The Fake Saintess and the Elf Warrior

"Sister Naka, what's this...?"

"This guy was probably modified from some human. Look."

Looking around, the wolf demons' bodies gradually transformed into human forms. Just as the report stated, most of the wolf demons here were originally human. Now, their gruesome deaths made it almost impossible to discern their gender or appearance.

"Yes, I killed them...?"

The villagers from the surrounding area were captured by the mother and experimented on here, ultimately dying at the hands of her own daughter. These innocent lives were lost at the hands of Tatsia's family. This made Tatsia feel a sudden nausea, as if she were about to vomit.

"It's not your fault. These guys have lost their minds. If we don't kill them, we'll be the ones killed. We're just trying to protect ourselves."

Naka gently patted Tatsia's back, comforting her as she grappled with self-reproach. If this had happened to Naka, she certainly wouldn't have cared. But Tatsia was too kind. Without guidance, she would be tormented by guilt for a very long time.

"Yes, yes. We were just on the verge of death. Whatever they were originally, we did nothing wrong..."

She couldn't simply let it go and stop thinking about it. But Tatsia had also come to accept this unfortunate reality to some extent. Everything she had done was simply to survive. Besides, these modified villagers had indeed attacked nearby villages. Killing them was only natural. Even if Tatsia hadn't killed them, someone else would have done it sooner or later.

"Leave the explanation to the guild and the village to me. You don't need to worry too much."

"Okay, sure..."

Naka's willingness to take responsibility calmed Tatsia considerably. Tatsia patted her cheeks, trying to forget the unpleasant things and pull herself together.

"Okay, I'll go check it out now."

"Be extra careful."

Following Naka's advice, Tatsia cautiously approached the green wolf's corpse step by step in the distance.

But the closer she got, the stronger her sense of foreboding grew. The green wolf, now in human form, became increasingly familiar to her. Even with only half its body remaining, Tatia felt as if she had seen it somewhere before.

"No, no way..."

Tatia had a terrible premonition. Going any further might lead to irreversible consequences... She hoped it was just her imagination. To prove it, she continued walking. Until she stood before the corpse and clearly saw its features.

"No, it can't be... Why, why did this happen...?"

Her terrible prediction had ultimately come true. Tatiana knelt on the ground in despair, scratching her face and tearing at her hair. Tears streamed down her face.

"Mom, Mom!!!!"

"What?"

Seeing Tatsia's strange behavior, Naka rushed over. She saw what appeared to be a woman's corpse lying on the ground.

Her upper body, lying face up on the ground, bore a face that resembled that of the adult Tatia. Long, pointed ears, a hallmark of elves, peeked from the sides of her blood-stained green hair. Her lower body was clad in traditional elven attire. Her identity was now self-evident. This was none other than Tatia's biological mother: Vilia.

Osider longed for her, Takiya searched for her in vain, and Naka, who had always been shrouded in mystery, had now lost all life. Even in death, her eyelids remained open, her empty eyes staring motionlessly at the ceiling.

She was dismembered by her own daughter. And her daughter could not accept this cruel reality.

"Ah, ahhhhh... How could this happen... It was me... I killed Mom..."

Tatsia looked down at her body. It was covered in blood. At first, she thought it was the blood of a hideous monster, but now she realized that it was all the flesh and blood of the person who gave birth to her.

A wave of nausea, several times, even ten times stronger than the previous nausea, suddenly washed over her, pushing Tatsia to her limit. She opened her mouth and vomited up stomach acid and gastric juices with a loud "whoosh."

"Takia! Cheer up! Don't be like this!"

Naka shook her shoulders forcefully, trying to calm Tatsia down. But her words couldn't reach the distraught Tatsia. No matter how Naka called out, Tatsia only muttered to herself softly.

"Why...is this punishment...am I a child who shouldn't have been born...?"

When Tatia learned that her mother had abandoned her to conduct experiments, she did feel hatred towards her mother. But this didn't mean she wanted to kill her. As a daughter, she had committed an absolutely unforgivable and heinous act. She was someone she couldn't even forgive herself for, someone who defied all reason and morality.

Why had her mother turned into a wolf demon? Tatsia no longer cared about that question. Now, all she felt was self-loathing. If she could wish for anything, she wished she had never been born. That way, her mother wouldn't have died, and she wouldn't have to endure this indescribable, heart-wrenching pain.

Her reason could no longer accept reality, so she chose to escape. Tatia's head lolled to the side, and she lost consciousness.

"Hey! Tatya! Tatya!...Did you faint from the shock?"

Naka gently laid the unconscious Tatya on the ground. Looking at this unbelievable scene, she was somewhat perplexed.

"What on earth is going on...? She transformed herself into a monster? Why?"

Even if it was for the sake of experimenting with the Fairy Paradise, there was no need to transform herself like this. Naka truly couldn't understand Vilia's intentions. Not only did she lose her life, but she also inflicted psychological trauma on her daughter that would likely never heal. If she truly believed that transforming herself into a green wolf was her perfect creation, then Naka found it even more incomprehensible.

The matter of modifying monsters, the magic circle, the elves... Naka still had many things she wanted to confirm with Vilia, and it wouldn't be too late for Vilia to die afterward. But now, the person who could answer her questions was gone forever, leaving this world with all the secrets. Naka was filled with resentment, unable to find peace.

"Your Majesty, it is so good to see that you are in good health."

Just then, Naka heard Fan's voice in her ear. He, who had been constantly chattering in her ear while she was injured, had fallen silent as she recovered. During his silence, he had been observing the situation. Now, he had finally found the perfect opportunity to speak to Naka.

"Your Majesty, before you resolve this matter, I have a question I simply cannot understand and would like to hear your opinion on... Why didn't you heed my instructions and remove your 'disguise' in such a dangerous situation?"

Although his words were respectful, Farn's tone was filled with anger. His adopted daughter had just narrowly escaped death, only to be saved by some inexplicable miracle. And all of this, Naka should have been able to avoid. He had opposed Naka's use of "disguise" precisely because he feared such a situation would occur. At that time, he could only watch helplessly as his daughter was left isolated and powerless to do anything for her.

"..."

Why not remove the "disguise"? Why warn Tatsia? Why save her in the end instead of saving yourself?

These are questions that even Naka herself keeps asking herself.

If she hadn't warned her, and the wolf demon who ambushed her had killed her, she could have openly revealed her disguise and dealt with these worthless fodder. If she hadn't saved her, using healing magic on herself would have been just as effective in instantly eliminating all the enemies. Naka had many opportunities to reveal her disguise, but she let them all slip by. She couldn't remember what she was thinking at the time. She only knew that her body acted on its own before her brain could process anything. Unable to explain, she remained silent.

"Kalenra, aren't you going to say anything?"

"....sorry"

Regardless, it was Naka's own responsibility that she didn't escape the danger in time. Faced with her father's questioning, Naka could only apologize in a low voice.

"Don't say sorry! Karenla, you're supposed to be a Demon King! How could you be so careless? Do you know how worried I was? I wanted to rush to your side and wipe out those beasts myself. Besides, you're our king! Your life doesn't just belong to you. If you die, what will happen to our demon race? What will happen to the Demon King's army...?"

Naka hadn't heard her adoptive father's nagging lectures for many years, and she even felt a pang of nostalgia. However, she had indeed caused him trouble. Like a little girl, Naka obediently bowed her head and apologized to her adoptive father.

As he spoke, Fane grew tired. Though an undead, he was, after all, quite old. His physical strength could no longer keep up with his mind. There was still much he wanted to say, but he ultimately decided to stop.

"Ha, ha... Never mind, I won't say anymore. You may look young, but you're almost a thousand years old. You should understand the道理 (principles/reasoning), Karenla. Don't let this happen again, or I really will have to consider recalling you and forbidding you from traveling."

"I understand, Father."

"Very well, let's leave this matter at that... Then, shouldn't you also settle things with this young girl, Your Majesty the Demon King?"

The little girl Faen was referring to was naturally Tatsia, who was lying on the ground. Naka kept saying, "Wait, wait a while longer, kill her later, kill her when she's no longer useful, kill her when she finds her mother..." She kept delaying, until now. But now, Naka had no reason to keep Tatsia alive.

"Your Majesty, it's regrettable, but the culprit behind the monster modification is dead. The monster modification project should probably end here. You always said that once Miss Tatia found her mother, you would kill her entire family, thus completely wiping out the elves... Her father was under your spell and is doomed. Her mother was also killed by her own hands. So, shouldn't the only remaining elf in this world now retire from the stage...?"

"..."

Although he didn't say it outright, Naka understood what Fan meant: he was urging her to kill Tatia right now.

At this moment, Tatia had already lost consciousness. There was no one else present. To strike now would not only go unnoticed, but Tatia would likely never understand why she died. In truth, Tatia herself should now be filled with a regret so intense it felt like she wanted to kill herself.

"Your Majesty, even putting that aside, Miss Tatia just displayed astonishing abilities. She is also one of the most promising adventurers. Who knows... she might just be the hero."

"I know...."

Fan's statement wasn't unfounded. The final roar Tatia unleashed when defeating the Green Wolf was almost identical in posture and aura to the prophesied hero who killed Naka. Naka was genuinely startled upon seeing this. Although more details about the prophesied hero were still unknown, a very suitable candidate had emerged.

"Well then, I don't need to tell you what you should do, Your Majesty the Demon King. Let the family of three be reunited. Consider this a good deed you've done."

Although it ended this way, it could be considered as fulfilling Osider's dying wish to Naka: "to let Tatya meet her mother." "Kill her after she finds her mother"...and now, that moment has arrived.

Naka looked at Tatia, who was still unconscious and shedding tears, and raised her right hand. A ball of dark magic condensed in her hand.

"..."

It had only been a little over a month since she met her. But it felt like an eternity to Naka. So much had happened in that time—happy things, and not-so-happy things. Those events were still vivid in her mind. Naka didn't dislike this period. But now, it was time to end it all.

"Farewell..."

These words of farewell carried a hint of sorrow. The dark magic left Naka's palm and flew towards its target. The instant it touched the target's body, it obliterated it completely, leaving not a trace...

...

"You really love ambushes. I had already removed my 'disguise,' yet you still dared to attack me, the Demon King."

But Naka's hand wasn't aimed at Tatsia; instead, it reached behind her. Just as she was gathering her magic, a wolf demon that had previously ambushed Tatsia but had its arm severed, and which had been hiding in the ruins, suddenly attacked Naka. Knowing this beforehand, Naka's magic struck it directly. Until its death, it didn't realize it had made the fatal mistake of 'fighting the Demon King.'

Tatia, however, remained lying on the ground, completely unharmed.

Naka knelt down on one knee, lifted Tatsia's body, and supported her with her own knee. She gently wiped away the tears from Tatsia's face with her sleeve.

"Your Majesty, what is your intention?"

Farn asked calmly

In fact, Naka's refusal to kill Tatsia wasn't unexpected for Faen. All her previous assurances had been excuses; Naka's true intention was simply not to kill Tatsia. Now, Faen was curious to see what excuse Naka would use to deceive him now.

Of course, Naka has her own reasons.

"Fan, you only know one side of the story... This child also has significant value to be exploited."

I would like to hear more details.

"The researcher who modified those monsters, making them immortal and ferocious: Tatya's mother, Vilia, is indeed dead... As her daughter, she shouldn't have mistaken her. This corpse is indeed Vilia herself... But this matter will definitely not end here."

"How to say?"

The reasons Naka gave next were not fabricated; they were questions that had arisen in her mind the moment she saw the report.

"The report clearly outlines the experimental content, objectives, and personnel... But there's one more thing that might seem strange, doesn't it? The researchers are elves, and the reference books are in Elvish... So why is the report written in human language?"

The sudden appearance of human language amidst a vast ocean of Elvish books was both a cause for celebration and a highly unnatural and suspicious event.

"If this report was merely intended as experimental documentation, Vilia should have written it in her native language, Elvish. There was no need to specifically use a human language. I think there's only one reason she used a human language to record it..."

At this point, Fain understood the conclusion Naka had drawn.

"...You mean, this report is actually intended for a human being?"

"That's right. In other words, whether it's modifying monsters, abducting humans, or turning humans into monsters, it wasn't Vilia's own idea. It was all done on the orders of some human..."

A human hired Vilia, an elf, to conduct experiments here. Vilia used books written in the elven language for reference, then reported back to her employer in human language. The real culprit, however, is the human using modified monsters for an unknown project. He is the mastermind behind it all... This is how Naka sees the true nature of the situation.

"Why? It's not unreasonable for her to want to write in human language on a whim."

Farn offered a different perspective, arguing that it was too arbitrary to conclude there was more to the story based on just one text.

However, Naka had other reasons for saying this. Besides the report, she also discovered many suspicious points.

"Then how should we interpret Mr. Osider's testimony?"

"Testimony?"

"Furthermore, if Vilia is truly the mastermind, then it contradicts Mr. Osider's testimony. A woman who knew the Elf Kingdom was about to be destroyed and still managed to send invisibility potions in advance to help her husband and daughter escape would never have been in this mansion so far away from the Elf Kingdom. Besides, if she really abandoned her family as she claimed, why would she have gone out of her way to save her husband and daughter?"

Naka pulled out the letter Osider had given her, which he claimed was left for him by Vilia, and compared it with the report she found in the mansion. Although the languages ​​were different, the handwriting clearly indicated they were from the same person. And indeed, Tatya and her father had escaped death thanks to Vilia's potion.

"This proves that Vilia did indeed have the ability and the intention to help her husband and daughter escape. Abandoning her family was just a pretense, a facade to impress her employer. Besides that... there's something else that concerns me."

"What?"

"It's that perfect creation... At first, I thought it was that green wolf demon, but then I realized it should be the sword that Tatsia carries. But if we hadn't come here to fight her, this sword wouldn't have awakened. Vilia, who has already become a demon, couldn't have arranged for us to come here. It must be some human who is secretly behind this."

At this point, Naka already had a suspect in mind. If it was that person, they could control the adventurers' movements through quests. Getting Naka and the others here was entirely within their capabilities. Moreover, they had already exhibited very strange behavior before this. Naka believed they must know something.

"Which human?"

Fan hadn't yet grasped this point. He asked curiously. Naka didn't have enough evidence at the moment, so she just gave a vague answer.

"I don't know about that, so I still need this child."

Naka looked at Tatsia. She gently stroked Tatsia's face, which she had scratched raw and bloody in despair, and while casting healing magic, she spoke...

"What happened today will definitely be known to the mastermind. He'll also be watching Tatsia. So I'll use Tatsia to lure him out. Until then, I'll spare her life."

"In that case, I have nothing more to say."

Although it still sounded like an excuse, the problem Naka raised was indeed not to be ignored. Fan had no grudge against Tatia, and since Naka still had a plan, Fan dared not say anything more. However, just to be on the safe side, he still confirmed one thing with Naka.

"So... once we find the mastermind behind this and resolve this matter completely..."

"At that time, I will naturally kill Tatia," Naka said without hesitation.

If she were truly considering it, she would have given it considerable thought before replying. Her hasty declaration that she would kill Tatia only made Farn think she was just going through the motions.

Naka herself didn't realize it, but Fan could see it clearly through the cross on her chest. No matter how fierce the words Naka uttered, her eyes would soften and become kind whenever she saw Tatsia. That was exactly how Naka looked now.

Now that things had come to this, Farn could only sigh and say dejectedly.

"I hope you won't forget what I'm saying now."

That being said, Faen had already given up all hope that Naka would be so ruthless as to kill Tatia.

Today's chapter is another long one, 10,000 words! The next chapter will be the final chapter of Volume One. Please take care of me.

启程