Chapter 205 – Side Story – Long Live Life #4
Side Story – Long Live Life # 4
“Luhuh, look at the squirrel that this mini caught… ! It is clear that no daughter can catch a squirrel as cool as that Minnie… !”
“That’s really cool… ! Neo also wants to pet that squirrel… !”
Sseukseu-.
The children gathered in a crowd were whispering that they were going to pet a squirrel.
The squirrel makes a ━rumbling sound as if it is upset because its fur is being stroked or its tail is pulled by children. ! And he ran away crying.
As many as ten children followed behind the squirrel and chased after it.
It was not a very common sight in the kingdom these days to have more children than squirrels running around in the fields.
I looked around and there were a lot of children.
When you see a lot of children, no matter how vicious the men are, they are bound to tidy up their bodies once in a while.
Grumbling-.
The flame of a bonfire burning in the wide open space of Agarpe Estate.
People put meat on sticks and grilled it over an open flame while watching children playing.
Sizzling-.
The children who were running around at the evening banquet, dripping with oil and giving off a delicious smell, stopped one by one and returned to their mothers’ arms.
“We have to share food among ourselves.”
Psyche cut the grilled barbecue into small pieces that were easy for the children to eat and distributed them to each plate.
Other mothers also took care of their children like Psyche, and the children’s father, who watched them happily, filled each other’s beer glasses and chatted.
“What does the deer I hunt taste like? “Isn’t it great?”
“The wild boar I caught was more…”
It was a peaceful and comfortable Thanksgiving festival.
It was a summer night, so it was a little hot and there were mosquitoes buzzing around my ears, but other than that it was an extremely satisfying day.
“Hyde, would you like to have a drink too?”
Zek-.
At that time, Milione approached me with a cold cup of beer.
I shook my head calmly.
“I don’t drink alcohol.”
“A strange guy as ever. Even if the world changes, you never change.”
I guess so.
That was also correct.
In fact, humans do not easily change once they reach a certain age.
Zek-.
Then Milione offered me something.
It was a cast iron mask with a red pattern.
“I found it in the warehouse. There was dust piled up. “It’s been a long time, hasn’t it?”
“It’s definitely been a while. “I looked to see where it was, but couldn’t find it, so I just gave up.”
This mask was my face.
But it’s been a long time since I stopped using it.
I wonder when was the last time I wore a mask.
Milione sat down next to me and asked as I slowly recollected my memories, like harvesting fallen grain.
“Why did you find the mask? Are you going to use it again?”
“No. Just. Rather, it looks a little different from when I knew it.”
“Oh, that. It was so dusty and worn that I cleaned it, but the cross drawn on it was also erased. So I drew it again, but due to some circumstances, it ended up like this.”
The mask, which was supposed to have a red cross drawn on a cast iron plate, had an odd heart shape (♡) in red.
“What must happen for a cross to become a heart?”
I asked.
However, I was able to understand the situation without even hearing an answer from Milione.
The heart shape was very crooked, and if you looked closely, there were small letters scribbled on it like ‘Melong’ or ‘Fool.’
It seemed like the children were playing around by drawing various pictures on the masks.
“Would you like me to wipe it clean? That mask is still quite a valuable item.”
Milione asked.
After looking at the mask with hearts and children’s scribbles on it for a while, I thought about all the adventures I had done while wearing this mask and finally shook my head.
“No. “This will be fine as is.”
“I knew you would say that, but whatever. The cross is actually a symbol of love, right? “There’s really no difference between a heart shape and a cross.”
For some reason, Milione displayed a sharp intellect.
As Milione said, the meaning of the cross was actually love.
This is because (│), which means love between the Lord Elohim and humans, and (─), which means love between people, meet to form (┼).
Zek-.
Milione took something out of his arms.
It was a whirlpool mask.
“I am. Actually, I might have wanted to complain. I think I wanted to get angry about things not going my way. “When I wore a mask, it was easy to get angry.”
Shook-.
The mask thrown from Milione’s hand went into the bonfire and burned. Now Milione will no longer have to wear a mask.
“Are you no longer angry?”
I asked.
Then Milione said.
“No. However, I learned how to be angry properly without wearing a mask. Hyde, what about you? You are. “You actually love people, right?”
“Well.”
“You loved these people, even though they were ugly, red-faced, people who pointed and shook their fists at each other and hated each other terribly.”
Maybe Milione was right.
I liked this world.
You can’t hate it.
Isn’t this world itself a masterpiece created by the Lord Elohim?
“One way or another, Rust, wearing a mask, eventually discussed her love. She talked about loves that were too embarrassing to talk about with a bare face. People liked that story.”
Zek-.
Milione’s hand held mine.
The hands of the guy who used to hit and break people were now doing things like petting children, cooking, and doing laundry.
“Hyde, I am. Love you. Neo, who looks like you, and although I haven’t said it honestly, I think it’s good to be noisy with Psyche and Lucy. “How about you?”
“I am…”
I love you-.
Is there any other story as shameful as that?
I still dreamed of becoming a faithful pastor, but I couldn’t easily say such a thing out loud.
Maybe it’s because I didn’t receive adequate affection from my parents when I was a child.
Or maybe it’s because I got older and rolled in all kinds of mud.
Maybe it’s just that I’m less honest and shy than I thought.
Zek-.
I looked at the mask in my hand.
I knew very well that if I wrote this, I, a coward, would hide in the name of Hyde and reveal my brave self.
But it didn’t seem necessary.
“I want to burn myself in a fire like this, too. Since there are drawings made by children, it would be a shame to throw them away. Hedone, Mini, Neo. “Come here and take this, anyone.”
When I stood up and spoke, the children came – they came and took the mask from me.
“I want to use Hedone… ! It means that if you wear this heart-shaped mask, you will definitely become the magical girl Hedone… !”
“I want this mini to become a supermini too… !”
“I, too, want to become Neo… !”
The children clamored to wear heart-shaped masks. A mask would be a fun toy for children.
Psyche and Lucy saw that and slowly approached me.
“Hyde, that’s what that mask is.”
“Are you okay? Even if you give that to your kids. “It’s a precious thing in its own way.”
It probably means that my future life will be okay without that mask.
Hmm.
I cleared my throat calmly.
And said.
“Are you okay. Because I love everyone. Now I can say things like that without a mask. In the first place, such a story had to be told without a mask.”
Then-.
Everyone’s gaze changed moment by moment, and their expressions changed drastically.
Pot-.
Milione holds my hand again.
“What? “I love Milione so much that I want to give her the world as a gift?”
“From what I heard, it sounded like I loved her more than all the flowers in the world.”
“I heard that you will make me be never bored with love for the rest of my life! “I’ve never heard such a romantic confession of love!”
Did I say those things?
It seems that humans hear only what they want to hear and see only what they want to see.
I should do the same.
“Then, shall I present my new work, ‘Dream Garden of the Back Alley Nymph?'”
Zek-.
I stood up and shouted at everyone.
# # #
Exciting, Exciting-.
I thought it was something I had gotten used to, but it was always a thrill to show others my newly written story.
What if the response is not good?-.
Because I wondered what if other people didn’t like the stories of the characters I worked so hard to write.
So I covered my face with a piece of wood that was lying nearby. Then I calmed down a little and was able to gather courage and shout out.
“I sell books. Book. The title is “The Back Alley Nymph’s Dream Garden,” And as far as I’m concerned, this book is a masterpiece among masterpieces, containing all my theological essence and reflections on my life!”
I went towards the city and shouted.
People looked at me and grumbled, “You’re wearing a strange mask!” Or “Who buys books like that?”
I wondered if price was the problem.
Five gold coins per book could have been a burdensome price even in today’s world where prices are stabilizing after the war.
“One gold coin per book! This is completely free!”
But it didn’t sell.
5 silver coins.
1 fairy tale.
Finally, the price of my book gradually went down until it finally became free.
Originally, the Bible says to give food to the hungry and take off your clothes to the naked.
It was natural for me to give away the “Backstreet Nymph” Series, which was both bread and clothing, for free to spiritually starving and spiritually naked people.
But-.
My story was strangely unpopular for some reason.
People were just busy walking around the streets and either ignored me or treated me like I didn’t exist.
“Hey, give me that book.”
Then someone came up to me.
I don’t know if he was a retired soldier or a robber, but his bald head was full of scars, and he had a very grim expression and seemed uncultured.
“Are you planning to use it as a pot holder?”
I asked.
Then the man shook his head.
“No.”
“So, are you planning to use it as cleaning paper when you go to the bathroom?”
“No.”
“So, are you planning to tear up the paper and take it with you to fold the scabs, blow your nose, etc.?”
“No. Hyde, a young priest. What on earth do you think of books? “I just want to read it.”
I was surprised.
Even though I’m wearing a mask, they recognize me as Hyde.
“How did you know I was Hyde?”
“Wouldn’t it be natural to find out that much? “We all know.”
I guess so.
It seemed that I could no longer hide my identity even with a mask.
It feels strange.
Anyway.
The man who looked like a bandit accepted and said he would read the book I had written. He opened the book on the spot, read a few pages and was impressed.
“It’s quite fun. “It’s much better than anything I’ve read so far.”
“Is that so?”
“Exactly. I’d like to take some copies and give them to my children. Please give me 5 volumes. “I will buy each book for one silver coin.”
Zek-.
The man disappeared into the distance carrying several books.
Now, I see that there are pretty girls waiting for a guy in the alley.
As I watched the back of the man disappearing with them, I took off the piece of wood that was covering his face.
“Tomorrow, I have to come out a little earlier in the morning and promote it.”
But it’s late today.
Like that man, I should go to the place where my family is waiting.
As I turned around and headed home, I suddenly realized that I was not lonely.
My steps got faster and faster, and I finally went to the dinner table where my family was gathered and spoke.
“Everyone listens! “Today, I sold five books for one silver coin each!”
Life was truly unknown and enjoyable.
