chapter 208

Chapter 208

As the traces of war were erased one by one.

“Are you all right?”

I don’t know whether the Origin even has a body, but anyway, it was a situation where there could have been physical issues, or mental issues.

“Nowhere hurts?”

“Yes, I’m fine.”

“Hm... how’s your heart?”

“That’s fine too.”

The pale portrait covered in black paint continued in a mechanical, blunt voice.

“Unlike what you’re worried about, I was able to sort things out in my own way.”

“If you say so, that’s a relief.”

You said forgiveness wasn’t your portion, but in the end Gio still showed affection to the mermaids, calling them “beloved disciples.” Since there were personas called “Gio,” he wouldn’t be completely without a human heart, so I was a little worried.

‘...There’s something chilling about this part. Usually, humans put in a situation like this would grieve for a long time if someone they cherished died, regardless of the other party’s sins...’

You could say it was sorted out pretty quickly.

‘He didn’t seem to cling to death much, so is this the same context of reaction?’

Maybe he was dry not only about his own death, but other people’s death too. That attitude of his—detached from the beginning and end of ties—made Yoo Seongun feel, deep down, a little chilled.

He really is the Origin, the father of countless fates. Thinking that, Yoo Seongun changed the subject.

“Yeah, it’s a relief, but.”

“Is there another problem?”

“That I really wish you wouldn’t go outside?”

“Has my external activity been prohibited?”

“Well... it’s just something I’m hoping for.”

Yoo Seongun laughed awkwardly.

“Even if we block you, you’re not the kind of guy who won’t go out.”

“My, the trust between us is very shallow. No matter how much you say that, if you block me, I won’t go out. I can plainly see what you’re worried about—how would I dare?”

“Do you think I’d believe that? Now that you’ve adapted to human society pretty well, it looks like you’re good at lying too, but I absolutely won’t believe it. You’re the owner of a free soul acknowledged by me, acknowledged by the heavens, acknowledged by the universe.”

“How astonishing, how did you know?”

“I didn’t want to find out like this that we’ve gotten close. Anyway, what I mean is I want to try blocking even ‘Hunter Seo Gio’s’ official activities.”

At Yoo Seongun’s words, Gio in the frame tilted his head.

“Is it a wish?”

“I’m so happy you understood so well.”

It looked like he had no intention at all of restraining those precious steps, to the point it made him want to cry.

“I’ve prepared my heart. Now what do you want to do, our portrait?”

“I didn’t particularly have anything in mind...”

“You don’t? Really? Can I really believe you this time?”

“I’m sorry, but it just came to me.”

“I’m going crazy.”

Laughing like a sigh, Yoo Seongun soon wore his characteristic smile. Sometimes it was the smile of capitalism.

“Then what can I help you with?”

“I can just do it myself.”

“Whatever you do from now on, it’s extremely beneficial to humans’ minds and bodies for it to go through me one step first, so I’m clasping my hands and begging you. Right now.”

“You’re firm. That’s a pretty different reaction from before—have you grown in an unexpected direction? This side of you looks just like Mr. Juhyeon.”

“I learned, watching Mr. Juhyeon, that this much is okay.”

“This is why humans with fast acquisition speed...”

For reference, Juhyeon wasn’t here. Only Yoo Seongun came to the gallery after a long time to manage the works, and Juhyeon had collapsed bedridden from emotional pain after worrying himself sick over the kidnapped Gio.

Of course, Gio tried to deliver medicine, but Juhyeon strongly refused. Humans grow while being sick, he said. Gio wasn’t someone who didn’t know that, but anyway, he respected the opinion.

“Anyway, it’s not like I’m trying to do something grand.”

“Like the Demon King project.”

“I’m definitely keeping it in mind, but I also know that’s something grand.”

“That’s a relief. So what do you really want to do? If you’re dragging the talk out this far, it feels like you do have something in mind...”

“I want to see Healer Jung Yeongwon.”

“...Ah.”

Yoo Seongun understood.

“All good, but don’t be too startled if she suddenly cries.”

“Isn’t that a situation where you can’t help being startled?”

And so Gio’s destination was decided.

Rest is good, but before you rest, aren’t there things you have to finish?

* * *

A garden is an existence so noble it cannot dare be compared to divinity.

When you gaze upon that radiant figure with the eyes of a mere human, you realize how tremendous a grace this is. It resembled the vast universe, yet it was a living thing, and also a sparkling fate.

How glorious it is to be able to hold it within your own body...

“...”

“Ms. Jung Yeongwon.”

“...Ah...”

“Would you speak with me?”

My vision is dark red. I still couldn’t see ahead, but the most merciful voice was heard as if it were engraved into my mind.

“...Mr. Seo Gio.”

I groped my way and crawled lowly.

“Mr. Gio, ah, I... I...”

“I am here.”

“What should I call you so it won’t be blasphemous.”

Can the mouth of a vile human dare contain this enormous, beautiful mystery? Yes—surely the Florist had bloomed flowers to cover her sight as a teaching to show proper respect to the Origin.

“Black Cloak-nim? Portrait-nim? No... there must be a far deeper, proper definition of you...”

“Ms. Jung Yeongwon can call me Gio.”

“May I dare to do that?”

“Of course. Haven’t we been friends, placing stones together all this time?”

“I’m happy you call something as weak as me that.”

He really was not far away.

“May I kiss your feet...?”

“Friends wouldn’t do such a thing.”

“It was an arrogant wish. I’m sorry for putting something you don’t want into words.”

“I would like you to speak more comfortably.”

“Yes, Mr. Gio. I will.”

As I groped, I felt the touch of cold feet.

“...Did you like the flowers the Florist bloomed?”

Even without seeing, the gardener could know. Right now, her room would surely be full of flowers. Even the floor of the room Jung Yeongwon was crawling in was soft, filled with noble flowers and a fragrance that drenched the brain in rapture.

“Would the form of me being punished suit your taste...?”

You could call it an insolent worry. The Eye of the Origin had no reason to be upset over a mere punished human. But she was aware that her current form had drifted far from anything human. Such a precious being had come to visit—she should have maintained the proper appearance and manners, and yet she was foolish.

“If I can receive even a little mercy... your hand... just once...”

“Would you like to shake hands with me?”

“Ah, thank you. You bestow love so willingly.”

I felt the shape of a smooth, cold hand. It was like gripping well-carved marble that had been sanded down gently.

“It is a great honor...”

A stinging pain surged up in both eyes soaked in emotion.

I felt warm blood trickling down my cheeks. The Florist was pleased. Petals bloomed glossy, holding life, and leaves stretched their green hands toward the sky.

A feeling as soft and plush as the dolls that filled a child’s room filled Jung Yeongwon from within.

“My, blood is flowing.”

“I could not help but shed tears at the grace the Florist bestows.”

“In Ms. Jung Yeongwon’s eyes, flowers bloomed instead of tears. It’s beautiful, but it doesn’t look comfortable. It seems you are in pain—am I mistaken?”

“How could you be. Whatever you see is right. That is truth and law.”

“You see me as a god.”

“I’m sorry...”

“I understand Ms. Jung Yeongwon. The world is black and painful, so it can’t be helped. Confusion of the senses truly makes a person tired.”

The cold hand slipped out of Jung Yeongwon’s hand and gently brushed the corner of her eye, like holding a bouquet of flowers.

“So I will take this flower.”

In an instant.

The pain stopped.

“It’s a truly beautiful flower.”

“...”

“It has a good fragrance.”

“...Thank you.”

My vision cleared.

“Thank you, Mr. Gio.”

I could see eyes that were deep and thick with scent.

In the rapturous room where even the lights were covered in flowers, the enormous eye wrapped in a black cloak was blended into darkness. All that could be seen were the clear flowers the Florist must have bloomed through her, and the white hand holding them.

Yes, I could see the hand. I could also see the Origin’s bare feet as he bent down to meet my gaze. I couldn’t see the face that was inhaling the fragrance of the flowers bloomed from my eyes. Only those eyes still stared at Jung Yeongwon.

“...”

Rapturous.

“I...”

How can it be this beautiful.

“To live within fate... within the Florist’s embrace, among the flowers...”

“I am listening.”

“To meet the lowly end of a human in the embrace of the merciful Florist.”

“Then after that?”

“To bloom again as another flower, and within the Origin...”

Within the brilliant fate held in those eyes.

“...I will become one.”

“Your ambition is grand.”

“Thank you.”

“Then it seems it’s time for you to sleep.”

“Will you put me to sleep?”

“If you don’t mind, I will.”

“How could I mind.”

How could one commit such blasphemy.

“You are merciful.”

“That’s a grand thanks.”

A large, pale hand came and settled like a butterfly over the blood-soaked corners of her eyes.

Jung Yeongwon felt the heartbeat and blood flow calming as if being soothed and guided, felt the Florist’s happiness sinking into peace, and closed her eyes as she fell into sleep.

Her steady breath lingered within the room surrounded by flowers.

“...”

And Gio—

“...Hm.”

Looked at Jung Yeongwon, asleep, full of regret.

‘Mr. Yoo Seongun said not to be too startled if Ms. Jung Yeongwon cries.’

It wasn’t just tears—blood tears, so he was quite startled.

‘She’s someone who’s very ill, so let me understand her.’

If someone is sick and suffering, it’s only natural for their judgment to blur.

More than anything, Giovanni had once been called the living son of the sun because of that distinctive sanctity. To him, this kind of treatment was something he’d experienced all his life, so there was no reason he couldn’t match the rhythm.

‘Sure, when you’re sick, you need something to lean on.’

He understood Jung Yeongwon.

Gio quietly left her bedroom so she wouldn’t wake. Even if he hadn’t, his body was so light he likely wouldn’t have made a sound anyway.

* * *

“...”

“I also went and treated Ms. Jung Yeongwon like that.”

“...I see!”

Juhyeon, lying in bed, asked.

“Is there anyone who knows about you treating Hunter Jung Yeongwon?”

“For now, Mr. Yoo Seongun knows.”

“Who else?”

“Mr. Juhyeon, and...”

“Who else.”

“Ms. Jung Yeongwon would know, I suppose.”

Strength went into Juhyeon’s smile.

“Then inside the Eununwol Guild, where Hunter Jung Yeongwon’s bedroom is, they’ll discover that Hunter Jung Yeongwon, who was in an overloaded state for an unknown reason, is suddenly healed for an unknown reason and sleeping, right? Right?”

“She said that when she’s usually in that state, she doesn’t let anyone into her room, so it should be fine. Even if she’s found like that, it would only be possible for a workplace colleague who is close to Hunter Jung Yeongwon. Doesn’t it seem like Ms. Jung Yeongwon will smooth it over well on her own?”

It was almost absurd.

“I know well that even if you’re a bit unusual and very capable, you still have a heart no different from an ordinary human.”

“That’s a pretty long addendum, but without that, I’m just a human. I’m simply more versatile than average, so you’re getting confused.”

“Let’s settle that argument later. Anyway, even taking that into account, you know very well yourself that your appearance and abilities aren’t ordinary either, right?”

“That is true, but.”

“Then are you turning Jung Yeongwon’s long, long praise into mere rambling from a sick person just because you say you’re only an ordinary human? At this point, it feels like you might accept it a bit.”

“I’m not Ms. Jung Yeongwon’s god...?”

“...”

Left speechless, Juhyeon listened as Gio continued his claim.

“More than anything, I’m different from those proper gods with grand, amazing histories. If they’re a master patissier’s cake with three hundred years of tradition, I’m like a makeshift cake a student living alone stacked together at home with castella and whipped cream.”

“...Ha...”

“So Ms. Jung Yeongwon’s long praise was indeed a bit off in target and method. It seems Ms. Jung Yeongwon reacted like that because she’s very ill and suffering.”

At the blasphemy too outrageous to sit and listen to, Yoo Seongun, who had been sitting quietly beside them, spoke up.

“Don’t belittle my portrait like that.”

“I’m sorry, but it wasn’t belittling—it was only an objective evaluation.”

“Who says that’s objective evaluation, exactly?”

How dare this stubborn portrait try to change Earth’s dictionary definition. He seemed to know it was forced and was joking, which made it even more absurd. It made him flustered.

“I wish you’d become humble in a different sense.”

“I will take it under advisement.”

“You’ll just take it under advisement again, won’t you?”

“I’m very happy that it seems we’ve gotten close.”

At the two of them, Juhyeon grabbed his dizzy head and asked.

“Why did you go to Hunter Jung Yeongwon in the first place?”

“She seemed to have overworked a lot because of this raid, so I visited as compensation.”

“I did hear Jung Yeongwon played a big role in this war.”

Even tree-type hunters couldn’t make life bloom from barren land. So they usually carried seeds, but even taking that into account, forcibly controlling life was difficult.

But Hunter Jung Yeongwon, despite being positioned as a healer, was someone with a tree-type hunter license. With her hood pulled low, she succeeded in making a flower field on the sea together with me and my colleagues.

“Did you feel grateful for that, Mr. Gio?”

“Yes, I did.”

“Then I understand why you treated her, but...”

Basically, “Gio’s portrait” followed the one-to-one rule. If he received a gift, Gio had to give something back. It seemed similar in Jung Yeongwon’s case.

“...”

Even so, it couldn’t have been easy.

“...Healer Jung Yeongwon is a gardener like Mr. Yoo Seongun. A gardener suffering under the influence of the garden they serve can’t be handled with ordinary healing, can they?”

“Probably not?”

“But Mr. Gio did it anyway. With a single touch.”

“I did.”

“Wouldn’t it be good to acknowledge your own extraordinariness at this point?”

“I’m not unaware that I’m extraordinary. I’m not denying it.”

Gio felt wronged.

“I’m just saying I’m not someone who should receive Ms. Jung Yeongwon’s praise. I’m not the god she serves, I’ve never built a proper relationship with her, and I’ve never accomplished some gigantic merit that would help all the people of the world.”

In some ways, his words seemed to fit.

“...”

“...”

If “Gio’s portrait” weren’t the Eye of the Origin, that is.

“...? Wait a moment, Mr. Yoo Seongun.”

“Huh? Yeah?”

“Have you ever explained what kind of existence Mr. Gio is?”

“...I don’t think I have, but do you really need to say it to know?”

“Aha.”

“Really...?”

At last, he realized why Gio was being so stubborn, but even so, Gio’s stubbornness didn’t break. Even after hearing Yoo Seongun’s long explanation, Gio stayed firm.

“Is that so important?”

“I figured it would be like this.”

It was obvious from the start he had no intention of yielding.

(To be continued in the next episode)