Chapter 76

The Painter Who Draws Dungeons - Episode 76

Leaning against the gallery wall, Yoo Sungwoon asked Gio,

“Is turning people into paint also because you’re a painter?”

“...”

“If it’s an awkward question, you don’t have to answer.”

As a former head of the Association’s research team, Yoo Sungwoon had deep ties with the Hunter Association.

That meant there was a lot of information he could dig up, and the recent rumors of Gio being sighted in ‘The Country of the Deep Sea’ were the same.

“It’s just that you’ve never called yourself a painter, so I got a little curious.”

Witnesses said that ‘Black Cloak’ was both a portrait and a painter.

“And it’s strange too, turning living creatures into paint.”

“That was not as great an act as you think.”

As always, Gio answered in a voice sunk like a machine.

“To answer your earlier question, I am an ordinary person whose hobby is drawing pictures.

I am not worthy of being called a painter.”

“In the end, like you said, a painter is just someone who draws, right?

Well, more precisely, someone whose job is that... but isn’t it a similar context?”

“If so, you may think of it that way.”

Unlike when he came out beyond the frame of ‘Gio’s Portrait’ and imitated a human, Gio’s voice inside the portrait was so businesslike it felt alien.

In a inorganic voice with not a trace of emotion, Gio continued.

“The reason I turned those people into paint was simply because I could draw them beyond the frame.

However, if I drew already-existing living beings with ordinary paint, I judged it would be closer to creation than movement, and so I had no choice but to make them into paint.”

“...Yeah, that...”

Yoo Sungwoon recalled a conversation he’d once had with ‘Gio’s Portrait.’

“From your perspective, the ‘painting’ is not you, but us, right?”

“I did not forget that you are living beings with selves, not ordinary drawings or paint, but while thinking about whether there was any way I could help them, I chose this method.

Was it of help?”

“It did raise the survival rate.”

With a frame between them, Gio sees humans as drawings from Gio’s world, and humans see Gio as a drawing from the human world.

Because of that, it seemed that Gio—both portrait and painter—could exert arbitrary influence through paintings.

“Just, how should I put it...”

Yoo Sungwoon hesitated a little, then continued.

“Everyone’s scared, that’s all.”

“Are they afraid?”

“You don’t exactly look friendly.”

“That is true.”

“And becoming paint while alive isn’t something you see every day.”

It wasn’t just ‘not common’—it was something you could hardly experience even once in your life.

While hunters were grateful for ‘Black Cloak’s’ unfounded goodwill, they also feared him.

“Anyway, if you weren’t thinking of us as just ordinary paint, that’s enough for me.”

“I did not think of you that way.”

“Yeah, you just wanted to help in this way.”

That, too, is what makes him not human.

“From the human point of view, the favor bestowed by an existence of the Origin doesn’t always feel like favor.”

It was pure, if you call it pure.

It was like a child who doesn’t understand a dog’s physiology feeding chocolate to a cute puppy.

In the child’s mind, it was just sharing something sweet, but for the puppy, it was the same as being fed a potent poison.

“Maybe because you yourself are a portrait, you don’t hesitate to turn people into paint.

The one lucky thing is that people recognized it as goodwill...”

That might be why there are hunters who come to hold awe.

“...Uh...”

After thinking for a moment, Yoo Sungwoon said,

“Have you still been going to ‘The Country of the Deep Sea’ lately?”

“I visited to see if I could meet Iser, but I am only encountering humans, not a mermaid.”

“Good grief.”

It looked like Iser, that crafty mermaid, was avoiding Gio.

Whether he needed time to sort out his thoughts, or whether he was plotting something else—he couldn’t say.

“Anyway... thank you for helping people.”

“No, there is no need for thanks.

Rather, I think I frightened them, so I wish to apologize.

Was my action rude?”

“It’s not that it was rude or anything—just that a lot of people are scared, that’s all.”

In truth, it wasn’t at the level of ‘a bit,’ but even so, the fact that Gio showed mercy and saved humans did not change.

And it seemed the hunters understood it as goodwill, so this was fine.

“It will be another problem if the existence of Black Cloak becomes too familiar to hunters, but for now it’s not a situation where some huge incident is likely to erupt.”

If possible, he wanted to clearly separate the kind, friendly hunter ‘Seo Gio’ from the unidentified ghost story ‘Black Cloak,’ but Gio himself didn’t seem to intend that, which was a little troublesome from the standpoint of a greedy human.

Does Gio want to mingle intimately with others even as ‘Black Cloak’?

“Just so you don’t misunderstand, I wasn’t saying you shouldn’t help people.

For them, being startled a little is better than dying, right?

I came because I was worried about how much you know, so don’t take it to heart too much.”

“I did not take it to heart.”

“Then that’s a relief.

But...”

Yoo Sungwoon trailed off.

“A question came up.”

The reason he visited the gallery today wasn’t merely to pass along the aftermath of the ‘Black Cloak’ ghost story.

“Can I ask?”

“If it is something I can answer, I will try to answer.”

“Then, you know—by what standard can you adjust your rank?”

It was a doubt born from sightings heard here and there, and from the handful of witnesses like Yoo Sungwoon and the Cha family.

Between ‘Black Cloak’ in the rumors and ‘Gio’ when he was human, the difference in rank was so enormous they didn’t even seem like the same existence.

The portrait, its eyes hidden by black paint, asked back,

“What do you mean?”

“Uh...”

Right—Gio doesn’t know how high his own rank is.

“He thinks he’s an ordinary human, so bringing up ‘rank’ was my mistake.

He’s the one who explained people being afraid of him as just a resolution issue...”

After sorting out his thoughts for a moment, Yoo Sungwoon soon opened his mouth.

“...Of course the ghost story called Black Cloak and the person called Gio are the same individual, but even though you’re the same existence, there are times you show different judgments or ways of speaking, right?

When you’re acting as ‘Seo Gio’... I feel like you wouldn’t even think of turning people into paint.”

That was the problem.

“Even though you’re the same Gio, it feels like the way you think changes depending on your rank.”

“...”

“Am I mistaken?

If that was an rude assumption, I’ll apologize.”

After a moment, the portrait answered.

“I believe Mr. Yoo Sungwoon is correct.

I often differ in thought and tone.”

“Ah.”

“I try to live as correctly and politely as possible, but in your words, when I am ‘Black Cloak,’ I make arrogant and rude judgments.”

It seemed the portrait was aware of this part as well.

“However, I have no thoughts of harming people at all.

I will not harm you, so you need not worry about that.”

“I understand what you mean.”

Yoo Sungwoon nodded.

“Human thinking and the Origin’s thinking can’t be the same.”

Even if he is the same existence, there can be differences in thinking depending on rank.

“Gio called them arrogant and rude judgments, but for him, that was probably natural behavior.

If you think about the rank held within the existence called Gio’s Portrait, it isn’t strange.”

It was natural for a human to look down on an ant.

“The very act of bending down like this and trying to meet our eyes is astonishing in itself.

Maybe it’s possible because Gio has quite a high understanding of humans.”

Of course, even if Gio ‘tries,’ he can’t become completely the same as a human, but it did seem meaningful that he was scolding himself as ‘arrogant and rude.’

“...”

A chill ran down his spine.

“Do you have anything else to ask?”

“Huh?

No, it’s just...”

Every time he felt Gio wasn’t human, it made him shiver.

“...I just thought you were incredible.”

Even now, Yoo Sungwoon still doesn’t know what Gio is.

Only that he is a portrait.

* * *

“Sssluuuurp...”

“?”

“Sssshluuuurrrp...”

“Meung.”

At the sight of Gio sucking on Dana’s belly, Honey peeked over.

“Gguruk?”

“I feel like I can live.”

“Kku?”

“It was healing.”

As expected, there was no hobby that improved quality of life as much as sucking on a cat’s belly.

“Of course, Dana isn’t soft or warm, but...”

“Grrr.”

“It doesn’t change the fact that it’s a cat.

Thank you for stepping on me, Master.”

How could two little cotton-paws pushing his face away be so adorable?

The teddy bear sun god watching that scene looked a little uneasy, but Gio, Honey, and Dana took no damage at all.

With the whole family gathered warmly together, Gio asked in all seriousness,

“So what must I do to see Iser’s face?”

The topic was Iser’s deviation.

“For some reason, he won’t come to see me.

It’s not like he doesn’t know I’m here—what’s going on?”

“Kkuu...”

The teddy bear knit its brow as if to say, ‘You really don’t know?’ and Gio nodded.

“I do know as well.

I figure it’s like a dog that caused trouble avoiding its owner’s eyes.

Originally, human beings have a bad instinct where if they do wrong and think they’ll be scolded, they avoid it first.”

“Kku...”

The sun god wondered whether it was really right to call Iser, a mermaid, human—and whether it was right to compare it to a dog or a child’s avoidance in the first place.

From the looks of it, it didn’t seem Iser was avoiding Gio out of fear of being scolded.

His shape was clearly ‘Giovanni,’ and yet there was the strange sense of wrongness within him, and the unknown, towering rank.

On top of that, the sanctity of the sun—something you can’t help but loathe—had been added, making him a target the mermaids could hardly face in many ways.

But Gio was a young man of conviction.

He was steadfast.

“When I was young, if I wet the bed, I would watch my grandmother’s mood and secretly hand-wash the blanket all night.

Even though I knew it was a natural biological phenomenon for a child, I still didn’t say anything because of guilt and embarrassment.”

“Kku...?”

“But in the end, I got caught.

How well can a kid even hand-wash something alone?

It gets soaking wet and doesn’t even dry in one night.

Therefore, no matter how much Iser avoids me, that child won’t be able to escape me.”

“Kkuuoo...?”

The teddy bear showed doubt as if to ask, ‘Is that really the right comparison right now?’ and Gio let out a small sigh.

“It’s true that Iser chose a path too cruel for such a humble comparison, but...”

“Kku kku, kku.”

“In my memories, Iser was only a young student.

Even now, hearing he’s a terrorist and all that, it doesn’t feel real.”

Though it was unavoidable to be scared stiff just from the fact that he’d been involved in that terror incident, more than that, Giovanni still remembered his young disciple.

It didn’t feel real.

Even if someone suddenly told him, ‘Your small and precious student is terrorizing religious facilities after your death,’ the only reaction he could muster was, ‘Huh?

Oh?

I see.’

“But that’s why we need to bring Iser in—no, meet him.”

“Gguruk?”

Honey cast a suspicious look as if to say, ‘Didn’t you just say bring him in?’

Naturally, Gio ignored it, and Dana yawned widely.

“How can I make Iser come to see me.

I couldn’t help but think about it.”

“Kku...”

“‘The Country of the Deep Sea’ isn’t a big-box store.

I can’t play a lost-child announcement, and Iser, a grown adult, can’t be called a lost child either.

You know where the exit is and still won’t come—what a darling little mermaid...”

Perhaps he’d become a coward, because he blinked a couple of times at a disciple who wouldn’t even show his face.

Soon, he continued.

“To tell you in advance, it’s not as though I have no plan at all.”

“Kung?”

“In what you could call the inside of their home, ‘The Country of the Deep Sea,’ if I make one big scene, they’ll show their faces, won’t they.”

“Ggururuk?”

“If it goes well, I think I can definitely seize the initiative.

Yes, the plan is...”

After hearing Gio’s story, the bird cocked its head as if to say that would work, the cat flopped over as if it didn’t care, and the teddy bear made a subtle expression as if to say, ‘Is that really right?’

At that, Gio looked at the sun god.

“What is wrong?”

“...Kku...”

Seeing Gio’s unruffled face, the teddy bear nodded as if to say, ‘Is that so?’

In the first place, it hadn’t made that subtle expression because it truly knew what was wrong—it was simply thinking, ‘If Gio says it’s fine, then it must be fine.’

“Kkuu, kkukku kku.”

“Thank you for cheering me on.”

It was truly the scene of a heartwarming family meeting.

The Painter Who Draws Dungeons

Fantasy, modern,