The Fake Saintess and the Elf Warrior

If there were an opportunity to realize her dream without sacrificing her life, Maya would certainly not refuse.

The tiny glimmer of hope that had previously been invisible, not even the smallest spark of light, seemed to flicker once again in Mayella's eyes.

Mayera clenched her fists, staring intently at Naka, her eyes filled with hostility.

"...Are you really not going to back out, Mother...?"

"A king must not contradict his words, nor regret his actions."

Naka didn't give a direct answer, but continued to move her shoulders as if she were doing warm-up exercises, saying things that seemed somewhat ambiguous and didn't quite match her actual feelings.

But for Mayera, that was enough.

"Hahahaha..."

Because the power she gained was from burning her life force, Meera knew very well that she was now exceptionally powerful. Since she had given up everything with the resolve to die, she would show absolutely no mercy.

If it were me now, I could easily defeat this mother who didn't treat me like an enemy at all, and who was so careless and underestimated me. As long as she wasn't lying and was indeed fighting with the strength she had at only fourteen years old, then I wouldn't accept defeat from her.

On the level of enlightenment, the two are worlds apart.

"Then you mustn't go back on your word! My revered and venerable mother, who is also a queen!!"

Excitedly, she brandished her magically amplified claws and pounced on Naka, who was still rubbing her neck.

.......

.......

"The outcome is decided...daughter."

Just five minutes later, Naka was still slowly shaking her head.

But the Mayera before her was covered in wounds and teetering on the verge of collapse.

"No...impossible..."

I thought victory was assured, I thought that this was all the freedom I could gain... but in the end, it never came.

The truth, though harsh, is undeniable. Even if Naka only used her fourteen-year-old level, she still overwhelmingly defeated Mayera, whose magic was constantly improving. And Naka herself remained unchanged. Not even a single hair on her body had been shed.

Because the opponent is a Demon King, there's nothing she can do. Because the opponent's level is infinitely high, there's nothing she can do... At first, Mayera could still find reasons and excuses for her failure. But now, it seems she has no chance to salvage her reputation, no possibility of grasping that fading glimmer of hope.

Even if fourteen-year-old Mayera burned her life force to unleash a tremendous power she herself was unaware of, she was still far from being a match for fourteen-year-old Naka, who wasn't even using her full strength. That's reality.

"You...you must be lying...you absolutely are not..."

"I've said it before, a king would never utter arrogant words. The power I just used was exactly the same as the power I had on the day I turned fourteen. I didn't even add the power I had the day after my birthday."

Mayera's verbal denial was met with only a cruel verbal rejection from Naka.

Although there was no evidence, Mayera believed it.

She believed her mother had truly fought her using only the strength she possessed at age fourteen. She could only verbally deny it, hence the words; in reality, she had long since come to understand this fact.

The mountain called "Mother" is an iron wall that I can never cross, no matter what.

Even in a fair trade and duel, I still ended up missing out on my dream.

"Freedom" is ultimately not something Maya should possess. Only cages and shackles await her in the future.

"I...I can still fight...I can still..."

Dragging her tattered magic armor, she approached Naka with trembling hands raised. Even though those hands were no longer capable of delivering any threatening attack, she refused to admit defeat, to accept that reality.

But even the will to bite her tongue and hold on eventually slipped away uncontrollably. Before Mayera collapsed from utter exhaustion, two words uttered instinctively from her mouth.

"...Little...Ya..."

...

"Splash!"

Mayera was unaware that the moment she lost consciousness, Naka rushed over and caught her as she was about to collapse, preventing her from falling into the blood and grime.

As Mayera's consciousness faded, her magical armor dissipated completely. Only her naked daughter remained, limp and lifeless, lying in her mother's arms.

"......"

He specifically set these conditions so that his daughter could vent and play freely. If Mayera truly possessed such abilities, then letting her go wouldn't be a bad outcome. Conversely, he couldn't deliberately hold back again. Lowering her abilities to the level he had at fourteen was already the greatest extent of leniency he could offer.

Because what Mayella longed for was fairness, not charity.

Even so, Mayera still couldn't overcome herself.

In terms of sheer magical quantity and intensity, Mayera might have the edge. However, Naka, who had already experienced countless life-or-death battles by the age of fourteen, possessed skills, experience, and tactics far beyond what a girl who had only been out of the house for less than a year could compare to. Even if those skills and experience were only at the level Naka herself had at fourteen.

"I'm sorry, Mayera. But everything I do from now on is for your own good... You don't need to know that, and I don't need your understanding of my actions. It's okay if you resent me for the rest of your life. Since Plan 1 isn't working, then I'll have to execute Plan 2..."

"Snap"

With a snap of her fingers, countless tentacle-like strands of magic wrapped tightly around Mayella's body, dragging her into another dimension.

"Papa"

With two more claps, the hellish alternate dimension vanished, and the forest returned to its original state.

After that, Naka carefully picked up a stone from the ground, being careful not to scratch her clothes. She activated "Disguise" and then smashed the stone hard against her face...

.........

"Na... Naka!!!"

Because Mayra and Naka had agreed to go out and have fun together for a day, the members of their adventure team weren't too worried about them. However, what awaited them was an astonishing scene.

Naka, her face covered in blood, limped into the house. Taqia quickly helped her up. But the first words Naka uttered were…

"We've been found by... the Demon King's minions... They attacked us... and then kidnapped Meera!!"

Perhaps playing a down-on-his-luck demon king who attempts to reclaim his daughter but is intercepted halfway by heroes who know of his plans beforehand, and is forced to give up under their relentless pursuit, fleeing alone, wouldn't be such a bad thing after all...

That's what Naka thinks.

Author's note: Sorry for the long delay in updating. I've been just too busy lately.

Operation Mayella (begins)

Humans are fragile, powerless creatures, and can die very easily.

"Please...please spare my life!"

Especially when faced with a gaping maw, as vast as an abyss, slowly closing in on him, and as blood dripped from its upper teeth onto the young male adventurer's head, he felt only despair.

It was a bottomless darkness that could even swallow the heavens and the earth... He begged desperately for mercy, hoping that the thing he least wanted to happen would become a reality.

But if that thing were so obedient and compliant, it wouldn't have allowed this poor young man to end up in such a state.

"Click"

Two seconds after the plea for mercy ended, the jaws clamped shut on the adventurer. A crisp sound rang out between their lips.

That's the sound of animal bones and internal organs being crushed...

"Pah, seeing how scared this guy is, I thought his fear would make him more palatable, but it turns out he's just awful."

At the border between the Demon Kingdom and the Human Kingdom, there lies a vast, dark, and desolate giant prison.

The canine demon in charge of all affairs here, a small demon who looked like a thirteen or fourteen-year-old boy, sat cross-legged on a stone chair, spitting a mouthful of saliva onto the ground in dissatisfaction.

The spot where that spit landed was already filled with countless pieces of flesh and bones. Human corpses, dripping with blood, piled up like mountains. The canine demon, Udoni, the warden, merely surveyed it all.

This is the place where foolish human adventurers who dared to defy the great Demon King are imprisoned and executed. It is the place where countless adventurers meet their end. Every day, Udoni personally executes those adventurers whom he has arbitrarily sentenced to death. He uses his enormous mouth, disproportionate to his body and capable of adjusting its size at will, to swallow their bodies whole and chew them up alive in his mouth.

Because human flesh and blood, and the fear of dying, are what monsters love most.

...However, even the most beloved foods can become tiresome if consumed excessively. Udoni, who was initially very excited upon arriving here, has recently been simply following the established schedule and completing the monthly work reports he is required to submit.

"Sigh, I really hope His Majesty the Demon King can give me some new work... As a dignified Fifth General, I'm only assigned to guard prisons, while that bug Diaz and that scheming guy Sarchubas are sent to lead troops on the front lines... His Majesty is really wasting his talents..."

He sighed helplessly, lamenting that he hadn't received the attention he deserved.

Among the five generals, aside from the powerful orc general Kemre, who was best at leading troops to siege cities, he himself was the second most suitable for direct combat. Kemre and the sea dragon general Heimers, who fought in his home turf of the ocean, were a different story, but no matter what, he was still a stronger being than Dias and Sacchus... at least that's what Udoni thought.

But regardless, the Demon King's will is absolute. He could only obediently comply. Even if he harbored resentment, it was futile. That human was the last one to be executed today. Udoni believed his work for the day should end here.

"Alright, if there's nothing else, everyone can go home. I'm going back to my room... Heh... Maybe I should go to bed early tonight, I'm so sleepy..."

He casually waved to his subordinates, yawned, and got up from the stone chair.

but....

"No...something terrible has happened! Warden!"

From the moment a subordinate rushed to the foot of the stone chair and knelt down to report the emergency, Udoni's thoughts of slacking off were completely dispelled.

Because that subordinate said this

"A human adventurer has broken in!"

"What? Human adventurers?... Couldn't you handle that yourselves? Arrest them, detain them, and then decide when to execute them after I confirm the extent of their casualties and losses! Isn't that the most basic procedure?!"

Since this place is where human adventurers are imprisoned, naturally some adventurers would try to attack it or sneak in to rescue their companions. Although no adventurer has ever succeeded.

The monsters guarding this prison are different from the cannon fodder sent to the front lines. Sometimes, important human executives and wealthy individuals might be imprisoned here. To prevent large-scale attacks and invasions, the monsters guarding this place are all formidable warriors. Ordinary adventurers are wiped out at the exit. Even if they pass through the entrance, three impregnable gates will block their path, surrounding them completely. This is a one-way street with no turning back. As their stamina, mana, and medicine are constantly depleted, even the slightly braver adventurers will eventually collapse halfway due to exhaustion and depleted medicine. The breaching of the second gate has never happened before.

"But that adventurer has already breached the third gate...he's about to come in!!!"

It was precisely because of this unprecedented incident that the reporting soldier appeared so anxious.

"That adventurer is moving through our encirclement like it's nothing... Nobody can stop her! She easily broke through three gates without harming a single soldier... At this rate, she'll be attacking you, Warden, soon! Please give your orders immediately!"

".............What?"

After listening to his subordinate's report, Udoni was also taken aback.

He wasn't boasting, but the monsters guarding this prison were all fierce warriors he had trained himself. There was no way they would be cowards or deserters in the face of battle. No matter how many enemies there were or how strong they were.

But these brave subordinates, without suffering any casualties, failed to stop the human adventurers.

Furthermore, judging from the subordinates' choice of words... "that" and "she," the other party was only one person, and she was female.

A female adventurer single-handedly broke through three gates and stormed into the main camp.

This was utterly unbelievable to Udonis, like something out of a fairy tale.

However, if we're talking about possibilities, it's not entirely impossible... There's only one possibility that could lead to this phenomenon... Although the probability is very low, only that could explain the current situation...

So he immediately asked

"Who is this person?! What kind of adventurer are they? What do they look like?"

"We don't know her profession because she wasn't wearing a uniform... but I remember what she looked like! She had short silver hair, red eyes, and looked about thirteen or fourteen years old..."

"asshole!"

He cursed angrily. He wasn't cursing the adventurer who had barged in, nor was he cursing the soldiers still trying to defend the city.

Instead, it was a condemnation of the foolishness of soldiers who, unaware of the irreversible consequences of their actions, still insisted on fighting to the death.

"Order everyone to immediately cease attacking! Clear the road! Respectfully invite her in! Remember! Do not attack her! Anyone who dares to lay a finger on her will be executed tomorrow! Understand?"

"Huh...?"

"Hey! What are you doing?! Hurry up and pass on the order!"

Although he didn't know why the warden would make such a perplexing judgment, his subordinates had no choice but to comply. He ran to report the news, instructing everyone to immediately cease their attack and make way. At the same time, Udoni rushed back to his room, changed into more formal attire, and freshened up.

Because of that tiny, yet not nonexistent, possibility, it ultimately happened...

After re-dressing, Udonis stood respectfully in his office, facing the door without moving.

This level of preparedness is essential to receiving the people who will be arriving next. Even a moment's lapse in attention would be a fatal act of disrespect.

The human girl who came here was such a noble being in the eyes of all the monsters.

Udoni was extremely fortunate that he was one of the few who could identify the saintess from her appearance alone. If he, like his subordinates, had failed to recognize her, they would have faced total annihilation.

After all, when it comes to killing monsters, the upcoming saintess is undoubtedly number one.

"Click"

Sure enough, a few minutes later, Udoni's office door opened. The person who opened the door didn't knock or greet her. Because she didn't need to.

"Your humble servant warmly welcomes your arrival, Your Majesty the Demon King!"

The moment the gate opened, Udoni immediately knelt down and lowered his head.

He was merely a general. But he believed that those who came here were the pinnacle of all demons, the pinnacle of the entire world…