The Artist Who Paints Dungeon - Chapter 130



Only Noblemtl

Episode 130

“Brother Chaisol.”

In the end, Chae Sol was called to Kang Seo Dam.

“Let me get straight to the point.”

“yep.”

“Have you ever had contact with an evil spirit?”

“…yep!”

“I like it when you’re honest.”

“But just a moment, sir.”

“Please speak, I will listen.”

“thank you…!”

Chae Sol took a deep breath and spoke solemnly.

“It might not be an evil spirit!”

“… … .”

Kang Seo-dam did not necessarily deny it.

“It is certainly ridiculous to distinguish between evil spirits from a human perspective.”

“He might really be kind.”

“What I can tell you is that most gods are pretty evil by human standards.”

“Yeah… yeah, I remember.”

“You are a sincere student. I am also a believer in God, so I can tell you this clearly.”

He shook his head.

“God is not a being that can be trusted and relied on.”

“I’ve been wondering this for a long time. If you say something like that, won’t the sun god get angry or upset?”

“God doesn’t care about words, but about actions and results. He doesn’t punish you if you don’t do anything that has a real negative impact.”

“Surprisingly, these so-called gods are… a bit… .”

“You are indifferent. It is true. It is because of the low level of understanding of the human being.”

Kang Seo-dam searched through the documents in the drawer of my consulting room.

“That’s why there are also aspiring priests who deliberately hope for evil spirits with a high level of human understanding. Once they become full priests and actually serve the god, they won’t be able to say such things… but here they are.”

He placed some documents in front of Chaisol.

“This is information about evil spirits recognized in the country. You can take it with you.”

“Oh, thank you…?”

“But judging from Brother Chaisol’s reaction, it seems like he already has a god in mind.”

“Can I talk?”

“Do you know the name of God? That is a very rare case.”

Kang Seo-dam stroked his chin.

“Most evil spirits will have separate names so that humans can call them without any burden. Is there no other nickname for the evil spirit that Brother Chaisol knows? In our Seoul branch of the Sun Church, there is a second name called ‘Light of Justice’… .”

Then Chae Sol beckoned to Kang Seo Dam. When Kang Seo Dam obediently gave Chae Sol his ear, the child whispered.

“It’s a black cloak.”

“…oh….”

Kang Seo-dam nodded, slowly returning to his original position.

“okay.”

“yes.”

“… … .”

“Did I do something wrong…?”

“… I think I need to think about it a little more to know.”

Kang Seo-dam, who had been worried, asked again.

“Brother Chaisol said that he still doesn’t know whether he is an evil spirit or a traditional god.”

“Yes, how can you tell the difference?”

“You just have to see whether the claims and powers that God puts forth are harmful to humans or not.”

“Then I guess he’s not an evil spirit!”

“But most evil spirits often make false claims.”

Kang Seo-dam called the prospective priest Iruda, who was waiting outside. Iruda, who was about to return to the break room with his partner Chae Sol, quickly came back inside and saw Kang Seo-dam.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen you, Sister Iruda.”

“I think so.”

“I think it was Sister Iruda who told Brother Chaisol that he was an evil spirit.”

“…you’re right.”

“I’d like to hear the reason why you thought that way. Is that possible?”

“Yes, I will do that.”

Iruda explained earnestly, even though her face seemed disillusioned with everything in the world.

“I saw a picture of something drawn by Brother Chaisol. It was black… .”

“I just heard from Brother Chaisol what we were talking about.”

“Thank goodness. When I saw the drawing of that black figure, I felt a chill and creepy feeling.”

“Could it be that you simply mistook the awe of God?”

“As far as I know, it was the evil divinity of the evil god, even if it wasn’t explicit.”

“It wasn’t explicit….”

Soon, Kang Seo-dam asked.

“Didn’t you feel any warmth?”

“Yes? Yes. Brother Chaisol also said that it would be okay since it was warm.”

Chae Sol muttered to him.

“It’s really warm.”

“I am not optimized to feel the temperature of God.”

“The temperature of God?”

“… … .”

As she hesitated, Kang Seo-dam explained on her behalf.

“Do you remember what I said about God being nature with a will and destiny?”

“Yes, I remember.”

“Humans have a very narrow range of perception. Unless they become very devout believers, ordinary people can go their entire lives without feeling God.”

“ah….”

“Thanks to our awakening as priests, we can feel God more easily. That is why each priest has a different way of accepting and interpreting God.”

Kang Seo-dam pointed to Iru-da.

“In the case of Sister Iruda, I feel the volume of God.”

“Volume?”

“You can feel how big God is, where He touches you, how loud His voice is. In short, you can feel the full size of God.”

“I see….”

“In the case of the Chaisol brothers, they seem to be sensitive to the temperature of God. Compared to the Iru sisters, who are easily aware of the pressure and violence of God, the Chaisol brothers are more likely to feel the affection or mercy that God sends.”

Kang Seo-dam, who explained the case of the two priests, pointed to himself.

“But most priests, including myself, do not easily sense God, so we follow the orders of the church. The longer we stay in the temple, the easier it is to grasp the will of God.”

“… … .”

“This means that Brother Chaisol and Sister Iruda have great capabilities as priests. When other priests reach their age, they will each find their own way to serve God, but for now.”

Kang Seo-dam saw Chae Sol.

“That’s why I’m even more concerned about which god Brother Chaisol will make a contract with. Especially since it overlaps with Brother Chaisol’s personality… I feel uneasy.”

“Am I a very anxious person?”

“To be honest, yes, that’s true. I know that Brother Chaisol is surprisingly experienced and intelligent, but kids at that age are particularly prone to getting carried away by emotions.”

“… Ughhhh… .”

After much thought, Chaisol asked.

“What should I do?”

“Did he ever directly solicit a contract from you, brother?”

“No, we only met a few times in private.”

“I still don’t know whether that being is an evil spirit or a traditional god.”

Although he would not say specifically, the Black Cloak was a being that had been given the light of fairness that he revered. Since it was a being that the traditional goddess of providence affirmed, it was difficult to simply dismiss it as an evil spirit.

Even though they were both gods of death, there were traditional gods who respected human providence depending on the level of origin, and evil gods who broke the law and spread the pain of death throughout the world. It was really difficult to distinguish between gods by human standards.

“As we discussed in class today, evil spirits can easily see through human desires and anger. They can turn even initially intelligent people into the embodiment of greed, or into berserkers of rage.”

They easily destroy humans. Even warriors with convictions can be turned into miserable murderers in an instant. That was the evil spirit.

“There is a subtlety to it that you don’t find in traditional gods. It happens without you even realizing it, very naturally. That’s because evil gods are also a part of nature and fate.”

“… … .”

“In our Solar Church, there have already been several times… priests who were possessed by evil spirits and ruined their lives and those around them. Even though they made the contract with the altruism of a saint or a saintess, not selfishness, in the end, it turned out that way.”

Kang Seo-dam emphasized.

“Don’t believe in God.”

“… But then why do we sign a contract?”

“I misspoke. I meant that you shouldn’t treat God with human emotions.”

“yes.”

“You can believe in God and rely on Him as much as you want, but you cannot expect humanity from Him.”

“… … .”

“The devil is particularly cunning in that respect….”

Kang Seo-dam, who was about to say something, quickly closed his mouth.

“… … .”

“…teacher?”

“… No, just… .”

He continued speaking.

“I hope you will be careful.”

“yes yes.”

“The object you mentioned is not something that has been observed on Earth for very long.”

“That’s what they said.”

“So there isn’t much data… um.”

Kang Seo-dam nodded.

“I still don’t feel any negative energy from Brother Chaisol.”

“Oh, then is it okay if I keep seeing you?”

“I would like to tell you not to sign a contract hastily. If you just don’t do that, you’re halfway there.”

“Why the contract?”

“No god can make a believer without a contract. That is why a faithful believer who can use holy power can never be considered a priest.”

“ah….”

“For various reasons, the gods do not influence the human world without a contract. A contract is a kind of Maginot Line.”

“Then I just don’t have to sign the contract?”

“I need to look into the situation further, but for now, this is sufficient.”

I interrupted their conversation.

“Is this okay? Maybe the evil spirit brainwashed you so you wouldn’t notice…?”

“I may not be as genius as Sister Iruda, but I have more experience than her.”

“But even so….”

“My partner was possessed by an evil spirit and executed. I personally orchestrated the action.”

“… … .”

“I am the one who can recognize the signs of evil spirits better than anyone else.”

He smiled faintly.

“Don’t worry, Brother Chaisol is under the protection of the sun.”

“I was rude, I’m sorry.”

“How could I not know that you are worried about your own brother?”

“thank you.”

“But if anything happens, please let me know at any time.”

“I will do so.”

Iruda came out of the counseling room and buried her face in her hands.

“… … .”

“Rudaya?”

“I made a mistake.”

“It’s because you like me too much.”

“It makes me mad that what I said wasn’t wrong.”

“Thanks to you, I feel very strong?”

“… If you know it, you can do it well.”

“how?”

“Let me know whenever he touches you….”

“I will do that.”

The two chatted for a while as they headed to their assigned rooms.

“But the teacher said in class today that the scholars summoned evil spirits.”

“That’s right.”

“So you’re saying that even if you’re not a priest, you can still summon a god? Even if you’re not an awakened person like us, but an ordinary person?”

“Since even ordinary believers who are not priests can use the Holy Power, it is only natural in a way.”

“But most people don’t even think about calling out to God.”

“That’s because… knowledge about God has not been popularized.”

Above all, the civic consciousness of today’s chaotic world is too low to even handle the knowledge of God.

“For fear of people doing crazy things rashly, most knowledge related to the call of God is controlled by the government and associations. If there are people who know the details, it would be the three major guilds.”

“Guild… .”

“As long as you don’t worship a god of the same lineage, if you worship a different god, you can join a private guild after becoming a full-fledged priest. Your personality, Chaisol, might be better off this way.”

“Then what about your partner?”

“I heard that they usually move together. It’s not necessarily the case, but I heard that it’s not easy to find a fellow priest who works well together to that extent.”

“Oh… .”

Chaisol didn’t make any definite decisions.

“Well, we don’t know what the future holds.”

“That kind of mindset is wise.”

“Then, knowledge related to God is… um… only those on high are aware of it?”

“Rather than saying that we know, I think we should see that there is a group that controls some knowledge.”

“What if someone in that group has bad intentions?”

“…that….”

Iruda then let out a sigh.

“… It is the sin of man to trust man.”

That’s why we end up relying on God.

Because humans are neither immortal nor strong enough to rely on.

* * *

I sinned because I believed.

“… … .”

The honest man only hoped that the tragedy would not be repeated.

He loved his family, respected his friends, and was with his colleagues. The man had no doubt that what he was doing would help this dangerous world.

But in the end, the man was left alone because of that.

“…I….”

It was unrealistic and miserable.

“What did I do wrong?”

Although I did not believe in God, I eventually began to call out to Him.

There’s a person here. Please listen to me. I crawled into the mud without knowing it. Please save me. Please save me.

But there was no one by his side. There was only the smell of coal.

“What did I…?”

How long do I have to endure this?

“What should I do?”

I couldn’t stand it.

He already realized that he was in a deep pit of blood.

“… … .”

God did not answer.

“… … .”

He had already created the sign of the evil spirit and was holding it tightly in his hand.

This is the fork in the road.