Chapter 167: Yarikiri! 4
Lirisia was extremely angry.
Since being drawn to Earth by a fragment of the Demon King, it was the first time she had expressed such a pure and righteous anger.
When Menelapie’s sword cut her, rather than feeling anger, she felt a sense of relief and liberation.
Even seeing herself going wild in some parallel world didn't really make her angry, although it was bewildering and shocking.
But starting from 8 a.m., she had spent the entire day working without rest, overturning sand, terraforming, and doing hard labor under scorching sunlight strong enough to burn the skin of an ordinary person.
And after barely finishing her work quota, what was she given as a snack?
Vegan?
Veeegaaaan?
After all that hellish labor, the so-called “lunch” was just green grass — even if she was the Witch of the Dark Star, Lirisia felt this was clearly crossing the line.
"Hey, everyone, get up!"
"Supervisor?"
Lirisia’s work team, resting under a large shade tree grown by an elf’s touch in place of a parasol, lifted their heads, shocked at her appearance as she struggled to contain her anger.
"Sempai, what’s going on?"
The one who responded first was, of course, the geeky elf.
Even though he was known to be a bit corrupted by geeky tendencies, the seriousness in his eyes when he sensed something was up showed that he’d eaten his fair share of experience.
"Gasp, could it be you're in heat? Did you eat a love potion with a sensitivity of 3,000 times? Eek! No way, did Sempai aim at my maidenhood...?"
"......"
Lirisia felt nothing but contempt for herself, if only briefly, for hoping for anything from this lunatic elf.
Despite spending more than three weeks with that crazed creature, she had yet to come to her senses, making it clear her overall skills and mental acuity were in decline.
Splat!
“Gah!”
"...Supervisor, is something wrong?"
"What, are they making us work more?"
"Hey, do any of you even know what the menu is for today?"
"Menu?"
At the mention of "menu," the elves tilted their heads in confusion.
The elves' meals were prepared by a lady known as "Sister from the Big Tree House," an elf with over a thousand years of culinary experience.
Excluding the Great Olgania or Elanar, the leader of the Lotus Lake Knights, she was likely the most senior among elves, with a talent for creating food that rivaled anything a chef could craft, no matter the ingredients.
Thus, as long as Sister from the Big Tree House was in charge of their meals, the elves had no doubt or suspicions about the menu.
"If Sister from the Big Tree House made it, I’m sure it’s delicious."
"That’s right. Lirisia, you don’t need to get so worked up over the menu..."
“Hah, listen to this! Then do you have any idea why I’m losing my mind here?”
"What... Did it lack meat or something?"
"No way... It’s not like we’re in the Great Forest."
"Sempai, don't worry too much. If Sister from the Big Tree House made it, I’m sure she prepared an amazing soybean sprout stir-fry."
Then Lirisia showed them the food tray covered in leaves.
Today’s menu was lotus leaf-wrapped rice.
The rice, steamed in lotus leaves, absorbed its fragrance and flavor down to each grain, served with well-seasoned bracken cooked in soy sauce, crispy fried leaves made with the Great Forest’s special sauce, and a refreshing elven bean sprout soup.
Each item promised delightful flavors... but there was no meat.
The whole meal was green. All green.
"........"
“Wha....?”
If they were the elves from three weeks ago, they would have said, “What’s wrong with this? This is a fantastic meal!”
They might have even argued with Lirisia about what the problem was.
However, what greeted these elves, who had just left the Great Forest blessed by the World Tree and the spirits, was grueling manual labor over 12-hour days, exhausting terraforming work, and extreme conditions with temperatures exceeding 50 degrees Celsius and intense sunlight.
Since the Desert Dungeon belonged personally to Yeonseo, the elves had no other choice for settling on Earth. Despite their abilities being on par with average A-rank awakened beings, the pioneer team's work was undeniably harsh.
Though this dungeon covered a vast area, Yeonseo had only built a small villa on a central plateau and had only engaged in small-scale cabbage farming, so there was no infrastructure. Consequently, large-scale, environmentally friendly construction started using the unique abilities and labor of the elves.
The first day was fine.
Starting from the second day, the elves felt their strength gradually draining from the intense labor.
But they could still manage.
The elves had now reconnected with the spirits and could use their powers, so they felt they could endure.
The vegan cuisine of Sister from the Big Tree House was tasty, and though it didn’t give them as much energy as before, it was still delicious.
Hold on a little longer.
Endure a bit more.
For the Great Forest.
For their kin.
For Lady Olgania.
Determined to endure, the pioneer elves resolved themselves.
Until that point, even though Lirisia only tasted the elves’ food and realized it was vegan without meat, she decided to tolerate it, knowing their races differed.
Besides, Lirisia could just take Yeonseo’s black card and easily eat outside the dungeon, so it didn’t matter.
She didn’t even feel hunger like she did back in the days as the Witch of the Dark Star, so there was no need to overeat.
However, the problem arose on the third day when Little Olgania came to visit the terraformers.
[In the name of Olganiaeiraniervelda, the child of the World Tree, I declare!]
[Huh? What is it?]
[Lady Olgania?]
Although Little Olgania did not exert any significant political influence over the elves of the Great Forest, she was still, after all, a child of the World Tree.
For elves, a declaration from a child of the World Tree was something they could not take lightly.
[Eating meat is a noble thing!]
[...What?]
[What did you say?]
[...Oh, dear...]
[Lady Elanar!?]
[Eh, Lady Elanar, please, pull yourself together!]
[Medical team!!]
Elanar, who had come along as an escort for the pioneer team, fainted on the spot upon witnessing Little Olgania's absurd declaration, and the other elves seriously began to wonder if she had lost her mind.
They began to worry that Little Olgania, who always stayed locked in her room either watching live broadcasts or browsing genre galleries, had finally fallen.
As the elves started to harbor suspicions about her words, Little Olgania raised high the Sheep Lani ancestor's gochujang marinated in spicy sauce, which she had obtained from the Saintess of the Dead.
[Look! Behold the noble and beautiful form of this dish!]
[It’s horrific...!]
[How could anything so savage...!]
[Barbaric!]
[Aaaah....]
[Lady Olgania, please have some dignity...!]
However, Little Olgania did not falter.
[Brothers and sisters, you may call me corrupted and say I’ve lost my mind, and I’ll accept it. For a long time, our Great Forest has lived in respect for life, blessed by the World Tree, respecting all life born of the Earth Mother’s hands. We have learned and believed in this way.]
This was common knowledge among all elves of the Great Forest.
[But!!! After hearing the words of Lady Shia, the Saintess of the Dead, who saved us, I have gained a great revelation!]
[Lady Olgania... Please, stop...]
[Aaaaaah... Little Lady Olgania has lost her mind...]
[Everyone, the Saintess of the Dead told me this! That the vegetables, greens, cabbage, and crops we grow to support our plant-based diet are in fact borne upon the bodies of countless lives that have passed!]
[Well, that is true...]
[To grow apples, pests are exterminated. We put spirit shields over cabbage to ward off bugs. We drive away wild boars and deer that trample fields. And we have done all of this without hesitation! But, veganism... a plant-based diet... is nothing more than the ignorance and arrogance of the well-fed!]
Elanar, who had fainted at Olgania's bombshell declaration, awoke in a panic, only to feel the world spinning again upon hearing Little Olgania’s lunatic words.
[Who decides what is right or wrong? Did the Mother World Tree ever command us not to eat meat? No! In the past, we in the Great Forest took it upon ourselves to interpret the Mother’s will, forbidding meat-eating as a way to honor the Earth Mother. But never once has the Mother World Tree forbidden meat! Not once has she called eating meat barbaric or lowly, nor has she ever praised plant-based diets as noble!]
[Well, that... is true...]
[It makes... sense...]
[Because eating the flesh of a living animal is brutal and savage? Then do trees, grass, fruits, and roots not possess life? No! Every leaf we consume has life embedded within it! We understand this even more profoundly than humans! So, now that we’ve set foot on a new world called Earth, we must break free from this vulgar dichotomy of "noble plants" versus "barbaric meat!" ]
[Oh, indeed!]
[Indeed... is it?]
[Could it be true?]
[Maybe it is...]
[No, are you guys crazy…! Are you seriously agreeing with this?]
[But, Little Olgania isn’t exactly wrong, right?]
[Is that so?]
[I, as Olganiaeiraniervelda, child of the World Tree, declare! Meat is the same as vegetables! They are equal and cannot be ranked! Only taste determines superiority! So, brothers and sisters of the Great Forest, from today on, I shall permit the consumption of meat!]
Although there was no thunderous applause or cheering, an official decree allowing meat consumption had been issued to the elves, starting with the pioneer terraformers.
Of course, even with the meat allowance declared by Little Olgania, no elves initially dared to eat meat.
Only Olgania, who cheerfully enjoyed the gochujang marinated meat gifted by Shia, ate it among the elves. But, overwhelmed by the aroma, some elves found themselves following their noses to find Olgania's leftover meat sizzling on a grill, eventually leading to the first elf indulging in meat.
After the first step, the rest was as simple as a falling domino.
As one elf spread the word about the wonders of eating meat, more and more elves began to abandon their long-standing tradition of elven veganism, becoming enchanted by the taste of meat.
And this was only a short while ago.
While not all elves in the Great Forest embraced meat, the majority within the pioneer team had succumbed to the allure of meat through Little Olgania’s revelation, and they were eagerly working to recruit more.
After enduring over twelve hours of backbreaking labor, the joy of biting into sizzling meat wrapped in fresh lettuce blessed by the spirits of the Great Forest, seasoned with ssamjang, and washed down with the rice wine Yeonseo bought from the market was pure bliss.
But now, after such a “meat revelation,” what did they say?
Vegan?
Vegan, seriously?
Upon realizing the reason for Supervisor Lirisia’s fury, Brivie and the other elves sprang up from their seats.
"Has Sister Zelkova lost her mind? After we work ourselves to the bone in the morning, she gives us a field of greens for a snack??"
"This crosses the line."
"This is an impulse I cannot ignore! Charge to the cafeteria at once!"
With that, Lirisia and her dozen or so elves, including Brivie, immediately stormed toward the cafeteria.
The cafeteria was already crowded.
They weren’t there to receive food.
Elves from other work teams were also in shock over the vegan meal and had gathered to voice their complaints.
Little Olgania was there as well, scolding the Sister from the Big Tree House for failing to include meat in their meal.
"Sister Zelkova! Don’t you think this is going too far?!"
"Exactly!"
"We have to work for 18 hours today!"
"We’ve been doing overtime since last night! How could you give us this kind of meal?"
"The food you prepare is always delicious, Sister, but this just isn’t right."
"Receiving such greens while being forced into hard labor is an injustice I cannot tolerate!"
Rather than sounding like a hardcore geek, he seemed like he was losing his mind.
Ignoring the geeky elf whose speech had grown more peculiar due to his meat deprivation, Lirisia approached the Sister from the Big Tree House, who was scratching her cheek awkwardly.
As the work team supervisor and the elves’ officially recognized “senior” according to Yeonseo, Lirisia felt a responsibility to speak up.
"Haah... this is troubling."
"Hey, Zelkova girl."
"Ohhh~ it’s Supervisor Lirisiaaa~?"
Having encountered her more often than she liked in the past three weeks, the Sister from the Big Tree House gave Lirisia a faint smile.
"You’ve been putting at least one portion of meat in the menu for about a week, right? Why the sudden return to a field of greens?"
"Ah, well..."
Slightly dodging the question, the Sister from the Big Tree House seemed hesitant to answer, prompting Lirisia to tilt her head as if she’d caught onto something.
Although the Sister from the Big Tree House was a long-lived elder elf, her personality was so gentle and caring that she often granted the requests of her younger elf peers.
She even went out of her way to make a corn salad not on the menu when someone craved it, prepared sweet potato dishes glazed with honey from the Great Forest for those who needed extra snacks, and after the meat decree, she had willingly cooked large quantities of meat that she had probably never handled before for the elves’ meals.
Even though it must have been challenging, she never complained or voiced any displeasure.
There was no reason for her to suddenly revert to a vegan menu without explanation.
"Did someone tell you to do this?"
"Oh..."
"Who was it?"
"Um, well, ahaha…"
The Sister from the Big Tree House forced a weak smile, and Lirisia’s mind quickly raced through her guesses.
In fact, there was no need to even guess.
Only someone with considerable authority or nerve could interfere with the elves’ diet.
If not nerve, it had to be someone with the kind of power or authority that could influence the elves.
And few individuals possessed a level of authority that rivaled Little Olgania, who had decreed the right to eat meat.
Only Elanar, the leader of the Lotus Lake Knights, or Great Olgania, who was busy negotiating asylum with the Korean government and the Hunter Association, could fit that profile.
But Lirisia recalled that Great Olgania was comfortable eating meat, and Little Olgania herself had promoted the virtues of meat-eating, so they could be ruled out.
So, by process of elimination…
"I’m the one who did it."
‘As I expected.’
It was Elanar.
"Wha—Elanar did this?"
"Well, if Lady Elanar is behind it, there’s nothing we can do..."
"Boo hoo... but I’m hungry..."
With Elanar’s sudden appearance, a few elves immediately lowered their heads.
Even Little Olgania seemed cowed, avoiding eye contact with Elanar.
Although Elanar seldom involved herself in politics, she held elder-level power and authority, and her fame and combat prowess from thousands of years guarding the Great Forest made her unrivaled among elves, except for Olgania.
When Shia had come to the Great Forest, it was due to Elanar’s authority that she could summon all the elves for the grand gathering. Even now, all elves deeply respected and admired Elanar.
"Hah, Elanar. Did you hate meat-eating that much?"
"Please don’t misinterpret it. It was a necessary measure."
"A necessary measure? Just admit you found eating meat repulsive and tried to return to a vegan menu."
"Haah, while I do despise and avoid meat consumption, given that I have spent over a thousand years consuming only the blessed crops of Mother and dew, naturally, it’s not something I enjoy. But this wasn’t intentional."
"Unintentional?"
"The ingredients supplied to the Big Tree House currently come from external human suppliers due to the logistical situation."
Although the elves brought many supplies from the Great Forest, the vast distance between the forest and Yeonseo’s dungeon meant even the self-sufficient elves needed help from human suppliers for ingredients and equipment.
"Once a day, at 4 a.m., human suppliers deliver ingredients for the elves on night duty to receive. The payment terms were finalized by the Korean Hunter Association, and every day, the suppliers bring ingredients for the elves’ meals based on daily payments. I merely instructed Sister from the Big Tree House to plan the meals with the ingredients the humans provided."
However, hearing this, rather than accepting it, Lirisia frowned irritably.
"So, the suppliers took the money but messed with the ingredients? And instead of complaining or verifying it, you just accepted it?"
"I’ll make sure those humans take full responsibility."
"Forget responsibility—what about the elves who worked 12-hour shifts and didn’t get meat? Couldn’t you have bought meat when you confirmed the delivery in the early morning?"
"Do you honestly think a Great Forest elf would lose strength from going a single day without meat?"
"What’s going on?"
At that moment, a gate opened, and a fragrant breeze carrying the scent of flowers dispelled the desert heat.
Having just finished another day of negotiations with the Korean Hunter Association, Great Olgania had returned.
Sensing the unusual atmosphere upon her return, Olgania looked to Elanar, wordlessly asking for an explanation.
"Oh, Lady Olgania. These elves came here to complain about the meal."
"About the meal?"
"Yes, this is today’s menu."
Prepared with care by Sister from the Big Tree House, the meal included lotus leaf-wrapped rice, elven bean sprout soup, braised greens, fried leaves, and seasoned bracken.
Though splendid, it was undeniably a nature-centered field of greens.
"No meat, huh? So that’s why they’re all worked up?"
"Yes."
Elanar had hoped that, even if the elves had succumbed to meat-eating, and even if Little Olgania was spreading the gospel of meat like a cult leader, Great Olgania would surely guide them back onto
the right path.
And, as if to answer that expectation, Olgania smiled.
"Elanar?"
"Yes."
But there was one thing no one knew.
Since Little Olgania had officially allowed meat, the elves naturally thought she was the first to try it. But in reality, that wasn’t true.
Great Olgania had once been a companion of a hero named Yujin.
In her previous world, she had gone through countless battles alongside Yujin to crush the Demon King’s head.
Initially, Olgania had refused to eat meat, claiming, “I cannot harm a life loved by the Earth Mother.” But as the hellish journey dragged on endlessly, she eventually turned to meat to ease her mind and body.
Though she had eaten it out of necessity, Olgania, as the Great Forest’s representative, kept it secret for the sake of her dignity.
But one day, when Little Olgania returned from an outing with the Saintess of the Dead reeking of grilled meat, Great Olgania, smelling it from afar like the scent of ramen, found her long-suppressed craving for meat reignited.
‘And this is also for Yujin’s sake. Since Yujin is human… it’s only right to feed him well so he can… keep going…’
With all these reasons combined, Great Olgania had silently condoned Little Olgania’s decree allowing meat consumption, pretending not to notice.
But now?
Just when she could enjoy meat under the guise of saving face, this damn meddlesome subordinate had regressed the menu to greens?
"Huhu, Elanar."
"Yes, Lady Olgania."
"Bow your head."
"Yes, as you wish… Wha—?"
"Bow."
Thud!
At that moment, Elanar’s head was driven into the ground by the force of the wind spirit.