Chapter 163: Yarikiri! 1
Today had been a particularly busy day.
When Lirisia broke free from my seal and left, I was worried that an irreversible disaster might unfold, but ultimately, Lirisia was no longer the Witch of the Dark Star.
Her hunger and murderous intent had also vanished.
Repaying the karma she had accumulated would be something to consider gradually. Moreover, with the immense events involving the elves occurring one after another, relatively speaking, Lirisia’s situation didn’t seem like such a big deal.
"But still… Can I really take on the responsibility of overseeing the elves?"
I had experienced all sorts of incidents and accidents in the previous world, but this was the first time I had been tasked with cleaning up on a national or racial scale.
Of course, it wasn’t as if I had never led a group before.
After defeating the Demon King in the previous world, Menelapie, using the influence of that accomplishment, established the Rose Order to strengthen public sentiment, and I was placed in a position akin to that of a pope leading the order.
In reality, the Rose Order didn’t have a pope, and officially, the bishops and saintesses of each chapter held equal positions. Though I was supposedly in a pope-like position, most of the actual work was handled by administrators appointed by Menelapie or the bishops and saintesses I assigned.
What did I do?
Nothing.
I just spent my days idly playing around.
But if a monster or a band of thieves appeared, I would take the lead in fighting them. During Thanksgiving, national events, or commemorative days, I would stand before the people, read a prepared speech wishing blessings upon everyone, and perform the Miracle of Great Healing in the middle of the city.
I even created miracles specifically for anniversaries…
So, by the standards of the previous world, I ended up with all sorts of grandiose titles and positions, but I didn’t actually do much work.
"But what am I supposed to do with the elves…?"
"Shia, don't worry too much."
"Huh?"
Menelapie suddenly spoke to me as we rode the elevator back home.
How did she know?
"Hehehe, it’s written all over your face."
"What? Was it that obvious?"
"How long do you think I've been watching you? When you're worried or have concerns, your eyebrows curve ever so slightly, and sometimes you wrinkle your brow. It’s rather endearing."
"How old am I to still be called cute..."
"Parents see their children as kids no matter how old they get, I hear. Perhaps it's the same logic?"
"So, I’m a child Menelapie gave birth to after enduring labor pains...?"
"It was merely a metaphor, merely a metaphor."
Honestly, if Menelapie were a parent, she’d make a pretty good one.
As an empress, a hero, and a human being, in my view, Menelapie is nearly perfect, so I’m sure she’d be a perfect parent too.
If a child grew up under Menelapie’s care, they’d probably become an exceptional individual.
"The elves' political system has a rather unique structure."
"Yeah, I know about that."
The elves’ political structure is a form of diarchy on the surface, with the Grand Olgania and the Little Olgania, children of the World Tree, at its core, with the Council of Elders structured around them.
In simple terms, it’s an oligarchy, but in practice, all power is concentrated in the Grand Olgania.
When the previous councils handed over all their authority to the resurrected child of the World Tree, the Grand Olgania, Little Olga became the “LeafFriedforSale,” with little to no interest in politics, at least for now.
The reason she came to Korea was likely to meet me, not because of any political duty requiring Little Olga to travel this far.
If she had stayed in the Great Forest, she might be at risk from unofficial assassins or special units sent by China…
But who knows? With her ability to lock the gates at will, not to mention that bewildering terraforming weapon that supposedly makes the “mountains and rivers green and lush,” would Little Olga have followed Grand Olgania out of fear?
"Then why bring up the elves’ political system? I already know about it..."
"Shia, although the power of the World Tree’s child is concentrated in the World Tree’s child, they are not centralizing power in a way that resembles a king or an emperor. They merely represent the community."
"Uh... isn’t that just splitting hairs?"
"It’s a bit different. Even though power is concentrated, elves can freely express their opinions and dissatisfaction, and even those without any political office can criticize and propose policies whenever they want. In short, every member of the elven society is equal, and the World Tree’s child is simply handling the role of a 'politician' within this equal society. Of course, being the World Tree’s child and having lived for so long does afford them special treatment, but that's a different matter."
"Oh, um. I completely understand!"
"You didn’t understand a word of that."
Even if she said that, it was hard to truly grasp.
In the end, isn’t a king and an Olgania basically the same thing?
Noticing my expression, Menelapie smiled slightly.
"In simple terms, Shia, it may seem like you’re responsible for the elves in the National Assembly, but in truth, you’re more like an honorary elf who represents them as an external figure. Put even more simply, you haven’t actually taken on a bunch of responsibilities—you’re just one of many members of the elven society."
"So, you’re saying?"
"The responsibility to lead and guide the elves will remain with the World Tree’s child and the elders beneath her. Any complex exchanges or dealings with the Korean government or the Hunter Association are Olgania’s responsibility, not yours."
"Oh..."
"Do you remember what you did in the Rose Order? It’ll be the same. You might have to meet with Olgania and attend that assembly place from time to time, but don’t worry; I’ll always be by your side."
"Ooooh!"
In other words, I didn’t have to do anything!
Oh yes.
With the burden lifted, my steps felt infinitely lighter.
After a fulfilling day’s work, returning home was incomparable.
"Mom, I’m home."
"I'm back, Mother-in-law."
"Menelapie, I told you, I’m not your mother-in-law."
"Hehe, I know."
"Huh?"
Must be one of Menelapie’s jokes.
[Nom nom nom nom…]
As soon as I entered the house, I was met by a large pile of cabbage stacked up to my chest.
I recognized that cabbage.
‘Why is this here…?’
It was smoother and more elongated than regular cabbage. It gave off a faint sweetness and even had the scent of mana—it was dungeon cabbage.
It was the same dungeon cabbage from the highland farming area of Unnie Yeonseo.
"Oh, Shia, you’re back~. And you too, Hero, welcome home."
"Is there anything I can help with, Mother-in-law?"
"What mother-in-law... I'm fine, so Hero, go freshen up first."
"Shia, would you like to wash togeth…"
"Hmm? Yane, what are you eating?"
[Kyaek?]
"......."
Usually, washing my hands right after coming home was a given, but I was more interested in watching Yane happily munching in front of me.
[Kyaak, delicious! Nom nom.]
In the kitchen, I saw Mom diligently coating the dungeon cabbage in batter to make cabbage pancakes. Yane was gleefully stuffing cabbage into her mouth.
Dungeon cabbage pancakes…
They smelled incredible, and they would undoubtedly taste fantastic.
Actually, it’d be strange if they didn’t taste amazing.
"Is it good? Hey, give me one."
"...I’ll go wash up."
"Okay, go on, Menelapie."
I’d eaten my fill of 45 servings of ancestral meat, but that still wasn’t enough to make me feel full.
I wasn’t stuffed, but I wasn’t particularly hungry either… It was that usual, balanced feeling.
Having some dungeon cabbage pancakes as a dessert would be perfect.
[Kiki... No way.]
Oh? Look at that.
So, you’ve grown up, huh? Not recognizing your master and refusing to share food?
"I guess the next broadcast will be centipede cabbage pancakes..."
[You jerk, you’re the worst, you bastard master.]
"What?"
[Kyaaak...]
Slap!
"Kraah?!"
"Hey! Why are you snatching food, huh? I thought you were all grown up!"
Meanwhile, Mom smacked me on the back with one hand and placed the cabbage pancake on a plate with the other.
"Ouch, that hurt..."
"There's some for you, so don’t be so eager. Anyway, with this much cabbage, we’ll be eating it every day for the next few days."
"By the way, who brought all this?"
"Oh, the cabbage? Yeonseo and Yane brought it together."
"What? With Yane??"
I understood Unnie Yeonseo bringing dungeon cabbage, but why would Yane bring it along?
Doesn’t Unnie Yeonseo usually manage fine on her own without a helper?
"Well, it’s a long story. I was watching TV with Yane earlier in the day, and suddenly, a strange magic circle appeared above Yane's head and vanished with a pop. That magic circle gave off a feeling just like your holy power, Shia, so I thought it was your doing. I didn’t do anything at the time, but about an hour later, Yeonseo appeared with Yane and this dungeon cabbage, bowing her head."
"What?"
"It was surprising enough that the legendary Yeonseo came to our house, but then I found out you’re close with her, Shia?"
"Uh, well, yeah..."
But I couldn’t understand it. Why did Yane suddenly disappear only to reappear with Unnie Yeonseo?
"I guess... I’ll have to ask Yane about the details later."
[Nom nom nom nom…]
Watching her happily munch on the cabbage pancakes, though, I felt now wasn’t the best time to ask.
"So, can I eat this too?"
"Yes, go ahead. Eat as much as you want."
The dungeon cabbage pancakes, made with Mom's touch, were absolutely delicious.
Although dungeon cabbage is tasty even when eaten raw, it was much better prepared as a pancake with seasonings and various ingredients.
Oh, right.
What’s Lirisia up to now?
Well... she’s probably working hard, harvesting cabbage, I hope.
○○○○
Three days later, Lirisia, who had honed her skills as Yeonseo's cabbage picker, sighed as she continued pulling out cabbage.
Although it had only been three days, much had changed.
For starters, Lirisia's pace had become quite steady.
Not only did she use her hands, but she had also extended her fearsome tentacles to pull and arrange the dungeon cabbage. Watching her stack them neatly felt quite surreal.
"Black Shia, your hands are slowing down?"
"Yes, yes… damn it..."
"Tsk, watch your language!"
'The former Witch of the Dark Star... reduced to this?'
On the first day, showing clearly she’d never done farm work, she’d damaged the cabbage roots with her poor strength control. She’d even tried to escape several times, complaining she couldn’t do it.
Of course, Yeonseo hadn’t let that slide; she’d thrown her into the depths of the ocean, only to pull her back out after a few hours to make her continue working.
During this time, Lirisia began to sense several presences throughout Yeonseo’s dungeon.
At first, Lirisia had tried to ignore them, but soon it became apparent that the presences weren’t human—they were about 500 elves. They had started crafting and planting trees, settling near Yeonseo’s villa.
Over those three days, some elves climbed trees, others lay on the grass, relaxing in nature, and some took shelter in small huts they had built. The active elves began terraforming this dungeon as if it were an elven domain.
Originally, this dungeon was surrounded by a vast desert, with a highland area in the center ideal for highland farming, but the elves planted trees in the desert, watering them. Little by little, the once-barren desert began to turn green.
"But seriously, what’s with those elves?"
"Ah, come to think of it, I haven’t explained it yet, have I?"
"Explained what? In the past three days, all I’ve done is get thrown into the Mariana Trench, dunked at California Beach, or pick cabbages here."
Lirisia had stayed quiet until now, but how could she ignore the elves terraforming the desert?
"To put it simply, they’re kids who’ll be living in this dungeon with you from now on."
"I’m living with elves? Together?"
"I’ll explain in detail later. For now, these elves are the advance party. They’re here to adapt the dungeon’s environment into one that best suits elves."
"What’s with that tower?"
As the elves gradually terraformed the desert, Lirisia’s cabbage-picking area began to meet the elves' domain. One of the first things the elves did in their greenification efforts was build a strange wooden tower.
It looked like a watchtower you’d find on some huge farm in the United States.
"I don’t know."
"What? You didn’t set it up?"
"Why would I build a tower in the middle of a field? Besides, my skill is spatial manipulation, not construction."
"Eh, I thought you might have pulled out a random tower from somewhere."
"You’re awfully good at branding an S-rank Hunter as some petty building thief."
"But you retired, right? Doesn’t that make you something of a thief?"
".........."
Since pushing any further might result in a trip to the East Sea, Lirisia decided to stop provoking Yeonseo and turned her attention back to the tower.
"So, who built the tower, then?"
"The construction manager built it."
Construction manager?
The elves even have a construction manager?
"Oh, you haven’t met them yet? Then use this chance to introduce yourself."
"Introduce myself? Why?"
"What do you mean why? You’re the senior here."
"Senior...?"
"You’re a cabbage picker, aren’t you? That makes you a senior."
"Damn it."
An ex-Witch of the Dark Star as a cabbage picker?
What a disaster.
Though Lirisia felt like cursing, she kept her mouth shut since if her old attitude showed, she’d likely be thrown into the Mariana Trench, then the North Pole, the South Pole, or Everest, one after another.
A moment later, a red-haired elf came running over, waving.
Her lively steps and the bright smile she wore as she approached suggested she had a high-energy personality.
"Hi there, Senpai!"
"Yeah, hi. My name is... what?"
Did she just call me... Senpai?
Senior?
Isn’t that Japanese?
And why senior, of all things?
In Korea, people don’t even use that word much...
"I’m a proud child of the Great Forest, here to cultivate the new land for elves!"
"......."
"Ahihi, let’s work well together from now on, yoroshiku onegaishimasu!"
"........"
What kind of bizarre villain is this...
No, calm down.
She’s not being malicious; she’s just… unique.
A little eccentricity is fine, considering that the Witch of the Dark Star was once a worse personality… Let’s tolerate this quirky kid.
Maybe it’s just that her brain malfunctioned from trying to learn Earth and human languages...
"…Why do you talk like that?"
"Hai! Watashi wa Baby Comp desu! Babies have to do baby-talk. Goo-goo ga-ga!"
"............"
This is bad.
We’ve barely started introductions, and my head already hurts.
Lirisia looked half-dazed after only ten seconds of meeting her, and Yeonseo shook her head behind her.
Though Yeonseo was 86 years old, she was a first-generation Hunter streamer who’d been part of subcultures and internet culture since before the Great Rift.
So she recognized the cringe level in the red-haired elf’s words as excessive weeb culture.
'These days, every elf goes beyond expectations...'
An elf who builds spirit bombs.
And now a weeb elf…
Smack!
"Kyaa!?"
"…I apologize. This child stayed up all night browsing the internet, trying to study Earth's culture before coming over from the Great Forest..."
Watching a yellow-haired elf hit the red-haired one on the head, Lirisia let out a sigh of relief.
"At least there’s one normal person. Then again, I’m not normal either, so... does it matter?"
"Greetings. You’re not Lady Shia... are you?"
"Oh? You know Shia?"
When the elf named Elanar mentioned Shia, Lirisia assumed they’d met Shia before.
'So, the Saintess of the Dead must’ve saved the elves or something.'
Though Lirisia and Shia had almost identical faces and physiques, their atmospheres were so different that it was easy to tell them apart.
"Pleased to meet you. I am Elanarre Siamiruna, former commander of the Lotus Lake Knights, guardians of the Great Forest."
"Wow, that’s a long name... Your elf names are different from ours."
"Feel free to call me Elanar."
Thank goodness.
Though the red-haired elf seemed out of her mind, Elanar seemed reliable and sharp.
Since she was once the commander of the Great Forest's Knights, Lirisia was confident that even if she slacked off, Elanar would take care of things.
"Well, at least we can hold a conversation. So, you’re probably the ace here, right?"
"Ace...?"
Suddenly, the red-haired elf, who had been sulking, widened her eyes and grabbed Lirisia’s shoulder.
What now?
"W-What are you...?"
"The Ace…!!"
"Huh?"
"The Ace…!! Died, right?!"
.......
Oh my god.
I never thought I’d hear a 60-year-old anime trope here.
From an elf, of all people.
"Senpai!! Tell me! Ace died, didn’t he?!"
Yes, everyone dies, you weeb.