Chapter 58
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 58
Gazing at the figure draped in a pitch-black cloak, the blonde priest, Kang Seo-dam, thought to himself.
‘I never expected a god to attend an event I was reluctantly pushed into hosting.’
This event wasn’t originally his to run.
After the priest who was supposed to host it went missing, Kang Seo-dam had taken over. He never imagined he would encounter a god in such an unexpected guise at a gathering like this.
‘But for a gathering attended by a god in person, it’s remarkably quiet.’
Whether it was the Sun Goddess he served or the god over there blending into the crowd for his own amusement, not a single bit of chaos had erupted despite the highly unusual situation.
‘...Since the Goddess didn’t descend in person, it’s understandable that people wouldn’t notice. But for a god who has so openly taken human form to remain this quiet is truly fascinating.’
He seemed to be a god with a deep understanding of humanity.
“……”
Indeed, most gods who sought amusement among mortals were friendly toward humans.
‘Unlike the Temple of the Sun, his aura is cool and desolate. Could he be a god of death or disease? Given that chilly energy, he might even be a god associated with the deep sea.’
Gio had received a ‘license’ from the Sun God, but that was merely one of the elements that constituted his being. Fundamentally, Gio exuded a gloomy atmosphere, as if he were the personification of a funeral.
Unless he examined him closely or made physical contact, there was no way for Kang Seo-dam to know what kind of divinity he possessed. He made a rough guess and looked around.
“…Hmm…”
Pretending to recognize a god who was enjoying his amusement would only incur his displeasure.
‘There’s no sign of him unleashing some calamitous miracle. Seeing how he’s interacting well enough with the other humans, he probably has no intention of ruining this event. Let’s just let this pass quietly.’
Perhaps he was a lesser-known god, or one who preferred a small, elite following, and was looking to personally find his own believers at this event. He had heard that while rare, such things happened secretly within religious circles.
“…This batch is lucky.”
The god in the form of the Black Cloak might personally choose someone, and even if he didn’t, the Sun Goddess had already cast her gaze upon this place. The interest of other gods would rise as well, increasing the chances of the novice priests being chosen.
“……”
Suddenly, Kang Seo-dam realized that the Black Cloak was staring intently at him.
For a moment, his mind went blank.
“……”
The moment he understood his situation, Kang Seo-dam didn’t try to be stubborn; he immediately cast his eyes downward.
‘There is nothing stupider than trying to meet a god’s gaze directly.’
Although he didn’t know if it was out of consideration for other humans or for a higher quality of amusement, the Black Cloak’s divinity was suppressed to a human level, to the point where it was almost imperceptible. However, that did not change his unfathomable essence.
A god was ultimately a god, and Kang Seo-dam was a priest who was particularly sensitive to the presence of divinity. If he were to meet a god’s gaze directly, he might lose consciousness.
“……”
“……”
As if the Black Cloak knew this, he averted his gaze.
‘...Was he being considerate?’
It was a great relief that he was a god who understood human fragility. Most gods who enjoyed amusement without knowing such things often harmed humans without any malice.
“……”
Quietly swallowing a sigh of relief, Kang Seo-dam checked the time.
“…In one minute, novice priests, please finish saying goodbye to your families and gather in front of me. I will guide you to the dormitory where you will learn the etiquette for the main ceremony.”
Whether there was a god present or not, Kang Seo-dam only needed to fulfill his duty as a priest.
* * *
“I think I have to go now,” Cha Yi-sol said.
Cha Ah-ra nodded solemnly. “Yeah. If it’s too hard, just run away.”
“Can’t you say something nice for once?”
“What? He can just live as a farmer like the Village Head.”
“Is that why you’re telling him to give up before he even starts? Are you trying to crush his spirit?”
“Isn’t it better to do what you’re good at rather than clinging to something that won’t work out?”
“That’s true,” Cha Eun-hyeok chimed in, nodding. “If you really feel like this isn’t for you, you can just leave.”
“Yeah, I will! But I’m going to work hard because I’m going to become an awesome priest and the head of the Cha family in the future!”
“I’m the head of the family,” Cha Eun-hyeok stated flatly.
“Then I’ll become the pillar of this family!”
“I’m the pillar, too.”
“See you tomorrow!”
Grinning with a pure smile, Cha Yi-sol turned his gaze to the other guests.
“I’m off.”
“Ah, right. I’m sure you’ll do great, Yi-sol, so don’t worry too much,” the white-haired hunter said.
“Thank you!”
Having successfully wrung praise and encouragement out of him, Cha Yi-sol turned to the Black Cloak with sparkling eyes.
“Hyung!”
“……”
“I’ll do great, right?”
“I believe so as well.”
“Hehe.”
Cha Yi-sol had managed to coax encouragement out of the Black Cloak as well.
“If I get chosen by the Sun God, will I smell like you, Hyung?”
“Do I have a smell?”
“I don’t know for sure, but you smell like blankets dried in the sun.”
To describe it more precisely, it was like the scent of sun-dried blankets that had just been put away in a closet. Smelling him made one feel like they had taken blankets hung out in the yard, built a dark cave with them, and snuggled deep inside.
It was dark, warm, and cozy.
“……”
After staring up at the Black Cloak for a long moment, Cha Yi-sol suddenly made a bold request.
“Give me a hug just once!”
“Yi-sol, please,” Cha Eun-hyeok muttered, appalled by his younger brother’s disastrous social skills.
But Gio didn’t seem to mind.
“If that is what you want, I can hug you.”
“Wow!”
“Come here.”
The Black Cloak opened his arms.
‘Cool.’
Perhaps because the light was directly overhead, the inside of the cloak was nothing but dark shadow. Cha Yi-sol scurried forward and threw himself into the embrace, which looked as dark as the night sky and as cozy as the inside of a closet.
And surprisingly, he was cool to the touch. Yi-sol had expected him to be warm because of the cozy feeling he gave off, but it was quite the opposite.
“It has been a long time since I embraced a child of your size, Student Cha Yi-sol.”
The quiet voice drifting down from above sounded almost like a lullaby.
“That child was also small, just like you.”
“I’m not small.”
“You are smaller than me. Of course, you will soon become a wonderful adult, Student Cha Yi-sol.”
“Hehe…”
“May the sun shine upon you.”
“……”
Cha Yi-sol looked up, catching a glimpse of the face beneath the black fabric that only he could see.
Gentle eyes, the color of the sea, filled his vision.
“…Wow.”
Those eyes were incredibly large. And cozy.
“…Hyung, you’re really handsome!”
“I hear that often.”
“That’s amazing.”
“Is it?”
The face beneath the cloak, which no one else could see, smiled with a gentle light.
“Then, I will see you tomorrow.”
“Ah…”
Cha Yi-sol let out a disappointed sigh. It was partly because he was sad to part with him, but also because it was a pity to watch his platinum-blonde hair and blue eyes fade back to black, like a light bulb being switched off.
He looked so cool just now.
‘Aren’t those colors way better suited for Gio-hyung?’
But Cha Yi-sol didn’t push any further.
“Then I’m really going now!”
The other novice priests had already gathered in front of the priest. The blonde man was checking the children’s names and faces while giving them instructions. As Yi-sol drew closer, he could hear what he was saying.
“Cha Yi-sol?”
“Yes, that’s me.”
“You will be partners with Eun-ha from now on.”
“Partners?”
“I will give you a detailed explanation once all the students are gathered. For now, please pair up with Eun-ha and line up. The student with the blue hair over there is Eun-ha.”
“Okay!”
Cha Yi-sol approached the boy the priest had pointed out.
The friend the priest had introduced as ‘Eun-ha’ had blue hair with a warm turquoise tint. As Cha Yi-sol came to his side, the boy offered a soft, gentle smile.
“You’re Cha Yi-sol, right?”
“Yeah. Are you Eun-ha? He said we’re partners.”
“I think it’s because the rule is for priests to work in pairs.”
“So two people make a team?”
“That’s right.” Eun-ha’s pearl-colored eyes curved. It was a benevolent smile befitting a priest. “Our partners might change after the main ceremony, but I heard that partners who meet at the initiation often stay together until the end. Since we might remain partners… I look forward to working with you.”
“That’s so cool.”
“Is it?” Saying so, Eun-ha let out a small chuckle, and Cha Yi-sol felt a sense of déjà vu at that smile.
‘Oh, he resembles Gio-hyung.’
Cha Yi-sol instinctively felt the difference between ‘Seo Gio’ and ‘Giovanni’. He realized that the change in Gio’s hair and eye color was not just a matter of appearance, but a fundamental shift in his personality and nature.
And Eun-ha’s smile was strangely similar to ‘Giovanni’s’.
‘Why?’
Of course, Cha Yi-sol didn’t know that the platinum-blonde, blue-eyed Gio’s name was ‘Giovanni’, but he at least knew that his smile was remarkably similar to Eun-ha’s.
“You have a really cool smile!” Cha Yi-sol came to a simple conclusion. “A hyung I know smiles just like you.”
“…Smiles like me?”
“Yeah!”
“I don’t think such a person would be common,” Eun-ha muttered, shifting his gaze to the side. “How fascinating.”
“…Yeah…”
Cha Yi-sol felt something was off.
‘He’s smiling, but it doesn’t feel like he’s smiling.’
Eun-ha’s smile was very similar to ‘Giovanni’s’, but unlike Gio, whose warmth could be felt without even looking, it was somehow chilly. It was a temperature similar to a snake he had once touched, or a stone from a riverbed.
Unaware of Cha Yi-sol’s thoughts, Eun-ha, still wearing a faint smile, asked, “Is the ‘hyung’ you mentioned that person over there?”
“Huh? Yeah.”
Eun-ha was referring to Gio.
“That’s Gio-hyung.”
“……” Blinking silently, Eun-ha asked, “Gio?”
“His last name is Seo. Seo Gio.”
“Ah, I see.” Looking back at the Black Cloak, whose face was completely hidden, Eun-ha spoke. “He has a unique atmosphere.”
“Right? He’s super warm.”
“Is he someone chosen by the Sun God? Or…”
“He said he’s a believer of the Sun God.”
“A believer,” Eun-ha murmured in a faint voice. “He’s far beyond that level.”
“Huh?”
“I mean, he seems like a very devout person.”
“He’s really warm, right?”
“Indeed.” And cold, as if he isn’t human.
Hearing that quiet murmur, Cha Yi-sol widened his eyes, unable to decipher Eun-ha’s words, but Eun-ha didn’t talk about Gio anymore. He asked about his family.
“Then, those black-haired people next to the black cloak… are they your family?”
“Yeah, we look alike, right?”
“You do look very alike. I could tell you were family at a glance.” Eun-ha chuckled softly. “I look a lot like my older sister, too.”
“Really? Then she must be really pretty.”
“She is as beautiful as a princess.”
“Huh? Uh… really?”
Do people usually call their own sister ‘as beautiful as a princess’?
‘He seems like a highly educated person.’
Having grown up around Cha Ah-ra’s blunt manner of speech, Cha Yi-sol concluded that Eun-ha was an ‘educated person.’ Somehow, his smile and his quiet tone of voice, just like Gio-hyung’s, made him seem very sophisticated.
So he liked him.
“Let’s be friends!”
“…Shall we?”
“You can take your time,” Cha Yi-sol added quickly. Since this friend probably has trust issues, I should be considerate. “I’ll wait.”
Cha Yi-sol was a quick-witted child.
* * *
The Mermaid Princess always wanted to know about humans.
What kind of lives did they lead above the surface, where the sunlight shimmered like a golden net?
Why did they, who couldn’t even breathe in water, occasionally throw themselves into the sea? Why did they founder and fade in the depths?
The mermaid went up.
Up and up.
And saw the prince.
“……”
Warm.
The warmth spreading over the surface was the symbol of sunshine.
Platinum-blonde hair, holding the net-like sunlight she used to look up at from the deep sea, flowed in waves, shimmering like silver on the water’s surface. Blue eyes, holding a gentle light, felt warm despite having the color of the sea.
The Mermaid Princess, who ruled the sea, was curious about humans.
She was curious about their limits.
“……”
Would that human, who resembled the sunshine, still be warm inside the sea?
So, holding hands, just like that…
“……”
Splash.
“……”
Into the sea.
“…Ah…”
I think I fell.
Eyes holding pearls blinked dreamily.
Her blurry focus soon sharpened, and her red lips curved into a languid smile. She had already woken from her sleep.
“Oh dear.”
The beautiful princess, wearing an oversized doctor’s coat, spoke.
“I had a good dream.”
Didn’t I, Giovanni?
Lounging on the surface of the water, the Mermaid Princess smiled.
