Chapter 51
Chapter 51
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 50
Chapter Title: The Hero's Gift
I hate change.
Unlike the gods who pursued all sorts of possibilities,
for me, change meant endless uncertainty and severance.
Something changing
meant discarding all the accumulations built up until then,
and it was nothing more than a grueling cycle of having to stack new things up one by one from the start again.
So I chose isolation,
and accepted a life of repeating only the mission given to me.
But….
Merthesia.
Change, in the language of dragons.
I gave this child such a name
because I hoped she would live differently from me.
Seeing and hearing new things,
meeting more people and communicating,
feeling, learning, and growing from what she didn't know.
I wanted her to steadily build up her own time.
I hoped she could reach the things I had given up on.
This child
had to melt into this world and live out the life given to her.
Unlike me.
And above all,
this child suited "change" perfectly.
Even now, little by little,
but surely, she was changing.
At first, she wouldn't even meet my eyes, but now she smiles when she looks at me.
She reaches out with her small hand first to grab me,
nods at the words I offer,
and has started to express her own feelings slowly but clearly.
Still clumsy and cautious, but even that was uniquely hers—a mark of change.
"Merthesia…. It's a word I've never heard before, but it suits her well."
"Right? Kid—no, Mer…the…sia seems to like it too. She's bawling her eyes out. Here, wipe your face with this!"
"……!"
And moreover—.
The child's world was expanding day by day.
The child who used to tremble in fear at the village outskirts
could now accept someone's kindness with a smile.
New people,
new experiences,
new learning.
All of it was changing her.
I looked at the child.
She was still crying.
Even as she wiped her face over and over with the handkerchief Loren gave her,
she couldn't stop the tears, her small shoulders shaking with sobs.
'I didn't expect her to be this happy.'
Now I think I understand.
Why Loren had insisted so much on me naming her.
I carefully wiped the child's cheeks.
"Merthesia."
"……!"
Calling her name once more, her sparkling eyes looked up at me.
"A name gets more familiar the more you call it."
"……"
"From now on, I'll call you often."
The child drew in a small breath.
Her small, fragile body trembled visibly.
But
the smile blooming across her face
was as warm and radiant as the first spring light at the end of a harsh winter.
Clutching the rabbit doll tightly,
the child cautiously reached out toward me.
I slowly took her small hand.
"……."
"I'm glad you like it."
"!"
Having a name.
For this child, it must be proof that she finally belonged to the world.
Yes.
A name was the surest mark revealing one's existence.
I realized that fact after a very long time.
A true name is an inseparable shackle.
A lost name is a remnant of an irretrievable past.
The new name I gained became the root of disaster, so at some point, I stopped attaching meaning to names.
But this child
was overjoyed just at receiving a name as a gift.
More precious than any other present,
accepting it with happiness as if she'd been waiting for it forever.
'I'm glad.'
I dared to hope
that the name I gave her
would cover all the wounds she'd received until now.
And that, true to its meaning, she would ceaselessly change and move forward.
"……."
"Yeah. Come here."
The child leaned into my arms like she was rushing in.
A small, warm warmth quickly settled on my chest.
Held in my arms with the rabbit doll,
the child…, no, Merthesia closed her eyes tightly, breathing evenly.
Fortunately, she wasn't crying anymore.
"It suits her well."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. …Though it's unexpected that you came up with such a name."
Rakiss chuckled and patted my shoulder with one hand.
"Merthesia."
"……."
"May the divine blessing be upon that name."
"……!"
Rakiss placed his hand on the child's head and offered a short but sincere blessing.
Did she understand its meaning?
Merthesia shyly smiled and nodded.
Watching the scene warmly, Loren grinned and spoke up.
"Wow, our little one is lucky, huh? You don't get a high priest's blessing every day."
"!"
"Ah, no. Not little one anymore. Mer…Mete…. Uh…."
"Merthesia."
Loren stuck out her tongue in confusion and scratched her head.
"Ugh, pretty name, but it's hard. Maybe 'cause it's a new word."
"……."
"It's fine! Big sis will practice hard! Mer…the…sia!"
Merthesia burst into laughter.
A playful smile spread over her tear-streaked face.
Loren tried a few more times after that.
"Mer…the…sia. Merr, no!"
"……."
"Hahaha!"
"Mer…the…sia. Good. Merlut… oof!"
Was her tongue getting more tangled the more she said it?
She mumbled the name repeatedly and even bit her tongue slightly in the end.
Finally, Loren hung her head, pretending to tear up.
"…Sorry, kiddo. Looks like big sis can't do it. Can I just call you Mer?"
"!"
"Hehe, thanks."
"If it's alright, this old man would like to call her Mer too."
"…You find it hard too, Elder?"
Hubert answered with a hearty laugh instead.
Watching them, I turned my gaze back to the child for a moment.
'Mer.'
A short, easy-to-say nickname just for her.
It was good to have a name she could be called so affectionately.
Like how I'm called Row.
"Then should I call you Mer too?"
"Even the namer finds it hard?"
"No, not really. Just 'cause everyone's doing it."
"!!!"
Merthesia shook her head firmly.
For some reason, it felt like she stubbornly wanted at least me to call her full name.
I chuckled and stroked Merthesia's head.
"Alright. Got it, Merthesia."
"!"
"Okay—! Attention everyone! We still have the last one!"
Loren's voice was brimming with excitement.
The gazes of those seated naturally turned to her.
"Remember the order? Elder, me, Row, and…"
"……!"
"Right! Merthesia's turn!"
Merthesia looked up at me.
I smiled leisurely and handed her the bag.
Merthesia carefully set down the rabbit doll she cherished.
Her small hands hugged the bag to her chest,
then she gingerly pulled out a tightly rolled-up drawing from inside.
Seeing it, Loren clasped her hands with a bright smile.
"Oh! Merthesia's gift is a drawing she made herself?"
"!"
"Heh heh, guess I need to buy a frame."
"Right? So, Mer, hand out the drawings in order?"
"!"
Merthesia nodded, clutching the drawings to her chest.
Her face looked tense.
Understanding her feelings, I couldn't help but chuckle.
First was Hubert.
Merthesia crawled to Hubert with a drawing as big as herself and slowly extended both hands.
Her movements in handing it over were extremely careful,
and her eyes trembled with a mix of shyness and anticipation.
Hubert, receiving the drawing, smiled warmly at Merthesia.
"Oh ho, this is my face."
"……!"
Merthesia looked up, checking his reaction.
Hubert examined the drawing for a long while before bursting into a satisfied laugh.
"Beard and all, holding a book too. Sharp observation skills."
"……."
"Best gift I've gotten today. Thank you, Mer."
"!"
A slight smile spread on Merthesia's lips.
The child's gaze turned to Loren, sitting a little distance away.
Loren held out her hands with expectant eyes.
"Come on, come on! I'm next, right? You drew me too? Right, Mer?"
"……!"
Merthesia carefully pulled out another drawing.
The top was a bit crumpled, but the vibrant colors caught the eye at once.
"……."
"Kyaa, thank you—!"
Loren hugged the drawing tightly with both arms as soon as she got it, like it was treasure.
"Wow, is this me? You drew me so pretty! So this is how Mer sees big sis?"
"……!"
"Hehe, even the clothes are big sis's favorite light purple. Thank you so much, Mer! Gotta hang this in the clothing shop!"
"I'll hang mine in the bookstore too."
Merthesia blinked in surprise.
Her slightly flushed cheeks from shyness were quite cute.
"Okay, now it's Row's turn!"
"……."
A brief silence fell.
The tension that had faded from Merthesia's face returned.
Maybe because of that.
I found myself regulating my breathing too.
"……."
"Come on, Mer. Time to show what you've been practicing."
"…Practice?"
Merthesia looked at me and nodded.
Then,
very slowly,
she stood up from her seat.
"…Huh?"
"……."
The last one clutched tightly to her chest.
Holding the drawing,
Merthesia took one step, then another—.
Slowly, cautiously approaching me.
Very slow, trembling with each step, but she was walking on her own.
"How…."
"……."
Before I knew it, Merthesia stood before me.
She had moved her legs—which couldn't even stand or walk—on her own to reach me.
Merthesia held out the drawing she made herself.
Her legs were shaking a little,
but her eyes met mine straight on, without faltering.
An unbelievable sight.
As I stared blankly, Loren's voice rang out.
"Jeez, what are you doing? Praise her!"
"…Ah."
"……."
I needed to say something.
Suddenly, my throat tightened so much I couldn't speak.
I took a deep breath.
"…You're amazing, Merthesia."
"……."
"Yeah. Really impressive."
"……!"
"Thank you for the drawing too. I'll treasure it."
I carefully took the drawing Merthesia offered.
Without a doubt, the happiest gift I'd ever received—the miracle of the feast day.