The Grill-Wielding Saintess of the Dead

Chapter 16: Return Report 1

[At approximately 01:00 AM today, Dungeon Overbreak was activated nationwide. A total of 401 people, including 382 hunters engaged in midnight dungeon activities and 19 association members dispatched to assist them, were caught in the break. Fortunately, the Hunters’ Association quickly identified the situation and dispatched rescue hunters. By 05:45 AM, the Hunters’ Association made an official announcement that all individuals, except for a few hunters showing mild signs of exhaustion, had been safely rescued…]

And here I was, standing in a building I couldn’t identify—whether it was an office, a district office, or city hall.

According to Yeonhwa’s grandmother, this place was a combination of the Hunters’ Association and the Returnee Management Bureau… but of course, everything here was new to me.

No, but seriously… what’s the deal? You said we were going to eat meat!

Why did we come here instead?

I shot a resentful look at Yeonseo, but she simply smiled, tapping my shoulder in a reassuring manner.

“But it can’t be helped, can it? It’s hard to find a barbecue place open at 8 in the morning. This grandma would love to treat you right away, but…”

Well, that made sense.

Even in 2024, the time I was living in, it was quite rare to find a barbecue restaurant open at 8 AM.

There might be some restaurants open 24 hours or a few that cater to early morning shifts, but considering Yeonhwa had said something as grand as, “The Yeon family never forgets its debts,” it felt like we should be heading to some fancy buffet, right?

Settling for a mere restaurant felt like a waste—not just for me, but for Yeonseo as well.

For the record, Yeonhwa went off to find a barbecue place.

“More importantly, Shia. Are you really a returnee?”

“I’m not sure, but if what Yeonhwa says is true, then yes.”

“Then there’s something you need to do first.”

“Is it the returnee report or something like that?”

“Exactly.”

Yeonseo and I were sitting in the main waiting room of the bureau.

“Geez, normally Director Lee or one of the others would come rushing out, but it seems they’re not showing up because of a press conference or something. Tsk tsk, completely checked out…”

“…..”

According to Yeonhwa, her grandmother, Yeonseo, was a legendary figure among the hunters.

These days, she had stepped back from active duty and only got involved in rare events like Dungeon Overbreaks.

Most of the time, she was said to be quietly farming somewhere.

High-altitude farming…?

From what she said, it seemed like she had probably built a cottage somewhere in Gangwon Province.

“Looks like we’ll be waiting until morning at this rate. Shia, stay here for a bit. It’s almost 8:40, and no one’s come out. It’s the end of days, I tell you.”

“..It says here that they open at 9, though?”

“Ha! Kid, back in my day, even if official business hours started at 9, the juniors and rookies would show up at 8 to clean, organize the seniors’ desks, check the daily schedule, and ask any waiting visitors what they needed help with to prepare for the day.”

“…….?”

There it was, that familiar tone I had heard somewhere before.

It felt like that rigid mold of something…

Even though Yeonhwa’s grandmother looked like she was in her 20s, her inner character was definitely that of a grandmother.

“So, did you work as a civil servant or in a complaints office or something, grandma?”

“Hm? No, I was always the one filing complaints.”

“…What?”

People were the same, whether in my time or now.

In the end, Yeonseo couldn’t stand waiting anymore and got up from her seat.

“Wait here for a bit. I’ll be right back.”

Once Yeonseo disappeared, I was left alone in the large waiting room.

Being alone wasn’t exactly my favorite thing, but I’d have to bear it for now.

I wasn’t a kid anymore.

As soon as she left, I started glancing around the room.

‘Wow, the TV’s basically a hologram now…’

I didn’t know what was being broadcast, but it seemed like some kind of internet show, or maybe something more “streamy” was being broadcast.

I played around with the remote on the chair, switching through channels.

There were some programs similar to the ones I remembered, but there were also quite a few weird ones, like Hunter shows or something.

‘This is a whole new genre of broadcasting…’

Hunter shows, mall shows, game streams.

Of course, there was still a separate public broadcasting channel, but seeing these other channels being broadcast so openly on TV was fascinating.

I mean, after all, I disappeared from this world in 2024. And now, it was 2088, so of course, a lot had changed.

Yes, a lot had changed, but surprisingly, some things remained the same.

For example, buildings like district offices or city halls still had the same old atmosphere.

Naturally, this Returnee Management Bureau, being a place that handled public matters, gave off the same vibes as a district office.

The only difference was that instead of dealing with regular citizens, they were dealing with hunters and returnees.

The air felt bureaucratic.

Friendly but oddly inflexible, in a way that made you feel stifled.

That feeling you get when you hear the occasional angry person yelling about their complaint while you quietly wait your turn—yeah, that feeling.

Anyway, just being in this place felt draining, even though I wasn’t doing anything.

For some reason, waiting for administrative services in a place like this always made me feel down.

It was irritating.

I felt a strange, unexplainable stress building up.

It was the same even before I became the Saintess of the Dead.

It felt like my soul was rebelling against the very act of pulling a number for service.

—Creak

“Ugh, damn it, thought I was gonna die.”

“…Haa, this month’s a total loss.”

“Why did a break have to happen during the promotion period?”

Then, the waiting room door opened, and a group of people walked in.

Glancing at them, I could tell they weren’t ordinary civilians.

Their ranks varied, but from the faint mana and strong presence they carried, they were definitely hunters.

“Hey, someone’s already here.”

“So we’re second, huh?”

“Hey, excuse me.”

“……”

“Excuse me, miss! Can you hear me?”

“……”

Huh? Me?

When I turned to look at the hunters, it seemed they were indeed talking to me.

“It’s just, if you’re alone, could we switch spots with you?”

“…..?”

I tilted my head, unsure of what they were asking, but it seemed like they wanted to swap places in line.

“It’s just that we’ve got a ton of dungeon by-products, and we need to submit them to the association quickly for certification and disposal before heading back to the dungeon.”

“Sorry about this. We’re in a promotion period, so if it’s not too urgent, could you let us go ahead? We need to get to Suwon by 9:30…”

If that’s all, then sure.

Without saying a word, I nodded, and the tanned guy with black hair gave me a friendly smile, quite different from his rugged appearance.

“Thanks! If cutting in line upset you, I’m really sorry, miss. Hey, now that I get a good look, your skin’s really pale. If we pass our promotion, how about I treat you to a drink?”

Honestly, I wasn’t even here to wait for my turn.

They were hunters, and I was a returnee.

We were probably here for different things, so there wasn’t any need to wait or anything.

“Hey. Stop.”

At that moment, the woman at the back of the group suddenly grabbed the shoulders of the two men, her face stiff.

“Huh? What’s up? Why the face? Did you step in something?”

“That’s not a person.”

“…?”

The atmosphere changed instantly.

—Clang!

In the blink of an eye, the hunters drew their weapons, the friendly mood from earlier completely gone as they pointed their blades at me.

“…..?”

“What are you?”

“What’s the sensor reading?!”

“That’s… damn it, it’s undead!!!”

“What!?”

The smallest woman among the group of hunters seemed to be their leader.

She was probably able to detect that I wasn’t a living person the moment she saw me, judging by the way she mentioned sensors and such.

But why the sudden shift in attitude?

Are you all idiots?

What kind of dead person would just sit quietly in a waiting room at a management bureau?

Well… I mean, technically, they weren’t wrong about me being dead.

“It seems like there’s been some kind of misunderstanding…”

“What misunderstanding…!? I knew it was weird when we left the dungeon without anyone getting hurt.”

“It has intelligence and reason! It might be an S-class undead…!”

“Um… excuse me…”

Ah, damn it.

Crap, I shouldn’t be cursing as a saintess…

But it seemed that the excitement of being back in my homeland after so long had shaken my patience a little.

And then, a thought crossed my mind.

According to Yeonhwa, I wasn’t the only returnee.

She mentioned that there were returnees who had been reincarnated into other races, and even a returnee who had come back as a skeletal knight.

So, even if I wasn’t human, they should at least realize I was a returnee, not some undead monster.

‘Ah, the Dungeon Overbreak.’

The dungeon where I had casually grilled up some of that Black Minotaur with Yeonhwa had originally been an A-class dungeon, and they said an S-class boss like the Black Minotaur wouldn’t normally appear there.

I wasn’t entirely sure if that Black Minotaur was truly an S-class boss, but what mattered was that the Dungeon Overbreak had caused several dungeons across the country to mutate, and many hunters had been put in danger.

Because of the Overbreak, some dungeons were even reclassified as S-class, and their entrances had to be sealed.

There was concern that S-class or equivalent monsters might escape, and I’d heard from Yeonseo that the Hunters’ Association was busy dealing with the situation.

Also, when Yeonseo had mistaken me for a monster trying to eat Yeonhwa, she had been extremely wary of monsters that had intelligence and reason.

It seemed like there had been an incident with such monsters that left a deep impression on hunters—almost like a trauma.

The hunters couldn’t recklessly attack me.

They probably thought I was not just any monster, but an S-class dungeon boss that had escaped into the human world to deceive and mislead people.

The hunters’ eyes were trembling, and the tanned man, who had been chatting with me earlier, was now shaking all the way down to his thighs despite his bulky build.

I guess I should just explain things properly.

A simple “I’m a returnee” would be enough.

“I am…”

“She’s casting a spell! Everyone, attack!”

“Shit!”

“I didn’t want to die today!”

…..Okay, you guys are really well-trained, huh.

Hunters, the protectors of humanity.

You thought I was about to chant some spell, like a Lich, and kill countless people right in the middle of Seoul, so you immediately rushed at me, risking your lives. I guess that’s quite commendable as a hunter.

Yeah, well done.

With a deep sigh, I was just about to activate my holy power when…

“Cool your heads.”

Snap!

With the sound of a finger snapping, all the hunters who had been charging at me suddenly vanished.

Their weapons clattered to the floor.

“….Grandma?”

“I don’t know what happened while I was gone, but my, young people these days sure are full of energy.”

Behind Yeonseo stood a man who looked a bit pale, clasping his hands together and bowing to her with utmost respect.

Who was he?

No, wait, more importantly…

“Grandma, where did you send them?”

“Oh, don’t worry. I just sent them for a little sightseeing by the cool waters of the East Sea.”

“…Pardon?”

“Oh, looks like it’s about time.”

Snap!

“Bluaaagh!?”

“Hii, hiiik…!!”

“Whaaa…!”

“Cough!”

As Yeonseo snapped her fingers again, the hunters who had disappeared suddenly reappeared.

But unlike before, they were now soaked and reeked of the ocean.

So she really did send them to the sea.

“Huff, huff, huff… What just happened to us?”

“T-that wicked undead woman… she sent us…”

“You’re still not thinking straight. How about the West Sea this time?”

Snap!

And once again, the hunters vanished.

“…Um, Yeonseo… I mean, grandma. Don’t you think that’s enough?”

“Haha, don’t worry. These youngsters just have too much fire in them, so this old woman is helping cool them down a bit.”

“But still…”

Snap!

“Huff, huff, huff, huff…”

“T-that damn undead…”

“We have to stop her… we have to…”

Snap!

“By the way, when you fought me, why didn’t you just send me flying somewhere? Like these hunters—why not throw me into the sea or maybe into some lava or the mantle?”

“If I suddenly threw something into the mantle or some other part of the earth’s crust, it could cause disasters like earthquakes elsewhere, so you have to be cautious. Also, Shia, my abilities aren’t all-powerful.”

“They sure seem that way to me.”

“It just looks that way. The thing you’re unconsciously wrapping around yourself—that miracle? It’s similar to mana but stronger than that…”

“I call it holy power.”

“Ah, yes, holy power. Because of that, it’s nearly impossible for me to send you flying anywhere.”

“I see. But shouldn’t you bring the hunters back?”

“Oh.”

Snap!

“P-please stop… I feel like I’m gonna puke… Ugh…”

“My head is spinning…”

“Huff, huff, huff…”

I wasn’t sure how many times these hunters had been dunked into the ocean by Yeonseo, but they seemed completely drained as they lay on the ground, utterly exhausted.

They seemed kind of pitiful.

Even though they had tried to attack me, it was just a misunderstanding.

They were, after all, diligent and respectable hunters who were only trying to do their job. It was natural to feel a bit sorry for them after they had been repeatedly sent to the ocean.

[Miracle – Great Healing]

“Ah?!”

“Huh…?”

My healing ability could pretty much restore anyone as long as they weren’t dead.

It didn’t just heal physical wounds or illnesses; it could also completely restore physical and mental exhaustion.

“Are you feeling better?”

“…Oh… yes…”

“Yes, thank you…”

Come to think of it, there had been a shortage of healers and support-type ability users among hunters.

So they were probably surprised to suddenly receive healing like that.

“If you’re feeling better, you should get up and apologize first, kids.”

“Huh…?”

“Who are we supposed to… oh!?”

“Y-Yeonseo-nim!!!”

“Kyaa! It’s Yeonseo-nim!”

Finally noticing Yeonseo behind them, the hunters each let out their own gasps of awe.

Just moments ago, they had been completely dazed from their sea ordeal, but now, upon seeing Yeonseo, their eyes were practically sparkling with admiration and reverence.

It seemed Yeonseo was truly a big deal among hunters.

“Don’t think too badly of me. The one you should be apologizing to isn’t this old woman, but rather that child over there, don’t you think?”

“Oh…?”

“Y-yes, of course…”

“I’m so sorry, Miss Returnee!”

“I’m really sorry, Returnee!”

At their apologies, I smiled faintly.

“It’s fine. You didn’t do it on purpose, and you’re hunters, after all. Are your bodies okay? I used a healing spell, but I’m not sure if it worked properly.”

“Yes! We’re fine, thank you!”

“Oh, and by the way… that child is a benefactor to both me and my granddaughter.”

“…What?!”

Hearing that, the hunters immediately bent over in a deep 90-degree bow, realizing the gravity of the situation.

“Once again… we deeply apologize!”

“We’re so sorry! Please forgive us!”

“No, no. Don’t be so scared. But could I ask you for one favor?”

“Y-yes, of course! Anything! If it’s a request from Yeonseo-nim, we’ll do it!”

“If you meet any fellow hunters, could you spread the word about that child over there? She’s under the protection of the Yeon family, so if anyone gets the idea of messing with her, or if someone feels the urge to assert dominance as a senior…”

Yeonseo leaned in closer to the woman with sensing abilities and whispered.

“Tell them to come have a direct talk with me.”

“…Hi-Hik…!?”

“…Y-yes!”

“Understood! We’ll be sure to spread the word among all hunters!”

“Fufu, good. Good. I don’t dislike such enthusiastic hunters. Keep up the good work.”

“Yes, ma’am!”

“Oh, what’s your name?”

“…Seong Yuhan, ma’am!”

“I’m Lee Hyunsu!”

“Kim Yujin! It’s an honor to meet you, Yeonseo-nim!”

“Good, I’ll remember.”

With that, Yeonseo grabbed my hand and led me out of the waiting room.

Following behind us was a man in a suit.

“…Um, grandma. Was all that really necessary?”

“Fufu, I did get a bit mischievous.”

“Couldn’t you have just explained it to them?”

“One thing I’ve learned in my long years is that actions speak louder than a hundred words. It’s far more effective that way.”

Seeing the playful smile on her face, it was hard to think of her as a grandmother—she seemed more like a child.

“But more than that, the hazing in the hunter and returnee world can be harsher than you think. To avoid unnecessary trouble in the future, it’s important to come on strong sometimes.”

“…Is that so?”

“And, dear, you may not know this, but you and those kids almost ended up in a much bigger conflict just now. I helped cool their heads in the process.”

I see?

Since I didn’t fully understand the inner workings of the hunter world, I couldn’t be sure, but Yeonseo was a veteran hunter with decades of experience.

I suppose she knew what she was talking about.

“Fufu, if you run into any more trouble in the future, just mention my name.”

Oh, that’s pretty handy.

Even as an outsider, I could see that Yeonseo’s status was at the top of the industry, a living legend.

It would certainly make life more convenient.

Back in the fantasy world I used to live in, I had leveraged the name of Emperor Menelapie to facilitate various activities and ease my day-to-day life.

“Now then, let’s go and file that return report.”