Chapter 197
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 197
Gio smiled.
"Did you come to see me?"
"Yes!" Cha Yi-sol smiled back. "But where is this? It’s not the beach."
"It’s one of the rooms in the 'Deep Sea Temple.'"
"What were you doing, Hyung?"
"As you can see…"
Clank.
Gio rattled the chains on his hands.
"I’m tied up."
"Oh."
"This is probably your first time seeing someone bound like this. Are you okay?"
"Why—why are you tied up? And it’s not my first time. I’ve seen it on the news…"
"My situation is a bit different from theirs."
It wasn’t as if Gio had committed a crime and been arrested.
"Though, technically speaking, my very existence is illegal."
"What does that even mean?"
"I wonder," Gio mused. "What does it mean?"
People these days lived such complicated lives.
"Back in my day, people would have just shrugged it off, even if an alien showed up."
"Whoa, really?"
"Of course."
They would have dismissed it as nonsense. But in today’s world, where the appearance of real aliens wouldn’t be all that surprising, life had become quite difficult for a portrait like him.
"How did our conversation end up here?"
"Why are you tied up?"
"Ah, right. Some bad mermaids kidnapped me."
"You mean Eun-ha?"
"Yes, student Eun-ha did this."
"Uh…" Cha Yi-sol was taken aback. "Why would Eun-ha do that?"
"He said he wants to live and die with me."
"Why would he say that? That’s so intense."
"Isn’t it?" Gio asked with a smile. "By the way, is it really all right for you to be here?"
The place where he was confined had once been one of the Pope’s residences, a space used whenever the Pope stayed at the temple. To Gio, it felt quite similar to the main throne hall or the king’s private office from the Joseon Dynasty.
But of course, it was no longer the safe space it used to be.
"It might not look like it, but this is a dungeon."
"No matter how I look at it, it looks like a dungeon."
"Hmm, I suppose so."
The atmosphere had indeed grown quite grim.
Though the temple was lavishly decorated with gold, silver, treasures, and marble, a strange chill filled the air. Many parts were rusted and ruined, making it look no different from a haunted house. The gloomy pressure unique to the deep sea was palpable—a suffocating weight, like being in the presence of a colossal deep-sea creature. White skeletons were scattered among glittering treasures, and the entire temple-within-a-temple shimmered with cold, watery scales.
And right in the center of it all, Gio was bound to the Pope’s throne.
"Iser and Aria have probably sensed your arrival, Student Cha Yi-sol."
"But I came through the portrait."
"Yes, it happened right before my eyes, so I’m well aware."
"And they still know? The mermaids?"
"Because this is the mermaids' home." It was their sea, a place that had become one with them. "Even if you came through a portrait, those two wouldn’t fail to recognize your energy."
Cha Yi-sol had painted 'Gio’s Portrait,' and 'Gio’s Portrait' had accepted him. Since the portrait had no owner, there had been a few issues, but the Teddy Bear Father back home had made it possible.
And surprisingly, Cha Yi-sol had been the one who wanted to meet Gio. Since Gio was unable to move, he didn’t fully understand the details, but regardless, Yi-sol could still go back. If he did it now.
"This is a dangerous place. It would be best for you to return to the safe Temple of the Sun."
"But I want to help, too."
"My, how admirable. But no."
"Aww."
"Kids shouldn’t be helping with things like this."
"You sound exactly like Ruda…"
"Iruda is a very clever friend."
Gio believed a child had no place on a battlefield like this.
"Children have the right to be protected, but they also have a duty. The time that only children like you can enjoy is extremely limited. I believe you should be enjoying pure happiness during that time."
But Cha Yi-sol, who had crawled all the way through a portrait to get here, was incredibly stubborn.
"So as long as I don’t get hurt or sick, it’s fine, right?"
"Wouldn’t just seeing me in this state cause some mental trauma?"
"I think I’m getting used to it the more I look."
"That’s exactly why you shouldn’t! It’s chipping away at your innocence, Student Cha Yi-sol."
"I don’t think it’ll be dangerous if I’m with you, Hyung. Do I really have to leave? I’ll be quiet."
"I’d just prefer you didn’t get involved in this kind of business in the first place."
"I want to sit here and chat with you, Hyung. I wanted to heal the injured people on the coast, but I couldn’t even do that…"
"Are you even listening to me?"
"Since I’m already here, I don’t want to do nothing. You’ll be lonely by yourself, so I’ll at least keep you company."
"You’re so admirable it’s frustrating." Gio smiled brightly. "Go back."
"No."
"Now, now. Go back."
Unfortunately, because he was bound by the mermaids, he couldn’t even send Cha Yi-sol back himself. Normally, he would have just turned the bindings into paint, but the mermaids must have done their research. No matter what he tried, the restraints wouldn’t come undone.
Realizing that Gio couldn’t force him to leave, Cha Yi-sol squatted down at Gio’s feet, his face bright.
"You can’t send me back, can you?"
"My, you catch on fast, don’t you?"
"But how did you call me?"
"Let’s be precise, Student Cha Yi-sol. You came over on your own."
"But the portrait just opened up."
"Since it was a portrait without an owner, my father accepted it."
"Ah, so that’s why the Teddy Bear Grandpa…"
"And above all, you opened the frame and came in yourself."
"Huh?" Cha Yi-sol blinked. "You didn’t open it for me?"
"My will had nothing to do with it. Strictly speaking, I merely gave you a key so you could express your desire to visit. A house key."
"A house key…? Ah." He patted his own forehead. "This?"
"Yes, that." It was the 'fragment' that Giovanni, as the Sun God, had given him. "While it does share a portion of the abilities I can use, I am a portrait, after all. As my characteristics were shared with you, you also gained the ability to paint portraits."
"But Grandpa helped me get inside."
"Because you are still inexperienced, Student Cha Yi-sol. You aren’t a perfect portrait like me. While you can create a frame, crossing through it is likely too difficult for you. That is why my father helped."
"Whoa…"
"I had planned to share my other abilities gradually. If I had known you were this brave, I would have thought twice about giving you that fragment. You’re far more proactive than I ever expected."
Cha Yi-sol tilted his head. "You didn’t know I’d do this?"
"While it’s true I’m smarter than average, I don’t know everything in the world."
"No way. I feel like you know everything. You’re a god, Hyung."
"I’m not even a proper god. Besides, if I knew everything, what fun would there be in living?"
Gio had no desire to master all knowledge and wisdom.
"I truly didn’t expect you to come all the way here, Student Cha Yi-sol."
Nor did he expect his father, who had no concept of human fragility, to send this tiny child right to him. What kind of place did he think this was to send a child? A child!
"My father guided you to the 'Breathing Sea,' didn’t he?"
"Was the name of that frame 'Breathing Sea'?"
"If you mean the painting of the sea, then yes."
"Then I think you’re right."
"My, I should have hidden it a bit more securely."
The 'Breathing Sea' and the 'Deep Sea Kingdom' were connected spaces. Gio knew this well, as he had often wandered the temple through that very painting in the past.
"It seems my father took your words about wanting to see me literally and placed the 'Breathing Sea' in this room. And you happily came to me through that frame."
Fortunately, the frame of the 'Breathing Sea' was still intact. Although the view from this side was of a peaceful cabin, the escape route for Cha Yi-sol was open—for now.
"If anything happens, run through there."
"Okay!"
"I’m still uneasy, so it would be even better if you left right now."
"No!"
"Who do you take after to be this stubborn?" His resolve was unshakeable. "Fortunately, Iser and Aria don’t seem to completely dislike you, and they’re people I can reason with, so there shouldn’t be any major issues."
"Then can I stay here?"
"You’re already here, aren’t you? Since you’re quite skilled at letting my words go in one ear and out the other, I’ll tolerate it—mostly because there’s nothing I can do right now. But you must never do this again."
He could have sent a message to his father to take Cha Yi-sol back, but he doubted the Sun God would be receptive. His cute teddy bear grandfather had never been human, so he lacked a human conscience.
He’d probably just leave Student Cha Yi-sol here, claiming it’s beneficial for both of them.
Above all, Giovanni’s homeland was a world where children’s rights didn’t exist. It made no sense for Giovanni’s father, a god of that world, to suddenly start worrying about Cha Yi-sol’s safety now.
"What a complete checkmate."
"What’s a checkmate?"
"It’s a term from a game called Janggi, but it’s also used to describe a situation where you’re guaranteed to lose, no matter what you do."
"Did you lose, Hyung?"
"Haha, yes. I lost to you, Student Cha Yi-sol."
He really needed to cure that kid’s lack of self-preservation someday. Children these days were far too bold.
"Did you make sure to tell Student Iruda or the other teachers before coming? If you had told them you were going to see me—someone deployed to the coast with the Black Cloak—they never would have let you come."
Cha Yi-sol blinked. "Uh… I came as soon as I thought of it, so I contacted them afterward."
"You’re going to get an earful for that, but how exactly did you contact them?"
"I got some letter paper from the Teddy Bear Grandpa…"
"Please don’t tell me you just sent a letter."
"But I did send a letter."
"Oh, dear." Gio let out a sigh. "It probably wasn’t delivered."
"Huh? Why? I saw it go!"
"As I said earlier, you aren’t a portrait, Student Cha Yi-sol, so…"
"So?"
"To put it simply, you can’t afford the call fee."
"...Call fee?"
"Even when I, who am far more skilled with portraits than you, send a letter, the words get smudged." It was a problem that occurred when a painting became reality. As something imaginary transformed into something of Earth, it became distorted in the process. Because of this, Gio’s letters were practically unreadable. "So, what do you think happens to yours?"
"A-Are they not sent…?"
"They might be sent, but there’s a high chance they get lost along the way."
"...Then I won’t get a reply either…?"
"Even I have never received a reply. For now, only one-way communication is possible."
"Uh…" Only then did Cha Yi-sol’s face turn pale. "I—I didn’t tell Ruda before I left!"
He had rushed over assuming it couldn’t be dangerous if Gio was with him. He had written something like, 'I’ll go check first, and if it’s really safe, won’t you think about coming with me? Of course, if you don’t want to, that’s fine. I’ll wait for your reply!' But if even that message hadn’t gone through, he was in serious trouble.
He jumped up and ran toward the portrait, but…
"Huh?! It’s gone!"
"Oh, for the Sun’s sake…" Giovanni sighed.
There’s no need to be this petty, Gio thought.
Of course, even if this incident had a high chance of helping them both grow, he had no desire to force a child’s development. If there was an easy path, why on earth should they avoid it?
I’ll have to have a talk with him about this later.
It wasn’t that the teddy bear Sun God had any ill intent. It was probably like wanting to raise a game character’s stats—sending them into battle to gain experience and level up. The Sun sincerely believed this path would benefit them both, a belief rooted in affection. Then again, it would be absurd to expect the Sun to abide by human sympathies or the ethics of fragile mortals.
"I apologize on his behalf, Student Cha Yi-sol. It seems my father has closed the door."
"W-Why…? It was open just a moment ago!"
"He will probably open it again if you are in danger, but until then, it will likely remain closed. He must want you to grow through this."
"Growth is all well and good, but I need to explain to Ruda first… Just let me make one excuse! I really thought it wouldn’t be dangerous, so I only planned to take a quick look!"
"For someone who was just taking a quick look, you seemed pretty determined to settle in right next to me."
"That was because I’d be safe with you, Hyung! I was just going to wait with you until Ruda replied!"
"Oh dear, how pitiful. But my father will not open the door." Giovanni smiled. Having once served a god, he could instinctively sense how things would unfold. "There is a destiny that can only be fulfilled if Student Iruda remains ignorant of this."
The fact that he couldn’t weave a destiny of this scale himself made it clear that he was, indeed, not a true god.
So this is the true power of a god.
Yeah, compared to that, I’m pretty ordinary.
*
"It seems…" the priests of the Sun Cult reached a conclusion. "The mermaids have kidnapped Novice Priest Cha Yi-sol."
"They said Hunter Seo Gio is in the same situation…"
"Brother Cha Yi-sol has had a similar incident happen before."
"Could the Evil God from the research institute have infiltrated the Sun Cult to approach him?"
"The divinities of the Sankalut Cult and the mermaids might have joined forces. Of all targets, the Apostles of the Black Cloak?"
"It may be a hasty judgment, but it seems the mermaids are trying to keep the Black Cloak in check."
"Indeed, a mermaid named Iser reportedly made a similar remark."
"What on earth is about to happen…?"
Iruda choked back sobs.
"...Give me back Cha Yi-sol…"
"We will contact them about this immediately. He might be in a dungeon."
"Do you have any idea what happens to kidnapped children…?"
"We are well aware, but an entry order hasn’t even been issued yet…"
"I want to be deployed, too!" she cried out.
She had no intention of staying safe while her partner could be dying at any moment.
"Deploy me, too!"
Everything was going according to the god’s will.