“…Wow, that question’s kinda heavy.”
“I’m sorry. I know it might be uncomfortable… but it’s a really essential question, so I hope you can answer honestly.”
Choi Bomi, observing Shia’s reaction, had to maintain her composure while hiding her inner tension.
The assumption that someone had killed or eaten people was already at play.
After all, Shia had lived for a whopping 64 years in that other world.
No matter how much you want to uphold humanity and ethics, there’s no such thing as a flawless human being.
Of course, this went for other returnees as well.
All returnees were survivors from their previous world.
To survive, they must have done anything necessary.
Murder, robbery, assassination, fighting. For most returnees, killing was often the only way to avoid being killed themselves.
That’s why many returnees were used to seeing blood.
The Hunter Association realized just how terrifying Mangja Seongnyeo Isia was at killing and combat, while analyzing her powers; they deduced she must have taken many lives in her quest for vengeance in her previous world.
Naturally, killing someone is a frightening and dreadful act.
But whether it was justified or not…
And whether it was enough to blend into our society while maintaining humanity and ethics is what really matters.
“…..”
“Ms. Shia? If you don’t want to talk, you don’t have to force yourself. All returnees have the right to remain silent…”
“No, I just need a moment to think.”
The Seongnyeo couldn’t lie.
Aside from her own belief in the god she followed, it was a self-imposed rule and conviction for Shia to never utter a lie.
Even if she had to keep her lips sewn shut in silence, she must not tell a lie.
That was a practice she imposed on herself as she became Mangja Seongnyeo.
As it happened, Menelapie, Teresa, and all those around her also despised falsehoods.
No one probably enjoyed lies.
Thus, Mangja Seongnyeo Shia also hated lies.
“It might take a little while.”
“….Huh?”
After composing herself, Shia closed her eyes.
“….Arktan Lorann, the heir to the Lorann Count family. 28-year-old male. After being deprived of his status as heir by his younger sibling, he conspired with the Demon Lord’s army. Sentenced to death for allowing the deaths of 6,392 subjects in his domain.”
It started simply, with the death row prisoner…
“Kalz Ivan, 31-year-old male. Sentenced to death for the rape of 19 minors.”
“Meiran Stasha, 42-year-old female. Assassin. Sentenced to death for attempted regicide.”
“Alitier Krings, 58-year-old male. Targeted by the Demon Lord’s army, accused of supplying strategic weapons and disclosing the imperial army’s location. Sentenced to death.”
“Iris, a commoner. An orphan, 12-year-old girl locked in prison for a day as punishment for stealing bread.”
“Rosimia Maltaris, stripped of her position as a captain for colluding with Arktan Lorann and the Demon Lord’s army. Sentenced to death along with her family. 39-year-old male.”
“Milis Maltaris, wife of Rosimia. Also sentenced to death for collusion with the Demon Lord’s army. 40-year-old female.”
“Glartia, 32-year-old female. Warden of the underground prison in the Royal Palace. Died while trying to stop the starving Mangja Seongnyeo.”
“Zvie, 29-year-old female. Notorious as a ‘Flower Snake.’ Killed by Mangja Seongnyeo while she was awaiting trial after being accused of seducing multiple men.”
“Slaesh, 73-year-old male. Accused of researching forbidden black magic. Died waiting for trial at the hands of Mangja Seongnyeo.”
“Moritie Ananta, 44-year-old female. Accused of 18 counts of fraud and inciting threats. Died waiting for trial.”
“Ah…”
Million, Norband, Olivia, Hakdas, Nvidia, Florans, Malibu…
Shia continued speaking.
The number of people she named surpassed 10… then 50.
Yet she didn’t stop; more names kept coming.
Fifty became over 100 and still, Shia kept naming them.
As her eyes slowly opened on the mention of the 150th name, they revealed a heavy weight.
Some committed crimes deserving of death.
Others had committed no wrongs at all.
There were minor offenders, and even guards and knights who weren’t criminals but were simply protecting the palace prison.
Ages varied, and genders differed.
“Tia Lauria, commander of the 3rd division of the royal knights. 31-year-old female… While trying to stop the starving Mangja Seongnyeo, she was devoured instead… It was someone who marched with me to the Demon King’s Castle… I knew Tia since she joined the royal knights… At that time, I was fighting the Demon Lord’s army alongside Menelapie… It was really amazing when that young girl became the commander of the 3rd division. I was happier than a parent watching their child graduate elementary school… and then I ended up eating her.”
Choi Bomi understood clearly.
All those names were engraved on Shia’s mind like tombstones.
“That’s a total of 192 people. The total number of individuals who died during Mangja Seongnyeo Isia’s first hunger episode in the underground prison of the Royal Palace.”
“…Ah, ugh… cough…”
“And aside from those, well… I don’t know. Maybe there are none? Or perhaps I just can’t remember them even if I want to. I’m not sure…”
They were all humans devoured by Shia.
Having opened her eyes, Shia looked at Choi Bomi.
“Ugh… sigh…”
Choi Bomi, who had been listening blankly to Shia, felt her shoulders trembling slightly.
It wasn’t her emotion.
It was the emotion that Mangja Seongnyeo Shia was feeling.
However, Shia’s face remained calm.
No, though it seemed calm, her eyes looked as stiff as a doll.
While her face was frozen in a smile, it looked as though she could burst into tears at any moment.
“I’m sorry. Are you okay?”
“…Ugh, sniff…”
Ironically, it was Choi Bomi who broke down in tears.
Shia and Choi Bomi were still connected through a psychic link.
Choi Bomi’s psychic link wasn’t a mind-reading ability.
It merely activated the subconscious world to grasp the mind more easily.
But as Choi Bomi connected with Mangja Seongnyeo Shia, she became deeply immersed in her psyche.
Memories of Shia just before she devoured the humans unfolded before Choi Bomi’s eyes like a movie.
With each name Shia uttered, Choi Bomi could feel just how deep the guilt Shia held for those individuals was.
It wasn’t merely a simple emotion of, ‘I feel pity for them because they were eaten by me. I’m sorry.’
Shia remembered every single person she had eaten.
The criminals who deserved death were there, but also those who mocked Mangja Seongnyeo.
“They mocked… her… the Mangja Seongnyeo who saved the world from the Demon Lord…”
Yet Shia held not the slightest trace of malice toward the criminals.
She held no intention of harming them even a bit.
She forgave them and felt no anger at all.
However, unfortunately, ever since Shia killed the Demon Lord, she couldn’t eat ‘malicious entities’ anymore.
With the Demon King dead, all those with malicious traits perished, and as peace returned to the previous world, Shia grew increasingly hungry and suffered.
The hunger that Mangja Seongnyeo felt was something so terrible it was indirectly conveyed to Choi Bomi through their psychic connection.
For Shia, pain equated to hunger, and hunger indicated a loss of reason.
After defeating the Demon Lord, being unable to eat malicious entities turned Shia’s hunger into disease and fits, and it was something that she could not control.
And Shia began to suffer from hunger while trying to guide criminals and heal the wounds they sustained during apprehension in the palace prison.
Rather than holding resentment against those who had insulted her, Mangja Seongnyeo prayed for them endlessly and felt guilt.
She condemned and hated herself for having devoured them.
Surely, what would she feel when she saw the blood and chunks of human flesh on her hands once she regained her sanity…
[b][Ah, ah… Aah, ah… AAAAAAAAH!!!! You despicable wretch that deserved to die!!!!!][/b]
What Choi Bomi felt was not just the depth of Shia’s guilt and sincerity.
After devouring prisoners and criminals, once Shia barely returned to sanity, she actually attempted to commit suicide.
She smashed her own head and harmed herself until her fists bled.
But she couldn’t die.
She was the Mangja Seongnyeo, already cast away from death.
Even if she smashed her head, broke her neck, twisted, and shattered herself, Mangja Seongnyeo Shia could not die.
And many would mourn her death.
In the end, Mangja Seongnyeo Shia also couldn’t choose to die herself.
Suffering from guilt and self-harm, Shia was denied even the right to die.
‘How… how have you managed to stay sane until now…?’
As if time that had stopped suddenly began to flow, Choi Bomi’s breathing became frantic.
It felt like a rush of life was coursing through the desolate, dead land.
Like a sprout blossoming from dry soil, Shia’s mental world resembled that.
A mind that had long since withered away, yet a small oasis still remained, and it was around that oasis that the Mangja Seongnyeo still craved her humanity.
Isia was no longer human.
She was a Mangja Seongnyeo.
Yet she desperately wished to be human forever.
She wanted to crave humanity, and she wanted to prove to herself that she was human.
“Ha, sigh…”
“Are you okay?”
Choi Bomi, overwhelmed by the aftereffects of delving so deeply into Shia’s emotions, looked up at the cold touch she felt on her cheek.
It was ironic that while she should have been the one feeling sad, it was Shia who was comforting Choi Bomi.
Even though she could have been angry for peeking into her thoughts without consent.
“It’s okay. It’s okay. Everything’s fine.”
“I’m sorry… sniff… I showed you a bad side…”
“It’s not your emotion. The bad one is me. I’m sorry.”
“No, it’s not. It’s definitely NOT your fault, Shia… sniff.”
Regardless of her will, tears flowed down Choi Bomi’s face as she pathetically used a handkerchief to clean up her mess.
After a moment, Choi Bomi, finally managing to collect herself, gathered the documents and exited the room, after which she heard that the second ethics check for Shia had also concluded.
Shia checked her reflection in a mirror to see if her expression was alright, then went to where Yeonhwa was waiting in the next room.
Yeonhwa also bore a troubled face, witnessing the ethics audit of both Shia and Choi Bomi.
“The results will be informed by the end of today…”
“I see.”
To be honest, Shia didn’t have an optimistic outlook on the situation.
She could have claimed she had never eaten a human before, but she simply couldn’t bring herself to lie.
The Hunter Association, if they had any sense, wouldn’t allow a crazy cannibalistic Mangja Seongnyeo, who devoured over 100 humans, to broadcast with their certification mark.
“……”
“…….”
A long silence fell between the two sitting in the chairs.
Yeonhwa was probably wrestling with similar concerns.
The number of humans Shia had consumed was already 192.
Perhaps, there could be even more victims Shia couldn’t remember.
The silence felt bitter.
Shia couldn’t even imagine how Yeonhwa would feel about the suddenly revealed past, but she could feel her turmoil in the air.
It was a natural reaction.
Hearing that one could eat people in mere words and listening to someone who actually experienced devouring them led to completely different results.
“Yeonhwa.”
“Yes…?”
“It’s not strange for you to find me disgusting. I’m okay with it.”
“…What do you mean?”
“192 people. That’s just the count of those I remember, the ones I’ve set tombstones for in my mind. It’s possible that I consumed… no, devoured even more if I lost my sanity completely. It’s natural for you to feel disgusted by me.”
Shia smiled nonchalantly, yet Yeonhwa bit her lip.
“Sis…”
“Yeah, you can cut ties with me or whatever, just say it.”
“…It’s true, I was taken aback by the sudden serious conversation. But did you really think I would sever ties because I find you disgusting in any way?”
“No?”
“Of course not! I told you on the first day! The Yeon family never forgets a favor!”
A cold, but passionate response startled Shia.
“I’m telling you that I eat people, you know?”
You can’t just casually accept that.
“Returnees are survivors. Do you know what social contract our society made to accept returnees? It was to embrace everyone who had to kill to survive, even those who didn’t want to! Of course, there were crazy returnees who enjoyed killing. That’s why the ethics review system was created!”
“Killing someone and eating them are two different things. You know what I’m trying to say, Yeonhwa…”
“So you know what I want to say too! Even when you still want to be human, do you think I would ignore that?”
“My wishes and my hunger have nothing to do with each other.”
It was as if Shia was trying to push Yeonhwa away, but Yeonhwa didn’t budge.
In stark contrast to her ability to wield cold, she looked at Shia with a warm gaze like springtime.
“Do you want to know what my nickname was at the academy?”
“Nickname…?”
“It was ‘Cold Ghost’.”
“…Cold Ghost…? That doesn’t suit you at all.”
“Those around me always ended up hurt or dead, so…”
Though she was called ‘Cold Ghost’ in the academy for being ruthless and icy, Yeonhwa genuinely cared for Shia more than anyone else.
“I’ve always lost those who I wanted to keep by my side. My family, my friends… all gone. But I can’t bear to lose anymore. It has only been about a month since I met you, but that doesn’t diminish the fact that you saved my life. My desire to cherish you remains.”
“……”
“I’ll clearly state this now: I don’t hate you, and I won’t allow others to hate you either. Regardless of whether you intended it or not, you saved me, and as a member of the Yeon family, I will never forget your kindness.”
“…That’s a surprise.”
“I’ll tell you one more thing, sis. If you ever feel disgusted or want to commit suicide, I will stop you at all costs.”
This concern seemed rather peculiar.
“I was the ‘Cold Ghost’, and you saved me and reached out your hand.”
Shia smiled softly.
“I guess I’m lucky.”
In the previous world, she met Menelapie and Teresa.
Now in this world, she met you.
If I hear something like that, I can’t help but think of other things.
“Let’s put aside the heavy conversations and go eat. When you’re feeling down, eating is the best. After all, we can find out the results later through texts or something…”
“…I’ll treat you today.”
At that, Yeonhwa finally smiled.
“What money do you have, sis?”
“I collected about 700 million from hunting wyverns. I can at least buy our fool some food…”
Ding ding!
“Isia Returnee? And legal representative Yeonhwa?”
At that moment, the door to the waiting room suddenly opened and someone entered.
They were holding various documents and a small silver plate.
“I just received permission from Minister Kim Siyun.”
“Excuse me?”
“Already so fast?!”
Yeonhwa realized internally.
Oh, it seems the minister and those Hunter Association folks were probably planning to make Shia get on the Hunter broadcast or something even before I suggested it, right?
It was clear that the progress felt suspiciously smooth.
“Returnee Isia will now officially be able to operate as a hunter as of this time, and although she hasn’t received a formal hunter grade yet, the minister’s authority allows Mangja Seongnyeo Isia to have the association’s certification mark for broadcasting.”
“Is it possible to access dungeons without a hunter grade…?”
“Under Minister Kim Siyun’s authority, Isia will have access to all dungeons except some S-rank ones. The authority given by the minister will be effective one hour from now at 1:30 PM, and we appreciate your cooperation in visiting the Returnee Management Bureau once a month to renew that authority.”
That was too fast!
