Chew chew, slurp slurp.
“Yum yum… this is delicious.”
“…..”
“…….”
“Right? Isn’t it tasty?”
The only response came from Shia, but Lirisia didn’t seem to care and continued to stuff her mouth with meat.
Now an ordinary human, Lirisia couldn’t eat as much as Shia, the Mangja Seongnyeo, who could wolf down dozens of servings at once, but she was still munching away like she hadn’t eaten in ages.
Only Shia was casting a kind glance towards Lirisia.
It was understandable since Yeonhwa had nearly been killed by Lirisia. Menelapie, on the other hand, worried excessively about Shia’s safety and, moreover, believed that for Shia to live happily in this world, Earth needed to remain intact, so she couldn’t fully let her guard down around Lirisia.
…To be honest, Lirisia had barged in like an uninvited guest when the two had hoped for a cozy time alone.
Despite having clasped each other’s hands to vow not to engage in petty jealousy or romantic squabbles, it was hard to feel good about Lirisia, who looked just like Shia and was sitting there chomping on the meat that Shia had grilled for her.
Under normal circumstances, they likely wouldn’t have been glaring so fiercely.
“So why are you here, Lirisia Alpenheim?”
“Can’t I just enjoy some fresh air?”
“Is that really what you’re going to say?”
As Yeonhwa’s icy voice chilled the air, the temperature around them dropped.
Her immediate thought was likely to attack at any hint of danger.
“Hey, you’re making the lights go out. Cut it out.”
“It doesn’t matter. You’re a dangerous entity who should be permanently confined by the Management Bureau.”
“Yeah? Then why don’t you just toss me in there right now?”
In reality, neither the government nor the Hunter Association had correctly grasped Lirisia’s presence.
When the Erosion Dungeon had erupted in Mapo District due to the Fragment of the Demon King, the trainee personnel from the Hunter Association who had come to assist were supposed to gather various footage using multiple drone cameras, but Shia didn’t want that footage to be excessively spread.
As a Seongnyeo, even though Shia had battled against the Witch of the Dark Star, she hoped for just one chance for this world to be perfect for her.
Ultimately, for the Hunter Association, what mattered was getting the facts straight without civilian casualties. With testimonies from survivors confirming that Isia and Yeonhwa had worked tirelessly to protect people, destroying the footage to be used for publicity wasn’t a significant loss, so the footage that could prove Lirisia’s existence was all discarded by Yeonhwa and Yeonseo.
Thus, the only people who knew about Lirisia’s existence were Shia, Yeonhwa who had fought alongside her, and Yeonseo and the elves of Daesanrim who had received information about Lirisia from Shia and Menelapie.
Moreover, the current Lirisia was no longer the Witch of the Dark Star but a greatly weakened human.
There was no certainty about how much she had weakened compared to before. Once cornered by Lirisia, Yeonhwa could now subdue her, and even in a private setting, Yeonhwa had the duty to save people and protect them as a hunter.
If needed, Yeonhwa was ready to draw her sword at any moment.
“Ha, do you think I can’t do that?”
“Dummy.”
“…..”
“Dummy. It’s fine.”
“…….”
As Shia calmed her down by placing her hand on Yeonhwa’s shoulder, Yeonhwa finally realized she had overstepped her bounds.
The image of Lirisia who had viciously driven Shia and herself into a corner lingered in her mind, making her excessively sharp.
“….Yeah, I get it. I’m sorry, Lirisia.”
“Now, you apologize too.”
“What did I do wrong?”
“Oh dear, sigh!”
Suddenly, Shia’s severe expression, as if disciplining a child, made Lirisia feel quite baffled.
“Hey, Isia, I’m way older than you, why-”
“Do you want me to scold you?!”
“…….”
In truth, Shia had the strength to scold Lirisia unilaterally now, and Menelapie was right beside her.
From behind Shia, a golden aura emitted, subtly suggesting, “If you don’t apologize according to Shia’s words, I won’t let you off.”
“Yes, yes, I’m sorry for being alive.”
“Make it sound sincere!”
“……Sigh, I’m sorry for coming out as I pleased. But I had my reasons.”
“Reasons?”
At those words, Lirisia finally began to explain her story to Yeonhwa.
After breaking the seal and wandering alone, she had lost both her appetite for humans and her hostility, and after getting caught by Yeonseo, she had started work with the elves in a wholesale capacity due to a high demand for their produce, and unexpectedly ended up taking on the role of their supervisor—several of the completely gone-over-the-edge elven folks even followed her around all day long.
“Well, there was a crazy incident where elves started eating meat due to a ban being lifted, but let’s just gloss over that. It’s not just one or two annoying incidents regarding that… Anyway, our supplier had a fit wanting to skip paying for the ingredients, which triggered a big fuss from the elven supplier, and it was thrown into the Hunter Association’s hands to be managed from now on.”
“And what about that? If it’s changed, wouldn’t it mean it’s all sorted now?”
“When I ate the meat from that supplier who has taken over, the taste blew up three thousand times.”
“What?”
That made absolutely no sense.
“It’s true.”
“Do you even realize what kind of nonsense you’re spewing?”
“Is the three thousand times taste even a real thing?!”
….No, there’s no way it could be three thousand times.
Meanwhile, Menelapie looked at Lirisia with a bit more interest than before, but as Lirisia sensed the insidious desire writhing beneath her polished exterior, she responded with a terrified expression.
Of course, through all this, Yeonhwa continued to cast suspicious glances at Lirisia.
Someone who tried to eat me from the very first meeting… how did she become like this? Is she just playing at being harmless until she can stab us in the back…?
“Hey, you little dummy.”
“My name is Yeonhwa, not dummy. There’s no reason for you to call me that instead of Shia, who you have no ties to.”
“Alright, little dummy.”
“Sigh, we can’t communicate.”
“Anyway, I can clearly see what you’re thinking. You’re worried I’m going to pretend to be harmless and then explode later, right?”
“…Isn’t that a natural thought?”
“Yeah, it’s a natural and reasonable thought. You’re not anyone here with that flower garden in your head.”
As Lirisia glanced at Shia, both Yeonhwa and Menelapie couldn’t say much in reply.
Shia indeed had a tendency to think far too positively.
“Actually, I meant to die. But with such delicious things around, it feels a bit too much to die now.”
“You were going to die?”
“That was the plan. It doesn’t matter anymore.”
At the mention of having tried to die, Menelapie’s gaze briefly shifted towards Lirisia.
Despite not having a good opinion of her, even Menelapie felt some discomfort and remorse for what happened back then.
“Anyway, I came in after seeing you from outside while I was on my way to take down the food supplier as the Witch of Meat. I know I barged in while you were eating, but I haven’t eaten since dawn and was starving, you know…”
“…I see.”
“It’s the truth. No lies.”
“……..”
“Oh, do you have the ability to see through lies? I didn’t have that.”
Shia felt a twinge of pain in her heart.
Both Yeonhwa and Menelapie were still suspicious of Lirisia.
Of course, it wasn’t weird.
Rather, it was a completely natural suspicion and vigilance.
Lirisia was an existence that, despite no one being able to kill her on Earth, held unimaginable karmic burden from her previous world, so it was odd for Shia to want to give her a chance.
Nevertheless, it was a relief.
Lirisia had not kicked away the opportunity Shia had given her.
For the past three weeks, Lirisia had been living as a human rather than a witch.
However, it seemed that not everyone thought positively like Shia.
Still, I hope we can all get along as much as possible…
Shia wanted to give a chance for redemption even to the corrupted version of herself from the parallel world.
For that reason, she couldn’t help but smile bitterly at the heavy atmosphere enveloping them.
Yes, as time passes… they would surely come to accept Lirisia as a human just like her.
But, thank goodness. She seems to be getting along well with the elves. The fact that she would go out of her way to help them like this…
The mere fact that Lirisia, who had given up being a Seongnyeo, was moving for the elves filled Shia with positive thoughts.
Moreover, knowing that she was working with dedication… it was truly a relief.
“Ah, the meat’s going to burn. Is it okay if I eat this?”
“Ah, let’s eat together!”
Thus, Lirisia started shoving meat into her mouth again.
Shia dutifully picked up her chopsticks as well, and Yeonhwa and Menelapie quietly started their meal.
The meal was quiet.
Only the sounds of chewing and swallowing could be heard.
And not long after, Lirisia let out a deep sigh.
“Haah….. I can finally breathe…”
“Uh..?”
“You’ve already finished it, huh?”
“Eh, is it really alright to eat that?”
“This is still more than I usually eat since dawn.”
“…Really?!”
“Hoh…. is that so..”
As Lirisia patted her noticeably fuller belly, Yeonhwa and Menelapie sighed in relief.
“Lirisia, you’ve definitely become human.”
“Hmm, yeah. I will now treat you as a human from now on.”
“Um, what…? Why?”
Suddenly, as Yeonhwa and Menelapie seemed to acknowledge Lirisia, Shia looked at them in bewilderment.
“What do you mean? Lirisia claims that she’s stuffed after eating only five servings, and parallel world’s Shia can eat more than that. That makes her a human, right?”
“I agree. For Shia, five servings would be insufficient. Hence, seeing her say that she’s full proves that Lirisia won’t suffer from hunger any longer.”
“….Did you think to convince me with just that long winded proof and that you would believe me after that? I never thought you’d accept me just because I was full after eating five servings of meat.”
“I know it’s impossible to fake your hunger.”
“Well, that’s true.”
“……”
Shia felt a strange feeling about that.
She was grateful that Menelapie and Yeonhwa had opened their hearts a bit toward Lirisia, but…
Why were they judging her based solely on eating five servings of meat…?
Am I really that much of a pig?!
“Shia, don’t mind them and eat more.”
“That’s right. Ah, are you still not full, sister? Madam! Could I have 15 servings of rib meat, please!”
“…..gulp, no…”
How did they know I was lacking?
“By the way, Lirisia. Have you told the hero of Earth… or Yeonseo about this?”
“Not yet. I want to see if I can handle it on my own.”
“Are you planning to kill her?”
At those words, Yeonhwa and Shia looked towards Lirisia.
“Don’t tell me.”
“Shia?”
“It’s the truth.”
Lirisia shrugged and grabbed a piece of meat remaining on the grill.
“Honestly, I know it sounds absurd. But this is the second time now. The supplier introduced by the Hunter Association used some kind of enhancement or mind-altering substance in the food provided to the elves? It would be a problem to ignore it just because it seems minor. Besides, the elves under my command are not exactly living the easy life. They’re working their behinds off for over 12 hours every day for terraforming and land development, and they should at least eat something good. If someone messes with the food, even the Earth Mother Goddess would come and smash the perpetrator’s head.”
“This is also the truth.”
“Hmm, I see.”
“That’s unexpected.”
Having heard those surprisingly humane reasons, Yeonhwa and Menelapie looked at Lirisia with surprise, and Shia shrugged as if it were something she did well.
“See? Giving her a chance should be alright, right?”
—
The Bladed Centipede usually spends 20 hours of its day sleeping.
Of course, for Yane, even though her sleeping time had drastically decreased after ascending from a centipede into a more humanoid form, fundamentally, her sleeping time was still greater compared to humans.
Thus, today too, Yane rubbed her eyes and finally got out of bed after noon.
Hiss…
The first thought that struck Yane, upon waking up to find no one else around, was how exceedingly boring it was.
Her owner often hugged her to sleep or played with her like a toy without warning, but for the past few weeks, Shia had been busying herself with parliament, the Hunter Association, and the Returnee Management Bureau, taking care of some matters.
While she occasionally thought it was bothersome that her owner often cuddled her to sleep, now that she was busy, Yane felt a strange sense of loneliness.
During such times, she would rub her cheeks against the thighs of the kind and gentle Yoonjeong to kill time, but…
Hiss…
[I’m stepping out to go shopping. If you’re hungry, eat something from the fridge.]
Upon reading the note from Yoonjeong taped to the refrigerator, Yane fell into a dejected slump.
She had undergone Shia’s baptism and evolution and now shared similar physical traits with her.
Of course, as her mind progressively mirrored her emerging body, one significant quality began to emerge: she easily felt loneliness.
Still, being hungry was a reality; thus, Yane took the food Yoonjeong had prepared from the fridge.
Having learned how to use the microwave from Yoonjeong, Yane knew that it would taste better this way, so she set it for three minutes and sat down at the table, looking around.
No one is… here…
Hiss…
Yane’s centipede tail made clicking sounds as it struck the floor.
Whenever her loneliness and boredom peaked, she found herself unconsciously whipping her tail as a remedy.
While a joyful tail would swing vigorously, a tail that expressed boredom or loneliness would sway listlessly.
Ding!
As three minutes elapsed, the microwave beeped.
The food Yoonjeong had left behind was ham mayo bibimbap.
Although Yane was not as massive of an eater as Shia, she was still a considerable food lover, so the large bowl was filled to the brim.
Even though Yane enjoyed the ham mayo bibimbap Yoonjeong prepared well, strangely today, she felt quite uninterested in her meal.
“….Chew chew… hmmm…”
No one was around.
The rice was delicious, yet it lacked taste.
It felt peculiar.
Her tongue stated it was good, and her senses and taste buds accurately perceived the flavor well, but Yane still found the meal disappointing.
Ultimately, she could not eat even half of what she usually consumed and returned the leftover food back into the fridge.
Following Yoonjeong’s usual way, she cleaned up her eating area, wiping it down before putting the spoons and chopsticks in the sink as she didn’t know how to wash them.
Then Yane flopped back onto her bed lazily.
She turned on the TV, but the complex content was still something she struggled to understand.
She felt lonely and bored.
Although there were many people on the TV, she knew that their gazes and interests were not directed towards her, so her sense of loneliness remained unresolved.
But since watching it was better than not having it on, Yane blankly stared at the holographic screen of the television to kill time.
Ding dong!
[Delivery has arrived!]
Huh?
At that moment, the sound of the doorbell made Yane’s antennae twitch.
Thinking that maybe Yoonjeong or Shia had returned, she crawled on all fours and dashed to the door to open it.
“Hello… Huh…..”
Hiss?
The delivery person was taken aback but could not tear their gaze away from Yane’s figure before hurriedly pulling their hat down.
Currently, Yane was not wearing the outdoor attire that Yoonjeong usually dressed her in but was just in a relaxed, loose purple cotton T-shirt.
Naturally, since it felt uncomfortable, she wasn’t wearing any underwear. With her body mirror-growing larger and more stunning, what Yane wore appeared dangerously enticing.
“I-I’m terribly sorry. Ahem, is no one here right now?”
Hiss… hmmm…
The delivery person, who had no idea of Yane’s reply, was startled and backed away.
“Ah, is that so? Could you please sign here?”
Si-sign?
Yane struggled to recall the words she had learned at the Korean Language Academy.
Fortunately, she remembered that signing meant writing her name in her own unique style, so Yane placed her finger on the holographic signature line.
“Um, uh, thank you….”
The moment Yane’s signature was not a name or text but a bizarre bug-like drawing, the delivery person stared dumbfounded for a moment.
Well, they had gotten the signature, so there was no issue, right?
I sense something odd, and she seems a little strange too.
The delivery person decided to consider Yane as a bizarre mutant awakened being with side effects.
“Here are two boxes. Everything is from the Hunter Association Research Lab, so please deliver it to the recipient, Isia.”
Huh…?
Yane inched closer, as if asking for further explanation, but upon seeing her aggressive venomous pouch sway in front of them, the delivery person quickly stepped back in fear.
“A-as such, I shall take my leave! Goodbye!”
Hiss, hiss…?
Yane reached out as if to ask for more details, but the delivery person quickly fled without looking back, presumably to avoid the threat from Yane’s venomous pouch.
Hiss…
Ultimately, Yane waddled into the house carrying two sizable boxes.
Naturally, she was curious about what was inside.
At first, she thought it might belong to her owner, Shia, so she didn’t intend to touch it, but sadly, Yane was feeling exceptionally bored and lonely.
Thus, naturally, her attention turned toward the unidentified contents wrapped in these suspicious packages.
It’s that bad owner who made me feel lonely!
With that thought, Yane sharpened her hands and began tearing the delivery box apart.
Huh?
And inside the box lay items Yane recognized.
“…Drones…”
They were drones.
Yane had seen Shia using those for her broadcasts.
Hiss…
Then for a while, Yane just stared blankly at the drone.
An amusing idea started to bloom in her mind…
