Chapter 21
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 21
"Gio."
4:29 AM.
Yoo Seong-un called out to the portrait.
"Gio, are you awake?"
"I am awake."
"Good."
He had called out knowing that Gio was usually awake around this time anyway.
Even if he skips a day here and there, the window for communication is almost always between 4:00 and 5:00 AM. I’ll have to keep monitoring it, but for now, it’s best to treat this as a hard rule.
Although 'Gio’s Portrait' was friendly toward humans, no Existence of the Origin ever showed mercy to someone who broke their rules. Even if Gio was a gentlemanly being who seemed almost human, Seong-un knew he had to remain cautious.
"I wanted to have a chat."
"What business do you have with me?"
"I heard you’ve been wandering around the headquarters lately. The rumors are spreading fast."
"I wonder what kind of rumors they are."
"I don’t know if you’ll like it, but… they’re calling you the 'Black Cloak.'"
Yoo Seong-un continued, wearing his characteristic easygoing smile.
"It seems a rumor has started that 'the Black Cloak gives gifts to good people.'"
These were guild members handpicked one by one by the sharp-eyed Bisabeol. Regardless of their combat prowess, they were all clever enough to use their heads.
In their own way, they had figured out the rules governing the 'Black Cloak.'
"I hear you’ve been giving gifts to other people again?"
"I did not give them to everyone."
"I know. You gave them to people who were exceptionally polite or kind, right?"
There was a common thread among those who had received gifts from Gio.
They were either extremely weak or extremely strong.
Seong-un could guess the reason, to some extent.
The extremely weak trembled in fear upon seeing him, so he likely gave them gifts as an apology. The strong, on the other hand, managed to communicate with him relatively normally despite his overwhelming presence, so he probably deemed them 'polite.'
A gift of apology, or a gift of gratitude. It was a result that aligned perfectly with the One-to-One Rule.
Conversely, those who fell somewhere in the middle received nothing.
These were employees who were moderately strong—enough not to break down into a mess of tears and snot, but lacking the sheer grit to communicate properly in the face of such a massive presence. They received no gifts.
"Hmm…"
To prevent any potential accidents, Seong-un felt he needed to explain this.
Since he’s mimicking a human, Gio isn’t so untamed that he’s impossible to communicate with.
Then again, it was hard to truly define any Existence of the Origin as 'gentlemanly.'
This much should be fine.
Yoo Seong-un braced himself before speaking.
"If any of our employees don’t answer you properly, run away, or avoid your questions… it doesn’t mean they’re bad people. They’re just a bit cowardly."
"…"
"Anyone would be scared if a mysterious, giant man in a black cloak suddenly appeared in the dead of night when no one else was around, right?"
Seong-un deliberately described Gio as if he were an ordinary person.
Since Gio believed himself to be a normal human, revealing the true scale of his soul’s presence or his real nature didn’t seem like a good idea.
"Of course, it might feel rude to you. But I’m just saying they weren’t trying to be rude on purpose. From their perspective, as fearful people, it might have just been too much to handle."
Soon, a calm voice responded.
"I understand what you mean."
"Really? Then thank you."
As a curator and gardener, Yoo Seong-un couldn’t help but worry.
It’s only natural for a rabbit to shrink before a wolf, but if he judges that as a rude and evil act, things will get incredibly difficult. In the worst-case scenario, innocent people could end up dead.
To an Existence of the Origin, human standards were meaningless. 'Gio’s Portrait' in particular was highly sensitive to good, evil, and manners. The problem was that his standards could be vastly different from a human’s.
Even someone who was perfectly decent by human standards could be a heinous villain in the eyes of Gio, an Existence of the Origin.
Considering Gio had repeatedly mentioned his dislike for rude and evil people, it was a chilling thought.
When I found out there were people who didn’t receive any gifts at all, it really sent a shiver down my spine.
Didn’t that mean Gio was 'categorizing' humans?
"You, well… you said Guild Master Bisabeol wasn’t a bad person, right?"
"Yes, that is correct."
"Every single employee in this company was personally chosen by him. They weren’t hired from some mass public posting; they’re guild members he scouted one by one with great care."
"That must have taken a great deal of time and effort. It is impressive."
"I just wanted to say that while I can’t claim our guild employees are saints, they are competent, good people."
In a world like this, who hadn’t committed a single crime? But the people Bisabeol had personally recruited were, at the very least, not the kind of people who could be called evil.
"They might not have the most stellar personalities, but they’re just ordinary people."
"Yes."
"…Would it be too rude of me to hope that you won’t look upon them unfavorably?"
He didn’t know how Gio distinguished between human good and evil.
But just as humans have Appraisal Skills… it’s certain that Gio has his own criteria for judgment. Otherwise, there’s no way he would have concluded that Guild Master Bisabeol wasn’t a bad person without even having a conversation with him.
Contrary to Yoo Seong-un’s assumptions, as long as Gio wasn’t inside the portrait, he had no way of gauging the 'safety level' of the person beyond the frame.
The only reason some people received gifts this time while others didn’t was simply because Gio had handed them out as compensation whenever he thought, Ah, thank you, or Ah, I’m sorry. There was no particular value judgment involved.
But unaware of this, Yoo Seong-un couldn’t help but suspect Gio possessed some sort of Appraisal Skill.
I just hope the criteria for his skill aren’t too harsh.
Bisabeol had said this whole ghost story commotion was a kind of vaccination.
It was an opportunity for 'Gio’s Portrait'—a natural disaster that could never truly be controlled—to adapt to this world and its inhabitants, and for the people of this world to, in turn, understand and accommodate him.
Thus, Yoo Seong-un had no choice but to try various approaches.
"What do you think?"
"…"
Fortunately, and perhaps expectedly, Gio replied with his usual stoic expression.
"I did not think they were bad people."
"Is that so?"
"The only reason I did not give them gifts was because I judged they did not need them, and because some ran away before I could do anything. I did not think they were evil."
"…"
"I simply thought there was no need to give them gifts."
That was a massive relief.
So at least he didn’t judge them to be rude and evil. There was a reason why no one was injured despite the growing number of sightings.
Just as Seong-un was breathing a sigh of relief, Gio continued.
"I do hold a slight grudge against those who ignored my questions or ran away without answering."
"Ah."
"But I understand. As you said, a mysterious man in a black cloak suddenly appearing in an empty hallway can easily be a source of terror. It would be a lie to say I wasn’t displeased, but I have no intention of getting angry."
Having said that, Gio added an explanation.
"However, since I am also human, I cannot help but feel negative emotions."
"Uh, right."
"It hurts my feelings when I try to speak politely and this keeps happening. I hope the employees here will not ignore or avoid the 'Black Cloak' like this."
"I’ll talk to the Guild Master about that."
Yoo Seong-un forced down his awkwardness.
…So he was upset after all.
It seemed he merely thought 'they aren’t bad people,' not 'they weren’t rude.'
Even an ordinary person would get angry if everyone around them rejected them, but Gio was an Existence of the Origin who believed himself to be human.
Even if he was under the illusion of being human, there was no way he wouldn’t feel anger toward humans who violated his clear rules.
Even so… we won’t be able to completely quiet the fear of this ghost story. His soul’s presence is so high that it’s only natural for humans to shrink before him. In that case, should we establish a new rule within the headquarters to at least regulate the employees' behavior?
After a moment of deliberation, Yoo Seong-un nodded.
"…We have a tight-knit relationship centered around the Guild Master. Since he brought everyone in personally, the employees are very attached to him."
"Yes."
"I’ll speak to the Guild Master to make sure the discomfort you felt doesn’t continue, and we’ll do our best to improve the situation. If the Guild Master strongly insists, the other employees will likely accept it."
"I would be grateful if you did."
As Gio spoke, he was suddenly holding a glass bottle Seong-un had never seen before.
"…"
No, wait. Hold on.
A jar?
It wasn’t a bottle; it was a jar. It was so large that instead of holding it with one hand, he had to cradle it in one arm.
"…What is that?"
"Consider it a gift of gratitude for listening to my complaints and requests."
"I haven’t even finished the cookies you gave me last time."
"Why is that?"
"Ah…"
"I am not angry. I asked because I was curious why such a small amount is still left. Would you mind answering?"
If he were an ordinary human, Seong-un might have wondered, Is he being sarcastic and angry? But Gio was undeniably an Existence of the Origin. Sensing it was a genuine question, Yoo Seong-un replied with an apologetic look.
"I’m sorry. The effect is so good when I’m tired that I’ve been saving them and eating them little by little. It’s not because your gift was uncomfortable or didn’t suit my taste."
"There is no reason to apologize to me. I gave you the gift, and it is now yours, Mr. Yoo Seong-un. You do not need to make excuses to me. However, I am glad to hear it gave you strength when you were tired."
"Hearing you say that makes me feel even more humbled…"
Yoo Seong-un looked at the glass jar inside the portrait.
"So, what is that?"
At his question, Gio took his hands off the jar to show him.
"It is fruit syrup."
"…That is?"
"Anyone can see it is fruit syrup."
"Ah, right…"
Anyone can see it is NOT fruit syrup.
…That’s fruit syrup?
Even though fruit and sugar were expensive ingredients and thus hard to come by, Yoo Seong-un was a competent Hunter. Making a decent amount of money, there was no way he hadn’t tried fruit syrup, which even 2nd-Grade Citizens bought.
But this is… very different from the fruit syrup I know.
It possessed the color of twilight. A vermilion close to orange, perhaps.
The transparent, clean liquid gleamed like the surface of a gemstone, and within it, evoking the image of a sunset, a color so deep it was almost vivid slept.
Though something resembling fruit is settled at the bottom…
The color was so mesmerizing that he felt he wouldn’t even dare to eat it.
"These are ice pieces that are good to put in with it."
"…They look just like pearls."
"Their name is Ice Pearls. It seems you have the insight to guess the name on your first try, Mr. Yoo Seong-un."
"Oh, right. Insight…"
"Since this ice won’t melt unless it’s in something hot, I highly recommend adding it to hot tea if you wish to consume it."
"…"
Wow.
He could feel it.
I don’t think I can handle this.
The cookies he’d received as compensation for the seeds—the ones he got after asking Gio to 'hold back a bit' with the tea leaves—hadn’t been normal, either. Because of their incredible fatigue-recovery effects, he hadn’t been able to eat them all at once, which led to the current situation.
And this time, the portion is huge.
He said he enjoyed cooking, so he must have a generous hand. This Existence of the Origin probably didn’t know how small a human’s stomach actually was.
"Please take it."
"…Isn’t this a bit too much?"
"Please eat a lot. It would be better for you to gain some weight, Mr. Yoo Seong-un."
"I’m actually quite well-built."
Although Gio had never seen Seong-un’s body directly, judging by the outline of his cloak, Seong-un actually had more muscle mass than Gio.
Yet he was telling him to gain weight? Yoo Seong-un found it hard to understand.
…Wait, by 'weight,' does he mean fat?
Was Gio a man-eating monster?
"I don’t taste good."
"That is a funny joke."
"I was being serious."
Fortunately, it didn’t seem to be the witch-in-the-gingerbread-house mentality of fattening up a human before eating them.
It’s not for a human to judge the aesthetic tastes of an Existence of the Origin.
Perhaps Gio simply preferred plumper humans for aesthetic reasons.
It was a bit peculiar that he himself had such a perfectly balanced physique, yet preferred chubby people. He wondered what kind of backstory this Existence of the Origin had.
…Come to think of it, whenever he gives gifts, they’re always food. He said his hobbies are cooking and eating when he’s bored. He seems to really love food in many ways. Preferring to see plumper people, having an unusually generous hand, liking to give gifts…
Is this guy a grandma?
"…"
"What are you thinking about?"
"Ah, sorry. Just got lost in thought for a moment."
"I see."
Fortunately, Gio didn’t pry further.
"Since this is a gift in return for your kindness, I do not require anything back. Above all, the fruit syrup I newly blended this time seems to have aged deliciously, so I wanted to share it with you."
"Hmm… I see."
While nodding casually, Yoo Seong-un thought to himself:
…Does he even know he’s bound by rules?
Gio’s words just now seemed to imply a premise of, 'I must receive something to give something in return.' Perhaps the One-to-One Rule wasn’t something he created himself.
Or maybe he made it himself and forgot.
If an entity of that scale only possessed the memories of a mere 29-year-old youth, it was a plausible hypothesis.
"…Well, since you’re giving it to me, I’ll take it…"
Yoo Seong-un used his Appraisal Skill on the fruit syrup.
[Honey of the Water Vein]
[Rank: -]
Fruit syrup made from Mangdung Fruit that grows wild in Fate’s Ley Line and a Drought Jar. It has a vermilion hue and features a sweet, sour, and deep umami flavor. Personally processed by Gio, the master of the forest, it can be accepted by the human body. When diluted with water and consumed, it restores human physical abilities to their absolute limit. It is exceptionally effective against malnutrition.
Adding Ice Pearls, which grow wild in the glacier beneath Gio’s cabin, exerts an outstanding effect in restoring physical and mental functions.
"…"
"Does it not smell good?"
"You’re really good at cooking."
He just wished Gio were slightly less good at it.