The Grill-Wielding Saintess of the Dead

Chapter 80: Flowers Do Not Bloom in Paradise 2

On the second dawn since the arrival of the Saintess of the Dead, Shia, in the Elven Kingdom, the elves were already busy gathering their weapons and equipment before the sun had risen.

Elves in the forest could truly be considered masters of speed and stealth.

With their bodies slightly tilted, the elves passed between trees and flowers as if slipping into the shadows, moving without a sound, and soon, groups of armed elves began to arrive at the forest’s edge.

It was located on the opposite side of where the plane carrying Shia had landed.

From the highest tree, a blonde elf narrowed her eyes, gazing intently at the forest filled with the faint light of dawn.

Elanarre Siamiruna.

She was the leader of the Lotus Lake Knights, responsible for guarding the land and peace of the Elven Kingdom, and she was also the strongest elf of the current generation.

Although the forest appeared peaceful, Elanarre knew that beyond the hills, at the cliff’s edge, and beneath the roots of trees, things that emitted a rotting stench and devoured all life were swarming.

“Have we received any word from the Lily of the Valley Observation Unit?”

“No, Elanarre.”

An elf, perched in a tree opposite, responded to Elanarre’s question.

“Could it be that the unit was ambushed by the Chaos Ants?”

“Oh, please, no matter how clumsy Mirinae and the others are, that’s unlikely…”

“Those kids aren’t strong; they’re just good at seeing far and running fast. You should consider the possibility that they were caught off guard or surrounded while playing or being careless.”

“If that’s the case, we must burn them immediately. At least before they bring the corpses to the queen…”

The Chaos Ants were, by nature, nothing more than giant ant monsters.

But what made them truly terrifying wasn’t their sheer numbers but the aberrant nature of the queen.

The queen of the Chaos Ants could consume the random traits of any creature it devoured and make them its own, and all other Chaos Ants existed merely to provide food for the queen.

Worker ants and soldier ants weren’t a big deal. Even if they consumed creatures from other species, they didn’t change.

But if the soldier ants overwhelmed the elves with their numbers and brought the queen fresh elven meat, then the danger level of the Chaos Ants would instantly escalate.

Elves had once witnessed a queen ant, having consumed numerous human species in the “previous world,” exhibit high intelligence and even wield magic.

A being that had started as a mere ant queen had risen to become the right hand of the Demon King, devouring countless kingdoms and humans, growing its power.

Although the queen ant was killed before it could grow stronger thanks to the hero’s efforts, had the queen been given more time, a catastrophe surpassing the Demon King could have been born.

However, humans on present-day Earth didn’t perceive the Chaos Ants as such a great threat.

But the elves knew very well how those damned ants could turn into a horrifying nightmare and calamity.

“Trust them. They may be young, but they are more than capable of fulfilling their roles.”

For reference, the Lily of the Valley Observation Unit referred to the three elves who had attempted to hijack Shia’s plane.

Though they were still young and lacked experience, their ability to detect signs of trouble from afar and report back was quite impressive.

Although they had been defeated by Shia in an instant, these kids were skilled in handling spirits and controlling the wind, enough to attempt a mid-air hijacking.

Then, after a brief moment, a butterfly with long, tail-like antennae fluttered past Elanarre’s gaze.

“…!”

It wasn’t a butterfly born of nature.

It was a lower-level wind spirit that had materialized in a physical form.

“A butterfly has arrived from the Lily of the Valley Observation Unit!”

“Chaos Ant overflow detected! Chaos Ant overflow detected! Sisters, light up the dawn!”

“Prepare for the harvest. Ready yourselves to reap the pests gnawing at this land.”

The elves hidden among the trees all drew their arrows in unison.

They needed no training.

Having lived for so long, standing back-to-back with their comrades, they knew what to do without a word.

Each knew their role, and that of their kin.

Wind, water, fire, cold, rock and earth, and tree trunks and vines all wrapped around the elves’ arrows. All of them held their breath in anticipation of the approaching tremors.

Rumble… rumble… rumble…!

[Screee!]

From the ground, between the trees, from the earth corrupted and desecrated by bugs, the Chaos Ants began to flood forth.

[Screech!]

[Kyah! Agh!]

[Grk! Aaaagh!]

“They’re coming.”

Although the land beyond the great forest shimmered faintly in the dawn light, soon, black, sickening shadows wriggled and covered the horizon.

The sight was truly grotesque and nauseating.

From afar, it felt like watching filthy water back up from a sewer, and their bizarre, oversized forms, resembling grotesquely enlarged ants, were a testament to the fact that they were Chaos Ants, not blessed by the World Tree or the natural order.

“In the name of Elanarre Siamiruna, commander of the Lotus Knights, I declare to our kin.”

Unable to hide her disgust, Elanarre drew the bowstring made of morning spider silk.

“The harvest begins. Sisters, raise your bows.”

“We shall exterminate these bugs. Brothers, draw your swords.”

“There will be no mercy for the vermin desecrating our mother’s land.”

“““Mother World Tree, watch over us!”””

○○○

“Hahaha, looks like I’m late.”

“…Is that you, Shia? You’re late.”

At 9 a.m., Shia arrived at the scene, awkwardly scratching her forehead.

By then, most of the Chaos Ants had long been swept away by the elves’ arrows and swords, and everywhere, the power of the spirits imbued in their arrows made the air feel brimming with heat and vitality.

“We’ve already dealt with all the Chaos Ants. As I mentioned on the first day, this forest is ours to protect. It seems we won’t be needing any help from outsiders.”

“Sorry for being late. Did anyone get hurt?”

“Just a few light scratches.”

The elves were indeed strong.

Of course, given their small population, it was meaningless to compare their power to that of humans on Earth, but even the ordinary housewives doing laundry here and the young elves, not yet a hundred years old, possessed the strength of at least C-rank hunters.

Among these elves, the gathered strength of the Lotus Knights was such that each member had potential beyond B to A-rank hunters, and from Shia’s perspective, Elanarre, the commander, could easily be considered on par with an S-rank hunter.

With such power at their disposal, it wasn’t difficult for them to cut down the foolish Chaos Ants that charged in relying on their sheer numbers.

‘Ugh, I ended up sleeping in because I was making leaf pancakes until dawn… I should’ve just stayed up all night…’

Shia’s original plan was to help the elves fight off the Chaos Ants and at least establish enough rapport with them to start a conversation. Her intention was to win the elves’ trust and favor, knowing they suffered from a kind of “human mistrust syndrome.”

If she could display overwhelming strength as a saintess by crushing the Chaos Ants, the elves wouldn’t doubt her capabilities. It would also serve as a subtle demonstration of her power, indirectly saying, “I’m this strong, so don’t mess with me.”

Once the Chaos Ant problem was resolved, Shia planned to help the elves with the plague that had been spreading among them and also resolve the worries of Olgania, her precious companion from the Saintess Order. However, her first step had been a spectacular failure.

“By the way, I heard from Lady Olgania that you have the ability to heal wounds?”

“Yeah, I’m a saintess.”

“A saintess?”

At the word “saintess,” Elanarre looked Shia up and down.

…Tentacles were wriggling grotesquely from her waist even now.

With those bizarre appendages, snapping their teeth in hunger and greed, how could she call herself a saintess?

‘This… thing… is a saintess…?’

Elanarre had even seen a saintess from the previous world firsthand.

She’d been told that only a pure, noble woman, untainted by any filth of the world, could become a saintess…

“…Hah, whatever an outsider is, it’s none of my concern. Since you arrived late, help with the post-battle cleanup over there.”

“Okay, got it.”

While she knew that it wasn’t proper to treat Olgania’s guest, who was the last visitor of the World Tree, in such a manner, Elanarre, like most elves, did not have a favorable view of outsiders.

No, it went beyond not liking them—they harbored a deep-seated hatred for humans.

Many elves had personally witnessed their Mother World Tree burn before their eyes at the hands of humans.

Shia might feel that this was unfair and unreasonable, but the trauma engraved in the elves’ souls made it difficult to resolve the issue.

In fact, considering that they were still holding back after seeing Shia, an outsider, the elves could be said to be exercising considerable restraint.

“Oh, right, Elanarre… Captain? Commander? What should I call you?”

“You’re an outsider, so just call me Elanarre. It doesn’t matter.”

“I heard that when you allow someone to call you by your name, it means you’ve gotten close, hehehe.”

“Don’t apply human standards to me. Being allowed to use my name means nothing.”

“Eh… You’re quite prickly.”

Shia sighed inwardly at Elanarre’s surprisingly cold reaction.

Shia was well aware that her appearance was practically cheating.

Even in difficult situations, all she had to do was smile brightly, and most problems would be easily resolved.

Even Teresa and Menelapie would let most things slide when Shia smiled tearfully or acted silly.

But the elves were the first opponents who didn’t respond to the saintess’ smile, which made Shia feel a bit troubled.

“By the way, Elanarre. How many people are here right now?”

“What do you mean?”

“The Lotus Knights dealt with the Chaos Ants, right?”

“That’s right.”

“So how many of the Lotus Knights are present right now?”

“I don’t understand the point of your question. There are 62 members of the Lotus Knights. Today, all of us came out to exterminate those filthy insects.”

“Excluding you and me, right?”

“Sigh, yes. Are you satisfied now?”

“Yep, thanks.”

Elanarre sighed at Shia’s strange questions.

“If you’re going to say useless things, help with the recovery efforts of the other members…”

“Oh! Wait a second. Do you have a moment?”

“…..?”

Ignoring Elanarre’s words, Shia stopped a passing elf.

An outsider, who promised to help, slept in, and now was ignoring her too.

Sigh.

“Yeah, come here for a moment.”

Elanarre internally lowered her evaluation of Shia, the outsider.

She had expected a little more, considering she came as Olgania’s guest, but she seemed no different from the other humans.

And now, what was she doing?

Touching the precious hair of one of our elves as if it were an object? Does she have no basic manners?

‘Hah, forget it. I didn’t expect much from an outsider in the first place…’

Crack!

In the next instant, the elf whose head Shia grabbed shattered with a sharp, explosive sound.

…What…? What just happened?

There wasn’t even time to stop her, or be shocked at what she had done—it all happened too fast.

But before her rational mind could process it, Elanarre’s body moved first.

“You filthy abomination!!!!”

It took less than a second for the enraged Elanarre to draw her bowstring, made of morning spider silk, and shoot at Shia.

Bang!

“Kyaa!?”

“W-What… happened…!?”

The elves who had been working on recovery efforts drew their weapons at the sudden commotion and gathered around. At the center stood Shia.

Crunch, crunch, crunch.

“Oh, tasty.”

However, Shia was completely unharmed after being struck by Elanarre’s arrow.

Elanarre, the commander of the Lotus Knights, had shot the arrow with lethal intent, filled with the power of spirits—a shot that would have been deemed an attack of an S-rank hunter outside of this forest. Yet, that arrow was now being casually chewed in Shia’s mouth, like a snack.

‘Is it because the arrow was made from the life force of the Great Forest? It tastes surprisingly good…? I guess it’s true that everything from the Great Forest, even weeds and tree bark, can be eaten. I bet this would taste like a baguette if roasted.’

Crunch, crunch, crunch.

Sensing the anomaly, the elves working on the recovery all began to surround Shia.

“What is she doing!?”

“Th-That abominable woman…!”

“Elanarre, what in the world is happening…?!”

“Kyaah! One of our kin is dead…!”

“It’s the outsider’s doing, isn’t it?! I knew it!”

“Surround her!”

She’s a monstrosity!

A monster!

We have to kill her!

Voices of rage and hatred echoed from all around, but Shia only tilted her head in confusion, as if she didn’t understand what was happening.

“Nom nom… Huh? What’s going on all of a sudden?”

“Hah…!”

What?

You just crushed the head of one of our kin.

You even chewed up my arrow like a tofu snack, and now you ask what’s going on?

“You abominable creature! How dare you kill one of our kin right before our eyes! Did you think you could still walk away from here alive after that?!”

“…Huh…?”

As Elanarre spoke, the elves’ arrows filled with the energy of the spirits and killing intent aimed at Shia.

It was a far more dangerous and powerful force than what they had unleashed when killing the Chaos Ants.

“If you have a mouth, say something, abomination!!”

“Uh… do elves consider this thing one of their kin?”

“What are you saying…!”

“Take a good look.”

Shia picked up the elf whose head she had crushed and tossed the body at Elanarre’s feet.

She’s treating the corpse of our kin like that…!

“Uh…?”

At that moment, when they looked at the body thrown at their feet, Elanarre and the elves’ faces hardened.

The outer shell began to break apart.

The outer shell that had once been an elf’s appearance shattered into pieces.

As the shell crumbled, a strong ant-like jaw and disgusting greenish blood flowed out, staining the ground.

It was as if an ant had been wearing the skin of an elf.

“…W-What is… this…?”

“You can see it, right? It’s a Chaos Ant. One disguised as an elf.”

“…!”

“It seemed strange to me from the beginning. No matter how many times I counted, the numbers didn’t add up with what Elanarre told me. Plus, it reeked terribly…”

Elanarre’s eyes filled with shock at Shia’s words.

One of her knights, a comrade she had fought alongside and shared her back with for so long… Yet, she hadn’t realized?

How could this happen…?

“Does anyone here know that elf?”

“………”

“…Do you?”

“…No, I’ve never seen that elf before…?”

“Then why didn’t we notice?”

What?

Why didn’t we realize we didn’t know this elf?

It’s clearly an unfamiliar face, but why didn’t we notice until now…?

Seeing the elves in confusion, Shia realized the gravity of the situation.

Even with just this one Chaos Ant disguised as an elf, things had already taken a serious turn.

It had the ability to manipulate minds, create illusions, disguise itself, and even possess the intelligence to infiltrate the elves undetected.

Fortunately, Shia had the ability to sense malevolent energy as a Malevolent Predator, separate from her sensory organs, but the fact that a mere Chaos Ant could fool the eyes of Elanarre, the commander of the Lotus Knights, who could be considered an S-rank hunter, was not something to be taken lightly.

Of course, ordinary soldier ants didn’t have such abilities.

The queen was the only one with aberrant traits.

But the being that had disguised itself as an elf just now wasn’t the queen, but a mere soldier ant.

The level of malevolent energy it held, and the amount of mana within its body, were too small and insignificant for it to be a queen.

Yet, this insignificant soldier ant had managed to manipulate the elves’ minds and perfectly disguise itself. This meant that the queen, who had gained aberrant abilities, had somehow modified her soldier ants.

“Wait a minute…”

And an ant disguised in the Elven Kingdom…

Could that really be the only one?

‘Wow. This is bad…’

It seemed like the situation was going to get much more serious.