Chapter 293: Chapter 293
The world had changed, yet remained peacefully unaware.
“That’s why I had no choice but to come.”
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 memories have been wiped.”
“Some 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 memories 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, remember, 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?”
He grinned at the portrait’s permission.
“If you’re saying this much, then I suppose it’s okay for me 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 me.”
“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 something so grand, surely I shouldn’t expect him to return to work so soon?”
“Forgive me, 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.
“I was just watching.”
“Anything and everything.”
“As far as one can see.”
“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.”
“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 became 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 me, 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 sometimes 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 becomes 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 some 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 same as a garden, but everywhere—a formless stirring. Judging by how condensed it was here, a full-fledged well might appear soon.
A zone ... 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 same 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.
“That must’ve been fun.”
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 me through Manager Joo-Hyun anytime—I’ll give you whatever I can.”
“That won’t be necessary.”
“It’s essentially your private property now, officially recognized by the government and the Association. Grow crops if you like. Slaughter something, if that brings you joy. Paint... it would be a dream.”
“There are times when you act like you didn’t hear a single word I said.”
“Come 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.
He spoke as if he’d just remembered.
“Seems things got noisy after the fan club of Black Cloak got recognized as an official religion.”
“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.”
“But I don’t intend to get too close.”
Watching the portrait, Bisa Beul then asked,
“What kind of teacher were you?”
He meant at this school.
“Were you the stern-faced teacher I remember?”
“Haven’t you already heard from one of my students?”
“True, I searched and searched until I finally visited the presidential office.”
“But they didn’t tell me much.”
“Everyone’s gotten a lot more timid these days.”
“Still, they told me 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 confirmed was that there once existed a certain ‘art teacher named Sergio.’ He still keeps his guard up around me...”
“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 me? What kind of teacher were you?”
“My students viewed me as a fantasy.”
“Not with respect or admiration—but as a fantasy?”
“They treated me as something entirely non-human.”
“A being separate from humanity...”
“Doesn’t sound too different from now.”
“That might be true.”
The portrait didn’t deny it.
“My students projected many stories onto me. Some were absurd enough to make me 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 me that way...”
“Sounds like it was fun.”
“There was some 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 me as someone a bit more familiar.”
“I wasn’t hoping for that much.”
“Then, to be seen as an equal human being?”
“There were moments I wanted that. I do feel a little regret toward the students who only ever saw me as a mythical creature, but it’s not enough to call it dissatisfaction.”
“Because that was fun too?”
“Ah, I should’ve met Teacher Sergio the art teacher myself...”
He sounded almost resentful.
“I wonder how you dealt with humans—with that face.”
The portrait complained, offended.
Bisa Beul smiled brightly.
“I raised you myself, how could I not know?”
“Every time 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.”
“Oh, right. Before I go, I wanted to ask...”
He looked at the portrait.
Those fathomless ‘eyes.’
“Do you deny how others perceive you?”
Bisa Beul smiled deeply.
He was a magnificent work of art.
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 time they met.
“He’s still an extraordinary man.”
“He didn’t mean harm. Let’s forgive him.”
“Gung gung gung gung gung.”
“And he was wearing so many accessories...”
“You’re going to get a stomachache.”
“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 someone 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 something, I’ll make you some myself.”
And Honey seemed perfectly happy with that.