The Grill-Wielding Saintess of the Dead

Chapter 75: The World Tree Leaf Pancake 3

It may sound obvious, but I am a ticking time bomb.

This doesn’t mean that I’m in immediate danger myself.

However, from the perspective of the government or the state, I could be considered an unstable nuclear bomb.

I was the first person to return with an unheard-of trait called “Malignant Predator,” so I understood that the government might want to isolate me or impose restrictions, like banning me from leaving the country.

After all, I am a saintess.

As long as they didn’t try to throw me in prison, I was ready to take it in stride.

But I never expected that I’d be boarding a plane, feeling excited about going on an overseas trip like an ordinary person.

I thought it would take at least 3 or 5 years before I’d get the chance to travel abroad, so the fact that I could enjoy an in-flight meal within six months of my return was quite delightful.

Complicated matters were handled quickly with just a few phone calls.

The Hunter Association, upon hearing that I had received an unofficial request from the elves, confirmed my identity and skipped most of the complicated immigration procedures.

As a result, I found myself heading to Incheon Airport only three days after passing the third ethics review and getting my passport and ID.

“Unnie, are you sure you’ll be okay?”

“Of course, I’ll be fine.”

Naturally, upon hearing my news, Yeonhwa came to the airport to see me off, looking worried.

“Unnie, you can’t take your shoes off on the plane. Also, I’ve arranged for a private jet through Yeonju unnie, so just head that way.”

“Your family is really rich, huh?”

“My grandmother has been a hunter for over 60 years. Compared to her, I’m just a rookie who’s only started making money.”

Even when I heard that Yeonhwa’s family was one of the richest in Korea, I couldn’t quite grasp the extent of their wealth.

When Yeonhwa heard that I had to leave the country, she immediately pulled up a list of planes on her smartwatch and sent it to me.

It turned out that they were all planes owned by the Yeon family.

Not just one private jet, but enough to fill a whole page—wow… I was genuinely a little scared to realize that the Bingu I was close to was actually a princess.

“But are you sure it’s okay to treat me this well? Taking an entire plane feels a little… well, my conscience is starting to twitch.”

“It’s no big deal. Besides, my grandmother rarely needs to fly because of her abilities. Usually, the planes are lent out to people who work for the Yeon family or their acquaintances.”

Considering she’s one of the strongest hunters in the world… If Earth had been like the “previous world” where empires or totalitarian regimes existed, Yeonju unnie would’ve practically been an emperor like Menelapie.

In fact, it wouldn’t be strange to say that Yeonseo lived a rather modest life compared to her fame and power.

“I wish I could go with you, but unfortunately, only you are allowed to enter the elf’s Corrosion Dungeon.”

“I thought that when a hunter goes on a mission, a bunch of trainees from the association usually come along too…”

“Elves are very secretive. They generally don’t allow outsiders to enter unless they’re directly involved in the mission.”

I suppose it made sense.

Elves were a race whose unique beauty and fragility were practically imprinted in their genes.

Even in the “previous world” I had been in, there were those who wanted to enslave the elves.

The elves I was about to meet weren’t the same as the ones from that world, but I’ve heard that even on Earth, there have been attempts to kidnap and traffic elves.

There could very well be elves being used as someone’s plaything right now, so it wasn’t strange that elves harbored hostile and closed-off feelings toward humans.

“Also…”

“Oh, don’t worry about the in-flight meals. I’ve ordered plenty. Besides, aside from the crew and the pilot, you’re the only one on the plane, so feel free to eat as much as you want.”

“…”

Before I could even bring it up, Yeonhwa mentioned the in-flight meals.

It was a bit embarrassing, but she had already figured out my behavioral patterns.

Don’t ask why I care so much about in-flight meals.

In-flight meals are a dream in themselves.

I still vividly remember when I went on a trip to Kota Kinabalu in Malaysia with my parents during my winter break in second year of high school.

The crystal-clear blue sea was lovely, the tropical fruits and the unique tourist spots of Malaysia were unforgettable, but one of my happiest memories was the in-flight meal.

The menu wasn’t anything special.

Soup ham, potato soup, bread spread with cold butter, salad, and orange juice.

It wasn’t much, a very simple and humble meal.

Though it was a distant memory, and though my parents and family from that time are no longer with me, my first in-flight meal left an indelible, delicious impression.

Perhaps it wasn’t an extraordinary menu, but eating it on a plane made the meal feel exceptional, creating a perfect harmony between taste and atmosphere.

“Thanks, Yeonhwa.”

I wanted to pat her head in gratitude, but it felt weird to pat someone over 20, so I just tapped her on the shoulder instead.

“……”

“I’ll be back.”

“…Be careful.”

Yeonhwa looked slightly disappointed, and honestly, I felt the same.

But our relationship isn’t at that level yet, right?

Or is it? I’m not sure…

And so, for the first time since my return, I left the country.

I didn’t know the destination.

The location of the Corrosion Dungeon where the Elf Kingdom was situated was classified, and even S-rank hunters didn’t know where the Elf Kingdom was, except for a select few with access to such information.

All I knew was that it would take about seven hours by plane, and that, apart from the pilot dispatched by the Hunter Association, I wasn’t allowed to look outside.

So, I had no idea whether the Elf Kingdom was in the Pacific Ocean, Japan, or maybe somewhere in Russia or Southeast Asia.

I wasn’t even sure if it would really take seven hours—maybe the plane would circle around a few times.

For all I knew, the Elf Kingdom might actually be in Korea.

Either way, it was a bit disappointing that I couldn’t admire the view as the plane took off and distanced itself from the ground.

Given how meticulously they maintained secrecy, it was clear that the elves harbored significant hostility toward humans.

“Hehe, in-flight meal time.”

Normally, there are only two types of in-flight meals, but Yeonhwa had apparently bought dozens of different meals so I wouldn’t get bored on the flight.

“Hehe, this is delicious. More, please.”

“…Ah, yes. Understood, Hunter Shia.”

The flight attendant sent by the Hunter Association couldn’t hide her astonishment at the sight of me devouring in-flight meals non-stop from the moment we boarded the plane.

But I was really hungry.

I’d intentionally skipped dinner the day before just for these in-flight meals.

And now, I had only eaten 32 meals so far. If she already looked that horrified, wouldn’t I be hurt?

“Hey, would you like to eat together?”

The flight attendant flinched and turned to look at me.

“Oh, no…”

“You don’t have to be shy. I’m the only passenger here, right?”

“I’ll eat later. We have separate meals for the crew.”

“Really? Well then… nom nom…”

This time, it was bulgogi udon, a sandwich, milk, and chicken salad.

The portion was small by my standards, but the meal was excellent.

Earlier, I noticed there was a meal made from edible monster meat, so after I finish this, I should give that a try.

“Sigh, I’m full…”

Maybe I ate too quickly; I could only manage 60 meals.

The good thing was that there were still plenty of in-flight meals left, thanks to Yeonhwa’s preparations.

There would be other chances to eat more, so I decided to stop here with breakfast and lunch combined and finally started to look at the details of the request.

“Just how serious is this request that they asked for an S-rank hunter?”

When I activated the AI drone, information from Yujin and the Hunter Association began to flood in.

The letter from the elves Yujin had handed me didn’t contain much.

Chaos Ants emerging.

Need an S-rank hunter.

Will compensate.

Request duration unknown.

I didn’t summarize it down; that was really all the letter said.

It was a letter decorated with small leaves and stems, very elf-like, but the actual content was nothing more than vague, short statements lacking any real information.

Even though the information from the association was more extensive, it mostly consisted of trivial facts you could easily find on the Hunter Wiki.

The general history of the elves was different from what I knew.

They were elves from a world different from mine, but their racial characteristics were similar.

They had a World Tree, and they were still renowned for their beauty.

“The request is… about a Chaos Ant infestation…”

According to Hunter Wiki, Chaos Ants were monsters with a rank between C and B.

As the name suggests, they were ants.

However, a single Chaos Ant was about 3 meters long and 2 meters tall, and they formed colonies numbering in the tens of thousands, making them a near-calamity.

During the first Great Rift, 1.7 billion Chaos Ants appeared in Texas.

At that time, the United States was on the verge of abandoning Texas and deployed strategic weapons to barely manage the Chaos Ants, but some survived and continue to build up forces across America, necessitating regular cleanups.

Chaos Ants are terrifying because as long as the queen survives, they can multiply indefinitely.

Their power of numbers was nothing to scoff at, and sometimes a mutant with an A-rank level of power would appear among them.

However, looking into the history, it was clear the elves on Earth were not the elves I knew.

“The World Tree burned down, and they fled to Earth…”

The World Tree, at least in my knowledge, is the ancestor and mother of all elves, their spiritual anchor and equivalent to their sole deity.

If the World Tree burned down, some elves would have surely gone mad or lost their minds, yet they somehow managed to escape to Earth, which was impressive.

According to the Wiki, the elves are now devoting themselves to establishing a stable life on Earth while maintaining minimal contact with humans, and the elves remaining in the kingdom are diligently nurturing a small seed of the World Tree.

If Chaos Ants were now swarming near the World Tree, it would indeed be a crisis for the elves.

Furthermore, the World Tree wasn’t intact.

After it burned down, the elves were trying to regrow the seed, so the situation could be far more serious than I had imagined.

“But how did the elves manage to cross over from the ‘previous world’ to Earth…?”

Tearing open the fabric of a world or crossing dimensions is typically impossible.

By normal standards, no miracle or magic could allow beings to travel between dimensions, yet the elves had brought their entire race to Earth.

If the elves had a method to tear through dimensions, would it be possible for me to meet Menelapie or Teresa again?

No, don’t get your hopes up…

It was probably only because of the exceptional disaster of the World Tree’s destruction that the elves were able to escape to Earth.

Honestly, I don’t know.

After all, my return to Earth wasn’t normal, and the existence of monsters and dungeons itself defies logic.

If I’m really curious about how they ended up on Earth, I would have to ask the elves directly.

But with their World Tree burned and them living like refugees from a parallel world, I doubt they’d be willing to answer such a sensitive question.

I’m just here to fulfill the request. I’ll focus on the mission.

“But before being a hunter, I am a saintess, right?”

Though I’m the Saintess of the Dead, it’s not easy to turn a blind eye to those in pain or suffering.

I’m more worried than expectant, but now that I’m here, I should help as much as I can…

Thunk.

‘What was that?’

The tentacles at my waist reacted before I did to the noise coming from the ceiling.

At the same time, I felt the plane’s speed slowing dramatically, so I had to stand up.

Someone was on top of the plane.

“Hunter Shia? Do you need anything?”

“Hold on tight.”

“Sorry?”

[Miracle – Sanctuary of the Orphan]

Bang!

Right after I spoke, the plane door was ripped off, and someone barged in.

Thankfully, I had already set up a sanctuary over the entire plane.

If I hadn’t, the moment the door opened, the enormous pressure difference would’ve sucked the flight attendant right out, even if I was fine.

It was a pity, though, since the plane I was on thanks to Yeonhwa’s kindness had its door ripped off in an accident.

And the ones who came in through the torn door were three elves.

One had green hair, another had blonde hair, and surprisingly, one even had red hair.

They were all young but possessed the typical elven beauty.

I had no idea where or how they managed to rip off the door of a flying plane, but they boldly pointed their arrows and swords at me.

In this baffling situation, the flight attendant next to me was trembling with a pale face.

“Don’t move, human!”

“Eek!?”

“……?”

Do elves hijack planes now?

******

By the way, the plane was fine.

The miracle I cast neutralized the pressure difference in the cabin.

Moreover, the pilot dispatched by the Hunter Association was an Awakened with abilities related to machinery and repair, and he repaired the torn airplane door in an instant.

It was fascinating to watch the steel door melt and slide back into place like it was a living thing.

And what happened to the elves?

“Ugh…”

“Ow…”

“It hurts…”

They were all knocked out by my tentacles.

What weaklings.

I didn’t even need to use a miracle.

Unfortunately, most of my miracles are large-scale and suited for wiping out armies.

Using them in a cramped plane could’ve hurt not just me, but also the elves, the pilot, and the flight attendant.

Now that I took a closer look, they seemed quite young.

Although you shouldn’t apply human standards to elves’ appearances, they still looked too young to be full-grown.

For youngsters, attempting to hijack a plane was pretty daring.

“Ugh, let go of me!”

“You monstrous woman!”

“You vile monster, how dare you invade the airspace of the elves…!”

The fact that they even knew about the concept of airspace suggested they had some knowledge of modern times.

By the way, although the elves spoke a different language from humans, the language pack provided by the Hunter Association made communication smooth.

“Excuse me, I don’t quite understand what you’re saying. You’re the ones who suddenly broke into the plane, so we’re the ones who should be bewildered, right?”

“Bewildered?! You trespassed into our forest’s airspace without permission!”

“Right! Right! Why did you enter the territory of the Mother, human?!”

The male elf tied up in my tentacles glared at me murderously, and the younger female elf beside him echoed his words.

By “Mother,” they must mean the World Tree, right?

But what on earth is going on here…?

I came here in response to a request from the elves, yet their welcoming party turned out to be this extreme?

The elves I knew were peaceful beings who loved nature, but these elves had a lot of hostility and aggression toward humans.

Even though they’d been knocked out and bound by my tentacles, they still struggled fiercely, making me want to crush them right then and there.

“…!”

“Eek…”

Sensing my killing intent, the elves who had been thrashing about suddenly quieted down.

“Look, I think we need to have a talk.”

“A, a talk? What talk!”

“We don’t need to talk to a vile and lowly human like you! Just kill us already!”

“I’m just trying to talk. Why are you talking about killing…?”

By the way, they still consider me human?

Well, at least that gave me an excuse not to kill them right away.

“Sorry for the late introduction. I’m Hunter Shia from the Republic of Korea.”

“Hunter? One of those filthy mercenaries?”

“A human obsessed with money—why are you here!?”

“……”

Could you at least let me finish talking, you bastards?

“Gah!”

“Ow!”

“That hurts!”

I must have been a little angry because I squeezed my tentacles too tightly.

Thankfully, the elves must have realized that I could kill them with just a flick of my fingers, so they stopped making a fuss.

“So, how did you board the plane?”

“………”

All three elves kept their mouths shut and turned their heads away, unwilling to answer.

“You know…”

“Kyaah!?”

“If I ask nicely, you should answer nicely…”

I brought the girl elf closer and brushed her chin with my fingers, causing her face to turn deathly pale.

She tried to act confident and dignified, but since I had knocked her out with one blow, the power gap must have sunk in, and she was visibly terrified.

“Ugh…”

“If you don’t want to talk with words, would you prefer a more… intimate conversation? I don’t mind doing it right here.”

“No, no! I’ll talk! I’ll talk, so let me go! I’m scared!”

In the end, the young elf girl gave in, trembling as she screamed.

Since I didn’t mean to scare them that much, I obediently released the tentacles that had bound the elves.

They looked a bit skeptical as they sized me up, unsure if I would really let them go.

“First of all, who are you all? Are you guards from the Elf Kingdom?”

“Y-yes… that’s right.”

“Why are you speaking so informally?”

“R-right… We’re patrolling the borders of this land…”

Well, it wasn’t a lie.

Fortunately, they didn’t seem like pirates or rogue elves trying to hijack the plane.

“How did you manage to board a plane flying at such a high altitude?”

“When we patrol, we use the wind spirits and storm eagles…”

Considering the capabilities of elves, it wasn’t an impossible feat.

Given their long lifespan and superior abilities, it wasn’t far-fetched to believe they could board a plane with the help of wind spirits.

“But I came here on a request from the Elf Kingdom. I thought everything had already been arranged with your higher-ups…”

“We didn’t hear anything like that…”

“That’s right!”

“You humans invaded the airspace of our forest, so you’re the bad ones!”

Watching these brats chatter on, seemingly having forgotten their fear, gave me a headache.

What’s going on?

From what I could see, these brats weren’t lying.

They genuinely believed that we humans were in the wrong and were merely trying to protect their kingdom from a suspicious flying object.

‘What a unique bunch of villains…’

It seems things aren’t going to go smoothly right from the start.

Sigh… But what can I do? If there’s a misunderstanding, it has to be cleared up with words, and if there’s a wound, we have to mend it.

As long as neither side is lying, this is just a misunderstanding that went awry.

As intelligent beings, we should forgive these foolish children and resolve this through dialogue.

Misunderstandings should be resolved through conversation.

As long as we can communicate, we can understand each other.

Violence is merely a means of defense, a last resort…

“Um, Hunter Shia?”

“Yes, what is it?”

At that moment, the flight attendant, who had been cleaning up the mess in the plane, called out to me.

But her expression wasn’t good.

What’s the matter?

“Well…”

“Go on.”

What could be more serious than being hijacked by elves?

“All of the in-flight meals… flew out.”

“………………………..”

Crack!

“Eek…!”

“Wh-why are you looking at us like that!?”

Forget what I said earlier.

Today, I’m abandoning my humanity and any sense of civility.

…These damn brats, damn it!!!!!!