34

Chapter 34

“Oh.”

Yoo Seongwoon looked pleased when he saw the young bungeoppang vendor’s face.

“Aren’t you the person who sold them in front of the Collectors’ company building last time?”

“Ah… yes.”

“I haven’t seen you lately. It seems you moved your stall.”

“I’ll be caught by enforcement if I stay in one location too long.”

Enforcement against street foods like bungeoppang was not particularly severe. Even so, one could not remain inside the city indefinitely without a citizen identification card.

Furthermore, if anyone filed a complaint, Cha Eunhyuk would immediately be advised to remove his stall. Therefore, he moved regularly. As long as the authorities were willing to settle matters amicably, taking care on his end would be wise if he wanted to continue doing business.

“Though no one has filed a complaint lately.”

“It’s a shame. Word would spread more easily if you could stay in the same location.”

“It can’t be helped. It isn’t an officially licensed shop.”

“True. They rarely license bungeoppang carts.”

“At least I received permission to remain for a few days at a time.”

Ordinarily, anyone who remained in the city for more than ten days without a city identification card was fined.

But how thoroughly could rules be enforced in a world inhabited by people? By applying under various pretexts, visitors could remain in the city for approximately a week even if they did not stay at a lodging establishment.

“…And, hmm, more importantly…”

Cha Eunhyuk’s gaze settled on the Black Cloak beside Yoo Seongwoon.

“……”

“…Hm?”

“…No, I…”

That was not human.

‘…What is this? Does this person not know the Black Cloak’s exact identity either?’

The figure of the man stared intently at the bungeoppang with his face hidden beneath a pitch-black hood. It was certainly the same Black Cloak Eunhyuk had seen at dawn, yet the pressure he exerted was somewhat weaker than before, and his companion’s reaction was far too placid.

‘Was he truly just a person…? I’ve heard some Hunters cannot properly restrain their energy. Perhaps he was simply one of them…’

As Cha Eunhyuk thought so, the honey-colored bird appeared deep within the hood.

“……”

“Hm, is something wrong?”

“…I was merely curious…”

Cha Eunhyuk tried to dismiss the matter vaguely because he did not want trouble, but after hesitating, he asked,

“…Is the person beside you a Tamer?”

From a commonsense perspective, that was the likeliest possibility.

“He travels with a Monster.”

“…He is a Tamer. We received permission to bring the creature outside, so don’t worry.”

“Ah, I see.”

In any case, hearing that they had permission put his mind at ease.

‘Now, even if someone dies, it will not be because I stood by and did nothing.’

The Black Cloak’s identity remained unclear, but no—the white-haired Hunter had said with his own mouth that they had received permission.

‘He also called him a Tamer.’

Eunhyuk did not want to investigate any further. With family members depending on him, it was only natural that he did not want to attract the attention of a “something” that seemed likely to endanger his life after the slightest involvement.

The Black Cloak, however, appeared to have other ideas.

“Thank you for this morning.”

“……”

“Hm? This morning?”

Startled, Yoo Seongwoon turned toward Gio.

“You went outside at dawn?”

His horrified reaction made Cha Eunhyuk’s stomach turn uneasy again. Apparently, the Black Cloak wandering the dawn streets alone had been something the white-haired customer never anticipated.

‘In other words, this being must not be allowed to act independently…’

If a first-class citizen employed by an unmistakably respectable guild paid this much attention to him, just how dangerous was he?

“Yes. Honey disappeared, so I went to find him.”

“I told you to speak to me if you want to go outside.”

“I found him quickly.”

“That isn’t the issue…”

The white-haired customer began to say something, then soon calmed down.

“…Right. There is nothing I can do about a natural disaster.”

“I am not a natural disaster.”

“A typhoon probably thinks the same.”

Yoo Seongwoon felt warmly exasperated. How could someone possess so little objectivity about himself?

“……”

After taking a deep breath, Yoo Seongwoon asked the young bungeoppang vendor,

“Did anything happen this morning?”

“…He purchased bungeoppang.”

“Did anything else happen…?”

“……”

After hesitating, Cha Eunhyuk answered.

“That bird…”

“Ah, yes.”

“Chewed on my head twice before leaving.”

“……”

Yoo Seongwoon was rendered speechless.

“…Pardon?”

“Ah, it didn’t truly chew me. It was more like the playful little bites cats give…”

“Oh.”

At a loss for words, Yoo Seongwoon turned to Gio.

“What do you think?”

“…My apologies.”

“Say it sincerely.”

“I am sincerely apologizing.”

His facial muscles had died long ago, so it did not look that way. Nevertheless, Gio was also deeply startled by the young bungeoppang vendor’s account.

It was the dizzying sensation of discovering that his family’s parrot had screamed, “You fucking bastard,” directly into someone’s face.

“Were you injured?”

“Ah, no. It bit gently, so I wasn’t hurt.”

“Even so, I apologize. My son…”

Perhaps sleeping for thirty-one years had produced side effects, because his words were pouring out carelessly in front of someone he had just met. Gio equipped his social skills and corrected himself.

“Our pet bird caused you trouble.”

In Gio’s mind, the words had emerged because they constantly joked inside the cabin—“Oh, my son,” followed by, “Kkureuk, kkureuk, kkukkureuk.” To Yoo Seongwoon and Cha Eunhyuk, however, the statement sounded far from ordinary.

‘His son…? I heard he drew it, but does he regard the creatures created that way as his children? We need to be careful about this.’

‘…He just called it his son. They appear to be different species. If he naturally calls it his son, does that mean he truly isn’t human, just as he appears?’

Gio did not know their thoughts, but he noticed their expressions becoming peculiar and ignored them.

‘Why can Honey and I not be father and son?’

Even thirty-one years ago, plenty of people had called their pet dogs and cats “my baby” or “our little girl” while kissing and cuddling them. Gio could confidently say he belonged to the ordinary end of that spectrum.

“……”

“May I see your forehead for a moment?”

“I was not injured.”

“I am a physician, so I know how to examine wounds. I am asking because I feel apologetic. I would appreciate it if you showed me only once.”

Yoo Seongwoon had remained still, yet was struck in the back of the head once again.

“A physician?”

“Yes.”

“Uh… I see.”

What part of you looks remotely like a physician?

‘…Even knowing he possesses human memories, I did not think he would be a physician. With such a weighty atmosphere, how many patients would mistake him for the grim reaper…?’

But unexpectedly—and extremely shockingly—Gio really was a physician.

“Excuse me.”

And a Priest.

“It will feel slightly warm.”

“Pardon? Uh, yes…”

“I purified it as a precaution.”

“Purified?”

“Your scalp was slightly scratched… It would be serious if you contracted an illness.”

Watching the bewildered young man and the portrait imitating a young man, Yoo Seongwoon simply resigned himself.

‘Will a day ever come when I fully understand Gio’s identity?’

He was like an onion with no end of layers.

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“…Um, ten bungeoppang.”

“Thank you.”

“No, and I truly don’t mind what your pet bird did…”

“Ah.”

With an expression that said, “Oh, right,” Gio rummaged inside his cloak.

“This is compensation.”

“……”

“…A gift?”

“The purpose for which you give it is not the problem.”

Why would Gio give him an entire jewel when he had not even bled?

“This is far too valuable for me. The jewel you gave me yesterday was already so excessive that I did not know what to do with it.”

“But it is fair compensation.”

“That is…”

As Cha Eunhyuk tried to object, Yoo Seongwoon shook his head vigorously behind Gio.

“……”

“That is?”

“…No. I will accept it gratefully.”

Seeing Yoo Seongwoon nod with a relieved expression, Cha Eunhyuk realized,

‘Something bad will happen if I refuse this…’

He did not know what kind of misfortune would befall him, but he could not ignore a face so desperately attempting to save someone. Cha Eunhyuk gratefully accepted Yoo Seongwoon’s earnest advice.

Even so, he was not as afraid as before.

“……”

Fidgeting with the glittering tangerine-colored jewel, Cha Eunhyuk raised his head.

“I heard you were sightseeing.”

“Ah, that’s right. Is there somewhere you would recommend?”

“An event is scheduled to take place in the plaza in several weeks.”

“By an event, you mean…”

“An initiation ceremony.”

Yoo Seongwoon nodded knowingly.

“Ah, is it already that time?”

“They are usually held in midwinter.”

“Which temple is holding the initiation? If the event is nearby, is it the Moon? Or the Sun?”

“The Temple of the Sun.”

Cha Eunhyuk turned toward the Black Cloak without realizing it.

“…I did not know you were a believer. Tamers do not ordinarily serve gods…”

He had organized the matter in his own way.

‘He must be an extraordinarily high-ranking Hunter—high enough that I mistook him for a Monster.’

When the Black Cloak brushed Eunhyuk’s forehead and infused energy into it, he felt the same warmth he had once experienced at the Temple of the Sun. Someone capable of independently performing a purification ritual must be an exceptionally devout believer.

‘He said he was a Tamer, so he cannot be a Priest.’

An Awakener could possess no more than one profession. Since the white-haired customer had clearly called him a Tamer, he could not be a Priest, which was a little unfortunate. With that much aptitude, he would have made an excellent Priest.

Someone capable of using such warm energy could not be bad. More importantly, Eunhyuk had never heard of a mere Monster wielding Divine Power.

‘I must have become frightened because I had never seen such a highly ranked Hunter. Priests ordinarily do not restrain their energy very well, and I hear their energy itself differs greatly from a human’s…’

Cha Eunhyuk must simply have been frightened by the energy of a god.

He was unusually sensitive to the energy of others and had no experience meeting ordinary Priests or high-ranking Hunters, so that was the conclusion he reached—a relief born from ignorance.

“Our youngest Awakened as a Priest, so he is undergoing his initiation this time.”

“Oh, he possesses a profession. A Priest, no less. That is impressive.”

“If no god chooses him, I worry about how he will make a living even with that.”

“Awakening as a Priest gives him an exceptional affinity for Divinity by default, so he could perform administrative work at a temple.”

“I hope so.”

Perhaps because he had decided everything was his own misunderstanding, Cha Eunhyuk relaxed slightly and chuckled.

“I hear this ceremony will be quite grand, so you may enjoy coming to watch.”

“We should certainly stop by. Thank you for telling us. Unless one is involved, it’s difficult to learn the schedule of an initiation ceremony…”

“The more people at my brother’s initiation, the happier I’ll be.”

Just as a human could see ants gathered together more easily than ants scattered in every direction, the more people assembled, the easier it was to attract a god’s gaze. The more exposure one received in this way, the greater the chance of receiving a god’s grace.

“Enjoy the food.”

“We’ll see you again at the initiation ceremony.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Once they had moved some distance away, Yoo Seongwoon asked Gio,

“Did nothing else truly happen yesterday morning?”

“As you heard, Honey caused trouble.”

“Were there any other incidents?”

“I do not know.”

A cry emerged from inside the hood.

“Kkurureuk.”

“He says he is innocent.”

“Right… I see.”

Though whether “innocence” as spoken by a being of the Source matched the human concept was another matter.

‘Gio is particularly sensitive to good, evil, and manners, which concerns me.’

Honey was a being Gio had created and his son. Gio’s disposition must have influenced him greatly. The idea that Honey had flown around alone while Gio slept made Yoo Seongwoon’s heart drop.

‘He may have gone around killing people he considered evil.’

Since no commotion had arisen thus far, Yoo Seongwoon could only hope Honey had caused no major incident.

“And, hmm, regarding the jewels…”

“Yes?”

“How about choosing a different kind of gift?”

No matter how apologetic Gio felt, suddenly giving someone a jewel was absurd by human standards.

“Ordinary people rarely exchange valuables in that manner.”

“…They do not?”

“I don’t know what you were imagining, but probably not.”

“……”

Gio was shocked.

‘In this macho world that seems to embody hell itself, people do not even possess that much toughness?’

Office workers killed Monsters, flowers made of cheese bloomed from the earth, elevated railways flew through the sky, and spring remained vividly alive in streams during winter. Yet paying with jewels was considered strange?

“I saw people walking around with jewelry covering their bodies like crows, so I thought it would be acceptable.”

“That is simply self-expression. Or it serves to enhance their abilities, or the jewelry consists of Artifacts used as armor.”

“I understand.”

Realizing he had moved too far ahead, Gio decided to reflect.

‘Perhaps the Synchronization caused me to think too much according to Giovanni’s sensibilities.’

Payments in physical valuables had been common in Giovanni’s world. Now that he was gradually acquiring more of Giovanni’s memories, Gio thought he needed to maintain his balance carefully.

Perhaps remaining inside the cabin for too long was dulling his modern sensibilities. There was also how he sometimes reacted to specific situations…

“…Ah.”

“Why? Is there a problem? Or somewhere you want to visit?”

“What is a Tamer, and what is a Priest?”

“…Well… uh… right…”

Yoo Seongwoon looked as though he had resolved himself to something.

“At this point, we have no choice but to tell people you are a Hunter.”

“Am I a Hunter now?”

“Since we’ve already come this far, I’ll explain the Hunter system and ranks. Do you know anything about them?”

“No.”

“I thought so.”

“……”

Having lost consciousness and remained trapped inside a painting for thirty-one years, Gio felt slightly apologetic.

(To be continued)