The Fake Saintess and the Elf Warrior

...In fact, if the team only had four people, they might have been able to reach their destination on the fourth day.

However, because there was someone in the team who had absolutely no combat ability, they had to slow down.

Perhaps they would be delayed by a few days because of her, causing them to arrive a step later. By the time they arrived, Mayera might have already been moved to another place by the Demon King... but no one said such a thing.

Because that person's desire to save Mayella was probably stronger than the combined desires of the other four...

So everyone is taking care of her as they head towards their destination, a destination they may not even be able to reach in time...

......

Every so often, the sun would set. If they happened to be near a town, they would stay overnight at an inn and set off again early the next morning. But if they were somewhere between two towns, where going forward or backward would take a lot of time and energy, they would have to camp out for the night. On the fifth night, they had no choice but to do so.

Throughout the journey, the most pampered young lady, Malya Jie, didn't utter a single word of "tired," "hard," or "unable to walk anymore." She gritted her teeth, and even though her legs were aching unbearably, she silently followed the others. It was the first time she had left home so far. The first time she had seen the scenery outside the capital. And the first time she had truly "embarked on a journey."

From any perspective, it was certainly not a pleasant experience, but for Malyajie, it was a very important journey, one she had to take...

No matter how hard it is, even if everyone else is planning to give up, I will see it through to the end.

Just to hold tightly the hand of the person I should hold most, just to embrace her again, and this time I will never let go. I will never let anyone take her away from me again.

Ma Yajie is a girl who, despite being naive and inexperienced, is surprisingly stubborn.

"Miss Tatia...they're all asleep...then we'll have to do it now..."

Even if they didn't say it, the physical hardship and exhaustion were undeniable. After the tents were set up and Tatiya, Ruri, and Pais went inside to sleep, Malya secretly slipped out of the small campsite alone.

She was incredibly thirsty. In fact, she hadn't had a drop of water since evening. But she knew she couldn't say it. Coming with Tatsia and the others was already a act of her own willfulness; how could she then act like a spoiled princess and say, "I'm thirsty! I want water!"? So, she had no choice but to endure it. When the night was deep and quiet, she went alone to a small river in the forest, cupped her hands in the water, and drank it without hesitation.

Even in such a humble and miserable state, there were things she had to accomplish...

"Gulp...cough cough, cough cough cough!"

But as soon as she drank it, she started coughing violently.

Let alone ordinary drinking water, she was a girl who had grown up drinking expensive tea. This was the first time she had ever tasted natural water. Aside from not being used to the taste, what was worse was the intense burning sensation that assaulted her throat when the water entered her mouth. The fact that forest river water contains sand and gravel and needs to be filtered before drinking is something a pampered young lady like Malya Jie was completely unaware of.

"Are you alright?"

Just then, a woman, seemingly having anticipated Malya Jie's actions and anticipated this outcome, came up behind her and quickly patted her back, urging Malya Jie to spit out the sand and gravel in her mouth.

"Eh... Miss Lush... Miss Lush?"

After she had mostly gotten rid of the gritty feeling in her mouth, Maya noticed the person behind her, who was none other than the female knight, Lushius, who should have been asleep long ago, just like Tatia and the others.

"...Thank you. But what brings you here...?"

Ma Yajie answered somewhat dejectedly. However, she did not forget to express her gratitude to those who had helped her.

Their last meeting and parting were unpleasant, and Ma'er Yajie had also learned that the other person was the murderer of her father. While Ma'er Yajie was plunged into endless confusion and bewilderment, the two parted on bad terms. For the past few days, they hadn't spoken a word to each other. The atmosphere was extremely awkward. Even the usually easygoing Liuli could tell that the two seemed to be intentionally keeping their distance and avoiding communication, and she would occasionally try to smooth things over. Clearly, neither of them wanted to bring up that incident again.

Given this, Ma Yajie wondered why she was coming to find her again.

"...Because I knew you'd do something silly and choke on your own... You can't drink water directly from the wild, here, take this."

As she spoke, Lucy handed over a small handheld filter.

"This is...."

Malyajie naturally couldn't understand what it was or what its purpose was. Therefore, Lushus demonstrated it to Malyajie.

"that's all"

As she spoke, she scooped up a ladleful of water with a smaller cup, then placed the filter on a larger cup and poured the river water in. After the water was poured out, some visible sand, mud, and pebbles remained on the filter.

Lushus discarded the water, then filtered it again from the large glass into the small glass, and so on... After repeating this three or four times, she finally handed a glass of water to Malya.

"Try drinking it again."

Holding the glass of water, Malyajie tilted her head back and drank it down in one gulp. This time, most of what had been stuck in her throat disappeared. Only the natural sweetness of the water remained in her mouth. Her thirst was also relieved.

"Wow, this is amazing..."

"Malya couldn't help but sigh," Malya exclaimed. Lushus smiled slightly. What was commonplace for adventurers was so novel to this young lady. It was truly quite interesting.

However, I really have no right to laugh at Ma Yajie...

"Because when I ran away from home and wandered alone, I made the same mistake as you just now."

"ah...."

At this point, Malyajie paused.

She still remembered the woman's reason for wanting to kill her father... she still remembered the horrific things her father had done to her fifteen years ago, as the woman had recounted them...

It was because of her own father that she experienced the same pain she had just felt. That's why she sought a solution, and why she learned to use this to filter the river water...

If the conversation continued, it would inevitably veer towards the death of her father, Malthus. Malya didn't want to talk about that now. So, she simply said "thank you" to Lucia quietly and returned the water glass and strainer to her.

Then came a long silence.

Unable to sleep at all, Ma Yajie curled up, hugging her knees, gazing up at the starry sky. But her eyes were only fixed on the image of that girl.

Lucy didn't go back to camp to sleep. Instead, she sat with Malyajie by the river.

Although they remained silent, the atmosphere didn't seem as awkward or stiff as before...

For some reason, they were both thinking the same thing at the same time.

After an unknown amount of time, Lucia, being the older one, finally spoke.

"Malya, if you're tired, thirsty, or want help, don't hide it. Speak up! Ruri, Tatya who saved your life, and the others won't stand idly by, nor will they think you're being willful."

"....."

It seemed that her own hidden thoughts couldn't be hidden from this woman who was far more experienced than herself. Lu Xiusi saw right through Malya's worries. Now, Malya had no room for denial.

But now that the other party knew her concerns, Ma Yajie said with a touch of self-deprecation.

"Miss Lucy... since everyone knows, then everyone has probably been thinking the same thing all along... 'If only that arrogant and reckless Malya didn't come along...'"

If it weren't for her, everyone should have reached their destination long ago, given their pace. Everyone was deliberately slowing down to match her own pace. Malya Jie wasn't stupid; she could realize this too.

Since everyone's being open about it, it's better to just speak frankly and openly. That's what Ma'er Yajie thinks.

"I know... I'm of no use... but I still insist on coming... because I don't want to sit at home anymore, just waiting and praying silently... I've had enough of that. And I won't let Xiao Ai become like that again...!"

As she spoke, Ma Yajie clenched her fists tightly. With a "whoosh," she punched the air in front of her.

It was as if this punch had landed on the face of his own weakness, his own confusion, and the person who was trying to take Mayella away from him.

"I am deeply grateful for the knowledge Miss Lucy taught me... but even if I have to drink mud to survive, I will save Ai...!"

"...Do you value her highly?"

"Of course!"

Firm words came from the girl's mouth.

"Because Xiao Ai is the most important person to me, without a doubt!"

"..."

If there's one person who's truly important to Lucy, it's her daughter, Lutis, the half-sister of the girl named Marjane.

Looking back now, I realize that when my daughter Ruth faced the Demon King's relentless pressure, she was just like Malyajie is now, refusing to give an inch.

They have all found what they cherish most. And for the sake of their loved ones, they will never back down no matter what difficulties they face.

Although Lutis and Malya had never met before, they were strikingly similar. This brought a long-lost smile to Lutis's face. It was as if her daughter, who had long since left her side, had returned, a misconception that Lutis found quite amusing.

However, this is ultimately the love of parents for their children. Whether it's Lutis's feelings for Lisa or Marjane's feelings for Mayera, they are feelings of mutual affection based on equal footing. It's completely different from my feelings for Lutis.

As for this kind of romance with someone her own age, Louise thinks she'll probably never experience it in her life...

"Ha ha..."

That night, the person who laughed self-deprecatingly by the river was not the only one.

"..."

Malyajie naturally had no idea what Lushus was laughing at. Perhaps she was laughing at her own ignorance and bravado. But even so, Malyajie wouldn't care.

But her hands, which had been full of strength just moments before, loosened and slowly fell to their sides.

Malyajie didn't care about the hardships of the journey.

It doesn't matter if others see me as a burden or think I'm all talk and no action.

At this moment, Ma Yajie was truly worried and afraid of only one thing...

"You're afraid that because of you, we'll be too late, and the Demon King will have moved Mayera to another place, and we won't be able to find her... right?"

Even this, Lucy had already seen through long ago. This time, Malya couldn't hide her surprise. She turned her head to look at the woman who seemed to have mind-reading abilities. Then, biting her lip, she silently nodded.

What if... perhaps, because of my actions, I missed the best opportunity to save Mayella, and the Demon King took Mayella to a place no one knew, a place they could never reach...

...Then Ma Yajie will never forgive herself.

The conflict between not wanting to sit idly by and wait for death, wanting to make some contribution, and feeling that she was slowing everyone down was something Malya couldn't resolve. It lingered in her mind, preventing her from finding peace.

But just then, Lucia spoke.

"If that's the case, you don't need to worry at all."

".....Huh?"

"If my guess is correct, the Demon King won't move Meera's location. It's never too late for us to arrive."

".....What's the meaning?"

"...While I can't guarantee anything, I believe the Demon King deliberately lured us to that place. Therefore, she absolutely won't move. Otherwise, making us go there empty-handed would be meaningless to her... The reason she accurately stated the location of that place is so that we can find Meira there..."

"Huh? Huh?"

Lucy's words were like a bombshell to Malya. She couldn't believe that the most crucial issue she had worried about was something this woman had never considered from the beginning.

But more importantly...

"If that's really the case... then Ai's mother... that demon king, she must have set up an ambush there, right?! Wouldn't that put us in great danger...?"

Even without having read any military treatises, Ma Yajie could discern the true intentions behind the deliberate leak of information. Therefore, this operation must be fraught with immense danger and hidden risks.

Perhaps what they are about to arrive at is a death trap that their enemies have already prepared...

"so what?"

"Huh?"

Faced with Lucy's sudden question, Malyajie once again let out a puzzled "Eh?" So Lucy continued...

"So there's an ambush over there, it's dangerous, so we're not going?"

"..."

"Didn't you just say that even if you had to drink muddy water to survive, you would save Mayella?... I'm telling you plainly now, there's definitely an ambush over there. What are you going to do? Just turn back home?"

"........No......"

Lucy's words dispelled the last trace of confusion in Malya's heart.

"No matter what awaits me ahead, no matter how dangerous the road ahead, I will see it through to the end... because I swore an oath to rescue Xiao Ai, to bring her back... I will!"

"Hahaha...you talk like Mayera is yours..."

"Huh? No, that's not what I meant..."

"It's alright, I was just joking. Now that you understand, there's no need for me to stay here any longer."

After saying that, Lucy stood up and walked towards the camp.

"Miss Lushies!"

Facing Lush's retreating figure, Malya shouted loudly.

"You...you did this just to...to resolve my unease and doubts..."

"Don't overthink it. I just happened to be having trouble sleeping too, so I casually mentioned something that everyone already knew, except for you, silly girl... Tatia realized this a long time ago, but she also clearly told me that even if the Demon King sets a trap ahead, they will never back down. Because she wants to fulfill her promise to Meera... Remember, you're not alone. Everyone is gathered here now, sharing the same purpose and hope. No matter the difficulties or the pain, don't bear it alone... That's all, I'm going back now."

"Miss Louise!"

Just as Lucy was about to go back, Malya called her back again.

Ever since learning the truth about that incident, Malya Jie has been unsure how to view Lu Xiu Si or how to handle her relationship with her.

Even now, she can't say she's completely let go of the fact that she killed her father, or that it's all forgotten. But regarding what she said to her tonight, Ma'er Yajie has only one thought:

"Thank you so much!!!"