Chapter 170: Don’t Mess with My Food 3
Chew, munch.
“Yum... this is delicious.”
“.....”
“.......”
“Right? It’s tasty, isn’t it?”
Although Shia was the only one who responded, Lirisia kept stuffing meat into her mouth without much concern.
Even though Lirisia was human now, she couldn’t consume dozens of servings at once like the Saintess of the Dead, Shia. Still, she was thoroughly enjoying her food, clearly starving.
But it was only Shia who looked at Lirisia with kind eyes.
Understandable, since Yeonhwa had almost been killed by Lirisia, and Menelapie was concerned about Shia’s safety... She believed that for Shia to live happily, Earth had to remain intact, so she couldn’t completely let her guard down around Lirisia.
...To be honest, Lirisia was a very unwelcome guest intruding on the time the two had hoped to spend with Shia.
Both Yeonhwa and Menelapie had sworn to avoid silly jealousy or childish rivalry, yet here sat a woman who looked exactly like Shia, gobbling up the meat that had been grilled for Shia. They could hardly look at her favorably.
Under other circumstances, perhaps neither of them would be glaring so fiercely.
“So, why are you here, Lirisia Alphenheim?”
“Am I not allowed to get some fresh air?”
“Are you even trying to make sense?”
As Yeonhwa’s icy voice lowered the air’s temperature, it was clear she was ready to attack at the slightest hint of trouble.
“Hey, you’re making the fire flicker. Take it easy.”
“Take it easy? By all rights, you’re a dangerous individual who should be fully restrained and permanently confined by the Control Bureau.”
“Oh, really? Then why don’t you lock me up now?”
In truth, the government and the Hunter Association still hadn’t fully grasped the nature of Lirisia’s existence.
Under normal circumstances, various videos, including evidence, should have been gathered by the Hunter Association’s drones when the widespread invasive dungeon incident caused by the Demon King Fragment occurred in Mapo-gu. But Shia had not wanted the footage excessively circulated.
As the Saintess, Shia felt that, despite her past battles with the Witch of the Dark Star, this new world—Earth—should give her one last chance.
The Hunter Association had been focused on the mere fact that the incident concluded without civilian casualties. Since they had secured the testimony of survivors who attested to the efforts of Shia and Yeonhwa in protecting people, deleting the videos that could publicize the event wasn’t a significant loss. Thus, Yeonhwa and Yeonseo ensured that the drone footage proving Lirisia’s existence was all destroyed.
Currently, only those who fought Lirisia alongside Shia, like Yeonhwa, and those informed by Shia and Menelapie, such as Yeonseo and the elves of the Great Forest, knew about her existence.
Moreover, Lirisia wasn’t the Witch of the Dark Star anymore but a considerably weakened human.
It was hard to gauge exactly how much weaker she’d become. While Yeonhwa had once been overwhelmed by Lirisia, now she could likely subdue her if necessary. And regardless of the informal setting, Yeonhwa, as a Hunter responsible for saving and protecting people, was always prepared to draw her sword if required.
“Do you think I won’t do it?”
“Bingu.”
“.....”
“Bingu, it’s okay.”
“.......”
Shia placed a calming hand on Yeonhwa’s shoulder, making her realize she might have gone too far.
Memories of the ruthless way Lirisia had driven Shia and herself to the brink still lingered in her mind, which may have sharpened her edge too much.
“...Yes, I understand. I’m sorry, Lirisia.”
“Now, apologize too.”
“What did I do wrong?”
“Uh-huh, ts-ts!”
Shia suddenly wore a stern expression, as if scolding a child, which left Lirisia looking rather dumbfounded.
“Hey, Shia, I’m way older than you. Why are you treating me like a kid…”
“Uh-huh! Want a scolding?”
“.......”
Currently, Shia held enough power to scold Lirisia as she pleased, and Menelapie was nearby too.
She was subtly radiating a golden aura behind Shia, conveying that she wouldn’t tolerate it if Lirisia didn’t apologize as Shia demanded.
“Yes, yes, I’m sorry for being alive.”
“Sincerely!”
“...Sigh, I’m sorry for showing up unannounced. But I had my reasons.”
“Reasons?”
Only then did Lirisia start explaining her situation to Yeonhwa.
She recounted how, after breaking the seal and wandering alone, she had lost both her appetite and hostility toward people. After being caught by Yeonseo, she began hard labor with the elves in the high-end cabbage-picking grounds. In the process, she accidentally became the leader of the elves’ work team, with a few deranged elves, including one particularly corrupted otaku, following her around all day.
“There was a brief crazy incident where a meat-lifting ban for the elves was lifted, but we’ll ignore that. There were just too many crazy things. Anyway, the outside supplier that was supposed to provide us with food once tried to scam us out of the payment, so the elf chief flipped out, and we changed suppliers again. Now, I heard the Hunter Association has taken over the oversight.”
“And? You changed it, didn’t you? Then, isn’t it all resolved?”
“After eating the meat from that new supplier chosen by the Hunter Association, that corrupted otaku’s enthusiasm shot up by three thousand percent.”
“Pardon?”
What was she talking about?
“It’s true.”
“Do you even know how nonsensical that sounds?”
“Can enthusiasm really multiply three thousandfold?”
“No, of course, it can’t.”
Menelapie glanced at Lirisia with mild interest, but sensing the unsavory desires lurking beneath her dignified exterior, Lirisia answered evasively, her expression wary.
Yeonhwa, meanwhile, continued to look at Lirisia with a suspicious gaze.
‘The person who tried to eat me alive… How did she change like this? Is she just biding her time, planning to stab us in the back?’
“Hey, you little Bingu kid.”
“My name is not Bingu, but Yeonhwa. I see no reason for you to call me that since I’m not Shia unnie.”
“Got it, little Bingu kid.”
“Hah, you’re impossible.”
“I can see what you’re thinking. You’re worried I’m playing innocent now, only to eventually cause a huge mess, aren’t you?”
“...Isn’t that a reasonable concern?”
“Yeah, it’s reasonable and natural. At least you don’t have your head in the clouds like someone here.”
As Lirisia glanced at Shia, Yeonhwa and Menelapie couldn’t argue.
Shia did tend to be overly optimistic.
“To be honest, I’d planned to die. But with food this good, I thought dying would be a shame.”
“You planned to die?”
“It’s just something I felt. But it doesn’t matter anymore.”
At the mention of planning to die, Menelapie’s gaze lingered on Lirisia.
Even if Menelapie wasn’t fond of Lirisia, recalling that time evoked both discomfort and a bit of regret.
“So, I was on my way to deal with the supplier personally as the ‘Witch of Meat’ when I spotted you all through the window and decided to come in. Honestly, I know I intruded on your meal, but I was starving after working hard since dawn…”
“...I see.”
“It’s true. I mean it.”
“........”
“Oh, wait. Do you have a lie-detection ability or something? I didn’t have anything like that.”
Shia felt a twinge of sadness.
Both Yeonhwa and Menelapie still distrusted Lirisia.
Not that it was strange.
In fact, such wariness was normal.
Though Lirisia hadn’t killed anyone on Earth, she carried unfathomable karma from her past world. Shia was likely the odd one for wanting to give her a chance.
Even so, Shia was genuinely relieved.
Lirisia had not turned down the opportunity Shia had given her.
Over the past three weeks, Lirisia had lived as a human, not a witch.
But, it seemed others weren’t as positive about her as Shia was.
‘Still, I’d prefer if everyone could get along…’
Despite everything, Shia wanted to give salvation even to her corrupted parallel self.
And so, she could only smile bitterly at the heavy air in this place.
Yeah, eventually… they would accept Lirisia as a human and embrace her like she did.
‘At least she’s getting along well with the elves. She’s even come out here to help them…’
Knowing that Lirisia, who had long abandoned her saintly role, was moving for the elves gave Shia a positive feeling.
Besides, knowing she was working diligently... it really was a relief.
“Oh, the meat’s going to burn. Is it okay if I eat this?”
“Hey, let’s eat it together!”
With that, Lirisia started stuffing meat into her mouth again.
Not one to back down, Shia picked up her chopsticks and resumed eating. Yeonhwa and Menelapie quietly joined them.
The meal was silent.
Only the sounds of chewing and swallowing filled the air.
After a short while, Lirisia let out a deep sigh.
“Ha... now I feel alive again...”
“Huh..?”
“Did you already finish everything?”
“Uh, will that really be enough for you?”
“I actually ate more than usual since I was working since dawn.”
“...Seriously?!”
“Oh... I see...”
Yeonhwa and Menelapie sighed in relief as Lirisia, now looking full, patted her slightly rounded belly.
“Lirisia, it’s certain now—you really are human.”
“Indeed. I, too, shall now consider you a human.”
“Wha... What? Why?”
Shia looked at Yeonhwa and Menelapie in bewilderment, who both seemed to acknowledge Lirisia.
“What do you think? Lirisia’s claiming she’s full after eating just five servings? If a parallel-universe Shia eats only five servings, then she must be human.”
“I agree. For Shia, five servings is nothing, hardly a meal. The fact that she claims to be full means Lirisia no longer suffers from hunger fits—a clear sign of her humanity.”
“...I thought it would take some grand and lengthy proof to convince you... I never expected just eating five servings of meat and claiming I’m full would make you recognize me as human.”
“We know that your hunger cannot be easily faked.”
“Well, that’s true.”
“......”
Shia felt a strange emotion.
She was grateful that Menelapie and Yeonhwa had opened their minds a bit and accepted Lirisia as human, but...
Why were they judging it just because she felt full after five servings...?
Am I that much of a glutton?!
“Shia, don’t mind them. Go ahead and eat more.”
“Yes. Oh, are you still hungry, unnie? Miss! Fifteen more servings of ribs, please!”
“...Gulp, no...”
How did they know I wanted more?
“By the way, Lirisia, have you told the Hero... I mean, Yeonseo about this?”
“Not yet. I’m hoping to handle it on my own.”
“Are you planning to kill them?”
At those words, both Yeonhwa and Shia turned to Lirisia.
“Of course not.”
“Shia?”
“It’s true.”
Lirisia shrugged and grabbed another piece of meat from the grill.
“Honestly, I know how crazy it sounds. But it’s happened twice now. The supplier introduced by the Hunter Association, which provides food for the elves, slipped something strange into the food—either some hallucinogen or a cognitive-impairment drug. Ignoring something like that isn’t an option. Besides, my elves aren’t exactly living easy lives. They’re breaking their backs working more than twelve hours every day, terraforming and pioneering. They deserve a good meal, and if someone messes with their food, even the Earth Goddess would be furious enough to crush their heads.”
“That’s true.”
“Hmm, I understand.”
“Unexpected.”
Yeonhwa and Menelapie, surprised by the genuine, human reason, looked at Lirisia with interest, while Shia shrugged proudly as if she’d accomplished something.
“See? Giving her a chance wasn’t a bad idea, right?”
○○○○○
The Blade Centipede usually spends twenty out of twenty-four hours sleeping.
Of course, Yane, who had ascended beyond the ordinary Blade Centipede, slept much less, but fundamentally, she still required more sleep than a human.
Thus, it wasn’t until after noon today that Yane woke up, rubbing her eyes as she got out of bed.
“Ki-eh...”
Noticing that no one else was around, Yane’s first thought was how incredibly bored she felt.
Her master was always hugging her to sleep or teasing her like a toy, but lately, Shia had been so busy with Menelapie, constantly going back and forth between the National Assembly, the Hunter Association, and the Returnee Control Bureau.
Even though she sometimes felt tormented by Shia’s constant cuddling, now that her master was too busy to pay her attention, Yane couldn’t help but feel a peculiar loneliness.
Whenever she felt this restless, she would usually snuggle her cheek against Yoon-jung’s gentle thigh to pass the time...
“Ki-ee...”
[Out for market day. If you’re hungry, grab something from the fridge.]
Yane, reading Yoon-jung’s note on the refrigerator, drooped her shoulders in disappointment.
Yane, having received Shia’s blessing and sacrament, had evolved a body similar to hers.
Naturally, her mind had started to follow suit, and curiously, she’d developed some similarities to Shia mentally, the most significant being her newfound sensitivity to loneliness.
However, she really was hungry, so she opened the fridge and took out some food Yoon-jung had prepared.
Having learned how to use the microwave from Yoon-jung, Yane knew that heating it made it taste better. She set it for three minutes, sat down at the table, and looked around.
‘Nobody... is here...’
“Ki-ee...”
Her centipede tail tapped against the floor with a soft “tap, tap” sound.
Whenever her loneliness and boredom peaked, Yane would unconsciously wiggle her tail.
When she was excited, she would wave it vigorously, but now, feeling lonely and bored, her tail just tapped weakly.
Ding!
After three minutes, the microwave beeped.
Yoon-jung had left her some Spam mayo bibimbap.
Though not quite to Shia’s level, Yane was also a hearty eater, so it filled a large mixing bowl.
Yane did enjoy the Spam mayo bibimbap that Yoon-jung made, but oddly, today she had no appetite at all.
“...Chew, chew... Ki-ang...”
No one was here.
The food was delicious, but it tasted awful.
It was strange.
Her tongue told her it was tasty, and her taste buds fully sensed the flavors of the Spam mayo bibimbap, yet Yane felt this meal was utterly disappointing.
In the end, Yane returned the half-eaten food to the fridge.
She cleaned up her eating spot, wiped the table as Yoon-jung usually did, and, since she didn’t know how to do the dishes, just left her spoon and chopsticks in the sink.
Then, she lay back on her bed and stretched out.
She’d turned on the thing called TV, but she still found the complex content hard to understand.
Lonely and bored.
There were lots of people on the TV, but she knew that none of their attention or gaze was directed toward her, so Yane’s loneliness remained unalleviated.
It was better than nothing, though, so she mindlessly watched the hologram screen of the TV to pass the time.
Ding-dong!
[Your package has arrived!]
“Ki-eh?”
At the sound of the doorbell, Yane’s antennae twitched.
Thinking it might be Yoon-jung or Shia returning, Yane scuttled over on all fours and opened the door.
“Hello—Oh, my...”
“Ki-eh?”
The delivery person stared, momentarily startled, unable to take their eyes off Yane’s figure before hurriedly pulling their cap down.
Currently, Yane was not dressed in the outdoor clothes Yoon-jung put on her but instead wore a loose-fitting purple cotton shirt she found most comfortable.
Naturally, she hadn’t worn any underwear. With her physique gradually becoming taller and more developed like Shia’s, Yane’s appearance was somewhat dangerous.
“I-I'm so sorry. Ahem... Is no one else home right now?”
“Ki... Eh... No...”
“Oh, really? Could you sign here, then?”
“Sign?”
Yane struggled to recall the meaning of the word “sign” from the Korean language classes she’d taken.
Fortunately, she remembered that a “signature” was a unique way to write one’s name, so she brought her finger to the hologram signing pad as the delivery person requested.
“Uh... Thanks...”
The delivery person looked puzzled, seeing that Yane’s signature resembled some strange insect-like drawing rather than a name or character.
Well, they’d gotten a signature, so it shouldn’t be a problem.
‘Now that I think about it, she keeps saying “Ki-eh” and her body’s a bit unusual.’
The delivery person decided that Yane was likely a mutant Awakened with side effects.
“Here are two boxes. They’re all from the Hunter Association Research Center. Later, please pass them along to Miss Shia.”
“Ki-eh...?”
Yane, looking confused, moved closer to the delivery person, hoping for more explanation. But seeing her venom sac sway menacingly, the delivery person instinctively stepped back.
“A-ahem... Well then, I’ll be going now! Goodbye!”
“Ki, ki-eh...?”
Explain more, please... But as Yane reached out toward the delivery person, who was terrified of her venomous sac, they ran off without looking back.
“Ki-ee...”
Left holding the two somewhat large boxes, Yane brought them inside.
Naturally
, she was curious about their contents.
Initially, she didn’t plan to touch them, as they seemed to belong to her master, Shia. But unfortunately, Yane was incredibly bored and lonely.
Her attention inevitably turned to the mysterious contents inside the boxes.
‘It’s my master’s fault for leaving me lonely.’
Thinking this, Yane sharpened her claws and began to rip open the delivery boxes.
“Ki-eh?”
Inside the box was something she recognized.
“...A drone.”
It was a drone.
Yane knew Shia used that device for something called broadcasting.
“Ki-eeeh...?”
And Yane stared at the drone for a while.
A fun idea... began to take shape.