50 chapter
50 chapter
The deceased seniors said, “Don’t trust monsters.”
“That’s not wrong.”
Cha Ara was someone who acknowledged the deep-rooted distrust of monsters in the hunter community.
In fact, the word “distrust” is a bit strange, because no one trusts a wild boar that came down from the mountain.
“Trusting is stupid.”
Before discussing trust or anything else, hunters and monsters were in a relationship where their very existence threatened each other’s right to survive.
The monsters mentioned here mostly lived in dungeons, and there were also those that settled on Earth in modern times. The common denominator among the monsters, which varied in size and taste, was that they were dangerous.
“Monsters are basically hostile to life forms on Earth.”
It didn’t matter how insignificant or strong their abilities were. Being unilaterally hostile to something other than humans devastated a person’s spirit.
“…….”
In that context, Cha-Ara had a hard time accepting the current situation.
“You’d better watch your step.”
“Oh, yes?”
“There’s a fault right in front of you.”
“Ah….”
“Your eyes are dark.”
No, your eyes are bright.
‘Even if you were talking to a monster, they wouldn’t understand.’
The bird that Black Cloak had called ‘Honey’ brightly illuminated the world for a moment, but the bird returned to a soft brightness and hid behind the hood of the cloak.
Thanks to that, Cha-Ara was following Black Cloak, following the light of Anticat.
‘Is it because the body itself is so black, I can’t see it well even when it’s close. If Anticat hadn’t been there, I really wouldn’t have been able to follow… .’
Anyway, she knew that ‘Sergio’ was taking care of her.
‘Aside from the fact that she’s a little awkward at imitating humans… you know.’
Who would come to a cold cave like this barefoot in the first place?
In fact, Geo had his own circumstances. The reason he sometimes walked around barefoot outside the portrait was because he took off his shoes at home.
Since he drew pictures to create passageways and entrances, the places he moved to were mostly the workshop in the cabin, but Geo, who came straight from there to the dungeon, didn’t bother to bring his shoes.
Since the ‘Jewel’s Vein’ was dark, he thought that if he ran into someone, they wouldn’t look at his feet.
“…….”
However, from Cha Ara’s perspective, it felt like he was poorly imitating human clothing.
“Um, but, what about the house….”
“I’m almost there.”
“I, I see?”
Cha Ara felt a little relieved by the friendly treatment.
‘… Judging from the fact that he answers every time, I don’t think he has any negative feelings toward me.’
Since regular monsters don’t have this level of intelligence, they can’t be compared.
But basically, monsters are almost always easy, and when they see people, they want to see the color of their internal organs.
‘I heard that humanoid monsters aren’t much different…’
Even if monsters were kind to humans, from a human’s perspective, it was a disaster.
So, even though she didn’t quite understand this kind of polite treatment, Cha-Ara tried to suppress her fear and followed Black Cloak.
‘If things were to continue like this, I would starve to death anyway. In that case, it would be ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) better to do something.’
As Cha-Ara tried to calm her mind, Black Cloak stopped in his tracks and opened his mouth.
He pointed to the wall.
“This is it.”
“…….”
A picture frame?
‘… It’s an empty frame with only a forest background and no people.’
Then, it could just be called a ‘landscape painting,’ but Cha-Ara felt that this wasn’t a complete work of art because something felt empty.
“…Ah.”
She soon realized that it was somehow familiar.
“Did I see it last time…?”
“Yes, this is where I’m staying.”
“…Oh, I see.”
A drawing of a person. I’m not sure, but I know that the black cloak’s essence is a portrait.
‘When we met before, it was also a portrait.’
The black cloak held out its hand.
“Come in.”
“…….”
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t scared.
‘… If I stay here like this, I’ll just starve to death.’
She was already tired of waiting for new hunters who might or might not come while starving in the darkness where she couldn’t see anything.
Some might say it was a foolish decision, but Cha-Ara didn’t want to miss the opportunity right in front of her.
“Hoo….”
She grabbed the opponent with slightly trembling hands.
“…Ah…!”
Then, her mind went blank for a moment.
Cha Ara felt like her body was entering the painting.
She didn’t feel like herself, and after feeling a hazy floating sensation, and then a strange sensation passing by dozens or hundreds of times, she was finally able to come to her senses.
“…….”
As if that brief confusion had never happened, the gentle and clear air and reason greeted Cha Ara.
“…….”
“Are you okay?”
“…Yes, yes.”
It happened in an instant.
‘… Just now, something… .’
But she definitely felt a creepy sense of distance as she passed through the frame.
“…….”
It was fear.
Or was it loneliness?
Cha Ara, who had never been to school and was not good at expressing herself, wondered how to describe the sensation she had felt at that moment.
If she were to evaluate it after quite some time had passed, it was an eerie and strange sensation, as if she had been left alone in space for a moment.
“…This is….”
“This is the house I’m staying in.”
Black Cloak said and put down the cat, Anticat, that he was holding in his arms.
“Honey, I’ll be your little brother, so take care of him.”
“Kurururuk.”
“Good.”
The way he spoke to the bird made of water was like a scene from a fairy tale.
“…….”
This space was the same.
A dense chest of drawers filled the walls. Paints with scents from nature, canvases hanging on easels made of carved wood… .
“…Studio?”
But.
‘Why is it empty?’
Not a single canvas had a painting on it.
The air was mild. The scenery was peaceful. But for some reason, Cha-Ara felt eerie as she saw parts that were similar to the lifestyles of humans but different one by one.
“Yes, this is my studio.”
“This may be a rude question, but… I don’t have any paintings.”
“I’ve always painted.”
“…….”
“It’s just that it’s no longer a painting.”
It was a story that sent shivers down my spine because it was so difficult to understand.
“A completed painting either goes away on its own, or… it stays like this.”
“…Wasn’t it a passage? This, uh, was a painting?”
“It’s both a passage and a painting.”
The monster answered bluntly and covered the frame of the ‘Jewel’s Vein’, the passage where Chaara came out, with a black cloth.
Only then did Chaara realize that there were several frames covered with cloth like this all over the studio.
“…….”
“Would you like to see it?”
“Oh, no.”
“Well, you must be hungry.”
Chaara blinked at the other person’s words.
‘… Didn’t your voice change?
No, the voice itself was no different than before. But… .
“Aren’t you scared of me now?”
“…Yes? Oh, yes?”
“I asked because you seemed more relaxed than before.”
“That, uh, that, that….”
“…….”
Seeing Cha Ara stutter, the monster tilted its head but waited for her. Cha Ara, who once again saw consideration in that, was able to calm herself down and continue speaking.
“…Yes, it seems less scary than before….”
“Thank goodness.”
The black cloak’s voice was polite and soft.
“When I go outside, people are scared of me. I think it’s because I’m a portrait.”
He opened the door to the studio.
“The kitchen is on the first floor.”
“Kitchen….”
It was too homely a word to hear in the monster’s lair.
Cha-Ara felt a strange awkwardness, but she mustered up her courage and asked.
“Can I, can I go with you?”
“Of course.”
“Thank you….”
Cha-Ara followed the monster just like she did in ‘Jewel’s Vein.’ It was a completely different atmosphere then.
‘… It’s very bright.’
To be exact, it would be more accurate to say it was gentle rather than bright.
This place, filled with warm air, gently relaxed her hands and feet, but it felt somewhat light and calm.
“…….”
Why is that?
‘It looks like a fairy tale.’
The wooden walls gave off a fragrant smell.
The stairs were made of hard material, but they were soft enough to make you think they were soft, and the cabin, filled with sunlight, had a soft atmosphere like a well-dried blanket.
‘Still, strangely… .’
Chaara felt that this place was like a grave.
“…….”
“You can look around.”
“Yes?”
“It seems like it will take some time until the meal is ready.”
The voice of the black cloak as he spoke had a somewhat noble air.
“In the meantime, I think it would be good to look around the cabin and rest.”
“Is that…okay?”
“I’ll make you some fruit tea, so how about carrying it around?”
“Oh.”
Fruit tea?
‘Isn’t that really expensive?’
While hesitating, the black cloak went into the kitchen and soon brought a glass. The tea, which shimmered with a mysterious color like the sunset, felt like a magic potion, and it was refreshing thanks to the round ice cubes.
“You can sit on the sofa and drink it.”
“Go, thank you.”
Do all humanoid monsters act like humans like this?
‘Since it was called humanoid in the first place, it might be natural in a way… .’
Cha Ara, who received the glass, carefully sat down on the sofa.
“!”
It was very soft.
‘I guess it’s an expensive sofa.’
Cha Ara thought so, but realized that monsters wouldn’t buy furniture according to human rules, and she felt a little embarrassed.
It was stupid to try to understand the rules surrounding monsters from a human perspective in the first place.
“… The scent, it’s really good….”
It looked more like a work of art than food, but it had a very soft and sweet scent.
“…….”
She took a sip.
A mild sweetness enveloped her mouth.
“Wow….”
Cha Ara’s pale cheeks faintly turned red.
‘… What the, it’s so delicious. Are all fruit teas like this… ?’
Because sugar itself was so precious, I had never properly eaten a single fruit, let alone a fruit tea called Cha-A.
So for a moment, she thought that all fruit teas in the world were like this, but that doubt was overshadowed by a moment when Chaara, who was sipping the tea, realized something amazing.
“…….”
I’m, I’m not hungry.
‘No, I’m still hungry…’
The horrible feeling of hunger that felt like my stomach was being scraped with a fork disappeared.
‘What is this? Was it really a potion?’
Well, it was fruit tea obtained from a dungeon inhabited by humanoid monsters. Maybe it shouldn’t be compared to the regular fruit teas of humans.
Chaara groped around and pressed her lips together.
“…Um….”
She felt strangely good.
It wasn’t enough to make her laugh out loud, but she could tell that the tickling inside her was letting go of her tension.
She felt like the stress she had been feeling at work recently and the resentment she had toward her teammates who had abandoned her were going away a little.
“…….”
She quickly drank the fruit tea.
‘… My body feels so light.’
The tea had a special effect, and the injuries and fatigue I had were washed away. Thanks to the relaxation, Cha Ara was able to look around her surroundings a little more leisurely.
“The ceiling is really high.”
I didn’t realize it because I was so nervous, but now that I think about it, it took quite a while to even come down the stairs.
The building was only two stories, but the scale itself was enormous.
‘But it doesn’t feel like a rich house like you see in dramas, maybe because it’s a kind of dungeon. After all, it’s a place where monsters live, so if it’s a dungeon, it must be a dungeon…’
Cha Ara slowly blinked her eyes.
The rattling sound, and the slow spring breeze.
The chirping of birds coming through the window was clear and bright, like round beads vibrating.
“I’m a little sleepy….”
I keep thinking about it, but it was like a fairy tale.
“…….”
And.
It resembled a funeral.
“…is it because it’s quiet?”
It was different from sadness or sorrow.
It didn’t resemble someone’s heartbreaking cries. It didn’t resemble visitors who were mourning indifferently. It just felt rich and heavy, like several white chrysanthemums quietly placed in front of a photo of the deceased.
“Hmm….”
It was an air that was hard to describe.
‘It’s not uncomfortable.’
It was just comfortable.
It was so bad that it almost seemed terrible.
“Cha-ara-ssi.”
“…….”
“Cha-ara-ssi.”
“Ah, yes, yes…!! Cha-ara Hunter is here!!”
“I know, so you don’t have to be so nervous.”
The monster that came out of the kitchen had already taken off its cloak.
“…….”
“Is there a problem with your behavior?”
“Oh, no.”
Wow.
‘Crazy.’
People can look like that.
‘Ah, no, I shouldn’t call him a person since he’s a monster… but he’s really handsome.’
Why is something that should be in a museum preparing a meal in a hut like this? He was so handsome that he felt distant. In many ways, he didn’t seem human.
The monster, who didn’t know what Cha Ara was thinking, spoke with his characteristically blunt expression and voice.
“I prepared a light meal, so I wondered what you’d like.”
“Oh, thank you.”
And then Cha Ara saw an unexpected sight.
“…….”
“Do you like rice?”
“I can’t eat it because I don’t have it. I can’t eat it because I don’t have it….”
“Is there a side dish you don’t like?”
“You don’t complain like that when you’re eating it for free. But, no. That….”
“Is there a problem?”
“…You’re Korean?”
What is this seven-course meal?
“I introduced myself as Sergio. Doesn’t that sound like a Korean name?”
“Oh, I see.”
I was so scared that I couldn’t even think about my Korean name, and I didn’t know that someone with such a neat and gloomy face like a noble would prepare such a cozy meal.
‘So that’s why it’s Sergio.’
I just learned that the reason the name was made up of three letters was to give it a Korean feel.
There were plenty of pure white rice and various side dishes that I don’t usually eat, but Cha-Ara felt a sense of awkwardness.
‘… Why do I feel the energy of my late grandmother?’
Cha-Ara felt a little strange.
Considering the noble atmosphere of Sergio, a humanoid monster, it should have been out of place, but it seemed so natural that it felt even more uncomfortable.
“…….”
Cha-Ara suddenly realized one of her feelings.
“Eat comfortably.”
“…Yes.”
It was a very faint, and in this peaceful atmosphere, it was a rather alien feeling.
It was a kind of ‘awe.’
“Thank you.”
It was an emotion that could be felt towards a non-human object.
‘… It’s a bit funny to say this after receiving such a friendly meal… .’
Cha-Ara suddenly raised her head and looked into Sergio’s eyes.
She saw ordinary black eyes.
“…….”
“Is there a problem?”
“…No.”
It looked quite human at the moment.
“I’ll eat well.”
In other words, it didn’t feel human at all.
It wasn’t fear, so I can only say awe.