The Fake Saintess and the Elf Warrior

Naka understood everything about Tatya's feelings. Here, Naka will explain on behalf of Tatya, who hasn't fully calmed down yet.

"I see. But that makes sense. Strength can be trained, but magic truly tests one's talent and knowledge. It's not something you can grasp just by figuring it out on your own. Most heroes who know magic have been guided by others... Oh right! I remember..."

Jasmine suddenly remembered something, turned around and grabbed her bag. After rummaging through it a couple of times, she took out a piece of paper. It was a poster. The most prominent part of it read in large characters...

"Elite warrior of the Kingdom's Adventurers' Guild: Brave Fros personally teaches the lessons. The Sunflower Adventurers' School is now enrolling!"

Further down, the list reveals numerous course categories. Not only heroes, warriors, mages, saintesses, archers... almost every adventurer's profession has a corresponding course. Among them, the hero class includes a course on "Magic Teaching."

"Young man, if you don't know how to learn magic, you can try this school. Sunflower Town isn't too far from here."

"Oh, there are classes like this...?"

Tatsia took the poster, her eyes sparkling as she gazed at the flowery advertising copy. But when she saw the tuition and class hours section, she lowered her head in disappointment.

"It's so expensive... and it takes half a year to complete the whole course..."

Tatsia's current money is barely enough to cover her father's medicine and daily expenses. Moreover, the school doesn't allow day students; once they're there, they won't be able to go home for six months. Given her father's current condition, she certainly can't hold on for more than six months on his own.

Although she was very much looking forward to it, these two unforeseen circumstances made Tatsia hesitate. But the course was so tempting. To be honest, she wasn't completely giving up.

Naka's focus is different from Tatiya's.

"The Hero... Fros!?"

The name made Naka's eyes widen. She couldn't forget this hero. Twenty years ago, he was the first human hero to challenge Naka, the only one to escape alive from her grasp, and the one who spread her level. The stain he had brought upon Naka, she would make him pay with his life.

Naka had originally planned to begin her killing spree directly with him. However, due to various reasons, his plans had to be temporarily shelved. Unexpectedly, such a golden opportunity had presented itself. A killing intent that had been dormant for a long time resurfaced in the Demon King's heart.

"I've finally got my chance. Hero Frost. What you owe me twenty years ago, I'll get back with interest...!"

Where neither Jasmine nor Tatya could see, Naka clenched her fists and made a terrifying vow in her heart.

"Naka, what do you think? They also have courses taught by the saintess. We could take some classes there too."

"Of course! Learning is endless. I haven't really made much progress in the last two months. I'm thinking about whether I should go back to training or something... Tatsia, how are you?"

Naka, who would never let such an opportunity slip by, readily agreed. However, after much deliberation, Tatya bowed to Naka in apology.

"I'm sorry! I can't go!"

"..."

Having spent time together, Naka had come to understand this elven girl completely. What she was thinking was no challenge for Naka. Unaware of the situation, Jasmine asked why, and in the time it took for Tatiya to answer, a new plan formed in Naka's mind.

"I see. It's manageable if you don't have money, but if you also have to take care of your father, then there's really no way..."

After hearing Tatia's explanation, Jasmine was at a loss for words. Since she also needed to team up with Tatia, Naka said that if Tatia didn't go, she wouldn't go either. Since neither of them was going, Jasmine had no choice but to give up. The topic ended there.

The hot pot was delicious. But all three of them had a lingering feeling that couldn't be shaken off. The meal didn't end perfectly.

That night, all was quiet. Tatiana was already asleep. Her father sat on the edge of the bed, looking at his sleeping daughter, overwhelmed with emotion.

"Sorry to bother you so late at night."

Just then, a third voice came from the cave entrance. Taqia's father turned to look and saw Naka standing there.

"Oh, it's Miss Naka... What's the matter so late?"

"Didn't you just call me an untrustworthy and uninvited guest, and then kick me out?"

"Haha... Miss Naka, you really hold a grudge!"

This saintess seemed more petty than he had imagined. Even now, she was bringing up something from over a month ago. However, Taqia's father's opinion of Naka had changed considerably. He stood up, and, supporting himself against the cave wall, shakily walked out of the cave.

The two sat down on a rock outside the cave. Taqia's father spoke first, apologizing for what Naka was still thinking about.

"My daughter and I... Tatsia has indeed been through too much. Not only demons, but humans are not people we can trust either. But Miss Naka, your words are different. I can feel that you genuinely care about my daughter. Somehow, when she's with you, I always think of the time the three of us spent together before my wife disappeared..."

Not only Tatya, but her father also unconsciously began to see Naka's image superimposed on Tatya's mother. Not only their mannerisms, but Naka and his wife even bore a striking resemblance. He knew it was just a coincidence, and that he was merely indulging in wishful thinking because he missed his wife so much. But he still voiced his thoughts.

"Miss Naka, just think of me as someone who's so sick that I've gone insane... If it's alright, would you like to marry me?"

"What?"

Because it was so unexpected, it took Naka quite a while to understand what he was saying. That's right, Tatsia's father was proposing to Naka.

Naka knew perfectly well how significant marriage was. When Tatsia's father suddenly extended this invitation out of the blue, Naka was instantly stunned. Coming to her senses, she responded with feigned composure.

"Can I interpret this as sexual harassment?"

"Haha, Miss Naka, you must be surprised to be proposed to by a married man, and an old man like me at that... Forget about it. I have no intention of betraying my wife."

His wife's fate was indeed unknown. Forming a new family with Naka, a girl who could take good care of his daughter, and living together as a family seemed like a good idea... Although he felt bad for Tatya's mother, Tatya's father couldn't say he hadn't considered this possibility.

However, after saying those words, Tatia's father regretted it. Although Naka was already twenty years old, there was still a considerable age gap between them. He had presumptuously considered her as Tatia's mother and proposed marriage so hastily, which would undoubtedly cause her great distress. He ultimately abandoned this unrealistic idea.

"Let's not talk about that. Miss Naka, what brings you here?"

His words were merely a spur-of-the-moment remark. Naka's coming here must have something important to discuss. Tatya's father inquired about her reasons.

Naka deliberately chose to arrive at a time when Tatia was asleep and wouldn't hear their conversation, which was clearly intentional. Tatia's father had said that Naka helped Tatia for her own reasons. He wasn't wrong. Naka did indeed have ulterior motives.

Naka's visit was for the purpose of carrying out her ulterior motives.

"teacher"

My name is Osider.

Only now did Taqia's father introduce himself to Naka. His initial refusal to tell her his name stemmed from a lack of trust. His subsequent recognition of Naka clearly demonstrated his acceptance of her.

Naka changed how she addressed him and spoke again.

"Mr. Osider, the request I'm about to make is probably even more outrageous than what you just made to me. However, I hope you won't refuse it."

"Go ahead and say it."

"Mr. Osider, please die."

Naka looked at Osider solemnly. There was not a trace of jest in her eyes or tone.

Interlude 03: Inappropriate Relationship

Although they managed to evade the feeding suspicions, Jasmine, to be honest, hadn't completely dispelled her doubts about Naka and Tatsia. In her eyes, the way Naka and Tatsia interacted and their attitudes were becoming increasingly strange.

When Naka noticed the soup stain on Tatya's lips, she immediately reached for her handkerchief. However, she then became concerned about Jasmine's gaze and ultimately chose to speak up, reminding Tatya to wipe her own mouth. This action, however, seemed too deliberate, making Jasmine even more suspicious. She repeatedly observed the two women's every move.

Her strange behavior naturally caught the attention of Naka and Tatsia. Feeling uncomfortable under Jasmine's gaze, Tatsia looked at Naka for help. Naka, however, gave her a "leave her alone" look.

The two women couldn't speak directly to Jasmine, so they chose to communicate through eye contact. But to Jasmine, it seemed like they were exchanging flirtatious glances, and she became increasingly interested.

Naka was someone Jasmine knew very well, so Jasmine began to observe Tatsia closely. Jasmine didn't really understand what Tatsia was saying.

Judging by appearance alone, Tatia looks exactly like a boy who hasn't fully grown up yet. Her androgynous face and slender body prove this. Her shy expression and awkward movements don't resemble a man's at all; instead, Jasmine wonders if she's some kind of well-bred young lady. If you had to categorize her, she's a complete herbivore-type man.

If Tatya were seven or eight years older and more assertive, she might be her type, but Jasmine, who only likes mature men, couldn't sense any masculine charm in her. She couldn't help but start to doubt Naka's taste.

Naka had always given off an enigmatic aura. It wasn't that she was unsmiling, but Jasmine simply couldn't figure out what triggered Naka's emotions. She also didn't know her criteria for choosing a male partner. If she had to pinpoint something, Naka already had a very good relationship with an 8-year-old boy in the village, and now there was Tatsia, whom Naka was taking such good care of. Jasmine had initially thought that Naka's preference for young boys was just a joke. But now, Jasmine wondered if she might actually be right.

Upon further observation of Tatia, Jasmine noticed another suspicious detail.

"Huh? What's that...?"

Her gaze focused on Tatsia's forehead... or more precisely, on the headband on Tatsia's forehead. That headband looked strangely familiar to Jasmine. Then, after glancing down at herself, Jasmine exclaimed.

"Ah! That...that's the fabric for a nun's habit, right?"

She'd felt something was off when she first met Tatia today. Now she finally understood where the problem lay. The habit worn by a saintly nun was specially made, using a fabric different from that of ordinary nuns. Its color, stretch, and softness were all vastly different, possessing unique characteristics. The fabric on Tatia's forehead was the very fabric used only in the making of saintly nunneries' habit. And its color was exactly the same as the habit Jasmine was currently wearing.

Just as Jasmine had said, the moment she shouted, Naka and Tatsia shuddered in fright. They had thought it was just a change of headband color and wouldn't be noticed. But they couldn't fool Jasmine's eyes, which held an unimaginable passion for the profession of saintess and nun's habit.

"What happened? Didn't you say your nun's habit got torn during a mission? Why is it on the boy's head?"

"this..."

"Huh? It's torn? No, I gave the clothes back to Naka-nee..."

Before Naka could explain, Tatsia interrupted, only making the situation more complicated and leaving Naka frustrated.

Because she hadn't expected Tatsia to return her nun's habit, Naka told Jasmine it was torn. Therefore, she couldn't simply take the habit back to Jasmine, so she hid it, secretly stuffing it into her luggage when Jasmine wasn't around. After that, she only appeared in a white shirt and trousers. Naka naturally hadn't told Tatsia about this. As a result, the testimonies from both sides completely contradict each other. The whole mess fell on Naka's shoulders, who had brought this upon herself.

"Naka! So you did sleep with this boy after all! He said he'd give your clothes back... which means you took your clothes off with him before that! Don't think I couldn't guess!"

"Sister Jasmine, that's not how it is..."

"Shut up, kid! Naka! The boy said he returned your nun's habit to you, so where is it?"

Jasmine's relentless barrage of questions left Naka overwhelmed. Realizing her lies couldn't fool Jasmine's persistent questioning, Naka had no choice but to give up and retrieve her nun's habit from her luggage. Upon comparison, a tear was indeed visible on Naka's habit. The shape perfectly matched the object bound to Tatsia's forehead.

Jasmine, completely unaware that Tatia was actually an elf, could only offer the explanation that Naka had forgotten her nun's habit at Tatia's place after their passionate encounter, and that she lied and said it was torn to avoid revealing the truth. She sighed, a mixture of disappointment and envy.

"I really can't believe it... It's one thing for kids to be immature, but Naka, you're a twenty-year-old adult, and you're having such an ambiguous relationship with a child like this... Sigh... And you, young man, too..."

Jasmine then looked at Tatia, whose face was several times redder than before, and re-examined her with a different gaze.

"I thought you were a rather introverted young man, but I didn't expect you to be so ruthless. You tore a piece off the nun's habit. And to top it off, you put it on your forehead. Who are you trying to show off to?... Next time you take her clothes off, please be gentle, okay? This habit is quite precious."

"No, no, you've misunderstood..."

"What did I misunderstand? Doesn't the fact that your clothes are with him prove something?... You don't need to be so quick to deny it. I didn't mean to blame you. If you really like each other, that's between you. But the clothes are innocent. So, young man."

Naka wanted to explain something, but Jasmine's mind was already elsewhere. She had already targeted Tatsia's forehead and suddenly reached out to grab Tatsia's headband.

"I'm sorry, but the nun's habit has a very important meaning. It's not something you can use as a toy. Please give it back to your older sister; I want to sew it on."

Jasmine wasn't consulting with Tatsia; she was giving a command. Without waiting for Tatsia to offer her opinion, she snatched the headband from her. This caught Tatsia completely off guard; as the headband slipped from her forehead, she had no time to react.

The pointed ears that proved Tatia's race were thus exposed to Jasmine's eyes... but in reality, nothing of the sort happened. Just when Tatia thought it was too late, a weight suddenly pressed down on her back. Naka, realizing something was wrong even before Tatia's ears popped out, pressed her body against hers, wrapped her arms around Tatia's neck and shoulders, and pressed her ears down.

"Na, Naka-nee!?"

"...Stop talking."

Naka acted faster than she thought. Before she knew it, she was already wrapped around Tatsia's back. Her chest pressed against Tatsia's. Tatsia, being a woman, immediately understood what the two warm, soft things on her back were. But in their current position, Naka couldn't create any distance. Her already flushed face turned two or three times redder, like a blood bag that would burst at the slightest touch.

But to Jasmine, who was unaware of Tatya's identity, Naka appeared to be intimately embracing Tatya from behind. The physical contact between them had clearly exceeded normal social distancing. Now, she was absolutely certain of her suspicions.

Now that things had come to this, Naka was speechless. Tatya, who dared not tell Jasmine about the mission, was also at a loss for words. No matter what Jasmine said, they couldn't refute it. In the eyes of others, their current posture was the best proof of their relationship.

"Naka, what did you just say? What did I misunderstand?"

"No, you haven't misunderstood..."

"So you did do it, didn't you?"

"Yes... I've already done it..."

"So what are you doing now?"

"I didn't do anything, I just... couldn't help myself..."

"If you can't hold it in, go outside and take care of it! I still need to sew your clothes, so don't show off your love in front of me!"

Jasmine yelled and issued the eviction order. Naka left the room, still holding Tatya's ear down. Tatya, now almost the same height as Naka, stood up, and Naka, with her arms outstretched, looked comically like a zombie. Only after reaching outside and confirming no one was around did Naka release her grip.

But they had no idea what to say or do next. They just looked at each other blankly, then covered their faces, which were too ashamed to show.

A Man's Last Wish (Part 1)

"Go to hell?"

Ossid initially doubted whether he had misheard. But Naka immediately repeated it.

"That's right. If you were alive, it would be very troublesome."

Now Osider realized that Naka was serious. He laughed heartily.

"Are you still upset that I proposed to you earlier? It was just a joke... If you really can't accept it, I apologize. It wasn't what I truly meant..."

"That's not what I meant."

Although the marriage proposal made Naka quite unhappy with him, she had already made up her mind before she came here. Her request wasn't based on personal feelings, but rather the result of much consideration.

"Mr. Osider, you should know about your daughter's current situation, and your own. Your daughter has spent countless amounts of money and made countless efforts to cure your illness. For you, she has sacrificed everything about herself—her dreams, her future, her hobbies, her whims... As long as you are alive, these things will only be suppressed by her sense of responsibility."

"..."

"Your daughter is no longer a living, breathing person. She's just a tool for your treatment. Do you think this does her any good?"

Osider had considered Naka's words. He, as her father, had witnessed her efforts. Since his illness, Tatya's already diminished "personality" had vanished. Everything she did was for herself. The violence he inflicted on her when he was in a bad mood due to his illness was entirely his fault. He felt endless guilt towards Tatya and naturally hoped that his daughter could live according to his wishes.

But he didn't think that was a reason for him to die.

"...But to ask me to die just for this? Isn't that a bit of a stretch?"

"Of course, it's not just because of that."

Once Euscid recovers, Tatsia will naturally be able to do what she wants. However, this is contingent on Euscid's recovery, which is not the case in reality.