Chapter 15
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 15
"I’ve concluded that it’s a matter of resolution."
"...Resolution?"
To Yoo Seong-un’s surprise, the portrait readily answered his question.
"When I step outside, it’s as if a painting becomes reality."
"Right."
"If that’s the case, wouldn’t that create a discrepancy with what humans can perceive?"
Gio, his eyes open for the first time in a while, spoke without hesitation.
"I have never looked in a mirror outside the painting, so I cannot say for sure. However, most of the employees here looked directly at me and spoke with me, yet they seemed overwhelmed, as if they were facing the unknown. If exchanging names and sharing information only deepens their fear…"
"You think there was a problem with how they perceived you?"
"Yes."
What a great analogy.
To express the caliber of a soul in such a way... He would have made a pretty good teacher.
Unaware that Gio was offering a completely honest conjecture, Yoo Seong-un assumed this was simply the most plausible analogy the portrait could devise.
"Resolution" actually made a lot of sense.
Come to think of it, has Gio always introduced himself to everyone he meets?
Prompted by this sudden curiosity, Yoo Seong-un asked, "Do you place a lot of importance on exchanging names?"
"Exchanging names builds intimacy. I concluded it would do the same for me."
"Uh…"
To build intimacy? Yoo Seong-un asked, slightly bewildered.
"Did you introduce yourself on purpose just to make them feel closer to you?"
"It is also a matter of human courtesy. If you wish to know someone, you must introduce yourself first."
"I see."
He didn’t seem to realize that this very act could make him even more terrifying.
…An entity with a soul so massive it causes cognitive problems just by standing before you is asking for your name. It would be incredibly difficult to feel any intimacy from that.
To spiritual entities, a true name was a commodity to be traded. Unless someone was from some remote backwater or was ancient—no, even they would know the danger of exchanging true names.
Besides, Gio is clad entirely in black, making him look like the Grim Reaper. That would only make people more wary.
Of course, this rule only applied between humans. In reality, exchanging names was a useful technique for drawing out information. Simply sharing names could build a modicum of trust.
In that sense, though it was something he felt every time…
...Does Gio really think of himself as human?
This was something to be cautious about.
If his current respect and consideration, which are based on human standards, stem from that delusion, then I must do everything in my power to maintain it.
Otherwise, there was no telling what kind of catastrophe might occur.
"Hmm... Right."
If Gio believed he was human, it would be much easier to ask him about various things.
"Then, how old are you?"
"I am twenty-nine."
"..."
That was rather unexpected.
"...Twenty-nine?"
"Yes."
"You’re young."
"I’ve often been told I look old for my age, but that reaction is a little hurtful."
"Ah, no, it’s not that…"
Yoo Seong-un found it amusing that he’d even asked, as if expecting a talking portrait to have an age. Still, he truly hadn’t expected this portrait—so overwhelming one couldn’t even meet its gaze—to be under thirty.
Is this also part of his delusion?
If Gio perceived himself as an ordinary twenty-nine-year-old human, it was a perfectly natural response, regardless of how long the portrait had actually existed.
Yoo Seong-un laughed awkwardly.
"I just didn’t expect you to be younger than me."
"I am curious about your age, Mr. Yoo Seong-un. Would you mind telling me?"
"I’m thirty-three."
"I thought you were in your twenties."
"That’s very flattering."
"You look young for your age," the portrait stated in its characteristically blunt tone. "In that case, you can speak casually with me."
"Ah... Is that alright?"
"I do not believe I have ever requested that you use strict honorifics."
"Well, that’s true."
He had used polite language because Gio seemed to value etiquette, but it appeared Gio didn’t particularly care. Perhaps he placed more weight on respectful actions than on polished words.
At any rate, it seems he doesn’t dislike me.
After all, one wouldn’t tell someone they disliked or found uncomfortable to speak casually with.
"Then I’ll drop the formalities."
"As you wish."
"It feels a bit awkward to speak casually after using honorifics this whole time."
"For someone who feels awkward, you sound quite natural."
"Ah, well… I’m originally more used to casual speech…"
Although he had grown accustomed to the strict hierarchy of his work as a curator and researcher, his past as a gardener was that of a complete wanderer. He wasn’t so wild as to completely disregard manners, but in all honesty, casual speech was much more comfortable.
"Anyway, who on earth told you that you look old?"
"It was something I heard from time to time."
"You don’t look old at all. Are you sure someone wasn’t just slandering you?"
"There were those who found it hard to believe when I said I was in my twenties…"
"Ah, I can understand that," Yoo Seong-un conceded. "You have a heavy aura. You don’t really give off a 'twenties' vibe."
"I heard that often as well."
"Then that’s definitely it. It must have been because you didn’t have the vibe of a typical young man."
Whether this portrait had once been a human who became a painting, or was simply a painting with human memories, if people had told him he didn’t look his age, it was likely due to his aura.
"Besides, putting aside looking old or whatever, you’re just plain handsome."
"Thank you for the compliment."
"When you’re that handsome, any maturity you exude doesn’t matter at all."
His skin, so smooth it looked as if white powder might rub off, resembled porcelain. His features were sharp and distinct, leaving a strong impression. His expression, which could be read as either angry or serene, also suited his blunt demeanor perfectly.
"You must have been very popular."
"I have no dating experience."
"..."
He hadn’t expected to hear this kind of talk from a portrait.
"...None? With that face?"
"I have also never received a confession."
"Have you ever confessed to anyone?"
"I had no interest, so I did not."
"I think I know what happened," Yoo Seong-un laughed, amused.
It was the same principle as before. His aura was so heavy that even if someone was interested, they couldn’t bring themselves to confess. Or perhaps they just assumed a man with his looks must already have a partner and gave up.
…Hearing him talk like this, maybe he really was human before becoming a portrait, he thought, considering how his remarks seemed to stem from actual social experience.
"Well…"
But it wasn’t time to pry into those matters just yet.
Especially since I made him run away last time.
Yoo Seong-un decided to change the subject.
"Anyway, you don’t seem to come outside much lately."
"Are we not conversing right now?"
"Not like this. I mean when you actually stepped out of the frame."
Thanks to him, eerie ghost stories were still circulating among the curators. Because Bisabeol had silenced everyone regarding the matter, Yoo Seong-un couldn’t explain the truth behind the rumors either.
"Back then, it looked like you were about to walk right out of the gallery."
"I apologize if I caused a misunderstanding, but even then, I had no intention of leaving."
"That’s surprising. Your range of movement kept expanding, so I thought you wanted to go outside the gallery."
"I was merely curious about how far the place I reside in extended."
"And now that you’ve checked all the way to the first floor, you don’t feel the need to come out anymore?"
"There is that, and…" The portrait looked down at Yoo Seong-un. "I have always avoided active adventures in crowded places. Since I thought it might cause trouble for all of you, I am refraining as much as possible."
"...Wow, I really didn’t expect that reason. Is that why you haven’t been coming out? That is incredibly considerate of you."
He wished other monsters or ego weapons would take a page out of Gio’s book.
I never expected to receive such consideration from a non-human entity. If I reported this to the academic society, they’d lose their minds.
Whether he should call it fascinating or amazing, he was grateful for the luck of meeting such a special existence as a gardener, even though the portrait’s true identity had yet to be properly identified.
Though such consideration was likely only possible because Gio thought of himself as human…
"Then, would you mind sharing your story as well, Mr. Yoo Seong-un?"
"...My story?"
"It seems we have only been talking about me so far."
"Ah, you’re right," Yoo Seong-un agreed.
Could this also be considered a form of the 1:1 Rule?
This portrait certainly loved fairness. Indeed, since he had been prying into the portrait’s story this whole time, this was a natural progression even without bringing up any rules.
"Where should I start…" Yoo Seong-un blinked as he chose a topic. "...Well, first of all, I’m a curator. I’m in charge of maintaining and managing the gallery of Bisabeol, the guild master here. There are many other curators besides me."
"If it is a gallery, do you also sell the works?"
"Sometimes. This gallery is a place where the rarest and most dangerous things in the world are gathered, so people occasionally want to buy the works here for subjugation or research purposes."
Yoo Seong-un would deal with such clients and explain the works to them.
"That’s why any work that no curator can explain is automatically marked as not for sale. This gallery may collect the most dangerous items in the world, but if a client buys something and gets hurt, the responsibility ultimately falls on us."
"Do you not simply wash your hands of it?"
"Even if we wanted to, we couldn’t. It doesn’t just end in legal battles; it can escalate to armed conflicts, making things twice as complicated. Even if we have them sign a waiver beforehand saying, 'We warned you of the danger, so any loss is your fault'… we can’t completely suppress the clients' dissatisfaction."
Furthermore, if things went south, direct retaliation could be inflicted upon curators, who weren’t particularly powerful as Hunters. In fact, at other companies, assassins had been hired, resulting in the deaths of several curators.
"Our guild master is incredibly protective of his employees, so that doesn’t happen here, but curators elsewhere face retaliation quite frequently."
"Do those companies not prepare countermeasures?"
"Why would they bother? There’s no shortage of people who want the job. Since hiring someone new is cheaper than protecting a current employee, most companies don’t do anything."
"That is cold."
"That’s just how the world is."
To a monster who seemed to favor good things, this might be disillusioning, but in the human world, it was nothing out of the ordinary.
"Outside the cities, people are already dying. There’s no manpower to protect them, monsters keep crawling out… The countryside, lacking proper infrastructure, is practically untamed wilderness."
"..."
"The gap in civilization between the cities and the countryside is nearly a century. Well, some people actually prefer the countryside because they don’t have to deal with all the petty troubles or oppression."
The portrait spoke bluntly. "How exhausting."
"Did I talk too much?"
"I meant that I prefer it inside the painting."
"I agree with you on that."
Though he didn’t know what it was like inside that painting, it had to be far more peaceful than this world where one had to live through dirt and deceit.
Soon after, the portrait asked, "Then, have you always worked as a curator, Mr. Yoo Seong-un?"
"Ah... No, actually. I was only hired a few years ago."
"If you do not mind, could you tell me what you did before?"
"..."
Is it alright to share even this?
After a brief hesitation, Yoo Seong-un readily confessed. "I used to be a researcher."
"That is an unexpected answer."
"And before that, I was a gardener. Actually, I’m still a gardener now."
"Are you a gardener who manages gardens lush with grass and flowers?"
"No, we manage the Origin."
In this world, the Origin existed.
"I don’t know how much you know, but on Earth, there are things called dungeons. They’re dens of monsters created around various themes…"
"..."
"Even though they are clearly different dimensions, sometimes the exact same vegetation is found in completely separate dungeons. We call those 'Children of the Origin.'"
A plant of the same species found in a dungeon filled with fire and in a dungeon made of caves.
Such things occurred despite the dungeons having absolutely no connection, and some researchers claimed it was possible because the plants were derived from the Origin.
"Could you explain the Origin to me?"
"We don’t know the details either."
But that was what the Origin was. The very bottom of all dimensions, the most fundamental concept.
"If we compare it to a tree, a dungeon is the fruit, and the monsters inside are the seeds. The Origin is the root of the tree."
"..."
"In other words, we suspect… that what creates dungeons is also the power of the Origin."
"Thank you for sharing such a fascinating story."
"Though I find you just as fascinating," Yoo Seong-un laughed heartily and continued. "Gardeners analyze, manage, and share the phenomena arising from the Origin. In a way, we’re similar to researchers who analyze the names and powers of newly appeared monsters. We’re also similar to geographical Hunters who redraw maps while exploring dungeons."
"They do not seem related. Why were you given the name 'gardener'?"
"Hmm, well." Yoo Seong-un blinked his blue-tinted eyes. They soon took on a slightly brighter hue. "Partly because we view the Origin as a single garden."
"..."
"...And because we actually manage a 'garden.'"
The portrait asked, "A garden."
"Yes, a garden."
"Is it different from the Origin?"
"You could say it’s a part of the Origin," Yoo Seong-un answered faithfully. "If you were to call a single person the Origin, the garden we speak of would refer to a part of that person, like their blood vessels, fingernails, heart, or eyes."
"..."
"It’s incredibly massive, and there are many of them. A very small number of highly talented gardeners are assigned to manage one of those gardens each, and it’s quite a grueling task…" Yoo Seong-un let out a sigh-like laugh. "Many have died doing it. It’s not a job where you can afford to slack off."
"Is it a task that someone must absolutely do?"
"To begin with, once you’re chosen by the Origin, you have no choice but to work. And if you neglect that duty, the difficulty of various dungeons spikes dramatically."
"That is frightening."
"...Coming from you, 'frightening' doesn’t really register…" Scratching his ear as if he had just heard something absurd, Yoo Seong-un continued. "I’m still a gardener. Becoming a gardener isn’t something you can choose of your own free will, so even though I’m working as a curator now, I can’t cast off my status as a gardener."
"Is it hard?"
"A little?" Yoo Seong-un shrugged. "But it’s worth doing."
When he closed his eyes, he could see a massive snowy mountain. He could see glaciers. Their grandeur was mesmerizing.
"Having a garden of my own is actually quite wonderful."
"..."
Soon after, the portrait replied. "I understand."
"You do?"
"I feel the same way."
"I see."
That day’s conversation ended there.
He didn’t know how it had been for the portrait, but for the gardener, at least, it had been a rather pleasant time.