Became a tyrant of defense games - Episode 345
◈ 345. [Side Story] New Year’s Day
After roughly stopping the food fight situation,.
“thank you for this food!”
When I shouted with my spoon in hand, the other guys also raised their spoons and said something like, ‘I’ll eat it well.’.
“Wow, the New Year's stew in the South is pretty spicy..”
Junior, who had his first drink, frowned and stuck out his tongue. The taste of various spices is definitely complex. It's a little spicy too.
It was spicy, so my stomach felt a little relieved, so I swallowed it with pleasure and nodded..
“Junior, you have traveled all over the world. What about other places??”
“In the northern part of the country where I come from, we eat it plain with just salt added. Since the eastern part is by the sea, the ingredients are not meatballs but meatballs made from sliced fish..”
Is it fish cake? Hearing this makes me crave fish cake stew.……!
This time Lucas got the word out..
“In Hwangdo, meatballs are grilled separately and topped with vegetable stew..”
“Why do you eat so complicatedly??”
“I don't know much, but my lord dissed me by saying that it was the emperor's way of emphasizing unnecessary processes..”
Ah, I think I understand a little when I hear it that way.…….
“And my lord made it a pleasure on New Year's Day to drink this New Year's stew and a strong drink..”
Lucas picked up a wine bottle from under the table, put it on the table, and smiled at me..
“Would you like a drink??”
“It's good! Follow me.”
After all, what does Lucas know?.
‘……uh? By the way, since when did I become this good at drinking??’
Is it because of you, the Margrave? No, is it because I ate it at the banquet every time I won a defense game that it ended up like this??
As I was taking the cup, wondering when I had become so obsessed with food, Evangeline, who was scooping up her third bowl of stew, said something..
“no! What are you doing at the beginning of the new year? These drinkers!”
“It is meaningful because it is the first morning of the first day. Hehehe.”
“Senior, I'm still not feeling well.!”
“It's okay, it's okay, it's all better.”
Lucas filled his and Junior's glasses. Junior smiled heartily as he received his drink. I became puzzled..
“Junior, didn’t you always like alcohol??”
“Oh, that's because I drink it often for the sake of my health.…….”
“Big Yeoyongwi……?”
What is that again? It sounds like some kind of dragon roaring..
Then Evangeline got scared and waved her hands..
“Well, that's okay! now! Let's all have a quick toast!”
Even though Damian is an adult, he does not enjoy alcohol, and Evangeline is still a minor even after her birthday this year, so she cannot drink alcohol..
Instead, Ader served them a sweetened drink mixed with pickled fruits and milk jam, saying it was a New Year's drink..
I even put cold thin ice on top..
“happy new year!”
“I hope this year is full of good things-!”
braided-!
We toasted. Evangeline, who had gulped down a New Year's drink, narrowed her eyes and trembled..
“Huh... … ! I hate winter, but this drink is really cool.……!”
The wine that was buried in the winter snow and then just taken out was delicious as it was as cold as ice..
Ice-like liquor in hot stew. The compatibility is quite strong..
We had a great morning eating and drinking like that..
***
After eating a hearty breakfast, I was about to slack off a bit, but the party members who woke me up from my daze dressed me in street clothes..
Evangeline put fur boots on me, Junior buttoned the front of my coat, Damian put a scarf on me, and Lucas put a fur hat on my head..
Did you guys practice beforehand? Why are you so skilled?.
I asked belatedly, as I was waddling around like a penguin wearing thick outdoor clothes..
“What, where are you going dressed like this??”
Then Damian smiled brightly and answered..
“On the first day of the new year, you should go to the temple and ask for the goddess' blessings.!”
aha. indeed. There seems to be a custom like that in this town..
“It is a temple that is somewhat closed during normal times, but on today, the first day of the new year, it is wide open to all guests..”
“Hooooo.”
It is said that usually only the medical facility area is open to the general public, and most of the remaining temple areas are inaccessible..
However, it is said that only today, the central hall corridor where the largest goddess statue inside the temple is located is open..
It is possible to ask the goddess for blessings for the year here..
‘……wait for a sec.’
The goddess statue in the central hall... … Isn't that the one I destroyed last time? Why was it disguised as a communication device?…….
As I was sweating profusely, Damian, who sensed what I was feeling, smiled slightly and whispered in my ear..
“……I carved a new one and brought it in. Do not worry too much.”
“Yeah, really? I'm not being punished?”
“Heavenly punishment... … You may receive it later after death. Anyway, don't worry, there will be no problems with the temple operation.!”
Damian smiled like an angel and said: No, Yanma! Can't you protect me even in the afterlife??!
‘……I need to donate a lot.’
I will protect my afterlife with the power of capitalism. With a promise, I packed a bag of gold coins. I need to make an offering and give the kids some New Year’s money..
When I came out of the mansion, the sky was clear. It was snowing just a few days ago, but today there was not a single cloud..
Although the temperature is low, there is no wind and it is a pleasant day for a refreshing walk..
“Should I walk to the temple??”
“Oh, good idea, old man! Because walking is good exercise.”
……When I heard those words, I just wanted to jump on a carriage..
“Then I will keep the carriage waiting, my lord..”
“Ah, ah... … Yeah, yeah. OK.”
It's hard to even pick up the words now..
So we walked steadily and headed towards the temple..
I thought I could already see a lot of people on the way to the temple, but as I got closer to the temple, it started to get more crowded..
It seems like everyone is flocking here from the morning to get some blessings from the goddess..
Among them, one alley was especially crowded, so I wondered why, but as I got closer, I heard a familiar girl's voice..
“Oh, Ash!”
A small black-haired girl wearing a silver crown and fur coat waved her hands enthusiastically..
Neatly sharp shark teeth were visible in the smiling mouth of a girl smiling brightly..
“Do you go to the temple too??”
“grandee!”
It was Dusk Bringer. I bowed my head..
“happy new year.”
“Ahaha, yes. I hope you and your subordinates will all be blessed this year..”
Next to Dusk Bringer, there was a large cauldron on top of the bonfire..
Her knights are diligently boiling something in the pot and scooping it up with a ladle and distributing it to the people. It seems like this is why people flocked to it..
“They're giving away free Western New Year's stew..”
“Oh, the Western way… … But why is it free??”
“The people here at Crossroads accepted our refugees without much discrimination or persecution. Let's just say it's a sign of affection towards him..”
indeed. They are sharing their traditional food as a sign of gratitude..
“What is the New Year's stew in the West?”
“The way our Principality of Bringer is, well, it's similar since it's a separate country from the empire. We pour meatball stew over roasted vegetables..”
It seems like the way and order of eating in the imperial capital has been reversed..
“And then you eat it from the bowl outside like this! The New Year's stew eaten in the cold air is also a treat.!”
Dusk Bringer grinned as he pointed at the people around him who were eating while holding their bowls..
“Would you like a bowl too??”
“No, that's enough. After eating my fill, I came out…….”
I declined, but Evangeline and Lucas each accepted a bowl of flatfish porridge. Stop eating it!
“Wow, this is okay too!”
“Whoa. Roasted vegetables taste sweet..”
As the two knights inhaled deliciously, Dusk Bringer crossed his arms and smiled wow, as if satisfied..
“To make delicious grilled vegetables, you have to pay more attention to heat control than meat! So this body fired its own breath and baked it.!”
……You probably heard it wrong, right? It must be a joke that the Dragon Lady spewed fire from her mouth to cook New Year's stew.?
“Ugh, the stew is pretty good too..”
At that time, I found Kuilan and the Punishment Unit next to me, each holding a bowl and sipping..
The punishment unit was swallowing the stew little by little while trembling and sticking out its tongue, as if it was not good at eating hot food. With his tongue moving like that, he looks a bit like a beastman.…….
“W, Kuilan. Happy New Year.”
“oh! Leader! Happy New Year!”
“Oh oh! Big boss! Happy New Year!!”
Only then did the punishment unit members recognize me and bow down to me. I made a chin gesture.
“Do the Beastmen also eat New Year’s stew??”
“In our Danpunglang tribe, we do not eat stew on New Year's Day. Instead, we eat special dumplings baked in an oven..”
Kuilan said wow and pretended to eat dumplings..
“You have to swallow it in one mouthful. If you miss even one drop of dumpling juice, your luck will run out..”
“I guess you guys aren’t good at eating hot food.……?”
“So, it's a challenge. Usually, after that, my mouth gets burned and I have a hard time for a few days..”
So isn't that just stupid??
“Next time, if I get the chance, I will make a fire pit and bake a bunch of our tribe's traditional dumplings. My brother taught me all the secrets long ago..”
“……okay. I'm not looking forward to it.”
When the story of Kureha came up, my heart became a little heavy..
I tapped Kuilan on the shoulder, and Kuilan grinned and started eating stew again, blowing on the bowl..
After saying hello to Dusk Bringer once more, we walked towards the temple again..
When we arrived at the temple, we encountered three shadow troops just coming out of the temple. I waved happily..
“God Hand! Body bag! Burnout! I'm on my way to discharge?”
“Ah, your highness!”
The three elves bowed politely..
The three who were injured during the last special unit infiltration incident were being treated side by side at the temple. Looks like he's being discharged today.
“Happy New Year everyone.”
“I wish the World Tree good luck to your Majesty and to you all..”
I asked the three people who gave me elven New Year greetings..
“My body is feeling better.?”
“yes. Almost completely healed. The saint told me to stay a day or two more, but… … Seeing that the temple is crowded today due to the New Year's event, I decided to leave the hospital early to ease the burden on the priests..”
Indeed, that is what happened..
I winked at Damien next to me..
“But the temple is busy. Is it okay for you to leave??”
“The saintess entrusted me with the task of bringing the prince... … lol. I also have to help at the temple again in the afternoon..”
Damian smiled shyly. This guy knows how to use tricks and has improved a lot..
I asked the three elves again.
“You three ate New Year's stew?”
“yes. It was served for breakfast at the temple. Thanks to you, my body warmed up a bit..”
“Elves also eat New Year’s stew today?”
“no. Because the elf kingdom uses a different calendar than humans... … Today is not New Year's Day. There is a difference of a few days.”
God Hand's face became slightly faint..
“And for New Year's food, we drink warm tea with sunflower honey..”
“……Like snacks with sunflower seeds?”
“Oh, how did you know??”
That's because I now know that you are a hamster-like species who are obsessed with sunflower seeds, nuts, and fruits..
Well, we're having a random conversation that's kind of pointless and appropriate for the first day of the new year..
“oh!”
I thought I heard a familiar woman's voice from over there, so I turned around and saw Lily riding in a wheelchair. Holding a tray with something in her arms.
I quickly waved my hand..
“Lily, happy new year!”
“Get a lot, Your Majesty. I hope everyone has good luck this year.!”
Lily, who was sitting in the wheelchair and bowed to each other, swallowed dry saliva and came towards me..
“Um, God Hand? I heard about it before, so I tried baking it.…….”
When Lily removed the cloth covering the tray she had brought, several warm-smelling pies were revealed..
Nuts and dried fruits are densely packed..
“I'm not really good at cooking... … It may not taste good…….”
Some were slightly burned, and some had their exteriors broken. Lily stammered, her face bright red from embarrassment..
“Well, still… … Just for your sincerity, will you please take a bite?……?”
“…….”
Godhand blinked in surprise and quickly picked up a piece of pie and put it in his mouth..
Bodybag smiled and took a bite, and Burnout removed the gag from his mouth and quickly stuffed the pie into his mouth and filled the gag again..
“Wow, it's delicious!”
Bodybag said with sparkling eyes and quickly ate a few more bites.,
Nod.
Burnout nodded furiously with his cheeks full..
“…….”
Only Godhand was quietly chewing the pie without saying anything..
His gaze is distant, as if he is reminiscing about some distant past..
“……Me, Godhand?”
When Lily cautiously asked if he was worried, Godhand suddenly came to his senses and smiled..
“It's really delicious, Lily. Thank you for your consideration..”
“No, I just did it because I had time.…….”
Lily, whose face was red, turned her head and giggled..
Ah, it's started again. Pink mood fluffy…….
This couple has been a disaster since the first day of the new year. I wonder if I should throw them out..
My two knights savor the pie and reach for it... … No, I saw two angler fish. These guys!
match!
I grabbed the hands of two people and quickly led my party members into the temple..
“Come on, let’s go into the temple to ask for the goddess’ blessings.~”
“Oh, why! It looks like a lot anyway, but just one bite.!”
“I'm also curious about the taste of the pies that elves eat, my lord.!”
“Okay! Get the vibe, you muscle pigs.!”
You're making good memories on a good day. I don't like couples either, but I'm still a person who knows how to be considerate when it's necessary..
After going through many twists and turns, we entered the temple.-
“…….”
It started to appear from the entrance..
In the distance, in the central hall of the temple, there is a large goddess statue..
The woman carved from white marble had the appearance of a typical 'goddess'. On her benevolent face, white wings sprouted on her back…….
‘……Come to think of it.’
Now I suddenly became curious.
‘Who is this goddess??’
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