The Grill-Wielding Saintess of the Dead

Chapter 134 – Plague Duo 1

“….That’s not a common story.”

Upon hearing Menelapie’s story, Yeonhwa spoke in a slightly subdued voice.

It was a long story.

Heavier than she had anticipated.

Yeonhwa had thought that she would eventually hear about everything Shia had gone through during those 64 years in the previous world, but the weight of it was far more than she could have ever imagined.

To be honest… she might cry when she gets home.

“…But Menelapie, why did you tell me this story?”

“Mm? It’s simple. I thought you were someone I could share it with.”

“Is it really okay to make such a simple decision based on feelings? Menelapie, you might have been an emperor in your previous world and the highest authority there, but here, you’re just a Returnee. Not everything will go smoothly, and if this story leaks to those with ill intentions, Shia could end up in danger.”

Of course, Shia had people to support her.

There were Yeonhwa, Yeonseo, and the entire Yeon family behind her. If they so desired, they could leverage all the family’s connections, the government offices, and even the Hunter Association.

Yeonhwa and Yeonseo both held Shia in high regard, and since they felt indebted to her, the Yeon family would stand by Shia’s side.

However, Yeonhwa wasn’t wrong.

The history and stories of a Returnee could easily become vulnerabilities in the wrong hands.

Even though the Hunter Era seemed stable on the surface, countless schemes and political machinations still lurked underneath.

If a politician who wanted to exploit Shia were to hear about this, they might try to label her a “dangerous element” and use her as they pleased.

“Especially since this ethics review records every conversation, and decisions about your future will be made based on them…”

“You’ll erase all the records anyway, won’t you?”

“…Excuse me?”

“Records or not, they don’t really matter. What matters is how you, alone, judge me.”

How does she know?

When Yeonhwa looked slightly startled, Menelapie chuckled and continued speaking.

“Otherwise, why would you have come in here to meet me alone?”

“…….”

Was it that obvious…?

No, Shia always reacted calmly. I thought I kept my poker face well…

Menelapie smirked knowingly at Yeonhwa’s confused expression.

“Heh, even if others can’t tell, you can’t fool my eyes.”

I’ve spent more than 60 years distinguishing between the gazes of those who were friendly and hostile toward Shia. Do you think I wouldn’t be able to catch your gaze?

“And, you shut down all other surveillance as you entered, didn’t you? Those cameras, what do you call them? I noticed that from the moment you stepped in, I couldn’t feel their presence. While you claim this is an ethics review, you’ve shut down all the surveillance. That means you never intended to record anything in this room from the start.”

In fact, when Yeonhwa came to perform Menelapie’s ethics review in place of Chief Choi Bomi, she had disabled all CCTV and eavesdropping drones.

According to protocol, the contents of ethics reviews and consultations should be recorded, but Yeonhwa intended to smooth it over with the massive credit power she held as an S-rank Hunter.

“You must have been worried that something detrimental to Shia might come out of my mouth, hm? No, it’s not just that. Come to think of it, didn’t you say you’re my legal representative…”

Legal representative…

As Menelapie mulled over that term, he realized why Yeonhwa had come to meet him alone.

This child, Yeonhwa, is Shia’s legal representative.

She treats me, a person from a previous world, as a mere Returnee and assumes the role of my legal guardian.

I don’t know what kind of background she has, but if she can claim to be the legal representative of a Returnee, it means she either has enormous power or is herself an exceptional individual.

In conclusion… Yeonhwa came to judge what kind of person I am and decide how I should be handled based on the results.

“Haha, so that’s what it is. You came to test me, didn’t you? To see if I am someone worth Shia’s affection, someone who might be a bad influence on her.”

“….How did you know?”

“Did you know that your gaze is exactly the same as mine when I first met Shia?”

“Pardon?”

“Shia… If left to her own devices, it feels like she’ll get into trouble. She’s strong, but there’s something a little unstable about her, and on top of that, she’s a bit clumsy and cute.”

“Ah, that’s definitely true.”

The Saintess of the Dead was strong, but as a human, Shia was a bit naive, and at times, she was extremely optimistic to the point of appearing carefree.

Even though it was partly her confidence and nonchalance, there was a time when she had been “kidnapped” by a stalker, after all.

“So whenever something dirty tried to reach out to her, I felt an overwhelming urge to destroy it.”

“…….You really weren’t an emperor of a world for nothing, huh?”

“I’ll take that as a compliment. Anyway, just as you judged me, I too have judged you.”

“And how do I fare?”

“If you’re someone precious to Shia, I’ll treasure you as well.”

Menelapie’s words were sincere.

Yeonhwa had come in, shutting out all external eyes and ears, and even made Chief Choi Bomi leave to meet Menelapie alone, all in preparation for any situation that might arise.

If it turned out that Menelapie, whom Shia had missed so much, was in fact gaslighting her or had brainwashed her to use her, or if Yeonhwa determined that he wasn’t fit to be around Shia, she would have used the Yeon family’s power to separate them.

There had been instances of Returnees suffering from mental issues like gaslighting or Stockholm syndrome after returning to the modern world.

Some Returnees, after enduring long periods of abuse, imprisonment, or being used as tools, couldn’t even recognize that they had been mistreated, leading to mental issues where they longed for the past. Shia’s ethics review records even noted that she showed signs of similar mental distress.

Thankfully, after speaking with Menelapie in person, Yeonhwa deemed him more than satisfactory.

“Of course, I find it quite displeasing that you had the audacity to test me without permission, but considering that you did it out of concern for Shia, I’ll let it slide.”

“Should I be saying, ‘Your Majesty, I’m honored,’ at this point?”

“Heh, feel free.”

Menelapie shrugged his shoulders and stood up from his seat.

“Since the conversation is over, there’s nothing more to discuss. You’ve found out what kind of person I am, so there’s no need for further questioning or an ethics review. I trust you’ll handle all the remaining procedures from here.”

Even though he was no longer living on Earth, Menelapie seemed quite knowledgeable about how power structures and administration worked. He was truly emperor-like.

Just as Menelapie said, Yeonhwa had gotten all the information she needed.

There would be no further ethics review or psychological evaluation, and given Yeonhwa’s status as an S-rank Hunter, most of the legal hurdles would be bypassed with ease since she was acting as Menelapie’s legal representative.

“Oh, one more thing. I don’t intend to tell Shia about the events after she fell into the Abyss in the previous world.”

“Why not? After all, it is ultimately her story.”

“That child has earned the right to live happily and at peace now. There’s no need to burden her with unnecessary worries or concerns.”

In the previous world, that child suffered so much and endured so much pain.

Menelapie added as he placed his hand on Yeonhwa’s shoulder.

“The reason I shared such difficult and personal stories with you, whom I’ve only recently met, is because I sensed that Shia holds you dear. The way she looks at you, and the way you look at her, it’s like watching someone watch over their family. Because of that, I told you about the previous world… so that Shia can live peacefully from now on. And should something happen, I trust that you will stand by her side as her ally.”

Yeonhwa finally understood.

Menelapie really wasn’t an emperor for nothing.

He made use of everything he could, understood how human society worked, and was already thinking about how to use even her, someone he had just met.

Good.

Yeonhwa’s goal was similar to Menelapie’s anyway.

“Well then, I’ll be counting on you from now on, Yeonhwa.”

“……Fine. I’ll count on you too.”

Come, you too are now a part of Shia’s entourage.

○○○○○

A dungeon erosion occurred in the heart of downtown Seoul.

And it wasn’t just any ordinary dungeon—this one was an unprecedented disaster with an average danger level of S-rank and an erosion rate exceeding 120%, trapping tens of thousands of people in the bustling area at once.

Naturally, the event left many people in shock and panic.

International news outlets predicted mass casualties, and the government even declared a state of emergency, preparing for the worst.

However, the next day,

A breaking news headline appeared in bold on the world’s largest online Hunter community, Genre Hunter Gallery:

[Breaking News: Dungeon Erosion in Mapo Successfully Cleared by the Gallery Master and Yeonhwa Hunter!]

ㄴ[Really?]

ㄴ[No way, that ended so fast?]

ㄴ[Any casualties?]

ㄴ[With tens of thousands of people trapped, I’d expect at least a few hundred deaths…]

ㄴ[No casualties.]

ㄴ[Bullshit, how could there be no deaths in an event like that?]

ㄴ[It’s official. No civilian casualties. A few public officials are missing, but no civilian deaths.]

ㄴ[Are you serious?]

ㄴ[Wow, did Yeonhwa Hunter and the Gallery Master really save all those people?]

[Mod: From today onward, anyone who questions whether the Plague Saintess is our Gallery Master will be banned.]

ㄴ[Lolololololol]

ㄴ[Lmao]

ㄴ[Gallery Master! Gallery Master! Gallery Master! Gallery Master!]

Tens of thousands of civilians had been trapped in an S-rank dungeon erosion, with monsters of comparable strength, yet the government announced that the dungeon had been completely cleared and that the two responsible for saving those civilians were Yeonhwa, who had just become an S-rank Hunter, and the temporary Hunter, Shia.

Naturally, not just on Genre Hunter Gallery but all over the internet and the Hunter community, the name “Shia” skyrocketed in popularity.

People who hadn’t known about Shia before learned of her existence thanks to the dungeon erosion, and once they knew about her, it wasn’t hard to find out that she also streamed.

[When is the Gallery Master streaming?]

[Holding my breath until the Gallery Master streams, inhale!]

[The commenter above has died, lol]

[Still not dead yet.]

[Ugh, Gallery Master is pretty, has big boobs, makes money, and is strong, but she streams like it’s such a chore.]

[She’s lost her touch, lol]

[No, the Gallery Master has always streamed however she wanted, lol]

[Hurry up and stream already and share your thoughts on the dungeon erosion.]

[Open the stream, nowwwwwwwwwww]

Three days after the dungeon erosion was completely cleared,

[‘Hunter Shia’ has started her broadcast!]

The Saintess of the Dead had opened her stream.

○○○○○○○○○

[Open. Open. Open. Open. Open. Open. Open. Open. Open. Open. Open. Open. Open.]

[It’s onnnnnnnnnnnnnn]

[Gallery Master! Gallery Master! Gallery Master! Gallery Master! Gallery Master! Gallery Master!]

[The host is a god!]

[She’s a god!]

[I was at the Hapjeong Station shelter. Noona, thank you for saving my life.]

[‘KawaiiHorned’ has donated 100,000 won!]

ㄴHey, long time no see.

[‘SellingFriedLeaves’ has donated 5,000 won!]

ㄴI saw the news too! Congrats on clearing the dungeon erosion!

[‘SoftLandingMat’ has donated 10,000 won!]

ㄴI’m here for the first time because you’re so famous.

[‘EarLicker’ has… donated.]

Even though it hadn’t been that long since I last streamed, the sheer number of viewers pouring in the moment I went live made me wonder if the drone camera was malfunctioning.

[Viewer Count: 159,342]

I rechecked it several times, but the AI drone camera, a product of the Hunter Association’s cutting-edge technology, wasn’t malfunctioning in its count of human viewers.

It was still a bit early in the day, but considering the saintly and overwhelming feats I had accomplished after clearing the dungeon erosion, it made sense.

Even though the entire Mapo District had been swallowed up and tens of thousands of people were trapped in the dungeon, not a single civilian casualty occurred, which wasn’t just praise-worthy but a monumental achievement in itself.