The Artist Who Paints Dungeon Chapter 62

Episode 62

This situation was unexpected.

“This is Galaxy! My partner.”

“They say that priests are basically pairs, but now I have a partner.”

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

Geo blinked his hooded eyes as he watched Chae Sol brag about his partner to his family.

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

The way she smiled skillfully despite being flustered because Chae Sol had suddenly brought her here. There was definitely a difference in that level of sophistication, but the strangely bluish-green hair triggered Giovanni’s memories.

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

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

“… … .”

“Hey, these guys… .”

Perhaps because of Geo’s gaze, Eunha opened her mouth as if she wanted to introduce herself to Chae Sol.

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

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

Chaisol urged him to answer.

“He’s so handsome!”

“Huh? Oh, okay… .”

Geo was also embarrassed by that bold appearance. How could he know if he was handsome with the hood covering his face?

‘I don’t think that guy has any clairvoyance skills.’

Geo, who was embarrassed to be openly complimented on his appearance by a child, couldn’t stand the awkwardness and greeted him.

“Nice to meet you, my name is Sergio.”

“… My name is Galaxy.”

With a mature smile that felt strangely unfamiliar, Eunha added shortly.

“Yes, nice to meet you.”

hmm.

Geo thought absentmindedly.

‘It was my mistake after all.’

It may be a hasty judgment, but the Isser that Giovanni remembers was a student who tried to be polite and courteous, but was also somewhat blind and had a teasing quality.

‘I guess it’s because there were so many awkward points, but my speech was much more stiff.’

First of all, I should say that he is a friend who is quite distant from the words ‘mature’ or ‘experienced’. Compared to that young student who was like a fresh ray of sunshine, the child in front of me had a somewhat cold air about him.

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

Moreover, the last image he recalled of Isser was of her in her late teens or early twenties, making it feel even more unlikely that she was the same person.

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

Yoo Seong-un nodded at Geo’s suggestion.

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

“Ha, but then I think it would be too much of a bother….”

“Anyway, Chae Sol-kun won’t be able to go outside for a while once he enters the dorm. Rather than two dark guys like Geo and I eating together, wouldn’t it be better if we could have a more crowded atmosphere?”

As expected, you are my older brother.

‘I should emulate that expertise.’

I really admire his ability to naturally draw others in the way he wants, like flowing water, while not being rude. Isn’t he the epitome of an adult who is good at socializing?

Of course, if Yoo Seong-un had known Geo’s thoughts, he would have been so scared that he wanted to die.

“Is there anything that the Milky Way can’t eat?”

“I don’t really eat meat.”

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

“I don’t care as long as it’s not meat.”

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

Even as he said that, Yoo Seong-un looked at the child named ‘Eun-ha’ without letting on.

‘… I feel a little uneasy for some reason.’

Behind his indifferent expression, Yoo Seong-un hid a faint suspicion.

Yoo Seong-un, who often comes into contact with the children of the origin, was particularly sensitive to the energies of non-humans. If he felt that strange feeling now, he could definitely determine that it was a problem.

‘It doesn’t seem like he’s the son of the original, so he’s probably closer to a monster. He must be a dangerous guy.’

However, as a prospective priest, it is possible that Yoo Seong-un mistook the strangeness of the god.

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

There was something about the other person’s young appearance that made him particularly cautious, so Yoo Seong-un decided to swallow his guard as it was. 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 this is a work whose behavior patterns and rules haven’t been figured out yet… I don’t want to give it too much stimulation if possible.’

As long as it wasn’t detrimental 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. In this world, it’s not uncommon for monsters to kill humans, and for humans to kill humans.

Here, humans were just props. The fact that only about 30 people died was not even reported on the news.

‘I hope nothing happens though. If things get noisy, it’ll just increase my overtime work.’

Yoo Seong-un continued speaking nonchalantly, as if he had not even thought about anything else for a moment.

“Is there anyone here who doesn’t like seafood?”

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

“Then you can try it this time.”

Although Cha Ara showed a trembling reaction, Yoo Sung-woon, who had already expected it, simply brushed it off. It was not a comment made out of inferiority complex or jealousy, but rather a response that said, “I don’t know what to do, so why are you asking that?”

“I know a good mackerel restaurant.”

“Huh? Is this the galchi restaurant?”

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

“That’s not the problem, but, uh, if it’s a galchi restaurant, isn’t it incredibly expensive…?”

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

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

“… … ?”

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

‘…What did I just hear?’

A third-class citizen can’t eat croaker?

‘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 was serious about eating, became very sad. He was very bitter about the change in his hometown.

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

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

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

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

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

The meteor looked back at the galaxy.

“Galaxy, are you okay with the galchi?”

“I would appreciate it if you could buy me anything.”

“Thank you for saying so.”

Even Eunha, who is presumed to be the Carnation Eye, agreed, so Cha Ara and Cha Eunhyuk also agreed without realizing it.

“Is this okay…?”

“A galchi restaurant?”

The Cha family followed Yoo Seong-un with faces that looked as if they had been deceived for some reason.

Geo, who was trying to move with such friendly siblings, discovered a galaxy that seemed strangely distant.

“… … .”

“… … .”

It bothers me when you act like that.

“Galaxy Student.”

Aside from the fact that the child resembled his former disciple Isser, as a teacher himself, Geo did not like the way the child kept his distance as if he did not belong there.

Isser, who had a dry face, fortunately came to life and answered Geo’s call. He seemed a little flustered.

“Oh, yes.”

“Shall we go together?”

When Giovanni held out his hand, Eunha hesitated for a moment and then took his hand.

‘…It’s colder than I thought.’

Those little hands were quite cool for a child whose body would boil with heat just by breathing.

“Your temperature is low.”

“I think it’s because I have severe anemia.”

The child smiled skillfully. It was a gentle and loving smile, the kind that naturally comes to mind when you think of the word priest.

It might be a bit odd to use the word ‘compassion’ when referring to a child like this, but for some reason Geo found that smile familiar.

‘I don’t hang out with this student.’

Where have I seen this smile?

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

“Are you uncomfortable with cold hands?”

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

“It’s nice and cool.”

“It’s winter and you’re saying that.”

“Because I am a very passionate person.”

“… … .”

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

“Mr. Geo’s hands are cold too?”

“Oh, right.”

“why….”

“I forgot about it for a moment.”

“What did you forget?”

“I forgot that I was cold.”

I’ve been having this dream called ‘Giovanni’s Theater of Life’ over and over again lately, so to be honest I completely forgot about it.

Even my body temperature.

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

Sergio and the portrait were not particularly high in body temperature.

‘I guess that sounded strange.’

These days, the fairy tale rate has risen so rapidly that the words have become nonsense.

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

“… … .”

“… … ?”

His small face looked stiff.

“Galaxy student?”

“I felt a little cold… so I thought about something else.”

“Then would you like to let go of my hand?”

“no.”

The galaxy muttered.

“… If you keep holding it, it might get warmer.”

“That’s true too.”

“… … .”

“I’m glad you don’t hate it.”

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

‘These children need to be fed well and made fat.’

Sergio, who had inherited the strong beliefs of his grandmother, who was the village’s leading figure, thought.

‘Become a pig, yap… .’

Sergio was the type of person who felt more satisfied with life only when he fattened up skinny men, women, and children.

* * *

We had that conversation.

“Isser’s hands are cold.”

“Maybe… it’s because I’m a mermaid.”

“It would be natural for body temperatures to differ between different races.”

“Are cold hands uncomfortable?”

Humans despised the cold hands of mermaids, believing them to belong to underwater monsters.

Giovanni was also human, and Isser was a mermaid. Above all, Giovanni, who was always warm under the protection of the sun, might have felt repulsion towards Isser’s cold, damp hands.

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

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

“…It’s winter now.”

“I’m a very hot-tempered person, so it doesn’t matter to me.”

“… … .”

“Yes, that’s good.”

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

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

“…Teacher, your hands are warm.”

I tried to hold that hand filled with warmth for no reason.

“Is this high body temperature also due to the protection of the sun god?”

“That may be so. I was born on a summer day, when the sun was at its most blessed.”

“I don’t want your hands to get cold because of me.”

I held on to it greedily, but I always felt sorry because I felt like I was taking away its warmth.

“…I am….”

Sometimes Isser felt as if he was taking something that belonged to Giovanni.

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

“… … .”

So, whenever I feel 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 a thing to say to 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 should be more confident.”

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

“And yet, aren’t we still having a conversation in the same place as we are now?”

He was always warm.

“You can always hold my hand as long as I don’t become a corpse.”

“…Isn’t it okay to hold the corpse’s hand?”

“The dead must be sent away, so that I too may go to the sun.”

“… … .”

“That is nature and the order of things.”

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

Even your hands, which were once filled with warmth, became so cold after being suffocated by the seawater. You probably couldn’t return to the sun even after you died.

Otherwise it wouldn’t have been that cold. Your corpse wouldn’t have been that cold.

“… I feel sad already… .”

Still.

That’s what happened in the end.

* * *

‘…Why does this make me think of that person so much?’

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

‘On that subject, why is the sun’s energy so strong?’

It became more certain when I looked closely.

This man was not simply a strong human being, but he possessed the divinity of the sun, a great quality that only a god could possess.

‘You seem to have a high level of understanding of humans, so perhaps you inherited divinity while still human.’

If so, Isser will hate this black cloak.

“… … .”

“No appetite?”

With that endearing name, Geo, and with the same warmth as my teacher… why the god of the sun?

‘Is this the work of the sun god?’

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

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

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

‘… It’s still terrible.’

Gods and men, the creators of the sun have always made me feel sick.

“… It’s just, it’s my first time at a restaurant like this… .”

“okay.”

“… … .”

“You can eat it slowly.”

The voice of the black cloak was calm and affectionate.

‘It’s really strange.’

At times, it seems as quiet as a still corpse, but when it looks back at me, it bestows its kindness with a soft rhythm.

‘I wonder what your exact identity is.’

Even if they were gods or humans, their behavior was not befitting of that cruel race.

“…thank you.”

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

‘Sister will soon call the sea.’

Even the hot sun loses its vitality when it sinks into the sea. Isser has already confirmed this several times, so this one will probably be no exception.

Could this hand ever get colder than it is now?

“… … .”

That seemed a bit sad.

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

* * *

Upon returning to the temple, a blue-haired galaxy grabbed Geo.

“Mr. Geo.”

“Yes, what’s going on?”

“… … .”

The hesitant child asked.

“…Do you like the sea?”

“I like water.”

“Are you good at swimming?”

“Actually, I’m not very good at it.”

“… … .”

The child, who had been silent as if recalling something or lost in thought, soon opened his mouth.

“I hope it isn’t too cold.”

“I’ve heard that this winter has been particularly cold.”

“… … .”

“Thank you for your concern.”

Geo realized that the child was not worried about himself, but about himself. He seemed more worried that something he didn’t like would happen than about the person himself.

He was a child who thought too deeply and thus had a twisted side.

‘It’s such a shame that life will become so tiring. Just because you’re mature doesn’t mean it’s a good thing.’

For Geo, who could completely forget a month’s worth of worries with just one sweet potato, this was an unimaginable ordeal.

“It looks like the main event will begin soon.”

“… Okay, I guess I’ll be going now.”

The child added as if saying goodbye.

“It was fun.”

“If that’s the case, then that’s good.”

Geo realized that it was a lie.

‘… Indeed, 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 made me nervous.