Hehe, I’m so full…
“Was it good, Unnie?”
“Yeah, but I feel bad since I said I’d pay…”
“It’s okay. You’re technically unemployed for a bit anyway, right?”
“Just because my drone camera broke doesn’t mean I’m unemployed…”
Lirisia had no money on her, so it was Yeonhwa who covered her meal.
Originally, it was Shia who invited Yeonhwa, so she said she would pay for herself, but Yeonhwa was a woman from the renowned Hunter Era, a noble lady of the Yeo family.
Not to mention, with her basic wealth coming from her family’s resources, achieving the youngest S-grade Hunter title, the prize money from the monsters she had hunted could easily buy several houses.
In the Hunter Era, having strong powers meant you could rake in wealth with ease.
She’s long surpassed the level where money is overflowing, so spending for 150 servings of beef wasn’t that expensive.
Of course, it wasn’t that important that the exact calculation Yeonhwa made was for 152 servings of beef, 31 bowls of rice, and 11 bowls of cold noodles.
Still, Yeonhwa had her share of good benefits.
Meeting Shia after a long time, she realized that Shia hadn’t forgotten her, and unexpectedly developed a good relationship with Menelapie.
Since Lirisia confirmed she wanted to live as a human and not just a witch anymore, and if Shia wished to give her a chance, Yeonhwa also acknowledged Lirisia.
Shia used the Purification Miracle to remove the lingering smell of meat from everyone’s bodies.
“I’ll just see Lirisia off for a bit!”
“Okay, Unnie.”
“Be careful.”
With that, Shia held Lirisia’s hand and moved away from Menelapie and Yeonhwa.
“Do you want me to come with you?”
“Don’t bother. You guys came out to have fun too, right?”
“Well, hearing you say that makes me want to tag along.”
“Even if I said I gave up living as a witch, I don’t think our relationship allows for us to link arms and stroll like that.”
“I’m serious right now.”
“…..”
“Just tell me honestly. How serious is the situation?”
This had multiple meanings.
Lirisia briefly sealed her lips and let out a sigh.
“Five hundred elves from the scout team ate all the food that day.”
“…All of them?”
“Yeah, I don’t know if it was a sedative or some cognition-degrading drug, but… except for a few under me, all the elves ate all the food that day. That Bribie elf is either particularly affected, or maybe there’s a separate incubation period, but the other elves didn’t seem that severe.”
“…If there’s an incubation period, this is more serious than I thought.”
“I’m just saying this in case, but don’t use Great Healing if you go. Don’t protest either.”
“Why? If they’re sick, I should heal them right away! And what do you mean don’t protest? I could easily find the contact number of that food supply company, why not…”
At Shia’s questioning, Lirisia let out a snicker and laughed.
“Is it because you’re young? You really don’t know anything.”
“Hey, I’m 85 years old, okay!”
“Yeah, no matter how I think about it, you’re still way younger than me.”
“And how old are you?!”
“A lady’s age is a sensitive topic.”
“But you were originally a guy!”
“The time I’ve lived as a man is far less than the time I’ve spent in this body. At this point, don’t you think it’s fair to just consider me female?”
Joking around with Shia, Lirisia soon wore a serious expression, narrowing her deep black pupils.
“From the beginning, that cognition-degrading drug didn’t make the elves suspicious except for me. A drug that an elf with much more sensitive senses than a human didn’t sense at all? Isn’t that strange?”
“What do you mean?”
“It means the drug mixed into the meat was obviously something made specifically targeting elves.”
“Uh… really?”
“You really know less than I do? We’re in a world where people can spit fire and fly. In this world, it’s not strange to manufacture specific drugs aimed at certain ethnicities or races to attempt brainwashing or enslavement. It’s not unusual at all that when the drug’s owner snaps their fingers in front of the elves, they immediately enter a brainwashed state.”
“Uh…”
Could that really be?
Now that she thought about it, it sounded plausible.
Shia, lost in thought from Lirisia’s words, recalled an incident where a stalker had once kidnapped her using the Horn of the Undead or something.
In Shia’s case, it wasn’t a problem as she was the Saint of the Undead, resistant to all debuffs, curses, and toxins, but upon checking later, it turned out that Horn of the Undead was indeed an item capable of completely dominating the undead category. Currently, Yane often took it out to blow on it and play.
If ranked by rarity, it would at least be an A+ grade item.
Perhaps even Tia Lauria, the Skeleton Knight, could have been completely subdued by that horn if she fell into the wrong hands, so it wouldn’t be strange for a drug specifically aimed at elves to exist.
Anyhow, the main point was that in this Hunter era, all sorts of bizarre and mysterious gadgets and items were floating around.
It wouldn’t be strange if there were secret items or drugs navigating shady routes unknown to ordinary people.
“The nature of the drug… I jokingly called it a sedative, but in reality, it’s probably groundwork for a brainwashing or hypnosis-like effect. Perhaps practitioners of brainwashing or hypnosis would give specific keywords to the elves, and then those elves would be immediately controlled without any sense of discomfort… or not.”
“Then what do you think the purpose of putting such drugs in the elves’ food was?”
“The first thing that comes to mind is some pervert at the supply company noticed that the delivery target was elves and wanted to make them compliant dolls for his personal preferences, for his individual desires.”
“Ugh, gross.”
Shia frowned as if she couldn’t understand.
“I can see the appeal. Elves are generally quite beautiful. Honestly, I wanted to eat one…”
“You ate one!?”
This crazy, perverted witch of the Dark Star has finally lost it!
“I might have had that thought for a few seconds upon meeting, but after listening to that disgusting elf babble on all day, it gets confusing whether she’s an elf or a creature wearing an elf’s guise.”
Regardless, elves like Shia or Menelapie were not rare in their charming appearances; the entire race had superior beauty and physique.
For humans, it would certainly be enough to stimulate primal desires.
“But I’d rather it be the work of some lunatic acting alone. Then it would just be a matter of dealing with that one guy.”
“The problem is, what if it’s not just one or two? Or perhaps it’s connected to a larger organization or group… leading back to the Hunter Association or even the government? That would be a huge issue. It would mean some group wants to control elves like puppets.”
While Shia’s actual job wasn’t that robust, she was tasked with the oversight of elf affairs from the government and the Hunter Association.
Although she wasn’t an S-grade, she had successfully completed requests from the Great Forest and gained fame in tackling large-scale Erosion Dungeons in Mapo District, making her a respected and influential returnee.
In light of this, it didn’t seem like just a coincidence that Shia was meddling with the food supplies for the elves.
“Oh, it seems your mind isn’t completely empty.”
“Hey! I’m a Director of the Rose Church!”
“I don’t know what that unheard of church is about, but it sounds fancy. But is this what a great saint looks like?”
With Lirisia dismissing her like a child, Shia puffed her cheeks in annoyance.
“Anyway, I’ll handle this issue. You can mind your business.”
“But what if some of them really are sick? I can sneak in and at least use Great Healing…”
“I’ll say it again, don’t do anything.”
At Lirisia’s firm stance, Shia’s face fell.
“You’re too famous and draw too much attention. And the others are not dying; they’re not in any life-threatening situation.”
“But that Bribie knight is supposed to be infected beyond the limits, right?”
“That’s just her; the others, it’s a mixed bag but mostly have mild symptoms or are completely okay, so it’s not an immediate danger.”
“So what do we do?”
“If the elves officially protest about the food supplies or if any movements get detected, they’ll immediately start covering up. Claiming it was an error by the shipping staff, or someone’s personal deviation.”
Once they begin covering up, it would become difficult to get to the root of the matter.
Of course, it could just be the lack of self-control of some lunatic, but how could one person have managed to put an unidentified drug into so much food without the elves ever catching on?
It was impossible that it was just a personal deviation.
It had to be a criminal organization, some group, or perhaps a problematic government managed to get involved.
“Then are you going to dive in?”
“Why? They’ll probably come here soon.”
Of course, the culprits were not fools.
Knowing that elves were under Yeo Seo’s protection, the drug they used wouldn’t produce immediate effects.
In reality, except for Bribie, most of the elves would continue their terraforming work in the desert without significant issues.
They may feel a slight discomfort from their bodies being unnaturally hot, but in that heat-soaked environment of the desert, their discomfort would still be drowned out.
And they conducted their operations while others were likely concerned about whether Yeo Seo would step in, all while she was on an external schedule and out of the dungeon.
The people who pulled off this scheme likely were aware of Yeo Seo’s schedule.
They could obtain hard-to-find elves and clandestinely sprinkle the groundwork of their brainwashing drugs into all the food supplies.
However, what the perpetrators overlooked in drugging the elves was Lirisia herself.
The Witch of the Dark Star was immune to the drugs and could see through the unidentified substances.
“This mustn’t be left unnoticed. Then those guys will make their moves for the follow-up actions. We can catch them then.”
“That’s right… But then, why are you out here?”
Thinking about it, showing up to eat meat had nothing to do with the ongoing issue, did it?
“I said earlier, I came out to get some fresh air and ended up seeing you guys for a meal.”
“No way, I thought you came out to fight some grand organized crime syndicate or something, but you just came out for a meal?”
“Try doing desert work 12 hours a day for 3 weeks without a break. Of course, I’d want to get out.”
“Yeah, that does sound tough…”
“Anyway, you have no business here anymore. I’ll take care of this. You go have a date or something.”
Both Menelapie and Shia had come out to take a break after handling various documents and matters related to the elves all week long.
Although the large-scale relocation of elves hadn’t officially begun, it was indeed an essential and significant matter, to the point that even with help from Yeo Seo or Menelapie to handle things, Shia barely had time to broadcast.
Even if Menelapie answered, as nominal participation, Shia had to attend various meetings and hearings at the National Assembly.
After finishing her meal of beef, Shia planned to watch the latest hit movies from 2088 with Menelapie and Yeonhwa.
For the record, Shia did not enjoy the stereotypical shopping trips choosing clothes like a little girl.
In her previous world, she wore what Menelapie or Teresa picked out, and even now, she was wearing casual clothes that Yoonjeong brought for her.
Though it had become a habit not to wear underwear as Menelapie pointed out, it was no big deal.
In fact, parallel-world Shia, Lirisia Alpenheim, also adhered to no panties, no bras. So perhaps Shia not wearing underwear was just a fate unbound by world.
“Still…”
“Anyway, I don’t need your help. And you’re surprisingly too famous, do you know how many times I got stopped while coming here?”
“Huh? I’m famous… oh.”
Only then did Shia recall that she was the Gallery Master of the Hunter Gallery, the largest community site in the world.
While she was just living her life, earning her keep through broadcasts and frequently getting meals with her viewers to avoid solitude, she somehow gained bizarre fame as a Gallery Master.
Of course, Shia didn’t perceive her fame keenly, but in reality, she was more famous than any hunter who had ever been the topic of discussion in the Hunter Gallery.
The results from resolving issues in the Elf’s Great Forest and the large-scale Erosion Dungeon in the Mapo District had worked out positively for her reputation.
Unfortunately, due to the broken drone camera and the busyness over the recent elf situations, she hadn’t been able to broadcast lately.
‘Speaking of which, Director Choi Bomi texted me saying the drone will be arriving soon…’
When she got home, she might as well unwrap the drone package and start broadcasting soon again.
In the Switch channel, she had previously posted a short note that she couldn’t broadcast due to her drone being broken, but those pests would certainly not have the patience to wait, so when she got back, she should give an appropriate V-log announcement.
“Suddenly total strangers were coming up to me, claiming to be fans, asking ‘Why aren’t you broadcasting?!’ and ‘Narak!’ and while spouting nonsense, I just waved at them a few times. If I were really the Witch of the Dark Star, I would have eaten more than a hundred of those idiots on my way here.”
“Glad you didn’t.”
“What’s important is not that! Anyway, I don’t know what this broadcasting business is about, but if I’m alone, it’s already this chaotic, just imagine how nuts it would be if I were with you.”
With those words, Lirisia turned her head without even saying goodbye and walked off.
“Don’t be like me and end up an idiot. Value what you have while you can.”
“Okay. I will surely.”
“You say it well.”
Somehow, Lirisia’s retreating figure appeared a bit lonely.
“Lirisia!”
“What now?”
“I trust you!”
“……..”
Though Lirisia went quietly without replying, Shia knew it was her own unique way of affirmation.
Though Lirisia was older or younger, it seemed she was even shyer than herself when she was in her teenage angst.
“Now, then. What about Menelapie and Yeonhwa? Oh! The movie 17 Light Zones was released, shall we watch that?”
○○○○
And that dawn.
In order to deliver supplies to the scout team of the elves, multiple trucks and hovercrafts appeared at the desert dungeon as usual.
The elves received the foodstuffs comfortably, checking them off in their inventory and exchanging documents with the humans.
“Yes, then the payment has been processed as well.”
“For the support funds and materials, please make sure to use them before the deadline.”
“Thank you. May the blessings of the Great Forest be with you.”
Everything was going smoothly.
The elves from the supply crew received the materials as usual, and the contracting human side showed no issues.
Then some humans exchanged strange looks before approaching one elf specifically.
“Excuse me?”
“What is it… ah…”
One human extended his wrist displaying a complex pattern on his smart watch hologram.
As soon as the elf receiving the supplies saw the rotating hologram, the bag in her hands fell, and she appeared dazed and shallow in her expression.
“Lady Ilorae? What in the world is happening… ah..?”
“Hey! The supplies haven’t arrived yet, what’s going on…. ah……”
As if letting out a final gasp, the elves staring at the pattern stood still with blank expressions as the humans nodded to each other.
“Operation successful.”
“Good. The effect is excellent.”
“Awesome. Can we have a little fun now?”
“Don’t be stupid! It’s fine for three of us but if the other elves find out, we’re done! We’re just testing whether the drug actually works today, so save the fun for later.”
“Sigh, that’s unfortunate…”
“Be patient; if they wake up because you touched them, we’d be in big trouble. Each of these elves is supposedly A-grade level, what are we to do if something goes wrong?”
“Yeah, but…”
With that, the humans quickly organized the supplies, so as to avoid alarm before the elves could wake up and started testing simple commands on the entranced elves.
The tests themselves were nothing complicated.
Commands like ‘don’t move’, ‘walk forward’, ‘stop’, ‘turn around’, and the three elves under the drug’s influence complied with those commands faithfully while still looking dazed.
“Looks like the test was a success, can we just enjoy them now?”
“No.”
“Tch, but it’s really killing me.”
One man eyed the elf up and down while licking his lips.
Looking again, it was a truly insane body.
Even under the scorching sunlight of the desert dungeon, her skin was as white as jade, her chest full, waist slim, and her hips wide.
And the area of the clothing she wore was so small that it seemed her very existence aroused male desire.
“Hey, I would have just done it right here.”
“Yeah, true?”
“Of course! How can you resist such a sultry body right in front of you?”
“Sigh, that’s true. But I’ll hold off for a bit… but who the hell…”
And the man turned his head at the voice he suddenly heard near his ear.
“Hello?”
“Uh…”
Those beast-like golden eyes.
Yet a girl with pitch-black hair darker than the blackness of night encircled him.
And behind the girl were just five unconscious companions, entangled in some foul, formless tentacle.
When… when did this happen?
He had heard no sound at all and in this brief moment, what…
“………What is this…..”
POW!!!
At that moment, with a heavy impact, the man’s consciousness suddenly cut off.
As Lirisia dragged the three men out of the dungeon using her tentacles, she flicked her hair back.
“Wow, I really have calmed down a lot.”
In the past, she would have just said goodbye and devoured them right away.
“Hehe…”
Still, it was finally time to return as a witch.
There’s nothing to worry about Asia.
Just for a moment.
Just a moment to be a witch.
