Chapter 158 The Girl Who Eats Meat 4 - Ancestor
As I was about to sprinkle garlic powder and parsley on the fur-stripped Shiprani, the words they uttered, begging for their lives, caught my interest.
Ancestor.
Surely, it wasn’t referring to the king from the Joseon Dynasty, so it must have been a shamanistic, ritualistic reference gathered from their beliefs.
Olga had also mentioned that in her previous world, some intelligent species among non-humans worshiped their ancestors and animal spirits. Essentially, faith was a measure of intelligence and civilization.
Of course, depending on how concretely this faith is structured, one could gauge the level of their species’ development. In the case of these Shiprani, their civilization didn’t seem to go beyond the Paleolithic stage of humans, but having heard the word "ancestor," I couldn’t just ignore it.
"Hehe, go ahead and lead the way."
– *Ugh...*
– *Squawk...*
"I said, do it."
– *Squeeek...*
Well... their fur was completely plucked off, making them look like Sphynx cats. Covered in seasoning and garlic powder for flavoring, they trudged forward, which made me feel a little pity.
But what could be done?
If they didn't want to be in this situation, they shouldn’t have made humans their staple diet.
Again, just because they walk on two legs and talk doesn’t mean they possess humanity.
They are B-rank, high-risk monsters that feed on humans as their main food source.
["Is that really a saintess....?"]
It didn’t seem like the viewers were too uncomfortable with what was happening, so that was fortunate.
["She looks more like a butcher than a saintess, lol."]
["Oh, the saintess says she wants meat, LOL."]
["If they don't want to die, they better offer up their ancestors' bones."]
["'Kuronichiwa' has donated 10,000 won!"]
"That feels like watching an old Mongolian cavalry unit wipe out a weak tribe."
The Shiprani, with their doll-like round eyes brimming with tears, reluctantly led me towards their precious, great ancestors.
["'KawaiiHorned' has donated 33,000 won!"]
"Hey, but why is there an elf eating meat?"
[?]
[?]
[??]
["Wait, really?"]
["Huh... come to think of it..."]
["What? Elves don't eat meat?"]
["It's common knowledge that elves are vegetarians."]
["Seriously, the stream’s been going on for this long, and you’re just asking this now, LOL."]
["Did anyone read the stream title? It says, 'Meat-Eating Kaanf,' plain as day, LOL."]
As some may already know, even before the Great Forest transferred to Earth, individual elves existed on modern Earth.
Although rare, there were a few returnees who became elves. Those elves either became hunters or used their outstanding abilities to adapt to modern society.
Some elves who couldn’t adjust went off to live as hermits in deserted mountains or forests. Nevertheless, information about elves had spread to a relatively common degree.
Naturally, it was somewhat common knowledge that elves love nature and tend to avoid eating meat, being mostly vegetarians.
"Yeah, as the title says, today I plan to eat Shiprani meat with Olga."
– *Squawk!?*
– *Ugh!!*
– "You said you'd spare us! You said you'd spare us!!"
"Shia, since they've stopped walking, doesn't that mean we can start the disassembly here?"
"Is that so? I suppose those who have stopped walking don’t need legs."
At my words, the Shiprani leading the way momentarily froze in terror, but at the sight of Menelapie glaring from behind, they hurriedly started moving their hooves again.
"Um, Shia... unnie..."
It seemed Olga was feeling uncomfortable about how harshly I was treating the Shiprani.
Even though she had vowed to eat meat today, Olga was an elf, and elves, at their core, are nature-loving, life-preserving, kind-hearted (though perhaps misguided) vegetarians.
Feeling sympathy for the Shiprani, who seemed intelligent, wasn't that strange. However, this required a bit of convincing.
"Do we really have to go this far just to eat meat?"
"Of course, Olga."
Even though I joked about the "Mangji Squad" and all that on the stream, as the moment of actual carnivorism approached, Olga seemed to waver more and more.
But I had no intention of letting her off the hook.
After all, we’re going to be spending a lot more time together, right?
The association and the state both dumped all responsibility for the elves onto me because no one else could be trusted to handle them. So, whether I liked it or not, it was a given that I’d be with elves for the foreseeable future.
But do you have any idea how hard it is to be stuck with elves and not eat meat, forcing yourself to swallow bitter vegetable wraps while crying inside?
Sure, elf-grown vegetables are incredibly delicious.
The vegetables from the elves are unlike any ordinary vegetables, no doubt about that!
But no matter how tasty the vegetables are, without meat, it just feels empty!
Anyway, ever since I was entrusted with all the elves, I couldn't stand watching them only gnaw on greens.
"But those Shiprani have lives too... I was taught that life is precious."
["'KawaiiHorned' has donated 10,000 won!"]
"You're saying life is precious, but weren't you the one who knocked out the Shiprani's teeth with a one-two punch?"
"...KawaiiHorned, you better hope we don’t meet in person."
["'KawaiiHorned' has donated 5,000 won!"]
"Nyeh nyeh nyeh, we’re not gonna meet anyway. Nyeh nyeh nyeh."
"You little...!"
["Are the two of them having a private conversation now?"]
["Shouldn't they be banned for that, LOL?"]
["Gross, private conversation vibe."]
["Ugh;"]
["Ban them both."]
"Yeah, so what? Cute little Olga can do that."
["We’ll probably see a controversy section about streamer favoritism pop up on the wiki."]
["‘Whoosh-whoosh’? The streamer promotes private conversations?"]
["Nah, LOL, can’t elves just have a private conversation too? You’re going too far, LOL."]
["In that case, shouldn’t KawaiiHorned at least be banned, LOL?"]
"Eh, those who donated less than KawaiiHorned should just keep quiet."
[?]
[?]
[??]
[??]
[?]
[???]
["LOL, is she really a saintess...?"]
["Look at this blatant favoritism, WTF, LOL."]
["She said she wouldn’t react to donations, but now she’s showing favoritism like this?"]
["LOL LOL LOL LOL"]
["Is KawaiiHorned actually the streamer’s dad or something?"]
["This is going way too far. I’m out."]
"Ahem! A saintess works miracles based on faith and belief. And KawaiiHorned gives me tremendous faith and belief through donations! He's not just some simple meat-broth; he’s a fervent believer. Isn't that right, Menelapie?"
"If Shia says so, then it must be."
"See! Even the hero agrees!"
[?]
["What the hell is going on here, really?"]
["If you don't want to get kicked off the collab, keep quiet, LOL."]
["No comment..."]
"Hmph, anyway, Olga. Are you saying that the vegetarianism of elves is about respecting life, and that by eating meat, I’m disrespecting life?"
"....."
Olga couldn’t deny it.
As part of the Mangji Squad, it seemed hard for her to outright deny my carnivorous ways.
In reality, most elves’ attitudes toward eating meat were even more extreme than Olga's. None were more lenient.
"Then, Olga, let me ask you the opposite question. Do you know how much of a war it is to grow vegetables?"
"What? A war?"
Olga tilted her head, looking as if she had no idea what I meant.
"Farming involves chasing away deer that eat crops, shoveling out moles that ruin fields, and stopping wild boars that trample down farms. Even in eco-friendly, pesticide-free farming methods, traps are filled with the bodies of small creatures. So how can farming be considered respectful of life?"
"But elf farming methods are different from humans'!"
"Sure, elves don't hunt deer when they come into the field; they just chase them away. I know that. But do you think the deer that the elves chase away will survive and thrive forever?"
"Isn’t it better than killing them?"
"No, it's not. The reason those wild animals come down to your fields is that they have nothing to eat. By driving them all away, you're not saving them; you're starving them to death."
"Haah...!?"
Olga's face turned to shock, as if she'd never considered this before.
"Farming is about humans conquering nature and standing atop it. It means cultivating land even where the natural environment and climate aren’t suitable. You irrigate areas without rain. And you eliminate anything that threatens the crops. If that’s not a war, what is?"
"...That, that can’t be....!"
"Olga, by now you should understand. The cabbage, radishes, potatoes, and corn from the Great Forest that you consider the blessings of nature... in the end, they're the
result of a massive pile of dead lives!"
"Gasp...!"
[?]
[??]
["That's a bit much..."]
["No matter how you look at it, comparing humans to elves in terms of farming is a stretch, LOL."]
But Olga could no longer see the sarcastic comments in the chat.
For her, this must have been an earth-shattering revelation that shook her worldview.
"Our elf farming methods, and the act of growing crops, are so barbaric and terrifyingly violent...!"
"So, Olga, vegetarianism and meat-eating are fundamentally the same! We eat to survive, and we eat to enjoy. There's no good or evil in that!"
[?]
[??]
"Ultimately, both are survival methods adapted by a species to fit into nature. Just as elves insist on being vegetarians, my preference for meat has the same root!"
[No, that's not it.]
[No matter how you spin it, saying meat-eating = vegetarianism is a reach.]
[Out of nowhere, she’s bringing up morality, LOL.]
["Kusotori" has donated 69,000 won!]
"Stop it alreadyyyyyy!"
"When have you ever seen someone get criticized for eating meat? When have you seen the government come and arrest someone for eating lamb, beef, pork, or chicken?"
"...Well, I haven't seen that happen."
[Why the sudden tangent, LOL?]
[I saw this coming, LOL LOL.]
Even among the elves, eating meat wasn’t illegal.
If they wanted to eat it, they could, but most chose to live as vegetarians, drinking the morning dew of the dawn.
"On the other hand, if you want to grow mushrooms for hallucinations or extract opium from poppies, or if you want to eat khat or cannabis leaves from a garden, the police in human countries will come after you, and if you have a large crop, they’ll drag you to jail. Isn't that proof that the state believes vegetarianism is more harmful than meat-eating?"
"That's... that's true!! Now that you mention it, you’re right! I haven’t really seen anyone arrested for eating meat in human countries!"
There might be a few cases, but percentage-wise, it’s practically non-existent!
[Wow, listen to the flow of this conversation...]
["Saintess" seems to fit after all, because her words sure scramble people’s minds, LOL.]
[LOL, her words sound like nonsense, but because of her voice and looks, it somehow sounds right.]
[Seriously, LOL.]
[I was wondering when the nonsense would start, LOL.]
*Squeak!*
The completely plucked Shiprani led the three of us deeper and deeper into the dungeon.
At first, it seemed like we were heading into a valley, but soon, the path lit up with mysterious light. The canyon's elevation dipped below our line of sight, and the Saintess of the Dead, the Hero, and the World Tree’s little child realized that the "ancestors" the Shiprani spoke of were no mere bluff.
"Wow... even in a dungeon, there’s a place this mystical."
"It seems even monsters can have faith and religion. If they weren’t hostile toward humans, perhaps we could have had a conversation with them...."
[They ate the diplomats sent to negotiate with them for a meat party, though.]
"Well, then they deserve death."
"If Shia says so, then it must be."
Trembling with fear, the Shiprani led us to the deepest part of the [Table of the Lambs] dungeon.
This was the most sacred place for the Shiprani.
The deepest part of the dungeon was the underground tomb of the Shiprani, where mana and malevolent energy had gathered and concentrated into an essence.
Though it was called a tomb, it wasn’t like a human cemetery with gravestones; it was just a place where the corpses of Shiprani had piled up into a mountain.
In any case, with this much concentrated malevolent energy and mana, the creatures that inhabited this place would be suitable not just for Shia's palate but also for Menelapie and Olga.
– *Squeal!*
– *Squeak!*
"What are they saying?"
At Menelapie’s question, Shia closed her eyes briefly.
– *Oh, ancestor.*
– *Oh, ancestor...*
– *Watch over us!*
– *Grant us sustenance!*
– *Squeeeak!*
Well, it wasn’t exactly a meaningful conversation.
Shia shrugged as if to tell Menelapie it was nothing important. Menelapie, who usually trusted Shia’s words, didn’t pay much attention to the Shiprani’s cries.
*Boom!*
"Eek?!"
"It’s okay, Olga."
When a human dies, some believe their soul goes to heaven.
Others believe in reincarnation, depending on their actions in life. There are many who believe in the concept of rebirth.
With such a large human population and diverse beliefs, thoughts about the afterlife and souls are as varied as the number of humans themselves.
So, what about the souls of monsters?
Monsters are hostile to humans and harbor malevolent energy, but some do possess souls.
If monsters didn’t have souls, the lucky Blade Centipede wouldn’t have received the name "Yane" from Shia, nor would it have undergone its ascension process.
In any case, it’s not entirely unheard of for monsters to have stories of an afterlife.
Subconsciously, mana and malevolent energy gather around piles of corpses and form a kind of faith.
The hunger and desire of countless Shiprani accumulated, forming a collective primitive faith that took on a physical form.
Compared to humans, it was insignificant and not even properly realized as a faith.
However, no matter how weak, the desires and beliefs of tens of thousands, if not millions, of Shiprani were still mysteries, representing their faith.
This was the Shiprani's "ancestor."
– *Woooooong!*
A glowing blue spectral form appeared in the massive underground space of the dungeon.
["Whoa... it’s floating??"]
["What the heck is that?"]
["Never seen anything like it."]
["Not even on Hunter Wiki."]
["Is that an evolved Shiprani?"]
Even the viewers seemed startled, as it was their first time encountering the "ancestor," and the chat was rapidly filling with confusion.
"Wow, it’s a flying Shiprani!"
The ancestor, or the spectral entity, didn’t walk on two legs like the Shiprani. Instead, it was a quadrupedal beast, though its appearance still resembled that of a Shiprani.
It had the body of a roe deer with massive sheep-like horns and wool. Its glowing, hunger-filled eyes still glinted with desire, even though they belonged to a spectral form.
"By the way, Shia, that spectral form has a physical body... can it be eaten?"
"Menelapie, it’s not good to be a picky eater."
"Ah, I see... I was mistaken."
"Good. As long as you understand, Menelapie."
"Um, you two... it’s coming toward us?"
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*
"Huh?"
"Eek!"
["Oh my God, it’s huge."]
["Is the streamer going to be okay?"]
["What’s there to worry about? She’s S-rank, lol."]
["But what if that thing’s also S-rank?"]
["Worrying about the gal who killed the Centipede Dragon in five seconds is overkill."]
The awakened ancestor, sensing their presence, immediately charged toward the intruders.
As the ancestor suddenly entered an attack stance, Shia quickly summoned her tendrils from her waist. Menelapie, ready for anything, stepped in front of Olga, prepared to activate her aura at any moment.
However, the ancestor didn’t target the three of them.
*Crash!*
"Huh, it’s going for the Shiprani!?"
– *Squeeeee!?*
– *Screech!*
– *Woooong!!*
– *Squawk!*
The ancestor, with its massive horns, rammed into the Shiprani who had led them here.
["Wait, why is it attacking its own kind??"]
["What’s going on here?"]
*Thud, splat!*
– *Squeeeeeek!*
– *Ancestor, whyyy!?*
– *Why are you doing this!?*
– *Squaaak!*
– *Damn you, ancestor!!*
Faster than the Shiprani, who could accelerate up to 130 km/h, the ancestor charged and swept its massive horns through the Shiprani, impaling them. As the impaled Shiprani let out strange screams and curses, they died one by one.
One Shiprani was dismembered the moment it was struck by the horns.
Another was flung into the air, its head crushed upon landing.
Others were left dangling from the ancestor's horns, skewered and lifeless.
Shia and Menelapie, who had expected to be attacked, were left slightly bewildered, watching the ancestor mercilessly slaughter its own kin.
– *Wooooooo!!!*
Soon, after killing all the Shiprani, the ancestor let out a bizarre wail. Simultaneously, the bodies of the dead Shiprani began to be sucked into the ancestor’s horns and mouth.
"Wh-what the... my Shiprani...."
It was just as it appeared.
The Shiprani that Shia and Menelapie had painstakingly plucked and covered with kimchi powder and garlic seasoning were all devoured by the ancestor.
Shia's eyes were wide with shock at the sudden, senseless deaths of the seasoned Shiprani.
"Huh, uh... the ancestor is absorbing all the Shiprani?"
"Sigh, I worked so hard to dismember them..."
Perhaps this outcome was inevitable.
The Shiprani’s fundamental beliefs and desires, their very faith, were all about hunger.
The desire to reproduce.
The desire to possess females.
And, most of all, the desire to gorge on food.
Despite being relatively intelligent for monsters, the Shiprani's desires were primitive. Born from those desires, the gigantic quadrupedal Shiprani ancestor was incredibly ferocious.
Since the Shiprani themselves were capable of cannibalism when hungry, it wasn’t surprising that this flying quadrupedal ancestor, born of the same desires, would attack and devour its kin without hesitation.
"Sniff, sniff... h-huh..."
With the Shiprani now completely eradicated by the ancestor, Shia knelt on the ground, her face filled with sorrow.
"Sniff, sniff, those cruel bastards... how could they... how could they be so heartless to my Shiprani...!"
["Excuse me?"]
["??"]
["?"]
["?"]
["Uh, what?"]
"You monster! How could you do that to the Shiprani!?"
["LOL LOL LOL LOL"]
["Is she out of her mind, LOL?"]
"I, Shia, hereby declare in the name of the Meat Fairy."
["Wait, aren’t you supposed to be a saintess?"]
["Ah, it’s been a while since we heard from the Meat Fairy, LOL."]
["LOL LOL LOL."]
With a determined and solemn expression, Shia glared at the ancestor that had slaughtered her precious Shiprani.
Shia's face, as she stared down the ancestor, looked as beautiful and divine as the moment when she had resolved to defeat the Demon King in his castle.
...At least, that’s how it appeared to Menelapie.
Even Olga, who had been silently watching from the side, let out a sigh. So, how bewildered must the viewers have been?
"Ancestor! You are evil! I will avenge my Shiprani’s deaths!"
["LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL."]
["Weren’t you the one who killed them, though? LOL."]
["LOL LOL."]
["I’m losing it, LOL."]
["Ah, yes. This is the chaotic nonsense I’ve missed."]
["'Onyo' has donated 10,000 won!"]
"Um, what kind of stream even is this?"
["What else? It’s the Saintess of the Dead spouting nonsense and causing chaos."]