Chapter 104
When winter comes, children don't go out often. It's because the weather is cold and not suitable for playing outside for long.
The average time spent outdoors was at most about an hour. That's why there are quite a few children who dislike winter.
"Maybe because she's a Red Dragon, Hwaryeon seems to dislike it too."
However, children don't entirely dislike winter. Some even look forward to it. It's because there's a big event for children called Christmas.
"It'll be the first Christmas for these dragon kids. I hope they enjoy their first experience well."
For the kids to enjoy it, I need to prepare well. I met the elves in the back mountain after a long time and asked them.
"It's been a while. Are you doing well? How's winter?"
"We've adapted, but it's cold. Anyway, did you prepare the items?"
"Oh, I'll show you."
Swish-
I took out my smartphone and showed the elves what they were expecting.
"This is a photo of Hwaryeon eating."
"Oh, ooh...!!"
"This is a photo of Suryeon and Choryeon fighting while studying."
"A-Are there no more...!? We want to see more...!!"
The elves begged to see more photos with flushed faces. They looked like handsome men and beautiful women, but their behavior felt perverse.
"The Association President is like that, and the elves are like this. Why are all dragon followers like this?"
Sigh-
I sighed, watching them beg for photos.
"It's been cold winter, so we couldn't see the dragon's face often... Please show us just a few more photos of the great dragons..."
"Enough. Did you prepare the items I asked for?"
"Yes, they're in the tent."
I should quickly get the items and escape. I hurried to the tent.
Then, I opened the tent and checked the items inside.
"It must have been hard to grow in winter. You managed to grow it well somehow."
"We're elves. We can easily grow small trees like this."
The elves raised their noses proudly.
I picked up the small packaged tree the elves had prepared.
If you ask what this tree is for, there's only one answer.
'I need to hurry home and make a Christmas tree.'
Imagining decorating the Christmas tree with the children,
I took the small tree grown by the elves and headed home, leaving the back mountain.
***
I put the small tree in a pot and placed it in a corner of the house. Choryeon immediately showed interest, looking around the tree.
"Wow, a green tree in this weather?! Father, how did you get this? It's amazing!"
"Heh, there's nothing Dad can't do, Choryeon."
"As expected of Father!"
Pat pat-
I patted Choryeon's head as she clung to me. Then, Hwaryeon and Suryeon came over and pointed at the tree, asking.
"Dad, is that for eating!?"
"Dad, what did you bring that for?"
I touched the tree with its lush leaves and answered.
"It's not for eating. I brought it for decoration. It's almost Christmas."
"Christmas?"
Tilt-
The children tilted their heads at the word Christmas. Then, Suryeon immediately tapped on her smartphone to search about Christmas.
"Christmas. Jesus' birthday. December 25th. But what does Christmas have to do with this tree?"
"Let Dad explain that directly."
With Dad right in front of them, there's no need for Suryeon to find information through a search.
I explained while taking out Christmas tree decorations from the box.
"On Christmas, we decorate the tree with shiny ornaments like this."
"Why?"
"So Santa can find our house easily."
"Santa? What's Santa?"
Well. If they don't know Christmas, they wouldn't know Santa. I decided to give a rough explanation about Santa.
"Santa is an old man who comes on Christmas. He gives presents to good children. He doesn't give presents to bad children. Just think of him as a kind old man who gives presents."
Pat pat-
I wonder if this satisfied their curiosity. I patted Suryeon's head. But Suryeon still frowned, as if her curiosity wasn't satisfied.
"He gives presents to good children and doesn't give to bad children. Santa decides good and evil. What's good and what's evil in the first place?"
"...Suryeon?"
"An old man deciding good and evil. How arrogant. And how does he give presents to children? Is Santa a dragon or something? If he were a dragon, it might make sense."
Mumble mumble-
Suryeon started thinking to herself and voicing her thoughts about Santa. Seeing her serious expression, I felt at a loss for what to do.
'S-Suryeon is too realistic and doesn't believe in Santa...?'
This is a problem.
I didn't expect her not to believe in Santa. Suryeon started denying Santa's existence from her first Christmas.
"It doesn't make sense. He can't give presents to every child in the world. Santa is a lie. Dad lied to me."
Swish-
Suryeon glared at me with sharp eyes and muttered.
"Dad, you lied to me?"
"N-No..."
"You tried to deceive me with the lie about Santa. Am I wrong?"
"That's not it..."
This is bad. Was Suryeon's argument quite convincing?
Hwaryeon and Choryeon, who were next to her, started whispering too.
"Did Dad lie?! Then I won't get a present either!"
"I-I believe in Father, but... this time, Suryeon's argument seems a bit more credible... Father... right...?"
Three pairs of eyes filled with disbelief.
I wanted to protect the children's innocence, but we've already reached a situation where they're denying Santa's existence.
'Oh, whatever!'
Still. Christmas should proceed with belief in Santa.
I decided to just go for it.
"Ha, you don't know because you haven't received gifts yet. I've received them before, long ago."
"Dad, are you saying Santa exists?"
"Of course! I got presents because I was a good child! You might not get presents because you're bad children who don't believe in Santa!"
Snap-!
Were they stung by being called bad children? The dragon kids had an outburst and shouted at me.
"Why am I a bad child! I'm good!"
"That's nonsense. There's no way I'm a bad child, Dad. Don't say such unfunny things, Dad."
"How well have I behaved, Father... You're saying I'm a bad child...?"
The expressions on those dragon kids' faces were all eerie. Especially Choryeon's expression was the scariest.
However, I didn't yield to the pressure from the dragon kids and shouted.
"Then check for yourselves this Christmas! Whether Santa gives presents or not! If you're good children, you'll get them, and if you're bad children, you won't!"
If you live as good children during the remaining Christmas period, you'll receive gifts.
At those words, a gleam appeared in the dragon kids' eyes.
"Of course I'm a good child! I'm going to get a present from Santa!"
"I'm a good child too. I'll get a present. Definitely."
"Santa will give me a present...! This is only natural...!"
The dragon kids resolved to become good children, competing with each other. I wonder if these precious dragon children can remain good until Christmas.
'Santa will have to judge well.'
I looked fondly at the kids who were determined to be good children, recalling the Santa costume I had prepared outside.
***
A few days before Christmas.
While preparing dinner, Hwaryeon poked her head into the kitchen and said.
"Dad! I'll help prepare dinner!"
"No, it's okay. Just use your breath as usual."
"Shut up! I said I'll help! Listen to me!"
She's so insistent. Does Hwaryeon want to be a good child?
She took an onion from me.
"Hmph, I should cut it like this, right!?"
Hwaryeon raised her hand high in the air and brought it down, shouting.
"Dragon Claw!"
Chop-!
The onion split in two. Hwaryeon didn't stop there and continued cutting the onion.
"Dragon Claw! Dragon Claw! Dragon Claw!"
Chop-! Chop-! Chop-!
Finely chopped onion. Hwaryeon's eyes might have been stinging, as her eyelids were trembling, but she endured it and shrugged her shoulders at me.
"Hmph, how's that, Dad! I did well, right!? This is what a good child does!"
"You cut it well. But I wasn't planning to use the onion this finely..."
"Ugh! Just use it! You have too many complaints!"
I'm grateful for her help, but should I consider this being a good child?
"The intention to help is that of a good child... hmm..."
It's not easy to judge. So, I decided to postpone judgment for now and just prepare dinner.
After completing dinner with some help from Hwaryeon and eating with the children, As I was resting in the living room, Suryeon approached and spoke to me.
"Dad."
"Yes?"
"Honestly, I still don't believe in this Santa guy. For the conclusion that he's real to be established, Santa must be a dragon."
"S-So...?"
"I'm going to prove definitively whether he's real or not this time."
Swish-
Suryeon said this and pointed at the Christmas tree that hadn't been decorated yet. Then, with a slightly expectant expression, she said to me.
"So I'm going to try to enjoy Christmas in my own way for now. You said we need to decorate that Christmas tree, right?"
"Yes."
"I'll help. Let's do it together, Dad. My aesthetic sense will be helpful."
Suryeon, claiming to have excellent aesthetic sense.
I decided to decorate the Christmas tree together with Suryeon. Suryeon stood on her tiptoes with her small height and started decorating the small Christmas tree.
"The star goes here... The shiny ball goes here..."
Heave ho-
Suryeon showed off her aesthetic sense, adding decorations to the Christmas tree.
'...What is that? Why are all the decorations clumped in one place?'
It was an aesthetic sense difficult for me to understand. But thinking it might be Suryeon's own art, I decided to let it slide.
As I was decorating the tree with Suryeon, the other children seemed to have become interested and approached the tree, saying.
"What's this! I want to do it too!"
"I want to do it too, Father! I can do well too! Because I'm a good child!"
"Woof woof-!"
Suryeon showed signs of disliking her work being ruined, But I gestured for the kids to come over.
"You all come and decorate as you like too."
"Yay!"
So all the remaining children gathered together to decorate the Christmas tree.
They hung socks on the tree, bells, shiny balls, sticks, and put a star at the very top. The first Christmas I'm enjoying with the children.
'It reminds me a bit of the old days.'
When I had a family long ago.
Memories from before the dimensional gates opened came to mind.
The children and I looked at the completed Christmas tree, laughing together.
"I put the star on top! I'm the best child!"
"There's no such thing, Hwaryeon. This is a work I designed. I was the best."
"Hmm, I'm not sure! Isn't it a work we all made together!"
"Woof woof-!"
It was a cold winter that felt the warmest in my heart.