The Grill-Wielding Saintess of the Dead

Chapter 139 Blade Centipede Soup 2

Cheongdam Korean Language Education Academy.

The biggest reason why Korea’s international standing rose significantly with the advent of the Hunter era was primarily because it was the homeland of the strongest S-rank hunter, Yeonseo, and the fact that, relative to its population, there were an exceptionally large number of Awakened individuals.

As a result, the infrastructure and systems related to Hunters and the Awakened were well-established.

Thanks to this, the number of foreigners seeking to immigrate or find jobs in Korea increased significantly.

Naturally, Korean language schools for these foreigners were also established.

While one could simply download a translation module onto a drone if they had money, it was still better to learn the language, especially if planning to stay in Korea for a long time.

With the ability of mind-reading type Awakened to detect the will of the target, the technology applied allowed anyone to learn Korean regardless of language, race, or age.

Thus, not only Koreans, but also elderly people unfamiliar with the script, and younger generations who hadn’t received proper education during the chaotic era of the First Great Rift could comfortably learn Korean at the academy.

And Yane also attended that academy.

“Goodbye, Yane-chan~”

“Come again!”

[……]

The word “damn” almost slipped out of her mouth, but as Yane attended the academy and met various people, she had learned that using “damn” outside was not appropriate.

She silently nodded, saying goodbye to her teachers and classmates.

As she wagged her centipede tail and stepped outside, Yane’s face brightened when she saw a familiar face.

Yoon-jung.

To Yane, Yoon-jung was second only to her master, Shia, who had elevated her from a mere knife centipede to a higher being.

Yoon-jung, whom her master Shia called “Mom,” was also someone who treated Yane much more kindly than even Shia did.

As a result, Yane followed Yoon-jung very well.

“Yane, did you do well?”

[Yes. I, I mean…yes, I did well.]

“Oh my, you can even use formal speech now? At this rate, you’ll master Korean in no time, huh?”

[Squeak…]

“Oh my, so smart and clever. Do you want to grab something to eat on the way home?”

While she didn’t know about anything else, unlike Shia, Yoon-jung’s food was always delicious and normal.

The last time Yoon-jung picked her up, they had eaten teriyaki chicken skewers.

Compared to Shia’s strange dishes that often melted metal pots, Yoon-jung was like an angel.

[Squeak!]

“You have to say ‘yes,’ right?”

[…Yes!]

So, being led by Yoon-jung’s hand on the way home, Yane happily indulged in some street food.

Today, it was meatball skewers.

The meatballs had a little mozzarella cheese inside, but instead of being greasy, they were coated with a slightly spicy sauce made with Cheongyang peppers, striking a perfect balance of flavor.

Chomp.

Chew chew. Gulp.

“Is it tasty?”

[Yes, chew chew… Yes.]

“You only need to answer once. Oh dear, you’re spilling. Come here, I’ll wipe it for you.”

Yoon-jung didn’t really know Yane’s exact identity.

She had only heard Shia refer to Yane as “my child.” So, from Yoon-jung’s perspective, she thought Yane might be a child Shia had after being impregnated by some rascal.

There was no way that could be true. It didn’t make sense.

However, in a world where monsters and gates were rampant, and people could breathe fire and fly, the idea of Shia becoming a woman, dating some rascal, and giving birth to Yane wasn’t entirely impossible.

Still, Yoon-jung decided not to ask too many questions.

‘Maybe… Shia really did have a daughter with some rascal…’

After all, they had plenty of time to figure out complicated and possibly painful matters.

Besides, if Shia had taken Yane in and considered her important, then Yoon-jung also valued Yane.

At least it was a relief that the person named Menelapie didn’t seem to be the rascal.

The way Menelapie looked at Shia—her eyes just dripped with honey. She also got along well with Yane.

Anyway, even though Yoon-jung didn’t know much about Yane’s origins, she treated her as kindly as she would a granddaughter.

“Yane, let’s go now.”

[Squeak… I want… to eat more…]

“It’s almost time for dinner. If you eat too much now, you won’t have an appetite for dinner, right?”

[Squeak…okay…]

Though Yane liked the meatball skewers, it was true that it was almost dinner time.

What Yoon-jung didn’t know was that even if Yane ate all the meatball skewers, she had a separate stomach for dinner.

In the end, Yane had to obediently walk home, led by Yoon-jung’s hand.

Grrrr…

[Squeak…]

I wanted to eat more meatballs…

Vroom…

[Squeak?]

At that moment, Yane perked up her antennae as she sensed a familiar vibration.

The faint vibration in the air would normally be dismissed as irrelevant noise, but this vibration was one that Yane recognized.

‘It’s a delivery drone…’

Yane spotted the delivery drone flying overhead.

It wasn’t just any delivery drone.

It was the large delivery drone that Shia frequently used at home.

Since the delivery drone was always stationary at home, Yane hadn’t forgotten its unique vibrations.

“Wow, the green onions are really cheap. Should I buy some?”

While Yoon-jung was distracted, examining a nearby market stall, Yane raised her head and looked at the drone.

‘The delivery drone that was always at home is moving somewhere.’

‘The delivery drone is full of various large-scale ingredients that the master uses for cooking.’

‘If the delivery drone is moving… it means the master is cooking something.’

‘If the delivery drone is moving… it means the master is cooking something delicious in a dungeon with monsters.’

‘And I’m hungry.’

[Squeak!]

Thinking quickly, Yane crouched and leapt onto a building.

By the time Yoon-jung turned her head, Yane had already vanished like a ghost.

“Huh? Yane? Yane, where are you…?”

Using her centipede-like ability for silent sprinting, Yane landed on the building’s wall, embedding her sharp venomous claws into the surface to stabilize herself before launching herself between buildings.

She moved so silently that most people didn’t even notice her presence.

Before long, Yane found herself attached to the side of a tall building, waiting for the delivery drone to pass by.

At just the right moment, she threw herself toward the flying drone.

Boom!

Successfully attaching her venomous claws to the underside of the drone, Yane secured herself in place and opened the drone’s door, crawling inside.

There was no need to force herself in.

The delivery drone was expensive and, as such, had a very spacious interior.

Even among the many ingredients inside, Yane found a cozy space to nestle herself into.

Vroom…

Designed to transport large quantities of supplies to assist with Hunter dungeon raids, the drone didn’t seem to be affected by the added weight of Yane.

Soon, she comfortably settled between the sacks of onions and flour.

[Squeak… Something delicious…]

Yane whispered a short prayer to her master, who could be anywhere.

Please make something delicious.

At the very least, I hope it’s as good as the walker bone soup I had last time.

After some time, the drone came to a stop, and its door opened.

Usually, delivery drones waited at the location pre-set by their owner, so Yane stepped out of the open door and looked around with a puzzled expression, not seeing her master nearby.

[Is this…my hometown…?]

The smell of decaying leaves, the damp odor of moss, and an eerie, gloomy aura filled the mountain.

Yane realized that she was back in her birthplace—the Rotten Mountain Dungeon, where her fellow species swarmed.

[Squeak~! Home! Home! Home!]

Despite having evolved into a higher being, Yane was still a knife centipede by birth.

Returning to her familiar, comfortable homeland naturally made her feel happy.

It’s exactly the same as before.

Oh, that crack between the rocks over there was my favorite spot.

The cool temperature and damp humidity kept my body from drying out, and other centipedes rarely came here.

It had just enough space for me to squeeze into.

[Squeak, squeak…hehe…]

Feeling joyful, Yane pressed her body against the ground and tried to wedge herself into the crack between the rocks.

However, having evolved into a higher being—or more accurately, having inherited her master Shia’s giant venom sac—Yane soon realized she couldn’t move her body.

[Squeak…my body…got bigger…]

In the past, I could have gone deep inside, coiled up, and fit perfectly…

But now, with my changed body, I couldn’t even get halfway in.

With no other choice, Yane tried to pull herself out.

[Uh…]

However, when she tried to move her legs, Yane realized she couldn’t budge at all.

Her large venom sac had wedged her body perfectly between the rocks.

[Squeak…???]

She wriggled her lower body, which wasn’t even wearing underwear, but no matter how much she moved, there was no significant change.

[Squeak…I’m stuck…I’m really stuck…]

Shocked by the sudden situation, Yane couldn’t hide her bewilderment.

With no other option, she tried to pull out her centipede tail from her lower body to break the rock.

She wasn’t lacking in strength, but her position was too cramped and awkward.

If only she could break the rock with her tail…

“Ah! Found you again!”

[Squeak?]

At that moment, hearing her master’s familiar voice, Yane’s expression brightened from beneath the rocks.

Hey! Master! I’m stuck! Please pull me out!

Just as she was about to shout that, a bad premonition swept over her as she felt the air tremble.

Her current human body was completely stuck between the rocks.

In an attempt to escape, she had stretched her centipede tail outside to find a solid support to push against.

But Shia, her master, was looking only at the centipede tail.

And this was Rotten Mountain.

A mountain crawling with countless knife centipedes.

If someone saw a centipede tail poking out and wiggling from between the rocks…

Bam bam bam bam bam!!!

Of course…they would treat it like a monster and stomp on it.

No, not just stomp on it—her master stomped on it so hard, infused with holy power, that it practically shattered.

[Squeak, squeaaaakkkkkkk!!!!!!!]

“Huh…?”

Shia’s face quickly turned to one of confusion as an unexpected scream echoed from between the rocks.

○○○

[Squeak, squeak…]

In pain and frustration, Yane whimpered, her tail twitching as if it still hurt.

Her shell, having evolved into that of a higher being, had shattered like glass from how hard she had been stomped.

“W-What the… Why are you here…?”

Scratching her head awkwardly, Shia asked, and Yane screamed in anger.

[Why did you hit me, damn it!!!]

“No, why are you here…”

[Why did you hit me, damn it!!!!]

What did I do wrong!?

Perhaps realizing her mistake, Shia awkwardly cast Great Healing on Yane.

Of course, Shia hadn’t expected this at all.

She never would have imagined that Yane, who should have been at the Korean language academy, would be wedged between the rocks of the Rotten Mountain Dungeon.

Fortunately, Yane wasn’t severely injured.

Having hunted countless knife centipedes, Shia had seen the plump and healthy-looking tail sticking out of the rocks and thought it would make for a special dish.

So, she had stomped on it hard with her foot, never expecting a woman’s scream to come out.

“…I’m sorry. Yane.”

[Hmph…!]

“I’m really sorry. I didn’t know it was you.”

[…]

The Saintess of the Dead’s apology was sincere.

Knowing that her master couldn’t tell lies, Yane had no choice but to forgive her.

No matter how much she disliked it, no matter how terrifying it was.

In the end, Shia was Yane’s master, benefactor, and could even be considered her parent.

Even if she disliked it, it was only temporary.

[Squeak… I forgive you…]

“Really?”

[You didn’t… do it on purpose… master…]

“Thank you!”

[But…]

“But?”

Yane glanced at the pile of knife centipedes stacked in the corner and continued.

[Give me… some… too…]

“Oh, sure!”

Understanding what Yane meant, Shia nodded.

Alright.

It had hurt a lot, but now I could enjoy the delicious food my master would cook.

With that amount, I’d definitely be full.

Feeling she had secured a fair and satisfying result from her master, Yane felt content inside.

In the meantime, Shia handed her something.

[Squeak… What’s… this?]

What is this?

It looks like a spoon, but a little bigger.

What is it? I don’t think I used this when eating…

“I’ll give you some too.”

[Squeak?]

“So, stir that.”

At Shia’s words, Yane noticed the giant pot behind her.

Inside the pot were the ingredients Shia had taken out of the delivery drone.

A whole sack of flour and a chunk of the Great Forest butter that Shia had received as a gift when leaving the elves’ Great Forest were still intact inside.

“I’m making blade centipede soup, so first, I need to make the base roux for the soup.”

[Squeak…..?]

“What are you doing, hurry up and stir it.”

[………………..]

Damn this shitty master…!