Chapter 58

The Painter Who Draws Dungeons — Episode 58

Watching the existence wrapped in a pitch-black cloak, the blond priest Kang Seodam thought,

‘I didn’t expect a god to come to an event I was pushed into overseeing by accident.’

This event was not his.

After the priest who was originally supposed to host it went missing, Kang Seodam had taken over, but he had never imagined that at such an event he would come face-to-face with a god in an appearance he hadn’t even considered.

‘But for a place a god has attended in person, it’s remarkably quiet.’

The Sun Goddess he served was like that, and so was that god over there, who blended into the crowd pretending to be human and enjoyed amusement.

For such an extraordinary situation, not a single disturbance had arisen.

‘...In Her Goddess’s case, I can understand people not noticing since she hasn’t descended, but it’s strange that a god who has openly taken human form is staying this quiet.’

It seemed to be a god with a high understanding of humans.

“...”

Well, gods who enjoyed amusement were, for the most part, human-friendly.

‘Unlike the Temple of the Sun, it feels cool and silent—could it be a god of death or disease?

Judging by the chill, it might be a god related to the deep sea.’

Gio had received a “certificate” from the sun god, but that was only one of the elements that made up Gio.

Gio, at base, carried a gloomy atmosphere as if embodying a funeral.

Unless he confirmed it up close or made contact, there was no way Kang Seodam could know what sort of divinity Gio possessed.

He made a rough guess and looked around.

“...Mm...”

If he tried to act familiar with a god who enjoyed amusement, he would only offend it.

‘It doesn’t look like he intends to bring down a disaster miracle.

Seeing that he’s interacting sufficiently with other humans as well, he probably has no intention of ruining this event.

Let’s have this pass quietly.’

Perhaps it was a god with low recognition or one that pursued an elite few, and it had come to directly find its believers at this event.

It was rare worldwide, but he had heard it happened quietly in religious circles.

“...This batch is lucky.”

That god in the form of a black cloak might directly choose someone, and even if it didn’t, the Sun Goddess had already cast her gaze here.

Other gods’ interest would rise as well, so the preliminary priests’ chances of being chosen would increase.

“...”

Suddenly, Kang Seodam realized the black cloak was quietly looking at him.

For a moment, his mind went distant.

“...”

The instant he recognized his situation, Kang Seodam did not act stubbornly and immediately lowered his gaze.

‘There’s nothing stupider than trying to bear a god’s gaze directly.’

Though he didn’t know whether it was to be considerate of other humans or to enjoy higher-quality amusement, the black cloak’s rank had been lowered to near human level—so much so that you could hardly feel any divinity.

But that didn’t mean that vast essence changed.

A god was still a god, and Kang Seodam was a priest especially sensitive to sensing an existence’s rank and divinity.

If someone like him met a god’s gaze directly, he might lose consciousness.

“...”

“...”

Perhaps the black cloak knew that too, because it withdrew its gaze again.

‘...Was that consideration.’

It was truly fortunate that it was a god who knew humans were weak beings.

Most gods who enjoyed amusement without knowing that often harmed humans without malice.

“...”

Quietly swallowing a breath of relief, Kang Seodam checked the time.

“...In one minute, preliminary priests, please finish saying goodbye to your families and gather before me.

I will guide you to the dormitory where you will learn the etiquette for the main ceremony.”

God or no god, Kang Seodam only needed to fulfill his responsibility as a priest.

* * *

“Looks like I have to go now.”

At Cha Isol’s words, Cha Ara nodded solemnly.

“Yeah. If it’s hard, just run out.”

“Do you just hate saying anything proper?”

“Why, what—he could just farm and live like the village head too.”

“You’re telling him to give up before he even starts?

Is there any reason to crush a kid’s spirit?”

“Isn’t it better to do what you’re good at than to cling to what won’t work?”

“That’s true.”

Cha Eunhyuk nodded as well.

“If you really feel like this isn’t it, you can just come out.”

“Yeah, I will!

But I’m going to become a super awesome priest someday and be the head of the Cha family, so I’m going to work hard!”

“I’m the head.”

“I’ll become this family’s pillar!”

“I’m the pillar too.”

“See you tomorrow!”

With a spotless smile, Cha Isol grinned and turned his gaze to the other guests.

“I’m going.”

“Yeah, sure. You seem like you’ll do well, Cha Isol-gun, so don’t worry too much.”

“Thank you!”

After extracting praise and encouragement from the white-haired hunter, Cha Isol turned to the black cloak with sparkling eyes.

“Hyung!”

“...”

“I’ll do well, right?”

“I think so as well.”

“Hehe.”

Cha Isol finally wrung encouragement out of the black cloak too.

“If I get chosen by the sun god, can I smell like you, hyung?”

“Do I smell?”

“I’m not sure, but you smell like bedding dried in the sun.”

If he had to describe it a little more, it felt like “bedding that smells like sunlight, just put away in the closet.”

When he smelled him, it felt like he’d take the bedding that had been aired out in the yard, make a dark cave out of it, and slip inside to hide.

Dark, warm, and comfortable.

“...”

After staring up at the black cloak for a long while, Cha Isol suddenly demanded boldly,

“Hug me just once!”

“Isol, please.”

You insanely spirited little punk.

Cha Eunhyuk was horrified by his little brother’s disaster-grade friendliness, but Gio didn’t particularly mind.

“If that is what you want, I can hug you.”

“Wow!”

“Come here.”

The black cloak opened his arms.

‘So cool.’

Maybe because the lighting was above, the inside of the cloak was nothing but black shadow.

To Cha Isol, the black cloak’s embrace looked dark like a night sky and cozy like the inside of a closet, and he trotted over and dove right in.

And very unexpectedly, his body temperature was cool.

He’d thought it would be warm because it felt so snug, but it was not what he expected.

“It has been a long time since I last held a child about Cha Isol-student’s size.”

The gentle voice falling from above sounded like a lullaby.

“That child was small as well, like Cha Isol-student.”

“I’m not small, though.”

“You are smaller than I am.

Of course, Cha Isol-student will soon become a wonderful adult.”

“Hehe...”

“May the sun shine upon you.”

“...”

Cha Isol lifted his head and looked at the face beneath the black cloth—one only he could see.

Gentle eyes like the sea entered Cha Isol’s view.

“...Wow.”

Those eyes

were very big,

and

cozy.

“...Hyung, you’re really handsome!”

“I hear that often.”

“That’s insane.”

“Is it?”

The face beneath the cloak, which no one could see, was smiling with a kind light.

“Then I will see you tomorrow.”

“Ah...”

Cha Isol let out a regretful sound.

It was regretful to part with him, but it was also because he felt sorry watching the sight of his platinum hair and blue eyes darkening to black, like a light bulb burning out.

He looked really cool just now.

‘Isn’t that color way better on Hyung Gio?’

But Cha Isol didn’t push further.

“Then I’m really going now!”

The other preliminary priests had already begun gathering before the real priest.

The blond priest was checking the number, names, and faces of the gathered children and saying something to them.

When he got close, he could hear what the blond priest was saying.

“Cha Isol-gun?”

“Yes, that’s me.”

“Cha Isol-gun will be partners with Eunha-gun going forward.”

“Partners?”

“I will give a detailed explanation once all students have gathered, so for now, please pair up with Eunha-gun and line up.

The student with blue hair over there is Eunha-gun, whom I mentioned.”

“Yes!”

Cha Isol walked over to the child the priest indicated.

The friend the priest called “Eunha” had blue hair with a warm turquoise tint.

As Cha Isol stepped up beside him, the boy smiled—a soft, kind smile, somehow.

“So you’re Cha Isol?”

“Yeah. Are you Eunha?

They say we’re partners.”

“It’s probably because priests are based on a two-person team.”

“So two people are one team?”

“Right.”

Eunha’s pearl-colored eyes curved.

It was the benevolent smile priests have.

“Maybe after the main ceremony, partners can change, but they say there are also many cases where the partner you meet at the initiation ceremony lasts to the end.

We might stay partners... so, please take care of me.”

“That’s totally cool.”

“Is it?”

Saying that, Eunha let out a small laugh, and Cha Isol felt a sense of déjà vu from that smile.

‘Huh, he looks like Hyung Gio.’

Cha Isol instinctively sensed the difference between “Seo Gio” and “Giovanni.”

The change in Gio’s hair and eye color wasn’t merely an outward issue; he had realized it meant an essential change in Gio’s personality and nature.

And Eunha’s smile looked strangely like “Giovanni’s.”

‘Why?’

Of course, Cha Isol didn’t know that the name of the Gio with platinum hair and blue eyes was “Giovanni,” but at the very least, he could tell it was quite similar to Eunha.

“You smile really cool!”

Cha Isol reached a simple conclusion.

“A hyung I know smiles like you.”

“...Someone smiles like me?”

“Yeah!”

“Someone like that won’t be common.”

Rolling his eyes to the side, Eunha murmured as if talking to himself.

“That’s interesting.”

“...Yeah...”

Cha Isol felt something was odd.

‘He’s smiling, but it feels like he isn’t.’

Eunha’s smile was very similar to “Giovanni’s,” but unlike Gio, whose warmth you could feel even without looking, for some reason it was cool.

It was a temperature like a snake or a river stone he’d touched once.

Unaware of Cha Isol’s thoughts, Eunha, still wearing a faint smile, asked,

“Is the ‘hyung you know’ that person?”

“Huh?

Yeah.”

Eunha was talking about Gio.

“It’s Hyung Gio.”

“...”

Blinking silently, Eunha asked back,

“Gio?”

“He says his surname is Seo.

Seo Gio.”

“Ah, I see.”

After looking back at the black cloak whose face couldn’t be seen at all, Eunha spoke.

“His atmosphere is unique.”

“Right?

He’s super warm.”

“Someone chosen by the sun god?

Or...”

“He said he’s a believer of the sun god.”

“A believer.”

Eunha murmured in a faint voice.

“That isn’t the level.”

“Huh?”

“He seems extremely devout.”

“He’s super warm, right?”

“Yeah.”

Almost as if he isn’t human, yet cold too.

Hearing that small murmur, Cha Isol couldn’t interpret Eunha’s words and only widened his eyes, but Eunha didn’t speak about Gio any further.

He asked about his family.

“Then the black-haired people next to that black cloak... are they your family?”

“Yeah, we look alike, right?”

“You really do resemble each other.

You can tell at a glance you’re family.”

Eunha gave a small laugh.

“I look a lot like my older sister too.”

“Really?

Then she must be super pretty.”

“She is as beautiful as a princess.”

“Huh?

Uh... yeah?”

Does someone usually call their older sister “a lady as beautiful as a princess”?

‘He seems really educated.’

Cha Isol, who’d picked up Cha Ara’s speech habits, concluded that Eunha was an “educated person.”

Somehow, the way he smiled and the tone of his voice—gentle like Hyung Gio’s—made him seem very impressive.

So he liked him.

“Let’s be friends!”

“...Shall we?”

“You can take your time.”

He probably can’t trust people well, so I should be considerate.

“I’ll wait.”

Cha Isol was quick-witted.

* * *

The little mermaid always wanted to know about humans.

Above that surface where the sunlight rippled like a net, what kind of life did they live?

How could they, who couldn’t even breathe in water, sometimes throw themselves into the sea?

Why do they rot away like that?

What do they think, what do they eat, what structure do they laugh with, cry with, get angry with?

The mermaid went up.

Kept going up.

And saw the prince.

“...”

Warm.

That warmth spread above the surface, a symbol of sunlight.

Platinum hair that held the netlike sunlight she’d looked up at from the deep sea flowed in wave-like curls, and it glittered like silver above the surface.

Blue eyes holding warm light carried the color of the sea, and yet warmth could be felt from them.

The mermaid princess who ruled the sea was curious about humans.

She was curious about humanity’s limits.

“...”

Would a human who resembled that sunlight still be warm even underwater?

So she took his hand, and just like that...

“...”

Splash.

“...”

Into the sea.

“...Ah...”

It felt like she fell in.

Pearl-like eyes blinked languidly.

The blurred focus soon sharpened, and red lips drew a lazy curve.

She was already awake from her sleep.

“My.”

A beautiful princess in a doctor’s coat with wide sleeves said.

“I had a good dream.”

Isn’t that right, Giovanni?

Stretched out above the surface, the little mermaid smiled.

Fantasy, modern,