chapter 143

Chapter 143

All the visitors had left, and the bishop called for the priest who had guided ‘Seo Gio’ today.

The priest in white priestly robes, holding a white lamp, entered the room where Death’s incarnation body resided and offered his respects. He extinguished the lamp’s flame, then went and waited before the bishop seated in the darkness, ready to speak.

“You worked hard today.”

Soon, the bishop opened her mouth.

“It must have been arduous.”

“It is my honor.”

“It surely was a day that made your heart tremble.”

“This priest is still lacking...”

“Before divinity, who could straighten their back?”

“I thank you for a benevolence as vast as the sea.”

“Yes...”

The bishop gestured for him to sit, then asked,

“Tell me of what you saw and heard.”

“Yes, Bishop.”

The priest bowed his head deeply and continued.

“He seemed exceedingly adept at dealing with humans.”

“To my eyes as well, he was.”

“He also seemed to be a very strong human, yet there were moments when it looked as though he changed his personality in an instant.”

“Personality—do you mean it looked as if his self had changed?”

“That is not it; his self and memories remained intact, and only his nature seemed to change.”

“How mercurial.”

“From what I heard, there was a heavy voice like Father’s, a warm voice like sunlight, and a sharp voice that felt like cruel interest.”

“Truly a one who reaches the ever-changing.”

The bishop nodded.

“You said he granted you a reward.”

“Yes, this...”

The priest set a paper-wrapped item upon a small, jet-black tray inlaid with mother-of-pearl. Then it flowed along the water spread across the floor, and soon reached the bishop before her. The bishop lifted the item.

A very rich, deep sweetness wafted from it.

“I will not open this. What did he say?”

“He said it was fruit dried. He also said it would be sweet.”

“Did he say anything else besides that?”

“That he hoped you would not fear him...”

“And?”

“That when you see him next time, he hoped your face would be more comfortable.”

“I see.”

The bishop set the gift back atop the tray, then gently pushed it and returned it to the priest. The priest bowed politely, then tucked the gift, with a rustling sound, into his chest.

After confirming it, the bishop spoke from beyond the black veil.

“You have received his grace, so do not harm the family, and offer thanks.”

“Yes, Bishop.”

“If he seeks out our home, you shall attend him.”

“Yes, Bishop.”

“I should also give you counsel concerning him, yet it is not easy...”

The bishop trailed off, and only after a long while did she speak.

“Father has called him friend, so you too must take a posture befitting that.”

“I will do my utmost to offer the friend the most devoted hospitality.”

“He does not desire grand hospitality. Treat him as a single visitor... only remember that he is Father’s friend.”

“This priest is foolish, yet I will do so.”

“He is a wicked god, yet do not fear him. Before he was wicked divinity, he was providence and a hero.”

“...”

“He regards himself as human.”

How could one walk that harsh road of benevolence.

“I, too, am Father’s foolish child, so there is not much counsel I can give you. Only, he is one who flows like a river—do not think to resist; simply entrust your body. Then you will not incur his ire.”

“Yes, I will carve it into my heart.”

“To children besides you, I have kept his identity secret. I believe you did as well. He desires treatment not as a god, but as a human, so we must not allow that mystery to swell here.”

“I will keep it firmly in mind.”

At the sight of the priest bowing his head deeply, the bishop spoke in her characteristic gentle voice.

“I consider you my successor, so you must conduct yourself wisely.”

“Yes, Bishop.”

“Now that Father has called him friend, your role has become important.”

After a brief silence, the bishop nodded.

“He is a friend acknowledged by Father, so the gift he gave cannot bring harm. Enjoy that gift, but if something seems amiss, tell me—then I will give you counsel.”

“I thank you for the grace you have bestowed.”

“Return and rest. This is Father’s room, the room where death abides, so it will still be poison to you. When you can accept silence and darkness more easily, I will call you here again.”

“Then I will take my leave.”

The priest bowed his head once more, and quietly left Death’s room as he was.

“...”

The only human left inside death—the bishop—set the pipe she held upon the surface of the water. The pipe, made of jet-black bamboo and gold, did not sink into the shallow water, and only cast its shadow.

From within the black veil, the bishop called her father.

“Father.”

“...”

“If you have another intent, please call this daughter at any time.”

“...My... daughter...”

“Yes, Father. Your child is here.”

“Were you... afraid...”

“Because Father watches over me, I was not afraid.”

Only.

“I was wary of the wickedness in his divinity.”

The bishop who serves the god of death and its incarnation body is not a saintess. Because the death here lowered itself and used an incarnation body, communication with the god of death was possible through effort alone, without special qualifications.

Still, when you serve divinity so close at hand, there are things you learn naturally. The bishop perceived that the wicked divinity that visited today was, in some parts, similar to her father’s.

“Need I not let my heart tremble?”

“He...”

“Yes, Father. This daughter is listening.”

“...Flows...”

“Does he flow like Father’s river?”

“There is no reason to resist, and you cannot resist... so cherish him greatly.”

“...How could I dare cherish divinity.”

“He is not lonely, yet he is worthy of love.”

“...”

The bishop laughed softly.

“You are talkative today.”

“Is it good.”

“Silence is good too, but days like this are good as well.”

“I too... am glad...”

Without a single sound, death’s arms and hands felt about its room. The dragon-like river that formed it continued to flow, and the jet-black veil that wrapped death swayed together with the bells adorning it.

Quietly laughing with its whole body, death expressed its mood.

“In sin, yet not a sinner; knowing himself to be human, yet touching providence; born beneath a wicked star, yet once a hero.”

“I did not know there could be such mystery.”

“Nor did I see it before he showed himself. Yet he exists as human, and his story is very precious and rare, so I shall covet that young friend.”

“Will you do so, Father.”

The bishop lifted the pipe again.

“Shall we seek his temple?”

“He is human, so he has no temple.”

“I wish to show sincerity.”

“Then become his friend; that is what he desires.”

“Friend...”

Exhaling mist instead of smoke through the pipe, the bishop nodded.

“When he visits again, I will welcome him.”

“Then... that will do.”

“Will you sleep?”

“...Yes...”

“Keep far from clamor, and sleep deeply.”

“...”

“I will keep watch at your side.”

When death ceased to make sound, the bishop too only exhaled mist.

A familiar silence settled over the jet-black room.

* * *

For the record.

“They told me I am immortal and unaging.”

“...Riiight?”

“It truly seems something tremendous.”

The news of mere immortality could not dampen Gio’s spirit.

“I think I may be carving a mark in human history.”

“If you say you’re ordinary after that, I might really end up crying.”

“Even if it is only empty words, I would be grateful if you would say I am ordinary.”

“I have no idea what kind of stubbornness that is.”

“It meant that I was asking you not to discriminate against this extraordinary me.”

“Oh... I see...”

Nodding, Yoo Seong-woon adjusted the direction of the car and asked,

“But is that all?”

“What do you mean?”

“Normally, people get a lot more startled when they learn they’re immortal and unaging.”

“While already being a portrait, is immortality such a thing to be startled by?”

“Not sure—wouldn’t it be startling, in its own way?”

“My mental strength is not that weak.”

“No, I meant ordinary people would be like that.”

Yoo Seong-woon muttered inwardly.

‘If you want to imitate a human, then imitate better.’

For some reason, Gio’s human imitation seemed to be getting clumsier by the day. Perhaps it was because Yoo Seong-woon was an especially easy human for him to deal with, but even so, from the side watching, it couldn’t help being awkward.

‘Which beat am I supposed to match so Gio won’t be displeased.’

Feeling a little bitter, Yoo Seong-woon wore his characteristic unbothered smile.

“But immortality and unaging...”

“Yes.”

“The symbol of eternity is immortal and unaging too, and you worried that those people would be lonely.”

“I did.”

“Are you not worried?”

“...”

After pretending to ponder for a moment, Gio blinked.

“Not particularly.”

“And why is that?”

“Because I have confidence that I can eat well and live well.”

“Mm, you certainly do look like it.”

Yoo Seong-woon accepted it. It did look like he wouldn’t have a moment to be bored living.

“Then did you worry about the symbol of eternity because they aren’t you?”

“It may sound insolent and arrogant, but if I summarize it, you could see it that way.”

Gio nodded.

“I am such a free spirit that I can live peacefully inside a portrait, but they bear a heavy responsibility that can sway the fate of this nation and Earth, do they not?”

“You’re right.”

“Then it seems it would be hard to eat well and live well. With the future of countless lives resting on their every step, and all the people in the world focusing on them and fearing them.”

“Does that look bad to you?”

“It means that even a life where you do only enjoyable things is not enough, and yet you spend your whole life working while being revered by others or cursed at. It doesn’t look all that good.”

“Yes...”

Yoo Seong-woon thought quietly.

‘Yet it feels like you have lived a life not so different either.’

He recalled Giovanni’s story. How he wished the conflict between mermaids and humans would be eased, and on the other hand wished that more people would not suffer, and saved countless people.

And then he died in the most horrific and miserable form.

‘And even after dying like that, he was preserved in the form of this portrait.’

Since ‘Gio’s Portrait’ is, at its base, the source, he wasn’t too worried, but from a human standpoint, it was also true that it felt pitiful. Living the life of the source as a human would be an even more burdensome thing than the symbol of eternity.

After pondering for a moment, Yoo Seong-woon asked again.

“You’re okay, right?”

“I am very satisfied with my life.”

“If you’re immortal and unaging, it doesn’t seem like you can really call that ordinary...”

“I do not think it is a big problem.”

“You’ll have to watch many connections besides you die away.”

Gio was confident.

“Why would that be a problem?”

“...”

Oh, I see.

Yoo Seong-woon was left with nothing to say.

“...So you don’t particularly want to pretend to be ordinary either, right?”

“I am speaking honestly because Mr. Yoo Seong-woon is a reliable friend.”

“Ah, that is truly something to be grateful for.”

“Of course, having to watch friends die away will be a sad thing.”

Gio continued.

“But there will be more joy and pleasure from having lived together than there will be sorrow after death.”

“...That is...”

“Even now I am busy finding friends, so it does not seem necessary to mourn their deaths in advance.”

“...”

“Death is a state, not something to avoid and fear. I do not think deeply.”

He asked,

“How strange. When you make a friend, does Mr. Yoo Seong-woon first worry that they will die?”

“...I don’t.”

“Then why must I fear the death of a friend who has not even come?”

Well, because an ordinary human would fear being left alone?

‘...Still, if it’s Gio, he’ll make other friends in an instant. I forgot for a moment that he’s an existence that, at the very least, will never be left alone.’

Apart from that, it did make him think, ‘So you really have no intention of pretending to be an ordinary human.’ Since this was likely an easy 모습 he showed only in front of Yoo Seong-woon, perhaps it wasn’t something he needed to worry too much about.

In the end, Yoo Seong-woon gave up on what he’d been about to say. He smiled unbotheredly.

“Well, I guess you’ll handle it.”

Even like this, once he blends into the crowd, isn’t he a guy who imitates humans quite well?

‘Still, if it’s his rule that in front of an existence he has defined as a friend he behaves this honestly... I need to find the person who will become Gio’s secretary as fast as possible.’

Thinking that, Yoo Seong-woon asked,

“So after talking with the death god, did your question get resolved?”

“Yes, I realized what I must do.”

Argio declared confidently.

“I will become the Demon King.”

“...”

Screeeech—

Stopping at the red light, Yoo Seong-woon laughed like a sigh.

“...Could you explain that?”

A conversation with the source always consumed so much mental stamina.

(To be continued in the next episode)