Chapter 167

Chapter 167

“Can saints be made that way, too?”

At the man’s blunt words, Yoo Seong-woon, who was sitting leaned against the gallery wall, let out a snort of laughter.

“I’m not certain.”

“But as you said, Mr. Yoo Seong-woon, she’s following the exact procedure of becoming a saint.”

“In the first place, this side’s sacred being is showing consideration for humans, isn’t it. It’s a case similar to the God of Death.”

Saints were people who could bear the sacred being they served like a friend or family even without any consideration. Juhyeon, who was maintaining an ordinary human life in good condition only because she was receiving Gio’s consideration to the fullest, could not be said to be the same as them.

“It was only that there is a possibility.”

There were plenty of examples of ordinary humans ultimately becoming saints with nothing but their own broad vessel.

“In the first place, for an ordinary human to see that immense mystery as one young man is nonsense. The fact that it’s possible is the same as Ms. Juhyeon proving her qualifications.”

“If she proves her qualifications one step at a time like that, she might end up becoming a saint in the end. That’s exactly why the Moon Church has been able to artificially produce saints until now.”

“Even so, we don’t know what type of saint Ms. Juhyeon would become. More than anything, because Gio doesn’t want it, because Ms. Juhyeon’s aptitude is lacking, the probability that she won’t become a saint is higher.”

So, to put it another way.

“Ms. Juhyeon has simply climbed one stair.”

If there were a staircase from an ordinary person to a saint, Juhyeon had only climbed a single step. And until she reached that destination, no matter how many steps she climbed, she would remain an ordinary human.

“So I don’t think you need to worry that much, senior. For now, it’s only in the realm of imagination.”

“It’s not something I need to worry about. But did you also explain that part well to the person involved?”

“If I didn’t explain it properly, I felt like I’d get grabbed by the collar, so I spilled everything. That person has a gentle-looking face, but they’ve got a bit of a temper. Surprisingly scary—firm and strong-willed.”

“An ordinary human does not pity an immense mystery. Unless it’s ‘a human who merely looks ordinary.’”

The man clicked his tongue.

“It’d be good to tell her to be careful.”

“I did tell her, but...”

“Well, if words alone could settle things, then there wouldn’t be a single tragedy in this world.”

“She was trying to restrain herself too, but... who knows.”

Because they could treat a noble sacred being as an equal without issue, many saints throughout history became a god’s family and friends. That wasn’t something you could control just by wanting to.

“She does have aptitude, that’s for sure.”

Yoo Seong-woon cleared his throat.

“But I don’t think the current situation looks that bad.”

“Is your bad habit acting up again, Mr. Yoo Seong-woon?”

“Ah, of course, that’s part of it, yes.”

As Visabel’s curator and a gardener of the snowy fields, how could he endure this interest? Though the Origin is, by nature, an existence that can become anything and embrace anything, even so, it was questionable whether it could embrace a god’s child.

But it wasn’t a judgment based solely on Yoo Seong-woon’s own interest.

“In the first place, Gio dislikes arbitrarily manipulating the humans he cherishes.”

Yoo Seong-woon shrugged.

“So unless Ms. Juhyeon wishes it, that person will continue to remain an ordinary human.”

“Can you be certain of that?”

“Because we have the results of observing and analyzing Gio until now.”

“When it comes to matters related to rules, an existence of the Origin is more trustworthy than a human.”

“So I told her to move according to her heart for now.”

“If there’s nothing that can be done, that’s better.”

The man nodded.

“If ‘Gio’s Portrait’ embraced that human called Juhyeon, it may also be because he liked that foolish temperament, so it may be arrogant for people like us to add words and twist that direction.”

“...”

“If ‘Gio’s Portrait’ is satisfied with that part of the person called Juhyeon, then it’d be best to leave it as it is. And you, too—just because it looks interesting, refrain from doing anything pointless.”

“...As if I would.”

Yoo Seong-woon made a fed-up expression, as if he found it too much.

“Senior, it feels like you... hmm, really love the existence of the Origin.”

“If you don’t love the work, do you have the qualifications to become a collector’s curator?”

“There’s a limit, too. If you give too much of your heart to a dangerous mystery, someday an accident will happen.”

“I have that level of judgment.”

The man glanced at Yoo Seong-woon, who was squatting in the corridor and chewing on a lollipop.

“So gardeners, when they hold that kind of heart, don’t know what to do, huh? Arrogantly pitying an entire species itself?”

“If it sounded unpleasant, I’m sorry. But... it’s kind of true. Please just see it as an insignificant occupational habit.”

Yoo Seong-woon smiled mildly.

“You, Floor Chief, haven’t you devoted your life to the work, like the guildmaster?”

The man’s name was Garasani. Known to the world by another name, “Head Butler,” he was the Fifth Floor Chief of the Collector’s gallery. As the person responsible for the most dangerous floor among the galleries Visabel cherished more than his life, his love for the works was tremendous.

He was also one of the few guild members of the Collector who knew Yoo Seong-woon was a gardener. Garasani looked down at Yoo Seong-woon as if he were pathetic.

“After coming in having even written a waiver abandoning your body, I don’t know what you’re talking about, calling it a life.”

“No, it wasn’t a waiver abandoning my body, it was just a contract. What ominous thing to say.”

“I don’t know what the difference is, but anyway, it’s only natural for a curator to love their work.”

“Of course everything you say is right, yes. It’s the Fifth Floor Chief’s words, so of course.”

“I’m not unaware that you’re saying that because you’re worried about me, Mr. Yoo Seong-woon.”

Garasani raised an eyebrow.

“But it’s only funny that you—who devoted your entire body to the garden—are worrying about my attitude toward life for merely cherishing a work. Isn’t that so?”

“Well, if you put it that way, I have nothing to say.”

“The guildmaster and I aren’t unaware that we’re particularly excessive in taking care of the works’ convenience. But we’re only doing that because we have reason to.”

“You really are people with intense favoritism. Not that I’m one to talk, but...”

When human safety and a work’s safety are both at stake, they always prioritize the work. That was the Collector, Visabel, mad for his works, and the Fifth Floor Chief, his faithful hands and feet.

“Anyway, Ms. Juhyeon’s matter will be wrapped up well.”

“Weren’t you the one who went and threw a bomb?”

“If that’s a bomb, it was a bomb Ms. Juhyeon received from the beginning.”

“That’s not an unreasonable point.”

“She’ll worry some, but she’ll handle it on her own, doing what her heart tells her.”

That kind of minor point wasn’t something Yoo Seong-woon needed to fuss over. No matter which direction it went, as long as Gio stood firm right there, it wouldn’t become a problem.

Yoo Seong-woon looked at the immediate reality. What he needed to care about now was Gio’s first raid.

“I heard you’re included in the Collector’s dispatch team this time, senior.”

“In a matter of slipping that kind of mystery outside, I can’t be left out.”

“Oh, what a cool confidence.”

“So you came today to ask me to take care of ‘Gio’s Portrait’?”

“I came to show my face once with the feeling of asking you to take good care of him.”

Visabel chose the Fifth Floor Chief, Garasani, as the curator who would attend to ‘Hunter Seo Gio’ on this assignment. He was an excellent curator who knew how to serve a work like a master, and at the same time, an A-rank hunter with outstanding escort ability.

In addition, two trainee team members and two on-site staff would be included in the dispatch team, but as a fellow curator, Yoo Seong-woon could at least show this much sincerity.

“Please take good care of my work.”

“With me there, there’s no way the work will be damaged.”

Garasani nodded as if he understood.

“You can be excessive sometimes, Mr. Yoo Seong-woon.”

“Huh? All of a sudden?”

“Yes.”

He said, looking down at Yoo Seong-woon.

“So do something about those eyes.”

“What’s wrong with my eyes.”

“I’m going to attend to your work properly and come back, so put those eyes away, Yoo Seong-woon.”

“No way...”

Yoo Seong-woon grinned.

“Caught me.”

How could he not care that his work was passing through another curator’s hands?

“There were too many things to do and I couldn’t make time, and the guildmaster was curious whether Gio could be satisfied even with a curator who isn’t his assigned curator.”

“You look dissatisfied.”

“It’s not dissatisfaction. It’s just that I’m asking you to take good care of our kid. It’s his first time being dropped among strangers, so it feels like leaving a kid by the water’s edge, and my heart gets anxious for no reason.”

There was also the issue that no matter how he tried, he couldn’t find enough time to participate in the raid, but Visabel also wanted to confirm how Gio interacted among complete strangers.

“He’s getting along without issue even with Ms. Juhyeon, whom he met as an evil sacred being, so I feel like there’s no need to worry that much, but...”

“Interacting with one human chosen by a sacred being, and a sacred being imitating a human and blending among unfamiliar humans, are fundamentally different.”

Garasani continued.

“And the fact that the target was that person, Juhyeon, would have added to the guildmaster’s distrust.”

“...Um, about that.”

With a face that truly didn’t want to know, Yoo Seong-woon forced himself to ask.

“I’ve been curious for a while—why does he dislike Ms. Juhyeon that much?”

Visabel’s behavior was excessive in some way. It wasn’t like Visabel, who always maintained a gentlemanly attitude unless it was related to his collecting habit.

More than anything, even if Juhyeon could decide to use Gio, Visabel himself admitted that she wasn’t the kind of person who could ultimately bring harm to Gio. He acknowledged that all of that malice was his own futile sulking.

Then why?

“Up until now, there have been countless humans the guildmaster disliked, but I don’t recall a case where he openly showed malice like this. In front he would smile neatly, and behind the scenes he’d pull strings if he was going to...”

“Do you really want to know the guildmaster’s personal circumstances? With that face, you ask boldly.”

“Personal circumstances or whatever—if I can avoid it, I will, but the guildmaster is trying to bind me, Ms. Juhyeon, and Gio together in one space. We’re practically one step away from being treated as a set, so I can’t just ignore that.”

After managing his expression again, Yoo Seong-woon looked up at Garasani and asked.

“I feel like you would know, Floor Chief.”

He was one of the Collector’s early executives, and Visabel’s first collected item. If anyone knew the detailed story, it would be Curator Garasani.

“If my question was rude, you can pretend it never happened. But it doesn’t seem like the guildmaster wouldn’t have expected I’d have this kind of doubt.”

“...”

At that, Garasani opened his mouth.

“He has been badly hurt by heroes like Ms. Juhyeon.”

“I expected that to some extent, and that alone is an astonishing story, but... just how badly was he hurt to harbor that kind of malice toward a complete stranger?”

“Well, if they’re that kind of human, he probably can’t stand them anymore. He’ll find them horrific.”

He added.

“The guildmaster endured quite a few times, but none of the results were good.”

Garasani clicked his tongue softly.

“It’s unfortunate for you, who got caught up in it. But no matter how much malice the guildmaster holds, he won’t cause harm. Rather, despite his own feelings, he’ll try to protect her, so you don’t need to worry about that.”

“I don’t think the guildmaster would treat an innocent person that way either, but it’s surprising. He hated her so much that I thought it wouldn’t be strange if he harmed her, but to hear it’s the opposite... if it’s the Collector’s effort, wouldn’t it be pretty grand...”

“If I had to put a name to it, I think it’s something like love and hate. He’ll hate her with all his body and heart, but separately, he won’t just sit and watch her get hurt. I’ll say it again—what you’re worried about won’t happen.”

The malice Visabel showed was a kind of conditioned reflex. It meant it wasn’t much different from someone naturally feeling anger and humiliation after being suddenly hit with insulting personal attacks, or from finding a cockroach sitting on your brow horrifyingly disgusting.

“Especially with his eyes, and...”

“...”

“...Mm, yes.”

Garasani, who had been about to say something, saw Yoo Seong-woon staring at him and trailed off.

“Let’s stop here.”

Casually speaking about one’s superior’s personal circumstances was not very desirable. Garasani thought even this much was excessive.

“I told you because it seems like you’ll be greatly entangled in those circumstances too, but I have no intention of telling you any more. From here on, it’s far too private a past for me to put in my mouth.”

“Even that alone will be a great help. I just couldn’t understand why the guildmaster would harbor malice toward someone much younger than himself—on top of that, a non-awakened person.”

“I don’t think that side of the guildmaster is right, either. I’ve simply accepted it. My arm always bends inward, and from my position, it’s a circumstance I can understand well enough...”

Garasani comforted his junior.

“If the guildmaster speaks ill of that person, Juhyeon, listen with one ear and let it out the other. He knows it’s childish and sinister sulking. He probably wouldn’t want you to seriously agonize and worry over such worthless nonsense.”

“For something like that, he sure grumbles a lot, but all right. I only asked because when Gio gets dispatched this time, Ms. Juhyeon will have to go along too—so I wondered if it would be okay.”

“You thought the guildmaster might even send an assassination squad? Of course, if he truly felt only hatred and contempt, he might have done that, but like I said, this case is different. Rather, he’ll probably send manpower to make sure Ms. Juhyeon doesn’t get hurt.”

Garasani added,

“I’m more worried about Gio, than that. And about what that anti-cat, Dana, really is.”

“Ah... I don’t know the details either. I don’t even know exactly what Gio did through Dana that day.”

“I understand it’s an ability related to souls, but as you said, the gift ‘Gio’s Portrait’ said it would give was...”

Yoo Seong-woon smoothly took over his words, as if he understood.

“It wasn’t just a simple funeral, it was a ‘grave.’ But until now, Gio has never made such a grave.”

“It’s also a question where the orphanage souls Dana led went. There’s no way to know their whereabouts.”

“If we see how Dana performs in this raid, we’ll be able to tell more clearly. Well, if it really doesn’t work out, we can just ask directly.”

Yoo Seong-woon spoke as he got up from his seat.

“In any case, I hope it goes well.”

If this ends successfully—or at least uneventfully—then there will be grounds to let Gio loose as much as they like.

“If this raid goes well, I’m planning to take Gio and Ms. Juhyeon and enjoy a bit of vacation together.”

“I envy that you can enjoy a vacation with your work.”

“Right? Do you know how kind our kid is? He gives gifts and everything, it’s no joke.”

“Stop it. You sound like a besotted fool.”

“There’s no work like Gio in the world. You can envy me as much as you like.”

“This, really...”

Garasani, who had been about to get annoyed, soon let out a sigh.

“...All right. See you later.”

He wasn’t unaware that asking about the guildmaster’s secret in a way unlike his usual self, and his irritating reaction just now, were both because he was anxious for no reason.

As an elder senior, Garasani let his younger junior’s unsightly behavior slide.

* * *

Meanwhile, the Sun Church.

“The Collector’s curator is coming too? That gallery’s curator?”

One elder priest murmured as if troubled.

“Good heavens, how did such precious manpower...?”

“I knew Guildmaster Visabel favors Hunter Seo Gio quite a lot, but this is unexpected.”

“At that level, isn’t it truly treating him as a work? A proper human being, of all things.”

“Wasn’t it something everyone already knew—that the Collector is Guildmaster Visabel’s jewel box?”

“Even so, there should be a limit... this is a bit excessive.”

The Collector added five hunters in total, centered on Hunter Seo Gio. They said they couldn’t send Seo Gio alone on his first raid, but even considering that, it felt rather excessive.

“It’s not just any curator—didn’t they say the ‘Head Butler’ himself is coming? The Fifth Floor Chief of the gallery.”

A floor chief who manages, as a whole, the deepest part of the gallery, which could be called the Collector’s heart. From his participation alone, one could tell how much, and in what way, Visabel cherished Hunter Seo Gio.

“No matter how much manpower they pull from their side, I thought Curator Yoo Seong-woon, who raided the previous ‘Nation of the Deep Sea’ together, would come out, but...”

“Hunter Yoo Seong-woon is famous for being busy.”

“I don’t know the exact circumstances, but even so, if it’s a combination I’ve never heard of, doesn’t that mean the Head Butler wasn’t dispatched simply based on personal ties?”

“Certainly, if a curator were being dispatched due to personal ties, Curator Yoo Seong-woon would have been on the roster. No matter how busy he is, since it’s the first raid, couldn’t he have made time if he tried? But separately, if it’s just that a curator was attached...”

“Doesn’t it mean that, regardless of personal ties, a ‘curator’ as manpower must accompany Hunter Seo Gio?”

“That’s what I’m saying.”

A curator of the Collector was an extremely special force. It felt completely different from the on-site guild members of the Collector who commonly roamed outside the guild.

“Has the Collector ever tried to manage his own guild member to this extent?”

“As far as I remember, not really...”

“I thought he still treated humans as humans.”

“But sending a curator—on top of that, a floor chief—really is treating him as a work, isn’t it.”

“Even if every guild member of the Collector is Visabel’s collected item, this is...”

The Collector’s curators had a lofty reputation—or notoriety. If you sent a collaboration request to use some item in the Collector’s gallery, the curator in charge of that “work” would come along.

“And you know how overzealous those curators are.”

They truly loved those bizarre, creepy “works” like family or friends.

It wasn’t for nothing that there had even been a curator who cried tears of blood and, through Visabel, formally proceeded with a lawsuit because their assigned work got a scratch during use. That anecdote had been a huge topic of conversation even within the Sun Church.

“As far as I know, isn’t the Fifth Floor Chief a close aide of Guildmaster Visabel?”

“Yes. I also understand that the Head Butler is one of the Collector’s early executives.”

“For Garasani Curator, the Collector’s faithful hands and feet, to step out personally...”

One middle-aged priest tilted his head as if he couldn’t understand.

“Is he some hidden son or something?”

“Ahem. Refrain from rude remarks.”

“My apologies. No matter how I think about it, I can’t make sense of it...”

“Certainly, it is an unusual case.”

With a few rare exceptions, the Collector’s curators didn’t even come out of their workplace, the gallery. Being officially dispatched like this happened only when the work they were in charge of was related to that project.

“Guildmaster Visabel can’t possibly be unaware of this perception.”

And yet, he still deliberately included the Fifth Floor Chief. It was obvious.

“...He means to show how Hunter Seo Gio is treated within the Collector, doesn’t he?”

“...But what on earth are we supposed to call this kind of treatment? He’s not just a simple guild member—this is, what...”

Visabel didn’t only include a floor chief.

“I know some people over there—these two on the roster are trainee team members from the gallery.”

“I don’t know much about how the Collector operates—what exactly are trainee team members?”

“As the name says, they’re the people who handle incidents when something happens in the gallery. You can think of them as between a curator and an ordinary guild member.”

“Then it really does seem like they’re treating him not as a human, but as a work...”

“Visabel is famous for not meddling with his guild members, yet this is unusual.”

Visabel’s purpose, revealed by this roster, was clear.

“These are personnel meant to escort the hunter called Seo Gio.”

And at this point, even calling it an “escort” was a bit ambiguous.

“Isn’t it closer to surveillance? No matter what, a curator, a trainee team...”

“I understand the person called Hunter Seo Gio doesn’t have major issues in personality.”

“If he had personality issues in the first place, he couldn’t have become Guildmaster Visabel’s collected item.”

“That’s true as well. Good heavens, then why are they doing it to this extent?”

Among Visabel’s collected items, there was no one with a flaw in their character. They were all diligent and capable people, each with at least the basic qualities to take responsibility for their work.

Of course, the hunter called Seo Gio seemed to have a personality somewhat far from the impression Visabel typically preferred, but Visabel also occasionally collected exceptions like this. So it likely wasn’t an issue of Seo Gio’s character.

“I thought he was far from ordinary when we saw the anti-cat incident, but... I didn’t expect Guildmaster Visabel to go this far. Why? What’s the problem?”

“If there’s some peculiarity, that must be why they’re paying attention to this extent—could it truly be possible he’s his blood relative? These days, it’s not as if a child has to resemble their parents in appearance, either.”

“I’m telling you to refrain from those rude speculations about another guild’s member. Why create friction with the Collector before the raid even begins? Everyone, keep it reasonable. Reasonable.”

Around then, one of the elder priests laughed dryly and said,

“I don’t know what the reason is, but I know the man named Visabel. He may be greedy, but he isn’t someone who ruins other people’s affairs for no reason, just to satisfy his greed.”

If Visabel intended to ruin or collapse something, he would have shown that intent from the start.

“Submitting documents like this officially, carefully sending personal information, providing support for this raid... at the very least, it means the Collector clearly intends to help this raid.”

“That is true, but...”

“We have no reason to know everything about that young hunter. And we have neither the qualifications nor the right. If the Collector has decided to help us with our task, then we should simply know how to be grateful.”

“We apologize. It was our fault.”

“Arrogance is a sin the Sun also keeps far away. And that young man, Seo Gio, is also a believer who has received the Sun’s light, is he not. Drawing him into this raid was our greed, so even if variables arise...”

He looked around and said,

“We must endure it. Isn’t that right, brothers?”

“I will reflect. Thank you for the enlightenment.”

“Remember: what we must do is complete this task.”

“Yes, indeed.”

“It would be good if we could become close with Hunter Seo Gio, but that would only be an additional benefit.”

“It seems we were too hasty.”

The priests bowed their heads in shame.

“It’s not like we’re going to do a background check, so we shouldn’t be making such a fuss.”

“This person—background checks, what harsh words. We are not the Moon Church.”

“Ahem, isn’t it that everyone was flustered because it’s such an exceptional matter? Of course, we will reflect, but...”

“Even so, since so many precious talents have gathered, I think we can look forward to this raid. It might be getting ahead of ourselves, but my heart is fluttering.”

“I hear it is a dungeon rich in vegetation and heat. It’s a dimension where a fake sun rises as well, so if we succeed in clearing it, it will greatly help our Sun Church.”

When it seemed the atmosphere had more or less been settled, one of the elder priests who had been silent turned to Kang Seodam.

“Brother Kang Seodam.”

“Yes, I’m listening.”

“Please, we ask you to take good care of things.”

“I will do my best.”

Around then, Kang Seodam thought.

‘...This dispatch team from the Collector is manpower focused more on handling and attending, rather than favoritism.’

Well, they wouldn’t send that immense mystery called ‘Gio’s Portrait’ alone. Kang Seodam decided to be grateful that, at least, at least, as a truly small blessing amid misfortune, the Collector wasn’t acting thoughtlessly.

That was when it happened.

“...”

Kang Seodam felt the goddess’s gaze.

‘...She’s showing interest.’

It seems you really, really want to become close with ‘Mr. Seo Gio.’

Not knowing why he had ended up wedged between the gods, Kang Seodam started to want to shut himself in his office.

(To be continued in the next episode)