The Artist Who Paints Dungeon - Chapter 123



Only Noblemtl

Episode 123

“I don’t worry about good and evil.”

The man wearing the beast’s bones said.

“I’m not the type of person who thinks about such boring things. I’m somewhat aware that I’m capricious and self-willed. I always do only things that I can enjoy.”

“… … .”

“If a thinking person has no desires, isn’t he a corpse? I am true to my instincts. I become greedy for what I want, I become angry at those who make me angry, and I do nothing that would prevent me from defending my beliefs.”

The clothes he wore were primitive, made of bones and feathers, but they were also adorned with rich fabrics that only noble people could use, giving them an antique look. The man wearing a mask made of a sheep skull smiled.

“What do you think?”

“I think it’s a fun life.”

“Oh, yeah, we can talk.”

“Life should be enjoyable.”

Geo, wearing a black cloak, nodded.

“Have you ever killed a person?”

“I must have killed quite a few, there were so many people who were angry at me.”

“Why are those people angry with you, Argio?”

Then Geo’s second suitable candidate, ‘Argio’, answered.

“They say I am the root of all evil in the world.”

Deep, curved golden eyes were visible beyond the bone mask.

“Am I a monster?”

“… … .”

Geo muttered inside the palace made of bones and blood.

“That’s a very abstract metaphor.”

“I think so too, buddy.”

When ‘Argio’ laughed, a tiger growled and roared.

“Isn’t this really difficult? If you’re angry, I want you to tell me exactly what you’re angry about. What I did to them, and what part of me is making you angry.”

“Why is that?”

“Then I can get angry too. I can confront with all my might, exchange emotions, and create a better situation. Isn’t that the most powerful force anger has?”

Argios, sitting on a splendid throne adorned with all sorts of silks, feathers, and leather, pretended to look tired. He spoke as if he was troubled.

“But most people can’t do that. They’re just stupid people who can’t control their anger and end up being eaten up in return. If they’re swayed by emotions that are part of me, how can they be considered human?”

Then he smiled again.

“Honey, so all those people were beasts.”

“oh….”

“Isn’t that right?”

“It’s a new idea, but I respect it.”

“It’s nice to be respected.”

‘Argio’ rested his chin on his hand with a bright smile. His long, sharp claws, like those of a cat or a bird of prey such as an eagle, caught my eye.

Geo bravely couldn’t hold back his curiosity.

“Do you grow your fingernails?”

“… Ahahahahahahaha!!”

The bursting ‘Argio’ answered with a voice full of laughter.

“No, well. I guess I’ll raise it if I have to, but it’s not really for the purpose of beauty.”

“I thought it was intentional because it goes very well with current fashion.”

“It’s not that I trimmed my nails after wearing these clothes, I just dressed up because that’s the way my body is.”

“I have no fashion sense and only wear black clothes. I’m really jealous.”

“… Hey, don’t you know how to dress yourself up? Are Earthlings usually like that?”

“Seeing that people who want to decorate know how to decorate well, I think it’s my personal problem.”

“… … .”

‘Argio’, whose smile had disappeared, looked at the other person with pity.

“…I believe that if you come with me, even your shy personality will improve a little.”

“Do you not like my current outfit?”

“No matter what beast I bring in, it will have a more colorful taste than you.”

“They said that if you wear neutral colors, you’ll look flat.”

“It’s not like there’s a ritual or anything, unless there’s a cultural reason for it, so why is it all black?”

“I couldn’t help it because I like black.”

“The black one that was used will cry, it’s a shame.”

‘Argio’, who clicked his tongue, returned to the topic just now.

“My claws are one of the abilities I was born with. If you stay with me, you will eventually have to use them, so it would be best if you listen carefully to my explanation.”

“I will concentrate.”

“Good posture. To put it simply, the power I possess is the power to imitate beasts. Like now, I can avoid danger by imitating the claws of a predator, the large wings of a bird flying in the sky, or the quick wit of a prey.”

“How can you be this greedy?”

“I too truly cherish this power, but strangely enough, my family was very afraid of it. They called me a curse and drove me into the forest filled with dangerous beasts.”

“… … .”

Geo shut his mouth tightly. ‘Argio’ asked.

“You look dissatisfied?”

“I don’t understand why people called ‘Geo’ always bring up heavy personal issues when we first meet.”

“That’s a unique idea, isn’t that what this place was created for in the first place?”

‘Argio’ laughed as if it was funny.

“Or do you wish to become one with me without any explanation?”

“Now that you mention it, I think it would be better to hear an explanation.”

“That’s right. Looking at what you’re doing, I don’t think you’ll act stupid and meet a foolish death.”

‘Argio’ nodded and introduced.

“So what I’m saying is, I am a curse with no name. I am a descendant of a royal family that once ruled a great nation, a natural being raised with intelligent and dangerous beasts as family, and eventually killed by the hammer of humans. I am ‘Geo.’”

He added.

“In the end, ‘Argio’ is a name that is not my name.”

“Does the word ‘Argio’ have any meaning?”

“In the ancient, primitive language, it means Ar, cruel. Geo, beast. In a word, a cruel beast.”

“beast….”

Geo looked at his opponent seriously.

“You certainly look strong.”

“I guess it was more of a contempt than a pure admiration.”

“You look like you have a lot of muscle. If you come with me, can I use that strength too?”

“If you want a body like this, why don’t you start exercising already?”

“I didn’t want to sweat anything other than farming.”

“… … .”

Then, ‘Argio’ nodded.

“If you become a fairy, can I take care of your body?”

“Are we perhaps becoming one with another self?”

“No, that’s not the case. I’m worried that I won’t be conformed to that lazy spirit.”

“I don’t think he’s that lazy, he just doesn’t exercise.”

“Then what are you devoted to? Farming? Well, I don’t really like that kind of thing… .”

Even though he was covered by a mask with only eye holes, you could feel Argio’s brow furrowed.

“Do you enjoy fighting?”

“There are so many things to enjoy in the world, so why choose that?”

“I had a feeling it would be like this since I was called here, but I really don’t feel well.”

“Why should I buy it and go through the conflict?”

“Shouldn’t we at least know how to be justifiably angry at the conflict that arises?”

“I get angry too.”

“Have you ever harvested the tongue and teeth of someone who was talking nonsense?”

“On Earth, you would be caught if you did that.”

“Hmm, certainly laws and rules are an important part.”

“This is another unexpected answer.”

Geo was impressed.

“I thought you were so aggressive that you weren’t bound by law or morality.”

“You don’t seem to be that concerned about morality.”

“ah?”

“But that doesn’t mean we deny the need for goodness and rules.”

‘Argio’ continued speaking in a cool tone.

“I’m quite fickle. Some days I want to get drunk in a town full of smiles, and other days I want to head to hell with a clear mind and screams.”

“… … .”

“Have you ever wanted to act like a ruthless beast? Have you ever wanted to throw off all your cumbersome clothes? Have you ever wanted to fight until your whole body falls apart, cheering and screaming and smelling the sweet smell of blood?”

“doesn’t exist.”

“I understand your way of life. What I wanted to say was that in order for me, a capricious person like you, to be satisfied with everything, the world must have good and evil, peace and chaos.”

To do that.

“In the end, what we need is people who believe in good and people who follow the rules.”

So that I can enjoy what I want at that time on that day.

“It can’t be helped that I am called an evil spirit.”

“Have I come here to become one with the evil spirit?”

“Surprisingly enough, that’s true.”

“Can I go out?”

“You cannot leave unless I permit you, my kind source.”

“This is unreasonable. I think I should have a choice.”

“It’s really pitiful, but your authority only extends to entering this place.”

‘Argio’ continued, laughing happily.

“So, how about listening to my story a little more?”

It’s going to be quite exciting.

* * *

There was one great family that ruled over mankind.

There was a curse passed down through generations in this family: when one of the children in the family turned ten, he or she would turn into an evil beast.

“That’s why my family encouraged having as many children as possible. If you have only one child and that child turns out to be an evil beast, you have to kill him, so we have other countermeasures.”

At the age of ten, the child, whose true nature was revealed to be horrific, was abandoned in the dirtiest and most horrific hell a human could ever reach: a gigantic rainforest called the ‘Black Forest’.

“I was praised for my beauty and my outstanding drawing skills, but when I was ten, a horn grew on my forehead. That was the cause. It was famous for the story of a monster living in the ‘Black Forest,’ but I never thought that the monster there would come from my family… I was abandoned without even knowing what was going on.”

As rumored, such an abandoned place was a dangerous place.

“In the darkness where the sun never rises, dangerous beasts and insects await their chance to devour flesh. Each one contains a poison so strong that it cannot be easily consumed or eaten, and from time to time, ear-piercing screams, as if ghosts were screaming, can be heard.”

But he didn’t die.

“Aren’t I also a beast? When I realized that I wasn’t human, I acted instinctively and greedily like an animal, and fought for food on equal footing with my forest family. I was able to create a new family without much difficulty.”

And then I discovered something surprising.

“Deep in that forest, there were traces of an old dynasty. I learned that the power I possessed was not a curse but a blessing, and that the monsters that had been abandoned here were actually saints who could prevent the dangerous disaster of the Black Forest.”

There was too much remaining evidence to suggest that it was a fabrication by ancestors who had gone mad in the dark forest.

“But as time went by, people forgot about it. They forgot that the reason they sacrificed children was to prevent disaster, so they thought our alien powers were curses, and the ominousness of the Black Forest was not caused by the disaster, but by us.”

Of course, it didn’t matter.

“What difference would it make if I knew?”

Although he was not angry at the family that had abandoned him, ‘Argio’ had a new family. He painted on the walls of the great old dynasty, got what he wanted like an animal, and sometimes shared and spent time with them.

“In the process, I sometimes ran out into the forest… .”

well?

“I swear by my warrior’s soul that I have never harmed an innocent person. Of course, I wouldn’t say I have harmed anyone. How could I leave those who attack me alone?”

The problem came next.

“Rumors started going around that I was the cause of some epidemic.”

The humans were angry.

“I had to see my house burning before I knew it. Yes, they didn’t have the courage to fight me directly, so they decided to burn down the entire forest. I suffered severe burns in the process, but I survived for a little while and eventually died in the arms of my family…”

It’s not that I wasn’t angry at ‘Argio’ for his indiscriminate display of anger.

“Listen, do you remember? The Black Forest originally existed to prevent a disaster that would destroy the world. The evil beasts that appear at least once every generation are the forest keepers who help with that… and are also like the last barrier.”

Now the forest was burnt down and there was no forest guard to protect it.

“In the end, the disaster that had been hidden since long ago revealed itself. The beasts acquired human-like intelligence, they began to speak, and they developed more detailed and more intense emotions.”

Among them, the ‘Argio’ family also burned with a desire for revenge against humans.

“What would the world have become?”

For countless years, humans have raised and slaughtered animals for food. But as if the food supply was gone, they began to speak to humans, curse them, and engage in horrific ‘interactions’ with them.

There was no way the human world could survive.

“In the process, I became an evil spirit. To be exact, I could say that it is a collection of all the evil beasts that were abandoned in the Black Forest, saints who were not recognized for their worth and suffered horrible deaths.”

It was truly a pity.

“Almost all humans were unaware that ‘Argio’ was a crowd. However, people began to gossip about the source of all evil, and created a nation.”

An evil spirit that causes disasters and leads massacres from the Black Forest.

“A cruel beast.”

It was ‘Argio’.