There was nothing special after that.
The facility here, draped in the sign of a food transport company, was an unregistered ghost company holding illegal Awakened Ones, and it was set for complete dismantling through legal consultations from the Yeon Family.
The brainwashing powder had already been incinerated in front of Shia and Yeonhwa.
Including Wang Soyoung, the surviving Awakened Ones decided to follow Lirisia to Daesanrim.
“You can’t kill them, you know… ah… my head…”
“Hey, hero. Get that crazy woman out of here quickly. It’s one thing for her to get drunk and babble about Meat Fairies, but for her to take a hangover remedy from the Demon King and get drunk again is just too much…”
“Hey! Shia might just be drunk, what’s wrong with that?”
“You can’t do that! You’re a hero!!”
If it had been the original Lirisia, she might have even considered killing Wang Soyoung and everyone involved in the production of the brainwashing powder without regard for Shia’s words.
As Isia said, she tried not to kill them if possible, but if they attempted brainwashing on a racial level, just letting them go would be foolish.
What good would it do to leave a potential enemy alive? It wouldn’t be wise to leave behind a ticking time bomb, and above all, Lirisia believed that the nature of humans doesn’t change easily.
Even if she spared them out of mercy, it wouldn’t end with only targeting the Elves, as criminals will extend their hands even to those around Lirisia.
Of course, the Mangja Seongnyeo Isia would take that into account and forgive them, but Lirisia, being human at the moment, probably had no thoughts of lightly mentioning forgiveness.
However, it turned out that they had false memories implanted by a brainwashing sorcerer possessing a different fragment, so gauging the severity of the crime, she couldn’t indiscriminately kill the innocent.
‘Of course, that doesn’t mean I can just let them go.’
Shia, Menelapie, and Lirisia weren’t exactly like exemplary citizens or police patrolling the nation to catch criminals, but they could not just pass by those who caught their eyes.
The Awakened Ones that Lirisia had defeated were classified not just as unregistered but as criminals who had not formally registered with the government. In Wang Soyoung’s case, by Cheon Danaa’s ability, there were actually two Wang Soyoungs at present.
If news spread outside that the Wang Soyoung here was alive, the San Guild would likely try to kill Wang Soyoung to prevent internal chaos and reclaim their fragment, so they couldn’t just leave her behind.
“Boss, can we take all of them?”
“Yeah. Just in case, bind them tightly.”
“Should I use a tree fertilizer to pin them down? The spirits were crying out that the earth needed nutrients anyway.”
“Are you crazy? We’re not killing them yet.”
“Not yet?”
“…..Just tie them up for now…”
With the help of a few elves who came to greet her, Lirisia took the Awakened Ones, including Wang Soyoung, to destroy the facility.
There was a lot of talk, but in conclusion, the treatment of Wang Soyoung and the Awakened Ones would be handled in Daesanrim. The incident of attempting to brainwash the elves would not come to light and would be buried.
Ideally, Lirisia wanted to trace back to whoever orchestrated this incident. However, the fragment of the Demon King now remained in Shia’s hands, and there was hardly any evidence to reveal the identity of the sorcerer who imposed false memories on Wang Soyoung and the Awakened Ones.
Above all, a sorcerer with a fragment was unsettling.
If the sorcerer tampered with the memories of Wang Soyoung with a fragment and the Awakened Ones, they surely had already dealt with any evidence or leads that could lead back to them.
Perhaps, it was likely that the fragment that used Wang Soyoung as a host had been left behind like a tail, giving the sorcerer a sense of assurance.
‘If they successfully brainwashed the elf collective using Wang Soyoung and the brainwashed Awakened Ones, then that’s great. But if they are discovered, it’d be leave them to eat this.’ That would be the rough meaning.
Fragments competing and eliminating one another, using each other was something both Shia and Menelapie hadn’t anticipated, and they needed to adjust their stances a bit more.
If they were solo, they would have immediately been chasing the hidden figure without hesitation, but both Shia and Menelapie were not alone.
Yane, Yoonjeong, Yeonseo, Yeonhwa, the Yeon Family, and soon to arrive, over 30,000 elves moving to Korea.
In a complicated web of individuals, causing a big mess could lead to repercussions erupting from somewhere.
“Heh heh…”
And amidst the chaotic incidents they were dealing with at midnight, Shia was still staggering, holding onto her fuzzy mind.
“Oh dear, taking the hangover remedy made me think it’d get better for a moment…”
“Isn’t the idea of making a hangover remedy with the fragment of the Demon King itself a bit strange…?”
“Still, it tasted good.”
“What? That sludge tasted good?”
“Huh. I’ll take Shia and get back, so wait here… what a disappointment. I thought I’d get a feast today…”
With a face full of disappointment, Menelapie took Shia inside the Returnee Shelter, and Lirisia tilted her head as she looked at Yeonhwa.
“Hey, what nonsense is that hero talking? Didn’t you guys just eat? What do you mean feast?”
“………..”
However, Yeonhwa had to keep her mouth shut despite Lirisia’s question.
Anyway, under Menelapie’s deep sigh of disappointment, Shia was finally handed over to her home.
“Kee…eh..!” (Ah, the Master is back.)
“Ah, Menelapie…”
“I’m sorry for being late, ma’am. I was with Shia and a lot of people, so I lost track of time.”
“It’s okay. Our Shia has caused you a lot of trouble.”
…Huh?
Menelapie felt that something was off about Yoonjeong and Yane’s atmosphere and glanced at them for a moment.
In the house were Yoonjeong and Yane, but Yane seemed to have noticeably grown, lying against Yoonjeong’s thigh with a large body.
‘Taking into account she’s a follower of the Mangja Seongnyeo, it wouldn’t be odd for something out of the ordinary to happen, but that’s just too similar to Shia.’
But it wasn’t just Yane that had changed.
Menelapie could sense that Yoonjeong appeared to have undergone various events today, looking somewhat mentally exhausted.
“Ugh….”
“Geez, how much did you drink?”
“I’m sorry. I should have restrained them….”
‘Her complexion doesn’t look great. The Golden Eye shows no physical imbalances, so she isn’t injured… huh, could it be she received shock mentally somewhere…?’
But Yoonjeong seemed unwilling to share her thoughts, masking her awkwardness, so Menelapie decided to play along with Yoonjeong’s wishes.
As Shia’s mother, she must have various worries. Menelapie thought she would be willing to lend a hand anytime if needed.
“Sniff sniff…”
Meanwhile, Yane wobbled and brought her nose to sniff Shia, who had collapsed in the living room like a puppy.
“..Keeeee…?” (Master, you don’t seem drunk?)
“Ma’am, I’m sorry, but could you take care of Shia for a moment?”
“Is something wrong?”
“You can speak freely.”
“…Is something wrong?”
Menelapie soothingly stroked Yoonjeong’s shoulder, signaling her to relax.
Yoonjeong was a bit surprised at the intimacy that had come so suddenly, but Menelapie’s aura as a hero radiated a trustworthiness even to someone who saw her for the first time.
“Don’t worry. There won’t be anything for you to be concerned about.”
Those words held various meanings.
○○○○○
A moment later, after bringing Shia home, Menelapie returned to the alley where Yeonhwa and Lirisia were waiting.
“By the way, Lirisia, we’ve come this far. Shouldn’t we meet with Mother?”
At Menelapie’s words, Lirisia’s eyes twitched slightly.
The twitch was so subtle that only someone with Golden Eye like Menelapie could catch it. However, Lirisia soon nonchalantly tucked her hair behind her ear and spoke.
“That’s Isia’s mom, not mine. She has nothing to do with me.”
“You’re originally Isia too, aren’t you?”
“I ditched that name thousands of years ago. Now, I’m just Lirisia.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah, so mind your own business. By the way, about today…”
Lirisia crossed her arms and leaned against the corner of the alley, opening her mouth.
“This incident… there’s a reason we handled this ourselves, isn’t there?”
“……”
In reality, this was no small matter.
The attempted brainwashing incident against the migrating elf race was a significant enough issue that the Korean government or, at the very least, the Hunter Association should respond to it.
However, they chose to resolve it internally rather than trust the government or police.
“To summarize, it’s better not to personally trust the police or the government.”
“Why’s that?”
It was Yeonhwa, among them, who was most aware of the current state of the Korean government.
“Are there suspects?”
“Sigh, there are too many to count.”
Yeonhwa sighed deeply.
This had never publicly surfaced, nor had it made the news. Still, Yeonhwa, the noble lady of the Yeon Family, who had her foot deeply in the political world, knew all kinds of tales from the business sector.
“It’s a different topic, but… since Yeonseo’s grandmother retired, many factions have emerged in politics and among hunters. Thankfully, since she hasn’t completely removed herself from the Hunter Association, the conflict hasn’t burst into the open, but if she disappears, maybe…”
“A chaos will erupt.”
“Right. The conflicts in both hunter and political circles have been brewing since the First Great Rift and have continued till now, and it felt forcibly sealed thanks to her. In any case, there are too many suspects. Plus, with the fragment of the Demon King involved…”
Yeonhwa sighed as if her head hurt.
Finding the culprits wasn’t impossible, but it felt like stirring a hornet’s nest.
Just touching one could see some strange thing pop out from another hole trying to sting.
“There are factions that absolutely view outsiders like Beastmen or Elves as enemies. Hunters dissatisfied with the current government’s demand for blind obedience also exist. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg; even among first-generation hunters, that sentiment was widespread, but now… It gets worse. Even some Awakened Ones genuinely wishing for chaos exist.”
“Chaos? Destruction? Ruin?”
“……….”
“Hey, why are you looking at me like that? I was just trying to lighten the mood a little…”
At Lirisia’s words, Yeonhwa’s expression turned a bit icy, but she chose to ignore it and continued.
“Among Awakened Ones, there are those who don’t care for civilian lives. Some hope for an overwhelming extent of gates and erosion to cover the world. I’ve heard that quite a number of unregistered Awakened Ones belong to that category.”
“What? Are there that many crazies?”
“Yeah, crazy indeed. There are even terrorist organizations formed solely by Awakened Ones…”
The chaos-seeking Awakened Ones might sound grandiose, but ironically, in a stable society, hunters’ opportunities shrank.
Yoonjeong, who had once belonged to a small guild, was among those who had been weeded out through competition and pie-sharing.
Unlike the past during the Great Rift, the extreme cases had drastically reduced lately, except for the recent incident where Erosion Dungeon covered the Mapo District area.
“No, actually, I understand why they act that way.”
“What do you mean?”
“Thinking back, it’s straightforward. If the world becomes one where the powerful thrive, it might just be paradise for hunters.”
“What a nonsensical thought…”
Menelapie’s comments seemed to trigger a realization in Lirisia, who nodded knowingly.
Although the modern societal system seemed to favor hunters, it ultimately weaved out lower-tier hunters all the way down to the societal bottom.
In the past, each Awakened One had been precious and valuable, but that was a far cry from now.
What happens when the gates become stable and the monster inundation decreases?
Peace descends.
What if it reaches a state where hunters have nothing to do because of the overwhelming peace?
‘If the gates are completely eradicated, it would be a crisis for Shia… but also a risk for the other hunters.’
The disappearance of gates didn’t just mean complete peace; it signified the extinction of hunters’ value and existence altogether.
Of course, somewhere in the world, dangerous or unsolvable dungeons will still appear, but for those areas, S-grade hunters would be deployed to protect the world. Meanwhile, civilians would live peaceful and safe lives, unaware of the threats looming nearby.
A world flourishing with peace and stability. The existence of hunters in such a world could slowly become obstacles to the peace of the people.
So would the Awakened Ones wish for peace?
‘No way… they’d desire the collapse of the government and for the powerful to seize the throne amidst a broken society and city.’
As peace emerges, the opportunities for hunters would diminish, naturally leading to that outcome.
Just considering Yoonjeong’s situation, she was so immersed in society and the hunter system that without Shia, she’d probably be homeless or live a life lower than a human being.
Apparently, even D-grade Awakened Ones were once treated well, but now they struggled more than regular office workers.
“Right now, compared to the Great Rift era, the standing of hunters has significantly dropped. Nattionally, hunters protect civilians, and they’ve even formed a friendly image… Ah, it seems the reason my grandmother became a hunter streamer stemmed from that.”
The friendly image of hunters. In other words, it was a government-led policy aimed at dragging hunters down to the same level as ordinary citizens.
By this time, hunters had developed somewhat of a star-like reputation, but the government policy of reducing the excessive power and rights hunters had during the Great Rift had been relatively successful.
“Well, that’s not the important part. Ultimately, government and hunter factions are considerably divided. There are many people who would attempt brainwashing on a racial level against elves.”
“And that person is likely working with or linked to the government.”
“Yes, that’s right. Additionally, while many countries are paying more attention to the current elf migration situation, it hasn’t even been disclosed to ordinary civilians. The sorcerer possessing the fragment is most likely someone with considerable authority in the government or a link to someone in a local teenage guild.”
“Given they are hiding a woman named Wang Soyoung from public view and are providing the facility and a large number of personnel, it suggests there’s definitely an organization behind it rather than just individuals…”
If Yeonhwa’s and Menelapie’s analysis about the sorcerer who attempted the elf brainwashing were true, who was linked to the government, it complicated matters.
It was possible the government would suddenly begin to interfere with Shia, Menelapie, or the elves starting from today.
“Ugh, damn it. If it were the past, I would have killed them all without hesitation…”
As Lirisia said, if she had gotten her way, Menelapie would have wanted to sweep them all away….
‘No, there wouldn’t be any problem if I just cleaned them up, right?’
Menelapie seriously pondered her sword hanging at her waist.
‘Hmmm… But I still don’t have enough information. If the prediction becomes clearer, it wouldn’t be too late to strike then.’
Yet Lirisia, in that fleeting moment, seemed to have realized that Menelapie was genuinely considering expressing hostility on a national level, and she frowned slightly.
Anyway, that crazy girl. If Shia wanted, she’d be an enemy of the entire Earth…
How envious. Where the hell did my hero go, damn it… I can’t survive alone.
○○○○○○
“Shia, are you okay?”
“Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuugh….”
Lying on the bed, Shia still had a dazed look on her face.
“This won’t do. I’ll go boil some honey water, so wait a moment.”
The honey water that would satisfy Shia’s appetite would likely need to be around five liters, so it would take a little time.
Once Yoonjeong closed the door and left, Shia, who had been lying in bed, slowly opened her eyes.
“…………”
The drunken expression that had been there moments before vanished completely, replaced by bright clarity.
“Yane.”
“….Kee?”
Somewhere, Yane squirmed and crawled over to Shia.
Then Yane opened her mouth and spat something out.
[Kill… me… please…]
A stone slightly faded to a deep red color. It was the fragment of the Demon King extracted from Wang Soyoung.
“Later.”
[You devilish girl….]
“Is that all you can say? Yane, put this in the fridge later.”
“Kee?”
“Since we brought it, we should at least use it as a teabag.”
It was good for the Mangja Seongnyeo, who needed to consume malice regularly, to consume the concentrated malice like bitter herbal medicine.
As Yane devoured the fragment of the Demon King again, Shia ruffled Yane’s head while patting her.
“Kee, hee hee hee…”
“Yane, you did well today.”
“Keeeee~”
No matter how much they bickered, even if Shia sometimes treated Yane badly, their bond was so profound that they were inseparable.
It was not just a master and pet relationship, but one of a master and her follower who were both baptized and elevated.
Moreover, Yane had become a [Bug Fairy] under Shia’s recognition.
One day, Yane would surely be able to face society proudly.
“Yane, I’m only telling you this.”
“…….Kee?”
Yane tilted her head and snuggled into Shia’s arms.
“More or less, I want to forgive, and I want to live like a saint… but I have zero mercy for those who touch my people.”
The reason Yane killed all the members of the Sanwool Guild, including Jeong Baek and Yoonjeong, who had been pestering her, was ultimately due to Shia’s orders.
Yane was still young.
Perhaps as time passes, things will change, but for now, she couldn’t act independently or make decisions to kill someone without Shia’s orders.
“I always don’t know, realize too late, and act a bit foolishly.”
“Kee.” (You really are foolish.)
“Heh, yeah… it’s more accurate to say I don’t want to think about it.”
Shia chuckled softly and flicked Yane’s antennae with her fingers.
“Everyone thinks I’m a saint, and they might believe I know nothing…”
“Kieek.”
“But I’m striving to be a saint and trying to live like one. I’m not the saint herself.”
Not lying.
Helping others.
All those constraints looked like limitations but were merely the beliefs she imposed on herself.
Without this, she feared she would forget she had once been human.
“And I know there are still many plotting their nonsensical schemes against my mother and me that aren’t even funny…”
She had sensed those signs long before.
She knew very well that someone, nothing like a stalker, had attempted to kidnap her believing in the “Piper of the Dead,” and she was aware that this world was not merely peaceful.
She had experienced the many contradictions of the hunter society, struggling as a D-grade hunter rolling on the streets, living a hard life long before meeting Yoonjeong.
But the truth was, she chose to ignore it.
So her people could live more peacefully.
So she could at least be a saint a little bit.
If she took action, then… things would really change a lot.
“Keeeee…”
“So, Yane, will you help your inadequate master a lot?”
While appearing pure, there was a bit of darkness within her, and she showed a reaction where she knew everything and could be utterly merciless, but she only showed that side to Yane.
Maybe she would never let Yoonjeong or even Menelapie know.
“Ah, and though I pretend to know nothing, I’m not oblivious to Menelapie or Yeonhwa’s feelings towards me.”
“Kee…?”
“Honestly, it wouldn’t have been that bad if I had just gone to rest in a hotel earlier, but I also intentionally tried to distance myself a bit, like putting on a Meat Fairy show…”
Lacking experience wasn’t the issue…
“….And it’s a little embarrassing.”
In that moment, Yane seemed taken aback at Shia’s expression of femininity, making a bizarre face.
“Anyway, you must never tell Menelapie about this?”
“Oh, is that so?”
“………………………………..”
Oh no…
In that moment, Shia’s thoughts froze at the sound of an familiar voice in her ear.
“M-Menelapie……?”
“Kee.. Keeek…?” (W-what… is happening?)
“Oh my, my dear Shia. I am tremendously saddened.”
Crack!
“…….gulp!”
Shia lost the courage to turn around as the hero’s hand gripped her shoulder tightly.
“To be honest, I was also going to let it slide just as much as I could. If there’s a reason you don’t desire it, or if you have a reason to avoid me, I was prepared to understand and brush it off. Even if I had to understand your keeping distance from me for the sake of waiting for the Black Witch, I would have accepted it…”
“………”
“But to hear the reason as ‘It’s a bit embarrassing’… how can I not be stimulated by such a mere phrase?”
“………!”
“This is your responsibility. Do you understand?”
When had she arrived…?
How had she entered?
She hadn’t even heard the sound of the door opening…
“The thread follows the needle. Where the hero is, the saint will be. Where the saint is, the hero shall come.”
As Menelapie spoke, through the moonlight pouring in through the window, Shia could see Menelapie stepping in from her shadow.
What kind of ability was that…?
She couldn’t recall Menelapie ever using such a thing when she was in her previous world…
“That came to be after you disappeared into the Bottomless Pit, and I was cooped up in my room, contemplating all manner of negative thoughts. I wished all day long to have you beside me, and so it naturally formed.”
“Isn’t that a total stretch…?”
“Stretch, heh. It’s a stretch…”
Grrrkk!
Menelapie, who let out an ominous laugh, pushed Shia down onto the bed.
The strength pinning her shoulders meant she had no intent to resist.
“Ah…………….”
“If this is all you’ll say, how can I not feel the urge to stretch it out further?”
“Kee, Keeeeii…..”
Menelapie looked down at Shia, who was trembling beneath her.
“I’ll be indulging in quite a lot of stretching from now on.”
“Ah, uh…………”
Shia gazed at the gluttonous glint in Menelapie’s Golden Eyes.
‘Oh, no… this is bad… I won’t be able to sleep tonight.’
And shaking with fear from Menelapie’s aura, Yane curled up in the corner of the room.
It seemed she had no intention of helping her master at all.
