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Chapter 151: Chapter 151

Even though Jio had made a new pen pal and Ju-hyeon had befriended the Black Cape, the daily life of this peaceful cabin did not change.

The Black Cape still cooked for him.

"Please, let me do some work too."

"A guest does not work."

"You said we’re friends."

"A guest who is a friend."

It was a bit uncomfortable, but it was true that everything was peaceful.

"Then could you perhaps watch Dana for me? The child seems bored."

"If I get close, will it not burn me? I wonder. I heard the fire of an Anticat is that hot."

"It doesn’t seem to dislike you as much as before, so why not be brave?"

"Just this morning, it passed by me baring its teeth...."

"Compared to before, when it tried to turn you to ash, it has certainly mellowed."

Delicious meals were served three times a day, the room was comfortable and private, and the view beyond the veranda was as beautiful as a scene from a fairy tale.

He was enjoying undeserved benefits without having done a thing.

But that didn’t mean the situation had changed at all.

"..."

Ju-hyeon fell into contemplation about his new friend’s identity.

The attic, which he had followed out of interest in the process of making paints and brushes.

Invited there, Ju-hyeon began with a composed tone.

"This is very cautious of me, but I have been thinking."

"I am listening."

"I think as friends, I can ask this much."

"Please ask."

He called out to Jio.

"Mr.Jio."

"Yes."

"...Mr. Seo Jio?"

"Yes."

"Argio?"

"Yes."

"How should I address you?"

"Aha."

Jio admitted his mistake.

"My introduction was lacking."

That was right; Ju-hyeon knew almost nothing about Jio.

’He never explained it separately either.’

Such a bizarre level of indifference was also a typical attitude of a great mystery dealing with humans.

"I shouldn’t do anything that might displease you, you see."

"I doubt there is much that would displease me, but...."

"I don’t think I would do that sort of thing either, but still."

"It is indeed impolite not to even introduce oneself properly."

Glass tools were set down with a clatter and inside them, liquids of peculiar colors and vividly colored paints scattered without any pattern.

Dana and Honey were nestled deep in a box placed next to the workbench.

In the attic where all sorts of mysterious things had gathered, Jio had an unexpected self-introduction session.

"I am Seo Jio."

"Ah, yes, I’ve heard. The members of The Collectors guild also seem to know you as that."

"And I am Batlan Giovanni."

"...Batlan Giovanni?"

"I am also scheduled to become Argio soon."

"..."

Ju-hyeon thought that this habit of the mysteries, ’cutting out all the supplementary explanations and only saying the main point meaningfully,’ should be made illegal.

’...Just like the oracles, which are said to be the most representative form of communication with a mystery, beings of great stature are always so vague when giving information.’

It was just bewildering for the human listening. Ju-hyeon smiled awkwardly.

Ju-hyeon knew well that there was a good reason for it all.

In the case of oracles, the language of the gods had a high chance of harming the followers, so they were minimized as much as possible, resulting in sentences that were difficult to interpret.

’It’s not my area of expertise, so I don’t know for sure.’

Anyway, for that reason, Ju-hyeon was able to quickly hide his bewilderment at Jio’s clipped sentences.

After stroking his chin in thought for a moment, he soon found a pattern without much difficulty.

"The name ’Jio’ is in all of them. Is that why it’s ’Jio’s Portrait’?"

"I believe so."

"It seems Mr.Jio’s ever-changing appearance was a change according to the name."

He asked in his characteristic gentle tone.

"What does Mr. Seo Jio look like?"

"It is my appearance when I have black hair."

"Hmm... and Argio was when you had red hair."

"Thank you for remembering."

"Batlan Giovanni must be your appearance when you have blond hair."

"You understand well."

Was it because he was impressed that a mere human understood the words of a great mystery?

He didn’t know what part of it had stirred the portrait’s interest and sentiment, but soon, a golden light spread over him like paint.

Giovanni smiled his characteristic bright smile.

"This is the first time I have given a proper introduction like this since Yu Seong-un."

"..."

It seemed he mainly changed into ’Giovanni’ when he wanted to effectively express joy or give comfort to a human.

In that sense, ’Seo Jio’ and ’Argio’ must have their own uses as well.

Having organized his thoughts, Ju-hyeon gave an awkward smile.

"...Ah, is it the first time? I think I roughly understand the situation, though."

"Most people get nervous just by looking at me, so I never had the chance to have such idle conversations. I was even worried about when I would ever make a friend, so I am very glad to have met you, Ju-hyeon."

"The honor is all mine."

While wearing his characteristic friendly smile, Ju-hyeon thought to himself.

’Of course, how could anyone not be scared unless they were as out of their mind as I am.’

At a glance, he was at least a humanoid monster; no matter how deeply one thought, he had the form of an evil god.

It was true that the ghost stories about the ’Black Cape’ had taken on a rather friendly form, but there were few people who could act openly friendly towards him.

"..."

Having become one of those ’few people,’ Ju-hyeon felt a pang of bitterness.

He prided himself on having lived a sane and proper life, but now he had become friends with an evil god.

’I must be careful not to harbor any vain thoughts. Even if what he wants from me is friendship and I respond to it, I must be careful about the parts I need to be careful about.’

Things like thinking the evil god’s favor was his own power, or relying on him too much.

Getting drunk on a power that wasn’t his, being ungrateful, and becoming overly greedy....

The contractors of evil gods who ruined the world in history all messed up because they didn’t know their place.

He didn’t want to be recorded in history that way, even if he were to disappear as a cog in society.

"...Then may I hear your story, Mr.Jio?"

Seeing as he had told him his names, it seemed he was willing to explain.

"Of course, if you’re uncomfortable, you don’t have to tell me."

"No, they are not such special stories."

The black-haired Jio was seen crossing his arms, contemplating something. He soon opened his mouth.

"Argio possessed a congenital ability to transform into a beast. Because of that ability, he was kicked out of his family, lived like a beast in the forest, and was branded the source of all evil, becoming an evil god."

Ju-hyeon said reflexively.

"That’s already special."

"Is that so?"

"No, rather than special, it’s a bit more negative...."

"I lived and died happily."

"That is quite the black joke."

Nodding, Ju-hyeon continued.

"What kind of person was Giovanni of the Batlan family?"

"As a priest of the sun and a doctor, he was beaten to death by a mob while caring for mermaid students."

"What... how should I react to a story like this?"

"You can laugh. I lived and died happily this time too."

"I think I’d become something less than human if I laughed."

Laughter was out of the question; it was a story that made it hard to hide his shock.

"I feel like I’ve heard a similar story somewhere before...?"

"Then it seems you have read the report on the ’Kingdom of the Deep Sea’."

"I am truly surprised that it wasn’t just my imagination."

As it was a rare case of a humanoid monster officially appearing from the Association, Ju-hyeon had also read the report on the ’Kingdom of the Deep Sea’ carefully.

That report included the overall story related to the dungeon.

"..."

No matter how he thought about it, it didn’t seem like a happy life and death.

"...Actually, I had anticipated it to some extent."

"I am curious as to what you anticipated."

"Ever since I found out that the Black Cape belongs to The Collectors."

"Is there a problem with that?"

"The report on the ’Kingdom of the Deep Sea’ sent by The Collectors was submitted by Yu Seong-un."

"I believe that is correct."

"And Yu Seong-un is, well...."

Ju-hyeon chose his words.

"He is quite famous within the Association’s research institute community."

"Why is that?"

"Because he is a former research team leader who transferred to none other than The Collectors."

"Is there something special about transferring to The Collectors?"

"Their motto is special. The Collectors have a strong atmosphere of cherishing their works, you know."

"I have certainly heard that such a rule exists."

"And the researchers at the Association feel quite a bit of resistance to this motto of The Collectors."

In a way, it was natural.

"Because they see a lot of unpleasant things at the research institute."

They know the cruelty of the dangerous items that The Collectors call ’works’.

"There is even a saying at the Association’s research institute: ’A person who hasn’t lost something to them is not a real researcher.’ That’s how strong their vigilance against dangerous items is, and each person has a variety of personal stories."

"I am safe."

"Of course, I wasn’t referring to you, Mr.Jio. It would be a great waste to compare you to such mindless dangerous items. You have also bestowed many favors upon me."

Ju-hyeon smiled his characteristic smile.

"But most dangerous items are not like that. The Collectors’ gallery and the Association’s research institute are institutions that stand at opposite ends in many ways, so for an employee who has experienced one side to transfer to the other is... extremely rare."

In fact, Yu Seong-un was the first to transfer to the opposite side.

"It’s something you really can’t do unless you have an extraordinary affection for dangerous items. And this is a report on an S-Class dungeon submitted by such a person, isn’t it? Many researchers were curious about what had piqued the interest of former research team leader Yu Seong-un."

"So that’s what happened."

"The name of Hunter Seo Jio was on the list of participants at that time. I also knew that he was the person who contributed greatly to the survival of civilians on the day of the Solar Cult initiation ceremony terror attack. But since you, whom I knew as the Black Cape, had the name Seo Jio...."

Ju-hyeon smiled awkwardly.

"I thought that you, being both the Black Cape and Seo Jio, must have some deep connection to the ’Kingdom of the Deep Sea’. The story that the Black Cape’s portrait often appears in that dungeon is famous, after all."

Though that was a guess he had pieced together while staying in the Black Cape’s cabin.

"Above all, there is a record of Batlan Giovanni in the ’Kingdom of the Deep Sea’. Although it’s extremely rare to be able to confirm it, since you mentioned that name when you introduced yourself...."

"So you were saying you surmised the connection."

"I wouldn’t have known if you hadn’t mentioned the name Batlan Giovanni. There is no accurate record of Giovanni’s appearance in that dungeon, and even if there were, blond hair and blue eyes are common, aren’t they?"

"In the past, such an appearance was not common in Korea, so it is fascinating."

"...Speaking of ’past Korea,’ as you mentioned before, ’Seo Jio’ must be the name you used when you lived on Earth, right? What kind of life did you live then?"

"It was nothing special either."

Jio answered with an expressionless face.

"I just became a portrait due to a fire at school."

"Ah, I see!"

As if he had mentally prepared himself, it was far too much of nothing special.

"How did that happen?"

"Are you asking about the fire, or are you asking about the portrait."

"I guess I could say both for now."

"To be honest, I don’t know the reason for the fire either."

He blinked about twice.

"The alarm just suddenly went off, and even though I went to check as soon as it sounded, the first floor was already on fire. Seeing how quickly the fire spread, it likely wasn’t a natural fire."

"...Someone intentionally...?"

"It would have been difficult for it to spread that fast unless someone had poured oil or something. Of course, that is merely my speculation. I was busy getting the students out of the school at the time."

"Did you not get out with them?"

"I had to check if there were any students or teachers left. Since it was break time, people were scattered all over, and sometimes students would get stuck in odd places...."

The black eyes stared blankly at Ju-hyeon.

"Fortunately, I was the only one left in the school, and I couldn’t get out in time. It wasn’t a situation where I could expect to survive until the fire was extinguished, so I went straight into a storage room I cherished."

"A storage room?"

"It was the art storage room. The thought of jumping out the window did cross my mind, but I was on the 5th floor, the very top. Our school had high ceilings too. So I went to the best place to die."

"..."

"And I became a portrait. Isn’t it fascinating?"

At that, Ju-hyeon gave an awkward laugh.

"...It is fascinating."

The Black Cape didn’t seem to feel any negative emotions about the deaths of ’Jio’.

He hadn’t actually said that Seo Jio had died that way, but with the preceding examples of ’Giovanni’ and ’Argio,’ Ju-hyeon assumed so. That ’Seo Jio’ too had died that way.

"Your age at the time was...."

"I was 29."

"Does each ’Jio’ have a different age?"

"Giovanni died at the age of 32 and Argio at the age of 24."

"...None of them lived a long life."

Ju-hyeon suddenly felt a sense of pity.

"They’re younger than me."

Was this portrait a collection of such young and youthful deaths?

’Maybe that’s why it’s not difficult to converse even when we’re alone like this.’

Perhaps underneath all those ’Jios’ was the great mystery of ’Jio’s Portrait,’ but in the end, they were all once nothing more than ordinary humans and yet, the deaths of the ’Jios’ were all just bitter.

’No matter how much of an evil god he is, Argio was also just 24 when....’

Moreover, even if he called himself evil, the personality of Argio didn’t seem like that bad of a person.

He seemed like a man of character capable of showing sufficient mercy.

’People like that.’

How could they have only met with tragedy?

"..."

Ju-hyeon’s eyes curved into a gentle smile.

"I don’t know how such a thing could be possible, but, well. It’s surprising no matter how I think about it."

"I think so as well."

"Come to think of it, I heard that the two mermaids residing in the ’Kingdom of the Deep Sea’ have not been subjugated yet."

"They are children who are too dangerous to subjugate carelessly."

"So you are not against their subjugation itself."

That was unusual.

"Regarding that matter... are you not concerned?"

"What matter are you referring to?"

"...It’s just, they were once your cherished disciples."

If Ju-hyeon were in his shoes, he would have had many thoughts.

"If it were me, I think I would be sad for a very long time. I’d also blame myself, thinking this happened because of me. Since they were once beloved disciples, I’d want to forgive them, but as a human, I feel like I couldn’t forgive them... Um, was that too presumptuous of me?"

The man, whose hair had turned platinum blond, smiled.

"My friend, you are not the least bit presumptuous to me."

"I am glad to hear that."

"But I am not a person who thinks as deeply as you do, Ju-hyeon."

"Do I... think deeply?"

"I have never once blamed myself."

Giovanni blinked his blue eyes as if to say, ’Why on earth would I?’

"I did my best to cherish my disciples, and I performed good deeds befitting my calling. I acted without shame as a son of the sun... and as a teacher, I walked the path for my students. That was not a path of self-abuse but a way of respecting myself."

His voice was soft and gentle.

"My disciples may have resented me. But I did my best to protect my students, and I gave them no shortage of affection during that time."

"Is that why you have no regrets? Because you did your best?"

"I did what I wanted to the best of my ability, and it was a universally just good deed and an upright path before the sun and myself. I do not want to engage in the absurd self-blame that my students came to sin because I did not act more shrewdly."

"Because you did not act more shrewdly...?"

"If I had pandered to the religious order and the village, I could have lived longer. But that would have been a path of betraying my students, betraying my father, and also an act of tormenting myself."

His lips drew a smooth arc.

"I simply did not want to do that."

"Why not?"

"There are many reasons, but the most prominent one would be because I made a promise."

"With whom did you make a promise?"

"With my students."

The eyes that held the sea curved with affection.

"I promised that the me of now would not change."

"..."

With that preserved smile, Ju-hyeon opened his mouth with difficulty.

"...Do you still love those disciples?"

"I do."

"Then have you forgiven their actions?"

"I have not."

"In that case... will you punish them?"

"That is not my part to play."

The priest smiled lightly. It was the smile of a flawless young man.

"The only sin they committed against me is betraying my faith. They have already been punished for that in the time that has passed, and the price for their other sins is not something I dare to impose."

"I understand."

"You may think this way: that the one called Giovanni is in the easiest position to punish those sinful mermaids. But that would be an utterly absurd affair."

"Because it is not your part to play?"

"And also because they desire the punishment I would give."

Soon, Giovanni was seen letting out a soft laugh.

"My mermaid students spent a very long time taking out their anger. Forgetting not the memories of the past, they became buried in them and went around scattering sins they could never take back, all the while keeping me in a corner of their hearts."

"..."

"While thinking it impossible, they hoped that one day, like a miracle, their sole meaning, me, would return and give them an end. It is a very irresponsible and indecisive mindset. For me to punish them would be a reward instead...."

He shrugged.

"Do you see that as right?"

"...Hmm, well...."

It was a perspective that gave him pause.

"...Still, I hope that the same tragedy is not repeated because of those mermaids."

"I feel the same. And that is the repayment for my affection and the proof of my favoritism."

"You truly do love them. And yet you haven’t forgiven them."

"Even if an eternity passes, could I ever forgive them?"

The human who held the merciful sun speaks.

"No matter what my students do, their sins only grow larger and their responsibilities increase, but the time of those who have already suffered at their hands does not disappear. Even if they were to return the world of the humans they killed to its most whole state, the sins that existed cannot be absolved."

"...In that case...."

"I am a simple person who does not think too deeply, so I do not know if such a great sin can be absolved through long periods of time, suffering, and devotion. It may be impossible, or it may be possible. But I do not know if it is a hole that can be filled in a mere few thousand years."

With the face of a priest who had shed his youthfulness, Giovanni continued.

"But do not worry, as long as I am here, they will continue to contemplate their sins. I am still fulfilling my responsibility as a teacher...."

"The tragedy I am worried about will not be repeated either."

"What is certain is that I did not forgive my mermaid students because I love them. As long as I am here, they can never again become the same disaster as before."

"...Hearing you say that is reassuring."

He was sincere.

"Humanoid monsters are, well, beings to be concerned about...."

"You seem anxious."

At that, Giovanni asked.

"Shall I introduce you?"

"Pardon?"

To what?

***

"Ta-da."

Jio made a sound effect, presenting the two mermaids. Ju-hyeon was flabbergasted.

"Hey, not ’ta-da’."

"They are my students."

"I know that, but."

Seeing Ju-hyeon’s appearance, who seemed to know the relationship between the mermaids and Giovanni, Aria smiled brightly and looked back at her teacher.

Her smile was flawlessly smooth.

"Now you’re raising a human, aren’t you?"

"Raising? He is my friend."

"Teacher, you are remarkably sociable in strange ways."

"If you praise me like that, this teacher’s face will get hot."

"Hot? It looks like ten thousand years of cold snow is about to descend."

At Aria’s words, Jio soon wore the gentle smile of a priest.

"Will this do?"

"I knew it, I like that face."

Nodding, Aria looked back at her younger brother Iseur and Jio’s new friend Ju-hyeon, who were engaged in a strange battle of wits.

Iseur seemed to be contemplating how to treat this human, while Ju-hyeon seemed busy trying to accept the situation.

"The young ones."

Aria, who had laughed lightly, greeted elegantly according to etiquette.

"A pleasure to meet you for the first time, mister beloved by the sun. I am Aria, a disciple who serves Priest Giovanni of the Batlan family as my master. May the blessings of the earth be with you."

"...It is a pleasure to meet you as well. I am Iseur, the second disciple who serves Priest Giovanni of the Batlan family as my master. May the warmth of the sun reach you."

Iseur, who had glared at his sister, also greeted a beat later.

Although the fact that the two were humanoid monsters was something he was well aware of as a researcher for the Association, at this point, Ju-hyeon also had to show corresponding courtesy.

Ju-hyeon reflexively put on his social life smile.

"It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Ju-hyeon, who has had the honor of becoming Mr. Seo Jio’s friend, however lacking I may be. I have been hired as a manager to assist Mr. Seo Jio when he is active as a Hunter outside the portrait."

And the gazes of the two mermaids and one human turned to Giovanni.

"..."

"..."

"..."

In the strange silence, Jio asked.

"Shall we eat?"

And so, an unexpected meal was decided.

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