The Fake Saintess and the Elf Warrior

"At that point, if you stab its insides, it won't digest you in a second."

"But... I can't swim."

"It's okay if you can't swim, just keep sinking. My physical enhancement magic will comprehensively enhance your physical abilities, including coordination and lung capacity. With my magic, you'll be able to hold your breath for much longer than you imagine."

"What should we do after we bring it up here...?"

"I have a plan. If you find it, pull the rope three times. Got it?"

"but..."

He couldn't come up with any more reasons for her. More importantly, before Tatya could find another reason, Naka had already started chanting a physical enhancement spell on him, seemingly talking to herself.

"Go down."

Then he kicked Tatia into the water.

"@＃￥@＃￥！！~！"

As soon as she fell into the water, Tatsia began thrashing about like a fish out of water. However, after a few splashes, she realized her body wasn't as uncontrollable and heavy as she'd imagined; instead, it felt incredibly light. She could even hold her breath longer than usual. After the initial shock, Tatsia was genuinely impressed by Naka's magic. Since things had come to this, Tatsia had no choice but to draw her newly purchased longsword from the water and carefully observe the movements of the nearby school of fish.

Since there was no one else nearby, Naka, sitting on the boat, had already shed her "disguise." She was now the Level ∞ Demon Lord Nama Kallenra. Whether it was pulling Tatia up or quickly dealing with the strange fish afterward, it was all a piece of cake for the Demon Lord. It was precisely because of this that Naka dared to accept the task and let Tatia go into the water. Otherwise, given Tatia's skill level, going down there would only result in a one-way trip.

"Kid! How's the visibility underwater? If you can see clearly, pull the rope once; if you can't, pull it twice!"

Naka shouted into the water. A few seconds later, the rope in her hand twitched.

"Can you hold your breath any longer? If you can't hold it any longer, pull three times! If you hear me, pull twice!"

The rope twitched twice more. Communication was still working. Meanwhile, Naka picked up the oar with her other hand and continued rowing the small boat, giving Tatya more room to maneuver underwater. Tatya remained silent for the time being.

Taking advantage of this break, Naka pondered the matter of the strange fish, the target of this mission.

"Fan, do you have monster fish that are ten meters long?"

"No... fish-shaped monsters do exist. But one that's ten meters long is really... I started investigating when you accepted the quest, but I couldn't find any relevant records."

Naka herself had never heard of such a monster. When she asked Fan, he also knew nothing about it. Naka was still young, so it wasn't surprising that she had some gaps in her knowledge. But it was very unusual that even the oldest and most learned undead monster leader among the Demon King's army didn't know about it.

Moreover, according to the old man, this strange fish wasn't here before. It suddenly appeared a week ago. If it were a human, or another land-dwelling monster, it might have accidentally fallen into the lake and drowned while looking for water or a bath. But fish, being aquatic animals, couldn't just appear out of thin air unless they had legs. Besides, it was over ten meters long; even if someone had simply moved it there, it would have caused a huge commotion and been seen. Conventional thinking couldn't explain it, and Naka could only think of one possibility at the moment.

"...Was it the work of that strange emblem's owner again?"

"perhaps..."

As if confirming Naka's suspicions, the once calm lake suddenly became turbulent, surging like the sea before a storm. Countless fish leaped out of the water, seemingly fleeing from something. At the same time, the rope in Naka's hand twitched violently. Naka knew that the objective of this mission was almost within reach.

"They're here... Hmph!"

Naka suddenly raised her hand that was gripping the rope. Under the terrifying power of infinitely large attribute values, Tatsia was like an arrow launched from below, instantly flying from the bottom of the lake to the air above the lake surface at an astonishing speed.

"#￥……@#￥!!"

He had finally adjusted to the underwater environment when the water around him suddenly disappeared. Now, all he could see was a constantly spinning landscape. The unexpected and incredibly intense feeling of weightlessness made him completely disoriented, unable to comprehend where he was, or whether he was upside down or not.

"Good job, young man. Your work is finished; now you can leave it to me."

Naka stood steadily on the small wooden boat, which creaked and groaned as the lake water pounded against it. Her gaze was fixed firmly on the ever-growing surface of the water. Finally, like a creature bursting from its shell, a gigantic fish-like monster emerged from the lakebed and floated before Naka.

"This...this is Yuu※! But why is it so big?"

Farn immediately recognized the fish's species from its flat head, wide mouth, and the whiskers on its upper and lower jaws. However, its size, larger than a building, was the most unusual feature. Meanwhile, Naka also noticed other problems.

"No..."

"Your Majesty, what is missing?"

"Emblem..."

If it were a modified species like the Inosishi and the monsters found on the eastern border, it should have a crest-like magic circle on its body. Only attacking that area could stop the berserk monster. But Naka had already checked its entire body while it was writhing. This Yua-yu didn't have a magic circle on it.

"No...it's actually just right if there's no magic circle."

If it's not a modified monster, then the problem is much simpler. There's no need to worry about it reviving or going berserk. Just kill it directly. Naka gathered magic power in her palm. A tiny magic needle, invisible to the naked eye, appeared in her hand. This was the same skill she used when attacking the boar-type monster.

"go!"

Even as the strange fish thrashed and thrashed on the lake's surface, Naka's magic needle flew straight and unerringly towards the center of its forehead, piercing its brain.

The strange fish convulsed violently, creating huge waves. But this was only its last struggle before death. After exhausting its last strength, the strange fish floated belly up on the lake, motionless.

At this moment, Tatia landed from the air, splashing back into the water.

"Your Majesty, are you alright? I've heard that hitting water at a certain speed is more dangerous than hitting the ground."

"It's alright. The support magic I cast on him hasn't worn off yet. He won't die from this fall. If he does, it'll just be an accident. Anyway, the target is dead, and our mission is a success... Sigh, although I don't really like these kinds of delicate maneuvers, I have to do it this way to avoid making a big commotion."

"Pfft!"

"Look, are you alright?"

Taqia quickly surfaced. Seemingly because he hadn't timed his fall perfectly, he had choked on some water and was coughing incessantly.

"Hey! Kid! Come back! The mission is over!"

"Cough cough cough... Huh? It's over?"

Tatia, who was in freefall through the air until the strange fish died, had no idea what had just happened. Her memory was still stuck on the moment she spotted the strange fish. When she came to her senses, she found that the fish was no longer moving.

"How...how did it die?"

"You probably killed him, didn't you? How's the new weapon I bought you? It works pretty well, doesn't it?"

"Was it...did I cut it?"

"Yeah, it probably hurt you so much that it pushed you out of the water all at once."

"Was I... pushed out by it? I thought it was you, Naka, who pulled me out..."

"I don't have that much strength!"

Taqia had no recollection of what Naka said. He was completely baffled as to why he had suddenly flown from the water to the sky. The prolonged immersion in the dark water had severely impaired his senses, and the sudden weightlessness had rendered him unable to think clearly. Although it had just happened, his memory was extremely hazy. Therefore, he was skeptical of Naka's account.

"Yes, I did it..."

"Alright! Stop soaking in the water. Get out of there, let's go back and turn in the quest."

"Um!"

Taqia slowly swam to the side of the small boat. Naka, clinging to the edge of the boat, reached out and grabbed Taqia's hand, pulling him back onto the boat.

At that moment, Naka was stunned.

"Young man...? You..."

Not only Naka, but also Fan, after seeing the scene through the cross, expressed disbelief.

"No, that's impossible!"

In that instant, Naka finally understood what Tatia had been hiding.

Tatya, however, still seemed completely bewildered. Tilting her head, she asked Naka, who looked as if she'd seen a ghost.

"What's wrong, Sister Naka?"

Naka raised her trembling hand and pointed to Tatsia's body.

"You, you are...a woman?"

After being soaked in water, the clothes clinging to Tatsia's body perfectly accentuated... no, her physical features. The not-too-large but still noticeable mound of her breasts, her slender waist, and her soaked trousers clung to her flat chest—all revealing Tatsia's gender.

"ah!"

At this moment, Tatsia realized the gravity of her mistake. She screamed and covered her chest and crotch with her hands. Because it happened so suddenly, she hadn't been mentally prepared for being kicked into the water, and then a series of incomprehensible events threw her into disarray. Tatsia hadn't had time to realize what "being in the water" meant. But now it was too late.

However, what Naka cared about most was not this trivial matter that was fine with her no matter what.

Perhaps due to the impact of falling into the water, the green headband that had always been wrapped around her forehead had long since come off and was now drifting quietly in the lake. And what protruded from her hair on either side of Tatsia's bald forehead left Naka speechless.

"...Are you an elf?"

Sitting in front of Naka now is a girl with long, pointed ears and soaking wet.

*Note: This is the reverse of the Japanese word あゆ. あゆ originally means catfish.

The hero is an elf girl

Elves are a race with an even more ancient history than humans and monsters. Their appearance is almost identical to humans, the only difference being their long, pointed ears. However, their inner nature is entirely different. The advanced intelligence of elves has made their society far more advanced than that of humans. Most elves not only possess extensive magical abilities but also have physical strength that easily surpasses that of humans of the same age, without any training. Elves are proficient in every profession that human adventurers can hold, and many elites in various professions are elves, even showing a tendency to replace humans. However, due to their small population, they have not truly threatened humanity's position.

The elves dwell in a vast forest between the kingdoms of humans and demons. There, they established their own kingdom. For hundreds of years during the reign of the previous Demon King, who adopted a peaceful attitude towards both humans and elves, the three powers—humans, demons, and elves—maintained a tripartite balance of power, engaging in cultural and trade exchanges.

But with the rise of the new Demon King, the balance that had lasted for hundreds of years was suddenly broken.

The Demon King's iron cavalry breached the gates of the Elf Kingdom, and the vibrant green forests were instantly reduced to scorched earth. Despite the elves' valiant resistance and the human kingdom's reinforcements, the war ended in utter defeat. Upon learning of the elven race's inevitable demise, the human army withdrew. The isolated and helpless elves were utterly slaughtered by the Demon King's army. From that moment on, the forests that once inhabited the elves became the Demon King's territory. The elven race was completely wiped out... and all of this happened only three years ago.

At least in the minds of both monsters and humans, that is the truth, as stated above.

.....

"Why are there elves here?"

Upon seeing Tatsia's pointed ears, Naka was so surprised that she instinctively cried out. In Naka's mind, elves shouldn't exist in this world anymore.

Because the one who decided to destroy the Elf Kingdom and gave the order to do so was Naka herself.

Upon hearing Naka's words, Tatsia gently wiped her forehead with her hand. Then she pinched her exposed ear.

"Ah...ahh ...

Then a muffled scream escaped her throat.

If the revelation of her gender only startled Tatsia, the exposure of her elven identity plunged her into utter panic. She pressed her hands to her ears, curled up on the boat, and trembled uncontrollably. Naka could clearly hear the chattering of her teeth coming from her mouth.

"Hey, you..."

Even if Naka tried to strike up a conversation, Tatia was no longer in a state to respond. Despite having many questions she wanted to ask, Naka didn't know how to begin. She could only sit down and discuss the matter with Fan, while waiting for Tatia to calm down somewhat.

"This kid... no, this girl has been covering her ears with a headband to hide her identity. No wonder she reacted so strangely when I mentioned the headband. But what's going on? Why are there still spirits in this world?"

"General Komre's report says that not a single one survived, from the king down to newborns and even fetuses still in the womb. All elves were executed by our army. But elves are a very intelligent race, and perhaps they managed to evade our spies in some way, leaving a few survivors... who knows, they might be plotting a comeback."

"If I had known this would happen, I shouldn't have sent that simple-minded orc as the commander-in-chief... Oh, right!"

At that moment, Naka suddenly remembered that yesterday, Komre had mentioned a strange smell about her that shouldn't be there. Yesterday morning, when she was trying to take Tatia to a secluded place for a private talk, she had hugged her. Komre was referring to the scent of an elf. Confirming that it wasn't her smelling strange, Naka breathed a sigh of relief.

"What's wrong, Your Majesty the Demon King?"

"No, it's nothing. But what should we do now?"

Naka and Fan had already had a brief conversation. But Tatsia remained curled up at Naka's feet, showing no signs of calming down. This wasn't without reason. The fact that "the elves are extinct" was common knowledge among both monsters and humans. The turmoil that would ensue if her true identity were discovered was a pressure and crisis that a girl of her age couldn't possibly imagine or bear. And judging from her fearful appearance, Naka could somewhat guess what Tatsia had experienced in the past three years because of her elf identity—something she might have endured that was likely unbearable.

At this moment, only Naka and Tatsia were on the ship. Tatsia only showed the back of her head to Naka. Now, whatever Naka did would go unnoticed. Realizing the situation, Faen hatched a wicked plan.

"Your Majesty, why don't we just kill her now and throw her into the lake to feed the fish? That way, we can eliminate this threat without anyone knowing..."

"No," Naka rejected the plan, "I still have a use for this girl."

"What's it for?"

"Well..."

"Hey! Are you guys alright?"

Before Naka could explain in detail, a series of urgent calls came from the old man who had issued the mission request.

The old man hadn't initially thought Naka and Tatsia could handle the situation, but watching them row to the center of the lake and lure out the strange fish, he was genuinely worried for them. Although he couldn't see clearly what had happened from a distance, the fish was now belly-up, and the lake had returned to calm. The old man immediately set sail to welcome the two victors. Of course, he had no idea how unfortunate his timing was.

"cut..."

As soon as the old man got close, Tatsia's secret would be exposed. Naka, who had her own plans, naturally didn't want this to happen. So, in the brief moment before the old man approached, she quickly took off her nun's habit and wrapped it around Tatsia, whispering instructions to her.

"Quickly put this on and cover your head and upper body."

Deeply gripped by fear, Tatya realized what Naka had done, but she was unable to respond. Her body was no longer under her control, and her thoughts were a jumbled mess. She could do nothing but let her body tremble instinctively. Seeing her like this, Naka frantically ran her fingers through her hair. The old man's voice was growing closer; the situation was urgent.

"Honestly. You brat... no, you little brat, you're always causing trouble!"

In a moment of desperation, Naka simply lifted Tatsia up, fastening her own nun's habit to cover her ears and chest. At the same time, the old man arrived.

"I can't believe it! You actually defeated that monster! But how did you win?"

"Just a coincidence"

"What a coincidence?... And what's wrong with this young man? He seems quite listless."

"He just had a fierce battle with this fish underwater and was seriously injured."

"That would be terrible! I have medicine at my home. Please, both of you, come to my humble abode..."