The Fake Saintess and the Elf Warrior

"Okay. I have to get up early tomorrow. I've been busy all day, so I'll go to sleep now."

Because of urgent business to attend to today, Naka returned to the Demon King's castle early in the morning. That's why she didn't appear in the chapel during the day. In addition, using the "Demon King's Authority: Wormhole" ability twice, which allows her to travel to locations the Demon King had visited, had consumed a lot of Naka's energy. Although it was still early, Naka took off her clothes and crawled into bed, preparing to end her day.

However, before falling asleep, she casually remarked...

"By the way, speaking of which, that human male who accidentally trespassed into my territory today and was brought here, he seemed to be saying something about finding medicinal herbs for his sick son..."

"Yes. But wasn't he executed immediately? Did you mention him because you remembered something?"

"No, that's not it. It's just that Jasmine mentioned that the father of the boy we're going to see tomorrow is out looking for herbs and isn't home... Hmm, what a coincidence."

"That's what I think too."

"That's all for now. I'm going to sleep. Farn, you should get some rest too."

"Thank you for your compassion, Your Majesty the Demon King."

The conversation between the Demon King and his subordinates ended there. Naka closed her eyes contentedly and soon drifted peacefully into sleep...

Humans are nothing more than a weak and cumbersome inferior race. Once they lose their usefulness, they should all be exterminated. This is indeed how Naka views those creatures who look exactly like her and have the same physical structure.

She has only a grander goal in mind. When that goal is achieved, it will be the time for Naka to create a paradise exclusively for monsters.

Because of the incompetence of the previous Demon King, monsters had been suppressed by other races for nearly a thousand years. Society had not developed, and civilization had not progressed. Compared to the elven and human kingdoms, the monsters had fallen far behind. Having become the Demon King herself, and dedicating herself to changing this situation, she knew the time had finally come to lead the monsters in a counterattack. This was Naka's sense of responsibility.

The era has arrived where Naka can rule the world, reigning supreme, and where all things must obey her commands. Naka's dream is to create a world where no other race exists besides monsters.

Elves, humans, and other races are superfluous to Naka's new world. By then, they will have no value even as the lowest level of labor. Those who are not of our kind will surely have different hearts. All other races must be exterminated without exception. Only monsters are the sole survivors deserving of existence. This is Naka's conviction.

However, Naka is unaware that her views and feelings towards humanity will undergo a dramatic transformation in the near future. Nor does she know that she will ultimately face such an end...

Author's Note: I suddenly realized it's been a long time since I updated any side stories. So, I'll update them this time.

First feelings

Author's Note: This chapter is not from Volume 4, but rather a chapter from the prequel side story, "Two Saintesses." Since there hasn't been a side story for a year, many readers may have forgotten the earlier content. Therefore, it is recommended to review the earlier parts of "Two Saintesses" before reading this chapter.

The next update will be the next chapter of Volume 4. Side stories and short stories will be updated irregularly, but I will give advance notice before they are released.

When the sun rose again, it meant that the severely injured Urdak was one step closer to death. When Jasmine arrived at Urdak's house, she could only find him lying on the bed in a deep coma, barely breathing. His mother was kneeling by the bed, weeping incessantly.

"U...Urdak...Why is this happening...? I was somewhat sober last night and even talked to you, so why am I like this again today... Waaah..."

Yesterday's heavy rain had made the village air unusually humid, further aggravating the wound. Udak was deathly pale; due to extreme dehydration, not even a drop of sweat could be seen on his body. If it weren't for the occasional, very faint rise and fall of his chest, he would be indistinguishable from a corpse. Although Jasmine had anticipated that the weather would worsen the wound, she seemed to have arrived too late. She immediately rushed to help Udak's mother up.

"Auntie! Please don't do this... Udak is already in great danger, if you ruin your health too... Where is Uncle!? Hasn't he come back yet?"

"No, no... For example, if something were to happen to Udak and my husband... I, I..."

"Don't think too much, Auntie! Uncle might just have been delayed by something on the way... Anyway, I'll figure something out!"

If left unattended, his mother might actually take her own life. Jasmine could only verbally comfort her while taking out disinfectant alcohol and new bandages from her medical kit, disinfecting the wounds, and re-bandaging him. But this was only an emergency measure and far from enough to pull Udak back from the brink of death.

Jasmine wiped the sweat from her brow. Looking at Udak, whose life hung by a thread, and his mother, who was on the verge of collapse, she wanted to help them and save their lives more than anyone else. But lacking the power to do so, Jasmine could only anxiously watch helplessly.

"...By the way! Auntie! Was there another nun who came before me??"

"A...nun?"

"Yes! It was a nun, about the same height as your son, who looked like a little girl! With silver-white hair!"

At that moment, Jasmine suddenly remembered the enigmatic nun who had freeloaded a meal at her home yesterday and boasted that she could heal Jasmine's incurable injuries and would come to check on her today. Although Jasmine was unwilling, the nun claimed to have a way, and the church held her in higher regard than she did. Jasmine could only place her sole hope in that woman.

But Udak's mother shook her head.

"No...no...you're the first person to come to my house today..."

"What!?... Damn it! That Naka guy is useless when it matters, all he does is talk big!"

Last night, she bragged about herself at Jasmine's house, but refused to show up even when the patient was on the verge of death. This made Jasmine even angrier at the inexplicable nun, to the point that she couldn't help but curse her out.

However...

"Hey, who are you calling a big talker?"

"what?"

Jasmine had just finished speaking when a cold, indifferent female voice came from behind her. Jasmine turned around and stared in surprise.

"Na... Naka!?"

The outsider, carrying dangerous knives and displaying an extremely arrogant and domineering attitude, was standing in front of the Udak family's door, holding a small, square black box. She was the nun who called herself "Naka".

"Um, you, you are...?"

Udak's mother had never seen this person before, and Naka wasn't wearing her nun's habit. Therefore, she was very puzzled by this stranger's sudden arrival at her home. Even though she was dissatisfied, she had no choice but to turn to her for help. Jasmine had no choice but to introduce her to Udak's mother...

"...Her name is Naka, and like me, she is a nun practicing in a convent."

"Ah, so that's how it is... Sister! Please, save my child!"

Upon seeing the new rescue team arrive, Udak's mother naturally turned to Naka for help immediately. Meanwhile, Jasmine ran to Naka's side and whispered a reproachful scolding for her lateness.

"Gang, I was wrong about what I said earlier... but why are you only arriving now! It's almost noon... of course I'd assume you deserted!"

"I had some things to take care of last night, so I went to bed a little late. But as long as the wounded aren't dead, is that alright?"

"Well... that's not entirely wrong, but... never mind! Anyway, if you have a way, then do it quickly! That child is dying!"

As medical professionals, our basic principle is to treat patients immediately before their injuries or conditions worsen, nipping the worst in the bud. Naka's attitude is truly unethical. However, judging from her aloof demeanor, she probably doesn't even know this. Jasmine doesn't intend to delve into these trivial matters. As long as Naka has a method she can't solve, everything else can wait.

"Let me see... is this the kid?"

Naka slowly walked to the bedside and immediately locked her gaze on Udak, who was only exhaling and not inhaling.

"It must be him."

"Can't you just look? There's no one else injured in this house besides him."

"I see. I'm sorry, but his injuries seemed so minor to me that I didn't treat him as seriously injured at the time."

"What?"

Naka took a pair of gloves from the box and slowly put them on. Faced with this desperate situation that had driven Jasmine to despair, she said nonchalantly...

"I'll get this kid walking before this evening."

"......"

Jasmine didn't know how to respond. She didn't believe Naka had such abilities, but for Udak and his mother's sake, she wanted to believe that Naka could do it. She could only silently watch from the sidelines, observing how Naka planned to proceed.

After putting on her gloves, Naka looked at the bandages on Udak's body and asked Jasmine a question.

"Did you handle this?"

"Yeah...what's wrong?"

"The wound hasn't been disinfected yet, why are you bandaging it up so tightly?"

"Huh? I've already used alcohol..."

"This kid's wound is so big, is that kind of thing enough?...Excuse me, I need to open it up first."

As she spoke, Naka bent down, opened the small box in her hand, and took out a pair of scissors. With a swift, quick snip, she cut open the bandage Jasmine had applied. At the same time, a faint white light emanated from Naka's other hand, enveloping the wound. Seeing this, Jasmine couldn't help but ask curiously...

"Um... what is this?"

"Scissors? You've never even seen scissors before?"

"I wasn't asking about the scissors!! I was talking about your other hand... what kind of magic is that?"

"Oh, this? It's just a detoxification spell. What's wrong?"

"Cleansing...detoxification magic!?"

Jasmine had heard of this term before. However, it was a healing spell that ordinary nuns couldn't possibly master. It was usually used by adventurers who had advanced from nuns to saints to dispel the poison from monsters during battle. In this village, only High Sister Jess should be able to use this skill. Yet, a newcomer who had only recently arrived used it so casually. Jasmine was truly astonished.

As for Jasmine's reaction, Naka had a pretty good idea of ​​what was going on. She asked with a sneer.

"What? You, the most capable nun in the village before I arrived, don't even know this move?"

"...Won't"

"Oh dear, oh dear... this is really unexpected."

The nuns' skill level was even lower than Naka had expected, which was undoubtedly good news for her. Having mastered this skill on her own in just a few days, Naka couldn't help but feel pleased with herself. It seemed that even though she had temporarily changed her race to human using "disguise" and reduced all her abilities to the level of an ordinary human, she still possessed extraordinary talents that other humans could not match.

"Then you'll just have to watch."

Knowing she seemed to have no rivals in the village, Naka couldn't resist the urge to show off her abilities to Jasmine. She quickened her pace while simultaneously explaining her skills, all to place the burden of highlighting her superior knowledge on Jasmine's shoulders.

"Besides removing the toxins from monsters, detoxification magic can also be used to prevent and treat viral and bacterial infections. Without this, if a wound is exposed to the air for a long time, even a god couldn't save him. Especially given last night's rain, this is even more crucial... However, this child's wound is already highly infected; this method only stops the worsening, it doesn't cure it. Therefore, I need to use this."

Naka continued casting her spells while putting the scissors back into the box. Then she took out a small black glass bottle. She bit off the cork with her teeth, sterilized the bottle opening with her detoxification magic, and slowly poured the black liquid into Urdak's three wounds.

"Hey! What's this now?!"

"This is a potion I made myself."

"You...you made this yourself!? It's just a simple folk remedy! Hey! There won't be any problems, will there?"

"It's okay, I used to use this when I was injured."

"So, what exactly are the materials used in that? Why does it have such a strange color..."

Even if I told you, you wouldn't understand.

"...baffling"

Jasmine was extremely worried that Udak might suffer some accidental harm from Naka's misuse of the medication. She watched Udak's expression intently, fearing he might suddenly die. Fortunately, Udak's expression remained calm. His condition hadn't worsened, but there were no signs of improvement either.

After pouring in some liquid, Naka put the bottle back into the box. While maintaining the detoxification spell with one hand, she raised her free hand, where a black light gathered again. This was something Jasmine had never seen before.

"Hey! What is it this time?! This color looks really ominous..."

"This is magic for traction."

"To pull, to guide?"

"Did you think the medicine I just poured in was anti-inflammatory?"

"Isn't that right?"

"Of course not."

"..."

"That medicine is used like this."

As soon as she finished speaking, clumps of black, pasty substance began to gush from the three wounds, slowly flying towards the black light as Naka moved her fingers. Jasmine noticed that the black, pasty substance contained mixed with sand, weeds, rust, and other materials.

"What, what is this!?"

"The medicine I just used can stick to and absorb any impurities that are not human tissue. Judging from the child's wound, he was probably poked by some farm tool. Farm tools are full of unclean impurities. Even if you wash and use your fingers to remove the surface or shallow impurities from the wound, it's very difficult to remove the things that remain deeper without extremely precise tools. If these things are still inside, the child cannot be cured. So I need to remove all the dirt inside first..."

As Naka explained, the black medicine from the three wounds flowed out and gathered in Naka's hand. At this point, Udak's expression finally regained a little color, at least he wasn't in so much pain anymore. Jasmine was completely mesmerized. If the cleansing magic she had just witnessed was something even High Sister Jess could use, then this was something entirely new to Jasmine, something she had never even heard of before.

"Da da da"

Naka tossed the three spherical, cooled, solidified black potions onto the ground. With the work of preventing the infection from worsening and removing impurities complete, only the final step remained.

She reached into the box one last time, this time pulling out a tube of ointment. Naka applied the ointment to Udak's wound. The ointment was also an eerie black. Jasmine knew this must be some kind of folk remedy. But having witnessed Naka's astonishing magic and tools, she had no right to interfere or question her. She simply stared blankly.

The amount of ointment squeezed into each wound was not much. Just a little was applied around the wound and a little more to the outside. In this way, the final stage of treatment was considered complete.

"If the wound is still infected, it can't be healed with simple healing magic without treatment. However, I've cut off the external infection and eliminated the possibility of internal infection. As long as I seal these anti-inflammatory drugs inside his body, his recovery is only a matter of time."

"Sealed inside the body...? How do you do that?"

"Of course that's true."

Finally, Naka continued casting cleansing magic with one hand, while her other hand flashed with white light. As the white light covered the wounds, the three bloody holes in Urdak's body began to heal rapidly at a visible speed. Of course, this was magic that Jasmine had never mastered.

"This...this is a basic healing spell!? You mastered this so quickly...?"

"Nonsense. As for you, after all these years of study, you've only learned some minor healing abilities that aren't even basic healing magic. What have you been doing?"

"..."

Having mastered basic healing magic, one would be eligible to apply for the advanced nun profession: the status of a saint. However, despite over ten years of arduous practice, Jasmine still hadn't mastered this skill. She could only use magic to treat simple wounds, barely qualifying as healing magic. Watching Naka unleash powerful spells one after another, she felt utterly ashamed. Looking at Urdak's increasingly rosy complexion, she tasted the incredibly complex emotions brewing from a mixture of joy and resentment.

.......

"Ugh..."

Udak didn't know how long he had been asleep. Endless pain had been tormenting him. Even in his unconscious state, it had followed him into his dreams, refusing to let the poor boy go. But when he opened his eyes again, Udak felt as if the excruciating pain that had caused him so much suffering had moved away and vanished instantly. Before him stood the figure of his tearful mother.

"Urdak! That's great...that's great!!!"