The Grill-Wielding Saintess of the Dead

Chapter 128: Heuuung, Feed Me…

“Haa, haa… haa… Nooo… huu, huuu…”

I sobbed uncontrollably, unable to stop the tears flowing from my eyes.

Even though I knew it was a dream, it was far too realistic.

I couldn’t reach him no matter how much I tried.

No matter how much I stretched my hand, he vanished like mist, forever out of my grasp, my Hero.

[Do not worry.]

You always said that.

Telling me to just believe in you.

That everything would be fine as long as we were together.

[Do I not exist?]

I always believed those words.

[We are together.]

However, just because faith is steadfast doesn’t mean reality always rewards it.

In the end, we were separated. We could never meet again.

That’s what I thought.

No matter how much I longed for you, no matter how much I missed your face…

Now, even your face, even the brilliant light that once shone on your cheek, is fading more and more.

[Don’t go…]

So… please, don’t leave me.

I thought I was okay.

I thought I could manage even if you left.

I thought I could live without you.

[Don’t… gooo…]

But I was wrong.

Even when I thought I was okay, I wasn’t.

No matter how much delicious food I ate until my stomach was full, in the end, I still thought of you.

Would you have liked this if you were here?

Teresa would’ve probably brought beer from somewhere and downed it one after the other.

The three of us.

We would’ve always met often, right up until the day we died.

That’s how it would’ve been.

Always…

[Don’t goooo…]

But when I opened my eyes again, why weren’t you there?

You promised you’d always stay with me.

Why is it that the only thing left for me now is hunger and starvation?

I didn’t ask for something grand, I didn’t ask for much…

Oh gods, oh starlight.

All I ever wanted was to be with the one I love.

But why did you take that away from me?

I didn’t ask for much.

I even killed the Demon King.

I brought peace, just like you wanted.

I saved people.

I lived as a saint.

Even now, at this moment, I live as a saint.

So why… why are you taking everything from me…

“Ah…!”

Haa, haa, haa…

At the moment everything disappeared, I opened my eyes.

Even though I woke from the nightmare where everything was gone, in reality, I found myself looking at the empty bed, as if the dream had become real.

“Was it… a dream…”

It was a bad dream.

A scary dream.

A nightmare.

The thought that those once joyful memories had disappeared like a dream made my eyes well up with tears without me realizing it.

I should stop crying.

I cried the whole time in the dream too, and if I keep crying here, it wouldn’t be a good look.

“No one’s here…”

Even though I opened my eyes, with no one around, the only thought that crossed my mind was that all of this was some kind of bad dream.

Not just the nightmare I had moments ago.

Even that moment when I reunited with Menelapie… the person I missed the most… it all felt like a dream.

Sizzle!

And so, out of habit, I stumbled toward the kitchen.

Sizzling.

[Ki…ii… strong, power…ful…]

“Haha, you’re light. You should eat more, little one.”

Sizzle…

Sizzling.

“Ah…”

I was about to grab some water from the fridge out of habit when I saw Menelapie, holding a large wok in one hand, cooking something.

And that wasn’t all.

With the other hand, she was holding Yane securely by the waist, playing with her.

[So fun!]

… She looked like she was having fun.

But the scene I was witnessing now felt far more surreal than any dream or fantasy.

“There, there. You can’t touch that yet. We’ll eat together once Shia wakes up.”

[Kii…]

Sizzle…

No, even watching her skillfully handle the wok brought about a slight sense of cognitive dissonance.

The Menelapie I’d dreamed of…

Was standing in my kitchen, cooking something that smelled delicious with one hand.

It’s not a dream, it’s not a dream.

It wasn’t a dream.

Meeting her again, reuniting with her… it wasn’t a delusion or a hallucination.

Yes, it wasn’t a dream.

It’s all true and real.

We met again.

We’re together again.

Everything was real.

The anxiety and fear that had gnawed at me for so long were now replaced by relief and joy.

‘It’s okay. Everything will be okay…’

That was what my mother used to tell me whenever I found myself in trouble as a child, unsure of what to do.

During my rebellious teenage years, I thought those words were just an irresponsible, empty promise meant to comfort me about an uncertain future, and I even got angry at her for it.

But somehow, after hearing those words, things always turned out okay in the end.

As time passed, I either found a way to make things okay, or what initially seemed unbearable would naturally become bearable.

It turns out, those words weren’t spoken because there was a plan.

‘Even if there’s no plan for the future, even if there’s no way forward, I will always be there to comfort you.’

I only realized the meaning behind those words after becoming the Saintess of the Dead.

I had passed those very same words onto Menelapie, and here we were today, reunited.

See, in the end, everything turned out okay.

On that day when I reached out but couldn’t touch her, now… if I just reach out my hand… I can touch her.

She is standing right in front of me.

So close.

“Huhueeeng!”

“Hmm? Ah, Shia, you’re awake…”

Maybe it was because I realized that the scary dream was nothing but a dream.

Without realizing it, I wanted to touch the real, tangible Menelapie standing in front of me, so I tried to hug her.

Sensing my presence, Menelapie turned around, wearing an apron.

And then…

Boing!

“Kyaah!”

“Oh…”

[Keeh… damn!]

As I moved forward and Menelapie turned to face me, our chests collided forcefully, and we bounced off each other.

Menelapie and I were both around 180 centimeters tall.

Naturally, our chests, which were larger than our heads, were of similar size and position.

Even Yane, who had been sitting on Menelapie’s arm, didn’t anticipate the impact of our chests colliding and was flung to the side, landing next to the fridge.

Fortunately, Menelapie managed to catch the wok she was about to drop due to the collision with her quick reflexes and regained her balance.

But, still groggy from just waking up, I was knocked back toward the entrance of the kitchen from the strong impact.

Since all three of us were flung in different directions, the kitchen fell silent for a while.

“……”

“……Huh, ahem…”

[……Damn it!]

Damn… I know, it’s embarrassing for me too…

What is this…

To share some trivial TMI, Menelapie and I were each the Saintess of the Dead and the strongest Hero of the human race in the previous world.

Naturally, the strength of our bodies couldn’t be compared to ordinary humans.

Even every part of our bodies, including our hair, possessed extraordinary strength and endurance.

It’s no exaggeration to say that even a sword made of steel couldn’t damage Menelapie’s head.

So, in modern Earth terms… I guess you could call it… steel breasts, or bulletproof breasts?

In any case, when two incredibly strong objects collide, it’s only natural for them to bounce off each other depending on the amount of impact.

This embarrassing situation in the kitchen was caused for that very reason.

… Though, the fact that Menelapie and I have chests so large that it’s impossible to properly hug each other face-to-face is also a problem.

“Heeiiing…”

“Hoo, haha… puhuhut…”

Stop laughing… You’re making me want to laugh too.

“Puh, puhuhut!”

“Haha…! Just wait a little longer, Shia. It’ll be done soon.”

Alright, for now… for now, it’s dangerous to touch someone while they’re cooking, so I should sit quietly and wait.

Meanwhile, Yane, feeling that the situation had calmed down, crawled over to Menelapie’s side, seemingly wanting to climb back onto her arm.

“Oh no, you can’t touch the Empress whom even I couldn’t hug, can you?”

[Kii… damn… master, damn you…]

I grabbed Yane by the scruff and gently placed her on the table. She looked disappointed, as if she had grown fond of Menelapie in that short time.

Now that I think about it, where’s Mom?

“Where’s Mom?”

[……Her… Assoc… iation…]

“Association?”

[Mhm, yeah.]

Thanks to Mom’s determination to care for Yane like she was her granddaughter, even teaching her how to read, Yane’s language skills were gradually improving.

Though, it wasn’t that she didn’t have the intelligence to understand speech.

It was just that her vocal cords and speech organs were structured differently from humans, making it a bit difficult for her to speak human language.

‘Now that I think about it, the association really has a lot on its plate…’

It wasn’t just a lot; it was overwhelming.

I had heard that there were mountains of reports to make, including interviews and debriefings for both the Hunter Association and the Returnee Management Bureau, but thanks to Yeonhwa’s consideration, I was allowed to rest at home for the time being.

Mom must have gone to the association on my behalf, telling me to rest after all the hard work.

Though, there probably wasn’t much for Mom to do either.

Most of the pre-hearings would be handled by Yeonhwa and Yeonju, the administrative officer of the Yeon family.

[A massive erosion dungeon covering the Mapo-gu area… is this a sign of the Great Rift?]

[Unprecedented Erosion Scale]

[A disaster occurred in an unaffected area…]

[The Hunter Association has yet to announce an estimated death toll…]

[Most civilians have been confirmed to be safely rescued, and the Hunter Association is expected to make an official announcement this afternoon…]

[Seoul expresses regret, but who is responsible?]

[Will the upcoming mayoral election see changes in approval ratings due to this incident?]

[Who are S-rank Hunter Yeonhwa and Returnee Shia, who successfully cleared the dungeon?]

As soon as I opened my smartwatch, various articles, including tabloids, flooded in.

Although it was a sudden event, the erosion dungeon was eventually completely cleared.

It was filled with average A-rank doppelgangers.

On top of that, the erosion rate broke the world record at 148 percent.

It even tore holes into parallel worlds.

In the end, thanks to the efforts of Yeonhwa, myself, and Menelapie, who had returned to me, the erosion dungeon was cleared without any civilian casualties.

As soon as the dungeon was cleared, it disappeared completely along with the rift.

With the successful removal of the fragment of the Demon King, which acted as the boss of the erosion dungeon, the dungeon vanished completely, and the area returned to its original state.

Of course, it wasn’t as if there were no casualties at all.

Some of the recovery personnel dispatched from the association were injured while holding the line against doppelgangers.

While no civilians died, the bodies of several government hunters, dispatched by the Seoul mayor, were found.

If they hadn’t been dead for long and their bodies were intact, I might have at least attempted something. But life, especially human life, isn’t something that can be easily restored.

It might be different for monsters, but human lives with souls are even more precious.

In any case, with Seoul being the most populated city in South Korea, and the entire bustling Mapo District swallowed up by a dungeon, this wasn’t something that could be taken lightly.

That’s why all the news portals were in an uproar.

Sizzle!

Bubble, bubble.

“Shia, how many eggs would you like?”

“……..”

Hehehe… Menelapie is wearing an apron.

She’s so pretty….

She looked beautiful dressed like an empress or in a cloak, but now, wearing modern Earth clothes, she looks even prettier…

Hehe, if it were a naked apron, I might’ve gotten even more turned on…

“Shia?”

“Ah, ah! Sorry!!!”

“Oh dear, even though my brilliance may be dazzling, you can’t get carried away this early. We still have many days ahead to spend together, so you shouldn’t let your eyes be stolen by something so trivial.”

Menelapie was joking, but to me, it wasn’t a joke.

“So, how many eggs would you like?”

“Oh, um… as usual.”

“Haha, as usual… Alright, I’ll make about ten scrambled eggs to start.”

“Great! But… where did you learn that word?”

There was a similar dish in the previous world, but it wasn’t called scrambled eggs.

“This illusionary magic tool is quite useful.”

As she said that, Menelapie showed me the smartwatch on her wrist.

“Well, it’s more like a magic book than an illusionary tool. It’s full of interesting knowledge, history, and records.”

I was curious about how she knew that word, but had she already mastered using the smartwatch and the internet?

Wait a minute… If she’s mastered the smartwatch, surely she hasn’t stumbled into the genre hunter gallery, has she…?

The genre hunter gallery of this world is one of the most popular sites, with millions of users. It’s highly accessible.

It couldn’t be, but just imagining Menelapie getting influenced by those toxic trolls scared me a little.

It wasn’t just the smartwatch she was using so skillfully either.

Despite the unfamiliar technology involved, Menelapie handled the electric oven, various seasoning tools, the large wok, and other modern cooking utensils from Earth like a true chef, expertly commanding the kitchen.

“I’m not using the tools I’m used to, so I hope it suits your taste.”

“………”

Setting aside everything else, how was she already more adept at handling the tools, ingredients, and cooking methods of this world than I, who was originally from Earth?

To someone who didn’t know, it would seem as though Menelapie was originally from this world and that I was the one returning, completely out of touch with modern life.

‘It’s not so strange…’

Menelapie was the smartest person I knew, an exceptional empress who had led humanity in its final days.

Not only was she perfect in intelligence, but also in physical prowess.

She was the ultimate genius among geniuses, the one who stood at the pinnacle of the previous world.

She was always good at everything. Even things she didn’t know, she would pick up in no time.

Getting used to cooking or using a smartwatch was probably no challenge for her.

“How is it?”

The first dish Menelapie presented was a simple stir-fry of canned ham, cut into bite-sized pieces, fried with onions, ginger, and garlic.

However, despite being just a simple stir-fry, it looked incredibly appetizing after passing through Menelapie’s hands.

On top of that was the scrambled egg with a texture softer than an omelet, cooked just enough to coat the ham in a golden-yellow hue.

The next dish was an imperial-style soup that Menelapie had occasionally made for me in the previous world.

She carefully melted butter and flour together to make a roux. Then she added bay leaves, cabbage, shiitake mushrooms, and cured pork, simmering it into a rich soup.

When eaten with bread, the flavor was so incredible that I used to beg her to make it almost every day.

Strangely enough, no other palace chef’s soup ever tasted as good as Menelapie’s.

And the crowning glory was the kimchi fried rice.

But it wasn’t just any kimchi fried rice.

Using the large wok, Menelapie executed a magnificent wok technique, following the instructions she found on her smartwatch for [How to Make Kimchi Fried Rice], tailoring it entirely for my taste.

Menelapie made this dish from this world solely to treat me.

She poured cooking oil, stir-fried green onions and kimchi, added soy sauce and brown sugar, and then sprinkled fine chili powder to enhance the flavor.

After mixing the fried kimchi and rice thoroughly, she added corn and canned tuna to create a delicious fried rice dish.

With such a spread laid out, it wasn’t just a simple meal anymore. After passing through Menelapie’s hands, it had become a royal feast.

[Wow… it… looks… delicious… wow!]

…Where did she learn to talk like that?

Could it be from the unicorn?

Smiling slightly at the excited Yane, Menelapie finally took off her apron and sat down across from me.

“I hope it suits your taste.”

Don’t worry, Menelapie.

Your cooking was always delicious.

No, even if it didn’t taste good, I would gladly devour everything you made…

“Shia, say ‘ah~.’”

“…….. Huh? All of a sudden…?”

As she said that, Menelapie scooped up a large spoonful and held it out to me.

“We used to do this all the time, didn’t we? What’s so sudden about it?”

“……..”

Uh… did we do this often…?

Wait, did we stop doing this because Teresa complained it was too cringeworthy…?

“Hurry now. My delicate arm might fall off.”

…As if those arms couldn’t tear down a mountain with one swing. What do you mean delicate…

Of course, I wasn’t so clueless as to ruin the mood by pointing that out. Smiling, I opened my mouth and took the spoonful that Menelapie offered.

“Nom!”

Om nom nom…

It’s delicious.

Really delicious.

So incredibly delicious.

This is real cooking.

This is real food.

This is… ecstasy (?).

Compared to this, all the meals I made from monster meat seem like they weren’t even food.

“It’s delicious! It’s sooo good!”

“Hahaha~ I’m glad.”

[I’ll… eat… too!]

Seeing me take the first bite, Yane started eating too, gauging the situation.

When she realized my reaction wasn’t a lie, Yane took her first bite, and her eyes widened immediately.

[It’s… delicious!]

“Haha, is that so? Even this little one says so, it seems my skills haven’t rusted.”

Well, Yane usually says food is delicious…

Even so, Menelapie’s cooking skills were genuinely impressive.

Incidentally, why can an empress who rules a vast empire, and a hero who helped defeat the Demon King, know how to cook…?

It’s probably because of me.

Because I love delicious food so much.

One day, Menelapie decided to learn cooking from the palace chefs just for me.

After defeating the Demon King, we had plenty of free time. Menelapie, who was naturally gifted and physically superior, found learning to cook to be no big deal.

Before long, even the imperial palace chefs, who had fiercely competed to earn

their positions, couldn’t match Menelapie’s cooking skills. From then on, except in unavoidable circumstances, Menelapie made every meal for me, feeding me with her own hands.

It also became a funny memory when Teresa tried to butt in, growling at Menelapie, leading to playful bickering between the two.

‘It feels so good to see you eat the food I made. Perhaps this is how a mother bird feels when feeding her chicks.’

At first, I did feel like a baby, getting that “feed me, mommy” vibe from her.

It wasn’t until Teresa was horrified by the sight that I realized how weird the picture looked. So I toned it down, but still, Menelapie cooked for me countless times in the past world.

But even as I enjoyed this delicious meal, there was still something weighing on my mind.

Menelapie knew me as the Saintess of the Dead, Shia, but the truth was that before I became the Saintess, I had been an ordinary human soul from this world, Earth.

It was something I had to tell her eventually…

“Hey, Menelapie…”

“What is it? Tell me.”

“………”

“Judging by the look on your face, I think I know. It’s alright. I’m ready to listen to whatever you have to say.”

Honestly, it felt heavy.

It’s been over sixty years since we met.

After thinking I’d never see her again, being reunited like this after so long, and now preparing to tell her something I’d kept hidden for all that time, didn’t feel easy.

“Menelapie, this might seem sudden, but this place… this world, Earth, is where I originally came from. I didn’t just randomly fall into the Abyss. This is the world where I was born and raised. I’m not really the Saintess of the Dead… I’m just an ordinary human from this world…”

“I know.”

“Wha… what…?”

Menelapie, who had calmly set down her chopsticks, gave me a slight smile.

Yane, noticing the shift in the atmosphere between us, also stopped eating, rolling her eyes as she observed us.

“Don’t make such a foolish face. Do you think I didn’t know from the very beginning?”

Wait… she already knew?

“Did you know, Shia? Before you became the Saintess of the Dead, you and I had already met.”

“Huh…?”

She had even met the original Saintess of this body?

Did she ever mention that?

No.

This was the first time Menelapie had told me this.

“But… you never said anything about that before…”

“Because you never asked. And wouldn’t it have been harder for someone as kind-hearted and gentle as you to hear that you’d taken the body of someone close to me? Especially when we were at war with the Demon King. And later, it just didn’t matter anymore.”

“But when you first saw me, you acted like… it was the first time…”

“Well, wasn’t it?”

“I don’t understand, Menelapie…”

“Haha, it’s simple. I didn’t see the Saintess; I saw you. I took your hand, not the hand of the Saintess.”

As she said that, I felt a strange warmth in a corner of my unbeating heart.

Menelapie didn’t see the Saintess.

Not the Saintess of the Dead.

She saw me.

“The Saintess was the Saintess, and you are you.”

At some point, Menelapie had laced her fingers together, resting her chin on them, gazing at me.

“The day we met again, after you’d been in my world for a year… the day I had to attach ‘of the Dead’ to the name ‘Saintess.’”

I remember.

From our first meeting, I had grabbed her by the collar in anger… I still remember that moment clearly.

“I knew from the beginning that the Saintess I met wasn’t the one I remembered.”

“Then… you accepted me, even knowing that I had taken over the Saintess’ body…?”

“You were my comrade, were you not?”

Her radiant blonde hair seemed to shine even more brilliantly today.

“The one I remember is the Saintess of the Dead. The one I sought is the you standing before me now.”

I feel like crying.

A Saintess shouldn’t cry so much…

“Don’t think you took over her body. She left long ago. What you’ve claimed is only the shadow left behind by the light.”

However.

“The one who recreated that light is you, and the one inside that light is also you. The one who saved countless lives with that body was you. The one who helped the Hero defeat the Demon King was you.”

Those achievements.

Those sacrifices.

“All of it belongs to you, and if you are not the Saintess, then what are you?”

Isn’t that right?