go fight the monsters myself!"

After that, a series of hurried footsteps approached the door, followed by a loud bang as the door was flung open by someone coming out of the house.

"ah"

Sure enough, the one who came out of the house was the brave young man, Tatia, who had been defeated by Naka yesterday.

The saintesses, who had recognized Tatsia's voice long ago, were somewhat prepared, but Tatsia hadn't expected a familiar face to be standing right at the door. She hadn't noticed Naka at first. But after noticing Jasmine, she immediately recognized the saintess beside her, shorter than Jasmine, who was constantly covering her face with her scarf.

"The Violent Saintess Sister!"

"Who's this violent saintess?!... Seriously, aren't you annoying me?"

Now that she had been exposed, Naka had no choice but to untie her scarf, remove her hat, and reveal her true appearance. She even deliberately put on a fierce expression.

"What? Still want to fight? Yesterday you yelled at the top of your lungs and called a bunch of people over, and you made a fool of yourself in front of everyone. Maybe it'll look better if you don't yell so loudly today..."

He thought Tatya would still angrily strike. But this time, before Naka could even finish speaking, tears welled up in her eyes, and her cheeks puffed up in anger. Naka's words caught in her throat, her mouth agape, unsure what to do.

"you..."

"Waaaaaah! It's all your fault, sister! The guild won't let me take on any quests now!"

Naka tried to stop her, but she was too late. Tatya burst into tears again. Afraid that her crying would cause further trouble, Naka scooped Tatya up in her arms and ran into the alleyway.

"Naka! Where are you going?!"

"Excuse me, please wait there for a moment. I need to speak with this young man alone!"

"Ugh, really..."

Left behind, Jasmine could only sigh helplessly. She just didn't understand why Naka didn't want her to follow. She hadn't yet asked Naka what had happened between them.

"Perhaps it's some personal matter."

.....

"Hey, let me tell you this first, as long as you don't cry, everything's fine, okay?"

After finding a secluded spot, Naka put Tatsia down and immediately told her not to cry. Naka couldn't stand this.

Although Tatya was still sobbing, she had stopped crying and was now able to listen attentively. So Naka asked her a question directly.

"You just said the guild won't let you accept quests, what's going on?"

"Mr. Ijima, the person in charge, said... I lost a fight to you, sister, who is not a combatant, yesterday... so he doubts my abilities and thinks it would be dangerous for me to go on a mission..."

"...I don't think there's anything wrong with what he said."

During her battle with him, Naka realized he lacked combat experience. Judging from the situation on the mountain that day, even the lowest-ranking monster, Inosishi, would be difficult for this boy to defeat even after several days of effort. Against slightly stronger monsters, he might be in mortal danger. Naka felt that not sending him on missions was the right decision.

"But! But if I don't do the tasks, I won't get the money. Without the money, my dad will..."

"Your father? What happened to him?"

"he..."

Tatia started to speak, but then seemed to realize something immediately. After stammering for a while, she finished the sentence with a guilty expression.

"...He's sick, I need to earn money to buy him medicine."

"What illness?"

"......pulmonary disease"

"How long have you been sick?"

"...It's been about three years."

The more Naka pressed for answers, the longer Tatya hesitated before replying. Her uneasy expression became increasingly obvious. Clearly, she was hiding something.

But this has nothing to do with Naka.

"Really? That's a shame. If you want to make money by completing tasks, you should take the manager's advice and go back to practice some more. Also, don't ever show your face in front of me again."

After saying that, Naka turned and walked away. She had brought him here only to avoid causing Tatsia any trouble. She had only casually inquired about Tatsia's family affairs; Naka had no intention of interfering. Seeing Naka about to leave, Tatsia quickly rushed forward and grabbed her sleeve.

"No... Sister, don't go!"

"Huh? What?"

"You...you are very powerful, but your proper role is that of a saintess...please, please save my father?"

Taqia looked at Naka with clear eyes. He no longer possessed the fierceness of a few days ago, and had gained a touch of innocence. But even this couldn't move Naka.

"Your father? What does that have to do with me? Besides, I'm just a novice saintess. I can only heal wounds; I haven't learned any magic to cure diseases yet. You should find someone else."

"For example, if you don't want to, then..."

Naka had clearly rejected him, but Tatsia didn't seem inclined to give up. He reached into his tattered pocket, pulled something out, and placed it in front of Naka.

It was a piece of paper, with the words "Application Form" written in large characters at the top.

"Sister, please team up with me!"

The Boy's Invitation (Part 2)

Because of what had happened in the past few days, Naka initially thought he was going to pull out some weapon, so she immediately dropped her "disguise" and became more alert. Only when she saw the words "application form" did she release her hand, which had been holding a portion of her magic power.

"Team up? You? With me?"

Tatia nodded vigorously.

"Yesterday, when I lost to you, I felt so bad because of my own helplessness. I'm always so clumsy when I'm alone, and even if I succeed at a task, it takes me a long time... Mr. Ijima said he's not comfortable letting me do tasks alone, and he'll only consider it if someone is willing to team up with me. You're amazing, sister! I want to ask you for help!"

"Why me? Why don't you team up with someone else? There are so many classes with real combat power. I'm just a saintess who only knows how to play tricks."

At this point, Tatia's expression turned very sad. Her hand holding the application form fell limp, and her voice lowered considerably.

"I've teamed up with other teams a few times, but it always fell apart quickly... It's been a long time since anyone's been willing to team up with me..."

"..."

If it were someone with his inefficient and dangerous fighting style, and his reckless and immature personality, naturally no one would be willing to fight him. It's not that other adventurers discriminate against or underestimate him. The responsibility lies with him. For his age, his Lv5 level and stats are quite unremarkable.

He lacked any distinctive abilities and had many flaws that left others bewildered. This was the fundamental reason why he couldn't be included in a team. Even Naka, eager to find a team, didn't want to be so desperate. But she didn't know how to bring it up. If she directly rejected him, he would most likely start crying again after finally calming down. It was difficult to phrase things tactfully so he wouldn't throw a tantrum. Naka could only remain silent for now.

However, in Tatsia's view, Naka's silence meant that she wasn't opposed to it; she was already considering the possibility of teaming up with her. So she quickly stepped forward and held the application form up to Naka again.

"Please! What happened the other day was all my fault, please forgive me!"

Naka, who had initially intended to refuse him, began to waver upon seeing the boy's appearance.

Naka hadn't completely let go of what happened a few days ago. But right now, she wanted to prioritize her most important plan. She had already tested the young man's abilities and capabilities. He wasn't even a match for her when she was a saintess, let alone a demon king. Even if the prophesied hero did exist, it couldn't be him. Teaming up with him just to confirm the hero's identity would be a complete waste of time.

However, Naka's biggest obstacle to forming a team right now is the excessive number of mission failures and teammate deaths, which has left her in an awkward situation where she can't form a team and can't continue her plans. Although Tatsia isn't someone you can work with long-term, if she can use her to increase her mission success rate, it would pave the way for future plans. As long as she lowers the failure rate, more adventurers will come to Naka to team up. This is a good opportunity to turn a negative into a positive. From this perspective, teaming up with her is also profitable. Emotionally speaking, Naka can empathize with the pain of not being able to find a team after repeatedly trying to form one. She can't help but feel a little pity for her.

She couldn't actually team up with him. But she also couldn't let this opportunity slip away and put herself in a passive position again. After weighing the pros and cons and her feelings, Naka extended her index finger.

"One month. I'll team up with you for a month first, as a trial period. If you satisfy me within this month, we can team up for a longer period."

The plea was answered, and Tatsia's eyes immediately lit up, as if stars were about to appear. He bowed repeatedly to Naka.

"That's wonderful! Thank you so much! Thank you so much, Holy Maiden!"

"No need to thank me. If you really want to cure your father's illness, you'd better perform well in the next month, improve your abilities, and don't let the guild members think that you can't do anything on your own."

"Okay! I'll do my best! My name is Tatia, nice to meet you!"

"I know your name..."

Naka took the application form from him. His information was already written on it, and the paper was crumpled and stained, as if it had been in his bag for a long time.

"Takia, fourteen years old, hero... Hmm, that's about what I know."

After reading the information above, Naka returned the application form. She then introduced herself to him.

"My name is Naka. I'm a saintess, and I'm twenty years old."

"Huh? Twenty years old? You look about my age, I thought we were the same age or just a year or two older... Then I'll call you Sister Naka from now on!"

"Whatever you want"

"Yes! Please take care of me, Sister Naka!"

Taqia held Naka's hand tightly, flashing her a radiant smile. Completely unaware of Naka's true identity and purpose, his innocent and overjoyed expression made Naka feel both embarrassed and somewhat guilty for deceiving him. Blushing, she turned her head away and softly replied...

"Please, please take care of me..."

"You've done a good deed, Your Majesty the Demon King."

Far away in the Demon King's castle, Fan had been secretly observing this matter. He already understood Naka's intentions. Naka was doing this to advance her own plans, and on the other hand, she genuinely wanted to help this troubled boy escape his predicament. However, Naka wouldn't admit it verbally.

"What good thing... I'm just using him. Besides, once he becomes stronger, he can handle things on his own instead of bothering me anymore. That's why I did this..."

"Understood, Your Majesty the Demon King."

Fane had known Naka for centuries. He knew better than anyone that Naka was just being hypocritical. However, this call wasn't for that reason. There was an urgent matter at hand.

"Your Majesty, General Kemre has sent a message requesting a meeting with you."

"Kemre? What does he want with me?"

"I don't know. But he said it's a very urgent matter. His magicians will be waiting for you in the forest outside Isaad City tonight."

That was the name of one of Naka's orcish demons. Before setting off, Naka had assigned him to guard a demon stronghold near the Eastern Kingdom to prevent human attacks. For the past two years, he had had no contact with Naka except for regular reports. But the fact that a mage had been specially sent all the way from the Eastern Kingdom to find Isard suggested that something truly serious had happened.

"Understood. I'll go see that magician after midnight tonight."

"Understood"

"Sister Naka? What's wrong?"

While Naka was on the phone with Fain, she seemed to be standing there like a wooden post, lost in thought, in Taqia's eyes. She appeared absent-minded and unresponsive, even when called. It wasn't until the call ended that Naka realized the boy in front of her was grabbing her shoulders and shaking her violently. She quickly waved her hand to stop him.

"What are you doing?"

"Ah, Naka, you finally responded! You were just standing there in a daze, and you wouldn't respond when I talked to you. I was afraid you'd change your mind again..."

"Sorry, I was a little preoccupied just now... What did you want to talk to me about?"

"I'm thinking, since we've already agreed, why don't we submit the team-up application to the guild? Right now."

"Now?"