210 – 74. The value of gifts (1)
It is fall.
It got cold when I went out to scout the demon world with Judah.
Because the Demon World is north of this continent.
Elijah remembers the warmth of his embrace.
And the sight of him blowing on his hands and feeling cold.
The sight that stimulates the desire for protection, wanting to hug and kidnap someone.
It was nice to see, but I couldn’t leave him cold.
Actually, this problem can be solved by wearing more clothes.
So, objectively, there was no need for her to make him something with knitting.
A scarf, gloves, something like that.
For some reason, I want to make something that looks like a leash and handcuffs.
Anyway, regardless of its effectiveness, Elijah wanted to do it.
She wanted to give Judah a scarf that she had made herself.
I wanted to see him receive, use, and be happy with an item that was made with his own hands.
That reason is sufficient as justification for such action.
“I want to try knitting too.”
So, he came to Mary to learn from her.
She is good at knitting.
She remembers that when she was young, she knitted winter clothes for her.
“Huh?”
Maria, who was knitting her own gloves, looked puzzled, and then she grinned.
“Is there something you want to make for Yuda?”
Elijah smiled brightly.
What she said is true.
However, when she saw Maria just now, she remembered one more thing.
But she didn’t say it out loud and she answered.
“Of course.”
*
The beginning of knitting was more complicated than I thought.
“What are you going to make for me?”
“A scarf and gloves? “Those are the two things that come to mind right now.”
“Do you have any materials or colors in mind? “When it comes to knitting, the results vary depending on the type of fur and the knitting method.”
“Umm….”
This was something I had not expected.
Elijah played with the end of the red scarf she always wore.
“I want to make it feel similar to this one that Judah gave me.”
“I guess I should look for similar threads.”
She told her maid to bring all the yarn in the imperial palace.
The number was not excessively large.
This is because, other than Maria, there was hardly anyone in the palace who could knit with yarn.
The dust played and rolled around among the ever-increasing numbers of fur balls.
A black ball of fur fluttering between balls of yarn.
Elijah and Mary looked at this with joy and began to pick out the yarn.
Maria chose it for Elijah, who had no expertise in knitting.
“How about this? “I think the thread material and color are the most similar.”
“Yes. “I’ll do this.”
Afterwards, Mary checked what shape Elijah’s scarf was.
It is not exactly a scarf, but a small blanket.
Just fold it up and wear it like a scarf.
Fortunately, it was a knitted fabric that could be knitted, so Mary told Elijah what to do.
Knitting was a more difficult and delicate task than Elijah expected.
Winding thread around a large wooden needle, knitting in a specific direction and shape, and repeating.
It was more difficult than cooking.
‘As expected, I am weak at using my body. I am.’
Elijah had never done anything related to the body in his life.
Her violent movement itself was the first time on her first night with Judah.
Although she had a talent for making love, that was somewhat separate from her physical abilities.
She was terribly bad at doing anything with her own body, such as meticulous knitting.
Maria spoke softly next to her.
“There is no need to be impatient. Try taking it slow. “There’s no need to rush.”
“Yes. “I’ll try again.”
The immaturity of the body was replaced by the brain.
How to hold a needle, thread and weave were all theoretically concrete and accepted.
Like the time I made a few cooking mistakes and took a different approach.
Elijah gradually became skilled at knitting.
“You’re doing well now. “As expected, my daughter, there’s nothing she can’t do.”
Elijah smiled.
There was silence for a moment.
All you can hear is the sound of thread brushing as the needle moves.
Crackling, firewood burning in the fireplace.
The sound of dust breathing among the yarn.
That’s all.
Elijah blurted out.
“What was it like when Mom gave birth to me?”
“… ….”
Tall. Maria’s knitting hands stopped.
Elijah said she was no big deal.
“I’m just curious. “These days, she’s been thinking a lot about wanting to have a baby.”
“… I see.”
Maria put down her needle and leaned her body against the backrest.
She stares blankly at the ceiling, as if reminiscing about that time.
Elijah waited in silence.
After a long time, the answer came back.
That was an unexpected answer.
“… “I don’t know.”
“Huh?”
“No words can ever capture that moment, the emotions I felt at that time.”
“… ….”
“Maybe it’s because my mother has limited learning skills, but I can’t express that moment with my speaking skills. Yes, if I had to compare it.”
Tears began to flow from the corners of Maria’s eyes.
Elijah also put down her knitting for a moment.
“When you burst into tears in my arms, I…. “I felt like I had become a god.”
“God?”
“Yes. I felt that this world loved me and gave me a precious person like you in my life. And I felt like I owned the world, and I was confident that I could do anything for you. So, what else would it be if not God?”
“… ….”
“But now that I see it…. “I think it was an arrogant thought.”
I can do anything for Elijah.
What she said was true.
But Mary was not God.
She was just an ordinary person.
A poor low-class person who earned her daily income as a dancer and lived on a day-to-day basis.
You can do anything. That category did not go beyond the limits of an ordinary human named Maria.
She was clumsy, so she wandered around and thought for a long time.
In my heart, like a true god, I wanted to make Elijah happy.
I wanted to protect them from Bevel and show them only the good side of the world.
But Maria was just Maria.
Maria barely swallowed the words that rose up to her throat.
You shouldn’t say you’re sorry.
I have already been forgiven.
Elijah spoke first to help her.
Holding Mary’s hand.
“It must have been difficult.”
“… ….”
I had to be dragged away, leaving Elijah behind.
Pretending to be dead.
A lot of time spent hiding her identity by Elijah’s suffering side.
Elijah had already forgiven Mary, so she understood.
Her helplessness.
A simple word that contains many feelings.
This is what I learned from Judas.
He is such an amazing person.
Although he is emotional and fiery, he is calm when he is calm.
Knows how to calmly accept the pain of others and empathize with them.
Relieves pain without any hesitation.
What he received from him, Elijah shared with Mary.
Mary looked at Elijah in silence for a moment.
Pretty child.
An angelic gift.
I am surprised every time I realize that I have grown into a full-fledged adult.
Her mother just smiled happily in front of her spunky daughter, who returned the love she had given her in abundance in greater abundance.
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“Everything is okay now.”
Elijah also smiled.
“I’m fine too.”
Crack, crack.
Warm warmth spread out from the stove.
*
“Whoa…” .”
Judas lay down on the dirt floor.
Training with the Imperial Guard has just ended.
His physical ability was already at its peak, but he did not neglect training.
Every time he trains, he pushes his body to the limit.
Because of that, the Royal Guards that train together are at risk of death.
At the same time, because of him, he also serves as a source of motivation that prevents me from being lazy in training.
“I’m dying….”
Richard lay down next to him and groaned.
“Thank you for your hard work.”
“Okay. Because of you, I suffer to the point of death every time.”
“Thank you.”
“It’s not a compliment, man.”
At least since he was Richard, he still had the strength to argue.
The rest didn’t even have the energy to complain, so they were just sprawled out on the floor.
Other than Richard, he is the only one with any strength left.
Dylan came next to me and sat down on the floor.
Richard smiled even in the midst of difficult times.
“Who is this? “Aren’t you the lover of Imperial Physician Mei?”
“… ….”
Dylan, who was glaring while catching his breath, shook his head and said one thing.
“So, are you preparing well for childbirth?”
Recently, Dylan also spoke comfortably to Richard.
“… Ha. I don’t know, man. “I’m so nervous I’m dying.”
The lawmaker said she has about a month left until Beninita gives birth.
At first, Richard was happy about being pregnant, but as the date approached, he became nervous and scared.
“It’s your sister-in-law who is having a hard time, so why are you so nervous?”
“Be quiet, man. Okay, when are you going to get married?”
“Ah, not yet about that….”
Judah intervened, looking at Dylan in confusion.
“It’s better to do it as early as possible.”
Richard also helped.
“Yeah man. Is there anything to drag on, huh? “Scream loudly.”
“In my life, in many ways, it is better to get married early…. Hmm. Yes. Anyway, that’s what it was.”
“… “After hearing this advice from two people who were frustratingly procrastinating, I have a lot to say, but I won’t.”
“Big, big.”
After that, the three people continued to talk about various things.
A trivial story with no particular nutritional value or theme.
Then, one or two other guards also joined in.
A story about someone who went to the battlefield and made a contribution.
A story about nonsense while drinking among themselves.
A story about making eye contact with a woman, etc.
When you chatter, you lose track of time.
Judah accepted it moderately.
Then, all of a sudden, I noticed someone passing by on one side of the training ground.
The man who glanced at the trained guards was Galahad.
His own teacher and current leader of the Imperial Knights.
Galahad was busy conquering the Demon World, so we couldn’t talk for a while.
‘Hmm….’
Therefore, Judas, who had some time left after washing up early, went to see Galahad.
“Lord Galahad.”
“Hmm. Judas, it’s been a while.”
Judas, who was originally a state secretary, deserves to be honored by Galahad.
However, Judas was uncomfortable with such a relationship, and Galahad also respected him.
“We’ve been so busy together that we haven’t had time to talk properly.”
“That’s right. Still, it can be helpful to His Majesty the Emperor’s cause, so it is something that should be carried out happily.”
“If you think so, Eli too…. Oh, no. Your Majesty will also spend an hour. How are you?”
“I am healthy. “After I became a knight commander, I had to go to battle much less often.”
Judas decided to have a private conversation that he had not had before, and Galahad was also happy about the topic.
“You must have often followed His Majesty into battle. Are you healthy? “Your Majesty, are you hurt anywhere?”
“Yes. Actually, I am a spectator and His Majesty does everything. Because it is so powerful, there is no need to get hurt.”
“That’s a good thing.”
“Are you doing well with your family?”
He changed his identity to Galahad and abandoned the surname Prudain.
However, since his family and clan are absolutely inseparable to him, he tried to maintain communication with his family even after changing his identity.
Therefore, Elijah worked hard to encourage communication between Galahad and the Prudaeans.
She naturally arranges a place to meet, or something like that.
“Thanks to you, I’m doing well. In fact, she was worried at first. “I survived because I failed to fulfill my duty.”
“… ….”
“I don’t mean to blame you. It means that honor is that important to our family. Anyway, I was worried, but it turned out to be unfounded. Her younger brother and other family members also welcomed her. “I’m glad you came back alive.”
Galahad smiled kindly at Judas.
“You said that a person’s life is more important than fame or anything like that. “Maybe that was right.”
Judah also smiled at him.
“Thank you for thinking so. “But I have one question.”
“Hmm?”
“Have you ever been married?”
“… Ah. “Didn’t I tell you that?”
Galahad looked out the window as if reminiscing.
“I did.”
“… ….”
“I feel it now, but it’s a strange thing. It wasn’t enough for mankind to join forces and advance to the Demon World, because at that time, fighting among people never ceased. At that time, our family was also fighting a war. While I was on the battlefield, the enemy secretly attacked my territory, and my wife and parents who were guarding the house were killed.”
“… ….”
“And it was Ballack who helped me get revenge.”
They did not praise or express gratitude to Balak.
I simply conveyed the facts as they are.
For Judah, Balak cannot be a good person no matter how much he tries.
“That’s how it happened.”
“I see. “For some reason, this seems like a pointless question.”
“You’re welcome. “At this level, I can do as much as I want for you.”
Galahad stopped looking out the window and looked at Judas.
“I know you will do well on your own. Still, keep in mind. Moments don’t last forever. “Give your best to the people around you at every moment.”
“… “I will keep that in mind.”
The weight conveyed by those words was heavier than any other time.
Judas smiled and lightened the mood.
“Then I guess I’ll have to do my best for Lord Galahad.”
“Big, hmm!”
Galahad cleared his throat for no reason and spoke bluntly.
“If you have the energy, please do better to Your Majesty.”
His tone of voice was blunt, but the corner of his mouth twitched as if he was in a good mood.
Judas laughed when he saw that.
*
“Hmm.”
Elijah is busy these days.
The time spent away from Judah increased.
Not much, just a little.
‘Since he is the emperor, he must have a lot of work to do.’
On the way back after talking with Galahad.
He saw the autumn wildflowers blooming along the roadside of the imperial palace.
A colorful flower bed with a mixture of red and yellow.
‘Does Ellie like flowers?’
Now that I think about it, I don’t know.
I know flowers well, but it’s hard to say that I like them.
‘I liked it every time I gave it to you, but….’
In the first place, Elijah likes whatever she gives, and she receives.
She has never revealed that she likes Elijah, so she has no way of knowing whether he really likes her or not.
Judas decided to think simply.
‘You like anything I give you, so I have to give you something.’
A little time left.
She decided to get her bouquet to give to Elijah.
There is no need to go out.
Since there was a flower garden within the imperial palace, Judah took her steps towards it.
