The Fake Saintess and the Elf Warrior

Naka's provocation was merely a ploy to calm Tatsia down and re-evaluate her abilities, to help her consider ways to defeat Oz beyond relying on external power. Even if she ultimately failed to defeat Oz, as long as she returned to her former self, realistically understood herself, and steadily improved, Naka had no other desires. Therefore, she spoke...

"Takia, if you can get first place in the final exam on your own, I'll team up with you forever. But if you lose to him, then I'll have to reconsider whether we should continue teaming up."

"!!!!!!"

This was the first time Naka had used reverse psychology. She meant well; she simply wanted to motivate Tatsia. Even if Tatsia failed, she would only say she would "consider it," not "refuse." Regardless of the outcome, Naka had absolutely no intention of breaking up with Tatsia.

But she was unaware of the potential consequences of her words. She was also unaware that Mitian had once again met with Tatia in private and told her a lie that almost perfectly matched these words. These various misfortunes combined to create the most negative effect.

After hearing these words, Tatiya did not understand Naka's good intentions as Naka had expected, nor did she begin to regain her composure. Instead, Tatiya, who had recovered somewhat, went completely to the other extreme with unstoppable momentum.

"I see... What Teacher Mitian said is true... Sister Naka really just wants to use me, and she'll abandon me when I'm no longer of use..."

These words echoed only in Tatia's mind. She finally understood that Mitian hadn't been deceiving her. Naka's complete lack of feelings for her had been true from the beginning. Now, coming to save her was probably just because she didn't want to lose a useful tool.

If these words were spoken aloud, Naka would certainly deny them, and the misunderstanding would be resolved. But unfortunately, Tatya didn't say anything. Because she felt that this was for the best.

"...Okay! I understand! I will practice hard and try to become a champion fair and square!"

She suppressed all her dark thoughts, showing only an attitude that reassured Naka. Without hesitation, she returned the necklace to Naka. Naka, oblivious to her unease, nodded in satisfaction.

"Okay. I look forward to you becoming even stronger."

"I will! Well, I'll head back now, Sister Naka. I still need to apologize to Sister Jasmine and the others."

"Go ahead. Team up with them properly and complete this assessment."

"Um!"

Tatya, smiling brightly, bowed to Naka in thanks. Then she left. Her steps and departing figure spoke of her determination.

Even if it's just a tool, as long as she can be by Naka's side, that's everything. She'll eliminate everything that stands in her way. She's determined to get first place in this graduation exam.

No matter what means are used, no matter what price is paid.

Assessment ended

After Tatya left, Naka was left with a mess left by Nubrang.

Although Tatia's strength has recovered, the blood that has been lost will not flow back or disappear into thin air. Even if the magical device is removed, a pool of Tatia's blood will remain on the ground. The monster dolls adjusted by the school cannot possibly have such destructive power. This cannot be left unattended. Cleaning up the mess left by one's subordinates is naturally part of a Demon Lord's job.

First, the Demon King's power was restored, and magic was used to completely destroy the layer of ground stained with Tatsia's blood to prevent it from being discovered and analyzed. Then, the magical artifacts used to create the barrier were retrieved.

After finishing these tasks, she tried calling Nubron's name. But even after calling several times, the parasitic monster did not appear before her.

"Where did he go...?"

Nubron seemed to have truly taken advantage of the chaos to leave. A parasitic monster without a host can only survive for about half a day. Naka was quite concerned about whether it would re-parasitize Rei, find another home, or simply die. Rei, having regained its original memories, would surely cause trouble. If Nubron died outside, it would be discovered sooner or later. Naka could only sigh at this uncertain future.

However, compared to all of this, there was still one most important thing to deal with. She gripped the cross and shouted in her heart again.

"Fan! Fan! Stop playing dead! Come out!"

The communication seemed to have been sent just when Fain was not busy. Fain responded quickly, though his voice sounded somewhat anxious and guilty.

"W-What's wrong, Your Majesty the Demon King?"

"I called you several times today, but you didn't respond. Where were you?"

"Well, well... I wasn't feeling well, so I slept in a bit and didn't notice your call... I'm really, really sorry..."

"Really? You're not feeling well. Why don't you just die of illness?"

"Demon, Your Majesty the Demon King? What makes you say that?"

"I'm asking you...you should know a parasitic monster called Nubron, right?"

"!"

Although he didn't utter a complete word, Naka clearly heard him gasp. Now she was absolutely certain that the one who wanted Tatsia dead was none other than Farn.

"Fan. I've already ordered that Nubron to terminate his mission. It failed. Don't you have anything to say about that?"

"......"

"Don't play dumb, Fan. I want an explanation... Why did you kill Tatia?"

After a long silence, Fain responded, his voice choked with emotion.

He spoke at length to his adopted daughter, expressing his feelings for her, his wish that nothing would happen to her, and his thoughts on Tatia. His motives, if explained in more detail, are as follows:

Before sending Nubrán, Fan had already anticipated this outcome. Although Naka was still young, she was already a queen. Her observational and deductive abilities were extraordinary. Even if the details of Nubrán's mission were concealed from her, there was a high chance she would discover it. Even if she didn't discover it, and Nubrán's mission succeeded, such a direct confrontation would be unavoidable.

Because Fan knew that, in Naka's mind, Tatsia had become someone who could influence her judgment.

The decision to send Nubron was made while Naka and her companions were on a mission in the mansion. Because of Tatsia, Naka was unable to quickly remove her disguise and eliminate the monsters before being attacked. This nearly cost Naka her life, given her fragile saintly body. If it weren't for the strange power emanating from Tatsia's sword, the "Demon King's Authority" would likely have already found another home.

Although it was Tatsia who ultimately healed Naka, Naka wouldn't have encountered that ordeal if it weren't for her. Because she was worried about Tatsia, Naka failed to notice the attack from behind. Because she didn't want Tatsia to know her identity, she refused to remove her disguise, even at the cost of near-death. Everything happened because of Tatsia.

"Kill her after we've squeezed her dry," was just a lie Naka made up to shut herself up. Farn didn't believe a word of it. If Naka and Tatsia continued their journey like this, they would be increasingly influenced by her, becoming more and more indecisive. They would also face more and more crises similar to those in the mansion. At that point, who could guarantee that a miracle would still happen to pull the Demon King back from the brink of death?

Therefore, Fain made a decision. Since Naka couldn't bring herself to do it, he would secretly take action himself to eliminate this time bomb that posed a threat to Naka no less than the prophesied hero.

Moreover, perhaps she is the hero of the prophecy. Although it was clearly an overreach of authority, Fane knew that Naka would strongly oppose it after it was done. But only after understanding and being prepared to bear all the consequences did he send his most trusted subordinate to issue an "arrest warrant" for Tatia at the same time that Naka and the others decided to go to Sunflower Town to enroll in school.

This is the story of how Nubrán possessed Raiti and enrolled in school.

During the long conversation, Naka also thought a lot. After listening, she sighed deeply.

"Sigh... Even if you say that, you're just a servant. Who gave you the right to make such decisions on your own?"

"...I was prepared to be punished by you before I even sent Nubron."

"....."

Other monsters might betray her. But Naka's adoptive father, Fan, would never. In the distant past, he had even sacrificed himself for Naka. His desire to kill Tatsia stemmed from concern for his own safety. In her anger, Naka considered sentencing him to death. But after calming down and reflecting, she realized Tatsia had survived. And Fan hadn't acted maliciously. Her heart softened. After a moment's thought, she decided not to pursue the matter further.

"...I'll let it go this time since your plan didn't succeed. But remember this, Fan. There won't be a next time. I will handle my own affairs. I will guarantee my own safety. I will absolutely not repeat the blunder in the mansion. So you don't need to worry about me. If I do, you won't get off so easily. Understand?"

"This... I... I understand..."

For some reason, Fan, who had been delivering a long and fluent speech, pouring out his passion without stopping until the end, suddenly became somewhat stammering. Especially when Naka said, "I will absolutely not allow you to hide anything from me or act on your own initiative again," Naka could even clearly hear Fan gasp.

"What's wrong? What happened?"

"No, no, no...no, really no."

"...real?"

"Really! I assure you, Your Majesty! Apart from the matter of Nubrán, I have nothing else to hide from you... If I have, I would rather be executed!"

"If you don't have one, then forget it. I don't need you to make such a solemn oath."

After clearing up the misunderstanding, the two had no further conversation. Naka simply gave some instructions to the Demon King's army before cutting off communication.

After Naka's voice stopped, Farn felt utterly weak and collapsed onto his desk.

"Fa, my benefactor!"

As luck would have it, a soldier walked in right after the communication ended. He knelt nervously before Farn, looking extremely nervous. He really didn't want to do the thankless job of reporting bad news to his superiors—a job that put him in a bad position no matter what. But someone had to be the scapegoat. He spoke in a timid voice...

"Um, I'm really sorry, we've done our best. We've searched every house in the forest near the Demon King's castle, but we still couldn't find him..."

He expected Farn to be furious, at best berating him mercilessly, and at worst killing him on the spot in revenge. The soldier had barged in with a death wish. However, he was unaware that Farn, having just learned of another failed mission, was in a state of extreme exhaustion and dejection.

As the saying goes, misfortunes never come singly. The plan to eliminate Tatsia failed, and now he was forced to conceal from Naka yet another failure even more devastating than killing Tatsia. Even though Naka forbade him to keep it from her any longer, Fan simply couldn't comply. He had dared to make a promise to her that could result in execution, simply because if this matter weren't concealed, the consequences awaiting him would be far more terrifying than execution...

At his age, he still had to face so many troublesome problems. Even for an undead, it was truly taking a toll on Farn's body and mind. In the end, he simply remained prone and casually waved to the soldiers.

"Alright, I understand. You may leave."

"Huh? Yes, yes..."

He had expected a terrible ending, or at the very least, a long scolding. But it ended so simply. The monster soldier didn't know whether to be happy or confused. He left Fane's office with very mixed feelings.

After lying there for an unknown amount of time, Fan finally sat up straight in his chair. He looked at a framed photo on his desk, staring at the picture within. The photo showed three figures. One was Fan himself, another was Naka shortly after she became the Demon King. His gaze finally settled on the third person sandwiched between the two of them.

"No matter what, I must bring you back before Karenla returns...Meira!"

After handling all the cleanup work and confirming that there would be no suspicious activity, Naka finally turned back from the mountainous area to the forest where her team was located. The round trip had taken a considerable amount of time, as many things had happened in between. However, when she arrived, she found her teammates still standing before the dark forest. Before they could reach a consensus on whether to proceed or remain, they had all chosen to stay. Naka was genuinely surprised by the team's lack of foresight.

Upon seeing Naka return, they naturally pressed her for details about where she had been. Naka could only offer an excuse: "I got lost and went to another area, where I was harassed by monsters. I barely managed to escape." Her teammates didn't question her. They simply scolded Naka for wasting time on monsters in other areas where she couldn't earn points, saying she didn't know how to use her time effectively.

"Isn't it a waste of time for you two to just keep arguing like this?"... Naka wanted to vomit at this comment. But in the end, she gave up because she was afraid of making the problem more complicated.

Then they brought up the matter of Retti. Naka had returned, but Retti, who had gone missing first, was still nowhere to be seen. Knowing he definitely wouldn't return, Naka simply suggested ignoring him and continuing onward, to avoid another half-day of arguing about it. In fact, the warriors and archers did share this sentiment. However, Naka didn't say much, instead pushing them forward, and ultimately didn't voice her opinion. In short, Naka's party finally left the clinging, dark forest and continued their journey towards their destination.

Of course, a team missing one person wouldn't have their time counted even if they arrived first. Although Naka's team had already overcome numerous obstacles and reached the finish line before midnight, they ultimately ended up with the unfortunate result of being "out of the rankings."

As for Tatia, she did indeed do as she promised when she left the barrier, immediately searching for Jasmine and her other teammates. Upon seeing them, without a word, she immediately bowed her head and sincerely apologized for her earlier attitude. This left the warriors and martial artists, who didn't know her well, exchanging bewildered glances. They thought this girl, who could be so quick to anger and then calm again, might suffer from some kind of emotional instability. Jasmine, who knew Tatia well, didn't say much either, simply indicating that she didn't take it to heart.

Regardless, Tatia and Jasmine successfully completed the remaining challenges as a complete five-person team and reached the finish line. Although Tatia's presence caused a significant delay, they ultimately achieved a respectable result.

When the bell rang at noon, the preliminary assessment came to an end. Many teams had already reached the finish line. However, only a portion of the teams had all their members present. The remaining freshmen, still trapped in the simulated training hall, were all rescued by school personnel.

Most of these people were trapped by monsters and unable to escape, or separated from their teammates due to the complex terrain and unable to find them. Only one person huddled on the bank of a small pond, trembling with fear. He appeared terrified to everyone he faced. When asked, he only said he knew nothing. Even after learning this was a school, he couldn't remember when or why he enrolled. Therefore, the school had no choice but to treat him as someone whose memory had been lost due to the impact of combat. Because he could no longer communicate or fight effectively, he was unable to take the final graduation exam. Ultimately, Fros arranged for his early withdrawal.

Aside from that, nothing else was discovered in the simulation training hall. The existence of that parasitic monster remained unknown to anyone except Naka. Its whereabouts thus became an unsolved mystery in Naka's mind.

A few days later, the school announced the final rankings for the preliminary assessment. Naka's team was supposed to be seventh to reach the finish line, but due to Reti's actions, they were disqualified. Tatya's team ranked third. At the top of the list was Nas's team, whose partner was Pais.

Later, according to rumors circulating at school, although Nath's team was the first to arrive with all members, it wasn't due to Nath's achievement. Rather, it was because his team included a remarkably talented freshman from the Saintess Class. Moreover, that freshman seemed rather dissatisfied with him. But that's a story for another time.

After this assessment, each freshman's mindset changed to some extent. Some became more confident, while those who were already pessimistic became even more disheartened. And some, in secret, made dangerous decisions.

Just how dangerous that decision was would be revealed to all the new students at the final grand ceremony soon. Because that final ceremony was where that person would stake everything. Success or failure hinged on this one move. She and the vast majority of other new students made their final preparations, officially heading towards the end of their campus life.

The grand ceremony known as the "Graduation Exam" is just around the corner.

The author's ramblings:

As readers can see, I significantly sped up the pace in the latter half of this chapter. Volume Two has already exceeded 200,000 words. Everything that needed to be said and everything that needed to be foreshadowed has been done. There's no need to drag it out any longer. Confining the stage to a closed school campus wouldn't be conducive to the story's development and the diversity of experiences. Speeding up the pace inevitably leads to some jumpy moments. But the story of Volume Two is coming to an end soon. I hope you'll all understand.

Her conversation with her after the assessment

The assessment is over. Some are happy, some are sad. While the team's overall ranking can be used as a reference to some extent, it is not the only criterion. There are many who, despite ranking low, discover their abilities are beyond their expectations, or who, despite ranking high, gain a deeper understanding of their limits. Jasmine is one of them, and she falls into the latter category.

On the night the assessment ended, Naka and Jasmine sat on their respective beds. The night was deep, and the school, in announcing its dismissal, advised the freshmen, who had worked hard all day, to go home and rest. But neither of them could fall asleep. Each of the two saintesses harbored complex thoughts in their hearts.

Jasmine had no idea what Naka was thinking. A lot had happened today. Her team had received high praise from the school, which should have made her happy in terms of results. But what she cared about wasn't this team honor gained through the efforts of others. Her own abilities hadn't been utilized at all.

Before the assessment began, Jasmine had worried about her slow progress. After the assessment, this worry only intensified. Her healing magic was completely useless in battle. Either the enemy could be easily defeated before her teammates were injured, or her healing magic couldn't restore the warriors' stamina to optimal levels in time, forcing her to frequently interrupt healing to dodge attacks, thus adding considerable time to their journey. Jasmine judged that if she were replaced by one of the other saintesses in her class, the team would reach the finish line much faster. In other words, Jasmine was completely holding the team back.

Although none of her teammates said such things, they all expressed that they were already satisfied with their current achievements. But Jasmine herself couldn't let go of the past so easily. Her dream was to become a top-tier saintess, to relieve the suffering of all people, her parents, and everyone else... But this outcome only made Jasmine realize more deeply the cruel truths that "she is not a special being," "her presence or absence is irrelevant," and "there are saintesses more powerful than her."

She couldn't fall asleep peacefully. The moment she closed her eyes, she seemed to see her disappointed parents and the image of Sister Jessie. She could almost hear the mocking voices of others laughing at her incompetence. Graduation exams were fast approaching. First place was no longer an unimaginable dream. All Jasmine cared about now was how to avoid coming in last.

Jasmine recalled that Naka had made a vague promise to her not long ago, saying that she would definitely become the top student. But now, Jasmine felt that it was just irresponsible flattery.

And speaking of Naka, there was another question that equally puzzled Jasmine. She looked up at Naka, who was sitting on the edge of the bed beside her. Although Naka's eyes were closed, she didn't seem to be asleep. After much consideration, Jasmine finally decided to speak.

"I said, Naka."

"Um?"

Naka hadn't been sleeping. She immediately responded in a clear voice, making it easier for Jasmine to continue.

"Um...about the boy, Tatia...is there anything you're hiding from me?"

"A place I'm hiding from you? No, there isn't."

"Really not?"

"No"

Jasmine's sincere question was both to get a clear answer and to test Naka. She trusted Naka completely, considering her her best friend, someone she could confide in about anything. Jasmine hoped Naka would at least be honest with her in return. However, Naka's answer to the question greatly angered Jasmine.

Since Naka and Tatsia teamed up, they've been almost always together, both when Jasmine isn't looking. Sometimes Naka comes home very late, or sometimes not at all, saying she's spending the night at Tatsia's. Because of Tatsia's presence, Jasmine and Naka spend much less time together than before.

Therefore, Jasmine didn't believe Naka didn't know about it. She angrily jumped out of bed, grabbed Naka by the collar, and roared in fury at her friend for deceiving her.

"Nonsense! You dare say you didn't know that the boy... was actually a girl?"

Tatya is a girl. This in itself isn't that important to Jasmine. Whether she's a boy or a girl is none of Jasmine's business. Jasmine's anger isn't about Tatya's gender, but rather about Naka's distrust and duplicity in not telling her about this.

As expected. Upon hearing this, Naka's usually impassive, icy demeanor visibly wavered. Although she quickly regained her composure, that fleeting vulnerability did not escape Jasmine's keen eyes. She sneered.

"Judging from your reaction, I knew it! Living with that girl for so long, and I never realized she was actually a woman, was it because you two conspired to deceive me all along..."

"No, Jasmine, that's not how it is..."

"What do you mean 'not'? Tell me honestly, when did you find out?"

"..."

"Speak!"

Naka had intended to keep this secret until Jasmine and Tatya were both properly laid to rest, but it was exposed so quickly. The fact that it wasn't someone else, but Jasmine herself, was both a blessing and a curse for Naka. She was glad that Jasmine wouldn't readily tell outsiders. At least she would keep quiet until she confirmed the truth. She was worried because Jasmine was the first and closest friend Naka had made since coming to the human world. The closer the relationship, the more severe the hurt when she learned that her friend had been hiding something very important and had been deceiving her.