35. At the foundation festival (11)
I walked with Elijah holding hands.
‘What if my hands sweat? .’
But I couldn’t let go of her hand and wipe it.
The strength of the tight grip is considerable.
‘That, rather than that, where should I go?’
Several minutes of walking without speaking.
I was nervous.
It can be said that just walking and watching is one of the ways to enjoy the festival.
‘But why…. Umm….’
I feel a sense of pressure, like I have to do something.
Unlike me, Elijah was calm.
She stares at her surroundings with those cat-like eyes.
Drunk drunken babbling.
A child she smiles at him.
Another man singing a sloppy song to accompany the dance.
A woman dancing with her as if she was excited after watching her.
Street restaurants lined up at stalls.
In front of him are full of young people.
There are also places that sell simple accessories.
Similarly, guests gather in groups of two and three and chat happily.
A night sky full of stars like spilled sugar.
Below, the night view of the festival shines brighter.
Elijah and I walked in silence.
The colorful lights of the festival are reflected in her red eyes.
Bead-like pupils made of jewels.
I asked casually.
“What are you looking at?”
“Just, this and that.”
“Are you enjoying yourself?”
I was purely curious.
Elijah is mostly indifferent to anything.
What kind of emotions is she feeling in this situation?
At my question, Elijah looked up at me.
She blinks her eyes wide, then replies after a while.
“I don’t know. But….”
Soon, he smiles lightly.
“I think it’s good.”
Elya is still having trouble feeling emotions.
She says, as if guessing, that it seems to be good, not ‘good’.
Even with her own feelings.
That’s different.
I wonder if Elijah is in a good mood right now?
“You?”
She asked abruptly.
“… So do i.”
“I see. Thank god.”
What is fortunate?
What are you thinking?
I was about to ask, but I gave up.
I thought it would be an uncomfortable question for Elijah.
*
“Aren’t you hungry?”
“A little bit.”
While holding Elijah’s hand, he naturally led him.
It’s my first time at a festival, but fortunately I know a little about the founding festival.
Because I’ve encountered it through games.
There are also many street food stalls set up for the festival.
There are no hygiene problems as only food and people verified by the imperial family are uploaded.
Sometimes there are fakes trying to sell food without verification.
I can tell them apart, so this is fine too.
‘What would you like to eat?’
She fed Elijah for five years.
That’s quite often.
As a result, she learned about Elijah’s appetite.
For now, there is nothing to cover.
I eat almost any kind of food.
‘Among them, I especially liked eating vegetables and meat together.’
Then skewers will be fine.
I went to the most famous skewer stand in Konje Festival.
As expected, there are quite a few lines.
“What is this?”
“This is a place that sells skewers of beef and vegetables.”
“Hmm. Okay.”
“Don’t you like it?”
“Not really.”
Elijah answered as if he had no idea.
Come to think of it, I just figured it out while feeding him.
I have never actually asked Elijah about his likes or dislikes.
“Is there any food you particularly dislike?”
“Maybe.”
Maybe… what is
Does that mean you don’t know yourself well?
“You seem to have been eating well when you were with me.”
“Because you are giving it.”
“… ….”
I was speechless for a moment.
I laid her soul on her and looked up at her.
Elijah looks up at me and tilts her head.
“Why?”
“… No. No. Nothing.”
It’s a relief that we only held hands.
If you held it, you’d find out that your heart was beating suspiciously fast.
*
I walked down the street with her skewers in hand one by one.
It’s a little fortunate that I didn’t ask for food.
It would be very uncomfortable to hold hands and feed them with the other hand.
Elijah followed me, meticulously fiddled with her skewer.
‘To eat meat and vegetables at the same time. You know how to eat.’
I watched it once.
The thing that greases the lips and makes the cheeks convex….
It’s kind of cute.
‘They say cute things are cute.’
Elijah suddenly pointed to one side.
“What is that?”
“It’s an acrobatics troupe that does a circus.”
Clown makeup.
Or there were people who were dressed up fancy enough to match that.
Standing on a big ball or juggling with several small balls.
I even made a puppet dance with fancy hand movements.
“Is this your first time?”
“I only heard the name. I’m not really interested in entertainment.”
I thought Elijah would know better than me, but that’s surprising.
I still don’t know much about Elijah.
“Is that even an acrobatics?”
There, a clown was breathing fire from his mouth.
“I can do that too.”
“Yes? What…. Ah. Those people are not wizards.”
“… Aren’t you a wizard?”
Elijah looked at the fire-breathing clown with different eyes.
She tilts her head as if it is very mysterious.
Then he mumbles her skewer.
“How can you breathe fire when you’re not even a wizard… ?”
Because the muttered question is too innocent.
“… It hurts!”
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I laughed unconsciously.
I quickly turned her head away and covered her face with her free hand.
‘Ah, sir…. Be patient, be patient! Who laughed at the master’s words like this… !’
Elijah said in a hoarse voice.
“… Why are you laughing.”
“Ah, that’s great… ! Greatness! Hmm, sorry.”
I cleared my throat and quickly cleared my expression.
I don’t think it went well.
If you see the corner of your mouth hurting.
I closed and opened her eyes and looked at Elijah.
She thought she would be pouty, she was staring at me as if she was seeing something strange.
“I’ve never seen you smile like that before.”
“… Sorry. I shouldn’t have laughed.”
“Because you don’t smile in front of me.”
Usually laughing in front of the owner… Isn’t it?
Rather than saying I’m special.
“Smiles well in front of other people.”
“Ummm….”
“I want you to smile often at me too.”
Having said that, Elijah quietly avoided her gaze.
As if shy.
Soon she raises her eyes and looks at me.
Big red eyes.
“I think this way… Strange?”
I swallowed her saliva before answering.
I needed a moment.
How to think about this question.
Is it strange to want others to smile?
I don’t think so.
It is perfectly natural to wish for the goodwill of others.
The weird thing is, the question itself is asking if it’s weird.
‘You….’
Swallow the question that fills your throat.
Elya is not good at feeling emotions.
In that respect, it’s like a child who hasn’t grown up yet.
You shouldn’t be too hasty.
The scar Sardis left behind might still be affecting his mind.
So I decided to answer calmly.
“It’s not strange.”
“… I see.”
At my answer, Elijah laughs.
Now, this kind of Elijah is not unfamiliar.
There was a time when I was unfamiliar with myself.
But now, I am no stranger to that.
“Judas?”
“… Yes, yes?”
“Her face went red.”
“… It’s the lighting.”
I hurriedly averted my gaze.
Still uncomfortable, she stuffed the skewer in her hand into one bite and chewed it.
Elijah looked up at her, sneaking her head behind her.
As if he didn’t know why he was doing that.
‘I’d rather look like this.’
If I went through the same look several times, my heart would be in tatters and I would collapse.
I acted again as if nothing had happened.
My awkwardly clenched hands are now comfortable.
As if they were one from the beginning.
Next, we decided to have dessert.
It is a dessert made by coating fruit with melted sugar and hardening it.
‘Can I take you around like this?’
Wherever Elijah went, she just quietly followed as if it didn’t matter.
So it will be fine.
“What is this?”
“It is eaten by hardening sugar on the surface of the fruit.”
“Ah. That. I ate.”
It is a dessert that has been served on Elijah’s table several times.
Of course I fed them once.
I will probably eat it without much resistance.
Actually, I brought Elijah here for another reason.
This stall treats customers in a rather unusual way.
Put fruit on the tip of a skewer and serve it as if you were giving it to a customer, which is the real charm of this place.
Why is it Turkish ice cream? It’s similar to that.
The goal is for the customer to snatch the fruit skewer from the owner’s hand, but of course it’s not that easy.
Most of them are given food after being made fun of.
‘Seeing Elijah suffer from it…. I miss you….’
People laughed at who was being made fun of in front of them.
Elijah didn’t seem to care what was going on with her.
I made a sneaky offer.
“Would you like to receive it, my lady?”
“Wow.”
Because I was still munching on the meat skewer, the answer came out very round.
‘I’ll turn, just….’
He eats only skewers without knowing how fast others are.
It was Elijah’s turn before he knew it.
“Two strawberries, please.”
I placed my order and took a step aside.
At the angle where you can best see the change in Elijah’s expression.
We can’t go far because we’re holding hands.
Unaware of anything, Elijah waited aimlessly.
Finally, the imposing owner held out her fruit skewer.
Elijah is about to stretch out her hand without question.
Shh, the owner quickly withdrew her hand.
The benevolent smile soon turned to hate.
‘Are you going to panic? Or will they stare at me dumbfounded?’
I waited while imagining Elijah’s reaction.
She is beyond my imagination.
“… ….”
With her cold sunken eyes, she stares straight at her owner.
The soft expression hardens coldly.
Then he says.
Your voice is more like ice than your expression.
“What are you doing here?”
“… ….”
The startled owner hurriedly held out two skewers of strawberries.
The hand I was handing over trembled.
His complexion is blue, as if he was crushed by Elijah’s unique and overwhelming force.
“Sin, sin, sorry….”
Apologizing in the awkward imperial language, stuttering.
‘Mmm…. Somehow I’m sorry….’
Elijah, who took it, handed me one.
“Let’s go.”
“Ah, yes….”
I apologized to the shopkeeper with a wink and followed Elijah.
“That…. Hmm. Were you offended?”
“What? I know that such a culture is play.”
“… Yes? Did you know?”
Elijah chuckled.
“I have that level of notice. I just did it because I didn’t want to hang out. Because the only person I can hang out with is you.”
“… ….”
No.
It’s a little rough today.
Have you been drinking?
I don’t remember anything like that?
‘Are you doing this on purpose? !’
Speaks out words that lift and release people’s hearts as if breathing.
Actually, Elijah is unconcerned as if he is not thinking about anything.
People who listen will die of confusion.
“… Huh?”
Elijah, who was biting off her strawberry, stared at her somewhere.
The items lined up at the stalls were very colorful.
It was a place where flowers brought from all over the continent were woven into corollas and sold.
Elijah looked blankly there.
“Shall we go too?”
“… Huh.”
As soon as you approach the corolla made of fresh flowers, you can smell the flowers.
Already, young couples and a harmonious group of family members were laughing and picking out garlands around them.
Elijah stared at them and said to me.
“I want to buy one too. Pick one.”
“… Me?”
You don’t know how to see flowers at all, and you don’t have an aesthetic sense?
“Yes.”
“Ummm….”
I decided after much thought.
A corolla made of woven red and yellow flowers.
I thought this would suit Elijah best.
Elijah put on a garland and looked up at me.
An innocent face.
A flower blooming on it.
A red color resembling the pupil of the eye.
And the yellow that stands out is like a bright golden color.
“How is it?”
“… It suits you well.”
I wonder if there’s anything you don’t like….
“Then let’s do this.”
After she bought the crown, she walked towards her mansion.
It was time for her to return soon.
The streets were still full of lively people.
Maybe people who will go on a spree like this tomorrow too.
It is not Elijah.
I just made time today.
I’ll be busy again tomorrow.
After crossing the gate, we headed to the garden inside the mansion.
I didn’t say either.
The steps were naturally led.
A maze-like garden where bushes are erected like walls.
Unlike the outside, the inside of the mansion, which was only used by invited nobles, was quiet.
Like a distinct world.
It seems like a lie that there was a lot of noise just now.
This place is illuminated only by the soft moonlight.
We were still holding hands.
She looked up at the sky and suddenly said.
“It will be the last time I am this peaceful. Who am I to turn into an enemy, what am I going to do? You will vaguely understand.”
“… Yes.”
“There will be a great war.”
What are you trying to say?
“Judas.”
“Yes. Miss.”
After calling me, she didn’t go back.
She stops suddenly and stares up at me.
I waited patiently for the answer.
Her soft moonlight illuminates her.
From the first time I came here, the face I’ve seen for a long time.
She became a full-fledged adult before she knew it.
Her face, which had little remnants of her childhood, was comfortable just looking at it.
At the same time, I felt uncomfortable at some point.
I, Elijah….
That moment.
Pasasac! And something came through her brush.
I quickly hugged Elijah.
Something passes quickly across the floor.
Elijah jumped up, wrapping her arms around my neck as if surprised.
It was a rat that jumped out of the bush.
“… ….”
And naturally, I held Elijah in her princess hug.
“… ….”
The face is too close.
A distance shorter than a span.
You can breathe.
She can feel Elijah’s exhaled breath brushing her skin.
All eyes are filled with Elijah.
The closer you get, the stronger her scent becomes.
A soft, sweet smell that hasn’t changed since then.
One second passes as slowly as one hour.
I stood still and looked at Elijah.
She sees me too.
Involuntarily, I gulped down my saliva.
Her lips felt dry, so I moistened them with her tongue.
Elijah’s pupils descend.
The eyes that look at my lips.
Then, like me, she runs her little tongue over her red lips.
Thump, pound.
The heartbeat is too loud.
As if it were heard in your ears.
Pulsation that is hard to tell who belongs to.
His big eyes trembled innocently, as if he was slightly frightened.
When she looked up and saw the moon reflected in her red eyes, she tried to open her mouth.
The bottom suddenly became hot.
‘… Uh, wait a minute. Is it really hot?’
Looking down, the stone floor of the garden caught fire.
Golden fire.
“Oops! Uh, what is this… ! Oh, did you do it?!”
“… I was surprised.”
It seems that he was surprised by the mouse and responded with magic.
“No matter what, what if I set fire to the garden!”
“… I do not know.”
Elijah buried her head in my neck and mumbled an answer.
“It’s because of you, you take responsibility.”
The fire was not large enough to spread.
But it was Elijah’s fire, and it was not easy to put it out.
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So I had to put out Elijah’s fire by stepping on it for a long time.
*
A few days after the founding festival.
Elijah was standing on a high hill.
The red scarf fluttered in the wind.
She looked down at her surroundings while holding the cat doll.
There was a large mountain range behind Elijah’s mansion, and it was the highest mountain peak.
And finally, I made up my mind.
‘The bigger the better. The distance is close enough.’
It doesn’t have to be the closest mountain to your home.
You can teleport anyway.
‘This would be perfect for us to live together.’
It’s a secret from Judas, so she’s been away from him for a while.
I already wanted to see it, but I decided to hold back for a while.
I couldn’t help but smile when I imagined Judas’ expression when he saw this space later.
She was able to hold on.
Elijah waved her hand, unaware that she had begun to cross a line.
The hard rocky floor tore apart like soft bread.
A hole large enough for one person to enter continues to dig downwards.
‘If you make a big hole, it might affect the ground. First of all, you have to go down while making a passage of a suitable size to look around. When you find a suitable spot, you can dig a large cave-like space there. The shape… I want it to look like a cage.’
The sorcerer called the Second Coming of the Age of Myth began to dig up the mountain.
