The Artist Who Paints Dungeon - Chapter 97



Only Noblemtl

Episode 97

It was late in the morning.

“… … .”

I tried on all the clothes I could find, but there was no way a poor fourth-class citizen could afford to wear even one decent set of clothes.

The eighteen-year-old woman, who had just become an adult, stroked a scarf that seemed to be made of animal fur.

“ha….”

Pure white breath spread out.

“… But it’s not too cold.”

Christmas is coming soon. There hasn’t been much snow lately.

Is it because spring is gradually approaching? Thanks to the temperature rising day by day, the number of poor people dying from the cold has also decreased.

The woman also almost died like that, but was able to survive the winter thanks to a scarf given to her by someone.

‘Spring will come soon.’

It’s still very cold though.

‘Still, if you wait just a little longer…’

From the perspective of a 4th class citizen, the situation where the woman was staying was not too bad. After all, it was a city, so it was safe from the threat of monsters, and especially, the people in this neighborhood were kind, so she could sometimes receive help.

‘Now that spring has come, we won’t have to worry about freezing to death, and we’ll be able to survive somehow because food, whether it’s weeds or something else, will grow. If we’re lucky, we might even get a meal subsidized by the city… .’

Gulp.

I was hungry.

“… … .”

Should I eat some snow?

Winter was really harsh for the poor. Unlike other seasons when they could even find roots, there was nothing to eat, and it was even cold.

The only consolation was that since it was snowing, we could at least get some drinking water.

‘It would be difficult to eat if your body was very cold…’

This winter, I was lucky enough to be able to keep warm in one way or another.

“Is it because of the scarf?”

Since receiving a scarf from a stranger, I’ve had some minor luck.

The woman raked up clean snow that no one had stepped on and put it in her mouth. It was snow on the ground, so she occasionally chewed on dirt, but it was still good. Fortunately, the woman was quite resistant to the cold.

“… … .”

As we walked further into the alley to find a place where the wind was not blowing, we saw other poor people.

“Did you hear that?”

“What are you listening to? I’m freezing to death….”

“No, I mean the black cloak.”

Black cloak?

‘… Now that I think about it, even the city people are talking about that.’

It was common for the poor to hide in alleys to avoid the contemptuous gaze of city dwellers, but women often hid outside the alleys because they liked the clean and tidy atmosphere.

The story of the poor I just heard was a name that people who were walking in the park also brought up.

‘I think you said that the black cloak was also a monster.’

It was an unfamiliar name to the poor, who were bound to lack information, but it was also interesting because they had heard it once or twice. The woman carefully sat down in the alley and eavesdropped on the poor people’s conversation.

“Why the black cloak all of a sudden? You said it was a monster.”

“But from what I’ve heard… it kind of grants wishes and stuff.”

“That’s nonsense. Where are the monsters that are beneficial to humans?”

“But there are also harmless monsters that live in places like parks… and there could be beneficial monsters too, right?”

“So why did you bring that up?”

“I thought I’d look for a black cloak.”

The other poor people laughed.

“Arthur, you’re going to get eaten in one bite by a monster.”

“They said it was a type of monster that didn’t eat people….”

“Then I’ll just tear you to pieces. How can a monster leave a person alone?”

“Is that so…?”

“There’s already been a lot of noise about that these days.”

The poor man continued speaking, not even noticing that the woman was listening.

“You’re saying that many hunters died because they believed that it was the black cloak or the red cloak?”

“Huh? Something like that happened?”

“I heard that’s right. There was an S-class dungeon that opened, and I heard that a guy called Black Cloak often appeared there. He would even save people in danger…”

“Then wouldn’t it be a monster that is beneficial to humans?”

“It suddenly disappeared. And then, somewhere, a guy who said he saw the black cloak in another alley showed up.”

“A monster that was in a dungeon suddenly appeared in an alley…? Does that make sense?”

“That’s ridiculous.”

The poor man clicked his tongue.

“It’s probably just a rumor made up by either a city slicker with nothing to do or a fourth-class maggot like us. If not, then it’s a dangerous monster that can pop up anywhere.”

Monsters basically had a set range of actions. The poor people didn’t know much because they didn’t receive any special education, but they at least knew that monsters had set rules.

But Black Cloak is a monster that doesn’t even follow those rules.

“It’s possible that he saved the hunters a few times. But when he suddenly disappeared, doesn’t that make you think? In the end, he’s just an evil monster who doesn’t care about human life. Or was it a scheme to trap the hunters?”

“But you said you would grant my wish….”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Even God only chooses those who are helpful to Him and shows mercy. A traditional God might be able to show favor without any price… but this is a monster.”

The poor shrank down, telling themselves not to have hopes that were impossible. The cold wind whipped through the alley, causing the poor to shiver and huddle together with people they knew.

“Ugh, it’s cold. Stop making weird noises and just come closer.”

“Ah… I was going to ask Black Cloak for a set of clothes when I met him.”

“You keep talking nonsense until the end.”

In this kind of winter, it was a common sight to see poor people huddled together like penguins. The larger the group, the more powerful the group was considered to be, but women didn’t even have friends like that left.

It was because my only poor friend died while I was spending the winter.

“… … .”

If that guy were alive, it would be warmer than it is now.

“eww….”

The woman curled up into a ball, holding her scarf a little tighter against the chilly winter wind.

When spring came, it seemed like it would be nice to make new friends. It was hard to be active in the winter, but as time went by, I would make new friends.

‘… Black cloak.’

That’s what kind of guy he was.

‘I was wondering what people were gossiping about these days.’

I heard a story about a humanoid monster that appeared after almost a few years. I also vaguely thought I heard a ridiculous story about a black cloak giving gifts to those who did good deeds.

‘I don’t believe it, though.’

The poor man’s words were right. There are no monsters that are beneficial to humans. The woman who ran away to Seoul after losing her village, family, and friends to monsters knew this very well.

Monsters were an object of fear for many.

“… … .”

The skinny woman quietly slipped out of the alley and walked into another alley closer to the brightly lit city.

There was no other reason. If I was lucky, I might find some leftover food from the city people.

Just sitting still wouldn’t solve this terrible hunger. Even though my body would become more tired the more I moved, if I didn’t do anything, I would most likely starve to death.

The woman who was wandering around like that came across a poor man.

“… … .”

“…uh….”

He was much smaller than her, so he looked at least 18 years younger.

‘Are you a child born here?’

If she was this young, she would have been born to a common slum family, but there was no sign of a guardian. No matter how unkind the slums were, it was rare for a young slum dweller to be left alone.

‘But it’s a bit much to pretend to know… .’

After being demoted to a fourth-class citizen, the woman who had been living an individualistic life had no desire to pretend to know the child.

The woman knew that pretending to know her child during such a difficult time would only result in more mouths to feed.

The people of the city may be dirty and mean, but what makes up the woman now is what she scraped together to survive. If she gave it away so easily, she wouldn’t be able to last even a single season.

“… … .”

but.

“…hmm….”

At least this scarf wasn’t something a woman had cobbled together.

“Hey, do you want to use this?”

“… … ?”

“Use this. This….”

It was a stroke of luck.

“You use it.”

It had been a long time since I had spoken to anyone, so I couldn’t speak properly, but the meaning itself was clearly conveyed. The young poor man glared at me warily, but he must have been cold, so he took his scarf away.

Her neck was a little sore, but it was okay. She was quite good at enduring the cold, and she wouldn’t have died without a scarf. She didn’t regret it, since it was a fleeting stroke of luck that wasn’t part of her original makeup.

“huh.”

“… … .”

Not understanding the situation, the young poor man held his scarf tightly without answering, and the woman who saw this blushed with inexplicable embarrassment and hurriedly left the place.

When I tried to talk to someone for the first time in a long time, I couldn’t get the words out. After a long time, the woman who had been far away thought with a proud heart.

‘Well done, anyway.’

Her parents taught her to share when she had extra money. Now, they are gone, but she felt pretty good about doing a good deed after a long time, following her parents’ advice.

‘When I meet Mom and Dad later…’

Can I be praised?

It was when I raised the corners of my lips with that thought.

“… … .”

“… … .”

A black frame came into the woman’s eyes.

The frame, which looked as if it were carved from a tree made of gold, was neatly and luxuriously carved.

Inside, the recording was drawn in calm colors, but when I thought about where on earth I felt it was ‘black’, I saw its true nature.

“… … .”

A portrait of a man in a pitch-black suit, his face invisible, painted in soft, dark ink like ink.

Black portrait.

“…uh?”

I instinctively knew it was a ‘black cloak’.

“Uh, uh uh… uh…”

“… … .”

“Mom, monster… .”

I was out of breath.

‘It’s a monster.’

The monster that had taken everything from her was right in front of her.

My breathing was suffocating as if I had been hit in the head. My heart was pounding loudly as if it was struggling right before it died, and the blood flowing along with it made my whole body tremble.

There are so many moving organs, so why doesn’t the brain work? As I hesitated involuntarily in front of the gloomy and heavy disaster, the bright red lips in the frame opened.

“… … .”

“I’m sorry for surprising you.”

What should I call this?

It was an extremely polite voice, something I, a poor and coward, had never heard before.

“I apologize.”

“… … .”

I got goosebumps from that kind voice.

There was no emotion in the voice of the black cloak.

It was as quiet as a funeral, so quiet that it couldn’t even be called a ‘voice’, but it was as clear and crisp as a machine’s voice.

On the subject of making such a sound, on the subject of speaking without any emotion, this bizarrely beautiful cloak was mimicking charity in the shadow of the hood.

‘… Uh, what should I do?’

My feet were frozen and I couldn’t move them.

‘scared….’

The woman was a natural coward, and had been afraid of monsters since the destruction of her village, and even more so after the destruction of her village. It was only natural that she would tremble all over when she encountered a humanoid monster that she had only heard of.

I didn’t want to die, so I hid alone in the chaos. That’s how I came to the city alive. I lived like a beggar in this big city, struggling to survive.

“Ah, ahh… .”

“… … .”

“… Oh, don’t come, don’t come… don’t come… .”

“… … .”

“Ugh, turn it off… .”

It was so sad.

“I, I did something good today….”

Even if you have bad luck, it’s not that bad.

I had a fleeting thought about the various good things people had said about the black cloak, but it was really just a fleeting moment. Still, for a woman who knew what kind of monsters were, the situation of encountering the black cloak was truly terrifying.

‘How am I going to die?’

Would I be swallowed up in a huge maw like my parents were that day? Or would I be impaled on countless teeth and killed? Or would I be trampled to death, or, or, or… .

As I continued to cry sadly, the black cloak asked.

“Did you do something good?”

“Ugh, huuuu… .”

“I think you must have been very surprised by the scary situation.”

“… Cool… .”

“I promise I won’t hurt you.”

It was a voice with a strange resonance, yet full of mercy, she thought as she cried.

No, actually, at some point the crying had stopped. The woman herself didn’t realize it.

“… … .”

“ruler.”

The black cloak reached out and handed something.

If she were a normal woman, she would never have accepted something given to her by a monster.

I would have been too shocked to say a word or would have been too busy crying, but as if possessed by something, my heartbeat slowed down and I began to listen to a steady voice.

Without realizing it, she reached out and received something.

“… … .”

“It’s a cookie.”

Rustle.

A delicious smell emanated from inside the thin envelope made of Korean paper.

“I apologize again for surprising you.”

“… … .”

“I affirm you for your good deeds.”

The man in black cloak bowed with his hands on his chest and his hands behind his back, like a gentleman from a fairy tale or a nobleman from a faded movie.

A short, slow greeting was followed by the soft voice of the man in the black cloak.

“thank you.”

What?

“… … .”

When I looked up, the picture frame was nowhere to be seen.

Only freshly baked cookies remained.

“…uh…?”

It was the day when the name ‘Black Cloak’ spread among the poor.

* * *

The portrait, which had not yet made a new friend, cried bitterly.

“I still couldn’t find anyone to be my pen pal….”

“Oh, then, can I catch one for you?”

“How dare you try to take away this teacher’s joy?”

“… … .”

… If that’s what the teacher says, then it must be like that.

Isser nodded seriously with a benevolent smile on his face.

The painter who draws dungeons