The Artist Who Paints Dungeon-Chapter 123

“I don’t worry about good and evil.”

The man wearing the beast’s bones said.

“I’m not the type of person to worry about such boring things. I’m aware that I’m capricious and self-willed. I always do things that I can enjoy.”

“.......”

“If a thinking person doesn’t have greed, isn’t he a corpse? I’m true to my instincts. I become greedy for what I want, I get angry at those who make me angry, and I don’t do anything that doesn’t protect my beliefs.”

The clothes he wore were primitive, made of bones and feathers, but they looked old-fashioned because they were covered in colorful fabrics that high-ranking people would use. The man wearing the mask made of a sheep’s skull laughed.

“What do you think?”

“I think it’s an interesting life.”

“Oh, yes, you can understand me.”

“Life should be fun.”

Gio, wrapped in a black cloak, nodded.

“Have you ever killed anyone?”

“I must have killed quite a few, there were many who were angry with me.”

“Why were they angry with you, Argio?”

Gio’s second suitable, ‘Argio’, answered.

“They say I am the root of all evil in the world.”

Golden eyes curved darkly beyond the bone mask.

“I am a monster, huh?”

“.......”

Gio muttered inside the palace made of bones and blood.

“That is a very abstract metaphor.”

“I think so too, my friend.”

As ‘Argio’ laughed, a tiger growled and roared.

“Isn’t this really difficult? If you are angry, you should tell me exactly what you are angry about. What I did to them, and what part of me you are angry about.”

“Why is that?”

“That way, I can get angry too. I can confront with all my might, exchange emotions, and create a better situation. Isn’t that the most powerful force anger has?”

Argio pretended to look tired on his throne, which was adorned with all kinds of silk, feathers, and leather. He said as if he was troubled.

“But most people can’t do that. They’re just stupid people who can’t control their anger and get eaten up in return. If they’re swayed by emotions that are part of me, how can they be considered human?”

He smiled again.

“Honey, so many of them were all beasts.”

“Oh....”

“Isn’t that right?”

“It’s a new idea, but I respect it.”

“It’s good to be respected.”

Argio rested his chin on his hand with a bright smile. Long, sharp nails like those of a feline or a bird of prey like an eagle caught my eye.

Geo bravely couldn’t hold back his curiosity.

“Do you grow your nails?”

“...Ahahahahahahaha!!”

Argio, who burst out laughing, answered in a voice full of laughter.

“Oh no, well. If you grow them, then you grow them, but it wasn’t really for beauty purposes.”

“I thought it was intentional because it goes well with the current fashion.”

“You didn’t grow your nails after wearing this outfit, but you dressed up because your body is like this.”

“I have no fashion sense, so I only wear black, and I’m really jealous.”

“...Oh my, don’t you know how to dress up? Are Earthlings like that?”

“Seeing that people who dress up know how to dress up, I think it’s my personal problem.”

“.......”

‘Argio’, whose smile had disappeared, gave a look that seemed to be looking at a person with pity.

“...I believe that your plain personality will improve a little if you join me.”

“Do you not like my current outfit that much?”

“No matter what kind of beast I bring in, it will have a more colorful taste than you.”

“I said that if you wear achromatic colors, you will get a flattering hit.”

“It’s not like there is a cultural reason, and it’s not like you are performing a ritual, so why is it all black?”

“I couldn’t help it because I like black.”

“The black color that was used will cry, it’s a shame.”

‘Argio’ clicked his tongue and returned to the topic he had just discussed.

“My fingernails are one of the abilities I have had since I was born. If you join me, you will eventually have to use them, so it would be best if you listen carefully to my explanation.”

“I will concentrate.”

“Good posture. To put it simply, the power I possess is the power to imitate beasts. Like now, I can imitate the claws of a predator, the large wings of a bird flying in the sky, or the quick wits of a prey to avoid danger.”

“How can I be so greedy?”

“I truly cherish this power, but strangely enough, my family was very afraid of this power. They called me a curse and drove me into a forest full of dangerous beasts.”

“.......”

Geo shut his mouth tightly. ‘Argio’ asked.

“You look dissatisfied?”

“I don’t understand why all ‘Geo’s’ bring up heavy personal issues when we first meet.”

“That’s also a unique idea. Wasn’t that the kind of position that was created in the first place?”

‘Argio’ laughed as if it was funny.

“Or are you hoping to become one with me without any explanation?”

“If you say so, I think it would be better to listen to the explanation.”

“That’s right. Judging from what you’re doing, I won’t act stupidly and meet a foolish death.”

‘Argio’ nodded and introduced himself.

“So what I’m saying is, I’m a curse with no name. I’m a descendant of a royal family that once ruled a great nation, a natural being who grew up with intelligent and dangerous beasts as family, and eventually died after being hit by a human’s hammer, ‘Gio.’”

He added.

“In the end, ‘Argio’ is not my name, but a name.”

“Does the word ‘Argio’ have any meaning?”

“In the ancient, primitive language, it means ‘ar, cruel.’ ‘Gio,’ beast.’ In a word, a cruel beast.”

“Beast....”

Geo looked at his opponent seriously.

“You certainly look strong.”

“I guess it was more of a contempt than pure admiration.”

“You look like you have a lot of muscle. If you join me, can I use that strength?”

“If you prefer this kind of body, why didn’t you exercise earlier?”

“I didn’t want to sweat outside of farming.”

“.......”

Then ‘Argio’ nodded.

“If you assimilate, can I take care of your body?”

“Are we assimilating into another self?”

“No, that’s not the case. I’m worried that I shouldn’t be assimilated into that lazy spirit.”

“I don’t think I’m that lazy, I just don’t exercise.”

“Then what are you diligent about? Farming? Well, I don’t really like that kind of thing....”

Even though he was covered by a mask with only eye holes, I could feel ‘Argio’s’ brow furrowing.

“Do you enjoy fighting?”

“There are so many things to enjoy in the world, why did you choose that?”

“I guessed it when I was called here, but I really don’t feel well.”

“Why do you have to go through conflicts?”

“At least you should know how to be justly angry at the conflicts that come your way.”

“I get angry too.”

“Have you ever harvested the tongue and teeth of someone who talks nonsense?”

“On Earth, you’d be arrested for that.”

“Hmm, laws and rules are definitely important.”

“That’s another unexpected answer.”

Geo was impressed.

“I thought you weren’t bound by laws and morals because you’re so aggressive.”

“You don’t seem to be bound by morals that much.”

“Huh?”

“But that doesn’t mean I don’t deny the necessity of good and rules.”

‘Argio’ continued in a cool tone.

“I’m quite fickle. One day I want to get drunk in a town full of smiles, and another day I want to head to hell with a clear mind and screaming.”

“.......”

“Have you ever wanted to act like a ruthless beast? Have you ever wanted to throw off all your cumbersome clothes? Have you ever wanted to fight until your whole body crumbles, screaming and cheering, smelling the sweet smell of blood?”

“No.”

“I understand your way of life. In the end, what I wanted to say was that in order for such a fickle person like me to enjoy everything, good and evil must coexist in the world, and peace and chaos must coexist.”

In order to do that.

“In the end, we need those who believe in goodness and those who follow the rules.”

That way, I can enjoy what I want that day and at that time.

“It’s inevitable that I, who am like that, am called an evil spirit.”

“Have I come here to become one with an evil spirit?”

“That’s quite surprising.”

“May I go out?”

“You can’t go out unless I give you permission, my kind source.”

“This is unreasonable. I think I should have a choice.”

“It’s really pitiful, but your authority only extends to entering this place.”

‘Argio’ continued, laughing happily.

“So, why don’t you listen to my story for now?”

It’ll be quite interesting.

There was a great family that ruled over humans.

This family had a curse that had been passed down from generation to generation, which was that if one of their children turned ten, they would turn into an evil beast.

“That’s why my family encouraged having as many children as possible. If they had only one child and that child turned into an evil beast, they would have to kill him, so they had other countermeasures.”

The child, who had revealed his horrific true self at the age of ten, was abandoned in the dirtiest and most horrific hell that humans could reach. It was a huge rainforest called the ‘Black Forest.’

“I was praised for my beautiful appearance and excellent drawing skills, but when I turned ten, a horn grew on my forehead. That was the cause. It was famous for the story that a monster lived in the ‘Black Forest,’ but I never thought that the monster there would come from my family... I was abandoned without knowing anything.”

The place where he was abandoned was, as rumored, a dangerous place.

“In the darkness where the sun never rises, a dangerous beasts and insects were eagerly waiting for their chance to eat. They contained poison so strong that they could not easily drink or eat anything, and from time to time, ear-piercing screams like the spirits were screaming could be heard.”

But he did not die.

“Aren’t I also ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) a beast? Since I knew I was not human, I acted instinctively and greedily like my beast, and fought for prey on equal footing with my forest family. I was able to create a new family without difficulty.”

And then he learned something surprising.

“Deep in that forest, there were traces of an old dynasty. I learned that the power I had was not a curse but a blessing, and that the monsters that had been abandoned here were actually saints who would prevent the dangerous disasters of the Black Forest.”

There was too much evidence left to believe that it was a self-directed play by ancestors who had gone mad in the dark forest.

“However, as too much time passed, people forgot about it. Forgetting that the reason we sacrificed the child was to prevent disaster, we considered our heterogeneous powers a curse, and that the ominousness of the Black Forest was not caused by the disaster, but by our own creation.”

Of course, it didn’t matter.

“What difference would it make if we knew?”

Although he was not angry at his family for abandoning him, ‘Argio’ gained a new family. He painted on the walls of the great old dynasty, and spent his time beastly getting what he wanted, sometimes sharing.

“In the process, he sometimes ran out of the forest, but...”

Well?

“I swear by the soul of a warrior that I have never harmed an innocent person. Of course, I wouldn’t say I have harmed anyone. How could I leave those who attack me alone?”

The problem was what happened next.

“Rumors began to spread that I was the cause of some epidemic.”

The humans were furious.

“I had no time to notice, but I had to see my house burning down. Yes, they didn’t have the confidence to fight me directly, so they decided to burn down the entire forest. I suffered severe burns in the process, survived a little longer, and eventually died in the arms of my family...”

Although Argio was not unimpressed by that reckless display of anger.

“Listen, do you remember? The Black Forest originally existed to prevent a disaster that would destroy the world. The evil beasts that appeared every generation were the forest keepers who helped with that... and also the last barrier.”

Now, the forest was gone, burned down, and there was no forest keepers to block it.

“In the end, the disaster that had been hidden since long ago revealed itself. The beasts acquired human-like intelligence, began to speak, and developed more detailed and intense emotions.”

Among them, Argio’s family even took revenge on humans.

“What would the world have become?”

For countless years, humans have raised and slaughtered animals for food. But not only did they disappear, they began to speak to humans, curse them, and engage in terrible ‘interactions’ with them.

There was no way the human world could continue.

“In the process, I became an evil spirit. To be exact, all the evil beasts that had been abandoned in the Black Forest were a collection of saints who had not been recognized for their worth and had met terrible deaths.”

It was truly a pity.

“Almost all humans did not even know that ‘Argio’ was a crowd. However, people began to gossip about the source of all evil and created the existence of a nation.”

An evil spirit that had caused disasters and led massacres in the Black Forest.

“A cruel beast.”

It was ‘Argio.’