“Jim said to Shia, who was fading like a mirage, ‘I will follow soon, my light.’”
“Sniff…”
“Sob…”
“Ugh, my gosh…”
“What a good story…”
The party participants listening to the tale wiped their tears. They sent sparkling glances toward Menelapie, seemingly moved.
Even though Menelapie’s voice wasn’t from a sound Awakened One, it carried the charisma of an emperor and the enchantment of a siren. For ordinary folks, listening to such stories felt like their ears were being licked in real-time.
“Haha, sometimes it’s not bad to sit on a rock like bards and share stories.”
Menelapie didn’t dislike the songs and stories of the bards. Although, having held the title of emperor in her previous world, she hadn’t had the opportunity to listen to them very often. Still, with the ongoing great war against the Demon King and the malicious entities, various bards would come to the battlefield to boost the morale of soldiers, making their stories familiar whether liked or not.
Bards sang, composed poetry, and wove stories, occupying a position equivalent to entertainers creating novels, comics, songs, and films on Earth. Many bards often came from noble or upper-class backgrounds, honing their storytelling skills.
To tell stories and sing well, one needs knowledge and experience, right?
And while Shia didn’t indulge in gourmet exploration as much, she liked the stories of the bards.
Disguised to blend in with soldiers and knights, Menelapie, taking Shia’s hand, would sit beside a large campfire, listening to the bards’ songs, enjoying tales of hidden stories and histories from that world.
Even after the war, she’d sought out tales from elves and listened to dwarves as they recounted stories with the scent of their ale.
Today, Menelapie was reminiscing about those story-telling bards while sharing suitable tales to spend time with the party participants.
Of course, they were malicious. Yet, to put it nicely, they could also be called twisted fans of Shia.
There was nothing wrong in telling stories.
“Though she may not hear it, that matters not. It was a promise I made to myself, and I had discarded the glorious title of emperor and the role of a hero, all the same.”
The past story of Shia and Menelapie, which was shorter than a coincidence and connection, was wrapped up, though many parts were omitted.
Naturally, any stories that could put Shia at a disadvantage were hidden. Stories of consuming humans were glossed over as merely trials, and she never mentioned the Black Witch.
“But while listening to the stories, I’ve realized that saying the gallery master is the emperor’s view beam blanket isn’t entirely wrong…”
BAM!
In that moment, a stubborn malefactor, who met Menelapie’s eyes, stopped speaking and toppled backward.
“Hey, what’s up with that…?”
“Why did he suddenly collapse?”
“Who knows? He must have been incredibly tired.”
None of the others noticed, but Menelapie had swiftly and discreetly struck the malefactor’s head with a small ball of aura, lowering her lethality as much as possible; he wouldn’t be rising any time soon.
If given two chances, they ought to know how to take them.
That lunatic had declared twice that he wouldn’t leave her be—in the chat window once and in reality once, two opportunities altogether, yet he remained unwavering. Especially not in front of someone like Menelapie Heilam.
While everyone else had succumbed, overwhelmed by Menelapie’s murderous intent and captivated by her voice, this guy still stuffed his mouth with the view beam blanket, perhaps rivaling the golden spirit of a hero fighting against the Demon King.
“Uh, Your Majesty. Is it really okay to speak so carelessly?”
“Come to think of it, doesn’t the Returnee Management Bureau usually handle such matters?”
“There are many returnees who have hidden their pasts. Yujin has rarely revealed his history…”
“It matters not. As you say, one must be careful with tales of the past, but the stories of returnees are not excluded from that category, are they?”
“That’s true, but…”
Menelapie glowed rosy like a fully bloomed rose and scanned the crowd.
Just a while ago, she had worn a deadly expression, creating an aura of fear, but with that smile, without knowing it, even those of all genders and ages felt themselves drawn to her overwhelmingly attractive appearance.
Indeed, it would seem that Menelapie had a different kind of stunning beauty than the gallery master.
“Furthermore, you all are ultimately also followers of Shia, those who admire her. If you convey her story correctly to others, it will contribute positively to her external image, don’t you think?”
If a few of them spread stories of Shia’s brilliant achievements from her past world, it could elevate Shia’s reputation and build a positive image for her.
On the other hand, though, there may be some with malicious intent, distorting or spreading negative information, but that was of no concern.
‘Well, it matters not if they harbor irreverent thoughts.’
She always had countermeasures in place against rumors and slander because she wasn’t the emperor for nothing.
As a last resort, there was also Yeonhwa.
“Guys!!!”
At that moment, the cheerful and lively voice of the Mangja Seongnyeo rang out.
“Oh, you’re back!”
“….!”
“…….”
[5252, what’s up?]
[You’re still here?]
[Wow! I’m so jealous!]
[LOL so jealous for real!]
Seeing Shia come in carrying a huge pot, Menelapie’s face lit up, but the participants’ faces simultaneously filled with tension.
“Uh, um? The smell is okay…?”
“But is that the smell of frying?”
“Didn’t the gallery master go to fry Bladed Centipedes?”
However, the malefactors didn’t take it too seriously just yet.
Well, it should be fine. After all, how bad could fried Bladed Centipedes really be?
When watching it on the broadcast, if you didn’t know it was a centipede, you might be able to eat it without a care.
Wasn’t it also said the taste was quite good?
If it tasted like a mix of crab and shrimp, then frying it would more likely result in something unexpectedly tasty.
If they only closed their eyes and ate without knowing what a Bladed Centipede was…
Ta-da!
“Ooh, this is… soup! It’s been quite a while!”
What? Soup?
“Hehe, did I do well, Menelapie?”
“Don’t rush it. We need to taste it before I can commend you.”
“…Soup…?”
“…..What…?”
“Don’t tell me it’s Bladed Centipede soup…?”
“No way, right? How would you make soup with that?”
Feeling a sense of dread, the party participants glanced at the pot Shia brought and soon turned pale.
The aroma of the soup mingled delightfully with hints of butter and flour.
Did it have mushrooms in it? There was also a faint smell of mushrooms wafting.
That was pleasant. But the moment they saw the soup boiling with a comically deep purple hue, they sensed something was wrong, and as they spotted what looked like a Bladed Centipede leg sticking out among the ingredients, their gut feeling became reality.
There were… many legs.
Numerous legs.
Furthermore, hundreds of sharp Bladed Centipede legs floated within, and what they thought was a mushroom, the large black piece floating in the middle, was no doubt the head of a Bladed Centipede.
[LOLHAHAHAHAHA]
[ROFL]
[This is downright vomit-inducing LOL]
[My sister next to me screamed at that]
[Honestly, it looks more like leftover chemical waste from a lab than soup LOL]
[Shh. Is this a group collaboration?]
[OMG…]
The sight left those malicious individuals feeling nausea; they could not tell if what they were looking at was a soup or if the streamer had just served something straight from the depths of hell.
“…….Ugh….”
Finally, someone with a weak stomach let out a small retching sound, and Menelapie’s deathly gaze shot towards that person.
“Huh, huh…..”
“Yikes!?”
The physical weight behind her glare was palpable.
Act appropriately.
Respond correctly.
Shia might wish to treat you kindly, but Jim is not so lenient.
‘Oh god…’
‘This is bad…’
Nevertheless, contrary to the participants realizing they were in trouble, Shia and Menelapie wore expressions of calmness.
“Hehe, now, everyone come here. I’ll serve you one by one.”
“Uh, yes. Sure…”
“I-I’m not really hungry…”
Thud!
In that moment, a man, trying to refuse Shia’s soup, felt Menelapie’s piercing gaze boring into his back and had to keep his mouth shut.
Awkwardly, Menelapie had been glaring at that malefactor from an angle that Shia couldn’t precisely see.
[Whoa, what’s with that glare?]
[Is this some sort of perception filter? This is crazy scary;]
[Seriously, S-grade Hunters sometimes break the screen when sending out their murderous intent, and it’s happening again today LOL]
[If I were hit by that gaze, I’d probably faint]
[For real LOL]
Not hungry?
Oh no, don’t tell me.
You’re hungry, aren’t you?
That’s right?
Say it out loud.
Say it already.
Hurry up.
‘S-sheesh, that’s scary….’
“Uh, aren’t you hungry after all?”
“No! I’m very hungry!”
“Really? That’s good!”
Oh, great… this is a nightmare…
Of course, acknowledging such a thing aloud would lead to a bad end, so the malefactors swallowed their tears and took the bowls Shia offered.
But opposite their sentiment, Shia glowed with genuine happiness, joy illuminating her face as she started serving the deep purple Bladed Centipede soup with generous ladles.
That smile was incredibly innocent and benign, capable of making anyone feel happy.
The smile of the holy and compassionate Mangja Seongnyeo. It was certainly as beautiful as an untouched natural landscape—if it wasn’t for the fact that she was handing out a deep purple Bladed Centipede soup…
“Ugh… th-thank you.”
“Thanks, gallery master…”
“Thanks, view beam blanket…”
Burp!
[?]
[??]
[What was just that?]
[What is this?]
[Did I just see something pass by?]
“Uh..wait?”
“Eh? Where did the person who was here go, Menelapie?”
“Person? What are you talking about?”
“Eh, really? Then next person!”
So, Shia worked diligently, pouring out the Bladed Centipede soups for everyone, finally reaching Menelapie to serve her, too.
Though outwardly, the participants kept smiling under immense pressure, none were brave enough to take the first bite of that repulsive Bladed Centipede soup.
‘…This is ridiculous…’
‘What the hell…’
‘Are we supposed to eat this…?’
It was the truth.
No matter how much the streamer, Isia, or the gallery master rambled about how insane this was, considering the quality of food they’d experienced so far, they might have laughed it off thinking, ‘I won’t die eating this.’
But this damned Bladed Centipede soup was a deep purple, and floating in it were dozens or hundreds of Bladed Centipede legs, with what looked like a huge Bladed Centipede head placed right in the center for decoration.
How are you supposed to eat this!?
But they couldn’t throw it away.
They couldn’t spit it out.
Having spent a bit of time with Menelapie, these malicious participants realized the truth.
If they discarded the precious meal prepared by the gallery master, it wasn’t a joke; they might literally die.
And the last hope lay with the fact that Menelapie had received the soup from Shia.
They figured, ‘Well, even if you’re human, can you really eat this?’
‘Eat it first, and let’s hear what you think.’
‘Please say it’s absolutely disgusting!’
They had tiny hopes pinned on this.
“So well then, I’ll eat it, Shia.”
“Yup!”
Eh…?
Gulp, slurp, slurp.
Gulp.
[Oh sh*t.]
[Is it good?]
[No way, did she really eat that?!]
[She’s gobbling it up like that?]
[But she’s enjoying it?]
[Hold on, they say the flesh of a Bladed Centipede tastes like crab, so isn’t this some crab soup?]
[Crab soup? That sounds delicious…]
“Please stop with the nonsense! This is totally NOT crab soup!!!”
The participants cursed inwardly as they read the various messages in the chat window.
What was going on?
How could she, without hesitation, consume that?
She devoured it so readily.
Not just well, but extraordinarily well!
In what felt like five seconds or ten seconds—it was over in the blink of an eye, and Menelapie swiftly finished her bowl, reaching out for another one.
“Another bowl, please!”
“Hehe, hehe…”
Shia was visibly overjoyed that Menelapie, more than anyone else, had eaten the food she made with such care.
That’s right.
Menelapie was an emperor and a hero, but she had traversed through numerous bizarre and miserable situations in her previous world and had tasted all kinds of food.
Due to the blockade of the Demon King’s army, she had survived on rat meat and had even made soup from poisonous mushrooms. Moreover, afterward, she had often joined Shia on wild culinary explorations after the war.
Fueled solely by her feelings for Shia, Menelapie endured all those culinary disasters.
So, could Menelapie possibly turn away from Bladed Centipede soup?
As Menelapie enjoyed her soup, Shia wore her characteristic bright smile.
How could she not feel joy seeing Menelapie relishing the food she prepared?
Plus, Shia’s smile was so pretty, pure, and sacred; it momentarily made the malicious participants forget their predicament.
‘No, wait! This isn’t the time to be enchanted by that smile!’
Then, the moment Menelapie took a second spoonful, Shia’s gaze slowly turned towards the malicious participants.
The party members froze, holding their soup bowls in bewilderment.
……
‘…Uh…’
‘She just made eye contact with me!’
‘What do I do…?’
Shia’s sparkling eyes held a silent pressure.
Eat it quickly!
Your happiness is my happiness!
It’ll be delicious!
Eat it quickly!
Eat it!
Quickly!
‘What the f*ck…’
Yet there was no escape either.
Behind Shia’s sparkling gaze, there gleamed the murderous intent of Menelapie glaring down at the malicious participants.
Additionally, Menelapie’s mouth moved silently.
Say it’s disgusting.
Say you can’t eat it.
If you make Shia sad…
I’ll rip your heads off.
‘This is bad…’
‘This stream is a nightmare…’
[LOL Hahaha]
[ROFL]
[Their expressions are priceless LOL]
[Let’s all be nice so we aren’t caught up in this collaboration]
[For real LOL]
Thus, the viewer collaboration ended shortly but successfully.
All participants devoured the Bladed Centipede soup, and for Shia, their happiness was her happiness, allowing her to declare the broadcast’s end with immense satisfaction.
Once the broadcast concluded, she contacted Yeonseo, who had disappeared somewhere, and Yeonseo sent all the collaborative participants back to where they originally were.
‘By the way, I feel like Yeonseo Unnie had something to tell me…’
Well, she could think about it later.
If it was important, she would come back anyway.
“Hehehe.”
“What brings you such joy?”
“Of course, I am happy. While others enjoyed the food I made, Menelapie ate mine, so it’s a joyous day, right?”
“I must say, the Bladed Centipede soup has a rather unique flavor. The base taste is respectable, but the faint bitterness of the herbs felt quite harmonious.”
Despite its appearance, the taste was genuinely decent.
The numerous Bladed Centipede legs that looked flashy were only left with a texture similar to that of cocoons after simmering for a long time.
It felt like a blend of crab and cocoon flavors, making it quite a delightful soup.
For reference, Menelapie had tried the cocoons Shia had made many times in the previous world.
“Really?! I knew it! Right?! I thought so too!”
[EEEK!]
As an extra note, Yane had been the taster of Shia’s Bladed Centipede soup but had fainted, so they needed to pick her up later.
‘But how did that bug girl, Yane, end up here in the first place?’
“Huh?”
“Why do you ask?”
“Um… Mom has been receiving many missed calls…”
And on the way back after exiting the Rotten Mountain dungeon, upon opening her smartwatch, Shia realized there were over ten missed calls from Yoonjeong.
What was happening?
As Shia was about to call Yoonjeong, she sensed Yoonjeong nearby.
Since rescuing Yoonjeong from the San Guild previously, Shia had left a trace of her Sensory Enhancement, so she could find Yoonjeong’s location anytime if needed.
“Si, Shia!!”
“Oh, Mom?”
“Ya, Yadira! Big problem, Yane… Yane is…!”
“Yane, you say?”
“Yane might…!”
[EEEK?]
“Ah………..”
At that moment, Yoonjeong froze, looking at Yane, who was poking her head out, her mouth smeared with soup from a Bladed Centipede leg.
“Hah, hah, hah…..”
“…………….”
[EEK…….?]
The moment she saw that sight, Menelapie discerned the situation rapidly through her golden eye and intellect, collecting bits of information.
Yane, who should’ve gone to her Korean language academy and back with Yoonjeong, had unwittingly crawled back to Shia in the Rotten Mountain dungeon either by smelling something or some other reason.
However, the issue was that during the entire process, Yane hadn’t said anything to Yoonjeong, leading Yoonjeong to search for Yane tirelessly, worried sick about the miniature girl’s safety.
“Ugh, ugh…”
Yoonjeong was taking deep, exasperated breaths, looking on the verge of tears.
This was natural.
Having followed well until Yane suddenly vanished, Yoonjeong surely had searched all day long, believing that she had lost Yane, running around without rest. The very thought that Yane might have been caught by bad people conjuring horrendous scenarios must have haunted her mind.
However, Yane was calmly following Shia around, mouth covered in soup. It was only natural for Yoonjeong to be furious.
“Th-thank goodness…”
But Yoonjeong did not rage.
Tears welled in her eyes as she panted, yet her expression appeared relieved, as if glad to see her safe—relieved also that Yane was unharmed.
“Let’s… go home…”
[EEK?]
“….Eh, Mom. What’s wrong…?”
BANG!
And in the next moment, Menelapie grasped the heads of both oblivious individuals and slammed them down to the ground.
Of course, she did the same to herself.
It’s worth mentioning at this juncture that Shia had learned the etiquette of the royal court from Menelapie in her previous world.
“Ugh, what the…?”
[EK? What’s this…?]
“My apologies, esteemed Mother-in-law. It is I who have failed to educate your daughters properly!”
“Oh, no… it’s okay…”
However, Menelapie had mistakenly referred to Yoonjeong as “Mother-in-law” again, yet Yoonjeong opted not to press that point.
