[Gallery News: Now Promoted to Mermaid Race] (1199)
ㄴRecommended: 743
『
(Approximately news video)
(Approximately news link)
For the lazy gays who don’t want to watch the video, here’s a quick summary: Because the Gallery Master broadcasted non-stop for about a week from the Mermaid Dungeon, the National Assembly has officially upgraded mermaids from monsters to a subspecies of humanity.
The proposers are S-grade rank 1 Yeonseo, S-grade rank 31 Yeonhwa, and returnee Menelapie.
As of midnight yesterday, the bill has taken effect, so from now on, mermaids will be treated like elves, dwarves, and other beast races recognized for their human rights.
Considering that mermaids primarily inhabit the sea, let’s ask our kind Jang-Bung to avoid coming near the shoreline for a while so that any mermaids that might come ashore don’t leave a bad first impression on humans.』
[What the hell is that last line, you bastard!]
ㄴ[LOL!]
[Oh, is that already resolved?]
[Wow, wow!]
[I saw the Gallery Master’s broadcast, and the mermaid girls were incredibly pretty.]
[That’s just because there’s a filter applied; they looked like they weren’t even wearing clothes.]
ㄴ[Really?]
ㄴ[Wow, wow!]
[Oh my, does that mean it’s not illegal to hang out with the mermaid girls now??]
ㄴ[Our Jang-Bung probably won’t even be able to say a word when the mermaid girls see his face; they’ll think about returning to the sea immediately…]
ㄴ[You bastard.]
ㄴ[LOL!]
ㄴ[LOL!]
[But doesn’t it usually take months for a monster revision bill to be proposed and approved?]
ㄴ[It took about 3 years for the Catmen to be promoted to humanity.]
ㄴ[Why?]
ㄴ[I dunno.]
ㄴ[Well, normally once a monster is branded, there are lots of hunters making a living off it and many government departments involved—it’s natural for there to be backlash and a need for negotiations.]
[Holding my breath until the Gallery Master returns. Gasp!]
ㄴ[This guy is holding his breath again.]
ㄴ[I thought he died last time.]
ㄴ[LOL!]
ㄴ[By the way, why isn’t the Gallery Master broadcasting?]
ㄴ[It’s only been two days, bro, LOL!]
ㄴ[? Didn’t he start streaming?]
ㄴ[Really?]
○○○○
“Ahahaha, I’m so sorry, Mother. You seem to have been really surprised, huh?”
“…..That’s what you call speaking… Sigh.”
The giggling appeared like an innocent girl of that age, but inside was a cunning and malicious black witch.
Teresa enjoyed the chaos caused by her words.
Maintaining the awkward atmosphere from their first meeting wouldn’t do much for Teresa, so she intentionally played this prank.
Well, even if it were not the case, Teresa genuinely loved to joke around.
That was also part of being a witch. Witches were masters of deception.
After all, having lived through numerous episodes, tricking people and hiding her intentions had become second nature for Teresa, making it almost inseparable from her identity.
“Hehe, let me formally introduce myself, Mother Shia. My name is Teresa Kaitlyn. In my previous world, I was the companion and ally of the dead saint Shia. I came all the way to Earth to find Shia.”
With that elegant bow like a noble lady, Yoonjeong felt her anger rising but slowly dissipating.
Though Teresa’s playful antics crossed a line, Yoonjeong, being captivated by her graceful demeanor and attractive appearance, didn’t raise her voice significantly, even as a fellow woman.
However, it wasn’t all bad.
Unlike the usual awkwardness that people maintain upon first meeting, thanks to Teresa’s mischievous humor, Yoonjeong quickly felt comfortable speaking with her.
“Haah, nice to meet you… I’m 19 now, but in my previous life, I was Shia’s mother.”
“I’m happy to meet you too, Mother. I may be a bit older, but please understand my situation for greeting you like this.”
Teresa’s little prank had thankfully come to an end without major incident.
“I… when I first saw you, I wondered if Shia had been rolling around in some rough world in another realm…”
“Hehe, I’m not that kind of girl, Mom…”
Shia knelt beside them with drooped shoulders.
It made sense, considering Yoonjeong still mistakenly believed that Yane was Shia’s biological daughter.
To spare Shia from worry, Yoonjeong hadn’t mentioned anything deep about Yane, and Shia couldn’t imagine that Yoonjeong would have such an misconception, resulting in an unintentional misunderstanding between them.
In such a situation, upon seeing Teresa following Yane, Yoonjeong couldn’t help but feel an instinctive panic that Shia might have brought home an illegitimate daughter from some good-for-nothing troublemaker.
Any parent would likely faint if their child suddenly brought a child saying, “This is my daughter!”
To summarize, though Shia was innocent, it caused a bit of a mess.
“Hey, Mother. Even if Shia looks like a pig, there’s no doubting she’s a saint.”
“Oh my! Teresa, how can you be rude to Shia’s mother?”
“Isn’t it what she prefers? Our straight-laced Warrior insists on respecting Mother Shia, yet you’re using that old-timey speech that makes her uncomfortable?”
Amidst this, Teresa and Menelapie continued their minor disputes over trivial matters.
Although they had conquered the Demon King together, facing countless incidents and sharing hardships, it felt like returning to that time in the Imperial Palace, and Shia couldn’t help but smile unconsciously.
“Hehehe….”
Those times were nice.
And she thought they’d never meet again, yet they reunited in one room… and now, even introduced her mother.
Just with the fact that they would never part again, Shia unintentionally wore a silly smile.
Soon, Teresa, Shia, Menelapie, and Yoonjeong gathered in one spot and began to bloom various conversations.
From simple tales of Earth to recounting what Shia did in her previous world.
Menelapie spoke in a near-sermon tone about how incredible Isia was, saving so many people as a saint, while Teresa shared stories with Yoonjeong about how childlike, innocent, and playful Shia could be.
It almost felt like a family meeting.
As time went by, stories flourished through the night.
And naturally…
In places crowded with women, gossip and chatter were inevitable.
Wherever there are stories, there must be snacks and beer to enhance the flavor of it all.
Gulp, gulp, gulp…
“Oh wow, Mom, you can really eat, huh?!”
“Mother, aren’t you overdoing it?”
“Burp! Ha! Menelapie! You think you can just ignore me because I’m young?!”
“That’s not it….”
“Oh dear, this clueless Emperor wants to pour cold water on what’s getting exciting.”
Although Shia generally liked eating, Teresa and Menelapie had enjoyed Shia’s culinary activities for over 60 years in their previous world, so they were also fond of food.
By the way, Teresa used to claim she could survive without food, so she seldom ate, but after being with Shia, she developed the habit of having meals for every single sitting—even when not needed.
“Ha! When my Shia was a boy, oh… how dependable he was…!”
“Excuse me, what do you mean, Mother!?”
At that moment, upon hearing that Shia had been male, Menelapie’s eyes, which were previously concerned that Yoonjeong was drinking too much beer, turned 360 degrees in astonishment.
With the Golden Eye shining brightly, it seemed that this was an exceptionally captivating story for her.
“Mom! Stop with the ancient stories….. gulp!”
“Wow… just like the sinister Emperor, upon hearing Shia had a thing between her legs, look at you drooling.”
“That’s not it! It’s just that I’m intrigued about unknown aspects of Shia….”
“Start wiping your drool, you lewd warrior!”
As the conversation progressed, they enjoyed endless snacks and drinks, raiding the convenience store located in the hotel basement for numerous beers.
Ugh, the beer… is gone…
“What? Already?”
“Ah, I’ve only drunk 13 bottles!”
“It seems like Earth beer suits you well.”
“I haven’t had this beer for months! Wouldn’t you go crazy as well?”
By the way, Teresa didn’t drink quite as much as Shia, but she was a witch with a fanatic love for beer since her previous world.
It was her routine to sip beer daily while conducting magic research instead of water, and she would always taste the beer before food whenever traveling to a new region.
In any case, this modest beer party continued. Yoonjeong, being a D-grade hunter, could drink more than an ordinary person, while Menelapie and Teresa, boasting superhuman physiques, could consume a fair amount too. Moreover, with Shia being teased as the “pig saint,” the made-over convenience store snacks and beer simply wouldn’t satisfy her.
Hmm, what to do…
Ideally, they should have thrown a reunion party upon finally arriving on Earth, but due to various responsibilities like dealing with the fake Demon King’s castle and returnee regulations, it became a bit awkward to gather and simply share a few beers at the hotel.
‘What to do…’
However, concluding the beer party here would leave all of them, not just Shia, rather disappointed.
[In the area of Nam-gu, Busan, a C-grade Erosion Gate has opened. The danger level is low, so no evacuation orders have been issued, but residents are advised to refrain from going out. The monsters appearing in the Nam-gu area currently are small F-grade goblin groups and…..]
At that moment, upon hearing the broadcast from the TV, Shia’s attention was drawn to it.
By 2088, a regular warning broadcast aired at 9 PM regarding dungeons opened by gates.
However, this time it wasn’t anything dangerous, just a routine warning resembling “It’s windy outside; bring in the laundry.”
Erosion gates were usually at or below C-grade, and even if monsters did emerge from the gate, the local patrol hunters or guilds dispatched members to safeguard the area, ensuring there wouldn’t be extreme casualties unless one were extraordinarily unlucky.
In short, it was ordinary news, so Shia quickly lost interest and stood up, intending to raid another convenience store.
[..and currently in Yeosan-dong, a Fugu Dove is appearing, so residents are advised to avoid provoking it.]
“Oh….!”
A, Fugu Dove?!
At that mention, Shia licked her lips and stared at the TV.
Fugu Dove…..
“What? So that monster exists on Earth?”
Gulp, gulp… “Wow! Teresa? Did you have that monster in your previous world too?”
“Yeah, Mother. They were pufferfish residing in the southern coastal regions of the Empire, looking like a mix between a pufferfish and a dove. They’re not particularly dangerous, but seeing a plump dove that flies like a pufferfish can be a bit scary when they’re in groups. However, they’re excellent for hangover recovery, so they’re a specialty even in the imperial court…”
That’s right. It was indeed so.
The Fugu Dove.
Known as the puffer-dove dish, Shia remembered it well.
The Empire’s cuisine in her previous world leaned towards Western styles, but the southern regions, where Fugu Doves resided, culturally embraced savory stews and hot soups akin to Korean food.
After visiting the south and tasting the Fugu Dove soup for the first time, Shia still retained a fond memory of it deep in her heart.
To be honest, every delicious food found a special place in Shia’s heart.
“I will cook it for you!”
“What? You?!”
Teresa’s face stiffened at Shia’s declaration that she would cook.
‘No way, is she going to cook?’
In her previous world, while Shia was liked as a saint, she could also definitely be described as someone lacking in various aspects outside of her saintly duties.
Though she excelled at combat, healing, and comforting people as the saint, she fell short in everyday human skills, such as cooking, which Teresa had closely observed while standing next to the Emperor Menelapie.
Moreover, given all the stage iterations Teresa had witnessed, she had never encountered a version of Shia proficient in cooking.
“I’ll make a Fugu Dove! I will make Fugu Dove soup for you!”
“You?”
Teresa tilted her head as if contemplating and then broke into a smile, her lips curling.
“What a piggy girl, sitting there casually talking about capturing a pig.”
“Hey, Teresa! Are you doubting Shia because she wants to cook for you?”
Unfortunately, the only one defending Shia was Menelapie, while Teresa replied to the warrior’s passive response with an unmistakably tired expression.
“Hey, think about Menelapie. That girl has messed up every single dish she’s tried for 60 years; she always left it to your palace chefs!”
“No! That’s not true…! I can cook a bit better here!”
“Talking is cheap.”
“So what if it’s delicious?”
“If it is, I’ll even suck my toes.”
“Okay, don’t back down!”
