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Chapter 157: Chapter 157

Jio had always known everything.

He knew that he had long surpassed the standards of a human, that the Anticat Dana was full of dead spirits, and how he appeared to others.

"He just doesn’t place great meaning on it."

Aria shook a glass flask and continued.

"That’s why he seems to know nothing, despite knowing everything."

"The Teacher’s bizarre level of indifference has surprised those around him since long ago."

"Looking at things like that, it doesn’t seem to be a trait that appeared after he became a portrait."

Didn’t Jio maintain that attitude even when he was a complete human?

"Isn’t it a strange thing?"

"The Teacher was always special."

"Whether to call it special, or peculiar...."

"His way of thinking is on the unique side."

"It’s a nature not easily found in humans."

Now, Jio was not a human but a portrait, a divinity, and also a great mystery that could not be compared to any of those things.

He was loved by the structure and had become one with it.

"If he wanted, my teacher could do anything."

But those various powers held no value for Jio.

"The fact that he can just accept it as a single personality trait is the surprising part."

"Didn’t he perceive even the divinity of the former Sun God as a personality trait?"

"And to think it was the divinity of the god I served. I’m so dumbfounded...."

If it were someone who didn’t know its value, Aria would have understood easily.

But Giovanni was once the most beloved priest, a promising talent of the Sun.

Such a person would not be ignorant of the value and position of divinity, so this must be just an absurd level of boldness, or indifference.

Aria organized the flasks filled with various liquids and continued.

"What on earth would it take to make him think he’s not human?"

And thus, to make him disappointed in humans.

Despite his numerous powers and immense stature, Jio firmly believed that they could not make him anything other than human.

That belief was as natural and solid as his belief in his own existence.

"No matter what you throw at him, he’ll think that there’s no reason for him not to be human because of it."

"I can clearly see how he would react without even having to test it."

"And on top of that, the reason he was even slightly reluctant about the powers of divinity was a simple matter of etiquette."

Aria, who had suspected that perhaps he couldn’t accept his activities as a divinity because he considered himself human, felt foolish.

Regardless of whether he was human or not, powers and such truly held no meaning for Jio.

"And he accepted it right away when salvation was mentioned, didn’t he?"

"Though he himself wouldn’t use a grand word like salvation."

Iseur gave his characteristic smile.

"Hasn’t the Teacher been like that since the past?"

"Isn’t he a person who values salvation more than respect?"

"And yet, the part where he prefers good and polite beings is truly...."

"I suppose the type of human he prefers and his own tendencies are separate things."

Just because he liked good and polite humans didn’t mean he himself had to be good and polite.

Jio observed boundaries and respected others, but the story changed if salvation was on the line.

If there was a wish that couldn’t be spoken due to various circumstances, if they inwardly sought help even while denying it with their mouths, if those around them wanted it even if he sincerely refused salvation... Jio did it that way.

"As expected of the smiling tyrant of the sea village."

"He still seemed to dislike that nickname."

"It was always a good result for it to be called tyranny."

Watching from the side, there were times when one would wonder, ’Isn’t that violence, not salvation?’

But those Jio reached out to Jio always ended up finding happiness. That was the power Jio possessed.

"Looking at things like that, he’s definitely not a foolish person."

Jio always knew everything, but he accepted it only as information, not emotion.

He took such a distant attitude from the interests of the secular world that he just seemed to know nothing.

Though even that, with excellent image management, made him look like a mysterious sage.

"So he probably has a plan of his own."

"Calling it a plan makes it sound like you’re referring to a great planner hidden behind the scenes."

"Even though he seems to have no thoughts, the Teacher is always preparing something."

"Though you can only see that plan when you’re far away."

"If you put it that way, this time... hmm...."

Having finished organizing, Aria adjusted her large white gown.

"...."

She spoke soon after.

"The Teacher probably knows the identity of your pretty daughter, too."

"You mean that monster full of dead souls?"

"Yes, that monster that has taken the form of a cat."

It was something created from the gathering of spirits who had died by human hands.

"Since the Teacher genuinely considers it his child, it was probably able to grow that much."

"Having grown that much in the world of the structure where all sorts of deaths are gathered, it’s probably plausible."

"There are various other reasons for its growth, but... will Jio use that child?"

"Since he was contemplating a gift for the human named Ju-hyeon, I imagine he would."

Jio always knew what he had to do.

"There are various reasons for giving such a gift."

It was a wish that the human named Ju-hyeon couldn’t shamelessly speak of, he would have needed to adapt to his position according to the former god’s wishes, and he would have wanted a chance for his daughter to become his complete child.

Above all, doesn’t Jio live in the world of humans?

"He’ll also want to solidify the image of ’Mr. Seo Jio’."

"I get cognitive dissonance every time I confirm that kind of cunning intention."

Behind that flawlessly gentle smile, he has often finished all sorts of thoughts long ago.

Those around him have no way of knowing when he started having such thoughts, or what he knew.

"The Teacher doesn’t accept results he doesn’t like."

He doesn’t let a future he doesn’t like come to pass in the first place.

"That’s why he would have died like that."

"...He is alive now."

"Can you call that being alive?"

"Well."

"It gets scary sometimes."

Aria continued with her characteristic smile.

"Because you never know when he’ll do something absurd again."

Jio was an uncontrollable variable.

"If he was going to be like that, he shouldn’t have been so lovable."

"...."

"I feel like I’ve entered into a very unfair contract."

"...Sister...."

"Yes, Iseur."

The mermaid asked her younger brother.

"What should we do now?"

They cannot be forgiven by their teacher.

"I once had expectations, wondering if perhaps that person would come to hate humans. If he would distance himself from humans and become hostile to them... but it seems the Teacher has decided to love humans once again."

For a time close to eternity, it would be so.

"I think we need to make our stance clear as well."

"You are right, sister."

"...At least his roots...."

"...."

"...Well."

Aria muttered.

"Responsibility."

The end of her contemplation was approaching.

***

"Ugh...."

Early February in Korea was still cold.

"Why is it so cold?"

The woman sniffled.

"Is it because it’s the crack of dawn...."

The current time was a little past 1 AM.

In truth, around 1 AM wasn’t that late.

The statement that the quitting time was 8 PM was based on the ’average,’ and there were not a few office workers who left after that.

’If it were like before, there would be a few more people on this street.’

The woman looked around the deserted street.

The electronic display boards sticking out from between the alleys occasionally flickered, and most were already turned off.

It seemed she could hear the squeaking of a rat somewhere on the asphalt floor, which was slushy due to the snow that had briefly fallen and then melted.

"...."

Between the old and rusty buildings, the downtown area was visible.

That place, much cleaner and more stylish than the woman’s hometown which was closer to the outskirts, was still flashing with neon signs, unlike the commercial district here that had already closed.

For some reason, a corner of her heart felt empty.

’...Maybe it’s because of that terror incident from before that there are even fewer people.’

A dungeon gate had opened inside none other than the Solar Cult, and there was an incident where all the humans inside were dragged in.

The woman, who was a party to that incident, still vividly remembered the situation at the time.

Since that day, she avoided places with many people as much as possible.

It seemed other citizens who had heard about the terror incident felt similarly.

That’s why there were so few people on the street.

’It’s also a street where residential and commercial areas are mixed, so it’s usually deserted at this hour anyway.’

The woman sniffled from the cold and hunched her body further into her padded jacket.

"Aish, of all things, because of a company dinner...."

It was a relief that it ended around 1 AM, but it was still upsetting.

She had to go to work again at 6 AM, and she didn’t know how those heavy drinkers had so much stamina.

It was when the woman was walking while looking at the ground.

"Meow."

"...?"

A cat’s cry.

’...No, it’s a little strange.’

Wasn’t it a very precise "Meow," as if a person had recorded it? The woman, who quite liked cats, knew that most cats cried ’Ae-ae-aek’ or ’Mii-yaak.’

No matter how much the city was protected by the Association and the government, this was an outlying area quite close to the city’s slums.

The woman looked around the dark street with a slightly tense heart.

"...Uh."

And she found it.

"It’s a cat."

It was a large cat that sparkled with a dark blue light like the Milky Way in the night sky.

"Huh, what is it? A monster...?"

"Meow."

"It doesn’t look dangerous."

It was extremely beautiful.

Of course, there was no monster that was truly harmless just because it looked harmless.

However, the probability that it was an endemic monster she didn’t know wasn’t that low, so the woman cautiously stepped back, increasing the distance from the cat.

And then, thud!

"Aaaahhhh, mooommmyyyy─!!!"

"Oh dear."

"H-hu-ahhh...!!! H-hu-oh-ae-aek!!!"

It was when the woman had a fit at the hard something touching her back.

"It seems I startled you."

"H, hu-uh...!"

Stumbling back, she turned around to see a man looking down at her.

"Please calm down."

"...."

"Excellent. You did well."

"...Uh...."

At the soft-spoken voice, as if teaching a young student, her pounding heart gradually calmed down.

Her still-startled chest heaved, letting out soft breaths, but the woman soon realized she wasn’t in a very dangerous situation.

"...Uh...!!"

And the woman realized.

"Hunter Seo Jio?!"

"Oh, you remember me."

"W-well... you left an impression."

"I’m glad you seem to have a good impression of me."

"No, that, yes...!"

Thinking the distance was too close, the woman took a step back.

Then, she could clearly see what kind of face the tall hunter had.

Platinum blonde hair that resembled the sun or moon, and blue eyes that seemed to shatter light and the sacred smile unique to a believer....

"Oof."

"What is it?"

"I was a little surprised."

Seeing it again, his face was nothing short of a masterpiece of the century.

’Do they not recognize that as a cultural heritage?’

It was a face worth preserving.

"What brings you here? I remember you were active as an unofficial hunter, are you perhaps out on business today as well... It’s really nice to see you again like this. You don’t really appear on TV, so there was no way to know how you were doing."

"I can tell you are very happy to see me."

"W-was I too excited? I’m sorry. I really wanted to see you one more time to greet you, but there was no way to contact you... Well, I guess contacting a hunter personally would be really rude, but the Collectors didn’t say anything either."

She was so happy to meet him by chance like this.

"But really, what brings you...?"

"I came to help a friend."

"A friend?"

"Yes."

Saying so, Hunter Seo Jio looked around the alley and said.

"Dana."

The cat responded to the call.

"Mraow."

"Oh, cute."

"Aek."

The cat, making a rather cat-like cry, walked out of the darkness and went to Hunter Seo Jio’s feet.

The cat, as large as a Maine Coon, rubbed its body against Hunter Seo Jio’s calf.

After a short display of affection, the cat sat at Hunter Seo Jio’s feet.

"Eung."

"Good kitty."

Hunter Seo Jio stroked its head, and the cat closed its eyes, enjoying his touch.

"...Ah, right. That’s what it was."

The woman, who had barely managed to understand the situation, nodded.

"I think you said you were a Tamer, it was true."

"It seems I didn’t look like a Tamer."

"Well, you have a strong image of a priest...."

"That’s understandable."

Seo Jio smiled and continued.

"Honey, whom you saw last time, is also here."

A small, round, honey-colored bird, the size of a child’s fist, peeked its face out from the hood of his cape.

The small bird looked at the woman, tilted its head, and then went back inside the hood.

"It seems to be shy."

"I-I understand. Monsters don’t usually like humans."

The woman, who had experience being a fan of hunters, knew a little about their ’jobs.’

A Tamer was an extremely rare job, but even if they succeeded in taming, there was no guarantee that the relationship between the contracted beast and its master would be close.

"I heard that most contracted beasts don’t like their masters, but you two seem to have a very good relationship. As expected of a hunter from the Collectors...."

"I think it’s because I care for them like my own children."

"It must not have been easy to care for a monster to that extent, I think you’re amazing. Ah, um, am I taking up too much of your time?"

"Not at all."

Hunter Seo Jio tilted his head and asked.

"Do you happen to know where the Gita Orphanage is around here?"

"The Gita Orphanage?"

The man’s voice was so calm and stable for someone looking for a way that it created the illusion that he was asking even though he already knew everything.

’...If he came on a mission, the Collectors would have given him the location information separately, but he said he came because of a friend... Did he come in a hurry? Or maybe he came secretly as a surprise for his friend?’

The woman was lost in thought for a moment, but soon, a troubled smile, characteristic of someone asking a passerby for help, spread across Hunter Seo Jio’s perfectly sculpted face. Only then did the woman come to her senses.

’I shouldn’t be daydreaming in front of someone. I must be out of it because I’m tired. Having strange thoughts....’

Pushing away her foolish impressions, the woman returned to reality and thought.

"Uh, the Gita Orphanage...."

The woman, who frequented this area, answered with a troubled face.

"It burned down a while ago."

"Ah, that’s right."

Hunter Seo Jio said with a pleased face, as if that was exactly it.

"I’m looking for that building."

"That building?"

It was an abandoned building in a secluded location, so a monster might be living there.

Perhaps he came after receiving a tip-off for his friend’s sake.

’It seems he came without hearing the detailed information from his friend. Maybe he’s trying to solve it secretly so as not to burden his friend.’

Certainly, the Hunter Seo Jio the woman remembered was someone who suited the proverb, ’Let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth.’ After all, wasn’t he a hunter who didn’t even release a single news article after helping people at the ’Temple of the Deep Sea’?

’There was a story that he was shy. I thought it was just something people said, but seeing this, I wonder if he’s the type to be burdened by being thanked for his help.’

The woman thought so and nodded.

"Yes, I know it. Shall I show you?"

"I’m sorry, you seemed to be on your way home from work. I’ll shamelessly accept your help."

"The streets in this neighborhood are quite complicated. Above all, if it wasn’t for you, Hunter, I would have been dead by now, so this much is nothing...."

"It’s probably because everyone was able to escape thanks to your kind cooperation."

"Wow, how can a person speak so pleasantly?"

The woman felt a little regretful.

’If he were a public hunter, I would have made a fan account long ago.’

Chewing on her regret, the woman led the way.

No matter how deserted and secluded it was, this place was also a part of the city where people lived.

With scattered lights from lamps or electronic signs, it wasn’t that dark.

Soon, the woman led Hunter Seo Jio to the Gita Orphanage.

"This seems to be the orphanage you mentioned...."

Looking at the burned building, she felt a little strange.

’I heard people died here, so I’m getting goosebumps.’

She didn’t doubt Hunter Seo Jio who had saved her life, but coming to such a deserted place was dangerous.

The woman, looking at the abandoned building, smiled awkwardly and asked Hunter Seo Jio.

"C-could I possibly wait until you’re finished with your business? I’m scared to go back alone...."

"Of course. I was planning to do so as well. It’s dangerous to go home alone at this late hour."

Hunter Seo Jio, who had readily nodded, curved his eyes gently and continued.

"It won’t take that long."

"Oh, really? As I thought, you came to catch a monster or something...."

"No."

He said.

"I came to make friends."

"...."

Was it just her imagination?

His voice sounded as if it were submerged in the sea.

"...? Ah, um...."

Could it be that he came to tame a new monster?

As the woman was thinking within the bounds of her common sense, Hunter Seo Jio stroked the cat’s head with a gentle hand and said.

"Dana."

The cat answered.

"Meow."

An answer follows.

"Meow."

"Meow...."

"...Meow...."

The cat’s moon-like eyes curved.

"Meow."

Immature, youthful voices.

’...It sounds like a bell.’

Something catches the eye of the woman, who had a strange impression.

Unfamiliar children, mimicking the cat’s cry, walked out of the abandoned building.

"Meow...."

"The meow-meow called."

"It meowed."

"Me too, I meowed too, kitty."

"Meow!"

A string of childlike, rambling sentences continues.

A girl with her hair tied in one. A boy with a mischievous impression.

A child who took careful steps as if scared.

A child who walked steadfastly, for some reason sniffling back tears.

A child who hugged the large cat tightly as if happy to see it....

"...Uh."

The woman saw the person who appeared at the end.

"...."

"...."

An elderly woman who awkwardly smiled and sent all the children out.

When her eyes met Hunter Seo Jio’s, she, wearing an apron, bowed her head deeply in greeting.

"...I leave them in your care."

"Would you not like to go with them?"

"I serve a different god."

"I would like to hear that name."

"My god illuminates the world with moonlight."

"I will visit soon with the children."

"...Yes, if you would do that...."

"You will not be lonely."

The silent old woman burst into tears.

"...Thank you."

And when the woman blinked once.

"...."

"...."

There was no one there.

"...Uh, uh... huh?"

"Now that my business is done, I will escort you home."

"Huh huh huh?"

"Oh dear, are you alright?"

"Huh huh??"

The woman belatedly realized that she had seen a ghost.

***

By the window of the abandoned building.

"...."

Ju-hyeon, who had been watching everything, finally collapsed.

A voice, submerged in moisture, trembled wretchedly.

"...I’m sorry...."

"No, it’s not."

"I’m sorry. If I had done a little better...."

"It’s okay, Ju-hyeon."

"I’m truly sorry."

"It’s not your fault."

"I, I was wrong...."

A reunion within a twisted logic and providence, by the mercy of an evil god.

"...I’m sorry for hurting you...."

Ju-hyeon received his friend’s gift.

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