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< Santa Claus (2) >
The joint funeral was held in a solemn atmosphere.
Families of the fallen soldiers, colleagues, government officials and representatives of all walks of life, journalists, and superhumans gathered at the Blue House.
Outside the Blue House, thousands of mourners watched the funeral via broadcast.
The eulogy was read by President Kim Soo-ho himself.
“Seven days ago, we fought against the gate abnormal proliferation phenomenon named ‘Calamity’. That day… we lost 427 citizens.”
The president’s face looked very tired.
Even after preventing a disaster, I couldn’t sleep even an hour a night because of the aftermath.
“···They were soldiers, police officers, superhumans. They were someone’s parents, children, friends. And they were citizens of this country.”
Sobs began to leak out here and there. President Kim Soo-ho continued his eulogy with a grave expression.
When the president finally concluded his eulogy with difficulty, the entire city was filled with sorrow.
“···We will never forget the sacrifice of these heroes.”
The ceremony began with a moment of silence, brief biographies of the victims, and then an offering of flowers and incense.
There were instances where the bereaved families of the fallen soldiers fainted while crying, and there was also an uproar due to resentment and anger.
At that moment, a broadcasting station camera captured the image of a young child being held by its mother.
The child, who looked to be about 4 or 5 years old, shouted with a bright face when he saw his father in the photo hanging in the incense burner.
“It’s dad!”
At that moment, the mother holding the child began to sob, and sighs erupted from those around her.
“dad!”
The child who called his father brightly did not know the reason. The child did not know why people cried, and did not know why his father had not come home for several days.
It was just nice to see my father’s face. There were more than one or two children like that.
President Kim Soo-ho looked at the scene with a serious expression.
‘I did everything I could to prepare, but…’
The press and military experts said the victory that day was overwhelming. It could not have been stopped any better.
How upsetting those words must have been for the 427 fallen soldiers and their bereaved families.
The President felt as if their deaths were all his own fault.
“I don’t have the face to face the Great Sage···.”
Kim Soo-ho looked up at the night sky with slightly reddened eyes.
It was a beautiful night sky with a moon so bright and stars so bright that it was almost overwhelming.
At that moment, something strange entered his sight.
“That is···.”
Under the full moon, a long, black silhouette was flying, scattering starlight.
It was a large wagon-like shape, and the silhouettes pulling it all had horns.
“Look at the sky!”
“What is it? Is it a monster?”
Those who followed the President’s gaze also spotted the silhouette.
The soldiers tensed their bodies, and the superhumans drew up their mana.
But the children’s reaction was the opposite.
“It’s Santa Claus!”
At the cry of one child, all the children’s eyes turned to the sky.
“Huh? It’s really Santa Claus!!”
“It’s Santa Claus!”
As the commotion grew louder, fireworks began to appear in the sky, one by one.
Hwaruruk! Hwaruruk! Hwarururuk!
At that moment, President Kim Soo-ho shouted.
“Stay alert! Protect the citizens!”
At the same time, he turned his body into a cosmic being and drew out mana.
But instead of falling to the ground, the flames formed a shape in the sky.
Whoosh, whoosh.
A giant Christmas tree twinkled in the night sky like a constellation.
Even those who were in deep sorrow could only stare blankly in amazement at the sight.
“pretty···.”
At the same time, a mysterious song rang out from the sky.
[[lalalalala~]]
An incomprehensible yet beautiful harmony, as if beings from another world had gathered together and were singing in choir.
“Mr. President. The order to attack is given…”
In response to the words of the chief secretary who approached him, President Kim Soo-ho looked up at the sky and sighed.
“Leave it alone. That’s not a monster… It’s Santa Claus.”
“Yes? But···.”
The President said as he watched Santa Claus disappear across the night sky.
“Let’s do that.”
Even after the joint funeral for the fallen soldiers was over, the events of that day remained in people’s memories for a long time.
*
*
*
[[I’m so excited-!!]]
Even after passing through the city and landing at the Emerald Lake, the Snowbirds were so excited that they couldn’t stop singing.
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The little fairies are always happy.
Thanks to that, Daein was able to become Santa Claus for one day.
[Great! It was fun! Let’s do it again next time!]
Lily launched her sleigh into the sky with her shield, and the Snowmen dressed up as Rudolph pulled the sleigh.
It was a poor disguise, but it must have looked pretty good when you looked up at the silhouette in the night sky.
The man gathered all the flies flying around in one place.
“Gentlemen, there’s still work to be done. The presents need to be delivered tonight. Can you do it?”
As a representative of Snow Nun, the chubby Snow Nun saluted with his short arms.
[Leave it to us!]
The man nodded with satisfaction.
“As expected, you’re reliable. Let’s have a drink together after work.”
At those words, the eyes of the beasts circled around the man and Lily.
[[I’m so excited-!!]]
After a while, the man got back on his sled and flew into the sky.
This time, I moved as quietly as possible. I flew higher and hid my presence as much as possible.
The place they were going was a temporary shelter for the families of the fallen soldiers. The address was written on the documents Baek Yeong-hee had given them.
The man placed an envelope on each family member’s pillow and quietly left.
‘Cash is the best gift.’
All of the dead were soldiers, police officers, and superhumans, and most of them were heads of households.
What the surviving families needed most was not comfort or encouragement, but practical help.
Something like an envelope containing cash.
‘Government subsidies are only enough to barely survive.’
It didn’t take long as it was just a matter of leaving the envelope.
The man went around with Lily half the time, and had the other half go to the snowmen to bring them to him.
After all the gift deliveries were completed, Daein returned to the rooftop of the White House Building.
Baek Young-hee was waiting there.
“Did you have a nice trip?”
It was Baek Yeong-hee who provided the sled and the clothes that the Snowballs could disguise themselves in.
At first I didn’t want to say anything, but I was too lazy to ask for it myself, so I just asked Baek Young-hee.
Because I wasn’t doing anything wrong.
Baek Young-hee said with an expression that showed she had been watching for ten years.
“Ha. It was really chaotic earlier.”
She showed a video of Santa Claus taken at the funeral on her smartphone. The news and portals were already abuzz with stories about Santa Claus.
The person who saw the video smiled with satisfaction.
“The directing was better than I expected.”
Baek Young-hee said with a glare.
“What would have happened if you had been attacked by superhumans?”
“There are only a few people who can attack from that height.”
Even though those few were very dangerous, I was confident that I could run away, so I did it.
The man took off his Santa Claus hat and cape and said,
“I guess I’m done with all my work for today. Should I grab a snack?”
“yes!”
[[I’m so excited-!]]
A small party was held on the rooftop.
The table was spread out, and hot food prepared by the guild chefs was brought up to the rooftop.
Lily and the others ate as if they had been possessed, and soon after hearing the news, Wang Gu-ho and Jang Yeong-sin also came up.
Later, Sirutteok brought all 7 teams up to the rooftop.
“Brother! We’re here!”
“Just sit anywhere over there and eat.”
The party quickly became a blast. Everyone was happily eating, drinking, and chatting.
There was a sled stuck in a corner of the rooftop, but no one talked about it.
Everyone had that much insight.
And the fairies’ song spread across the night sky.
[[lalalalalala~]]
The man leisurely admired the night view while sipping a bottle of beer.
“Hmm.”
I saw a city that was very broken and destroyed.
Although there were many places that were safe, such as the guild building, about a third of the city was reduced to ruins.
“Well, at least it was blocked well enough.”
At that time, Baek Young-hee sat on the left side of the master and said.
“Team Leader. Can I ask you something?”
“What?”
“Team Leader, you don’t like being bothered. But why did you do that?”
Something like that. I guess you’re talking about the Santa Claus performance.
The man said, scratching his chin.
“well···.”
It may have been because I felt sorry for the bereaved family,
It may be nothing more than hypocrisy, just self-satisfaction,
It could have simply been an act of whim or fun.
Or maybe it’s a mix of all of them.
There was only one thing I could say for sure.
“Because I can. Because I have the ability to do it.”
Past landlords and present landlords are different.
A past where we had to live each day desperately, selfishly, and impatiently in order to survive.
But now it’s different.
As the saying goes, “A rice chest brings out human nature,” my improved financial situation has changed many things.
The man smiled gently. His smile seemed relaxed.
“Even if I sleep in late, am lazy, and help poor people when I’m bored… I think I can live well enough if I live like that.”
“······.”
Baek Young-hee, who had been quietly looking at the man for a moment, let out a deep sigh.
“Ha. I’m really worried.”
“What? Are you afraid I’ll become a fool?”
“That’s not it···”
Baek Young-hee continued speaking with a bashful smile.
“I think I might really like you, Team Leader. Of course, I like you now, too.”
At that moment, the man became serious and said.
“Anyway, whenever you get a chance. I told you to go do your dating business somewhere else.”
“···Tsk.”
Baek Young-hee turned her head to the side and muttered to herself while poking at the pineapple with a fork.
“How come you didn’t come over even once? Are you a eunuch?”
“···You talk to yourself quite loudly, don’t you?”
“Oh my. I forgot that the team leader has superhuman hearing.”
The man shook his head and finished drinking the beer he was drinking. He glanced at Lily, who was sitting on his right.
“Ugh. Wipe it off before you eat.”
When the man wiped the seasoning off her right cheek with a wet towel, Lily turned her left cheek over as if it was natural.
“Wipe here too.”
The man laughed as if he found it ridiculous and wiped his left cheek.
“Now this is just···.”
I was about to nag her, but she was eating deliciously, so I decided not to nag her.
Today, I wore a Rudolph headband and flew around a lot.
“Hey, kid.”
“yes?”
The man stared at Lily, who was looking at him, holding a chicken and a pizza in each hand.
“you···.”
Daein recalled the scene in the funeral video that Baek Yeong-hee had shown earlier, where the little boy was calling out to his father in the photo.
Now that I think about it, I don’t think I’ve ever had a conversation like this with the kid.
“Don’t you miss Mom and Dad?”
“······.”
Lily put the food she was holding in her hand down on her plate.
Although his face had clearly darkened, the man pretended not to notice and continued speaking.
“You never said anything like that. Like you missed your parents, or what they looked like, or that they passed away….”
“······.”
Lily bowed her head and remained silent. The two spoke in Gaia, so Jang Yeong-shin, who was sitting next to Lily, was at a loss as to what to do about the atmosphere.
“···Sir. Stop it···”
The man spoke in a soft voice.
“Don’t interrupt. It’s important.”
“······.”
The man placed his hand on Lily’s head, which was bowed deeply. He then lightly stroked her hair and said.
“Let me ask you just one question. Answer carefully.”
“······.”
Lily lifted her head slightly. Her eyes were shaking anxiously.
“Do you want to meet your parents? Or do you not want to meet them?”
Lily didn’t answer for a long time. The man didn’t rush her and just waited leisurely.
He drank more beer, ate some food, and reached into his pocket to fiddle with his soul stone.
Then, in a small, crawling voice, Lily spoke, wiggling her fingers.
“···I want to meet you. But···.”
“Okay, then. Let’s go meet up.”
About half of the mana remains in the soul stone.
It was enough to go to the Gaia continent and come back once.
The man said.
“I’m going to go sightseeing in Gaia for the first time in a while, and I’ve got some things to bring back, and I’ll also visit your parents while I’m at it.”
ⓒ Ganjjajang
