chapter 108

The Painter Who Draws Dungeons - Episode 108

Yoo Seong-woon found ‘Gio’s Portrait.’

“I brought the seedlings I mentioned last time.”

“It is awake.”

“Yeah, check whether these are the seedlings you wanted.”

What Gio demanded as the price for guaranteeing Yoo Seong-woon’s life inside the frame was one flower and one tree.

They were ‘Honey Jar’ and ‘Rock-Salt Tree,’ and as their names suggested, you could obtain honey and salt from them, respectively.

‘So Gio prefers things this pastoral.’

Well, hadn’t he said his home itself was a cabin in the forest?

He had even asked for all kinds of seeds before, saying he wanted to farm.

‘His tastes really are firm.’

Yoo Seong-woon went into the frame and looked at the seedlings of Honey Jar and Rock-Salt Tree that had become part of the painting.

“...”

“...”

Gio was stroking them as if they were newly born animals.

‘...Maybe he has a skill that lets him communicate with plants...’

It wasn’t as if such a skill was completely unheard of among humans, so the thought occurred to him.

In truth, he didn’t know exactly what it was, but it was certain that Gio liked things where there was satisfaction in caring for them, like plants and animals or young children.

Soon, the portrait gave him an answer.

“This is exactly what I wanted.

Thank you for complying with my request, Mr. Yoo Seong-woon.”

“I’m glad you’re satisfied.

Later, I’ll organize edible plants from Earth and dungeons and hand them over, so if there’s anything you want, tell me.”

“I will also prepare a gift that will be of help to you, Mr. Yoo Seong-woon.”

Holding the seedlings that were still only fragile in his arms, Gio asked,

“Is that all for your business today?”

“Well, I just... thought I’d chat about this and that.”

“Good.

I am curious how Student Cha Isol has been.”

“Cha Isol?

He’s gone into the temple now.”

Yoo Seong-woon pulled a simple chair nearby and sat down in front of the portrait as he continued.

“He’s quite late.

Originally, right after finishing the initiation ceremony, he should have gone in and started preparing to become a priest, but because of the ‘Kingdom of the Deep Sea’ incident, the schedule got really tight—Priest Kang Seo-dam said he’s tired.”

“I apologize that our disciples have caused trouble.

I have tried to admonish them several times, but they still hate humans.

If there are results soon, I will let you know.”

“There’s no monster that doesn’t hate humans, so it’s fine.

You can’t deny the emotion that forms the basis of that power and reason just by admonishing it.

Still, I feel reassured since you say you’ll stay by those mermaids’ side, Gio.”

Saying that, Yoo Seong-woon recalled the story of the mermaids being witnessed in the ‘Kingdom of the Deep Sea.’

‘They said they’re unbelievably ferocious.’

For reasons unknown, it was reported that the danger level of the mermaids witnessed recently had risen compared to the mermaids witnessed early on.

They said their rage and hatred were in a state that couldn’t be controlled.

‘Did their negative feelings grow stronger in rebellion because Gio admonished them not to hate humans?

But even without seeing them directly, the reports said the signs of despair and sorrow were greater.’

Judging by Gio’s reactions, it seemed like they maintained a normal appearance when they met him.

‘I have no idea what’s going on...’

However, it wasn’t that rare for monsters to carry a chilling double-sidedness.

Yoo Seong-woon didn’t need to concern himself with the affairs of monsters that weren’t even children of the source.

“...And Cha Isol...”

Yoo Seong-woon soon recalled the status of that bright child.

“The partner the temple assigned him was Eunha, right?

I mean Iser, who took on a child form.”

“Yes, I remember.

Since Iser has fallen out, then Student Cha Isol will have no partner.”

“There was some confusion for a while, but it looks like he managed to find a partner properly.”

This ‘Deep Sea Temple’ incident had a major impact.

“Even as probationary priests, they went through something that enormous, so it seems there were a few kids who decided they couldn’t do dangerous work like this and left the temple.

By coincidence, the number of probationary priests left was even, so I heard they restructured the partners from the beginning.”

Yoo Seong-woon shrugged.

“Since priests are basically in pairs, it can’t be helped.”

“I heard a priest’s partner lasts for life—does it not change?”

“It can change a few times while you’re a probationary priest, but it’s true that the partner you have when you become a fully registered priest in the temple lasts for life.”

“I am curious—if one side has unavoidable circumstances and can no longer do a priest’s work, what happens?”

“Unless priests who lost their partners mutually agree and form a new team, usually I understand they work alone.”

A representative example was Priest Kang Seo-dam, who had appeared alone even at the initiation ceremony.

‘It’s common enough.’

Priests in their forties generally didn’t find new partners.

It would be tiring beyond measure to collaborate with someone other than the partner they’d matched hands and feet with for a lifetime.

“From the perspective of an ordinary office worker, I wonder why they made such a tiring structure...”

“I am curious why a priest’s basic unit is two people.

Is there a reason other than tradition?”

“First, tradition is a big part.

You know, in the first place, religious circles don’t change easily.”

But that wasn’t the only reason.

“I heard that the holy power a priest can use is strongest when cooperating with others.”

“Is that true of every priest’s holy power?”

“At least, as far as I know, yes.

There are exceptions, but priests who serve wicked gods are strongest when alone.”

No priest knew the exact reason.

“Still, if I had to guess, it’s probably because each god they serve pursues different virtues.

Most gods value friendship and peace, but wicked gods need ruin and pain.”

Yoo Seong-woon nodded.

“Especially, the Sun Church describes each priest as a ‘small light.’

Even if it’s a faint light, if they gather together it becomes a great light, and if they gather like that it will become hot, so they particularly value cooperation.”

“Then the holy power growing stronger when cooperating would also be for that reason.

Because the more you gather, the hotter it becomes.

The Sun Church’s temple was warm and it felt good—now I understand why.”

Though it was ‘Gio’s Portrait’ with eyes not visible because it was painted over in black paint, Yoo Seong-woon could tell that he was gazing at him.

Soon, the portrait continued.

“What kind of child is Student Cha Isol’s partner?”

“I don’t know the details, but I do know they’re a first-grade citizen.”

“A first-grade citizen.”

“Considering they’re a child, they must be quite wealthy.”

Even while living together in the city, the biggest difference that let you distinguish first grade from second grade was economic power.

If they were a first-grade citizen even though they were a child young enough to have just joined, it was highly likely their parents had also been first-grade citizens for generations.

“Originally, they don’t form pairs like that.

For priests to become partners, they need to share the same dorm room, so they have to be the same sex, and to make it easier for them to understand and rely on each other, they’re grouped by similar grade... so cases like this are rare.”

Yoo Seong-woon laughed awkwardly.

“Cha Isol’s partner is a different sex and a different grade.

Well, once he becomes an official priest, Cha Isol will become a second-grade citizen, but...”

“Even so, is there no problem?”

“How could there be none?

But because so many probationary priests ran away due to this incident, it seems the number dropped a lot.”

“It must have been difficult for the priests to pair the children up as partners.”

“So this time, they also took the probationary priests’ opinions into account a lot.”

That result was this.

“I heard that kid made a huge fuss, insisting they wanted to be Cha Isol’s partner.”

“Then they are a very bold student.

If I meet together with Cha Isol later, it seems it will be enjoyable.”

“To get a good evaluation from you even without showing their face—they’ll grow into something big.”

There were still boy children among the remaining probationary priests, and there were still third-grade citizens too.

Even so, for them to deliberately bind children of different sex and grade together, it would have been difficult without a strong expression of will from the children themselves.

“Cha Eun-hyeok, whom I met to buy fish-shaped pastries, told me with a really tired face.”

“Indeed, they are not ordinary.

Then are those two students satisfied with becoming each other’s partner?”

“Cha Isol doesn’t seem to think much of it, but... on the other side, wouldn’t they be happy anyway?”

Since what they insisted on came true.

“Of course, they’re still using separate rooms, but after this incident, it seems the Sun Church decided to combine the dorm rooms.

Broadly dividing them into a boys’ room and a girls’ room.

Cha Isol won’t be lonely.”

Speaking as if there was no need to worry, Yoo Seong-woon rubbed his tired eyes.

“...Man, I’m sleepy...”

“Were you unable to get off work?”

“...I couldn’t sleep, running around checking this and that.”

Mostly, he’d been looking into matters related to the ‘City of Emptiness.’

“...”

Perhaps because he was talking about Cha Isol—whom Gio had shown particular affection for—the atmosphere was quite relaxed.

Gauging things, Yoo Seong-woon soon opened his mouth carefully.

“...Thank you for letting Hunter Park Eun-gyeom go.”

Among the things he’d looked into was Park Eun-gyeom as well, the center of this missing person incident.

“I checked, and they said he returned home safely.”

“I am glad to hear that.”

“As I expected, you’re still indifferent.”

Gio truly did not care what happened to the sinner who had entered his belly.

‘It would have been only isolation to make the human average more good.’

Yoo Seong-woon understood that indifference.

But no matter how much he thought, he couldn’t understand what kind of eyes he was seeing humans with, or how he regarded himself.

Finding it burdensome to get to the main point, he dragged things out by bringing up Park Eun-gyeom’s story.

“Of course, as soon as he got home, he was taken by the Association.

There’s clear evidence he abused and abandoned his own comrade, and besides that, what happened in the ‘City of Emptiness’ is important data for the Association.”

Yoo Seong-woon also contributed greatly to that ‘important data.’

“Park Eun-gyeom seems to be careful these days after he realized why he got dragged in, you know?”

“Then that is fortunate.

However, I am not placing great expectations.”

“Well, humans don’t change that easily.

Still, the Association side is monitoring him too, so it doesn’t seem like anything will happen.”

“If he does bad things again while being watched by the Association, I would call that truly impressive by that alone.”

“Even I think so.”

Yoo Seong-woon chose his words again.

“...Did you know?

These days, your name has become quite famous.”

“In what way has it become famous?”

“First of all, congratulations—you got fans.

They say they like your paintings.”

“I am grateful that they love my inadequate works.”

“That’s too humble a reaction, isn’t it?”

Gio’s ‘works’ had great artistic value.

The works known so far of the ‘Black Cloak’ were two in total: ‘The Breathing Sea’ and ‘The City of Emptiness.’

For the former, there were many stories saying that even though it was only the sea, you could feel a person’s gaze and breath, and for the latter, people said that just by looking at it they grew lonely and sad and wanted to return to family and friends.

“You made the paints yourself too, right?”

“That is correct.

In this forest there are many materials that help my works.

I receive their help.”

“They said they like it because the colors are really unique.

Because it’s your own color that can’t be easily imitated.

Some people say they even try to copy it...”

“It would be difficult without the materials from where I am.”

“Anyway, I was saying that your works are popular enough for that.”

As if a single painter had appeared, some people were captivated by Gio’s works.

Just by appreciating them, a day could pass in the blink of an eye, and they were even enraptured saying that there was a world inside them.

It wasn’t only Visabel who was an artist blinded by works.

‘I just hope it doesn’t flow into a dangerous atmosphere.’

Gio had an exceptionally outstanding ability to bewitch and shake people.

‘There was a time I thought that was simply Giovanni’s ability, but even when he was only a portrait he had tremendous ripple effect...’

Even when he was first dragged to the ‘Deep Sea Temple,’ he’d thought it, but if some cult religion sprang up targeting this guy, it would be a real headache.

“Anyway, right now it feels like everyone is just lightly enjoying it as a new event in the city.”

“Is that so...”

“Ah, did you dislike it?

Since it’s an actual story that’s happening, I told you, but...”

“I do not like crowds.”

“That... yeah, if you keep covering your face, you can cover it to a certain extent.”

Yoo Seong-woon, who had smiled a little as if it was fine, couldn’t hold back the question that surged up and asked.

“So I got curious.”

“...”

“Who are you?”

He needed to know.

“...What should we do?”

Only then could coexistence be possible.

Only then could they live.

Fantasy, Modern,