The world had changed, yet remained peacefully unaware.
“That’s why I had no choice but to co.”
This incident had piqued Bisa Beul’s curiosity.
“It’s easy to say ‘the information was erased,’ but in reality, it’s safe to say no one can find this place anymore. The path here has been artificially obscured, and both the records and people’s mories have been wiped.”
Bisa Beul chuckled.
“So still ask how that’s even possible. Of course, it hasn’t been long since that delightful ghost story started spreading. Surely quite a few people have heard or even experienced this creepy abandoned school.”
Naturally, people would have questions.
“But it’s possible. That’s the power of the ‘Promise.’ A deal of cost and compensation. President Dan Haera offered her mories and experiences related to Hunter Sergio as the price to silence this entire uproar.”
Bisa Beul spoke as he stood before the watching “fairy tales.”
“If we were to summarize that Promise, it’d be ‘No Entry Except Authorized Personnel.’ From now on, very few humans will be allowed to visit, rember, or even experience this place.”
His eyes narrowed with a smile.
“Well, with all that said...”
Bisa Beul had made the trip to the abandoned school to ask:
“Wouldn’t you say I qualify as ‘authorized personnel’ by now?”
“Of course, Father.”
“How delightful...”
He grinned at the portrait’s permission.
“If you’re saying this much, then I suppose it’s okay for to keep playing house with you?”
“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t go too far with it.”
“Can’t tell if you’re introverted or extroverted, but sure, we’ll do that. Your old man has a knack for toeing the line perfectly.”
“If you can manage that, it would be much appreciated.”
“I heard things have been tough for you in society lately...”
Bisa Beul tilted his head as he looked at Gio sitting in front of the canvas.
“You don’t look so troubled to .”
“I don’t think taking a vacation at an abandoned school counts as social activity.”
“Oh, of course not. But the atmosphere doesn’t seem quite as suffocating as I’d heard.”
“Being in school again makes my body feel more at ease.”
When he talked about his students, when he was in this bittersweet abandoned school—Gio didn’t need to borrow anyone else’s power to feel natural.
Bisa Beul pretended to look a bit hurt.
“Then should I extend your vacation even longer? My son, who’s just completed sothing so grand, surely I shouldn’t expect him to return to work so soon?”
“Forgive , but I don’t recall signing a labor contract.”
“So much for making this guild master thing feel worthwhile... what a pity.”
Still smiling, Bisa Beul chose a nearby chair and sat down.
“Were you painting?”
“I was just watching.”
“What did you see?”
“Anything and everything.”
“How far?”
“As far as one can see.”
“And how close?”
“My school doesn’t feel like it used to.”
Sergio voiced his dissatisfaction.
“To think it ended up becoming a rumored ghost spot.”
“You must’ve been pretty annoyed.”
“I hadn’t realized before, but apparently there are such things as monster-made nests. They usually form in remote places and may contain rare treasures. But at the very least, I knew this wasn’t one of those.”
“So?”
“I was only trying to kindly guide them back outside. The new guests who’d entered the school were causing so much mischief that I even tried to hold them back. In the end, I beca part of the ghost story...”
“Pitiful. To think that noble kindness ended up being turned into rumor.”
With sympathy, Bisa Beul asked,
“Fascinating. And just how exactly did you help them escape?”
“If you’re going to pity , please make your words and actions match. I’m capable of a little more than that.”
But the portrait answered honestly.
“I’ve gone out in this form, appeared as Hunter Sergio, disguised myself as another hunter... and sotis I didn’t show myself at all.”
“Oh? Any one of those would be ghost story material.”
“Yes. In this kind of setting, any internal figure who interacts with outsiders becos a terrifying presence. I just didn’t expect hunters to be that faint of heart.”
“The atmosphere here must be pretty brutal.”
Bisa Beul smiled gently, as if humoring his son’s complaints.
It was a space overflowing with mysteries. Tucked deep in the wilderness, the temperature was low. With no light coming in, only mysteries suited to darkness and cold could seep in.
And the mystery that followed this rare portrait in—surely it wasn’t so ordinary being either.
Bisa Beul looked out the broken window of the school.
The vein of Origin is swelling, turning into a spring.
The bloodstream and organs of Earth's mystery, spread through the Origin. Not the sa as a garden, but everywhere—a formless stirring. Judging by how condensed it was here, a full-fledged well might appear soon.
A zone like this... anyone without immunity to mystery wouldn’t last long.
It wasn’t even the kind of mystery that was warm or kind. No wonder people interpreted it as a ghost story. Not everyone lived seeing the sa world Bisa Beul did.
Enduring mystery had nothing to do with human strength or weakness. Even though Bisa Beul was S-Class, he had virtually no combat ability.
The kind who could see but not understand.
“......”
He shrugged lightly.
“That must’ve been fun.”
“Yes. It was.”
“Knew it.”
This portrait had a surprisingly honest side.
“If you enjoy this creepy little vacation spot that much, I suppose I should help out. If there’s anything you need, contact through Manager Joo-Hyun anyti—I’ll give you whatever I can.”
“That won’t be necessary.”
“It’s essentially your private property now, officially recognized by the governnt and the Association. Grow crops if you like. Slaughter sothing, if that brings you joy. Paint... it would be a dream.”
“There are tis when you act like you didn’t hear a single word I said.”
“Co on, when have I ever been cold to you? I’ve always watched over my precious son. I’m so grateful I even had the chance to buy you at that auction...”
Bisa Beul pouted with a smile.
“Ah, right.”
He spoke as if he’d just rembered.
“Seems things got noisy after the fan club of Black Cloak got recognized as an official religion.”
“That’s burdenso.”
“But they’re all your friends, aren’t they? You should cherish them.”
“They’re good people. They don’t need to be pitied.”
Still, the portrait nodded.
“I was planning to visit them soon anyway.”
“That’s splendid.”
“But I don’t intend to get too close.”
“That’s fine too.”
Watching the portrait, Bisa Beul then asked,
“What kind of teacher were you?”
He ant at this school.
“Were you the stern-faced teacher I rember?”
“Haven’t you already heard from one of my students?”
“True, I searched and searched until I finally visited the presidential office.”
Bisa Beul shrugged.
“But they didn’t tell much.”
“Everyone’s gotten a lot more timid these days.”
“Still, they told a little. I do hold the nation’s purse strings, after all.”
“Most would call that blackmail.”
“She’s not the type to take it personally.”
She knew well that she lacked many things compared to her peers. The current president was notably lacking in competence but had exceptional political tact. Fragile on the surface, but tenacious to the core.
“I’d call it a negotiation more than blackmail.”
They had completed a mutually satisfying deal.
“But even then, I didn’t learn much. The most I confird was that there once existed a certain ‘art teacher nad Sergio.’ He still keeps his guard up around ...”
“Please be kind.”
“I thought I was being kind.”
Bisa Beul always lived with patience. It was because he endured so much that the world remained less chaotic. Most hunters knew that. After all, Bisa Beul wasn’t exactly on humanity’s side.
“So won’t you tell ? What kind of teacher were you?”
“My students viewed as a fantasy.”
“Not with respect or admiration—but as a fantasy?”
“They treated as sothing entirely non-human.”
“A being separate from humanity...”
How amusing.
“Doesn’t sound too different from now.”
“That might be true.”
The portrait didn’t deny it.
“My students projected many stories onto . So were absurd enough to make laugh just hearing them, others were disturbingly realistic.”
“That’s not so different from today, either.”
“My students found joy in that imagination. School is often boring, so I understand. I didn’t work at many schools, but most students treated that way...”
“Sounds like it was fun.”
“There was so fun, yes.”
A portrait too honest for modesty.
“But the distance it created was a bit sad. I’ve said as much to Yoo Seong-Woon and Joo-Hyun—I did wish they’d treat as soone a bit more familiar.”
“Like a friend?”
“I wasn’t hoping for that much.”
“Then, to be seen as an equal human being?”
“There were monts I wanted that. I do feel a little regret toward the students who only ever saw as a mythical creature, but it’s not enough to call it dissatisfaction.”
“Because that was fun too?”
“Honestly... yes.”
“Ah, I should’ve t Teacher Sergio the art teacher myself...”
He sounded almost resentful.
“I wonder how you dealt with humans—with that face.”
The portrait complained, offended.
“I am human.”
“Oh, of course.”
Bisa Beul smiled brightly.
“I raised you myself, how could I not know?”
“Every ti you talk like that, I feel an overwhelming urge to keep my distance...”
“You do have such a gentle way with words.”
“When are you leaving?”
“I should get going. My staff are waiting outside.”
“Take care.”
“Oh, right. Before I go, I wanted to ask...”
He looked at the portrait.
“......”
“......”
Those fathomless ‘eyes.’
“...Are you human?”
It answered.
“I am human.”
“Do you deny how others perceive you?”
“I accept it.”
“I see.”
Bisa Beul smiled deeply.
“Thank you.”
He was a magnificent work of art.
***
“......”
“Grrrk?”
“No.”
“Gung?”
“No ans no.”
Gio shoved Honey back into his hood before he could pop out.
“You can’t just go around trying to eat people.”
Still, his skin prickled. That final smile Bisa Beul gave him... was incredible. So incredible that even Gio—who rarely had physiological reactions—felt chills.
It reminded him of the first ti they t.
“He’s still an extraordinary man.”
“Gung gung gung...”
“He didn’t an harm. Let’s forgive him.”
“Gung gung gung gung gung.”
“Just this once.”
Gio shook his head.
“So delicate...”
“Gung...”
“And he was wearing so many accessories...”
“Grrrrrrrrk.”
“You’re going to get a stomachache.”
“Gung?”
“You need to learn to be picky, Honey.”
Yoo Seong-Woon and Joo-Hyun had already told him everything. Most of the /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ accessories Bisa Beul wore were “works.” In other words, cursed gemstones.
“For soone so physically weak, it’s a miracle he carries them all.”
That alone made him worthy of S-Class status.
“If you really want to eat sothing, I’ll make you so myself.”
“Grrrk.”
And Honey seed perfectly happy with that.
Reviews
All reviews (0)