The Grill-Wielding Saintess of the Dead

Chapter 130 – The Emperor’s Return Report 2

It would have been better if we could have all reunited together.

I was disappointed that I couldn’t meet Teresa right now, but still, I didn’t feel sadness.

Because I believed that it wasn’t a meeting without a promise, and that it would surely come someday.

Even though the opportunity to meet… that hope was as blurry as fog, it definitely existed somewhere.

Just the fact that it existed gave me strength.

It was only a matter of time, and just like I met Menelapie, there was a possibility that I could reunite with Teresa too, giving Shia the excitement of opening a Christmas gift.

That alone was enough to be satisfied.

However, I still couldn’t figure out the meaning of what Menelapie said.

What was the price that Teresa had to pay?

Just like Menelapie came here… could Teresa not have come the same way?

If not, was there a reason…?

“Could it be that Menelapie returned to Earth alone, trying to prevent my reunion with Teresa… no, that can’t be.”

I knew better than anyone how generous and noble Menelapie’s character was.

Just as I trusted Menelapie, I also trusted Teresa. And just as I trusted Teresa, Menelapie also trusted Teresa.

There was no falsehood in those words.

Although Menelapie and Teresa often clashed like enemies, I wasn’t unaware that their frequent arguments stemmed from a place of affection and care for each other.

The reasons Teresa and Menelapie bickered were usually simple differences in personality and disposition or childish pranks about whose side I would take.

They didn’t fight just to obstruct each other’s meetings, and on the battlefield, they trusted each other enough to watch each other’s backs.

Yes, I’ll meet Teresa soon.

So, even though it feels vague now, I’ll believe.

All I can do is believe.

“Ah, hello, Shia!”

At that moment, Shia and Menelapie turned around to the cheerful voice.

It was Chief Choi Bomi.

She was the person who had first provided mental counseling and ethical review for Shia here.

“It’s been a while since the last ethical review. Have you been doing well? No health issues or difficulties, right? Oh! Have you been using the drone camera I lent you?”

“Yes, the broadcasts have been pretty fun.”

“Oh, that’s a relief! Ah, the person next to you must be…”

“Yes, Menelapie Hailam… My Hero.”

With a slightly shy look, like someone showing off her girlfriend, Shia introduced Menelapie, her face slightly flushed.

Menelapie shrugged her shoulders and made eye contact with Chief Choi Bomi.

“My name is Menelapie Hailam. It’s the first time we’ve met. I hope to be in your care, woman of this world.”

“Ah………………. yes….”

As her golden eyes curved like a crescent moon, Chief Choi Bomi found herself momentarily entranced without realizing it.

Of course, Menelapie’s face was incredibly beautiful, almost dazzlingly so.

But Chief Choi Bomi wasn’t someone who would get mesmerized just from seeing a face as pretty as a celebrity’s.

Menelapie’s appearance was like gold.

Even though it didn’t actually glow, it seemed to shine.

Her brilliant golden hair and golden eyes had an aura that naturally drew people in.

With a height clearly over 180 cm and a smile as if carved from stone, any human would find it hard not to be a little captivated.

“Ahem! Shall we get started?”

Through previous ethical reviews and a few counseling sessions, Chief Choi Bomi had gathered some information about Menelapie Hailam.

An emperor from another world.

The hero who defeated the Demon King.

The person most closely tied to Shia, the returnee from the previous world.

And so began the ethical review of Menelapie, conducted by the Returnee Management Bureau.

○○○○○

While Shia waited in the waiting room of the Returnee Management Bureau, Menelapie began the official entry procedures for returnees through Chief Choi Bomi.

“Alright, let’s see. I’m Chief Choi Bomi. It’s a pleasure, Your Majesty.”

“The pleasure is mine. But there’s no need to call me an emperor.”

“Oh… is that okay?”

“You don’t need to call me an emperor or adhere to formalities. This is a different world, and here, I’m not an emperor but simply a human, Menelapie.”

With the cooperation of the Yeon family, the Returnee Management Bureau issued Menelapie a new identity, portraying her as a returnee with memory loss.

Though everything in this unfamiliar world was clearly new and strange to her, she seemed to grasp the workings of the Bureau well enough, having once carried the title of Emperor.

After that, everything went smoothly.

“From now on, Menelapie Hailam, as a returnee with memory loss, will be allocated appropriate support funds and accommodations. Oh, regarding the accommodations, what would you prefer?”

“I’m currently living with Shia.”

“Then I’ll mark it as pending for now. Usually, returnees are allocated a house called a ‘Shelter.’ After a few years, they can purchase a new house or extend the contract for the shelter under certain conditions or assignments.”

Menelapie was soon given a name, an ID card, a passport, and automatic registration in various social and medical insurances, becoming an officially recognized human living on Earth.

It would have taken at least a week under normal circumstances, but thanks to the Yeon family, the process was completed much faster.

“Fortress.”

“Safety, strength, iron wall, protection, family, security, soldiers, sacrifice.”

Scratch, scratch…

“Crown.”

“Something I’ve now laid down, power, meaningless, yet something the wrong person should never possess.”

“As expected of Your Majesty. It’s rare to see such clear, definitive answers among those connected to the Thought Well.”

“Is that a good thing?”

“Of course! It means you have a strong mind and a firm sense of self.”

Chief Choi Bomi smiled as kindly as possible, having dealt with returnees after a long time.

The return report, as well as the mental evaluation, proceeded more smoothly than expected.

‘Well, strictly speaking, this person isn’t a returnee. They’re from another world entirely, from a race of people over there…’

But thanks to the influence of Yeonhwa and the Yeon family, Menelapie was treated as a “returnee with memory loss.”

This way, it was easier to receive various forms of support, and it made the procedure smoother for Menelapie to live with Shia.

‘Honestly, when I first heard that the great Hero who defeated the Demon King from that previous world had appeared, I was terrified…’

She wasn’t just a simple noble or a king.

She was an emperor.

An emperor who could potentially ignore Earth’s laws, scolding, “How dare you not kneel before the emperor! Such insolence!” or, worse, draw her sword and destroy the Returnee Management Bureau building in a fit of rage.

In fact, some returnees had caused trouble on Earth, forgetting their memories and suddenly going on a rampage, injuring several Bureau employees or damaging property. Some returnees who had been kings or rulers of their lands had even killed hunters and association workers, claiming they’d been kidnapped.

While such incidents had decreased significantly with the establishment of a systematic returnee management system, in the past, returnees had caused loss of life, and some had even become criminals overnight.

In case of a potential situation, Chief Choi Bomi had already sent most of the staff home. In the next room, S-rank Hunter Yeonhwa was also on standby.

Officially, she was there to represent Shia in matters related to the recent Encroachment Dungeon, but in reality, she was placed there to intervene immediately if the guest from another world, Menelapie, started causing any trouble.

Of course, Yeonhwa, having heard about Menelapie from her Unnie, Shia, knew that Menelapie was not the kind of person to cause such unreasonable incidents. However, it was inevitable for others to still perceive some degree of risk.

In any case, the emperor Menelapie Hailam was much easier to deal with than expected.

[You don’t need to call me an emperor or adhere to formalities. Here, I’m simply a human, Menelapie.]

Especially after hearing those words, Chief Choi Bomi realized.

Ah, thank goodness!

This person, Menelapie Hailam, is someone reasonable and well-grounded.

Even though she wasn’t a returnee but a native of another world, it was a relief.

No one was going to get hurt, and no buildings were going to be destroyed.

As the Chief of the Returnee Management Bureau, always having to prepare for the worst, Chief Choi Bomi couldn’t help but feel relieved.

Shortly after, she was able to proceed smoothly with Menelapie’s mental evaluation and ethical review, just as she had done with Shia before.

“Haha, you have no idea how relieved I am thanks to you, Menelapie!”

“I… or rather, I haven’t done anything special. What is so relieving?”

“Well, first of all, you accepted my greeting. I was honestly quite worried and burdened, having heard that you were such a high-ranking figure, an emperor. But the moment you introduced yourself as ‘human Menelapie,’ it was like crossing off more than ten different mental evaluation and ethical review items.”

“I’m not sure I understand, but it sounds like it made things easier for you.”

“Exactly. Alright, let’s move

on to the next picture.”

Chief Choi Bomi then showed Menelapie the next image.

It was a picture of a cliff.

Menelapie had passed all the ethical and mental review sections with results well above average, but the cliff picture was what had triggered the most intense reaction in Shia’s ethical review.

Crack!

“Ah!?”

At that moment, Chief Choi Bomi felt her connection to Menelapie through the Thought Well abruptly cut off.

It wasn’t because of a lack of magical power or connection strength.

Menelapie had forcibly severed the Thought Well connection from her end.

This was a first.

It wasn’t simply because her mental barriers were strong.

Rather, the sheer force of vast, intense memories and flashes of fragmented recollections had broken the very connection pathway itself.

“Uh, M-Menelapie…?”

“………….”

Menelapie, staring at the cliff picture for a moment, closed her eyes as if deep in thought, then opened them again.

Seeing this reaction, Chief Choi Bomi immediately sensed something was off.

“I apologize, Chief Choi Bomi. May I take a short break?”

“O-Of course… of course…”

○○○○

The ethical review was suddenly halted, and instead of Chief Choi Bomi, Yeonhwa, who had been waiting in the adjacent room, came to meet with Menelapie.

Originally, another supervisor or counselor should have come, but Yeonhwa, having been observing the situation, seemed interested in getting to know Menelapie, so she took the initiative to meet her.

To be precise, Yeonhwa decided to take over the conversation as soon as the Thought Well connection was severed, sensing that Chief Choi Bomi’s safety could no longer be guaranteed.

“My name is Yeonhwa. I’ll be taking over for Chief Choi Bomi from here.”

“So, you’re the child I saw before.”

Menelapie remembered Yeonhwa’s face clearly.

The child who had fought alongside Shia in the Encroachment Dungeon.

Though she was young, she handled ice and seemed to possess considerable skill.

Even though she hadn’t seen her fight properly, Menelapie remembered Yeonhwa as someone with enough strength to stand alongside Shia, which meant her skills couldn’t be lacking.

“It must be a bit annoying to have a new person handling this all of a sudden, right?”

“Rather than annoying… I just didn’t expect it. To be so shaken by just seeing one picture, I guess I still have a long way to go.”

“Returnee procedures have always been a bit complicated. But it’s gotten better than it used to be.”

With that, Yeonhwa sat across from Menelapie.

“Since you said we could speak freely, may I call you Menelapie?”

“Of course. As I told Chief Choi Bomi earlier, here I’m just a human named Menelapie, so feel free to address me comfortably.”

“Then, to ease my mind a little… what exactly is the relationship between you and Shia?”

“Hmm, our relationship, huh…”

“I know it’s important, but I’m curious about how close you two are.”

At Yeonhwa’s question, Menelapie shrugged.

“It’s not a relationship that can be simply described with words like lover or friend.”

We’ve entrusted our lives to each other, sharing life-and-death moments for a long time.

“We’re more like comrades than lovers. Closer to family than comrades… It’s rude to ask such a question, but because you’re important to Shia, I’ll answer.”

If you’re important to Shia, I should treat you as such as well.

“Your first question is already quite bold. Shall we proceed with the rest?”

“………Yes.”

“There’s no need to make that face. The emperor of a world never recorded in any of your world’s literature is standing before you. It’s only natural to exercise extreme caution, and I understand. Just as everything is new to me, I also recognize that your world is new to me.”

Menelapie spoke as if she understood everything, unfazed by the sudden change in surroundings.

After that, a variety of questions followed.

“What kind of territory did you rule as emperor?”

“Hmm, it was much larger than this small country. Probably about the size of the continent called America.”

“You already know about the American continent? You’re adapting well.”

“I’ve been passing time with that thing called a smartwatch.”

Menelapie shared more about her previous world, her exact position, and life there.

“Have you ever killed someone?”

“Of course. As both emperor and hero, I killed not only the Demon King and demons but also took human lives when necessary.”

Yeonhwa carefully assessed the reasons behind Menelapie’s actions, including whether she had ever killed people and for what reasons.

“And how did you come to this world?”

“…Is Shia watching this right now?”

“No, the consultation will be recorded, but Shia is waiting in the next room.”

“…..”

At Yeonhwa’s words, Menelapie hesitated slightly.

“Well, it’s fine. It’s something I’ll have to say eventually.”

With a calm and gentle tone, carrying faint worry or perhaps sorrow, Menelapie began to speak.

●●●●●

“…It’s alright.”

[Ah, crunch…! C-crack… crackle…!]

“It’s alright. It’s alright.”

Crack, crack!

Despite reinforcing her aura, Menelapie winced as sharp pain pierced her shoulder.

Even the aura barrier she had surrounded herself with had been breached by a single bite.

The emperor, who possessed the strongest body of humanity, trembled as she held Shia in her arms, enduring the sharp pain in her shoulder.

However, the pain Menelapie felt wasn’t just physical.

What hurt her the most was her helplessness, her failure to come up with a solution to help her dearest friend, even as her friend was reduced to this miserable state.

What kind of hero am I?

What kind of emperor who saved the world am I?

Right now, I’m just a pitiful woman who can’t even help the friend I most want to save.

Crunch!

“Ugh…!”

Shia… Please, come to your senses. Please, open your eyes.

How many times had she said those words…?

Yet this time, Shia had been gone longer than usual.

Can you not hear my voice, Shia?

Shia, please, come back.

Please come back.

Please come back.

The desperate wish, repeated like a prayer, came true three hours later.

“Haa, huff… haa…”

As the sharp pain in her shoulder slowly faded, Menelapie relaxed her arms, which had been holding Shia tightly.

“…Are you back, Shia…?”

Please come back.

Welcome back.

Those comforting words didn’t even cross her mind.

At some point, Shia had stopped smiling altogether.

She couldn’t smile anymore.

How many times had Shia lost her reason and succumbed to the ravenous hunger that caused her to bare her fangs at the innocent?

“…Ugh, ugh!? Uwaaagh!!!”

“Calm down…!”

“Kh, keh… Haa… haa…!”

Realizing that she had been biting Menelapie’s shoulder, Shia recoiled in horror at herself, her body shaking from the terrible hunger and loathing towards herself.

There was nothing in her stomach to vomit, but even as her sanity returned, Shia still felt like she would go mad from the malignant hunger that consumed her body.

“It’s alright now… I’m here, aren’t I?”

“Haa, haa… ugh… Menelapie… Menela…pie… sob… sob…”

“It’s alright. It’s alright.”

Menelapie wrapped her arms around Shia’s trembling shoulders in comfort, but it didn’t matter to Shia, who had just regained her reason.

“..How many… were there this time…?”

Who did I kill…?

How many did I kill this time…?

“…No one died.”

“Don’t lie… don’t lie to me… Please tell me the truth. Okay…?”

“It’s the truth. I wouldn’t lie to you.”

“…Hah… sob…”

The Great Hall of the Imperial Palace was now hollow and empty.

Once the most glorious and sacred place where the Empire’s greatest saint resided, today it was darker and more ominous than an abandoned ruin.

“I hate it… I hate this… I don’t want it anymore…”

“It’s alright. It’s alright… I’m here for you.”

“I’m so tired…”

Not knowing what to do anymore…

Not knowing what to do from here on…

“I’m really… really tired now…”

All Menelapie could do was gently stroke Shia’s shoulders, comforting her after the hunger-induced frenzy.

It’s alright this time.

Nothing happened…

For Shia, who now said she was too tired to go on, there wasn’t much Menelapie could do.

“Sob… sob… sob…”

And so, after the 178th hunger-induced frenzy, Shia sobbed in Menelapie’s arms for a long time.