Chapter 16
“Well, now.”
The exclamation slipped out as he pressed down his laughter, as if pretending to be composed.
Bi Sabeol asked.
“So he had not been coming out because he thought people might be frightened?”
“He did not put it quite that way, but to summarize, that is not wrong.”
Yu Seongun nodded.
“He seemed to know at least that if a being of such high spiritual caliber as himself encountered a defenseless person, it would cause problems. Though I still wonder what kind of trick this is, when he insists he is an ordinary human despite that...”
At that, Bi Sabeol narrowed his eyes like a snake and said,
“We cannot rule out the possibility that he truly is a humanoid monster in the form of a portrait, but it seems we cannot view him as a simple monster either. He does not hate humans at all.”
“...”
“If even Curator Yu Seongun cannot be certain about a being, he is probably someone connected to the Root, but judging by the fact that you have not yet submitted an official report, he must be a kind of being you have never seen before in your life.”
“Yes, for now.”
There were few Root entities that Yu Seongun, a Gardener, did not know.
'Dungeon monsters are also beings born from the veins of the Root, but in terms of how troublesome they are, they are on a completely different level from Root's children. If Jio is a kind of child of the Root I have never seen before, this becomes far more complicated.'
The so-called “Root's children” could be found identically in every dungeon. They could not be handled through simple extermination like ordinary monsters.
That was why vast knowledge about them and the ability to deal with them were necessary, and Yu Seongun was a veteran who had worked as a Gardener since he was eleven.
The “Portrait of Jio,” a being unknown even to Yu Seongun, was clearly something to be wary of.
“In any case, even if we consider him a ‘child of the Root,’ he is certainly an exceptional being.”
If there was one thing monsters and Root's children had in common, it was that they did not know how fragile earthlings were.
Even if they did know, monsters hated humans, and Root's children were indifferent to humans.
Either way, they could only be harmful to humans.
“It is rare for one to be this favorable toward humans.”
“No wonder the Association would covet him.”
“I asked you last time as well, but are you going to hand him over to them?”
“I have no intention of doing so.”
Bi Sabeol’s possessiveness was quite strong, so even if it were only to entrust something for inspection for a very short while, he did not leave what was his in another’s hands. If it were a clean transaction altogether, perhaps, but he would not handle things in such a half-measured way.
“Curator Yu Seongun seems to be managing him perfectly well, so is there any reason I must hand him over to the Association research lab?”
“If Jio is a child of the Root, he may harm people without any guilt. He himself would claim he was merely acting according to his own rules... but we do not know how great a disaster that would be for humans.”
Investigation was necessary.
“At the current level, all I can grasp is the story of the portrait. I cannot know exactly what kind of techniques he uses, how great the grade of his soul is, or what role he holds in the Root.”
“I am not someone who wants such things.”
“...”
“Do you remember the duties I asked of you when I hired you, Mr. Yu Seongun?”
Yu Seongun answered as if sighing.
“Analysis, preservation, and management of the gallery works.”
“That is correct.”
“But I am no longer the Association’s research team leader. There is nowhere that can analyze the ‘Portrait of Jio’ that well.”
“What a hurtful thing to say. As Curator Yu Seongun knows, I do not want a weapon.”
“Yes, that is true.”
“I want a work of art.”
Bi Sabeol smiled, his eyes curving thinly. The natural arrogance of one born accustomed to looking down on others seeped through him.
“That is why I founded this guild, this company. I may take pride as an artist, but as a Hunter, I have not the slightest pride at all.”
“...”
“No collector expects Van Gogh’s self-portrait to ward off some petty spirit or make them dream pleasant dreams. No one cares about its function. They are simply curious about the story contained within this painting, and they simply want to protect that story whole with their own hands.”
“He may truly become dangerous. He is the only being to have escaped your appraisal skill, Guild Master, and even if he considers and respects humans, his caliber is too high. Even if I do not sense divinity from him, he is practically at the level of a god worshiped by priests. I am saying humans cannot rest easy just because the portrait is being careful.”
“Have you seen those eyes?”
“...”
That was out of nowhere.
“... Pardon?”
“Have you ever seen those eyes, Mr. Yu Seongun?”
“... Are you referring to the portrait’s eyes?”
“Well, now, I suppose you have not.”
“No, it is not that I have not.”
“Then tell me.”
Bi Sabeol waved his hand gracefully. Even the gesture urging him to spit out an answer carried the refinement of someone highborn.
“What were they like?”
“...”
Yu Seongun did not think for long.
“... Distant.”
Fear.
Awe and disgust, anger and sadness, joy and rapture, despair, loneliness and dizziness.
Toward a being so vast that it could not possibly be fully perceived in a single instant...
“... I am not sure how to explain it. I also have an appraisal skill, but because his caliber was clearly visible even without using the skill, I could not grasp it objectively.”
It was distant, to an extent that could not be expressed with a trite word like universe. It felt as though he himself was directly touching even places he could see and yet could not see.
“They were clearly black, yet they also seemed white. They were so dark that they felt bright instead, and while it seemed impossible to distinguish pupil from iris, when I looked into them... I could see densely woven paths.”
There was rainwater inside them. There were streams, brooks, and veins of water.
They were as dense as those of a tree, and also as delicate as human blood vessels. They were also so vast, huge, and varied that a human could not possibly perceive them.
It made him feel as if he had glimpsed something humans were not meant to peek at. Something so enormous was inside those narrow eyes.
“It reminded me of the saying that the eyes are the window to the soul.”
“That is a decent impression. Not bad.”
“Judging by the way you say that, it seems my impression was unsatisfactory.”
“It cannot be helped, can it?”
Bi Sabeol smiled as if observing the mistake of a very inexperienced child.
Yu Seongun suddenly recalled his actual age. He was old enough to teach Yu Seongun.
“I told you to look at his eyes, but you only came back after admiring the work. Before our respective jobs and tastes, we are all humans capable of conversation, are we not?”
“...”
“If Jio has a self, then that also means he has eyes capable of communicating with people.”
He asked again.
“Have you ever seen his eyes?”
“... Not in the sense you just mentioned, no.”
“Not the grade of his soul or the torrent within his pupils, but have you ever thought about what emotions the person named Jio feels, and with what gaze he looks at you, Mr. Yu Seongun?”
“No, I have not.”
Who could think such a thing before that enormous being?
How could something as small and insignificant as me dare?
“... That is something... no one could do unless they were someone on your level, Guild Master Bi Sabeol.”
“What good is a Gardener thinking so narrowly? Open your heart wider. Wider.”
“Are you not expecting too much from a mere Gardener?”
“Jio is a good person.”
“...”
“He is very kind.”
Bi Sabeol continued as though teaching a child.
“He dislikes troublesome things, yet he does not hate them. If he does not resent what makes him uncomfortable, how kind a person must he be? He maintains courtesy himself and respects the other person, while also being merciful enough not to force it on them.”
“That is a generous evaluation.”
“On top of that, he fears harming someone.”
“...”
That was unexpected.
“... Jio does? At most, it would be on the level of a human stepping on an ant.”
“That is right.”
“Not revulsion at an insect bursting under his foot, but fear toward the act of harming itself?”
“Did I not say he was kind?”
“You have not even had a proper conversation with him and at most only met his eyes once...”
“One must be at least this capable to become Guild Master. I have to grasp this much from meeting his eyes once.”
“... That is true.”
Bi Sabeol was a person who had built one of South Korea’s top three guilds solely with one appraisal skill and no separate military force.
Considering that his physical abilities were at the level of an average man, one could see how remarkable his eyes and mouth were.
'Since he is that kind of person, of course what he sees would be different from what I see. Perhaps the way he sees the world itself is different.'
Yu Seongun swallowed a sigh and said,
“... I understand. You mean we may proceed as we are without any other measures?”
“I am glad you seem to understand. Jio will probably do his best not to harm humans, so please make sure he does not become angry. Kind people are always more frightening when angered.”
“That is exactly why I am saying we should prevent such a thing...”
“There is no way to prevent an individual from becoming angry, and even if there were, it would obviously involve handling the matter on the level of sealing or destroying the portrait, would it not? No matter how harsh the world has become these days, we cannot treat a person who is perfectly fine and trying to get along like that.”
“...”
Yu Seongun asked with a subtle expression.
“... You are viewing him... as a person? The ‘Portrait of Jio’?”
“Then who has been conversing with Curator Yu Seongun all this time?”
“His caliber is different, is it not?”
“But he is a being with the will to converse, who regards himself as a person.”
“That is...”
“How is that any different from a human?”
Bi Sabeol spoke as if singing.
“There are more than enough dangerous humans even without the Portrait of Jio. There are five Hunters with high-risk abilities in South Korea alone, and each of those people is living their own life perfectly well. Some people treat them like dangerous dogs and pick fights over every little thing, but that was something that happened even a hundred years ago, when there were no dungeons.”
“If you remain so negligent, something you will regret may happen. Jio is a being fully capable of that.”
“Those dangerous Hunters also enjoy everyday life, so who are we to oppress even a portrait?”
“This is not oppression, but investigation...”
“What if that makes Jio angry?”
“...”
“You said he values courtesy, did you not? If we dig into his inner thoughts as we please and incur his anger, that would be the greater disaster. Please simply become a good conversation partner for Jio.”
He pointed beyond the windows that made up an entire wall.
“And take him outside from time to time.”
“... Are you serious?”
“I know what you are worried about, Mr. Yu Seongun.”
Bi Sabeol nodded.
“Of course, I know. Root's children are extremely secretive and cautious beings, are they not? They are part of an ecosystem that has no great interest in humans. They are nature itself, and I know that, because of that, they can approach as disaster enough. That is what they are.”
“...”
“And humans are also part of nature.”
He said it calmly.
“Jio is no different.”
“... Yes.”
“Treat him well. If there are rules, accommodate them, and if childish conflicts pile up between you, bicker and resolve them.”
“Understood.”
“If he himself said he is twenty-nine, then that is correct. He is a young man not even thirty yet, so as a senior in life, should you not look after him?”
“... There is a high probability that it is Jio’s misunderstanding. In truth, he may not be twenty-nine, but his own memories are aligned with a twenty-nine-year-old young man, so he said that. In reality, he may well be over a thousand years old. If he is a child of the Root, that would be entirely possible.”
“What is so important about that?”
“...”
Yu Seongun let out a sigh and nodded.
“That is true.”
He was a Gardener.
He devoted himself to his own Garden, poured that much affection into it, and felt pride in it as well.
Jio was a being related to the Root that formed the foundation of the Garden. Though he said measures were necessary, unless the portrait showed a reaction first, he also wanted to treat him just as gentlemanly from this side.
“I went to all the trouble of speaking as a Curator of the Collector.”
“I am always grateful for the thoughtfulness of our Curator Yu Seongun.”
“That is creepy, so let us stop. In any case, then...”
Yu Seongun glanced at his watch and asked,
“I just have to become Jio’s guide?”
“If possible, please also show him around our guild, introduce him to the employees, take him outside to watch a decent play if there is one, buy him food, and guide him around tourist sites.”
“That really is a guide. No, even so, introducing him to the employees seems a bit much... In the first place, the employees themselves will refuse first. Jio does not like noisy things either.”
“You may judge that for yourself. If Jio likes quiet, then help him look around the company or outside even at dawn.”
“What on earth are you trusting...”
“Did I not say I saw it?”
It was a clear smile.
“I saw it.”
“...”
Bi Sabeol saw what humans could not see.
Yu Seongun decided to believe that.
“... Understood.”
“I look forward to your continued work, Curator Yu Seongun.”
“Even if an accident happens, I know nothing about it.”
“I can handle that much.”
“What on earth are you thinking...”
Though he was grumbling something, Yu Seongun was in quite a good mood.
'I will be able to expand his range of activity.'
He had already been concerned about Jio always staying inside the portrait.
Jio himself said he was more comfortable and liked it better inside, but still, formally letting him know that he was allowed to come and go would likely make Jio feel more at ease too.
'Maybe it is because this is my first time encountering a child of the Root who communicates so smoothly, but when I just sit and watch him, I end up wanting to do all sorts of things for him...'
From the perspective of a Gardener and a Curator, Yu Seongun felt proud of him.
If he directly faced that enormous caliber, things would be a little different, but for now, Jio was nothing more than a talking portrait. Since Yu Seongun was in the position of managing him, such an impression was not particularly strange either.
'... Though it is true that this is an awfully reckless impression. I should be careful so that when I someday face that caliber properly, I do not stiffen for no reason and make Jio uncomfortable.'
Something entered Yu Seongun’s view as he came out of the guild.
“...”
A fish-shaped pastry stall.
“... That is rare.”
Yu Seongun happily approached the fish-shaped pastry cart.
“Are you open?”
“Ah, yes, I am.”
“How much for ten fish-shaped pastries?”
“Five thousand won.”
“I’ll take them, please.”
“One moment.”
The cart owner was a young man with a blunt expression.
“Here you go.”
“They look delicious... Do you keep coming here?”
“I suppose I will until I get caught in a crackdown.”
“Hmm.”
That somewhat blunt tone reminded him a little of Jio.
“...”
Ah, right.
“Please give me ten more.”
“Yes, thank you.”
“I am the one who should be thankful.”
“What are you thankful for?”
“There are not many places selling fish-shaped pastries these days. They have become even harder to find lately.”
“Ah...”
It seemed it would take some time for new fish-shaped pastries to be ready, so Yu Seongun continued the conversation. The young man must have been bored too, because despite his clipped way of speaking, he engaged warmly.
“It is hard to do business. But if I tried selling fish-shaped pastries outside the city, no one would buy them, so I come in like this whenever I can and sell them.”
“Oh, then you come all the way here from outside the city?”
“What city person would do this kind of business?”
The young man shrugged.
“Do most not work office jobs or operate as Hunters?”
“Even so, the distance must be quite far. You must be tired, so that is impressive.”
“There are a few people who help me because fish-shaped pastries feel nostalgic, so it is still doable for now. My younger sister also works as a Hunter around here...”
“I suppose finding a home around here would be expensive after all.”
“It is hard to afford city rent, of course. Getting citizenship is not something just anyone can do either.”
“Do they not easily issue short-term permits? I heard that threshold had been lowered.”
“I do receive permits. Sometimes I cannot finish work before the terminal closing time... I just do not get lodging. It takes time and money, and there is no benefit to it in many ways.”
The young man flipped the fish-shaped pastry mold and said,
“Besides, I also have a ten-year-old sibling at home, so I have to go back.”
“Ah, that is certainly... you would have to go back. If you left them alone and a monster appeared in the village, that would be trouble. It must be reassuring to have an older brother there.”
“My younger sister works as a porter too, so we only earn money here. She comes home once every three days, then goes out again the following week. Right now, my younger sister is at our family home, so I came out to work.”
“That is impressive.”
“They sell well around here, so that is good.”
“I see...”
Yu Seongun tilted his head and asked,
“Then until when will you be able to come out?”
“It will probably continue until early spring... It is still winter, after all. Once the weather warms up, I will look for other work then.”
“That will still last quite a while. I will see you from time to time.”
“Thank you.”
The young man took the fish-shaped pastries out of the machine. Steam rose from the freshly made fish-shaped pastries. They smelled nutty and savory.
“Eat them while they are warm.”
“Oh, thank you.”
Yu Seongun took the fish-shaped pastries and headed back to the company.
More precisely, to the “Portrait of Jio” that would be in Bi Sabeol’s gallery.
“Jio, are you awake?”
“...”
“Jio?”
Fortunately, Jio soon opened his eyes.
“What is the matter?”
“They were selling fish-shaped pastries in front of the station, so I bought one.”
“It does not seem to be one.”
“Ah, you are right. It is not one. I brought about ten, thinking you might like them.”
“...”
The portrait blinked two or so times, then soon nodded.
“Thank you. Thanks to you, I am receiving fish-shaped pastries for the first time in a long while.”
“You know fish-shaped pastries too?”
“Though I did not know fish-shaped pastries would still remain.”
“... Really?”
As expected, Jio seemed to be a being who had experience living in Korea.
'Or perhaps he was a being from a similar dimension... Even if he did not live there, he may have received only the memories.'
When Yu Seongun held out the bag containing the fish-shaped pastries, it soon seeped into the painting.
“Oh... It literally became a painting.”
“Thank you for the gift.”
“It is nothing. I hope they suit your taste.”
“I like this sort of street food.”
“That is a relief.”
He had been worried because Jio had a cold impression that seemed impossible for even a needle to pierce.
'His impression is somewhat aristocratic.'
Jio seemed like a noble of the highest heavens who had never gotten a drop of water on his hands, and also like an AI civil servant manufactured for busy modern society.
Jio had such a sharp and weighty atmosphere that one could feel the gravity just by looking at his expression, so Yu Seongun had briefly worried whether he would really like street food. He had wondered if Jio might look down on him, saying, “How dare you give me this and call it food...”
“Next time, if there is something like egg bread or takoyaki, should I buy that too?”
“...”
“... Jio?”
Jio was silent for a moment, then soon took something out from inside his clothes.
It was a neatly tied white bag.
“... What is that?”
“Tea leaves.”
“Tea?”
“There was a flower with a pleasant fragrance, so I tried drying it.”
“...”
“It is a return gift.”
When he extended his hand,
Jio’s hand emerged out of the painting together with the bag of tea.
“... This is something new too.”
“Please take it.”
“Uh, hm, thanks.”
RUSTLE.
A pleasant fragrance flowed out from the paper bag placed on his hand.
'It is like cream.'
It was a scent one might find in sweet custard or milk cream.
“...”
His mood felt a little strange.
'... If I say he does not have to give me something in return every time, would that sound rude from the perspective of a Root entity who has rules? It feels awkward because I always seem to receive far more than what I give.'
Yu Seongun put the bag inside his coat and said,
“Thanks. I should drink tea for the first time in a while.”
“I hope it suits your taste.”
“The fragrance is very good for now. I will drink it gratefully.”
“And I have a request.”
“Hm? A request?”
Jio asked.
“May I ask you for seeds?”
“... What kind of seeds?”
“Anything that can be cultivated in a field is fine.”
“...”
What on earth was he doing in there?
'A field?'
Suddenly, Yu Seongun became curious about the scenery inside the portrait.
