People are creatures of conflict.
Conflict is something that inevitably arises among intelligent beings forming societies and groups. It is because of conflict that humans compete, bite at each other, and ultimately evolve.
Even in 2088, during the era of hunters, society inhabited by humans doesn’t seem all that different from the 2020s I lived in.
Hmm~
“Whether it’s this or that… in the end, places where people live are all the same.”
Even after the First Great Rift, the Empire of the ‘previous world’ I lived in was like that.
No matter how much I was the right arm of the Emperor, people who were originally in power had no good words for the suddenly dropped Saint of the Dead.
Thanks to that, Menelapie had quite a headache.
It would have been simple to deal with any aristocrat who colluded with the Demon King’s army or committed corruption, but those with clean hands and those needed for the Empire didn’t like a rolling stone like me very much.
It was only after I took down the Demon King that such gazes began to fade a little.
Of course, I didn’t expect everything to fall into place just because I had returned to the present.
I knew best the treatment a rolling stone receives; to be recognized as part of that place, I had to create many people who acknowledge me.
Of course, creating a complete ‘ally’ is not something one can easily do.
Having someone willing to stand by me and meet people who view me positively would probably require divine fortune to even happen, right?
Knock knock
At least I was lucky.
In the previous world, I met Menelapie and Teresa.
Now, I have Yeonhwa and Lady Yeonseo.
“What’s with that gaze?”
“Just. Because the bingu is pretty?”
“It’s not because I’m a bingu! When will you call me Icicle Nine? I also officially received my hunter name, you know?”
“But… it’s just convenient this way!”
Haa
At my words, Yeonhwa stopped grilling meat and glared at me with narrow eyes.
She must think I’m joking.
“…And when I hear you say I’m pretty, it just sounds like a deception, you know?”
“There are two different kinds of flowers. Even if one is extraordinarily beautiful, that doesn’t mean the other is not pretty. Each has its own beauty.”
By the way, this was something Menelapie told me.
“In the end, it just means that a more beautiful flower stands out more.”
“It’s beautiful because the two are together.”
At my words, Yeonhwa’s hand grilling meat stopped for a brief moment.
“The beauty of flowers is more about being together than standing out as the most beautiful one. Don’t think too deeply about it. In my eyes, you’re pretty too.”
“…..”
“That’s right. You’re grilling well, bingu.”
By the way, I realized my body was pretty and alluring about 60 years ago, so there’s no need to forcibly deny it.
Personally, I think Menelapie or Teresa are prettier than me, but that doesn’t mean Yeonhwa is lacking.
If I compare them to flowers, hmm, maybe forget-me-not?
It looks pitiful and somewhat shadowy, but there’s something unbending about it.
Honestly, most things look pretty in my eyes.
Ding ding
By the way, we ended up at the same meat restaurant we visited last time in Hapjeong.
Anyway, on the first day of my return, I was penniless and had no income, so I had no choice but to let Lady Yeonseo treat me, but this time I decided to pay.
To satisfy my appetite, I had to find a place that could serve reasonably sized dishes, but taking Yeonhwa to a soup restaurant felt a bit too obnoxious, don’t you think?
By the way, on my first date with Menelapie in the previous world, I made a dish similar to the position of soup here called Alraune Soup, and I got hit so hard I thought my skull would burst.
While the Emperor didn’t get overly upset, once he was upset, it was really hard to make up with him.
Now I’ve gained some sense and can see how much I hurt Menelapie back then, but at that time, I was shockingly lacking in awareness.
“By the way… sister, really… are you okay?”
“Of course, I’m okay.”
Yeonhwa acted as if my being tortured by malicious net runners and manipulating forces in the Hunter gallery was somehow her responsibility.
In reality, Yeonhwa did nothing wrong; perhaps she felt a sense of responsibility since she was the one who encouraged me to go on air.
“You saw some shocking things today, right…?”
Yeonhwa sighed softly while gauging my reaction.
Well, I’ve experienced envy, jealousy, and hatred without clear reason from humans multiple times.
If I looked at it broadly, this incident would fall into that kind of category, right?
Of course, it wasn’t something I could just overlook that I nearly ate a human.
If something were to happen and I crossed the line again, something terrifying could arise.
Still, in the end, it led to no serious issues, did it?
That hidden camera streamer or whatever got their comeuppance in some way.
Whether he paid the price or not, I don’t care.
With a mutual apology, I now have no relation with that hidden camera streamer.
Wherever he dies or faces terrible situations, that’s not my business.
If anyone gets hurt or suffers and it comes to my attention, I’m willing to provide healing, but well… if I don’t see it, it ends there.
“Have you seen any terrible sights? Didn’t our bingu see more?”
“…..You knew.”
“Did I? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Well, that settles that.”
“Ha ha, anyway, I’ve lived as a saint for 60 years. It truly doesn’t bother me.”
Anyway, while I enjoy gourmet food, I prioritize restaurants that have delicious meals and provide a suitable quantity.
Even if I were to earn hundreds of billions a month and buy a bigger house than the Returnee Shelter, I’d probably prioritize a kitchen and cooking space much more for finding a chef who could prepare my meals over hiring a Michelin-starred chef from a fancy restaurant.
In that sense, being by Menelapie’s side indeed made me very happy.
Not only did she cater to my taste in food, but I could also enjoy meals in the Royal Palace dining hall until I felt full.
“By the way, sister. How’s broadcasting?”
“I told you last time. It’s truly, genuinely enjoyable and happy.”
That’s the truth.
Not out of patience as a saint, but sharing meals with people through Hunter broadcasts, alleviating loneliness, genuinely felt good.
Upon hearing my words, Yeonhwa nodded and placed meat in front of me.
“Thank you. Hehe, it looks delicious.”
“Um, sister…”
“Hmm?”
“How did you become so strong?”
“Me?”
Come to think of it, Yeonhwa was quite interested in strength.
I have eyes and ears too.
Even considering that Yeonhwa is the granddaughter of Yeonseo, the level of effort and blood she spilled compared to her peers or other Hunter Academy students is information you can find right away on Hunter Wiki.
“I want to become strong quickly. Stronger than Grandma.”
“You’re already strong enough, aren’t you?”
“Did you know I had a sister?”
“A sister? Yeonhwa’s sister? That’s the first I’ve heard of it…”
“It’s something only a few people know. My sister became a hunter while hiding that she is the granddaughter of Lady Yeonseo.”
After a small sigh, Yeonhwa looked straight at me.
The atmosphere I felt from her eyes was suddenly serious.
I had planned to come here just to enjoy some meat, but I guess it’s time to change the atmosphere a bit.
I placed the piece of meat I was about to put in my mouth back on the plate.
“When I was five… No, even younger, the Second Great Rift opened, and I fell into a gate dungeon with Yeona.”
“A gate dungeon means you can’t leave until you defeat the boss monster, right?”
“Exactly. If it were Yeona alone, she might have somehow made it out, but she fought to protect me and became bloodied all over. She even gave me the little food and water we had. The dungeon was a desert, so we would have had to consume a lot of stamina and be short on water…”
The memory of that time sent a shiver down Yeona’s spine as the shadow of Yeona’s face darkened.
Yeonhwa is now 21 years old.
When I was 21… what was I doing? Ah, that’s when the Great Rift threw me into the previous world, and I became the Saint of the Dead…
Compared to me, Yeonhwa is much more amazing, yet she still feels a sense of inadequacy.
“In the end, I was able to survive thanks to my sister’s sacrifice. From then on, I always wanted to become strong. Strong enough to survive on my own without relying on others.”
“Aren’t you already strong? At 21, I was barely out of the military, but you became a government-recognized A-grade hunter. You seem to have a much better prospect than someone like me, right?”
“Um… military? But why did you…”
“Oh, right, I used to be a man.”
“If it’s uncomfortable, you can call me brother even now.”
“…Well, since you’ve been a woman for over 60 years, you’d probably have to see me as a woman, right?”
Pfft “Do as you feel comfortable.”
Yeonhwa coughed lightly, her face turning a little red.
I guess she just remembered that I was once male.
But seeing her call me sister, I suppose calling me brother would be quite a stretch.
“Ahem, anyway, like you said, of course I can live on my own these days. But after watching you, my thoughts changed a bit.”
Clink clink
Yeah, maybe I should have a drink instead of just meat.
I wonder what’s so special about me that it changed your mind.
“It’s a personal curiosity too, but I’d like to know how you survived in the previous world and became this strong. I saw you take down a Centipede Dragon in one go on the broadcast, you know?”
“It’s not that interesting a story.”
Well, her eyes are already sparkling, so maybe sharing a boring old story wouldn’t be too bad.
“Bingu, I said I looked strong, right?”
“Yes.”
“I am strong now… um, probably. I might even exceed S-grade among hunters.”
But that’s just the present story.
“I think I mentioned it during the ethics review at the Returnee Management Bureau… From the moment I was caught up in the first Great Rift and became the Saint of the Dead in the ‘previous world,’ I was already strong.”
“From the beginning?”
“Yeah, even the strength to smash the ground and crush trees with just a light swing of my fist, and even using miracles or divine power I never learned in life, all my body remembers. Except for needing to consume the malicious entity, my body seemed perfect.”
Well, becoming the Saint of the Dead and having to give up many happy and positive thoughts was a different story, but…
“So you were strong from the beginning…”
“No. I was a complete idiot.”
“Huh?”
Suddenly dropping a self-deprecating vulgar term made Yeonhwa tilt her head.
What a sudden turn of events.
Just a moment ago, I said I was strong after becoming the Saint of the Dead, and now I’m suddenly calling myself an idiot.
“Yeonhwa, what do you think would happen to a foolish 21-year-old, without any power, who suddenly becomes the Saint of the Dead? Do you think I would have been healing everyone or defeating the Demon King’s army?”
“……..That’s a difficult question to answer.”
Yeonhwa probably had the ability of an Awakened One from birth, so it would be hard for her to answer.
“During my first year as the Saint of the Dead, I secluded myself in the forest, distancing myself from humanity, then while in a half-dazed state from hunger, I encountered and consumed the Titan of Wrath Atalyd, meeting the Emperor of the Empire, Menelapie.”
“Yeah, I think I heard that story during the last ethical review.”
“And Menelapie extended a hand to me. Inviting me to join forces and defeat the Demon King’s army. What do you think my reply was?”
“Of course you joined hands with the Emperor to defeat the Demon King, right? I heard that Sister Shia, Menelapie, and Teresa defeated the Demon King…”
“That’s just the result that occurred decades later.”
Smirk
I laughed while narrowing my eyes.
At that time, I was beyond a dark history. I was something far more disgraceful and grotesque.
“I rejected Menelapie’s hand to join in defeating the Demon King.”
“…Why?”
“Because I was scared.”
That’s why I called myself a total idiot.
Even though I lost my senses and consumed the Titan of Wrath Atalyd… that was only possible because I had lost my senses.
Even when living in a forest shack and hunting beasts, I’d hesitate to attack a deer right in front of me, letting it slip away more than once.
My true nature wasn’t kind or life-valuing.
It was disgustingly weak, petty, and cowardly.
“Even though I had power, even after becoming the Saint of the Dead, I was still just a coward scared of eating people. Despite having the strength to defeat the Demon King and the Demon King’s army, I whimpered that it wasn’t the power I originally possessed and that I had never experienced war, so I rejected Menelapie’s offer. No, that wasn’t just a rejection, it was… simply running away.”
“……….”
“How pathetic is that, really?”
“Yes.”
A wry smile escaped.
There’s a difference between feeling sorry for yourself saying you’re an idiot and hearing someone else call you an idiot directly.
“But, I can understand.”
“Really?”
I suppose so.
Before the Great Rift, there were neither Awakened Ones nor hunters, right? Having lived in such a world, it’s natural for a person like me to feel fear about participating in a war that involves killing.
It might be pathetic cowardice, but it’s something I can relate to as well.
“How are you the same as me?”
“I almost caused Sister Yeona’s death out of my fears.”
“We’re in the same boat. Isn’t that amusing?”
At my laughter, Yeonhwa showed a comforting smile.
The situations are different and so are our struggles, but in the point of harshly regretting the past, we seemed incredibly similar.
Although I was smiling, I didn’t feel like eating.
“Even so, Menelapie understood me. She said it was okay to be afraid. That I didn’t have to fight. She even said it was fine to live the rest of my life in a quiet village. So I, like a cowardly idiot, started living in a quiet, nice village. I lived comfortably for about a year, receiving food carts sent by Menelapie once a month…”
“Just a year?”
“…Yeah, exactly a year.”
