Judas made a decision.
He decided to sit Eliya on his lap as usual.
But instead, he cleverly positioned her beside him to avoid any sensitive and inappropriate contact.
He carefully fed Eliya a sandwich while she sat on his knees.
It had been a while since he last saw her open her mouth like a baby bird to eat.
Just looking at her warmed his heart.
He felt pathetic for having such bad thoughts just moments ago.
Eliya, with her chubby cheeks munching away, offered Judas a sandwich.
Judas hesitated, trying to eat it himself.
However, Eliya shook her head firmly.
“No way. I’m going to feed you.”
Reluctantly, he accepted whatever Eliya fed him.
‘…Well, it tastes good.’
He felt himself blush at the sight of Eliya smiling contentedly.
After swallowing her first bite, Eliya asked,
“What do you know so far?”
The Emperor, the Pope, and the Saint.
She was the master of humanity’s unification.
Even if he wanted to ignore it, he couldn’t hide from her news.
Such remarkable achievements were spreading throughout the continent.
Naturally, Judas had heard a bit here and there.
“I know about as much as everyone else.”
“And among that, what’s something you want to hear from me?”
The mention of her lips made Judas instinctively glance at them.
Her lips glistened from the bacon grease in the sandwich…
He averted his gaze and replied.
“There are many things…”
Eliya smiled brightly at the idea that there were many stories he wanted to hear.
After sharing a grin with her, Judas continued.
“Was there no opposition from the existing royal family?”
He knew she was a remarkable person.
A figure who perished and resurrected alongside the Evil God.
That day, all of humanity witnessed Eliya’s vision.
It was nothing short of a miracle.
Beyond the resurrection of a mythical age, she could be called the primordial being who returned.
In essence, she was like a living God to current humanity.
Even so, she was essentially human.
It would be hard to believe there was no opposition to the royal family’s power being snatched away.
Eliya reminisced about that time and spoke.
“It wasn’t that there wasn’t any.”
The day she awakened, just two days later.
Eliya stormed the royal palace.
To leave no time for preparation, she didn’t announce her arrival.
Instead, she went alone to avoid startling anyone.
“But it wasn’t that huge of a deal.”
A few attempted to block her path.
That was a pointless endeavor.
With just a glance from Eliya, they tucked their tails and retreated.
“There were more factions supporting me than opposing me.”
The previous emperor who had resurrected the Evil God would be recorded as the worst in history.
And Eliya was the one who sacrificed herself to annihilate that Evil God.
She surpassed being simply a moral great figure.
Politically, her achievements transcended human ranks.
Thus, the majority of the existing royal staff sided with Eliya.
They even personally guided her to the imperial throne.
“Ah, and Hagal helped a lot too.”
The youngest daughter of Johan Helios.
Hagal Helios rushed out to support Eliya.
No wonder.
She once proposed to the new emperor.
She had no choice but to tread cautiously.
Luckily, she had no personal feelings involved.
“That girl… I mean, Hagal didn’t seem to like her family much. She leveraged the opposition’s weaknesses to help me. Even without Hagal, I would have eventually sat on the throne.”
In the end, she would have become empress sooner or later.
The only difference being whether it happened a few minutes sooner or later.
“So that’s how it was…”
“Do you want to hear more?”
She wanted him to ask more.
Eliya had so much she wanted to share in her own voice.
Understanding this, Judas smiled at her cuteness.
“Then… how did you gain support from the existing Sun Church and Molsin Church?”
“Surprisingly, it was easy with the Molsin Church. You know the priest Aquinas?”
He remembered the priest from when he visited Selene during his student days.
“He seemed to have noticed the corruption in the Molsin Church’s upper echelons. He collected a ton of evidence regarding it.”
Most of the upper brass, including Bishop Angra and Pope Nadab, collaborated with Johan.
To enjoy wealth and glory in this new era.
Moreover, the bishop of the Molsin Church had summoned the Evil God at the last moment.
“As luck would have it, I was planning to clean house, but thanks to that priest, it was easy. In return, I decided to only leave a few believers, including that priest. They denied their connection with the corrupt Molsin Church and supported me.”
“I thought the Molsin Church’s declaration of support came out of nowhere, but I see now.”
“Yep. As for the Sun Church, it was simple. Do you know Bishop Kobang?”
“First time hearing it.”
“You’ll probably recognize the face. He was the cardinal who treated you once.”
Five years ago, an assassin visited Eliya.
Judas stopped him and almost died in the process.
That was when a priest came to tend to Judas’s wounds.
“…Ah! That was him?”
“Yep. Back then, I couldn’t have summoned Cardinal Kobang.”
Young Eliya was weak.
All she had was potential.
The cardinal, capable of rejecting Eliya’s pleas, willingly agreed and checked on Judas’s condition.
“We struck a sort of deal back then. If he had any requests later on, I would agree to them.”
And when she sat on the throne, Kobang came.
He bowed his head to the ground and begged.
“He asked me to become Pope.”
She could never forget the look in his eyes then.
The astonished gaze of someone witnessing the living God, or the apostle of a descended deity named Eliya.
On the other hand, Eliya was indifferent.
“I was planning on doing that anyway.”
The process was swift and straightforward.
Kobang had already tidied things up within the Sun Church, and he presented all of it to Eliya.
Thus, Eliya essentially got the Sun Church and Molsin Church for free.
She continued sharing many stories.
While munching on her sandwich, she took every chance to tell Judas what she had done.
Among those stories was the restructuring of the Assassin Guild, which was not known to the public.
Eliya raided it and blackmailed them.
Told them to become the secret blade of the new empire.
She overpowered them by force, and they complied.
She based their location on Judas’s memories.
Judas’s memories were quite helpful.
Whether connecting all the roads into one or directing aerial and naval equipment, it all drew from his memories.
The enormous ships and flying objects he saw in a different world.
To conquer the demon realm easily, she deemed those necessary.
Even after finishing her sandwich, her tales weren’t done.
Judas felt a tinge of pride.
It was as if he was expected to praise the struggles and efforts Eliya put in while he was away.
Part of that was true.
Eliya desired praise.
All the preparations she made for his return were efforts he couldn’t even imagine.
It was also a bit of a complaint.
She wanted him to understand how hard and lonely it was for her while he was absent.
Of course, she hadn’t mentioned the most important and shocking thing she had prepared for him.
That would come later on.
When that event unfolded, she would let him know.
Judas patted Eliya’s back.
“You’ve worked hard.”
“Yep, I’ve worked a ton. And I’ve seen even more than that.”
“I’ve missed you a lot too.”
Eliya suddenly pulled his face into her embrace.
She just wanted to hug him tightly.
“Thank you for remembering me.”
In that moment, Judas froze.
Her bold move left him dizzy.
His face was buried in her chest.
A warm body temperature surrounded him.
A pleasant fragrance filled the air.
It felt unfamiliar but not unpleasant.
He carefully wrapped his arms around her waist, burying his face against her chest and took a deep breath.
The cozy sensation enveloped his face.
Eliya, seemingly joyful, hugged him tightly.
Such actions were now natural for both of them.
“I’m sorry for being a bit late.”
“It’s fine. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be here now.”
Finally, when she gently pulled away from their embrace, Judas’s face was flushed for various reasons.
Eliya reflected on her earlier actions.
And then,
“…Did you finish eating? Should we clean up now?”
She decided to pretend as if nothing had happened.
Overwhelmed by her emotions, she had pulled him into her embrace without realizing it.
There was definitely no such intent.
Not that there was an absence of such intent in her heart, but this wasn’t the time for it.
Perhaps later. After that matter had progressed.
Judas quickly regained his composure.
“Uh, yeah. I, I will clean… no, I’ll just sit for a bit longer…”
He scolded his own instincts internally for feeling disappointed.
‘Control yourself, hold on…!’
*
Maria was wandering through a hazy fog.
She couldn’t see an inch ahead.
She had no idea where she was going or how far she had come.
But her intention to move forward was clear.
She had to return to Eliya.
At that moment, someone spoke from beyond the fog.
A gender-neutral voice that seemed to resonate throughout the entire space.
She had heard it before.
[Go tell that guy Judas. That I’m sending you swiftly and smoothly, making sure to deliver the third gift.]
That voice had guided her to the dock to find Judas.
It had called it a promised gift back then as well.
[Ugh… I knew it! This feels like a mistake.]
After the grumbling voice faded, the fog quickly lifted.
Her consciousness felt like it was dispersing with the mist, being sucked into a spiral trajectory toward somewhere.
Maria slowly opened her tightly shut eyes.
It felt like she was barely waking from a long, deep slumber.
The first thing she saw was a round face.
Wavy black hair.
Tearful red eyes.
A pretty child.
“Mom…?”
Eliya’s voice snapped her back to reality.
Memories of before wandering in the fog rushed back.
The moment they greeted each other at the dock.
Judas had said he could return too and told her to come along.
Wavering, she had boarded the boat, and it had sailed into the void.
And now, she had opened her eyes here.
Yes, she had come back.
Maria gently caressed Eliya’s face.
The warmth of her hand felt soothing.
How long had it been since she had seen this face?
And how long had it been since they recognized each other’s identities?
“Eliya…”
The first thing that came to her mind was the love she had had for her daughter throughout her life.
“I’m sorry…”
No matter what it was, she always felt it was her fault and could only express her apologies.
Eliya silently hugged Maria as she cried.
Everything was okay now.
There was no longer any reason for them to be apart or deceive each other.
So, she didn’t have to feel sorry.
Maria comforted her sobbing daughter.
Eliya seemed to forgive herself.
Judah’s words were right.
Forgiveness was Eliya’s part.
However, Maria could not completely forgive herself.
But continuously feeling sorry and tormented by guilt would not be fair to Eliya.
So, from now on, she would live feeling grateful to Eliya and occasionally, just a little bit sorry.
She looked up at Judas, who stood a step away.
He was watching her and Eliya with a proud and bittersweet expression.
With a grateful heart, Maria smiled softly at him.
Judas nodded slightly.
Watching the joyous reunion of the mother and daughter filled his heart with pride.
It was all worth the struggle.
In the end, he saved not only Eliya but also the people who belonged to her world.
Though unsure if it would reach, he quietly expressed his gratitude to God in his heart.
*
The God who had made a deal with Judas sighed and grumbled.
“Ugh. That blockhead…”
Despite saying that, he was smiling contentedly.
“Thanks to that kid, I’m ending up with an unexpected judgment. Ughhh…!”
Stretching above his head while grumbling, although no one could perceive his expression, he was still smiling.
It was time to get back to work.
Having become a level 5 intellect, he was merely a part of the grand cosmic causality and a speck to boot.
But still.
“It seems I received my gift well.”
Seeing Judas, a speck smaller than himself living like that, somehow revived his spirit to endure.
And, unlike himself, he succeeded.
“That kid seems to have succeeded, which is a relief.”
Watching him brought back memories of the times he had once been a similar intellectual being.
No matter how transcended he became, he could never forget those memories.
He couldn’t afford to forget.
They were the only pieces of humanity and identity that defined his current being.
“I guess I have to get back to work…”
In the white space where he was alone with Judas.
When the white veil disappeared, a black universe emerged.
Instead of stars, sparkling black bubbles scattered everywhere.
Countless as the stars, each was a universe of its own.
They were things he needed to manage.
“I wonder if there are any cases here that need help.”
Though he couldn’t interfere any longer, he would continue to watch over Judas, who had reached the conclusion he desired for the first time.
Gazing at the universe from time to time.
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