42. Sweet moments (1)
Gawain slowly opened his eyes.
I can’t see the front.
It’s hazy.
The same goes for hearing.
Every sound sounds muffled.
‘Am I dead… ?’
It was difficult to be sure.
But soon, she decided that wasn’t the case.
Someone is in this space and is assisting him.
‘Am I not dead….’
I remembered the moment I died.
Joyfully defeated by Judas, accepted her death.
I wanted to die as an honorable knight.
But she didn’t die.
He himself lived.
The thoughts I had at that moment were contradictory and selfish even to myself.
‘Thank God… this is….’
Gawain was relieved.
She was grateful to be able to see her family again.
She was so ridiculous that she herself was pitiful.
‘By the way, how did you buy it…. Is it Judas’ work?’
*
A few days later, Gawain restored her sight and hearing.
She was definitely right that she wasn’t dead.
Unfamiliar ceiling, in a room I’ve never seen before.
It was too human a scene to be called the afterlife.
The scenery of heaven and hell described in the Sun Bridge is not like this.
A green hill where the bright sunlight shines down and sheep and dogs play brightly.
This is heaven.
It is an extremely cold place where the entire land is frozen solid and the frigid wind blows like a blade.
It is hell.
And now, this space does not belong to either of them.
‘I want to know what happened….’
While contemplating, the door was carefully opened.
Judging by her attire, she was a maid.
“… Ah!”
The maid, who met her eyes with her own, exclaimed loudly.
“You’re awake-! I think my senses are back too!”
Then there was a clamor as if someone was rushing.
Seeing the man who appeared through the door, Gawain frowned at her.
“… Judah.”
Judah found himself and strode forward.
Then, within a minute.
“Sorry-!”
She apologized, banging her head on the ground.
***
I defeated Gawain.
Then he stabbed himself in the heart.
A dagger that he saved while he was away from Elijah, and fell into suspended animation.
I’m very glad that it can be used once per person.
After taking care of Gawain, who fell into a state of suspended animation, he asked Elijah.
Can you disguise him as dead?
Elijah readily agreed to my request.
As a result, Gawain did not die.
To be precise, his status is dead.
Gawain Galahad Fradan is no longer an article.
The person in front of you will have to live with a different identity from now on.
Of course, I’ll let you meet the original Fradane family.
“… That’s how it happened.”
I explained all of this to Gawain.
It’s difficult to explain the function of the dagger, so I pretended to have stabbed it out of the way.
Gawain calmly listened.
I didn’t ask anything.
It is quiet even after the conversation is over.
Are you angry?
It can be.
He chose to die with honor, but I let him live at will.
I politely bowed my head and apologized again.
“… Sorry. Sir Gawain.”
He slowly raised his head and looked at me.
I explained carefully.
“I know it’s dishonorable. Yes. I maybe… It must have tarnished Sir Gawain’s honor. No, maybe not, but definitely, yes. However, I didn’t want to accept that ending…. That’s all.”
It is a very childish and absurd excuse even after saying it.
You didn’t want him to die, so you broke your promise and let him live.
It was a rather impulsive decision.
As expected, I think people’s lives are more important than chivalry or honor.
In the end, everything ends when you die.
Besides, he is not someone who has nothing to do with me.
Gawain is a bit special to me.
Like the family members of the SS.
I was shy and averted my gaze when Gawain tapped me on the shoulder.
What he said was unexpected.
“Well done.”
“Uh, um…. Aren’t you to blame?”
Then Gawain laughed.
“As soon as I woke up and realized I wasn’t dead, that’s what I thought…. Good thing.”
He said with a slightly bitter smile.
“Isn’t the human mind so cunning? I was relieved to be able to see my family, to be able to breathe like this. The moment when I wanted to die with honor seemed like someone else’s memory. After all, I was just a weak human being.”
Looking out the window with rain-soaked eyes, his gaze returns to me.
Instantly, Gawain painted a satisfied smile on his lips.
From noble mtl dot com
“I thought there were only two options for you. Either kill me honorably or save me pitifully. However, you exceeded my expectations and pioneered a third option for yourself. Keeping the honor of Knight Gawain, while saving my own life.”
“… ….”
“How can I blame you when I live to see a great disciple who has completely surpassed his master?”
He tapped me on the shoulder and gave me a light hug.
“Thank you. Judah.”
“… Yes. Thank you for saying that, too.”
I also gave him a light pat on the back.
He took a sip of water and stroked his chin.
The absence of one of his arms seemed very uncomfortable.
Fortunately, his severed arm is his left hand.
Because Gawain is right-handed.
… I don’t think I would have thought of cutting off that hand. I couldn’t help it at the time.
“Rather than that, what should I do from now on….”
“If you want, the lady said she would help me create a fake identity. He said it would be better to inform the Fraudane family after the incident has calmed down a bit.”
“Oops…. I also owe you a great debt. How can I pay it back with my one remaining arm….”
“It is also said that the lady is devising a prosthetic arm that responds to mana.”
“… Her. You are amazing too.”
He nodded his head with a very serious face.
“In that case, I will have to take everything I have and seriously think about how to pay back…. Wait for a sec. How did the war go? Did I recover in a few days?”
“I fully recovered in about a week. And the war…. It ended with the lady’s victory. A week ago.”
“… Right.”
Gawain’s voice was completely subdued.
A knight who swore allegiance.
But he couldn’t protect his master, and he couldn’t die with honor.
Maybe I shouldn’t have saved him.
“Don’t make that face. Is this what war is all about?”
“… ….”
“I repeat, your choice was great. Not empty words.”
Gawain patted the back of my hand affectionately.
“Thank you. Judah.”
“… Thank you.”
His greeting was truly comforting.
*
About a week after Balak’s death.
In the meantime, Elijah summoned the head of the anti-Imperial coalition, presented his opinions, and gathered them again.
Let’s stop at meaningless sacrifices and wars of attrition.
An agreement was reached on how to conclude an agreement by coordinating appropriate compensation and subsequent measures, and the discussion ended positively.
After that, Elijah sent a letter of peace agreement to the empire as a representative.
In addition, Elijah defeated all the allied forces in a local battle.
The fighting stopped before the peace agreement was reached.
Since then, it has been quiet.
A few days have passed without any battle and with no reply from the Empire yet.
Instead, the Bebel family changed rapidly.
All the surviving siblings were busy bowing down to Elijah.
She volunteered to come under her.
The Senate also fell into the hands of Elijah.
Thus, now Elijah has become the de facto head of the Bebel family.
Of course, her party doesn’t have much interest in the position of head of household.
At least that’s how I see it.
“Ah~”
Elijah opened her mouth and made a dainty noise.
I had no choice but to be defeated by its cuteness.
She carefully put the food in her mouth.
“Eat slowly.”
“Wow.”
“Be sure to chew and swallow thoroughly.”
“Wow.”
“You shouldn’t overeat either. When you’re full, tell me you’re full.”
“Wow.”
Eat omnyom well.
He said he didn’t eat a single meal when I wasn’t there.
I have been feeding them every day since I came back.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner. Without missing a single meal.
If you don’t eat and eat it in a hurry, you may get sick, so I’m feeding it little by little.
The leftover food is for me sitting next to it.
I even made two chairs to sit side by side.
A chair exclusively for use at the dining table.
Elijah was eating, clinging to my arm.
Lea watched this from a few steps away.
‘Um…. It doesn’t look as scary as it used to.’
The sunken eyes were empty somewhere.
Sometimes he looks like a liberated person.
It has been that kind of atmosphere since the end of the war.
For some reason, it feels heavy and sinking.
Sometimes you look relieved.
I was curious again.
How long has Leah been helping Elijah?
… And what will she think when she sees Elijah like this?
‘I’m different from before, to the point of being embarrassed sometimes.’
I don’t know.
I still don’t know what kind of person Lia is.
Well, it’s okay now because Elijah is cute.
“Oh, yes. Sir Gawain says he would like to serve as the head of the mansion’s guards if possible.”
“Really? Say yes then.”
“Yes. I will tell you that.”
Gawain is officially dead, and his undercover identity has not yet been revealed.
He can’t even show himself outside, so he’s learning to clean inside the mansion these days.
If the camouflage status comes out, it seems that from then on, he will work as the head of the guard.
‘At first, I was worried about what to do if I didn’t like it, but I’m glad they accepted it positively.’
“Ah~”
She put the cut meat into Elijah’s mouth again.
There was oil on the corners of her mouth, so I even wiped it off with a tissue.
Then Elijah will stop chewing and quietly leave it to my care.
‘Really, why are you getting cuter day by day….’
Embarrassed to put it out of her mouth again, she swallowed it inside her.
‘I want to press that protruding ball just once…. It won’t work.’
After she fed Elijah, she was about to eat too, but Elijah stared at me.
Her mouth is constantly moving and staring at you.
“Why is that?”
Swallowing and trying to answer, he chews faster.
“Oh no, chew slowly. Because I can wait.”
“Wow.”
I was about to eat my portion while I was waiting to speak, but Elijah restrained my hand.
“… Miss?”
Finally swallowing her food, she uttered her shocking remark.
“Can you feed me too?”
“What…. Yes? No, what, yes?! Me, me?”
“Wow.”
“No, all of a sudden, that, uh… ?”
“You always feed me. This is not fair.”
‘Is it unfair? Can you say that this is unfair… ?’
Unlike me, whose eyes were spinning, Elijah was calm.
They casually try to take away the fork I’m holding.
I quickly pulled my hand back.
Elijah glares disgruntledly.
“Ah, lady. Wait a minute. That, uh, so this…. The owner eats the food of his subordinates, so it shouldn’t be like that.”
“Hmm….”
Elijah crossed her arms and tilted her head around her.
‘… Why, what words are you trying to refute!’
There has never been a day as shocking as today, but I have had similar experiences a few times.
If I say no, Elijah thinks seriously and then refutes logically.
In the end, I have no choice but to follow Elijah’s words.
Actually, that is the case.
I am Elijah’s servant, and she is my master.
With or without logic, I have to follow.
‘That, though! Feeding it, that, that, that’s not… !’
I hoped Elijah would give up, but that didn’t happen.
“Judas.”
“Yes….”
“Does the owner take care of the pet’s food?”
“Yeah, right?”
“Same logic. That’s the original owner’s job. Taking care of the comfort and food of the owner.”
Um.
You lost with logic again today.
“And this is not the first time.”
Not really.
Because Elijah took care of me while I was recovering from suspended animation.
‘But at the time she didn’t even know that she was Elijah…. No, she was very uncomfortable even then… !’
Suddenly, Elijah took the fork away.
Cook the meat and put it in my mouth.
“Now, open your mouth. Oh~”
In a different sense, I wanted to run away.
