The Grill-Wielding Saintess of the Dead

Unlike simple immigration or missing persons, returnees who disappeared due to the Great Rift and then came back were inherently special.

Some returned with incredible powers and became hunters.

Others brought new technologies, science, or even magical engineering, lending a hand to our society.

While some easily adjusted and prospered in Korea with their strength and experience, others had a tough time adapting to life here.

The periods of disappearance and return for each returnee varied greatly, and so did their circumstances.

Some returnees came back after decades, making it impossible to reunite with their families, and in rare cases, they completely forgot Korean.

In reality, less than ten percent of returnees managed to find their families and come back home.

For every powerful person, there were also the powerless, and particularly, about thirty percent of returnees struggled to adapt to the established hunter society, having been deeply influenced by the culture or mindset of another world.

And the most tragic cases were those suffering from severe mental illnesses or psychological contamination.

If someone without power suffered from mental contamination, it didn’t cause a massive crisis.

Assigning them a decent counselor and providing medication could eventually lead to improvement.

However, returnees who, despite their incredible powers, suffered from severe trauma and PTSD posed a significant headache for the government.

There had even been a number of cases where a returnee, unable to adapt to society, ended their own life.

Some returnees transformed into criminals or terrorists, claiming that in the world they lived in, violence and blood solved everything.

Others created cult-like groups infecting the minds of ordinary people, ultimately leading to their capture by hunters.

Thus, after the first Great Rift, once the nation entered a relatively stable phase, returnees who could be categorized as ‘normal’ joined forces with politicians to establish the Returnee Management Bureau.

[Returnee Management Bureau]

The Bureau is a governmental department under the Hunter Association responsible for locating returnees, proving their identity, providing language support, and further aiding them in finding their families or relatives.

Not only the Bureau but also senior returnees who contribute to our society provide various donations and support funds to assist junior returnees struggling to adapt.

In any case, the main purpose of the Bureau was to manage returnees.

Its least role was to ensure that those who returned would not commit suicide, fall into despair, or lose hope.

The first step for returnees was to pass through the Bureau to prove their identities and seek their families.

And as a returnee, the undead saint Shia also came to report to the Returnee Management Bureau, guided by Yeonseo.

However, reporting as a returnee was not as simple as going to the district office and saying, “I’m back.”

Proof of family relationships, identity verification, and a psychological assessment by a counselor who awakened mental abilities must all be completed before the registration was finished.

Shia waited alone in a quiet, dimly lit room that felt like an interrogation room.

DING DONG

“Hello, Shia! Sorry to have kept you waiting!”

Not long after, a brightly refined woman appeared, her face blooming like a flower.

She looked like a rather strict office lady, yet Shia could feel the counselor’s unique bright and positive aura.

“I’m sorry for being late. The returnee paperwork is quite a handful. Oh! I’m Choi Bomi, the director of the Returnee Management Bureau.”

“Hi. Um, sorry. Hello.”

“It’s alright! Seeing you can greet me means you’re quite lucky today! You can call me Director Choi or whatever makes you comfortable.”

“…Just asking, but have there been returnees who couldn’t greet?”

Director Choi smiled and lifted a pile of documents in her hand.

“Well, yes. But you’re lucky today. If they couldn’t speak and greet, that’s one thing, but… In cases of returnees with mental issues, you have to prepare yourself thinking, ‘Oh, this is going to be tough today.’”

“You’re doing hard work.”

“Wow, you can greet and seem kind! You even care for others!”

“…?”

Isn’t that a given for humans?

Shia tilted her head at Director Choi’s words, which felt slightly as if she were talking to a kindergarten student.

“Oh, haha… Don’t misunderstand me. I’m not teasing you, Shia.”

Director Choi seemed genuinely pleased as she shoved some papers into the shredder.

“It may seem basic to some, but for many returnees, it’s not. Some returnees were like, ‘Let me go right now! My home country is calling me!’ and waved swords, injuring the counselors. There are even those who mistook us for demons or enemies, refusing to answer any questions. Just recently, a contaminated returnee allegedly caused a terror incident in China.”

“….Oh dear…”

“Hehe, just by accepting my greeting and showing concern for me, you’ve already passed more than ten items from the mental health assessment list.”

“Is that good? I mean, is that a good thing?”

“Of course! It’s good for both me and you! We’ve proven we’re both normal, meaning you can skip the annoying questions! And feel free to speak comfortably—I think you’re older than me.”

“Alright.”

As she said this, Director Choi handed Shia some papers.

“You can speak Korean, right? Can you also write? Or do you speak English or Japanese? Some returnees completely forgot Korean but only remember Japanese…”

“Oh, it’s fine. I remember.”

“And you can write too, right? Just write down whatever you remember.”

Shia slowly read through the items listed on the papers.

It asked for simple personal information like resident registration number, name, and residence.

Naturally, she didn’t remember that many.

○○○○

“So, is that person the one who saved Yeonhwa?”

“Um, not exactly.”

Director Lee, who had handed a mixed coffee to Yeonseo, gazed at Shia visible through the hologram.

Director Lee and Yeonseo were on the other side of the consultation room from Shia.

While not visible from Shia’s side, they could see and hear her every action, expression, and voice.

Although it could be argued to be a violation of human rights, the consensus was that returnees needed strict management.

Whether there’s a sign of mental contamination.

If they viewed human lives as insignificant, like flies.

Or if they could simply be included in the category of ordinary and safe people.

Every time they took in a returnee, the Bureau had to be alert.

If a powerful returnee with S-grade Hunter-level powers suddenly flipped out and began killing people or conducting terrorist activities, there was nothing more terrifying.

Fortunately, most returnees received proper care through the Bureau and could become self-sufficient, but there were still cases of criminal returnees occurring occasionally.

Thanks to this, it had become a foregone conclusion from the position of the Bureau to become familiar with the consultation process and the state of returnees.

“Even if it’s agreed that saving Yeonhwa is true, I’m quite impressed that you caught the Black Minotaur without much effort.”

“By the way, I also fought with it.”

“…With Yeonseo!? Um, how did it go?!”

“What do you think happened?”

DUM DUM

Director Lee looked Shia up and down.

Although some of her clothes were torn, she seemed uninjured.

And from Director Lee’s eyes, both Shia and Yeonseo appeared unharmed.

“Haha. Of course, Lady Yeonseo won…”

“Well, it wasn’t really a win. It was just a brief happening caused by this old lady’s moment of confusion.”

“Then that’s really a relief.”

“Is it?”

Shrugging her shoulders, Yeonseo sipped her coffee while looking at Shia through the hologram.

A peaceful and serene-smiled girl.

If she was the one, she would probably wrap up the returnee registration process without issues.

After all, she was the one who had saved her own granddaughter.

If something were to go wrong for Shia and the registration process became difficult, Yeonseo was willing to lend her strength to repay the debt of saving her granddaughter.

“Excuse me, Lady Yeonseo…? What does ‘thus’ mean…? Has something happened?”

“Oh, it’s nothing. I was just curious about what would have happened if either I or that girl had collapsed while continuing to fight.”

“…..Please don’t say scary things. Returnees are ultimately citizens of this country, and Lady Yeonseo, you are a living legend.”

“It’s just a joke.”

HA HA HA

With Lady Yeonseo’s words, Director Lee’s mind began to race.

Every time a returnee came in, she felt her knees buckle and her stress peaked, but she was in a position of having to prioritize whether this returnee would be a threat to society.

In that sense, Yeonseo’s mumblings were undoubtedly not a good sign from the Bureau’s perspective.

At the very least, that returnee possessed the power level to confront Yeonseo, akin to an S-grade Hunter.

‘Though she said it’s a small happening, it means that returnee has fought even briefly with Lady Yeonseo. She’s among the strongest of the S-grade Hunters around the world, and the fact that a confrontation occurred even briefly implies that those powers should be well-honed…’

Please let her be a normal person.

Though Lee didn’t believe in gods, she earnestly began to pray that Shia would be as gentle and kind as her appearance suggested.

●●●

“Let’s see, your name is… ‘Isia.’ Do you remember the characters?”

“No, is that a problem?”

“If you don’t remember, it’s okay since we can check old resident registration data. Hmm, you were declared missing from December 5, 2024, due to the first Great Rift. At that time, you were 21, and now it’s 2088… Hmm?! You really must have aged more than expected, huh? Oh dear, that means you can speak casually with me!”

Having been gone for 64 years, Shia now was officially 85 years old according to the resident registration.

“I’m sorry. Despite how I may look, I held a position of some importance over there, so I didn’t use honorifics much.”

“Wow! Were you a king or something?”

“I wasn’t a king; I was more like the right hand of the emperor.”

“Oh my! How handsome was the emperor?”

“She was an empress.”

“Was she beautiful?”

“Yeah, incredibly.”

“Whoa… I’d love to see her once!”

As Director Choi examined the papers carefully, she paused at one point.

“Uh, and… a male…?”

“Yeah, before this body, I was male.”

“Oh, so now…?”

“As you can see, whether I’m human or not is a different matter, but I’m a woman for now.”

As she shrugged her shoulders, the large divine-energy pouch on her chest drew Director Choi’s attention.

While Director Choi boasted of not being small herself, Shia’s appearance was not only large but also noticeably appealing.

“AHEM! This is my first encounter with this situation.”

“Looks like there hasn’t been a case of a change in gender before?”

“No! Most returnees typically arrive in the same shape they had before, though for various reasons they might gain abilities. Generally, they usually keep their gender and body intact—excluding some special cases like Skeleton Knights.”

Shia began recalling long-ago memories.

Having lived as a man for 21 years, though her current self felt much more like ‘the undead saint Isia,’ rather than human male Isia.

With the years spent living as the undead saint far surpassing her previous life, Shia could no longer recall even her parent’s faces, making her former life as a man feel alien.

‘If Menelapie is a woman living in the royal palace, I had to cultivate an elegant demeanor, so it was fun to have etiquette lessons… And Teresa, as always, would jab at me… In fact, Teresa did it best; she felt like a heavenly lady…’

Those times were enjoyable… and happy…

“Oh, did a nice memory come to mind?”

“…Oh, did I smile?”

“You looked incredibly bright!”

Shia touched her face, realizing she had unwittingly smiled.

Indeed, when a face she missed appeared in her mind, her lips naturally curled upward.

“Now, the resident registration number, gender, and date of birth can be roughly determined by looking through missing persons lists or government data. But what’s most important starts from here.”

“What’s important?”

“Well, I’m sorry to ask you for this, Shia, but I need to obtain your consent for one thing.”

At that moment, Shia sensed a subtle surge of mana from Director Choi’s body.

It was evident that she wasn’t summoning mana for an attack.

“Were you a hunter?”

“No, I’m not a hunter but I’ve awakened special abilities that I use correctly here and there. Just because you awaken doesn’t mean you become a hunter. And my abilities aren’t even suitable for that.”

“I see.”

Hearing ‘special ability’ reminded Shia of the female hunter who had recognized her as being undead in the waiting room before.

Moreover, with cases like Yeonseo, who could warp space, the scope of a ‘special ability’ seemed vast.

“Before we continue the consultation, would you be able to consent to something, Shia?”

“What kind of consent?”

“My ability is called ‘Thinking Thread.’”

“That’s a peculiar name.”

“It’s optimized for counseling. As its name implies, it reads others’ thoughts, but it’s not about reading every thought just like that; it’s about analyzing the subject’s unconscious or latent memories and gathering insights without falsehood.”

As she spoke, Director Choi presented a piece of paper.

It said, ‘Do you consent to the use of Thinking Thread during this process?’

“I’m not strong enough to use my abilities on just anyone. Every person has a mental barrier, and I’d need to surpass that to use Thinking Thread. Hunters generally have much stronger mental barriers than ordinary people. Naturally, the higher the grade and strength, the higher the barriers. In fact, I also find it challenging to breach even the barriers of ordinary people.”

“Oh, that’s why I have to sign this consent form?”

“Yes! And of course, if you don’t consent, I wouldn’t do it. It’s not forced.”

“Well, it’s fine.”

“Wow! Thank you very much! A returnee who cooperates like you is a rare thing! Now, please sign here!”

By providing ‘consent,’ it seemed like they were intentionally lowering the mental barrier.

“No, it’s more like allowing Director Choi to come through a little bit rather than lowering the barrier itself.”

For Shia, this was preferable.

Even before entering, Yeonseo had encouraged her to answer honestly, and this seemed amusing.

As Shia signed the consent form without a second thought, she felt a thin thread-like connection between herself and Director Choi’s power.

Then, immediately, the previously sparkling Director Choi’s mouth shut tight.

SSHHHHHH

“…You okay?”

“Ah, ah…! I-I’m fine! I must have been tired…?”

“Be careful.”

Director Choi blinked several times, seemingly trying to regain her composure, and pulled out an image from the papers.

The drawing depicted a goblin with green skin, small stature, a torn mouth, and long ears—which could be seen commonly in low-level dungeons.

“Actually, Thinking Thread doesn’t let me penetrate everything. If I show you a drawing like this, you can just tell me the words or phrases that come to mind. My ability somewhat eases your unconscious so you can respond better.”

“I don’t literally dive into your thoughts and dig into your past, right?”

“Of course not! It simply means gently pulling up thoughts sleeping in your unconscious or subconscious.”

Director Choi showed the goblin picture to Shia.

“Now, looking at this, what thoughts come to your mind?”

“Goblin, demon lord army, minions, yearning.”

“Those are the only four?”

“Ah… one more.”

Shia paused for a moment and licked her lips.

“Looks delicious…”

“…..Eh?”

“What did I just hear?”

Did the Thinking Thread get connected oddly?

That surely couldn’t be it; this didn’t have anything to do with odd links…

Director Choi began writing down the unexpected words that Shia had voiced, looking confused.

“AHEM… Well then, here’s the next picture. You can again share whatever words come to mind.”

The next picture Director Choi presented depicted a castle, with a style that looked like it was out of a fairy tale.

“Royal palace, warm dinner, laughter, meeting, pigs, gold, money, maids, attendants, parade, Imperial Guard, and… chef… food is super delicious.”

“Aha, I see…”

The next picture was of a bird.

“Plucking feathers, surprisingly oily, delicious, if it were just a little larger…”

“Oh, this is a legendary dinosaur egg…?”

“Yeah, I saw it often. I ate it often. I’d infuse the stone with divine power and, with all my strength, smash its head, then eat the one that fell in front of me. The palace chefs would do the cleanup afterward.”

“………”

Director Choi pinched her thigh with one hand to retain her calm.

Uncertain whether Shia was joking or not, she sensed that Thinking Thread had connected those thoughts to actual truth.

“Well, next drawing is an egg.”

“Dragon egg stew… delicious…”

“…..Ah, ha… anything else come to mind? Birth or blessing, something like that? Or some philosophical quote about how a bird must destroy its world to hatch from an egg…?”

“…Well, yes, there’s one more.”

Director Choi eagerly grabbed her pen, awaiting Shia’s response.

“That… half-boiled tastes so good.”

“…….”

“I mean, if you roast an unfertilized dragon egg right before birth over direct flames, it’s simply… delicious… yeah…”

“…..Ah, yes.”

To describe this taste, one must eat it directly, or lie that dragons exist here?

“…Yes, we do have them here…”

HA HA HA, Director Choi gave a hollow laugh before showing Shia the next picture.

Seeing this drawing, Shia’s expression solidified.

There was nothing special about it.

A cliff.

An empty cliff.

“………”

“Shia?”

“……Oh.”

“If it’s okay with you… can you tell me what comes to mind looking at this illustration?”

“……”

Seeing Shia’s unusual behavior, Director Choi tightly gripped her pen.

She sensed an incoming stream of notes.

“………Love.”

“Pardon?”

“Love, parting, sacrifice, separation, blessing, waiting, anticipation, and… home.”

“…..”

As unexpected words lined up, Director Choi also appeared quite taken aback.

However, Shia’s words didn’t end there.

“Love, parting, love, parting, family, it’s okay. Comfort. Everything will be alright. Love. Parting. More love. Waiting, loneliness. Parting. Parting. Sorrow, tears, a bit salty, more tears, love. Parting. Eternity, the once lost person. Menelapie, Menelapie, Teresa, Menelapie, Teresa, Menelapie, Teresa…..”

“…….Oh my.”

The side effect of connecting through the Thinking Thread revealed the unfiltered words flowing out from the subject’s subconscious.

‘She seems to carry quite a severe… trauma, doesn’t she?’

Seeing this, Director Choi promptly cut off the connection on Thinking Thread.

“Love, Menelapie, Teresa, parting, family… oh dear! Have I gone too far? I apologize.”

“It’s fine! We managed to obtain everything we needed.”

“Really?”

With those final words, Director Choi rose from her seat.

“Well, the consultation ends here! You did very well, Shia! Now, Lady Yeonseo is waiting, so you can head over to the next room for her. I promise the results will be sent out today!”

“So, is the returnee registration complete?”

“Yes! Soon the official identity registration will be done, and facilities for returnees will be provided appropriately today.”

Then, Director Choi hurriedly grabbed her papers and disappeared.

Watching her rush off, Shia tilted her head.

“…I guess I made a big mistake.”

What could she do about what had already happened?

She didn’t even know what mistake she had made, so worrying was unnecessary.

“…….Oh, I want to eat half-boiled dragon egg stew.”

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