The Fake Saintess and the Elf Warrior

"Scary? Saying I'm scary is really going too far, Naka. I just wanted to give you some special extra tutoring."

"It's a lie," Naka and Jasmine thought to themselves in unison. There were many saints in the class; their purpose in focusing solely on the two of them was utterly obvious.

However, Mitian wasn't 100% lying. Seeing that the two women weren't entirely trusting her, she immediately offered them advice like a teacher.

"Jasmine, you're already 19 years old, but you're still only Lv2. Your teacher is really worried about you. Your magic power isn't actually that low. But you're not very attentive to learning skills. If you only master basic healing magic and physical enhancement magic, your level won't increase. But don't worry, in the upcoming classes, your teacher will teach you more advanced magic step by step."

"Oh, oh... thank you, teacher..."

"And you, Naka. You really have a lot of skills. You're the only one in the beginner saintess class who can use intermediate healing magic. I noticed you seemed distracted in class today, probably because you don't care about the introductory knowledge anymore. Hmm, that's fine then. Because you're such an excellent student, I, your teacher, allow you to not pay attention in class!"

"No, that can't be allowed..."

"I believe you'll be able to advance to the intermediate-level Saintess level in less than six months!"

"Teacher, are you even listening to me...?"

Naka had no idea that Mitian's greatest strength lay in her ability to ignore others' criticisms, a skill honed through years of being teased by her younger sister. This ability was arguably even more refined than her own as a saintess. She could become completely absorbed in her own world, launching into a long, rambling monologue that no one else wanted to listen to.

"However, Naka, you need to be careful. You're already twenty years old. You've passed the golden age for improving your abilities. I don't think the knowledge taught in class will significantly increase your magic power. So, I've decided to give you individual tutoring. I've prepared one-on-one lessons for you. If you need them, just contact me anytime."

"No, I don't need it..."

"It would be even better if you could bring Tatia along."

"So this was your real purpose after all..."

No matter how much she cared about their abilities, it was all just a formality to build rapport with Tatia's friends. Through her morning observations, Mitia noticed that Tatia seemed to have deeper feelings for Naka than for Jasmine. Just looking at their expressions revealed a stark difference. So she decided to start with Naka.

But it was precisely because Tatsia's gaze towards Naka was somewhat unusual that Mitian, ignoring all of Naka's complaints, went straight to the point and asked...

"By the way, what's your relationship with Tatsia?"

"...Why should I tell you?"

"Because Tatya is Vilia's child, right?"

Hearing this, Naka's heart tightened. But Mitian only said it was a child, without mentioning a daughter or anything about elves, which reassured her somewhat. However, this confirmed Naka's suspicions: Tatsia's identity had been completely exposed to Mitian. That day, Mitian had only said it was a mistake, but she had indeed received the official answer later. Naka's worst fears had come true.

Mitian understood that Tatiana's lie about being male and concealing her elven identity must have a hidden reason. She didn't know if the two saintesses traveling with Tatiana knew her true identity. Therefore, Mitian deliberately kept the truth to herself. On the other hand, it was also a test for the two women.

"Velia and I were friends through thick and thin back then. Tatya is like my own child. So I really want to care about him and his friends. Naka, can you tell me?"

"this..."

Naka was still hesitating about how to explain when the quick-tongued Jasmine answered first.

"She's Tatsia's girlfriend. They're dating."

"Hey! Don't talk nonsense..."

"What does it matter? If Teacher Mitian is a close friend of Tatsia's mother, it wouldn't hurt to say something like this. It'll save her from bothering us again..."

Jasmine whispered to Naka. Judging from Mitian's advice regarding their abilities, Jasmine had become somewhat less wary of her. She had interpreted the previous strange behavior as a close friend wanting to check on the relationship between her friend's son and the two women around him. But Naka knew things were definitely not that simple.

"girlfriend?"

Mitian looked at Naka thoughtfully and pressed for an answer.

"So he's yours...?"

Since Naka is Tatsia's girlfriend, then Tatsia is Naka's boyfriend. Jasmine didn't understand the significance of this question. But Naka understood its meaning. It was a test to see if Naka knew that Tatsia was a woman.

Naka knows Tatia's true identity, and if Mitian finds out, it will only bring endless trouble. Naka chooses to play dumb.

"He, he's my boyfriend."

"Oh! Is that so? That little brat who used to make me change his diapers, now he has a girlfriend. That's amazing, truly amazing!"

Upon hearing that Naka thought Tatia was male, Mittian was overjoyed. This meant that Tatia's female nature was a secret known only to Mittian.

Mitian, overjoyed too soon, was completely unaware that her overreaction actually relieved Naka. Mitian's decision not to expose Tatsia's secret suited Naka's wishes perfectly.

"Then we're no strangers now. Please take care of me from now on, Naka."

Mitian slapped Naka hard on the back, nearly knocking her to the ground. Naka could only awkwardly laugh at Mitian, but was actually speechless.

This turn of events was completely beyond Naka's expectations. Although it was a good thing that Tatia's identity hadn't been exposed, it also meant that she and Tatia had become Mitian's targets.

If no countermeasures are taken, spending the next six months living with a guilty conscience, engaging in clandestine and underhanded activities, is incredibly exhausting, both mentally and physically. This can't go on. And in Mitian's eyes, he's nothing more than a tool to connect with Tatsia. To truly resolve this issue, Tatsia needs to intervene personally for any real progress to be made.

"It's time to talk to Tatia," Naka concluded.

"Alright, teacher, I'm done for today. I should head back now. It's getting late, you should all go eat too. Don't forget you have class tomorrow."

Having achieved her goal, Mitis turned to leave. But then, Naka called her back.

"Ms. Mitterrand, please wait a moment."

"Hmm? What's wrong?"

Although she was reluctant to get involved with her, Naka had been harboring a question deep in her heart, one she hadn't been able to voice because she couldn't find the right moment. Only Mitian could answer this question, which was why it troubled Naka. But now, she finally found the opportunity.

"Do you know Ijima, the leader of the Adventurers' Guild in Isaad Town?"

The little follower

The reason Naka asked that question was because she had a secret she couldn't tell anyone except Tatya. Although Naka was currently attending classes peacefully, this was merely a prelude to her future adventures. The events that had recently happened to her were still etched in her memory.

Let's rewind to before they enrolled in school. At that time, Naka received intelligence that an unknown force was secretly capturing monsters and transforming them into monsters that obeyed the magic they had developed. These monsters were more ferocious than ordinary monsters and possessed near-immortality.

At the crucial vantage point of this incident—the mansion—Naka nearly lost her life due to a moment of carelessness. Ultimately, Naka was saved thanks to Tatsia's awakening. Only then did they discover that the researcher in charge of monster modification was none other than Tatsia's mother, Vilia.

After Naka comforted Tatsia, who was tormented by the cruel reality of her mother's murder, and helped her abandon her suicidal thoughts, the matter could be considered temporarily resolved. However, it was far from over. Tatsia's mother, Vilia, was clearly instructed to conduct experiments on modifying monsters. Her eventual transformation into a giant green wolf demon and her subsequent death at the hands of her daughter Tatsia seemed like a classic case of using someone else to silence her. Naka identified the most suspicious person: the guild leader, Ijima.

At first, he seemed unremarkable. However, it was his order prohibiting guild staff from accepting Tatya's party and quest requests that drew Naka's attention to this rarely seen individual. Subsequent events, however, led Naka to become suspicious of him.

Every quest posted in the guild was approved by him, the person in charge, before it was officially posted. If it were him, he could have deliberately waited for Naka to come and accept the quest, then posted the quest notice for her, enticing her to accept it. Naka didn't know how he knew she and Tatia had teamed up, but whether it was to eliminate the last spirit Tatia, or to test the power of Tatia's weapon, "Elf Paradise," by making Tatia kill her mother, as long as he controlled Naka and Tatia's whereabouts by issuing specific quests, leading them to the mansion, then the mission would be accomplished. If anyone could do this with their own will, only Ijima could do it.

To prove his theory, Naka confronted Ijima at the guild before heading to Sunflower Town. His inadvertent slip of the tongue convinced Naka that Ijima was definitely involved. Naka desperately needed information about Ijima to conduct a more thorough investigation. Guild staff wouldn't tell her these things, but Mitian was different.

As an elite adventurer, she also had a close relationship with Vilia. Vilia and Igima also seemed to have frequent contact. Therefore, it was highly likely that Mitian was also familiar with Igima. Based on this judgment, Naka decided the moment she learned that Mitian knew Vilia that she would one day try to obtain information from her. Now, that opportunity had finally arrived.

"Naka, why are you asking about him?"

Jasmine was utterly baffled by Naka's sudden mention of the guild leader's name at this crucial moment. They had only met the man named Ijima once and hadn't had any interaction with him. If Naka hadn't mentioned it, Jasmine would have almost forgotten about him.

Even Mitian was quite surprised by Naka's question. Before Naka spoke, Mitian thought she would ask about Tatia or her mother, or perhaps about the profession of saintess. Unexpectedly, she suddenly mentioned someone completely unrelated to either of those matters.

However, as for whether they knew each other or not, Mittian certainly knew the head of the Adventurers' Guild.

"Ask Xiao Yi. Of course I know him. Back when I was working with Senior Vilia, he was just a new apprentice. Every time I went to take on a mission, I'd see him getting yelled at by the previous supervisor, crying and sobbing... What happened to him?"

"No, it's nothing. I was just asking casually. Well then, teacher, thank you for your answer. I have no other questions for now. I'm very grateful that you're willing to tutor me. I will definitely keep my appointment. Although I can't guarantee whether Tatsia will come here with me or not."

"oh oh...."

Goodbye, teacher.

"goodbye..."

After a nonsensical conversation, Naka took Jasmine, who, like Mitian, was still confused about what was going on, and they disappeared into the distance.

For Naka, with Jasmine present, and Mitian also a person she couldn't afford to underestimate, the question had already been asked enough. Once it was confirmed that Mitian knew Ijima, the rest could be discussed later. There was no need to get to the heart of the matter now.

She suddenly threw out a question that seemed to have no context, gave a perfunctory answer, and then abruptly ended the conversation and left. Naka's behavior made Mitian, who had been called "strange" for over thirty years, think that Naka seemed to be an abnormal girl.

"...But it's fine this way."

Nakachi wasn't surprising; it was secondary to Mitian. Getting close to Tatia was Mitian's ultimate goal. In any case, her plan to contact Naka and Jasmine, to probe their relationship with Tatia and their understanding of her, had been initially successful. Humming a cheerful tune, Mitian, behaving completely unlike a thirty-year-old mature woman, skipped back to her office.

This day was absolutely terrible for Jasmine.

Unlike Naka and Mitian, each harboring their own ulterior motives, Jasmine always felt like an outsider. The conversation between Naka and the teacher was like gibberish, leaving Jasmine completely bewildered. Even when she asked Naka questions, Naka wouldn't tell her anything. She only knew that she had been tormented all day because of things she didn't understand the cause and effect of. Then, somehow, those things were resolved. Teacher Mitian stopped watching them, and Naka got the answers she wanted. Jasmine couldn't help but wonder if it would have been okay if she hadn't been there. She seemed to be just someone innocently dragged into a mess. In fact, her guess wasn't wrong.

Now that the matter was resolved, Jasmine didn't want to dwell on things she couldn't understand no matter how hard she tried, and which no one else would explain to her. In fact, Jasmine felt incredibly relieved. She could finally start enjoying campus life in a normal way.

By the time the two parted ways with Mitian, it was already dark. Their game of hide-and-seek with Mitian had lasted much longer than they had imagined. Jasmine had intended to go to the cafeteria to fill her rumbling stomach, but when they arrived, they found it was already past opening hours. Jasmine had no choice but to return to her dormitory hungry.

As she walked down the dormitory corridor, she continued to complain to Naka.

"Ugh... I'm so hungry... I'm so hungry my chest is practically sticking to my back..."

"..."

"Naka, aren't you hungry? You only ate lunch, didn't you? Are you just incredibly resilient, or is my stomach acid too strong and my digestion too fast?"

"..."

"Speaking of which, I'm really envious of you. Your level is clearly higher than mine, but Teacher Mitian said she'd give you extra tutoring instead of me. Who would have thought being that boy's girlfriend would have such advantages? Tell me, maybe I should find someone I can connect with... Hey, Naka, are you even listening to me?"

No matter how much Jasmine rambled on, Naka didn't respond. Although talking to herself could vent some of her frustrations and stress, the fact that someone was listening to her vent but wouldn't offer a word of comfort made Jasmine feel like she wasn't taken seriously.

However, Naka wasn't ignoring her on purpose. It was simply because she sensed something following her.

"Mari"

"You finally acknowledged me, I..."

"Look behind"

"What?"

"At the corner of the stairs"

Following Naka's directions, Jasmine turned to look at the stairs they had just climbed. A brown object was floating on the stair railing. The moment Jasmine turned back, the brown object abruptly retracted. But it was too late; Jasmine had already spotted it.

"No way? We just finished following someone and now we're being followed ourselves? Is karma coming on so fast? It's only the first day of class, and we're already this popular?"

"Let's ask the parties involved to find out what really happened."

With that, Naka turned and went back towards the stairs.

Just like when they were following Mitian and her friends not long ago, a girl followed behind Naka and Jasmine, hiding in a concealed spot, only peeking out to observe their situation. Seeing Naka approaching, she turned to run, but was too slow. The petite Naka swiftly lifted an equally petite figure from behind the armrest.

Naka was no stranger to this person. She was the saint in her class who had been the first to introduce herself in class today and had been spying on her ever since.

Naka wasn't surprised at all that the person following her was her. The way she looked at Naka during class this afternoon had already been very strange. Even while being held in Naka's hand, she kept yelling...

"Hey! You, let me go! You cursed saintess!"

But the girl called out a name that Naka didn't want to remember, a name that represented her many failures. Jasmine, laughing, interrupted.

"It's been so long since I've heard anyone call you that. I really miss it."

Because the adventurers who had previously teamed up with Naka either perished in their missions or barely survived only to have their missions fail, Naka earned the unpleasant nickname "The Cursed Saintess." However, since the lucky girl, Tatsia, had continued to work with her without incident, the matter gradually faded away. Therefore, Naka was very curious about how this girl had learned of this title.

"Hey, you..."

"Let me go right now! Or I'll call for help!"

Naka was about to ask a question, but the girl kept yelling and screaming. This would disturb the other dorm rooms. Naka had no choice but to take her directly to her own room. After locking the door to make sure no one else would disturb her, she put her down.

After her feet touched the ground, the girl immediately tried to run away again. But Jasmine blocked her way. With nowhere to escape, the girl defiantly plopped down on the ground.

"See, it seems you know you've done something wrong, so you ran away after class feeling guilty, you cursed saint. Fine, there's no time like the present, I'll lay it all out on the table with you today."

"That would be for the best. Who exactly are you? I remember your name is...Pais, right?"

Although the girl harbored deep resentment towards Naka, ever since Naka noticed the girl glaring at her fiercely in class, she had been wondering what she had done to offend her. Even after Naka relived her life over the past two years, and even her memories from the Demon King's Castle, she still had absolutely no recollection of the girl.

"That's right! Hearing this name, don't you understand who I am?"

"No"

Even though the girl's tone suggested that Naka absolutely needed to know her identity, what she didn't know, she simply didn't know. Naka coldly stated her position. Only then did the girl realize that Naka wasn't feigning ignorance, but genuinely didn't know.

"You!... Well then you'd better clean your ears and listen to me!"

The girl patted her chest and revealed her true identity.

"I am Pacio's sister, the hero who was killed while we were in the same party!"

The sister who lost her brother

Pasio, the hero, is the pride of his village, a once-in-a-century genius hero... at least that's what his neighbors call him. That's a bit of self-praise, isn't it?

However, reaching Lv13 at the young age of eighteen is indeed quite rare. Even if he were complacent, it would be understandable. But the humble Pacio did not do so.

With his formidable strength and handsome appearance, he was highly sought after by many young female adventurers. Even his sister, Pais, couldn't find a man more outstanding than her brother.

Two months ago, Pais waited at home as usual for his brother to finish his mission and return home. However, his brother did not come home at the usual time.

Before leaving home, Pacio hadn't mentioned he'd be back late. Pais was restless at home.

As night deepened, there was a sudden, urgent knocking at the front door. Pais rushed to open it. There stood his brother, leaning against the doorframe, reeking of alcohol.

"Brother! You...you've been drinking?"