The Artist Who Paints Dungeon-Chapter 130

"The Chaisol Brothers."

In the end, Chaisol was summoned by Kang Seodam.

"I'll ask you directly."

"Yes."

"Have you ever had contact with an evil god?"

"...Yes!"

"I appreciate your honesty."

"But wait a moment, sir."

"Speak, I am listening."

"Thank you...!"

Taking a deep breath, Chaisol spoke with great seriousness.

"It might not have been an evil god!"

"......"

Kang Seodam did not hastily deny it.

"Indeed, it is a somewhat ridiculous act to separate evil gods from the human perspective."

"Maybe it’s actually a very good god."

"What I can tell you is that most gods, from a human standpoint, are quite evil."

"Yes, I remember."

"You’re a diligent student. I, too, serve a god, but I can clearly tell you this."

He shook his head.

"Gods are not beings to be trusted or relied upon."

"I’ve been wondering, don’t you think the God of the Sun gets angry or upset when you speak like that?"

"What’s important to gods isn’t words, but actions and results. As long as you don’t engage in actions that have a harmful effect, they won’t punish you."

"Surprisingly, gods are... somewhat..."

"They are indifferent, yes, and that’s the case in reality. It’s because they have a low understanding of human beings."

Kang Seodam rummaged through the materials in his office drawer.

"That’s why some prospective priests hope for evil gods who have a high understanding of humans. Once they become official priests and actually serve a god, they wouldn’t say such things... Ah, here it is."

He placed a few documents in front of Chaisol.

"This is the information on evil gods recognized in the country. Feel free to take it."

"T-thank you...?"

"But based on Chaisol’s reaction, it seems you already have a god in mind."

"Can I say it?"

"Do you know the name of this god? It’s a very rare case."

Kang Seodam stroked his chin.

"Most evil gods have separate names so humans can call them without burden. The evil god you know—does it have a separate nickname? Our Seoul branch of the Sun Church has a secondary name, ‘The Light of Justice,’ for example..."

Chaisol gestured to Kang Seodam. Kang Seodam, obediently leaning in to listen, heard Chaisol whispering.

"The Black Cloak."

"...Oh..."

Slowly returning to his original position, Kang Seodam nodded.

"I see."

"Yes."

"......"

"Did I do something wrong...?"

"...That’s something we’ll have to think about more."

Kang Seodam pondered for a moment and then asked again.

"Earlier, you said you still don’t know whether this god is an evil god or a traditional god."

"Yes, how can we distinguish them?"

"Look at whether the claims and powers of the god harm humans or not."

"Then, it’s not an evil god!"

"But most evil gods often present false claims."

Kang Seodam called in the prospective priest, Iruda, who had been waiting outside the door. Iruda, who had been preparing to return to the break room with his partner, Chaisol, quickly entered and looked at Kang Seodam.

"It’s the third time we’ve met today, Sister Iruda."

"It seems so."

"I believe you were the one who told Chaisol about this evil god."

"...That’s correct."

"I’d like to hear the reason why you thought so. May I?"

"Yes, I’ll explain."

Iruda spoke with an expression that seemed disillusioned by the world, but still explained patiently.

"I saw a picture that Chaisol had drawn. It was black..."

"I just heard from Chaisol what entity we’re talking about."

"I’m glad you did. When I saw the black shape he drew, I felt a chill and unease."

"Could it be that you just mistook the god’s intimidating presence?"

"As far as I know, it wasn’t blatant, but the evil god’s malevolent divinity was indeed present."

"Not blatant..."

Kang Seodam then asked.

"Didn’t you feel a warm energy?"

"Yes? Yes. Chaisol did mention that it might be okay because it feels warm."

Chaisol murmured in response.

"It’s really warm."

"I’m not optimized to sense divine warmth."

"Divine warmth?"

"......"

Iruda hesitated, and instead, Kang Seodam explained.

"Do you remember when I said that a god is nature and fate with a will?"

"Yes, I remember."

"Humans have a very narrow range of perception. Unless one becomes a very devout believer, even an ordinary person would never sense a god in their lifetime."

"Ah..."

"Fortunately, thanks to awakening as a priest, we can sense gods more easily. That’s why every priest interprets and accepts the god differently."

Kang Seodam pointed at Iruda.

"In the case of Sister Iruda, she senses the volume of the god."

"The volume?"

"How big the god is, where it touches you, how loud its voice is. Simply put, she can feel the entire size of the god."

"I see..."

"In the case of Chaisol, it seems that he’s sensitive to the god’s temperature. Unlike Sister Iruda, who easily perceives the god’s pressure and violence, Chaisol is more attuned to sensing the god’s affection or mercy."

Kang Seodam, having explained both priests’ abilities, pointed to himself.

"But for most priests, including myself, it’s not easy to sense a god. That’s why we rely on the orders of the church. The longer we stay in the temple, the more it becomes convenient to understand the god’s will."

"......"

"This means that both Chaisol and Iruda are very capable as priests. Other priests, when they reach my age, will have their own ways of serving gods, but for now..."

Kang Seodam looked at Chaisol.

"That’s why I’m especially concerned about what god Chaisol will form a contract with. Especially since it overlaps with Chaisol’s personality... There are some worrying aspects."

"Am I that anxious?"

"Honestly, yes. I know that Chaisol has an unexpectedly shrewd and clever side, but kids his age are especially prone to being swept up by emotions."

"...Ugh..."

After some hesitation, Chaisol asked.

"What should I do?"

"Has this god directly suggested a contract with you?"

"No, we’ve met privately a few times."

"I still don’t know if that entity is an evil god or a traditional god."

Although he didn’t say it directly, the Black Cloak had once been touched by the fair light that Chaisol revered. Since it had been approved by the goddess of traditional providence, it would be hard to simply categorize it as an evil god.

Even when considering gods of death, there were those who respected human providence and those who broke the order, spreading the agony of death across the world. It was difficult to categorize gods from a human standpoint.

"As I mentioned in today’s class, evil gods can easily penetrate human desires and anger. Even someone who was once intellectual can be turned into an embodiment of greed or a berserker of rage."

They easily ruin humans. An evil god could turn even a righteous knight into a miserable killer in an instant.

"There’s a subtlety to this that traditional gods lack. It happens without you even realizing, very naturally. Evil gods are, after all, a kind of nature and fate."

"......"

"In our Sun Church, we’ve had priests who were once captivated by evil gods and ruined their lives and those around them. Even though they made a contract with a god out of altruism, like saints, they eventually fell."

Kang Seodam emphasized.

"Don’t trust gods."

"...But then, why make a contract?"

"I misspoke. I meant that you shouldn’t approach gods with human emotions."

"Yes."

"You can believe and rely on gods as much as you want, but you must not expect human-like qualities from them."

"......"

"Evil gods, in particular, are very subtle about this..."

Kang Seodam, who was about to say more, closed his mouth.

"......"

"...Sir?"

"...No, it’s just..."

He continued.

"I hope you are careful."

"Yes, yes."

"As I mentioned, the entity you’re talking about isn’t something that has been observed on Earth for long."

"Yes, I’ve heard that."

"So, there’s not much data, but... Hmm."

Kang Seodam nodded.

"I haven’t felt any negative energy from Chaisol yet."

"Ah, so it’s okay for me to keep meeting with them?"

"I’d advise against rushing into a contract. If you just avoid that, half the battle is won."

"Why avoid the contract?"

"No god can create a follower without a contract. The reason why no devout believer can be considered a priest without using divine power is because of that."

"Ah..."

"For various reasons, gods don’t influence the human realm without a contract. The contract is the last line of defense."

"So, as long as I don’t make a contract, it’s fine?"

"We’ll need to observe the situation more, but for now, that’s sufficient."

Iruda, who had been listening to their conversation, intervened.

"Is this still okay? Maybe the evil ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) god could have brainwashed me without me noticing..."

"I may not be as much of a genius as Sister Iruda, but I have more experience."

"Even so..."

"My partner was once captivated by an evil god and was executed. I took the lead in that."

"......"

"I am the one who can recognize the signs of an evil god better than anyone."

He smiled faintly.

"Don’t worry, Chaisol is under the protection of the Sun."

"I was rude. I apologize."

"I understand your concern for your brother."

"Thank you."

"However, if anything unusual happens, please let me know at any time."

"I will."

As Iruda stepped out of the counseling room, she buried her face in her hands.

"......"

"Ruda?"

"I made a mistake."

"You like me too much."

"It’s annoying because it’s not wrong."

"Does that make me feel very secure?"

"...If you know, do it well."

"How?"

"Let me know whenever he contacts you..."

"I will."

They continued their quiet conversation as they headed to their assigned room.

"By the way, didn’t you say in today’s class that scholars summoned evil gods?"

"That’s right."

"So, even if we’re not priests, it means we can summon gods? Even ordinary people, not just those awakened like us?"

"Even non-priest regular believers can use divine power, so it’s somewhat expected."

"But most people can’t even imagine summoning a god."

"That’s because knowledge about gods hasn’t been popularized."

Above all, the chaotic world today had too low a civic consciousness to handle knowledge about gods.

"Most people don’t want to risk doing crazy things, so knowledge about calling gods is usually controlled by the government and associations. If there are people who know it in detail, it’s probably the three major guilds."

"Guilds..."

"Unless you serve a god of the same type, if you serve a different god, you can join a private guild after becoming an official priest. With Chaisol’s personality, this more flexible approach might suit him better."

"What about the partner?" frёewebnoѵēl.com

"I’ve heard they usually work together. There’s no strict rule, but it’s hard to find a colleague you’re so in sync with."

"Oooh...."

Chaisol didn’t really confirm anything yet.

"Well, you never know what the future holds."

"That mindset is wise."

"So, only high-ranking people know about god-related knowledge?"

"They don’t just know. There are groups that control some knowledge about it."

"What if someone from that group has bad intentions?"

"...That’s...."

Iruda sighed.

"...It’s the sin of the human who trusted them."

That’s why, in the end, we rely on gods.

Humans are neither eternal nor strong enough to rely on themselves.