Chapter 237

Chapter 237

It wasn’t as if Gio had just been sitting around all this time.

‘As for the Moon Lady Religion, I’ve learned the basics.’

If the Sun Religion was an order that valued mercy and life, then the Moon Lady Religion was an order that valued knowledge and wisdom. They said it was a single great sect that served the vast mystery called the Moon Lady as its teacher.

‘Even if the Moon Lady Religion’s priests are academically passionate, they won’t try to spy on the mystery of a complete stranger like me... and they probably think even now that I demanded a solitary room to tidy up the mystery.’

Gio grinned.

“Well, I don’t need it, but.”

It wasn’t as if he really took damage and vomited blood.

“My son, at this level, Juhyeon will acknowledge his father’s effort, won’t he? How admirable it is that I appreciate the advice you gave and follow it to this extent.”

“Kung...”

“What? No, why? I really did my best. If I did it this far, then even the Moon Lady Religion won’t have big doubts about the existence of ‘Hunter Seo Gio,’ will they.”

“Kungkungkung.”

“No, I’m a portrait...”

“Kung.”

“Cute and firm.”

Argio grumbled. He didn’t know about acting out everyday life, but for this kind of dramatic acting, Argio was better than Giovanni, so his personality was stronger in this situation.

Gio gently stroked the round Honey and blinked.

“...”

Soon his face sank. With an expressionless face, Gio tilted his head.

“...Right. There’s no way what I did and its side effects wouldn’t be relayed to the Collection Merchant, so Juhyeon will worry. It would be better to contact him in advance and ease his burden.”

In truth, aside from him, there was no one in the Collection Merchant who would worry about Gio’s condition. The red liquid might have been blood in composition, but to Gio it was ultimately just paint, and the people of the Collection Merchant clearly knew that too.

And Yoo Seongun came running like a madman.

“You said you were hurt!!”

“...”

“Are you really okay? It didn’t strain your body? No, there definitely wasn’t anything like this until before you went to the Moon Lady Religion. The Moon Lady Religion bishop was acting so low that I wondered what it was, and then I really...!!”

“...Mr. Yoo Seongun.”

“What should I buy you? I heard you handled it on your own, but do you really not need medicine?”

“I’ve realized something.”

“All of a sudden?”

“Yes.”

Seeing Yoo Seongun, who had come all the way to the Moon Lady Religion’s solitary room where Gio was lying down, Gio stroked his chin.

“You’re just as greedy as I am.”

This older brother is no joke either.

“Of course, I respect you for that, Mr. Yoo Seongun.”

“...I appreciate it, but it’s really sudden and bewildering...”

“But didn’t I handle it well, better than you thought? Because of this incident, there won’t be anyone who doubts my identity. At most, it’ll only make the ‘Hunter Seo Gio is the Black Cloak’s saint’ theory more certain.”

“That’s true.”

Letting out a breath, Yoo Seongun quickly calmed down as if he hadn’t come running with a flustered face, and nodded.

“That part, you really did do well.”

“Greedy.”

“Uh...?”

“From now on, Mr. Yoo Seongun isn’t allowed to say anything to me.”

“I don’t know what I did, but if it’s serious enough to compare to you, isn’t that a problem?”

“That’s all it is.”

Because he’s someone who’s just as inconsistent as I am.

* * *

Contrary to his guess, he soon faced an unexpected situation, but as for everything else, it was just as Gio thought.

The Collection Merchant responded blandly even to the Moon Lady Religion’s words that ‘Hunter Seo Gio’ had overexerted himself while helping the saintess.

“Ah, I see.”

“...”

Rather, it was enough to startle the Moon Lady Religion priest who came to deliver the news.

“...We do not intend to avoid responsibility for this matter, but you are remarkably calm even upon hearing that Hunter Seo Gio was injured. Has something like this happened often?”

“It will be difficult to tell you the details. Hunter Seo Gio himself may react calmly, but even so, we must protect our hunter’s personal information.”

“Is that so.”

The Moon Lady Religion priest felt a strange impression.

‘They say he’s the Collector’s cherished son.’

At this point, Hunter Seo Gio’s value was extremely high. Even within the Moon Lady Religion, there were murmurs of “Why did he accept the request so easily?” because he was a hunter who kept to mystique.

Above all, wasn’t he the one Bisavol carried around so closely that people even said “They’re locking him up in the gallery”? With someone like that vomiting blood while helping the Moon Lady Religion’s saintess, he had assumed there would be at least minimal disturbance.

‘I do know that the Collection Merchant’s guild members don’t make a big fuss even over one another’s injuries, but...’

Something felt off.

“Ahem.”

After clearing his throat, the priest bowed again.

“We have no face, as the honored guest we hosted has taken to his sickbed. We, as elder and junior brothers who serve the Moon, will repay this debt with our utmost effort. As for the detailed compensation... I would like to speak with Hunter Seo Gio first, and for that reason, I came to ask whether we might postpone repayment a little.”

“If it is that kind of issue, we can accept it as much as you wish. For us, more than anything else, Hunter Seo Gio’s thoughts are most important. Since the manager who communicates most closely with Hunter Seo Gio is not a guild member of ours, you may take whatever posture is needed according to the direction you require.”

Again, he felt a sense of incongruity.

‘This is... a posture for what?’

It wasn’t the dry kind of ‘trust’ said to be common among the Collection Merchant’s guild members; it looked more like mere ‘neglect,’ as if it truly didn’t matter what happened to Hunter Seo Gio. The priest’s feelings grew stranger and stranger.

‘I was sure he was someone treated as precious?’

Even if it was a business setting, the Collection Merchant could have gotten angry easily. If they wanted to extract the maximum compensation for Hunter Seo Gio’s loss, it would have been right to show anger on purpose.

“...”

The priest expressed gratitude even while feeling uneasy. It was not his place to interfere, as someone of the Moon Lady Religion.

“Truly, perhaps because it is the guild Hunter Seo Gio belongs to, your consideration is deep. Still, I fear we may end up committing an even greater rudeness toward Hunter Seo Gio.”

“You need not worry. The Moon Lady Religion only needs to prioritize Hunter Seo Gio’s opinion. That is what the guildmaster said as well, and that is why I came here.”

“Thank you for understanding. Then...”

Afterward, the two discussed a few additional matters, then parted with the same placid attitude as when they met. Even while returning to the order, the Moon Lady Religion priest wore a slight frown.

“Did the Collection Merchant become very angry?”

“...No, it’s fine.”

At last, there was a situation where the enormous problem that had been quietly rotting away inside the Moon Lady Religion could be resolved. At the sight of the young priest who worried the Collection Merchant might grow angry and take Hunter Seo Gio away, the man shook his head.

“The Collection Merchant said they would leave everything entirely to Hunter Seo Gio’s opinion. The future treatment, the contents of the debt the Moon Lady Religion must repay, and everything else as well.”

“That’s an unimaginably drastic condition. They said Hunter Seo Gio’s position in the Collection Merchant was that high... Anyway, it’s fortunate. At last, the saintess will be able to regain stability.”

“It certainly is fortunate, but...”

Suddenly, the priest realized something.

“...Ah, my.”

The Collection Merchant did not see Hunter Seo Gio as human.

‘They treat him with utmost respect, so I wondered where exactly this discomfort was coming from, but.’

That “utmost respect” itself had been a profound contradiction. Because the Collection Merchant did not see Hunter Seo Gio as a person, even if they held him close from all sides, only the onlooker ended up feeling unpleasant—there was the reason.

‘It’s the Collection Merchant, so I can understand, but.’

In any case, this was not a situation for the Moon Lady Religion to criticize.

“Let’s go straight to the order.”

“Then the saintess will gradually get better as well?”

“Haha, of course. Didn’t Hunter Seo Gio work a miracle?”

“It would have been better if we could solve it within the Moon Lady Religion... but still, it truly is fortunate. If another saint like Hunter Seo Gio helps, surely, our saintess too will someday...”

“This isn’t something to say in a place like this.”

“...I have done something foolish.”

“It’s fine. I understand how you feel.”

They, too, could not easily see their own saintess as human.

‘Should we say this, too, is the destined path a saint must walk, inevitably.’

It would be nice if he could gather more diverse data, but even across the world, the existence called a saint was not that common. He thought he would like to write a paper related to that dignified mystery, but it didn’t seem it would be easy.

With a touch of regret, the priests returned to the Moon Lady Religion.

* * *

After Yoo Seongun left, Juhyeon came in.

“Mr. Gio.”

“I was wrong.”

“You told me so many times it would be fine for you to go alone, so I trusted you and sent you off.”

“It seemed like the problem related to the saintess would really not be to your taste, Mr. Juhyeon...”

“I heard that last time too.”

Gio wasn’t particularly worried about Juhyeon’s safety as an unawakened person, but he did worry about his mental health.

For Juhyeon, who always looked at Gio and Yoo Seongun’s conversations with eyes that said, ‘What nonsense is this,’ the Moon Lady Religion’s situation would feel very unpleasant.

That was why he came alone, but.

“If I’d known you would worry like this, I should have come together from the start.”

“It’s truly fortunate that there wasn’t actually a health problem, but... even knowing that this was your best possible disguise, Mr. Gio, it’s impossible not to feel absurd and wronged.”

Juhyeon said it felt like his lifespan had been cut by ten more years.

“Well, since you’re a portrait... a painting... you can do anything, but...”

“Only after causing trouble did I belatedly think that you would be so startled, Mr. Juhyeon. I think I was very careless. I apologize.”

“Uh... this might sound a bit out of the blue, but your way of speaking is pretty stiff. It’s just like Mr. San.”

“It has been like this for a little while now, but it is true that my way of speaking has become awkward. Assimilation is nearly finished, so...”

“Aha.”

Juhyeon also understood the principle by which ‘Gio’s Portrait’ imitated a human.

Through assimilation with the human ‘Gio,’ it followed the dignity and posture of that time, and in the end, when that dignity as a human was swallowed by mystery, it searched for a new ‘Gio’ again.

So the stiffness in Gio’s tone now meant the portrait’s proportion was greater than the human’s.

“Then are you going to look for another ‘Gio’ again?”

“Do you think I would?”

Giovanni made an incredulous expression.

“I haven’t even started the Demon King project yet, Mr. Juhyeon...”

“I believe you blocked the sound, but hearing you say something like that so boldly inside the Moon Lady Religion, I really don’t know what I’m supposed to do.”

“You seem to be doing well even now.”

“...Ahem, then what do you plan to do now?”

“I have to look after the saintess.”

Juhyeon nodded.

“You’re not thinking of coming back right away?”

“My father is managing the cabin well.”

“Then there won’t be hallway meetings for a while.”

“First, I’m going to try becoming close with the saintess.”

“I really can’t tell whether you’re introverted or extroverted...”

“Why not both?”

He liked both home and friends.

“I think I can become good friends with the saintess.”

“I heard she’s quite young...”

“In friendship, age is not a barrier.”

“Generally, it is.”

“Oh, come now.”

At last, Argio popped out.

“Why so much nagging when I say I’m going to make a friend?”

“See? In the end, you’re getting close because of the Demon King thing and all that.”

“My socializing is not so vulgar and worldly, you know? More than anything, Mr. Juhyeon is misunderstanding me greatly right now.”

“I’ll listen.”

“The order got reversed.”

Gio declared proudly.

“I’m not making friends to become the Demon King—I’m becoming the Demon King while I’m at it, since I’m making friends!”

“...”

There weren’t that many reactions Juhyeon could show here.

“...I see!”

It’s always like this with us.

* * *

“...”

Inhale— exhale—...

Steady breathing.

“...”

The Moon Lady Religion bishop looked at the sleeping saintess.

“...Poor thing.”

You survived again.

After stroking the young face with a cold hand, the bishop left the room.

(To be continued in the next part)