The Artist Who Paints Dungeon - Chapter 113



Only Noblemtl

Episode 113

The meteor came out of the frame.

“I came back to this land alive.”

“Did you enjoy it?”

“Wow, this was so much fun I couldn’t even describe it.”

When I first encountered the Little Mermaid, I couldn’t even open my mouth.

“Please tell the princess that I’m sorry for displeasing her….”

“It’s not Yoo Seong-un’s fault. That’s just Aria’s usual tantrum. You don’t have to worry about it.”

“I don’t think I did anything wrong, but I don’t want to build up ill feelings with the mermaids. There’s no need to incur the resentment of humanoid monsters, right?”

“Thank you for understanding my foolish behavior. You are an adult. I hope your students will learn from that aspect of you, Mr. Yoo Seong-woon.”

“A monster that resembles a human would be scary in its own way, wouldn’t it?”

Yoo Seong-un, who smiled slightly, checked the clock in the gallery.

“It’s… 4:41 AM now.”

Then I checked my cell phone.

“… … .”

“Did I take up a lot of your time?”

“No, not really.”

Only about 20 minutes had passed.

“It’s true that time inside the frame and time on Earth flow differently.”

“Time inside the painting passes quickly or slowly depending on my mood.”

“Oh… sometimes it’s fast and sometimes it’s slow?”

“When you’re having fun, go fast. When you’re relaxing, go slow.”

“Hmm.”

Then, this time, it could be interpreted as feeling good. It was an honorable story both as a gardener and as a curator.

“When you feel bad?”

“I don’t know because I’ve never tried it.”

“It’s nice to see such a positive attitude, please continue to live like that.”

I don’t even know if he can feel offended since he is the source.

‘… Geo certainly has a self that is close to a person, so even if he is the source, there may come a day when he gets angry. It is better not to let your guard down when dealing with the source.’

Yoo Seong-un lifted a small white box containing dessert.

“Can I just take this as is?”

“If you had eaten it and left, it wouldn’t have been a problem….”

“Bungeoppang tomorrow?”

“great.”

“It’s a shame I couldn’t go back to the forest.”

I was out of my mind inside, but when I actually went outside, I was left with a deep regret. It was my greed as a gardener.

“I also wanted to go to the spring you told me about.”

Yoo Seong-un recalled that the water that Geo had given him was defined as [the source of the spring].

“I hear it seems like a pretty cool place.”

“We welcome you to visit us next time.”

“Then I’ll stop by when I have time.”

That would be after more preparations had been made.

‘I went in without any preparation.’

The source, of all places.

‘To be exact, it felt more like a form that was easier for humans to perceive than the source itself… like a part of the source or a dish that was easily prepared to be eaten… .’

In the first place, humans do not recognize the existence of the source. Its size, which is too great to even be described as huge, is something that humans simply cannot contain or analyze. In that sense, Geo felt like a part of the source.

‘So that’s why you thought it was similar to a garden?’

If so.

“… … .”

“Is there a problem?”

“… That’s not it.”

Isn’t Geo in charge of ‘eyes’?

“I thought it was a bit of a shame that my eyes were covered with paint.”

Although Geo has a lot to talk about, if I had to pick his most distinctive feature, it would be his ‘eyes’.

Those eyes that seem to contain everything that exists and does not exist in the world.

“I asked you to do that, right?”

“Do you want to go back to the original state?”

“No, but from a convenience standpoint, it’s better to have it covered.”

“okay.”

“It was just a curator’s complaint.”

It was also a complaint as a gardener.

‘If Geo is truly the Eye of Origin, then the reason he takes on a human form is….’

For a moment, my emotions became so complicated that I couldn’t breathe.

“… … .”

He hadn’t originally intended to do so, but now Yoo Seong-un couldn’t avoid or detest Geo.

All that remained for the man named Yoo Seong-un was an unfathomable awe and sense of distance, and the relief that came from it.

“okay….”

As a gardener, he knew how close the source was to nature and how fair it was.

“Thank you for your kind treatment.”

“It is my pleasure.”

“Well, you’ve always been a gentleman.”

This may have been a disaster, but it wasn’t a disaster.

“Do we have to be more careful?”

“Who are you talking about?”

“No, I was just… thinking about what I need to do next.”

“As expected, people who work are busy.”

“If you don’t work, you don’t eat.”

After letting out a sigh-like laugh, Yoo Seong-woon asked.

“Can I ask you one thing?”

“Do as you wish.”

“that….”

There were many questions he wanted to ask, but Yoo Seong-un held back.

‘It’s too early to ask about the source.’

Since Geo knows himself as an ordinary human being, or knows himself but is disguising himself to make it seem closer to the truth, the day to question this part is far away.

Instead, he brought up the most effective topic he could at the time.

“I’m talking about Hunter Park Eun-gyeom.”

I’ve been wondering since I heard he came out.

“What price did you pay?”

“What is the price?”

“We don’t know what has changed.”

It was Yoo Seong-un who received the request from the association to investigate the attack method and results of the ‘Black Cloak’. He reported everything that happened in the ‘City of Void’, and based on that report, the association analyzed Hunter Park Eun-gyeom who escaped from the frame.

But other than being a bit scared, it was no different than before.

“Is that fear a price to pay? Like it took away your peace?”

“I left the disposal of Park Eun-gyeom up to my children.”

“To your children… I see.”

Now even the word ‘children’ sounded meaningful.

‘The children of the origin come to mind.’

No, actually that’s not wrong.

‘… A living story that resembles a monster but is not a monster… that cannot be completely dealt with by the Hunter’s skills and appears anywhere regardless of the dimension… .’

All of them were the same descriptions of the children that Geo had drawn with watercolors.

Of course, there were some differences. Like Honey, the jeweled water bird that Geo kept by his side and called his son, and the ‘black suits’ that grew in the ’empty city’. They had the ability to think.

“… What… .”

Since I have a lot to think about here and there, the topic keeps straying to other topics.

“Sorry, I was just thinking about something else.”

“You seem very tired. Are you okay?”

“I’m always okay.”

The meteor cloud returned to its original topic.

“Then you can ask your children what kind of price they paid?”

“If you wish, please do so.”

“…Do you already know the price?”

“Of course.”

“Can I ask you something?”

“There is no problem.”

Geo answered from beyond the black paint.

“Park Eun-gyeom was taken away in exchange for ‘evilness’.”

“… … .”

“My children wanted it.”

“… That’s amazing.”

How on earth did they take away ‘evil’ from humans?

“Humans are creatures that can be evil at any time.”

“Since it is Park Eun-gyeom who has to pay the price, I cannot know the outcome.”

“I understand for now.”

It may sound like a strangely abstract price, but how many sources of existence have taken away such abstract things? Memories, love, happiness, friendship, sadness, recollection…

‘This isn’t much different either.’

The exact answer wasn’t something you could get by digging into Geo.

‘That won’t work either.’

Don’t expect anything from God.

Although Geo cannot be said to be a complete god, the word ‘god’ also refers to beings of a higher level that are difficult for humans to perceive.

Humans are beings who analyze nature and destiny, not beings who can demand something from them.

‘It’s not polite to treat them like that.’

If they had heard this much of a hint, it was up to Yoo Seong-un and other humans to find further answers. That was the manners for everyone in this era where humans, gods, and nature coexisted.

“Then I’ll buy you some bungeoppang tomorrow in return for this dessert.”

“Please say hello to Eunhyuk Cha.”

“Don’t worry, we talk often.”

Before leaving the gallery, Yoo Seong-un looked back at Geo again.

“… Are you fighting the Mermaid Princess because of me?”

“As I said before, it was just a tantrum.”

The black portrait was resolute.

“She can’t be angry with me.”

It was an answer like a prophet speaking of fate.

* * *

“teacher.”

Let’s go back to the cabin, Aria called Geo.

“Did I see you off well?”

“I confirmed that he left safely.”

“How sweet of you.”

“You’re angry.”

But Geo knew.

“That person is not me.”

Aria couldn’t be angry at Giovanni.

“We’ve been apart for too long for that.”

“…If that weren’t the case, I wouldn’t have been angry at you.”

“If you have a lot of anger, your life won’t be enjoyable.”

“Is there any reason why my life should be enjoyable?”

The mermaid smiled softly. It was a smile that was clearly different from her younger days when she could not hide her sensitive and keen nature.

“I hate humans.”

“I understand.”

“I know how much you embrace humans.”

“It’s not about protecting them, it’s about treating them the way they deserve.”

“It’s an excessive treatment, for those living such short lives….”

Geo sat down next to Aria, who was leaning on the sofa as if lying down.

“aria.”

“Yes, teacher.”

“Were you scared?”

“… … .”

“So you’re angry?”

“…Teacher….”

Aria muttered as a hand caressed her cheek.

“… Sometimes it’s a bit excessive.”

Yeah, I couldn’t deny it.

“You’re right, I was really scared.”

“Why did you do that?”

“I don’t think that human could harm us.”

The entity called Yoo Seong-un was not a creature capable of such a thing.

“I think a lot and am cautious because I am deeply connected to the source. Sometimes I take risks, but most of the time I find a way for everyone to coexist. I am strong for a human, but if we fight, I will win.”

“Mr. Yoo Seong-un doesn’t look that weak.”

“That’s why I said he’s strong for a human. If we fight, I’ll win, but I’ll probably take a big hit. Since he’ll have the power of a gardener… it’ll be hard to interfere.”

But I wasn’t afraid of meteors.

“I am, teacher.”

Aria rested her head on Geo’s hand.

“I was terrified that there were humans here.”

“… … .”

“…because I don’t know when that wicked tribe will set fire to this place.”

Humans were fickle.

“I’m scared that day will repeat itself.”

There was a lightness to them that was difficult to understand for a mermaid whose ego hardly ever changes, living her entire life with one memory and emotion.

Humans have been as benevolent as the traditional gods who value peace, and as miserable rascals who wish for the destruction of the world.

So, right now, one person’s beliefs and personality were not important.

“… … .”

“Humans are untrustworthy.”

Regardless of the hatred the mermaid harbored, that was an unchanging fact for the mermaid.

“We can’t help it because we live so long. Compared to us, who are inherently unchanging, humans live short lives and change dozens or hundreds of times during that time…”

“That’s called growth.”

“Yes, growth. It is as innate to human nature to grow as it is to not change. I know that. I know that. So I curse it.”

Mermaids and humans had such difficulty understanding and reconciling with each other.

“How did you know that a human named Yoo Seong-un would ‘grow’ and bring him here?”

Humans are easily corrupted.

“The standards for good and evil are different in each dimension. Even in this narrow dimension, with just one invisible national border, it can vary depending on the environment in which humans live. So, sir, our peace could be a disaster for them.”

When faced with disaster, humans will resist.

“…Mermaids too.”

Who among us has never rebelled against fate?

“If the breath you breathe becomes a disaster for them, then the human named Yoo Seong-un will side with his own species. He is human, and he is not evil, and he has his own beliefs.”

“… … .”

“They keep changing.”

Humans do not make promises.

“… … .”

“… … .”

Aria hugged her teacher.

“… I know you haven’t forgiven us. So I know you’ll never accept us. You, the merciful one, won’t be my god.”

“okay.”

“I also know that you are ready to accept your fate at any time. I also know that you will not listen to us if we try to stop you, since we have not received your forgiveness.”

You know what? Geo didn’t rebel against fate.

He was a person who could enjoy everything and affirm everything. It was because he had such a large vessel that Aria was able to embrace him like this now.

“Thanks to that great tolerance, the teacher accepted us as his disciples, but on the other hand, there are times when I feel uneasy. It’s the anxiety that this peaceful and comfortable cabin might disappear at any moment.”

The mermaid felt fear for the first time in thousands of years.

“If I’m too scared, I get angry.”

“That’s the proof that we are all the same human beings.”

“What is the teacher always trying to teach us?”

“You guys really worry a lot.”

“That’s right.”

I used to think that there was nothing more foolish than fearing a future that had not yet arrived.

“We have so many worries….”

People say that it is fate because it cannot be avoided. In the end, the fact that I am no different made Aria miserable.

Because I guess I’m human too.

“… … .”

“… … .”

So I did that because I was afraid of repeating the same thing and causing the same tragedy.

Regardless of my protests, once again… .