The Fake Saintess and the Elf Warrior

When he spoke these words, the booming voice that once commanded the attention of all the new students was gone, replaced by a faint, trembling voice that was barely audible to anyone except the two saintesses. Having just single-handedly dealt with a criminal gang that had given many soldiers and adventurers headaches, Oz was brimming with arrogance. He believed himself to be the most formidable new student. But he hadn't considered that among the rabble he perceived, a truly extraordinary monster lurked. He refused to believe that Naka was a saintess who didn't need to fight, but merely someone else in the saintess's robes. In fact, Oz's guess was entirely correct.

However, Naka, who outwardly still presented herself as a saint, naturally shook her head. She then revealed her true identity to him.

"I am a saint."

"I don't believe it! With your strength..."

"Strength has nothing to do with profession. And..."

Naka poked Oz's chest with her finger.

"Don't think you're invincible just because you have some skills. You can look down on others, you ignorant brat. There are always people better than you, and among these freshmen, there are plenty who are much more capable than you. Be humble, and don't cause trouble for anyone. Everyone has something you can learn from. Maintain a respectful distance. If you can't do that, I'll come back to you later, understand?"

"..."

"Get out of here!"

After saying that, Naka and Jasmine left Oz, who was completely dumbfounded, and strode out of the cafeteria. From beginning to end, they didn't mention Tatia once in front of Oz. Therefore, Oz truly had no idea what he had done wrong.

However, the bigger the tree, the more the wind will blow. Oz was well aware that his performance at the speech was tantamount to making enemies of all the freshmen. It wouldn't be surprising if someone disliked him and sought a chance to teach him a lesson.

Realizing that his naiveté and recklessness might have caused him to provoke someone he shouldn't have, Oz lost all interest in searching for Tatia. Shortly after Naka and the others left, he also slunk away.

The freshmen who were watching the spectacle were completely bewildered. The excitement had inexplicably ended before it even got going. They began to discuss among themselves...

"Hey, what just happened?"

"I don't know, it seems like the two saintesses and that special admission student had some kind of conflict..."

"And the result?"

"As it turned out...who knows what happened? Those two saintesses whispered something to each other and then left; I didn't hear a thing."

"Who was it that cried out in pain earlier?"

"It seems to be... that special admission student."

"No way? How could two saintesses possibly hurt him in front of him and still make him afraid to fight back?"

"God knows..."

Amidst the chattering gossip, Tatsia covered her cheeks, now as red as the morning sun, and slumped over the table. Although her two sister saints hadn't exposed her, seeing her two friends and her roommate become the center of attention filled her with immense shame. Tatsia couldn't bear to listen to the whispers about what had just happened. She wanted to leave as soon as possible. But when she tried to get up, a tremendous force forced her back into her seat. Turning around, she saw the cafeteria lady distributing food standing behind her. "Where are you going? You haven't finished your food yet."

"Huh? My food?"

The cafeteria lady pointed to the half of Jasmine's still-eaten, hearty breakfast. She'd left it there to vent her anger, and then just left.

"We have a rule here: take only what you can eat, and eat only what you need. Waste is strictly prohibited. Otherwise, you'll be fined."

"No, I didn't order these..."

"Did you order this? You just happen to be sitting at this table. Who else should I talk to if not you?"

"This is what Sister Jasmine ate..."

"I don't know anything about jasmine."

"No, really..."

Tatsia, who had already eaten dinner the night before, wasn't very hungry. Looking at the pile of food in front of her, far exceeding her stomach's capacity, she broke out in a cold sweat. The burly woman was also a former adventurer. Tatsia was no match for her strength. Trembling, she picked up her chopsticks and, tears streaming down her face, began to eat the foods she had never heard of before.

No matter how much food was delivered, there seemed to be an endless supply waiting for her. The older woman, to prevent Tatsia from wandering off, stood beside her constantly, supervising her to finish. That day, Tatsia's stomach and heart groaned countless times. Those groans, if summed up in one sentence, were...

"Getting involved with Oz is never a good thing..."

Legendary adventurers

Naka had imagined her campus life would be eventful every day, especially after getting involved with the special student, Oz. But in reality, it seemed not to be like that at all. Aside from not being able to move freely in and out of the campus, it was quite comfortable. Before she knew it, a week had passed.

Although Pais boasted about defeating Naka, she didn't resort to any underhanded methods. Instead, she earnestly and sincerely studied the Saintess's teachings. She also refrained from causing further trouble for Naka. Her progress was remarkably rapid and evident. At the beginning of her studies, she was merely a beginner, but she quickly drew upon her own magical power and could cast simple healing spells. Naka couldn't help but marvel at the saying "like brother, like sister"—her brother was a genius hero, and her sister's talent seemed equally impressive.

Tatia didn't mention any further conflict with Oz. After being reprimanded by Naka, the arrogant Oz began to attend the Hero Class diligently.

As for Tatsia herself, Naka was constantly worried about whether she could live alone in the boys' dormitory. What would happen if her elf identity were exposed... what would happen if her female identity were exposed... Naka couldn't help but let her mind wander like this. Even the fearless Demon King began to suffer from insomnia.

But Tatya did manage to keep her secret for at least a week. Initially trembling with fear at the sight of men, she gradually became more comfortable communicating with them. Her speech and behavior became more natural. While she wasn't yet as close to the boys as Jasmine had been, still maintaining a certain distance and awkwardness, her growth and courage to overcome her timidity pleased Naka greatly.

For Naka, there is only one problem that she needs to be constantly vigilant about...

"Naka-kun~~"

That's the Saintess Class teacher, Mittian, who calls out her name in a sickeningly sweet way and keeps pouncing on Naka even as she tries to dodge.

Although she would disgustingly sidle up to her every day after class, her individual tutoring was undeniably effective. Naka had thought she had reached a decent level, but after her guidance, she realized she still had room for improvement. Even though Mitian's clinginess made her uncomfortable, Naka had no choice but to go along with it to ensure she could get first place in the exam six months later. Today, after all the other students had left, Naka stayed in the classroom alone to have a one-on-one conversation with Mitian.

However, no matter what, Mitiam was really too uncomfortable. She held Naka's hand while trying to get closer to her.

"Honestly, Naka, you're still so formal."

"No, you and I don't have any formal, intimate relationship, do we..."

"How can you say that? Although Tatsia isn't my biological son, in my heart, he's no different from my own son. My son's girlfriend is my future daughter-in-law, so how can I not be close to her?"

"..."

If her name hadn't been mentioned at the speech, Tatia wouldn't have known her at all. How dare she call herself Tatia's godmother? But even if she voiced her criticism, Tatia would simply ignore it; it was a complete waste of breath. Naka could only sigh inwardly, realizing she had underestimated Mitian's shamelessness.

Naka knew that these words were merely insincere flattery from Mitian in order to get closer to Tatsia. Mitian knew that Tatsia was a woman, and that Naka would never be her future daughter-in-law.

Naka was very grateful to Mitian for helping to conceal Tatsia's identity. However, Naka didn't understand why Mitian was targeting Tatsia. But Naka believed that whatever her purpose, her approach to Tatsia in her current state would definitely have a very negative impact on her. In order to delay this as much as possible, Naka had no choice but to accept Mitian's guidance while keeping her distance from her personally.

Listening to her spouting rubbish would only waste precious time, so Naka forcefully steered the conversation back to the important matter at hand.

"Teacher, may we begin tutoring?"

"Of course! Naka, you can go anytime you want! So today, I'd like to take you somewhere."

With that, Mitian pushed open the classroom door and pulled Nakara out, who immediately sensed something was wrong.

Fortunately, Mitian didn't take Naka to some strange place. Nor was it some enclosed, cramped space where only the two of them were present. Instead, it was the museum on campus.

This museum chronicles the remarkable achievements of adventurers throughout history. From battles against rampaging monsters that once ravaged human society, to the civil wars that repeatedly shattered and reformed human kingdoms, to wars against successive demon kings and their armies—all these historical events, large and small, and the deeds of great figures, are displayed here, whether in writing, as artifacts, or replicas, for new students interested in history to visit and learn from. Besides Naka, many other new students also use this museum to research information.

Seeing how well these historical artifacts were preserved, Naka, as the Demon King, couldn't help but admire humanity's respect for and protection of history. She simply didn't know why Mitian had brought her here.

"Teacher, you..."

"Naka, do you know about the hero Isaad?"

Mitian suddenly posed a seemingly unrelated question, effectively shutting down Naka's answer. However, Mitian's topic appeared to be exactly what Naka was concerned about. She answered truthfully.

"I... I've only heard of it. The town of Isad is named after him. The rest..."

"Really? I told you you're from Isad, I thought you knew a lot about it."

"I only stayed in Isad Town for a short period of time; I'm not a native of Isad Town."

"Oh? So, Naka, where is your hometown?"

"This, this..."

Naka could easily make up a place that didn't exist to fool the naive Jasmine and Tatsia. But for Mitian, a seasoned adventurer with extensive experience, that might not work. She hadn't expected Mitian to suddenly ask her this question, and for a moment, she stammered, unsure how to respond.

Seeing that Naka seemed to have something difficult to say and didn't want the topic to be brought up, Mitian simply ended the conversation.

"Fine, if you don't want to talk about it, I won't ask."

"Thank you, teacher..."

It wasn't because she was magnanimous or understanding towards Naka. It was simply that she wasn't actually interested in where Naka was from.

"We've arrived!"

At this moment, Mitian stopped before a colossal, gleaming golden statue. Naka looked up and saw a statue leaning on a longsword, clad in armor, with a dignified and imposing face. It was truly majestic and imposing. Although the sculpture was enormous, easily five or six meters tall, its proportions clearly indicated that the statue was modeled after a tall, muscular man. The plaque beneath the statue bore the name of its model: the hero Isaad, whom Mitian had just mentioned.

Looking up at this legendary figure, Mitian, with an expression of seriousness unlike anything Naka had ever seen before, began to recount his story.

"That's Lord Isard. The highest-ranking human in history, an unparalleled Lv100 human. Do you remember? When I said my magic power was over a thousand, everyone in the class gasped in amazement."

"I remember"

"And then there's Teacher Wolse, who's in charge of teaching Tatia. Although she's a woman, she's an exceptional expert. Her strength, defense, agility, and magic stats are all over five thousand, which, combined, is twenty times mine... Pretty impressive, right? You know, the students in the advanced class are all experienced adventurers with some foundation, and their highest stats are only in the hundreds. But do you know what Lord Isard's stats are?"

"have no idea"

"For beginners like you, it might be easy to level up quickly. But the higher your level (Lv), the harder it is to reach an even higher level. Five years ago, I reached Lv45 with 1000 magic power. In the past five years, I've increased my magic power to over 1400, but I'm still only Lv45. Teacher Wols is Lv50. And the one of the strongest people in this era, Lord Fros the Hero, has already surpassed Teacher Wols in all his abilities, even if we only consider his strength stat. But he's only Lv65. Do you understand what I mean by Lord Isard's Lv100?"

"..."

Even if Mitian didn't specify the exact number, Naka knew very well how much she needed to hone her abilities to reach Lv100. Because before becoming the Demon King, Naka had also reached Lv100.

However, by the time Naka reached this level, she had already lost a great deal. She knew very well how much effort, how many years, and what sacrifices were required to reach Lv100. For a human whose lifespan is only seventy or eighty years, and at most just over 100, to reach this level before old age is truly unprecedented and unparalleled.

Naka was extremely grateful that she hadn't been born in the same era as him. If there truly was a hero capable of killing Naka, then he was the most likely candidate. If he lived in modern times, Naka would stop at nothing, no matter where he was, to find him and kill him. Otherwise, Naka feared that even a peaceful night's sleep would be a luxury she could only dream of.

"And then, this side."

Mitian wasn't just introducing Isad alone. They took a step or two further, where a row of statues of other people stood side by side.

"These are Lord Isaad's travel companions... Naka, can you tell the difference between them?"

Naka nodded. These statues were worlds apart from those of Isad. Although the carvings were also exquisite, the level of detail, the materials, and the size of the statues were clearly far inferior to Isad's. They were merely life-size plaster statues. The difference in the level of importance attached to these people and Isad by later generations was immediately apparent.

"None of the adventurers who could become Lord Isard's companions were burdens to the team. They were all legendary masters, far surpassing any adventurer in the world today... But do you know why they didn't receive the same treatment as Lord Isard, with huge statues of them made of pure gold?"

Naka shook her head. So Mitian ruthlessly exposed the centuries-old, outdated custom among humans.

"Because in the king's eyes, only heroes are worthy of attention and cultivation. Everyone else is merely an accessory to the hero... Even if an adventurer defeats the Demon King, only the hero will ultimately receive the reward. Unless the hero actively requests the king to reward the other adventurers. But even then, the reward received by the hero is completely incomparable to that of the other adventurers."

"is that so..."

"Even Lady Shimaya is the same... Naka, I told you about her deeds in class, do you remember?"

Mitian pointed to one of the short-haired women, dressed in cloth, carrying a staff, and seemingly with wings on her back. The sign indicated her name was Shimaia.

Naka wasn't unfamiliar with this name. Although she'd heard it from the Adventurers' Guild in Isaad Town, not from Mitian's drowsy introductory class.

"I remember she was... a goddess?"

The receptionist once told Naka that above nuns are saints, but above saints there is a profession that has existed for only one person throughout history: goddess.

"That's right. Lord Isard is just a hero. Although Lord Shimaya's level is not as high as Lord Isard's, she is the only one who broke the fixed idea that there is only one profession for adventurers. The term 'Goddess' only appeared after Lord Shimaya broke through her own limits and created a miracle that shocked the entire world. Although Lord Isard is the highest-ranking human, I have always believed that the person who has contributed the most to humanity, to the adventurer profession, and to the world as a whole should be Lord Shimaya."

If Mitian felt only reverence when she looked at the statue of Isad, now her eyes were filled with longing, dreams, and hope before she dared to look directly at the statue of her eternal idol.

"Teacher, why are you telling me this...?"

Naka was well aware of Mitian's passion for the profession of saintess, and her indignation at the distorted phenomenon of saintesses and other professions being undervalued. As the Demon King, she couldn't comprehend such thoughts. She also didn't understand the point of Mitian pouring out her passion to someone as low as Level 4.

Mitian placed her hands on Naka's shoulders, her previous frivolous and unserious demeanor vanishing. While her approach to Naka was indeed for ulterior motives, her next words were far from empty boasts.

"Naka, I hope... no, I believe that if it were you, you could definitely become the second goddess."

Naka's future divination

If one were to ask what the difference is between a goddess and a saint, it would be an indescribable, world-shaking difference. According to the "General History of the Kingdom," a history book that records the changes in the human world over thousands of years, after enduring countless arduous trials and adventures, Shimaia gained the recognition of the gods and obtained the power of "gods."

Healing spells that typically affect only one person or a few teammates can, when used by a goddess, instantly cover an entire army. Their healing power is so great that even the dead can be resurrected. Even if a healed person suffers a fatal wound again, they can recover instantly. This transcends the concept of "healing"; it should be described as "immortality" magic. Furthermore, spells that enhance physical strength, block magical attacks, and detoxify allies have all seen their range expanded and their effectiveness dramatically improved. Moreover, these spells possess the ability to last until the end of the war, transforming the vast army into immortal warriors. In this way, humanity successfully averted the inexplicable rampage of wild monsters two hundred years ago, resolving the crisis facing the human kingdom.

After the war, Shimaya once again activated her powers. Devastated towns and burned forests were restored to their original state overnight. The bustling city and lush nature returned to people's sight. Shimaya's magic not only healed and resurrected humans, but could also repair inanimate objects like plants, animals, and even houses. This feat, which only a god could accomplish, created a fundamental difference between her and other saintesses. Therefore, people no longer called Shimaya a saint, but rather by the title that belonged only to her: "Goddess."

The goddess is an being possessing incredible and unfathomable power, capable even of reversing the cycle of life and death. If the saintess's abilities are "healing" and "enhancement," then the goddess's ability is "creation." Creating life, creating nature, creating structures... in other words, she can create everything in this world. If a creator exists, then the goddess's power of "creation" is arguably a power only a creator is entitled to possess.

Conversely, it goes without saying how difficult it is to possess such power, enough to challenge the Creator. No one like this existed before Shimaia's birth. And after Shimaia's death, no one followed in her footsteps. What exactly was the goddess's power, where did it come from, and how could she "gain the approval of the gods"? These questions remained an eternal mystery after Shimaia's death.

"I...I can become a goddess?"

There's a saying circulating among the saintesses: "Becoming a goddess" means "dream," "impossible," or "0% chance." Naka had heard it before. This phrase only appeared when the saintesses joked with each other. If you were to suddenly tell a saintess, "You'll become a goddess," it would mean "You'll never amount to anything," and would infuriate her. Naka initially thought Mitian's words stemmed from this sentiment. But seeing Mitian's incredibly serious expression, she realized Mitian genuinely meant it.

"Yes. I have always hoped that a goddess could appear again, so that the world would know the importance of a saint to this world."

"Teacher, are you alright...?"

Naka could understand her passion for the profession of saintess and her hope that a saintess could recreate that one-of-a-kind miracle in history. However, Naka could only conclude that she was delusional, placing her hopes on herself—a young girl who wasn't even a mid-level saintess and hadn't achieved anything earth-shattering. Or perhaps she was just blindly praising herself to get closer to Tatsia.

Not to mention, Naka could never become a goddess who creates all things. On the contrary, she is a demon king who destroys all things. Whatever Mitian's purpose was, after Naka's initial surprise subsided, she found Mitian's statement to the demon king, "You will become a goddess," utterly ridiculous.

"Of course I'm fine. But I can see the hidden talent within you, Naka, and the countless challenges you'll face in the future. Once you overcome these difficulties, you'll undergo an unprecedented transformation... In my opinion, that means you'll become a goddess."

Mitian continued rambling on and on, talking to herself. Her words puzzled Naka greatly.

"Sorry, I didn't understand. What do you mean by 'that's how you see it? Isn't that your own opinion?"

"Of course not. Don't let my demeanor fool you, I actually believe in divination and astrology. I did some readings for you, Naka, these past few days, and here's the result."

"Fortune telling...?"

"That's right. The divination results show that, Naka, you will face many difficult choices, including numerous life-or-death situations related to the postgraduate entrance examination. However, you can overcome these challenges and persevere to the end. In the end, you will say goodbye to your old self forever and become a completely new you... Don't disbelieve me, my divination is very accurate!"