Chapter 339
As Baekchakchi activated the mana veins of the dungeon to cast a mental erosion spell on Menelapie, the air quivered.
Of course, a human would never feel that.
Even a hunter with far superior senses than a regular human couldn’t perceive it either.
Only monsters that possessed similar senses, like those peculiar beings, could hear the veins of the dungeon screaming.
The rapid increase in the number of monsters within each dungeon and the swift recovery of injured ones were all thanks to the monsters’ ability to detect the dungeon’s veins.
In this dungeon, excluding the minotaurs, there were at least four beings who could hear the cries of the veins, and coincidentally, two of them were quite close to Baekchakchi.
“Ahem~!”
– Woah, whoa…..
“Yane, stop showing off and finish it.”
“Kyaa!”
Before the camera, Yane posed with her chest out, and at the urging of the Mermaid Princess, she used her tail to behead the minotaur.
As the creature’s head flew off and blood splattered on Yane, the drone’s filter turned it into a white liquid, making it look on stream as if Yane was coated in pure white milk without a hint of obscenity or brutality.
– Tasteable
– Who says it’s tasteable, you crazy fool, lol!
– But honestly, it might be possible
– That pure white liquid on Yane’s body…that’s precious, you know?
No matter how young Yane was, and despite the viewers taking on the roles of uncles and aunts enjoying their niece’s antics, Yane’s body was fundamentally very similar to Shia’s.
The size and shape of the local lumps of flesh, plus her height.
Even the intricately sunken details, right down to the specifics.
[‘KawaiiHorned’ has donated 10,000 won!]
Yane, do the beef elimination ceremony for me!
“What’s that?”
“Just strike any pose.”
“Kyak!”
At those words, Yane jumped up and landed.
“Br, this!”
– ……
– …
On screen, Yane was seen, covered in white liquid, lifting one leg and performing a V sign with both hands like an idol.
– This is it! Aaaaaahhhh!
– Wowwwww!
– That white liquid running down Yane’s hands…
– Click click click click click click click click
– Oooohhhh!
– Wow
– Oh man
– Wooooow!
– Oooohhhh!
– Tonight, this is it!!!
The chat couldn’t help but go wild at that scene. Fresh blood from the minotaur dripped from Yane’s fingers, adding a bit of extra flair.
Of course, the viewers also saw the blood running down her fingers filtered as white.
– Find your reason, guys!!!
– Come on, that kid is just a child!
– You bastards are doing this to a child, lol!
– But it’s still a turn-on, right?
– Wow, damn
– Yane!
– Yane is cute!
– Uncle…Yane’s antics…are the best…
– You loser in the corner crying about his uncle is hella funny!
– You bastard!
The two continued their broadcasting as they explored the dungeon, taking down any minotaurs they encountered.
Originally, Hyung-An’s Mermaid Princess had no intention of streaming, but when she tried to stop, Yane desperately blocked her way. Eventually, throughout their exploration, they ended up unintentionally stealing Shia’s broadcast.
Given the usual nature of Susu and Jang-Bung, it wouldn’t have been unusual for comments like “I came to see Isia, who are you?” to surface. However, as Shia gained fame, so did Yane’s recognition in the Jangheon gallery, and bad deeds in the chat didn’t occur.
“Kyak?”
“Hmm?”
Then, shortly after, the air trembled, and Yane’s tentacles vibrated slightly. Hyung-An’s Mermaid Princess, sensing some anomaly, twitched her ear fins.
Only monsters could perceive the vibrations of the dungeon’s veins. Both Yane and Hyung-An’s Mermaid Princess gazed into the empty space spurred by the sudden sensation of the veins.
Originally, they planned to find Shia, but their destination suddenly changed.
—
Hehe, meat is delicious.
What I was eating was beef.
Very delicious beef.
It had a slightly faint chocolate smell, yet when I took a bite, the burst of juice and savory flavor immediately brought a smile to my face.
Where did I get the beef?
No idea; Menelapie had it.
When she had just arrived, it was a bit strange seeing her hold a sword in one hand while the other carried several beef skewers on an ice tray. But I couldn’t spare any attention since I was busy calming down my blackened hero!
Truly, Menelapie is amazing.
She managed to draw my gaze so much that I didn’t notice the beef…
“Om nom nom.”
Though it had cooled a bit, the beef skewers were still more than tasty.
At first, there was a faint sweet smell like chocolate, but once I took a bite, the clean and savory juices burst forth, almost knocking my sense out.
The skewers—lined up with radiant colors—were dripping with juicy goodness. I sat down and used my powers to start a little campfire to grill the skewers.
I wasn’t stuffed, but there were quite a few skewers. Cooking them slowly made me feel like I was camping rather than being in a dungeon.
And what about Menelapie, you ask?
“Ughhh….”
“Ugh.”
She was lying down.
Where, you ask?
Right on my chest.
“Hah, ugh…”
She was deeply inhaling, perhaps for some scent, but unfortunately, I’m a saintess.
I don’t have any waste smell; all that might remain is a hint of fabric softener from my clothes and a faint body scent.
So, even if Menelapie buries her nose between my chest like a puppy, I wouldn’t feel shy at all.
“Hah…”
“Menelapie, there’s nothing to smell like that.”
“That’s what’s good…”
What’s good, you ask?
What?
It’s impossible for me to understand… No, wait.
Actually, I don’t dislike smelling Menelapie or Teresa.
Both of them always had the pleasant scents of flowers or luxurious perfumes.
They tasted great too.
Anyway, what am I doing right now?
I’m eating beef.
Menelapie is taking up my body, citing severe mental strain.
This scene feels a bit like a male spider offering food to a female spider while the female is engrossed in eating, and the male attempts to mate during that moment.
Of course, both Menelapie and I are female, and there’s no need for her to be scared like a male spider trying to offer food.
And despite my former position, I can’t just leave my emperor and hero beneath the ground!
Though I’m just casually hanging out on Earth, my number one in my heart has always been Menelapie.
And as Lilybet remarked, my hero had half-blackened and was bringing herself down, so as her saintess, how could I possibly just stand by?
‘It’s fine to stay like this until Lilybet, who was watching the surroundings, returns.’
And considering that the half-blackened Menelapie was emitting a grey aura, I’d do well to be cautious, lest I witness something unpleasant when she meets Lilybet.
Meanwhile…
I have a silly, fluffy, oversized, pristine Seongnyeok pouch that no one has touched.
So, I don’t feel the slightest bit embarrassed about lending her my chest as a pillow.
Honestly, feeling bashful about this now would be weird. After all, we’ve been together for over 60 years, having seen everything between each other; blushing in embarrassment was wrapped up ages ago.
Also, even though I lent my chest to Menelapie as a cushion, it wouldn’t stop my mouth from wanting that beef.
Since Menelapie brought it, I should eat it all without leaving anything behind.
While enjoying the beef, I also heal Menelapie’s spirit by sacrificing my own body.
“Om nom nom. Delicious.”
“Hehe, it’s tasty…”
“Menelapie, aren’t you eating anything?”
“Just stay quiet, huff…ugh, huff…”
In the meantime, it seemed Menelapie was regaining her royal demeanor, enough to be on the path to mental healing.
Seeing her smile like a happy puppy with that twitching mouth, she must feel pretty good.
“Om nom nom.”
– Snap!
“Hey, Menelapie. Don’t squeeze too hard. It hurts.”
“…….”
– Crunch!
Ouch.
“Don’t bite either.”
“Hah, alright…I suppose…”
Even though I said that, Menelapie didn’t ease her grip.
It’s not that it really hurt; it’s just a strange feeling.
I’m used to pain, but this sensation is utterly unfamiliar.
While I could withstand becoming a rag doll, I’m rendered helpless by this ticklish sensation that doesn’t dull.
It’s bizarre.
I can take pain like a champ, yet get completely nulled by a single ticklish feeling? I can’t help but think that’s utterly ridiculous.
Even if Menelapie always pretended to be unfazed, she’s still human.
No matter how superhuman her abilities and mind are, at her core, she’s human too, and she has her own stresses, especially the moment we parted in that bottomless pit—an event that became a trauma for both of us.
So when I heard “I’m disappointed!!” from her, it’s not surprising she had such reactions.
…No, honestly, it’s puzzling.
Who would’ve thought she’d suddenly start self-destructing like that, processing mental strain and cutting her sensations until her aura turned grey?
So I’ve decided to be more careful going forward in my actions and words.
Every little thing I do tends to catch Menelapie’s attention. However, a flippant comment seems to be like a nuclear bomb for her psyche.
Teresa easily brushes off remarks with something like, “Yeah, whatever, worthless saint,” but surprisingly, Menelapie seems significantly more vulnerable to this.
For me, it’d be great if I could eat this all on my own. I’d love to hog all this deliciousness to myself.
But how long do we need to be like this?
If this helps heal her mental wounds, then sure, I’m cool with it. But, this position is quite awkward, and it’s becoming stiff in my spine, however relaxed I try to be.
Menelapie was refusing to budge despite my orientation, and I was forced to turn my head while eating the beef without letting any juices or bits drop on her.
In a position like this, a normal person would’ve long since had their bones and back sore by now.
“Kachkacha, kachkacha.”
But wait, did Menelapie do this skewer?
Since… if I remember correctly, Minotaur meat is just beef itself.
When I first returned to Earth, I was half out of my mind from hunger when I devoured the Black Minotaur, tearing into it even to the bones, but actual Minotaur meat is reputed to be very delicate.
It looks like it was specifically prepared for cooking. Unlike my purification miracles, it must’ve undergone a blood removal process and was cut into perfect sizes before being placed neatly on non-melting ice skewers.
No matter how I look at it, this doesn’t look like something Menelapie could’ve done.
She’s a jack-of-all-trades, sure, but Menelapie doesn’t have freezing abilities.
‘Could this be something Yeonhwa did?’
Mhm, yeah.
If Yeonhwa is indeed an S-rank ice magician, she could surely create plates or skewers that wouldn’t melt even in flames.
When she made hangover remedies from the Demon King’s teabag fragments before, Yeonhwa’s plates didn’t melt even when I set them on fire for a while.
So, could it be that Menelapie actually snatched this beef from Yeonhwa?
‘Nah, that’s impossible.’
– Crash!
What was that?
Suddenly, behind me, a tree exploded as I turned while still chewing my beef.
Menelapie, in that chaos, buried her head even deeper into my chest, showing no interest whatsoever.
But Menelapie, isn’t that kind of suffocating?
Your face is completely wedged between my chest now, you know?
Just a side note, my waist is caught between her chests.
This isn’t Tetris or anything…
While briefly glancing down at Menelapie and munching on my beef, a somewhat larger and squirmy shadow leaped out from between the trees.
Somehow, that silhouette looked familiar.
– Kap kap kap!
“Hah, hah. Damn it, so fast…!”
Wait, huh?
An unfamiliar voice…
No way, that voice sounds familiar…
“Licidia?”
Om nom nom.
Gulp.
Wait, what? I thought it was a monster.
Suddenly jumping out from behind the trees, Licidia emerged, breathing heavily as she shot a fierce glare at me and Menelapie.
What? What gives?
Why’s she glaring like that?
She must have run for a while, as she was visibly out of breath.
Well, as a human, Licidia wouldn’t have the vast powers like I do, so running a fair distance must’ve had her gasping for air.
“Hah, hah… damn it… heroes and saintesses… sigh… Really…!”
Oh, I see it now?!
Everything suddenly makes sense! (Not really)
The sizzling, cooked beef brought in by Menelapie correlates perfectly with Licidia’s sudden appearance.
“You wanted to have some beef, didn’t you?!”
“…What?”
“Hah, it really smells nice! Even though I don’t know who made it, every bit of blood’s been drained, and it’s been cut just right—how could I resist the sizzling sound and smell?!”
At my statement, Licidia’s face turned rigid, as if in shock.
“Are you kidding me? I lost to them…?”
Her grip on her tentacles drooped in disbelief.
What the heck, a loser?