The Fake Saintess and the Elf Warrior

"What's going on? Did other bandit groups get wind of it and get there first? Hey!"

When he called for his accomplice who was in charge of gathering intelligence, he found that he had vanished without a trace. When he asked his other companions if they had seen him, they were either too frightened to answer or looked at each other blankly, wondering where he had gone.

"Hey! You over there! What are you doing?!"

Just then, patrolling soldiers suddenly appeared on the main road. They spotted a group of orphans gathered not far away and loudly questioned them.

"Oh no... Everyone scatter!"

A group of heavily armed men were at the scene of a murder. If the authorities discovered this, the orphans would have no way to defend themselves. The leader had no choice but to order everyone to flee the area as soon as possible. But for the young orphans, this was already asking too much.

"Big...big...elder...I...I can't move..."

Ahead lay a horrifying murder scene, behind them stood soldiers. The legs of most of the orphans convulsed with fear; standing was no longer an option.

"Things have come to this point; we must save at least one person," the leader roared at the last remaining member who could still move.

"Oz! Run!"

Only the daring Oz tried to help his immobile companions and carry them with him. But no matter how strong Oz was, it was impossible for him to escape from the soldiers with horses while carrying his burden.

"But..."

"No buts! Go now! Even if only you escape, it's fine... You must find the real culprit who framed us!"

When Oz came to his senses, he found himself in an unfamiliar place. He had no idea what had happened, nor what had become of his companions. He could only replay the leader's last words in his mind.

Later, Oz heard that his companions and leader had all been captured by government troops and executed.

Petty theft wouldn't attract the attention of higher-ups. But a robbery and murder on the street would be a major criminal case that would shock the entire town. The nature of this incident was far too heinous, and given that the victims were wealthy and powerful, despite the fact that the orphans were mostly around ten years old, they were ultimately sentenced to death under strong pressure from the victims' families.

It is said that the leader vehemently denied their involvement until the very end. And none of their accomplices implicated Oz. The incident thus ended with the complete annihilation of the Orphanage.

No one knew Oz, nor did anyone know he had ever belonged there. Oz was alone once more. He relentlessly honed his will and physical abilities, all for one purpose.

"That's how it is, Tatia."

Recalling those times, Oz let out a long, wistful sigh.

"At the time, I couldn't decipher the meaning of the leader's last words. But later I understood... that incredibly cruel and precise method of killing was beyond the capabilities of ordinary people. The person who could accomplish this and steal all the gold and silver treasures must have been a sizable bandit gang with exceptional killing ability and mental fortitude. Add to that the fact that the government troops happened to be passing by—to call it a coincidence is too much of a coincidence. Clearly, this was a trap set by someone we had unknowingly offended to frame us!"

That's why Oz has single-handedly attacked countless bandit strongholds over the years. But none of them are targets he should seek revenge on. His journey has only just begun.

"is that so"

Tatiana had no interest in Oz as a person. But after hearing his story, Tatiana, a fellow avenger living on alone, truly empathized with him. She could understand his hatred, and she could understand his grief at losing someone he cherished.

"But are you sure it's okay for you to tell me the truth? I might just report you, who knows?"

"Ha, go ahead and report it if you want. This matter has already been closed by the authorities, and I don't think they'll reopen it just because of your side of the story. Besides..."

There was no other reason why he told Tatia his whole story. It was purely out of trust for his good brother.

"I believe you're not the kind of person who would tattle on someone behind their back."

"..."

Tatia didn't have that thought. She was simply curious why Oz had given her such a long speech. His complete trust in her was truly surprising to Tatia.

"I've said so much already, so tell me now, Tatia. What made you decide to become a hero?"

Honesty is mutual. Oz told Tatiana all his secrets. So now he turned around and asked Tatiana for her story.

Oz's story might be something she could tell a few people. But Tatsia's story was something she absolutely didn't want anyone but Naka to know. Not even Oz, who trusted her implicitly and had willingly revealed his secrets to her.

"I..."

"Hmm? Is there something you're having trouble saying?"

But refusing to utter a single word was highly suspicious and betrayed Oz's trust. Tatiana concealed crucial information, revealing only the simplest cause-and-effect relationship, thus revealing her true purpose.

"My parents were killed by monsters. So I'm going to kill all the monsters... and kill the Demon King who commands them!"

Upon hearing this, Oz was startled.

"Wha...what? Defeat the Demon King? Are you crazy? That Demon King is a Level ∞, an unreasonable being, how could you possibly defeat him..."

"If those who framed you are extremely powerful, beyond your capabilities, wouldn't you seek revenge?"

"this..."

What Tatia least wanted to hear was the mere mention of Lv∞. The same was true of Mittian, who was urging herself to give up everything she currently possessed, and of Oz. They were sorely mistaken if they thought Tatia was afraid of Lv∞.

Oz would fight for companions with whom he had no blood relation, and strive to find his lurking enemy. And what about Tatia? Her family, her people, her homeland… everything had been taken from her by the Demon King. This was an unforgettable, deep-seated hatred. This feeling in Tatia's heart was countless times stronger than Oz's insignificant resentment. If anyone tried to persuade her to give up, Tatia would absolutely refuse to agree.

Her words also stirred something within Oz.

Almost no adventurer in the world today believes it's possible to defeat the Demon King. Oz was no exception. What should have been the common goal of all heroes now felt strangely novel to him. He had never heard any adventurer say that defeating the Demon King was their goal. Only Tatia retained this original intention, which had been gradually forgotten by humanity. And she, in turn, refuted his cowardly statement. After a moment of stunned silence, Oz suddenly burst into laughter.

"Hahahaha! Yes, that's right. We are heroes, not government officials catching thieves. How can we neglect the enemy we should be defeating... Well then, I'll make defeating the Demon King my goal too."

"...Huh?"

"Your goals are so ambitious, I can't just limit my vision to those petty bandits. Otherwise, I wouldn't be worthy of being your formidable adversary, would I?"

"..."

"Why don't we have a competition, Tatia?"

Oz extended his right fist towards Tatia

"First, let's see who gets first place in this graduation exam. Then, let's see who can complete more and more difficult tasks during our adventure. Finally, let's see who can defeat the Demon King first... We'll have a grand competition with no time limit to see who is truly stronger, you or me, how about it?"

"...OK"

Tatsia really didn't want to get involved with him anymore. All her lessons so far had taught her that nothing good ever came of being with him. However, she wasn't averse to having another source of motivation to keep striving. The thoughts of "not wanting to lose to him" or "wanting to surpass him" hadn't even crossed Tatsia's mind yet. If such a person existed, it would be a good remedy for Tatsia's progress.

"I won that match last time, and I won't let you surpass me again, Oz."

Tatia also extended her fist. Their fists met. No words were needed; with just this one gesture, they understood each other's determination and resolved in their hearts to "defeat him."

"Alright, let's go back. This place will be closing soon. I don't want to end up spending the night here like that day."

"puff..."

Although Oz never mentioned it, it seemed he still harbored resentment about Tatia knocking him unconscious that day. Oz wasn't intentionally holding a grudge. Now, bringing it up again, Tatia could only laugh it off. The two stood up from their chairs and walked towards the exit.

However, as she passed a certain place, Tatsia suddenly stopped. She inhaled deeply through her nose.

"What's wrong?"

"No, it's nothing."

Oz thought she had smelled something strange. He tried sniffing himself, but couldn't smell anything. Tatia said it was nothing, so Oz stopped worrying and continued walking.

But in fact, Tatia did smell a strange odor. It was a smell that shouldn't be there, yet it was very familiar to Tatia. Oz, of course, couldn't smell it. But Tatia now fully understood the source of the smell and why it was there.

"Naka-nee, you've come to see me... Judging from the lingering smell, you probably arrived about an hour ago... Ah, how careless of me, I didn't even notice you came... But I'm so happy, Naka-nee..."

Where Oz couldn't see, Tatia slightly parted her lips. A line of clear saliva dribbled from there.

"Don't worry, Naka-nee. I'll be coming to find you soon..."

Turn misunderstanding into reality

Naka was very distressed.

Farn says he has unrequited feelings for Tatia. But what exactly are those feelings?

She only said those things on a whim to stop Mitian from taking Tatia away. She wasn't even sure what her feelings for Tatia were, nor had she thought about how she would ultimately get along with her. She just said irresponsible things out of anger. Even if it was just out of spite, she didn't want to hand Tatia over to that suspicious woman of unknown origin. Since Mitian had laid his cards on the table first, Naka wasn't backing down either. As a result, she was now completely at odds with her homeroom teacher.

But what should she do next? Was she really going to become Tatia's adoptive mother? Naka wasn't mentally prepared, and just as Mitian had said, she, a traveler in name only but a Demon King in reality, couldn't possibly provide Tatia with a peaceful and stable life. Even if she took Tatia to the relevant authorities to complete the adoption procedures, she wouldn't be able to provide enough documentation to convince the staff. The Demon King's castle was large enough for her to stay, but once Tatia learned of her identity as the Demon King, all of this would be meaningless.

More importantly, what would Tatya think? This was the question Naka asked Mittian, but she herself hadn't considered Tatya's feelings. Having a new mother out of nowhere would only be a burden for her. Naka understood that Tatya was very grateful to her, but she didn't believe she could replace her mother, Vilia, in her heart. There was a crucial difference between a trustworthy travel companion and a mother-daughter relationship.

Whether or not to tell Tatia about this, and if so, how to bring it up; if not, how to protect her from Mitian—these questions troubled Naka deeply. When she left the Demon King's castle over two years ago, she never imagined she would encounter such troubling problems that couldn't be solved by force.

She didn't return to her dormitory. Instead, she sat alone on a bench in the school's rest area, staring blankly at the starry sky.

"Oh dear, what should I do..."

"Sister Naka~~"

"Wow!"

Just as she was sighing, she heard the voice of the source of her distress. Taqia had somehow slipped to Naka's side and whispered intimately in her ear. This sudden attack startled Naka, causing her to cry out.

"Ta, Tatia? What happened to you...?"

"Haha, Naka, you're really something, you can even make such a cute sound."

Naka had always maintained a composed, aloof, and icy demeanor in front of Tatsia, but her recent scream had somewhat tarnished the image she had painstakingly cultivated. Naka blushed with embarrassment.

"You, you're scaring me..."

"No, I just wanted to say hello to you, Naka."

Tatya looked at her with innocent eyes. Naka, who was worried about how to continue interacting with Tatya and had a guilty conscience, avoided her gaze and slightly looked away.

"What a coincidence to run into you here... Are you alright?"

"That's great. It's just that training has been quite busy these past few days, and I haven't had a chance to see you, Naka. I'm so lonely."

"Not this one..."

"Hmm? What does that mean?"

"It happened a few days ago. That morning you came to ask me questions... You don't usually ask those kinds of questions, I've been wondering if something happened to you."

Naka, feigning ignorance, asked her...

Naka already knew the reason for that incident was related to Mitian. However, she didn't plan to tell Tatiya about her meeting with Mitian today. That would only cause her more trouble. If Tatiya was willing to tell her the truth, then there was still room for her to explain the situation. If Tatiya didn't want to answer, then Naka could only put the matter aside for the time being.

Tatia's answer was the latter.

"No, it's nothing. I was just asking casually."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah. I've known you, Naka, for so long, and I've never actually asked you this question before. I'm really curious, what kind of person am I in your eyes, Naka... Aren't you curious, Naka? What kind of person are you in my heart? Don't you want to know?"

"this..."

Tatsia was grateful to herself. She admired herself greatly… Tatsia always said so, and Naka thought so too. But it was difficult for her to say such self-aggrandizing words herself. Besides, was she really such a perfect person in her eyes? Their first meeting had been unpleasant, and she had always been strict with Tatsia. Perhaps she harbored some resentment towards her as well.

Moreover, she had already told Mitian that she wanted to become Tatia's adoptive mother... Naka really wanted to know if she could truly become that person, and whether Tatia would accept her.

Therefore, Naka stammered, as if she had a fishbone stuck in her throat.

"Hmph... Sister Naka, you want to know, don't you?"

Seeing Naka's somewhat anxious expression, Tatya inexplicably laughed. Then she brought her face close to Naka's ear again.

"If Naka wants to know... come with me. Let's go somewhere where we won't be seen."

"No outsiders? Why?"

"Keep it a secret~"

"All right..."

Tatsia's smile was clearly a facade. Naka thought that perhaps she really wanted to confide in her. It was indeed better to discuss matters concerning this girl with so many secrets in a secluded place. Naka nodded in agreement.

"Great! Then, come with me, Sister Naka..."

At that time, Naka failed to grasp the hidden meaning in Tatsia's words. Like a sheep tricked by a wolf, she obediently followed Tatsia down that "path of no return."

The place that Tatsia took Naka to was not unfamiliar to Naka.

"Isn't this... a simulation training facility? Why are we here?"

They arrived at the huge training ground that Naka had secretly visited earlier that day, the one used for the Hero Class. Naka didn't know why Tatia had brought her here. Besides, they hadn't even entered through the main gate; they had sneaked in through a side door. Now they were on the ordinary concrete training ground where Tatia had had her class earlier that day.

"Because this place is so big, it's less likely to be discovered when there are fewer people around."

Tatiana replied with a smile.

This venue has countless facilities and a complex layout, capable of accommodating tens of thousands of people. If only two people deliberately hide in a corner, it would indeed be difficult for others to spot them. Naka didn't say anything more. However, it was getting late, and the simulation hall was about to lock up. Naka then urged Tatya...

"Say what you need to say quickly, or you might get locked in here if you leave too late."

"That's strange, why would it be bad?"

Because of a series of unfortunate events that day, Oz was accidentally knocked unconscious, resulting in him being locked up here overnight. This made Tatia realize that no one would thoroughly check whether everyone had left the venue when the doors were locked. Now, Tatia felt relieved.

As long as she's locked up here, no one will interfere with her plans for the entire night. The elven girl over there is like a tiger's jaws with its blood-red maw wide open, while the fake saintess and the true demon king here are lambs to the slaughter.

Tatsia quickly approached Naka, and before Naka could react, she pressed her hands firmly against Naka's shoulders, slamming her against the wall with a thud.