Chapter 143

After all the visitors had left, the bishop summoned the priest who had guided 'Seo Jio' today.

The priest in white robes, holding a white lantern, entered the room where Death's manifestation resided and paid his respects.

He extinguished the lantern, then went before the bishop seated in the darkness and waited for what would be said.

"You have worked hard today."

Before long, the bishop opened her mouth.

"It must have been trying."

"It was my honor."

"It must surely have been a day of great anxiety."

"This priest is still lacking..."

"Who could straighten their back before divinity?"

"I thank you for your mercy, vast as the sea."

"Yes..."

The bishop gestured for him to sit, then asked.

"Tell me what you saw and heard."

"Yes, Bishop."

The priest bowed his head deeply, then continued.

"He seemed extremely skilled at dealing with humans."

"So it seemed to me as well."

"At times, he seemed merely like a very powerful human, but there were also moments when it seemed as though his personality changed in an instant."

"Personality, you say? Do you mean it appeared as if his self changed?"

"No, not that. It seemed as though both his self and memories remained intact, and only his nature changed."

"How ever-changing."

"What I heard was a voice heavy like a father, a voice warm as sunlight, and a sharp voice in which cruel interest could be felt."

"He is truly one who reaches infinite transformation."

The bishop nodded.

"I hear he bestowed a reward upon you."

"Yes, this..."

The priest placed a paper-wrapped object on a small, pitch-black tray decorated with mother-of-pearl.

Then it flowed along the water spread across the floor and soon reached the bishop.

The bishop lifted the object.

An extremely rich sweet scent drifted from it.

"I shall not open this. What did he say?"

"He said it was dried fruit. He also said it would be sweet."

"Did he say anything else?"

"He said he hoped I would not fear him..."

"And?"

"He said that when we met next, he hoped I would be more at ease."

"I see."

The bishop placed the gift back on the tray, then gently pushed it back to the priest.

After bowing politely, the priest tucked the rustling gift into his robe.

After confirming it, the bishop spoke from beyond the black veil.

"You have received his grace, so you must give thanks, but do not harm your family."

"Yes, Bishop."

"If he visits our house again, you are to attend him."

"Yes, Bishop."

"I should give you advice concerning him as well, but circumstances do not permit..."

After trailing off, the bishop only spoke again a long while later.

"Father called him a friend, so you too must take an attitude befitting that."

"I shall do my utmost to offer his friend the most devoted hospitality."

"He does not desire grand hospitality. Treat him as a single visitor... while remembering that he is Father's friend."

"This foolish priest will do so."

"He is an evil god, but do not fear him. Before he was wicked divinity, he was providence and a hero."

"..."

"He considers himself human."

How does he intend to walk that harsh path of mercy?

"I too am Father's foolish child, so there is not much advice I can give you. Only, he is one who flows like a river, so do not think to go against him. Simply entrust yourself to the current. If you do, you will not incur his wrath."

"Yes, I shall engrave it upon my heart."

"I have kept his identity silent from the other children besides you. I trust you have done the same. Since he desires to be treated not as a god but as a human, we must not allow that mystery to grow here."

"I shall keep that firmly in mind."

At the sight of the priest bowing his head deeply, the bishop spoke in her distinctive gentle voice.

"I consider you my successor, so you must conduct yourself wisely."

"Yes, Bishop."

"Since Father called him a friend, your role has become important."

After a brief silence, the bishop soon nodded.

"He is a dear friend acknowledged by Father, so there is no way the gift he gave could be harmful. Enjoy that gift, but if anything unusual occurs, give me a word. I shall advise you."

"I thank you for the grace you have bestowed."

"Go back and rest. This is Father's room, the room where Death resides, and it will still be poison to you. When you can accept silence and darkness more easily, I shall call you here again."

"Then I shall take my leave."

The priest bowed his head once more, then quietly left the room of Death as he was.

"..."

The only human left within Death, the bishop, set the pipe in her hand onto the surface of the water.

The pipe, made of pitch-black bamboo and gold, did not sink into the shallow water and merely reflected its shadow.

From within the black veil, the bishop called her father.

"Father."

"..."

"If you have any other intention, please call for this daughter at any time."

"... My... daughter..."

"Yes, Father. Your child is here."

"Were you... afraid."

"Father was protecting me, so I was not afraid."

Only.

"I was wary because his divinity was wicked."

The bishop who served the god of death and his manifestation was not a saintess.

Because the Death of this place lowered himself and used a manifestation, communication with the god of death was possible through effort alone, without any special qualifications.

However, when one served divinity at such close quarters, there were things one came to learn naturally.

The bishop had noticed that the wicked divinity who visited today bore a certain similarity to her Father's.

"May I truly not be anxious?"

"He..."

"Yes, Father. This daughter is listening."

"... Flows..."

"Does he flow like Father's river?"

"There is no reason to go against him, and none can go against him... so cherish him greatly."

"... How could I dare cherish divinity?"

"He is not lonely, yet he deserves to be loved."

"..."

The bishop laughed softly.

"You are talkative today."

"Do you like it."

"I like the silence as well, but I like days like this too."

"I like it as well..."

Without a single sound, Death's arms and hands groped through his room.

The dragonlike river that formed him continued to flow, and the pitch-black veil that wrapped Death swayed along with the bells adorned upon it.

Death expressed his mood by laughing silently with his whole body.

"He is in sin, yet not a sinner; he knows himself to be human, yet has touched providence; and though he was born under a wicked star, he was once a hero."

"I did not know such a mystery existed."

"Nor did I see him until he showed himself directly. Yet he exists as a human, and his story is also very valuable and rare, so I shall covet that young friend."

"Will you do so, Father?"

The bishop lifted the pipe again.

"Shall we seek out his temple?"

"He is human, so he has no temple."

"I wish to express sincerity."

"Then become his friend. That is what he desires."

"A friend..."

Exhaling mist instead of smoke through the pipe, the bishop nodded.

"When he visits again, I shall welcome him."

"That... will do."

"Will you sleep?"

"... Yes..."

"May you keep clamor far away and sleep deeply."

"..."

"I shall guard your side."

When Death stopped making sound, the bishop also exhaled only mist.

A familiar silence settled over the pitch-black room.

For the record.

"They said I am ageless and immortal."

"... Is that so?"

"I think it is truly incredible."

The mere news that he was ageless and immortal could not dampen Jio's spirits.

"I wonder if I am leaving my mark on human history."

"If you say you're ordinary after that, I might really cry."

"I would be grateful if you would call me ordinary, even as empty words."

"I have no idea what kind of stubbornness that is supposed to be."

"It meant that I hope you will not discriminate against this extraordinary me."

"Oh... I see..."

Yu Seongun nodded and adjusted the car's direction as he asked.

"But is that all?"

"What do you mean?"

"Most people are more startled when they find out they're ageless and immortal."

"When I am already a portrait, is being ageless and immortal really something to be startled by?"

"I don't know. I think it's startling enough in its own way."

"My mental fortitude is not so weak."

"No, well, I was saying that ordinary people would be like that."

Yu Seongun muttered inwardly.

'I meant you should do a better job if you want to imitate a human.'

Somehow, as the days went by, Jio's imitation of a human seemed to grow clumsier.

He thought it was probably because Yu Seongun was a particularly easy human for him to deal with, but even so, from the position of someone watching from beside him, it could only be awkward.

'What tune am I supposed to dance to so Jio's mood won't turn sour?'

Feeling a little bitter, Yu Seongun wore his usual mild smile.

"But if you're ageless and immortal..."

"Yes."

"The Symbols of Eternity are ageless and immortal too, and you were worried that they would be lonely."

"I was."

"Aren't you worried?"

"..."

After pretending to ponder for a moment, Jio soon blinked.

"Not particularly."

"Why not?"

"Because I am confident I can eat well and live well."

"Mm, you certainly do look that way."

Yu Seongun ended up accepting it.

It did seem as if his life had no room to become boring.

"Then were you worried about the Symbols of Eternity because those people are not you?"

"It may sound arrogant and haughty, but to summarize, you could put it that way."

Jio nodded.

"I am such a free spirit that I can live peacefully inside a portrait, but do they not have the heavy responsibility of controlling the fate of this country and Earth?"

"You're right."

"In that case, I think it would be difficult to eat well and live well. The future of countless lives rests on each step they take, and everyone in the world must focus on and fear them."

"Does that look bad to you?"

"Does it not mean they intend to spend their whole lives working while being revered by other people or cursed by them, in a life where there is not even enough time to do only enjoyable things? It does not look very good."

"I see..."

Yu Seongun thought quietly.

'It seems like he himself lived a life not much different from that.'

He recalled Giovanni's story.

They said he had saved countless people, wishing for the conflict between merpeople and humans to ease, and on the other hand wishing for more people to stop suffering.

And after all that, they said he had died in the most terrible and miserable form.

'And even after dying that way, he was preserved in the form of a portrait like this.'

Since 'Jio's Portrait' was fundamentally Root from the start, Yu Seongun was not too worried, but it was also true that it felt pitiful from a human perspective.

After all, living the life of Root as a human would likely be even more burdensome than being one of the Symbols of Eternity.

After pondering for a moment, Yu Seongun asked again.

"You are all right, aren't you?"

"I am very satisfied with my life."

"If you're ageless and immortal, I don't think anyone can exactly call you ordinary..."

"I do not think it is a major problem."

"You will have to watch many connections besides yourself die."

Jio was confident.

"Why would that be a problem?"

"..."

Oh, I see.

Yu Seongun was at a loss for words.

"... So you don't particularly want to pretend to be ordinary either, do you?"

"Mr. Yu Seongun, you are a reliable friend, so I am trying to speak honestly with you."

"Ah, that really is something to be grateful for."

"Of course, it will be sad to have to watch my friends die."

Jio continued.

"But there will be more happiness and joy from the time we spent together while they were alive than sorrow after death."

"... That is..."

"I am already busy looking for friends now, so I do not think I need to mourn their deaths in advance."

"..."

"Death is one state, not something to be avoided and feared. I do not think deeply about it."

He asked.

"How strange. Mr. Yu Seongun, when you make friends, do you first worry about their death?"

"... I don't."

"Then why should I fear the death of a friend who has not even come yet?"

Well, because an ordinary human would fear being left alone?

'... Come to think of it, if it's Jio, he would make another friend in an instant. I briefly forgot that he is an existence with no chance of being left alone, at least.'

Separately from that, Yu Seongun did think, 'He really has no intention of imitating an ordinary human.'

Since this was probably a relaxed side he only showed in front of Yu Seongun, perhaps it was not something he needed to worry about too much.

In the end, Yu Seongun, who had been about to say something, soon gave up.

He smiled mildly.

"Well, I'm sure you'll handle it well on your own."

Despite how he looked like this, once mixed into a crowd, he was still someone who imitated a human well enough, was he not?

'Still, if this is his rule, being this honest before someone he has defined as a friend... I should try to find someone to become Jio's secretary as quickly as possible.'

Thinking that, Yu Seongun asked.

"So, now that you've spoken with the god of death, have your questions been answered?"

"Yes, I realized what I have to do."

Arjio declared confidently.

"I will become the Demon King."

"..."

SCREECH.

As they stopped at a red light, Yu Seongun laughed like a sigh.

"... Could you explain that in simpler terms?"

Conversations with Root consumed so very much mental energy every time.