As Shia was enjoying a delightful time in Busan, Yeonhwa was buried under a mountain of paperwork, kicking off her summer.
It’s great to avoid the heat under the air conditioning, but Yeonhwa is an S-grade ice wielder.
Unconsciously exuding chill around her, she hardly got hot in the first place; even with the air conditioning, it hardly seemed appealing.
“Ugh, my head…”
If it were the old Yeonhwa, she wouldn’t have faced the paperwork at all; she would have been going back and forth between dungeons and home, craving power like a madwoman.
From the moment she graduated from the academy and stepped onto the path of a hunter, Yeonhwa had pushed herself to a point where it wouldn’t be surprising if she died at any moment, hunting monsters despite having the power to do so. Yet, she never touched on the administrative and political tasks related to the Hunter Association or internal and external affairs of the Yeon family.
Even though she could, she preferred jumping into action on-site and hunting monsters over dealing with paperwork, but the reason she was buried in these papers was none other than Shia.
There were plenty of tasks that could have been entrusted to her grandmother Yeonseo or Yeonju the administrative officer, but Yeonhwa, wanting to directly oversee and resolve matters related to her sister Shia, took the initiative to use her status not as a hunter but as the sole noble of the Yeon family to start exerting political influence.
“Miss Yeonhwa, the next issue is concerning the budget allocation for the 4th Ranger Corps.”
“Haven’t we already settled the allocation for the Rangers?”
“It seems the Rangers, who directly participated in combat, are unhappy that the recovery and reserve teams are receiving the same compensation.”
Initially, her tasks involved managing the returnee identification impacting Shia’s life, executing the returnee’s hunter duties, broadcasting permissions, and recently leading agreements related to elves.
Being an S-grade hunter, a rarity with a firm grip on government policy, Yeonhwa wielded direct influence not only in matters related to Shia but also in various hunter and awakened systems and issues.
“This must not be the first time we’re hearing this; how was it handled before?”
“The Rangers organized by the government are operated under the Ministry of Economy and Finance’s budget. And the Ministry is responsible for saving and slashing the budget using every reason under the sun.”
“So, they’re ignoring it entirely.”
“Not exactly but…”
“To file a complaint regarding compensation, one has to go through the dispute resolution committee following complicated court orders, taking about three months. Most hunters need to buy gear maintenance or dungeon entry tickets immediately, so even if they have complaints, they’d rather accept the amount the government offers than waste three months.”
Indeed, Yeonhwa was capable of considering the hunters’ perspectives far better than political figures who had never fought a battle.
“Make sure to maintain the existing compensation since the Ministry of Economy and Finance wants to save budget as much as possible. However, let’s add one clause.”
“What clause?”
“For the combat teams, let’s give additional compensation varying by the number and type of monsters they hunt, while for the recovery and reserve teams, let’s issue additional compensation based on the success rate of their aid. And we can’t provide additional compensation for taking down just one or two goblins, so let’s hold a review committee to decide on the differential payment based on monster grade and quantity.”
Normally, this would require the National Assembly’s review and adjustments through multiple legislators’ opinions, but for Yeonhwa, it was just a matter of asking Yeonseo to handle it.
“What about the committee’s composition?”
“Academy professors would be good. You might want to slip in one or two representatives to voice the Ministry’s position to avoid complaints.”
Not that there would be complaints; after all, the noble of the Yeon family had that kind of power.
“Understood. I’ll pass it on.”
Although Shia playfully called her ‘fool,’ Yeonhwa was the only granddaughter of Yeonseo, the hero of the hunter age and a first-generation hunter. Born directly under Yeonseo, she was showered with love from the Returnee Management Bureau and the Hunter Association; this was hardly a difficult task.
“Sigh…”
Finishing today’s workload, Yeonhwa stretched out and let out a quiet sigh.
An S-grade hunter wouldn’t tire from this stuff physically, but mental fatigue was a different beast.
Well, other things aside, she wanted to shove this paperwork away for now and go have fun dealing with a Minotaur in some dungeon.
‘It was probably tough dealing with one back then, but now…’
Creating ice in her hands and letting it dissolve, Yeonhwa shrugged her shoulders.
Sure, this was all for Shia, anyway.
With around 30,000 elves now under Shia’s care, she felt this groundwork was necessary to avoid any future interruptions for her sister.
“Oh hey, a notification just came in. Did sis go live?”
Yeonhwa noticed her notification late since she kept her smartwatch off while working and casually entered Shia’s broadcast.
Having almost finished her work by morning, she thought sipping coffee while watching Shia’s stream would soothe her tired mind.
– Hey! You!
– Hey? You!
– Show us, Hero!
– Why is Mom so pretty?
– Mom looks way younger than the streamer, lol!
[Wait, they are all hyped about me wearing a swimsuit?! Yane sees me constantly, yet I’m invisible?!]
“Pff…”
And as soon as the stream turned on, looking at Shia in a swimsuit, Yeonhwa spluttered out her coffee.
“Cough, cough…!”
Caught off guard by the unexpected sight, she was hitting her chest, coughing as if she choked.
Next, she had thought Shia would go to some dungeon to cook up something weird, but here she was in a swimsuit by the beach?
‘…Is she not going to tell me anything?’
Yeonhwa glanced around.
Buried in paperwork and Shia, puffing her cheeks under the sun in her swimsuit, were visibly contrasting images.
‘No, that aside, she couldn’t at least invite me to the beach?’
Well, Shia could hang out at the beach freely.
But still, she could have at least invited her once, right?
Considering Shia’s nature, it would be instinctive for her to extend an invitation to her.
Yet her sister went to the beach without mentioning it at all…
‘Could it be Menelapie…?’
[Guess I should tell Yeonhwa too~]
[Oh no, don’t do that, Shia. Yeonhwa is likely very busy. Contacting her now could interfere with her work.]
[Really?]
[Indeed, that’s right.]
Nah, the Emperor wouldn’t be that magnanimous…
‘I can’t be sure…’
As the thought crossed her mind, the air around Yeonhwa began to chill.
So, they are off having fun without me?
Ugh, seriously…
How disheartening…
As the cool air shifted from just a faint chill to frost settling on the mountain of paperwork, Yeonhwa stood up and dialed a number.
Ding ding!
“Hello? Grandma?”
○○○○
– What! Give Yane back her swimsuit!
– Show us, Hero!
– Heeeh, Yane’s so cute…
“Hey, you little rascals!”
Having snatched the drone camera intended for Yane, Shia had now become the focus of these cunning viewers, who were deliberately ignoring Shia in favor of Yane and Menelapie.
Were these viewers particularly skilled at handling Shia’s eccentricities?
The rascals seemed to purposely ignore Shia, cheering for Yane, Menelapie, and Yoonjeong instead.
While there were a few viewers saying Shia’s swimsuit was pretty and cool, there were quickly overshadowed by the approximately 140,000 viewers present.
The number of viewers had risen substantially, likely thanks to the swimsuit stream.
The keyword ‘swimsuit’ attracted even those who rarely watched Shia’s streams, and the chat window transformed into a hellish scene.
It seemed Shia might think these rascals had no interest in her swimsuit at all, but in reality, many viewers were internally admiring it.
Rather, some viewers were so flustered that they couldn’t help but capture photos of Shia in her swimsuit, missing the actual broadcast for their happy time.
Shia’s swimsuit was as white as her hair, daringly exposing more skin with a design that barely covered her hips and waist.
Even someone quite confident in their body wouldn’t typically wear something like this, but Shia, with her height over 180 and endowed with the Seongnyeok pouch, felt blessed.
Even before the ten minutes passed since she’d started streaming, clips of Shia were swiftly taking over the top posts in the genre’s Hunter gallery.
Yet, why was no one looking for Shia?
Clearly, they were enjoying that feedback loop of engagement with the streamer.
Eventually, the rascals pushed Shia’s patience to its limits, and she seriously sulked.
“I’m not streaming anymore!”
– ?
– S-sorry!
– We were wrong!
– Mama, it’s cold! Mama, it’s cold! Mama, it’s cold!
– Are the viewers abandoning the streamer? Are they abandoning the streamer?
– I thought the streamer’s swimsuit was dope…
– I swear, that swimsuit looks amazing…
– Sorry!
– Come back!
[‘KawaiiHorned’ donated 30,000 won!]
Honestly, the streamer’s swimsuit is the best.
[‘Kawatori’ donated 10,000 won!]
[Seriously, wow…]
[‘OnionTasteChex’ donated 43,000 won!]
[Honestly, everyone is too busy having their fun looking at the streamer right now.]
– Are you out of your mind?
– Get lost!
– Leave already!
– You’ve crossed the line.
Despite some fools who pushed their luck trying to calm Shia down by donating hastily…
“Ugh, it can’t be helped then…”
– ?
– What? Do you like it now?
– Oh, the streamer declares she’s okay with us using her as a daughter…
– What’s wrong with these people, lol.
– Don’t spiral out of control.
– We got a bunch of forced party participants here.
“I’ve already said before; I’m the Saint who cares for humanity and comforts their hearts. It’s sad to become a mere object of base desire, but even if that’s the case, if you all consider me your daughter…”
“Then I will destroy you.”
– ^^7
– ^^7
– ^^7
The moment Menelapie’s voice was heard, the chat flooded with loyalty emoticons.
But that was just for a moment. As soon as Menelapie appeared on screen, the chat, well, froze.
Not just froze, ‘stunned’ might better depict the viewing audience’s reaction.
-……………
-……
-…..
Shia, Yane, and Yoonjeong’s swimsuits were all understandably beautiful.
Everyone looked stunning, as their original forms supported their swimwear appearances that would suffice for what’s called eye candy.
But Menelapie surpassed that.
Her beauty was almost aggressively enchanting.
-……Oh.
-..
-…Wow.
-Crazy.
-..Damn;
Menelapie possessed the charisma that only a hero and emperor could embody, subtly manipulating the human psyche.
That alone was enough to mesmerize viewers, but the swimsuit Menelapie wore lacked frills and covered only the bare minimum—its daring strings leaving little hidden.
The swimsuit was almost lewd, yet due to Menelapie’s aura, confidence, and grace, it evoked no vulgarity.
Thus, as Menelapie’s divine figure combined with her swimsuit, the chat window filled with 140,000 souls nearly came to a standstill.
[‘KawaiiHorned’ donated 1,000,000 won!]
Wow…
[‘AhoyCaptain’ donated 8,000,000 won!]
Please, let me touch it just once, please, let me touch it just once, I beg you, please…
– Wow…
– Gone crazy.
– They have lost it…
– Woah…
– Hero…
– Wow…
– Isn’t that the highest donation ever?…
Some belated responses were seen, but even five minutes later, most viewers still seemed completely dazed.
“………”
As the donation reached a new record high, Shia abruptly switched off the stream.
“Hmm, what’s going on? Didn’t you have more planned to broadcast?”
“Nope. Nothing. Hmph.”
“Ha ha ha.”
Menelapie chuckled lightly at Shia’s sulking demeanor as she settled next to her.
Shia likely had a plan to continue streaming while munching on snacks like clams or barbecue by the beach, but once the viewers’ attention drifted solely to Menelapie, it seemed her disposition genuinely soured.
Well, that was fine.
For Menelapie, this was even better.
As long as they could enjoy the beach together without interference, it was all that mattered.
Fortunately, this secluded beach turned out to be in a monster hazard zone.
While the likelihood of a giant monster arising from the ocean was virtually nonexistent, civilian access was banned to prevent such unlikely events, allowing the pair to use this wide beach just for themselves.
“Hmph.”
“What is it? Are you that angry? Hah, don’t worry, Shia. Those children in the chat have merely grown accustomed to you.”
“Is that so?”
“Of course. Think about it; people will always show more enthusiasm for a rare celebrity than for someone they’ve seen often, like their mother.”
“That’s self-evident…”
“However, if we ponder what is precious, wouldn’t it be the other way around? The viewers have gotten used to you, making you as warm as a mother, so your importance hasn’t diminished in their eyes.”
“………”
In truth, Shia had already recognized that, but abruptly switching off the stream likely stemmed from impulsive feelings.
Shia was someone who felt profound loneliness and, surprisingly, had a strong jealousy streak.
Despite her playful demeanor, the absence of viewers’ interest would lead her to feel a tinge of envy at that moment.
“Should I turn the stream back on…?”
“Why would you? We came to enjoy ourselves, didn’t we? Showing our figures in swimsuits ought to be enough for those kids.”
Well, if they came here to play, they should focus on the person who tagged along.
The sunlight shining down on the vast beach felt intense but not oppressively hot.
It was rather pleasantly warm, tickling the skin just right.
“Hah… Shia, let’s stay like this for a moment.”
“Hmm?”
As Menelapie suddenly leaned on her shoulder, Shia let herself relax, allowing Menelapie to settle more comfortably against her.
The unreserved interaction suggested that they had long nurtured a trust-filled relationship.
Being able to share such leisurely moments here under the sun’s blessing was something Shia never could have imagined before.
It would have been lovely if Teresa were here too.
Nah, they would surely enjoy such moments together someday.
When Shia glanced over at Menelapie, it seemed by chance their eyes met.
For a brief moment, they locked gazes, and it was Menelapie who broke the silence first.
“By the way, Shia.”
“Yeah?”
“I noticed the viewers’ reactions, but I never heard your thoughts.”
Having stepped away from Shia’s shoulder, Menelapie now stood facing Shia, her face appearing slightly elated as she playfully displayed her form.
“What do you think?”
“……..”
Shia had indeed been too distracted by her sulking to give much thought to Menelapie’s splendid appearance.
Yet, with how all those gazes were trained on Menelapie instead of her, there was no denying how stunning Menelapie’s presence was.
Especially, as if tailored to Shia’s preferences.
The swimsuit was in a dangerously slender triangular shape for the lower part, and aside from a few strings, barely covered anything up top.
Though it was incredibly revealing, the sheer audacity of it paired with Menelapie’s composure offered a surprising grace.
“How do I put it? I’m not exactly poetic or anything, but… you look stunning.”
“Yet another compliment.”
As soon as Shia replied, a rosy tint crept up Menelapie’s cheeks.
Peering at Shia with a strangely enchanting gaze, Shia suddenly thought Menelapie’s demeanor felt perilously intense.
“Hah…”
What’s up with that?
For a fleeting moment, Menelapie’s eyes resembled those of a predatory beast…
“Shia.”
“Y-yes?”
Before Shia could even think of a response, Menelapie suddenly untied the strings of her swimsuit.
“Menelapie, what are you doing…?”
Thwap!
Menelapie’s swimsuit, supporting itself with a single string at the neck, fell dangerously loose as she deftly loosened it with her fingers.
What’s with her? Why’s she acting like this all of a sudden…?
