The Grill-Wielding Saintess of the Dead

Chapter 95: Huh, A Stalker?” 3

Shia’s drone camera was a model that incorporated the latest hunter technology and the science of returnees, technologies not available on the market.

The drone camera, developed at the Hunter Association’s Moonjuseong Magical Science and Technology Lab, was the pinnacle of hunter-era technology, created through the sweat and tears of professors obsessed with science and technology, along with their graduate and master’s students.

However, since it was packed with all sorts of unnecessary technologies, the price was incredibly high, making it unviable for commercial sale.

It was decided that the cost-effectiveness for commercial purposes wasn’t worth it, and so the drone camera, named the “Prototype Next-Gen AI Hunter Drone Camera,” became a white elephant with no practical use.

If it wasn’t for sale, it could be given to Yeonseo to assist with her hunter life, but officially, Yeonseo was currently a retired hunter, so it wasn’t appropriate for her use.

At that time, the appearance of a returnee like Shia, with her unique case, was a stroke of luck for both the Magical Science and Technology Lab and the Hunter Association.

By lending this drone camera, filled with both useful and unnecessary technology, to the “Specially Managed Returnee Shia,” they found a suitable use for it.

The lab could also collect various test data and demonstrate its capabilities, benefiting both sides.

Of course, the association didn’t just give Shia this crazy tech-packed drone camera purely out of goodwill.

Since Shia was a specially managed returnee with powerful abilities, as even Yeonseo had guaranteed, the drone camera served as both a gift and a means of surveillance from the association.

For several reasons combined, Shia ended up with this drone camera.

Shia’s knowledge of machinery was still limited to devices similar to smartwatches from 2024.

She couldn’t yet fully utilize even a fraction of the drone camera’s capabilities.

Of course, Shia didn’t mind that since it hadn’t been inconvenient for her so far, but in any case, her drone camera had a [Stealth Function].

It didn’t just hide the drone’s appearance.

The stealth function was designed for hunters when they needed to secretly infiltrate dungeons or were tasked with hunting and apprehending criminal awakeners, recording all situations while the drone’s AI supported the hunter.

Thanks to returnee technology, not only the appearance but also sounds and everything else were hidden by a force field.

Unless set otherwise, even trivial sounds and minor details were silently processed.

The sound from the camera, the sound from the force field, and even the faint electronic noises from the drone connected to Shia were blocked by the drone AI’s judgment.

Simply put, the drone AI determined that stealth was necessary for Shia, and thus even concealed Shia’s hunter streaming broadcast that was connected to the drone.

It was nothing special.

If Shia had only activated the stealth function, that would’ve been enough, but she also pressed the [Broadcast Transmission] button, so her stream started in broad daylight.

However, no notifications went out to her subscribers or Net Runners.

Even the signal “This streamer is live!” didn’t show up.

Only those who actively entered her channel could realize she was streaming.

In other words, most people who were busy at work or on weekdays didn’t even know that the “Antics Saintess” had started a broadcast.

The number of people who noticed Shia’s stream was very few.

Among the few who noticed her stream were at best…

“What the! Shia, are you trying to stream without telling me?”

“Olga, shouldn’t you be attending the elders’ meeting?”

“Unnie, you can cover for me! Hehe, I can’t miss this secret stream. Hehe, today I’ll use the points I got from KawaiiHorned… huh?”

Even though she had been reinstated as the Child of the World Tree, Olga was still jobless, leaving everything to her sister Olgania, and endlessly exploring Switch in the Great Forest.

“……………………”

Krrck!

“…..Unnie?”

Yeonhwa, who revered Shia as if she were her real older sister, admiring her strength.

“Mm……”

And then there was the pleasant weather.

The breeze was nice.

The air was refreshing.

Yeonseo, who was taking a walk around the Han River Park area like an old man with nothing better to do, happened to witness Shia being loaded into a shabby black van as if she were being kidnapped (!).

Only about fifty viewers noticed Shia’s stealth stream.

For the record, even when Yeonseo saw Shia being taken somewhere, she felt no sense of urgency.

‘What on earth is Shia planning today….?’

There was no way someone like Shia, one of the few who could face her head-on, would be kidnapped by something so seemingly insignificant.

‘And she’s even started streaming? Don’t tell me…?’

Moreover, Yeonseo was a firsthand witness to Shia’s “antics.”

‘Ugh, the time she showed up with three orcs, asking me with a bright smile to butcher them for her… I thought I was going to lose my mind…’

Yeonseo didn’t feel the slightest worry about Shia. She opened Shia’s stream on her smartwatch while continuing to enjoy the warm sunshine and breeze, certain that Shia was up to some new crazy stunt.

○○○

‘La~lala~lalalala~lala~’

Humming a familiar work song, I waited for something.

Of course, when I came to my senses, I found myself tied up in the dark, gloomy room of my kidnapper.

Judging by how tight the bindings were, it seemed the person had received some hunter training.

The mana and power I sensed weren’t strong, so they were probably at best a C-rank awakener. It was a bit sad that such an awakener would resort to something like kidnapping.

It was a little pitiful to see someone throwing their life into the abyss like this in such a dark room when even lower-ranked awakeners and regular citizens were living their lives desperately.

‘By the way, is that drone really in stealth mode? I can see it clearly…’

Glancing at the drone camera floating near me, I gave a small smile toward the screen.

Well, there weren’t many things that could hide from my eyes.

Judging by the kidnapper’s behavior earlier, it seemed he didn’t even notice the drone floating beside him.

Thanks to that, it seemed I could stream this situation in real time with ease.

I had willingly followed the kidnapper to this apartment, but the situation turned out to be rather disappointing.

At first, I had expected to be taken to a criminal awakening group, where I would confront an underground crime syndicate of awakeners.

Maybe this group would even be a branch of some terrifying foreign mafia or a supplier for the Chinese Triad, pulling me into a massive conspiracy.

I probably played out about twelve crime movie sequels in my head during the van ride.

But instead of some grand conspiracy, it turned out to be just… a creepy stalker?!

I had high hopes…!

I really had high hopes!

I expected something much grander….!

Shia, I’m disappointed in you! Stalker!

Growl

“I’m hungry.”

Anyway, it was mealtime, and since I hadn’t eaten, my stomach started growling.

The malevolent energy I absorbed from the World Tree and Olgania a while back had filled me, so I was fine in that regard. But I couldn’t help the growling from my stomach.

-???

-What is this?

-What is the streamer doing?

-Unnie? Where are you? What is this?

-The person upstairs is docking…?

-Streamer is female, so call it “viewbeam docking.”

-Ohh

-Where is this?

-No notification for the stream, Switch’s server management is terrible.

-I found out it was live while watching the rebroadcast.

-Not even 100 people are watching, lol.

-How many viewers?

-Hello? Is anyone there?

Meanwhile, a few people started to appear in the chat window.

Of course, compared to the usual number of viewers, this was nothing.

Only a few dozen people had joined.

Is this because of the stealth mode? Is the stream also in stealth?

‘Come to think of it, this might be better.’

I realized that a topic like “stalker” could be divisive.

No matter how it ends, at least as a saintess who streams, I had a duty to protect people’s eyes.

Looking around the stalker’s house, it didn’t seem particularly wealthy.

The house was smaller than the returnee shelter I was staying in, and the furniture was sparse.

There was a faint trace of mana, so maybe a D-rank? Or a C-rank hunter or awakener, but they didn’t seem particularly rich.

The room was dreary, with curtains drawn in the middle of the day, as if it hadn’t been ventilated in a while.

Honestly, the place reeked of the smell of a lonely bachelor, and it was very unpleasant, but… let’s just consider it as part of the struggle to create content.

As I quietly sat in the chair, waiting, the creepy stalker who kidnapped me finally returned.

“Hehehe, finally, you’re mine.”

“….?”

-Who is this creep?

-I don’t know.

-Hey, isn’t that your boyfriend?

-Lol.

-Unnie, Unnie, where are you?

The stalker approached me with a sleazy smile, and pulled out a weirdly shaped flute from his pocket.

That flute… is it made of bone?

Screeech

“?”

-?

-My ears!

-That’s loud!

-What is this?

-Stop the noise!

At that moment, a strange sound pierced my ears and seemed to seep into my brain…

Ting!

…only to be instantly repelled.

What was that?

It reminded me of the time when I countered curses used by the defected black mages from the Demon King’s army to confuse or mind-control our soldiers in the previous world.

“?”

“Did… did it work?”

“……?”

What?

What worked?

“This, Shia! You are mine from now on!”

“Uh…”

-?

-??

-?

-?

-What is the streamer doing?

-Is this some kind of funny hidden camera prank?

-Hypnosis?

What is he saying?

Ah, could this be… hypnosis?

Aha! So that’s what it is?

No wonder the person stalking me didn’t just randomly try to kidnap me.

He must have some secret or foolproof method to incapacitate me!

To be honest, the sound from that bone-made flute wasn’t ordinary at all.

The sound had physical force, and it tried to go beyond my ears and manipulate my brain.

If it wasn’t me, it might have worked really well on someone, possibly enchanting or brainwashing them.

As I sat still, the stalker hesitated, unsure if the hypnosis had worked, but cautiously began untying the ropes that had bound me.

Even after untying me, I stayed still, doing nothing.

When he saw this, he seemed to believe that the hypnosis (?) or whatever it was had worked, and his face filled with joy.

-??

-???????

-What the hell is going on?

-What is the streamer doing?

-Unnie, Unnie, where are you? I’ll come to you right now, hold on!

-Who is that guy?

-Can’t even see the guy’s face properly. Did the streamer mess with the filter?

-No, seriously, what is this?

-Is that a stalker???

He let out a childish giggle, and I couldn’t help but smirk.

-Shouldn’t we report this?

-Could the streamer actually be kidnapped?

-Lol, the streamer is so strong, what nonsense are you talking about? Haha

-Can’t you tell just by looking? Look at the streamer’s eyes. She’s grinning, catching some fun content, obviously! Hahaha

-?

-Oh, right?

-Is she pretending to be kidnapped as a joke now?

-Think about it, this is the girl who soloed an S-rank centipede dragon in 10 seconds. Kidnapped? Pfft.

-Haha, I just saw the stream title, LOL.

-Eating a meal at a stalker’s house, haha.

-What? Is this the theme?

Thanks to some quick-witted viewers, the atmosphere in the chat, which was about to spiral, quickly lightened up.

I tilted my head slightly as I read the chat, smiling, and the viewers seemed to realize that nothing was actually wrong with me.

-Oh, for real, huh?

-Hahaha

-So it’s a joke where the streamer pretends to be kidnapped by a stalker, haha.

-Lol.

-Haha.

-Here comes the antics.

[‘BaldManagerSlap’ has donated 30,000 won!]

ㄴWow, I’ve never seen a stream like this in my life, Noona.

-Rly, LOL.

-Haha.

-It’s all antics… pure antics…

-Behold, the antics are upon us.

-Ooh, indeed. There are antics here. Ooh, indeed. There are antics here. Ooh, indeed. There are antics here.

-Rly, this is the first time I’ve seen someone voluntarily pull antics with a stalker. LOL.

-Noona… please…

-Unnie, where are you for real?

Right, if the atmosphere of the chat or the stream becomes too chaotic or over-immersive, it could ruin the stream.

It’s necessary to let the viewers know that this is at least partially a performance. Fortunately, thanks to the stealth mode of the drone, it seemed the stalker didn’t realize I was streaming.

Well, when someone has their kidnapping victim in their house, it makes sense they wouldn’t be watching a stream but rather focusing on me.

“I’m hungry.”

“Huh? Ah, right! You must be hungry!”

Fortunately, it seemed like the stalker knew me well, as he began rummaging through something.

“Good. Just wait a little bit. From now on, you won’t need to go out ever again. I’ll take care of you here forever. Hehehe.”

Oh, really?

Have you prepared something substantial?

Alright, let’s see what kind of meal the stalker will serve me…

“Hehehe, here’s your food!”

“……”

Frozen food?

By the way, frozen food is one of the few things I haven’t wolfed down like a dog since returning.

It’s not that I despise frozen food, but back in the military, it was the main meal we would wolf down like dogs.

Every day, my comrades and I would go to the PX or the military mart to buy frozen food.

Now that I can eat much better and more expensive meals, I just don’t bother with frozen food anymore.

Seeing all these laid out reminds me of those long-forgotten memories.

I wasn’t expecting anything grand, but I thought at least he would have prepared some homemade dishes.

But, well, he prepared it, so…

“Yeah! Thanks, I’ll eat well!”

“Hehehe. Yeah, eat a lot.”

-Wow, what the heck.

-Where is this?

-If you come to my house, I can feed you till you burst.

-Lol.

-Noona, stop joking and just leave.

-Is today the stalker guy’s death day? Haha.

First, he microwaved five frozen chicken schnitzels.

There were also five microwaved cream udon dishes.

This is the combination I used to enjoy back in the day.

How could anyone resist schnitzel and cream udon?

On top of that, he reheated some leftover chicken and served it on a plate.

There were also three packs of frozen shrimp fried rice, hot dogs, sausages, and hotbars.

Basically, most of the food seemed to have been bought from a PX or a convenience store.

I later learned that hunters have a discount mart where they can buy items cheaper than at regular stores, similar to a PX.

For drinks, he brought out three or four bottles of orange juice and two bottles of grape juice.

Well, at least the juice will help with digestion. No soda?

Well, let’s eat first and think about it.

Slurp.

“Hehehehe…”

*Chew chew… not bad?”

As expected, the taste remained the same.

There’s that unique slightly fishy smell of frozen food, and sometimes there’s an undercooked or frosty section, but that has its charm too.

Of course, the taste was far inferior to the food I usually eat, but I couldn’t just waste the precious meal the stalker had prepared for me.

“Hehehe… mine, mine…”

“Hehe, chew chew. Munch munch.”

As I ate happily, the stalker’s smile grew even wider.

Yeah, laugh while you can.

“Hehehehe.”

“Hahaha.”

You might not have many chances to laugh in the future.

○○○○

Today was a rare day off for Yeonhwa.

Since receiving the hunter name “Icicle Nine,” which signified her as a standout and proven elite A-rank hunter, she had practically no days off due to her busy hunter activities.

Except for the occasional times Shia called for help, invited her for meals, or asked her to accompany her to the Returnee Management Bureau, Yeonhwa had hunted over a thousand monsters and cleared over thirty dungeons in just a few months.

Although there were many rookie hunters, it was said that no one, aside from Yeonseo, had ever stood out as much as Yeonhwa.

For Yeonhwa, a day off was extremely valuable and precious.

Her obsession with strength and tendency to push herself had somewhat improved after meeting Shia.

Thanks to that, one of her few hobbies on her rare days off was lying in bed and watching Shia’s streams, or catching up on the ones she had missed.

That day, Yeonhwa chuckled as she binge-watched Shia’s past broadcasts that she had fallen behind on.

The previous broadcasts had been fun, but the one Shia had briefly done in the Great Forest was particularly entertaining.

[Sa~ranghaeyo~]

*Bang!*

“Pffft!”

Yeonhwa couldn’t hold back her laughter, as it felt like SpongeBob’s voice was playing in her head.

She hadn’t expected such a broadcast from the Great Forest of the Elves.

For reference, when Shia had pulled off a yakuza-style coercive adult video director concept on a married elf woman, Yeonhwa found herself blushing and getting overly immersed without realizing it.

‘If I get the chance, should I secretly donate and ask her to keep doing the coercive adult video director concept for a while…?’

Nah, that’s going too far.

With that thought, Yeonhwa exited to the main page of Shia’s channel to watch the next broadcast.

“Huh? Unnie is streaming? Why didn’t I get a notification?”

If the notification had popped up, I would have watched right away.

And what she saw was…

[Having a meal at a stalker’s house]

“……..?”

Unnie?

The temperature in Yeonhwa’s room dropped drastically as her muscles tensed and the veins on her forehead bulged.