The Fake Saintess and the Elf Warrior

"right"

"What do you want with him?"

"There's something I'd like to confirm with him."

"..."

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone about our deal."

"All right..."

The receptionist, still looking somewhat hesitant, turned and went into the guild leader's office behind her. A moment later, Ijima, wearing round-lensed glasses, with blond curly hair and a scholarly air, emerged. He recognized Naka the moment he sat down opposite her.

"Isn't this the saintess who fought with Tatsia the other day? What do you want with me?"

"Is your guild mistaken about the difficulty level of this mission?"

Naka tapped the "Difficulty" column on the task list heavily with her finger a few times.

"The difficulty of this mission was far beyond level 15. The monsters that appeared there were all far stronger than I imagined. Even if I had joined a level 20 adventurer's party, I might not have made it back alive. I'm just incredibly lucky to have survived. Did your guild even bother to do any research when setting the difficulty?"

"Is that so? If this is true, then it has indeed caused you, Miss Saintess, a great deal of trouble. We will send someone to investigate immediately. If the situation is true, we will sincerely apologize and provide you with compensation... So, Miss Saintess, who did you team up with during this mission? To ensure that the compensation is distributed to each of you, and to prevent you from embezzling the compensation, we hope you can answer truthfully."

Ijima picked up a pen, as if to take notes. But a strange look appeared in his eyes as he gazed at Naka, as if he were waiting for her to say something.

Naka knew what he was waiting for. Naturally, she wouldn't let him have his way.

"No need. I'm just reminding you to avoid a similar situation from happening again. Other adventurers might not be as lucky as me."

"Is that so? Then I'll have to thank Miss Saintess for her suggestion on behalf of the guild. Don't worry, we'll immediately cancel this quest order and won't let any other adventurers rashly attempt it."

As he spoke, Ijima snatched the task sheet and crumpled it into a ball. He raised his hand to throw it into the wastebasket. At that moment, Naka spoke up.

"Is it really okay? Maybe I'm just making excuses to desert at the last minute. Aren't you going to send someone to confirm? Or... do you already know I'm telling the truth?"

Upon hearing Naka's words, Ijima's body stiffened momentarily. After a few seconds, he lowered his raised hand and smiled as he asked Naka...

"You, Saintess, really love to say strange things. How could I possibly know? I'll send someone to check that mansion later. There's just no need to say it in front of you, Saintess."

"You're the one spouting nonsense, Mr. Ijima. Did I ever say I'd been to any 'mansion'?"

"..."

Feigning composure and forcing a smile, Ijima chose silence this time. Naka, however, had already gotten the answer she wanted. There was no need to stay any longer. She stood up, turned, and left the guild.

However, as she pushed open the door, she added a sentence.

"Mr. I think you don't need to send anyone to check... there's still some fur stuck to your shoulder."

After saying that, Naka slammed the door and left without waiting for Ijima's response. For several seconds after she left, the glass in the door rattled loudly, for reasons unknown.

Ijima pinched something off his left shoulder with his index finger and thumb. Upon seeing what it was, Ijima's eyes widened. His wrist trembled slightly.

"Um... Mr./Ms. Manager?"

Completely oblivious to their conversation, the receptionist lingered hesitantly beside the silent Ijima. Although she couldn't see Ijima's expression, who had his back to her, she could vaguely sense a dangerous aura emanating from him. Getting closer was one thing, but staying away was another.

Suddenly, Ijima sprang to his feet. So fast was he that the chair he was sitting on overturned. When he turned around, the receptionist could only see a smile on his face. Not a benevolent smile, but a chilling, sinister grin, as if he were plotting something.

"What are you slacking off for? Get back to work!"

"Yes, yes... but since you're sitting in my seat, I can't..."

"Um?"

"No, no, no! There's nothing there!"

That smile was so terrifying that the receptionist dared not look at it again. He quickly pulled up his chair and buried himself in his work. By now, his drowsiness had vanished completely.

Ijima, however, simply maintained his smile and walked back to his office. As if in response to Naka, he also slammed the office door shut.

"Splash!"

He used too much force, and the glass in the door shattered with a crack, shards scattering across the floor like a shower of petals.

"Seriously, Naka is so slow..."

At the gates of Isad Town, Jasmine and Tatya looked impatiently at the sun. They had agreed to leave early in the morning, but Naka suddenly said she had something to take care of and went out. Jasmine had to check out of the hotel herself. Then the two of them, carrying the three people's luggage, went ahead to meet at the town gate. The carriage to Sunflower Town was also ready in advance. Only Naka, who was still nowhere to be seen, was missing.

"Ah, here it comes!"

About ten minutes later, Tatsia vaguely saw Naka's figure slowly approaching from a distance. She waved and ran towards her.

"Naka! Where have you been?!"

"It's nothing, I just went to confirm a few things."

"What's wrong?"

"It's not a big deal, and it's already been thoroughly verified..."

"?"

Naka said things that left Tatsia completely bewildered, and the two slowly approached the city gate. Jasmine, who had been waiting impatiently, was already quite impatient.

"Naka! You're always coming up with unexpected ideas. Making the driver wait longer costs you money!"

"Sorry, sorry. It's all taken care of now, let's go."

Everyone was present, so they could officially set off. Jasmine briefly greeted the coachman and then climbed into the carriage first. Naka followed suit.

But Tatsia did not follow. She looked awkwardly at the two saints sitting in the carriage.

"What's wrong, Tatia? Come up here!"

"Um... Sister Naka! Sister Jasmine!"

Before setting off, Tatia had something she wanted to tell the two saintesses in person in the town of Isad, where she had encountered them.

"Although our first meeting was truly terrible, I'm so grateful to have met you both! I, Tatia, am still just a greenhorn, and I'll likely cause you two a lot of trouble in the future... I'm incredibly grateful for your tolerance and understanding! I promise to become a strong hero who won't hold you back. Please, please guide me!"

She bent down and bowed deeply to Naka and Jasmine.

Naka and Jasmine were startled at first, then exchanged a smile. Naka held onto the side of the carriage with her right hand and extended her left hand to Tatya below.

"Why are you being so formal now? Hurry up and come on up."

"Um!"

Tatia took the hand of her beloved and, drawn by her strength, boarded the carriage. She sat beside her, leaning on her shoulder. This alone made Tatia incredibly happy and content.

Tatsia felt a sense of transformation, a rebirth. As long as Naka was there, she would no longer feel confused, fearful, or desperate. No matter what difficulties arose, she would maintain an optimistic and positive spirit to face everything that followed... Tatsia firmly believed this. This was her new meaning of life, her new goal to strive for.

"Ready? Let's go!"

After confirming that everyone had arrived, the coachman raised his whip.

What kind of people will they encounter in Sunflower Town? What events will unfold? Each of the three harbors their own purpose and dreams, engaging in various imaginings—some filled with anticipation, others with unease, and still others with excitement.

The carriage carrying the three of them slowly made its way towards Sunflower Town.

Volume One is complete. Thank you for reading this far.

# Volume 2 Adventurer's School

Prologue: The Tragic Adventure Team

That was shortly after Naka became the Demon King.

The warlords and lords throughout the demon realm have not yet fully accepted their new king. As the Demon King, Naka has to personally travel to various places to smooth things over and explain her policies and strategies. To assert her status as Demon King, Naka travels throughout the demon world wearing armor that only a Demon King can wear.

That day, Naka arrived at a small mountain. The stronghold of the next prestigious demon clan lay on the other side of the mountain. Crossing mountains was a arduous task, especially since Naka was wearing that incredibly heavy armor. If she could, Naka would absolutely not want to wear it. But Fan had repeatedly told her that having this armor would save her a lot of trouble. Naka had no choice.

Before she knew it, it was noon. Naka sat down on a large rock in the middle of the mountain path, preparing to rest. Looking at her map, she realized there was still more than half the mountain path left to climb. Naka couldn't help but complain.

"That damned Gimodoro family...aren't they afraid of the inconvenience of going out to do errands by building their home in this deep mountain forest?...They have to climb the mountain twice just to go there and back."

"Yes, it was quite a journey for us to finally see them."

"Who is it?"

On the mountain path where Naka should have been alone, a young male voice suddenly rang out. Naka abruptly stood up, entering a state of combat readiness. As the Demon King, she could sense that someone with ill intentions was approaching.

"Now!"

With a loud shout, a fireball suddenly descended from the sky, striking Naka squarely. The attack was incredibly powerful; even the boulder beneath Naka's feet was instantly blasted into pieces.

"Did you take it down?"

Several figures emerged from behind the surrounding rocks. They had been lying in ambush there for some time.

"Even if he's not dead, he should be injured. This is the highest-level fire magic of a Lv60 archmage. And it's enhanced by my magic-enhancing auxiliary magic. Even the strongest warrior under that demon's command could be killed in one hit."

"It was the saintess dressed in a nun's habit," she said.

"Honestly, you two stole all the credit. I haven't even done anything yet!"

"It was the female archer carrying a huge bow and arrow," she said.

"I think it's best not to let our guard down. After all, this isn't just any ordinary demon... it's a Demon King."

"That's what the male mage who unleashed the fire spell said."

"I really didn't expect to run into the final boss, the Demon King, in a place like this. The information that the demon told us before he died that the Demon King would be visiting here today was indeed correct. It was truly an effortless stroke of luck."

"It is the male warrior carrying a huge iron hammer," he said.

"Everyone, stay alert!"

He drew his holy sword and pointed it at the still-burning flames, saying...

"Is that so? It seems the Gemodo family has been wiped out by you. Also, I did receive news that a group of heroes killed one of the ten dragons I released. It seems it was you who did it."

Finally, Naka emerged leisurely from the flames, speaking. Her armor was unmarked.

"So that's how it was..."

It seemed even the hero himself didn't believe the mighty Demon King would be defeated so easily. He gripped his sword tightly. The saintess, reacting instantly, immediately cast body-enhancing and magic-enhancing spells on her teammates. Bows, hammers, staves, and other weapons were all drawn and aimed at the enemy. Everyone assumed a battle stance.

"Oh, it seems your combat skills are quite good. You don't let up when your attacks succeed, and you're not discouraged when they miss. Besides, the Gimodoro family is a highly prestigious family among the demons. They are not opponents that ordinary adventurers can handle. You were able to defeat even them, so it seems you are all seasoned veterans who have experienced many deadly battles."

Naka glanced at the five people before her. As the Demon King, Naka didn't need any tools; a single look was enough to determine her opponents' levels. This was Naka's unique ability: "Insight," one of the Demon King's powers.

"Everyone's level is Lv60... That's quite rare. It seems you're among the elite of the human race. To be honest, I had no dealings with humans before becoming the Demon King. After becoming the Demon King, I was busy with official duties every day. You should feel fortunate... because you are the first wave of adventurers to challenge me."

Naka opened her arms, as if to embrace them. Now, as the Demon King, she welcomed the adventurers who came to challenge her.

"Come forth, warriors! Let me witness the power of humanity!"

These words were like a battle cry. Before the words had even finished, the warrior wielding the giant hammer charged ahead and struck Naka's head.

But the hammer suddenly stopped a few meters from Naka's forehead. It could not advance an inch further. And the warrior who had delivered the blow was also inexplicably frozen in mid-air, unable to move.

"This, this is...!"

He knew perfectly well that he couldn't fly. There was only one explanation for this phenomenon: he was imprisoned in the air by the Demon King. Despite his towering stature and immense strength, no matter how much he struggled, his body seemed utterly unresponsive. The body-enhancing magic cast by the Saintess seemed to have no effect whatsoever. The meaning of this phenomenon had already been conveyed to the warrior's mind. Large beads of sweat instantly covered his entire face.

"Aiqi! Hang in there!"

The mage also realized the danger. He quickly began chanting a spell. What would normally take a mage a minute to chant a top-level spell, he conjured in just a few seconds. At the same time, the archer drew his bow to its fullest extent and infused his arrow with magic.

"Supreme-level fire magic..." "Supreme-level storm magic..."

"Firestorm Hurricane!"

The two attacks were launched simultaneously, intertwining to form a massive fire tornado that hurtled towards Naka. A deafening explosion erupted where Naka had just stood, flames shooting straight into the sky. This combined attack, enhanced by dual magical power, was far more powerful than the previous fireball.

"He's probably half dead now, if not dead..."

"Probably. No monster has survived a hit from us. Not even that level 70 dragon... Wh-what?"

The feel of the attack hitting its mark was clear. The Demon King hadn't dodged the blow. This was also the most powerful single attack they could unleash. What should have appeared next was the Demon King's corpse, or at the very least, a Demon King severely wounded and in agony. The group of heroes, who had been eagerly anticipating this, were naturally stunned by what they saw next.

"No...it's impossible..."

Naka remained standing there as if nothing had happened, not even moving an inch. Her warrior, Aiqi, was unharmed because her magic had been blocked by the highest-level magical attack the former saintess had cast on him. But Naka's complete lack of resistance, taking the attack without a scratch, was entirely beyond the heroes' expectations. Looking at the speechless heroes, Naka disdainfully flicked the dust off her armor with her finger.

"If this is your trump card, then it's truly disappointing. Even the previous Demon King's ordinary punches and kicks were far more powerful. I was originally planning to test your mettle further, but forget it, I'm not going to waste my time on such insignificant insects. Well then... it's time to say goodbye to my friends, warrior."

A jet-black vortex appeared in Naka's hand, aimed at Aiqi.

"He...he's about to cast a spell! Hito!"

"Yes! I know!"

Saintess Hito hurriedly continued to use her highest-level magic attacks to block Aiqi's attacks. At the same time, the hero swung his holy sword at Naka, attempting to interrupt her magical assault.

"The highest level? You humans are still stuck at such a childish level, it's really not interesting... Let me show you."