"Geo," Yoo Seong-Woon called out to the portrait.

It was 4:29 AM.

"Geo, are you awake?"

"I am awake."

"Good."

He knew this was usually the time Geo woke up.

'There are days we skip, but the window for communication is typically between 4 and 5 AM... I should keep observing, but it might be good to think of this as a rule.'

'The Portrait of Geo' was friendly to humans, but like any entity of the Origin, it showed no mercy to those who broke its rules. Even though it appeared almost human-like in its gentlemanly demeanor, caution was necessary.

"I wanted to have a chat."

"Do you have a task for me?"

"I heard you've been roaming around the office building lately. There's quite the buzz."

"I am curious about this rumor."

"You might not like it, but they call you 'The Black Cloak'."

Yoo Seong-Woon continued with a characteristic nonchalant smile.

"There seems to be a rumor that 'The Black Cloak gives gifts to good people'."

The sharp-eyed Bisa Beul had personally recruited each guild member. Regardless of their physical strength, they were not lacking in brains.

They had figured out some of 'The Black Cloak's' rules.

"Did you give gifts to others this time too?"

"I did not give to everyone."

"I know, to those who were particularly polite or kind, right?"

There was a common trait among those who had received gifts from Geo.

'Either they were too weak, or they were strong.'

He had a hunch.

The very weak probably received gifts as an apology for frightening them, and the strong, who communicated well even in the presence of Geo’s formidable presence, were deemed 'polite' by Geo.

Gifts of apology or thanks. It fit the one-to-one rule well.

'Those who were neither here nor there didn't receive anything.'

Those strong enough not to cry but not spirited enough to converse in the presence of such a powerful entity did not receive gifts.

"Hmm..."

It seemed necessary to explain this part to prevent potential incidents.

'Geo isn't so rough that communication is impossible since it mimics a human.'

But ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) how do you define a being from the Origin as gentlemanly?

'This should be okay.'

Yoo Seong-Woon prepared himself mentally before speaking.

"Some of our employees might not respond properly or might even run away if approached... That doesn't make them bad people. They're just a bit more fearful."

"..."

"A large, mysterious figure in a black cloak suddenly appearing in an empty hallway at dawn can scare anyone."

Yoo Seong-Woon purposefully portrayed Geo as an ordinary person.

Geo considered itself a regular human, and revealing its true nature and spirit would likely do no good.

"It might feel rude to you, but those folks aren't trying to be impolite on purpose. From their fearful point of view, it might have been too much to handle."

A calm voice soon responded.

"I understand what you mean."

"Really? Thanks."

As a curator and a gardener, Yoo Seong-Woon couldn't help but worry.

'If a rabbit shrinks before a wolf, that's natural. But if that's interpreted as rude and evil, things could get complicated. Innocent people might end up getting hurt.'

To an entity from the Origin, human standards are meaningless. Especially since 'The Portrait of Geo' is sensitive to notions of good and evil, morality, and manners, the problem is that its standards could be vastly different from humans'.

A person who might be good or faultless from a human's perspective could seem evil to Geo.

Thinking of Geo's several statements disliking rude and evil beings was chilling.

'When I learned there were people who didn't receive gifts, it really sent shivers down my spine.'

Wasn't that Geo making a distinction among humans?

"You said before, you don't think the guild master of Bisa Beul is a bad person, right?"

"Yes, that is correct."

"Everyone in this company was personally recruited by him. Not through large-scale interviews but one-by-one with great care."

"That must have taken a lot of time and effort. Impressive."

"I just wanted to say that while our guild members may not all be saintly, they are competent and good people."

In a world like this, who hasn't committed a crime? But those chosen by Bisa Beul were at least not bad enough to be called villains.

"They may not be outstanding in character, but they are ordinary people."

"Yes."

"...Would it be too rude to hope you don't see them in a bad light?"

It's unclear how Geo distinguishes between good and evil among humans.

'But just like humans have emotional skills... Geo must have its own criteria for judgment. Otherwise, it wouldn't have decisively said that the guild master, who it hadn't even conversed with, wasn't a bad person.'

Unlike Yoo Seong-Woon's thought, since it wasn't bound within a frame, Geo still lacked means to assess the 'safety' of those beyond the portrait.

Those who received gifts this time and those who didn't were because Geo gave them as a concept of reward whenever it felt thankful or sorry. There wasn't any deep value judgment in it.

But unaware of this, Yoo Seong-Woon couldn't help but suspect Geo's emotional skills.

'I hope its criteria aren't too harsh.'

Bisa Beul had said this ghost story scare was a kind of vaccination.

A preventative measure to help 'The Portrait of Geo,' an unmanageable natural disaster, adapt to this world and for its members to understand and accommodate him.

Therefore, Yoo Seong-Woon had no choice but to try various methods.

"What do you think?"

"..."

Luckily, or perhaps naturally, Geo responded with its usual stoic face.

"I did not think they were bad people."

"Really?"

"The only reason I didn't give them gifts was that I judged they did not need them, and some people ran away before doing anything. I didn't think they were evil."

"..."

"I just thought there was no need to give gifts."

That was truly a relief.

'At least they weren't judged as rude or evil people. There was a reason why there were no injuries despite the increasing sightings.'

Just when he was relieved, Geo continued.

"I do have a little resentment towards those who ignored or ran away from my questions."

"Ah."

"However, I understand. As you said, a man in a black cloak appearing suddenly in a deserted corridor can indeed be a subject of fear. It wouldn't be true if I said I wasn't displeased, but I have no intention of being angry."

Geo added with an explanation.

"But I am a person too, so I cannot help feeling negative emotions."

"Ah, right."

"I tried to converse politely, but if such incidents continue to happen, it hurts my feelings. I hope the employees here do not ignore or avoid 'The Black Cloak' in this manner."

"I'll talk to the guild master about that."

Yoo Seong-Woon swallowed his discomfort.

'...So he was upset after all.'

Just being 'not a bad person' doesn't mean 'not impolite'.

Even an ordinary person would get angry if rejected by those around them, especially since Geo, believing itself to be human, is an entity of the Origin.

Even if it was mistaken about being human, it wouldn't be happy if people transgressed the clear rules it had.

'Even so... it's unlikely that the fear of the ghost story will be completely quelled. It's natural for humans to feel intimidated in the presence of such a high spirit. Maybe I should at least make new rules within the office building to regulate the employees' actions.'

After a moment of thought, Yoo Seong-Woon nodded.

"...We have a tight-knit relationship centered around the guild master. Since he personally brought each one of them, the employees have a strong attachment to him."

"Yes."

"I'll speak to the guild master to ensure your discomfort doesn't continue. If the guild master strongly advocates, the other employees will likely be persuaded."

"I would appreciate that."

As they spoke, Geo was suddenly holding a jar he hadn't seen before.

"..."

Wait, not a jar.

It was a jar, not a bottle, and it was so large it had to be cradled in one arm, not just held in one hand.

"...What's that?"

"This is a thank you gift for listening to my complaints and requests."

"I haven't even finished the cookies you gave me last time?"

"Why is that?"

"Ah..."

"It's not out of anger. I'm just curious because it hasn't been long since you got them, yet you still have some left. Would you please answer?"

If you are reading this translation anywhere other than Novelight.net or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.

If it were an ordinary human, one might think Geo was being sarcastic or angry, but Geo was clearly an entity of the Origin. It seemed to be a genuine question, so Yoo Seong-Woon answered with an apologetic face.

"Sorry, they're just so effective when I'm tired that I've been saving them. It's not that your gift was disagreeable or didn't suit my taste."

"You don't need to apologize to me. I gave you the gift, and now it's yours. You don't need to justify yourself to me. However, I'm glad to hear that it gave you strength when you were tired."

"It's kind of embarrassing to hear you say that..."

Yoo Seong-Woon looked at the jar in the portrait.

"So, what is that?"

Geo removed his hand from the jar to show it to him.

"It's fruit preserves."

"...That's what it is?"

"Anyone would say it's fruit preserves."

"Ah, right..."

Anyone would say it's not just fruit preserves.

'...Is that supposed

to be fruit preserves?'

Though fruit and sugar are expensive ingredients and not commonly eaten, Yoo Seong-Woon was a capable hunter with a significant income. It wasn't likely he hadn't tried fruit preserves that even a second-class citizen could buy.

'But what I know of fruit preserves and this... are quite different.'

It had the color of twilight. Perhaps it should be described as a shade close to orange-red.

The transparent, clean liquid shone like the surface of a jewel, and within it, a vivid color lay dormant, evoking the evening sunset.

'There's something like fruit settled in it, but...'

Its color was so enchanting it seemed almost inedible.

"This comes with ice to mix in."

"...It looks exactly like a pearl."

"It's called an ice pearl. Mr. Yoo Seong-Woon, you seem to have the insight to guess its name right away."

"Oh, right. Insight..."

"If it's not at a hot temperature, the ice won't melt, so I recommend melting it in hot tea if you wish to consume it."

"..."

Wow.

I can feel it.

'I don't think I can handle this.'

After receiving tea leaves from Geo and asking him to 'ease up a bit', he got cookies as a return for the seeds. Those were not ordinary either. They were so effective at recovering fatigue that he couldn't finish them all at once, which was precisely the situation now.

'But this time there's a lot.'

He seems to enjoy cooking quite a bit. Perhaps this entity of the Origin doesn't understand how small human stomachs are.

"Please accept it."

"...Isn't this too much?"

"Please eat a lot. Mr. Yoo Seong-Woon, you would look better with more weight."

"I'm robust enough as it is."

He hadn't seen his body directly, but judging by the outline of his cloak, Yoo Seong-Woon probably had more muscle mass than Geo.

But to gain more weight? Yoo Seong-Woon found it hard to comprehend.

'...Wait, by weight, does he mean fat?'

Was Geo some kind of man-eating monster?

"I don't taste good."

"That's an amusing joke."

"I was serious."

Fortunately, it didn't seem to be the mindset of a witch fattening up children before eating them.

'It's not for humans to judge what aesthetic preferences an entity of the Origin might have.'

Geo seemed to prefer slightly fatter humans, visually.

While having a perfectly balanced body itself, it's a bit odd that it likes fatter people. What kind of story does this entity of the Origin have?

'...And thinking about it, if he says he's giving a gift, it's all about eating, and he mentioned cooking or dining when bored. He seems to really enjoy food in various ways. Likes fatter people, has unusually large hands, and enjoys giving gifts...'

This guy, a grandma?

"..."

"What are you thinking about?"

"Ah, sorry. Just some random thoughts."

"That so."

Fortunately, Geo did not pry further.

"This gift is given in gratitude for your kindness, and I wanted to share this newly blended fruit preserve that seems to have ripened deliciously."

"Hmm... That’s nice."

While nodding nonchalantly, Yoo Seong-Woon thought to himself.

'...Does he know he's bound by rules?'

Geo's recent statement sounded as if it was implying 'I have to receive something to give you a gift.' Maybe the one-to-one rule wasn't created by Geo himself.

'Or maybe he created it and then forgot about it.'

If the only memory that exists in such a high spirit is that of a 29-year-old young man, it was a plausible hypothesis.

"...I'll take it since you're giving it to me, but..."

Yoo Seong-Woon looked at the fruit preserves and used his emotional skill.

[Honey of the Leylines] [Grade: –] Fruit preserves made from mongdung fruits and drought jars native to the ley lines of fate. Characterized by a tangy, sweet taste and deep umami. Made by Geo, the master of the forest, to be consumable by human bodies. When diluted with water, it maximally restores human physical abilities. Especially excellent for malnutrition.

Adding ice pearls from the glacier beneath Geo's cabin greatly enhances the recovery of physical and mental functions.

"..."

"Don't you like the fragrance?"

"You really can cook."

It might be nice if he cooked a little less well.