The Artist Who Paints Dungeon-Chapter 62

This situation was unexpected.

“This is Eunha! My partner.”

“The priests basically work in pairs, but I already have a partner.”

“Now Eunha and I are on the same team!”

Seeing Chaisol bragging about his partner to his family, Geo blinked his eyes covered by his hood.

‘Looking at it this way, they definitely look alike.’

Chaisol must have been flustered because he suddenly brought her here, but he smiled skillfully. There was definitely a difference in that experience, but the blue hair that strangely had a turquoise tint reminded Giovanni of his memories.

‘I think Isser’s name also meant Milky Way.’

Since dreams are dreams, I don’t know much since I woke up, but the long blue hair reminded me of Isser, the mermaid in my dream.

“.......”

“Hey, these guys....”

Because of Geo’s gaze, Eunha opened her mouth, wanting to introduce him to Chaisol.

Chaisol made an “Oh no,” expression, then smiled brightly and explained.

“You can tell just by looking at my brother and sister, right? And they’re not family, but this is the Geo hyung I told you about last time!”

Chaisol urged him to answer.

“He’s so handsome!”

“Huh? Oh, yeah....”

Geo was embarrassed by his bold appearance. How could he know he was handsome when he was covered by a hood?

‘That guy probably doesn’t have clairvoyance skills.’

Geo, who had been embarrassed by being openly complimented on his looks by a child, couldn’t hold back his awkwardness and greeted him.

“Nice to meet you, Sergio.”

“...My name is Eunha.”

Eunha added briefly, smiling maturely in a way that felt unfamiliar for some reason.

“Yes, nice to meet you.”

Hmm.

Gio thought absentmindedly.

‘I guess it was my mistake.’

It might be a hasty judgment, but the Isser that Giovanni remembered was a student who tried to be polite and courteous, but was also somewhat foolish and teasing.

‘He was awkward in many ways, so his speech ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ was much stiffer.’

First of all, he was a friend who was quite distant from the words ‘maturity’ or ‘experience.’ Compared to that young student who was like a fresh ray of sunshine, the child in front of him had a somewhat cold aura.

‘It must be a great fate that I met a child who looked so much like Isser so soon after I started to assimilate as Giovanni.’

Furthermore, the last time he thought of Isser was in his late teens or early twenties, so it felt even more like they weren’t the same person.

“It’s fate that we’ve come together like this, so how about having a meal together?”

Yoo Seong-woon nodded at Geo’s suggestion.

“Oh, that’s good. Even if it’s Eun-ha, the Cha family won’t be shying away from us now, right?”

“Ha, but I think that would be too much of a nuisance....”

“Chae-sol, you won’t be able to go outside for a while once you enter the dorm anyway. Rather than two dark men like me and Geo eating together, it would be much better if we were a little more crowded.”

As expected, you’re my older brother.

‘I should learn from that experience.’

The way you naturally lead others in the way you want them to, but without being rude, was really admirable. Isn’t that the epitome of a socially adept adult?

Of course, if Yoo Seong-woon had known Geo’s thoughts, he would have been scared to death.

“Is there anything Eun-ha can’t eat?”

“I can’t eat meat.”

“Oh, vegetarian? Well, if you look around, there are a lot of vegans among the priests.”

“As long as it’s not meat, it doesn’t matter.”

“Then you’re not the type to be picky? Then I think it would be better to go with seafood.”

While saying that, Yoo Seong-woon discreetly looked at the child named ‘Eun-ha.’

‘... I feel a little uncomfortable for some reason.’

Yoo Seong-woon hid his faint suspicion behind his indifferent expression.

Yoo Seong-woon, who often encountered the children of the origin, was particularly sensitive to the energy of non-humans. If he felt that strangeness now, he could definitely judge that it was a problem.

‘It doesn’t seem to be the children of the origin, so if that’s the case, then he must be closer to a monster. He must be a dangerous guy after all.’

However, since he was a prospective priest, Yoo Seong-woon could have mistaken the strangeness of the god.

‘... There are cases like that. Especially if it’s someone who receives a lot of attention or love from God, it can easily make you feel uncomfortable even if it’s not your problem.’

Because he was particularly cautious about the other person’s young appearance, Yoo Seong-woon decided to swallow his guard. He might be suspicious of the poor child.

‘If it comes down to it, it would be nice if I could at least take Geo with me. Since the behavioral patterns and rules haven’t been figured out yet... If possible, I don’t want to give them too much stimulation.’

As long as it wasn’t harmful to the work I was in charge of, I couldn’t care less whether the child in front of me was a monster or not. It was a world where monsters killing humans and humans killing humans were commonplace.

Here, humans were just props. The fact that only about 30 people died didn’t even make it to the news.

‘But I hope nothing happens. If it gets noisy, it’ll just increase my overtime work.’

Yoo Seong-woon continued speaking nonchalantly, as if he hadn’t even thought about anything else for a moment.

“Does anyone here dislike seafood?”

“...I don’t know because I haven’t tried it....”

“Then you can try it this time.”

Cha Ara showed a trembling reaction, but Yoo Seong-woon, who had already expected it, brushed it off lightly. It wasn’t a comment made out of inferiority or jealousy, but rather a response that said, ‘I don’t know anything, so why are you asking?’

“I know a good hairtail restaurant.”

“Huh? A hairtail restaurant?”

“Even if there are a lot of people, the room itself is big enough, so how about going there? I can guarantee the taste.”

“That’s not the problem, but, uh, isn’t a hairtail restaurant really expensive...?”

When Cha Ara looked strangely anxious, her older brother, Cha Eun-hyeok, showed a similar reaction.

“Is it okay for us, third-class citizens, to go to a restaurant like that?”

“......?”

Jio, who had been listening to the story without thinking, was quietly embarrassed.

‘... What did I just hear?

3rd class citizens can’t eat saury?

‘Even though the caste system has been revived, how can it be this scary to discriminate so viciously based on what people eat?’

Geo, who is serious about eating, became very sad. He was very bitter about his hometown being transformed.

‘If something as big as a disaster had happened, I would have fled to Gangwon-do, so I would have been a 3rd class citizen too. If I had lived on Earth paying rent, I wouldn’t have been able to eat even a single piece of saury.’

Geo, who was accustomed to a democratic society, was inwardly terrified, but in this day and age, a saury restaurant in the city was a very high-class restaurant. It was the perfect place for 3rd class citizens who were secretly discriminated against in the city to get glares from.

“I understand what you’re worried about, but....”

Yoo Seong-woon shrugged his shoulders, noticing her feelings.

“It’s all rooms anyway, and there won’t be many people at this time. If you guys are worried, I’ll look for somewhere else, but since we’re spending money, let’s all eat something delicious together.”

Yoo Seong-woon looked back at Eun-ha.

“Eun-ha, is the hairtail okay?”

“I’d appreciate it if you bought me anything.”

“Thank you for saying that.”

Even Eun-ha, who was presumed to be a carnation eye, agreed, so Cha A-ra and Cha Eun-hyuk also agreed without thinking.

“Is this okay...?”

“A hairtail restaurant?”

The Cha family followed Yoo Seong-woon with faces that seemed to have been fooled for some reason.

Geo, who was trying to move with the friendly siblings, noticed Eun-ha who seemed strangely distant.

“.......”

“.......”

It’s annoying when you act like that.

“Eun-ha, student.”

Aside from the fact that the child resembled his former student Isser, Geo, who was a teacher in his own right, didn’t like the sight of the child keeping his distance as if it wasn’t his place.

Fortunately, Isser, who had a dry face, answered Geo’s call with liveliness. He seemed a little flustered.

“Oh, yes.”

“Shall we go together?”

When Giovanni held out one hand, Eunha, who hesitated for a moment, took it.

‘... Is it colder than I thought?’

The small hand was quite cool for a child who would boil over with fever just by breathing.

“Your body temperature is low.”

“I think it’s because of the anemia.”

The child smiled skillfully. It was a gentle and affectionate smile that naturally came to mind when you think of the word priest.

It might be a little strange to use the word ‘affection’ for a child like this, but Geo somehow felt familiar with that smile.

‘This student doesn’t suit me.’

Where have I seen that smile?

While Geo was quietly recalling his memories, the child pretended to be calm and spoke, perhaps anxious that there was no answer.

“Are your cold hands uncomfortable?”

If it sounded like a question expecting something, would it be strange? Geo answered without thinking.

“It’s cool, so it’s good.”

“You’re saying that even though it’s winter.”

“Because you have a high fever.”

“.......”

Eunha, who had been silent for a while for some reason, spoke.

“Geo’s hands are cold too?”

“Oh, that’s right.”

“Why....”

“I forgot for a moment.”

“What did you forget?”

“I forgot that I was cold.”

I had been having a dream called ‘Giovanni’s Theater of Life’ over and over again, so I was so out of it that, to be honest, I completely forgot.

Even my body temperature.

‘When I was Giovanni, I was a priest of the sun, so I had a lot of body heat.’

Sergio and the portrait didn’t have particularly high body temperatures.

‘Maybe it sounded strange.’

These days, the assimilation rate has increased rapidly, so my words have become slurred.

Contemplating what to say next, I looked back at the child... .

“.......”

“......?”

I could see that his small face was frozen.

“Student Eunha?”

“I was a little cold... and I was thinking about something else.”

“Then, would you let go of my hand?”

“No.”

Eunha muttered.

“...If I keep holding on, it might get warmer.”

“That’s true.”

“.......”

“I’m glad you don’t hate me.”

The atmosphere was cold for some reason, but Geo felt that he was a kind and affectionate child by nature.

‘These children need to be fed to their full capacity and gain weight.’

The grandmother who was the village’s big shot and Sergio, who inherited your firm belief, thought.

‘Become a pig, yikes... .’

Sergio was the type who could only increase his life satisfaction by fattening up skinny men, women, and children.

They had such a conversation.

“Isser’s hands are cold.”

“Maybe... because he’s a mermaid.”

“It’s natural for their body temperatures to differ since they’re different races.”

“Does the cold hand bother you?”

Humans despised the cold hands of mermaids, saying they belonged to underwater monsters.

Giovanni was also a human, and Isser was a mermaid. Giovanni, who was always warm under the protection of the sun, might have felt uncomfortable with Isser’s damp and cool hands.

However, Giovanni laughed as if it was nonsense. He dismissed Isser’s worries as if nothing happened.

“It’s actually nice because it’s cool.”

“...It’s winter now.”

“I’m a person with a high fever, so it doesn’t matter.”

“.......”

“Yes, it’s good.”

Even if you have a high fever, who would like to be cold in the winter?

No matter how much I thought about it, it was a lie to be considerate of the young mermaid, but still... .

“...Your hands are warm, teacher.”

I held onto the hand filled with that warmth for no reason.

“Is this high body temperature due to the sun god’s blessing?”

“That could be true. I was born on a summer day when the sun’s blessings were the most abundant.”

“Your hands shouldn’t get cold because of me.”

I grabbed onto it greedily, but I always felt sorry because I felt like I was taking away that warmth.

“...I...”

Sometimes, Isser felt like he was taking away something that belonged to Giovanni.

If I, a mermaid, hadn’t insisted on fate, Giovanni wouldn’t have had to deal with people so anxiously, and he wouldn’t have been trapped in this small town with his great skills.

“.......”

So when he felt sorry for taking away even this little bit of warmth, Geo said.

“I will always have enough warmth to give to you, Isser.”

“...Isn’t that too harsh for you, a creature of the sun?”

“I meant that you don’t have to feel sorry for just holding hands. Isser, you are often too timid. You can be more confident.”

“But I am a mermaid, sir. The more I learn, the more I doubt whether humans and mermaids can become one.”

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“And yet, aren’t we still talking in the same place?”

He was always warm.

“Unless I become a corpse, you can always hold my hand.”

“...Shouldn’t you hold the hand of a corpse?”

“You have to let the dead go. Then I can go to the sun.”

“.......”

“That’s nature and the order of things.”

The foolish mermaid didn’t know, but your words that were so warm were actually wrong.

Even your hands that were full of warmth became so cold after being suffocated by the seawater. You must have been unable to return to the sun even after death.

Otherwise, it wouldn’t have been so cold. Your corpse couldn’t have been so cold.

“...I feel sad already....”

And yet.

In the end, that’s how it happened.

‘... Why does it remind me of that person so much?’

Iser thought as he looked at the black cloak sitting next to him.

‘In that case, why is the sun’s energy so strong?’

It became even clearer when he looked closer.

This person was not simply a strong human, but he possessed the divinity of the sun. A great qualification that only a god can possess.

‘He seems to have a high level of understanding of humans, so perhaps he inherited his divinity while still human.’

If so, Isser would hate this black cloak.

“.......”

“Do you have no appetite?”

With that endearing name, Geo, and with the warmth of my benefactor... Why the god of the sun?

‘Is this the work of the sun god?’

During the long, miserable days, Isser learned a lot about humans, gods, and the world.

‘Perhaps the sun god of Earth, who was wary of mermaids and the deep sea, did this.’

He committed the atrocity of passing on the energy of the sun to a human who looked exactly like that person.

‘... It’s still horrible.’

Whether they were gods or humans, the creators of the sun always made me sick.

“...Just, this is my first time at a restaurant like this....”

“I see.”

“.......”

“You can take your time.”

The black cloak’s voice was calm and affectionate.

‘How strange.’

At some moments, it seemed as if it was a quiet corpse, but when it looked back at me, it gave me its kindness with a soft rhythm.

‘I wonder what your exact identity is.’

Even if it was a god or a human, it was an act that did not befit that cruel race.

“...Thank you.”

Even as he greeted her, Isser felt a hypocritical anxiety. It was a small anxiety that faintly tickled the tips of his feet.

‘Sister, you will soon call the sea.’

Even that hot sun loses its vitality when it sinks into the sea. Isser had already confirmed this several times, so this person would probably be the same without exception.

Could this hand become even colder than it is now?

“.......”

That seemed a bit sad.

It was a feeling I hadn’t felt in quite some time.

When they returned to the temple, the blue-haired Eunha grabbed Geo.

“Mr. Geo.”

“Yes, what’s wrong?”

“.......”

The hesitant child asked.

“...Do you like the ocean?”

“I like water.”

“Are you good at swimming?”

“Actually, I’m not very good at it.”

“.......”

The child, who had been silent as if he was thinking of something or lost in thought, soon opened his mouth.

“I hope it won’t be too cold.”

“I heard that this winter is particularly cold.”

“.......”

“Thank you for your concern.”

Geo realized that the child was not worried about him, but about himself. Rather than worrying about him as a person, he seemed to be worried that something he didn’t like would happen.

He was a child who had a twisted side because his thoughts were too deep.

‘If he does that, his life will be tiring. It’s really unfortunate. Just because he’s mature doesn’t mean it’s good.’

For Geo, who could cleanly erase a month’s worth of worries with just one sweet potato, it was an unimaginable ordeal.

“It looks like the main meal will start soon.”

“...That’s right, I’ll go now.”

The child added as if saying goodbye.

“It was fun.”

“If that’s the case, that’s good.”

Geo realized that it was a lie.

‘...This is truly hell, Republic of Korea...’

The children were no pushovers either.

‘It’s a tough world for a sloppy guy like me who knows how to eat well to survive.’

Today, too, it was a haunted portrait that was trying hard to keep him from getting scared.