One by one, the traces of war were being erased.

"Are you all right?"

He had no idea whether The Root even had a body, but it might have suffered physical problems, or psychological ones, after what had happened.

"Nothing hurts?"

"No, I'm fine."

"Hmm... And emotionally?"

"I'm fine in that respect as well."

The pale portrait obscured by black paint continued in a mechanical, impassive voice.

"Despite your concerns, I was able to come to terms with it in my own way."

"Well, I'm glad to hear it."

Jio had said forgiveness was not his to grant, but he had still shown affection for the mermaids, calling them his cherished pupils. With those personalities called Jio existing within him, he could not be entirely devoid of a human heart. Seongun had been a little worried.

'... There's something unsettling about him in these respects. Most humans in this situation would grieve for a long time over someone they cherished, regardless of that person's crimes...'

He seemed to have come to terms with it rather quickly.

'He never seemed particularly attached to life. Is this a similar sort of reaction?'

Perhaps he was dispassionate about others' deaths as well as his own. That detachment toward the beginnings and endings of relationships sent a private chill through Yu Seongun.

Truly, this was The Root, father of countless destinies. With that thought, he changed the subject.

"Yes, that's a relief, but..."

"Is there another problem?"

"I'd really like you not to go outside?"

"Have I been banned from public activities?"

"Well... It's more of a wish."

Yu Seongun smiled awkwardly.

"You aren't the sort to stay in just because we stop you."

"Oh dear, how little trust there is between us. Even I would stay in if you stopped me. How could I dare do otherwise, knowing full well how worried you are?"

"You expect me to believe that? You seem to have adapted to human society well enough to become quite the accomplished liar, but I'm not buying it. You're a free spirit, and I, the heavens, and the entire universe can attest to that."

"Amazing. How did you know?"

"This isn't how I wanted to discover how close we've become. Anyway, what I mean is that I'd at least like to put a stop to Hunter Seo Jio's official activities."

Jio tilted his head inside the frame.

"Is that wishful thinking?"

"I'm so happy you understood me."

The precious portrait seemed to have no intention whatsoever of curbing his outings. Seongun could almost cry.

"I've braced myself. What would you like to do now, my dear portrait?"

"I wasn't planning to do anything in particular..."

"You weren't? Really? Can I actually believe you this time?"

"I'm sorry, but something just occurred to me."

"You're driving me insane."

With a laugh that sounded like a sigh, Yu Seongun put on his signature smile. The smile of capitalism he so often wore.

"In that case, how can I help?"

"I can simply do it myself."

"Whatever you do from now on, running it through me first would do wonders for human physical and mental health. That's why I'm begging you here, with my hands clasped in supplication."

"How firm you are. That's quite a different response from before. Have you grown in an unexpected direction? You remind me of Ju-hyeon."

"Watching him taught me I could get away with this much."

"This is the trouble with humans who learn quickly..."

Incidentally, Ju-hyeon was not there. Only Yu Seongun had come to tend to the artworks in the gallery for the first time in a while. Ju-hyeon had worried so much over Jio's kidnapping that the emotional distress had left him bedridden.

Naturally, Jio had tried to send him medicine, but Ju-hyeon had vehemently refused. Apparently, humans grew through suffering. Not that Jio was unaware of that, but in any case, he had respected his wishes.

"In any case, I'm not planning anything grand."

"Like the Demon King project."

"It is certainly on my mind, but even I realize that would be a grand undertaking."

"That's a relief. So what is it you actually want to do? Given how long you're drawing this out, you clearly have something in mind..."

"I'd like to visit the healer Jeong Youngwon."

"... Ah."

Yu Seongun understood.

"That's all well and good, but don't be too alarmed if she suddenly starts crying."

"Wouldn't it be rather difficult not to be alarmed by that?"

And so Jio's destination was decided. Rest was all well and good, but there were things one had to finish before settling down for a proper rest.

* * *

A Garden was so exalted that one dared not even compare it to a Divinity.

To gaze upon its luminous form with mere human eyes was to realize the boundless grace of that privilege. It resembled the vast cosmos, yet it was a living thing, and a glittering destiny.

What an honor it was to hold that within one's own body...

"..."

"Ms. Jeong Youngwon."

"... Ah..."

"Would you care to speak with me?"

Her vision was dark red. She still could not see, but that infinitely merciful voice reached her as though engraving itself upon her mind.

"... Mr. Seo Jio."

She crawled lowly forward, feeling her way with her hands.

"Jio, ah, I... How should I..."

"I'm right here in front of you."

"How should I address you without being blasphemous?"

Could a wretched human mouth contain this vast and beautiful mystery? Yes, her Flower Garden had bloomed exquisite flowers to obscure her sight as a lesson in showing The Root proper respect. It must be so.

"Lord Black Cloak? Lord Portrait? No, there must be... some far deeper, more fitting definition of you..."

"You may call me Jio, Ms. Jeong."

"May I truly dare?"

"Of course. Aren't we friends who have shared games together?"

"It makes me happy that you would call this weak creature your friend."

He truly was not far away.

"May I kiss your feet...?"

"A friend wouldn't do something like that."

"It was an arrogant wish. Forgive me for suggesting something you do not desire."

"I'd like you to speak more comfortably."

"Yes, Jio. I will."

As she felt around with her hand, she touched an icy foot.

"... Did the flowers my Flower Garden bloomed please you?"

The Gardener knew even without seeing. Her room must be filled with flowers. Even the floor she crawled upon bloomed with soft, noble flowers, filling the air with a fragrance that drenched her mind in ecstasy.

"Is the sight of me being punished to your liking...?"

An impertinent concern, one might say. The Root's eye would never be upset by a mere human being punished. Yet she knew her appearance had strayed far from human. Such an exalted visitor deserved a fitting appearance and proper courtesy. How foolish she was.

"If I might be granted a little mercy, your hand... just once..."

"Would you like to shake my hand?"

"Ah, thank you. How readily you bestow your love."

She felt the shape of a smooth, cold hand. It was like holding marble, expertly carved and sanded smooth.

"It is a great honor..."

Stinging pain welled up in her eyes, brimming with emotion.

She felt warm blood run down her cheeks. The Flower Garden was rejoicing. Petals bloomed glossy with life, and fresh green leaves reached their hands toward the sky.

A feeling as soft and plush as the dolls furnishing a child's room filled her inside.

"Oh dear, you're bleeding."

"I could not help weeping at the grace my Flower Garden bestows upon me."

"Flowers have bloomed in your eyes instead of tears. They're beautiful, but you don't look comfortable. You seem to be in pain. Am I mistaken?"

"How could you be? Whatever you see is correct. That is truth, and law."

"You see me as a god."

"Forgive me..."

"I understand. Your world is dark and painful, so it's only natural. Confusion of the senses is terribly exhausting."

The cold hand slipped out of hers and gently brushed around her eyes, as though gathering a bouquet.

"So I'll take these flowers."

In an instant, the pain stopped.

"What beautiful flowers."

"..."

"They smell lovely."

"... Thank you."

Her vision cleared.

"Thank you, Jio."

She saw an eye with a deep, rich fragrance.

In that enchanting room, where even the light fixture was smothered in flowers, the enormous eye wrapped in a black cloak had merged with the darkness. All she could see were the pure flowers the Flower Garden must have bloomed through her, and the white hand holding them.

Yes, she could see a hand. She could also see the bare feet of The Root, who had bent down to meet her gaze. She could not see the face smelling the flowers that had bloomed in her eyes. But that eye was still watching her.

"..."

How rapturous.

"I..."

How could anything be so beautiful?

"I will live within destiny... in the Flower Garden's embrace, among the flowers..."

"I'm listening."

"And meet a human's lowly end in my merciful Flower Garden's embrace."

"Yes. And after that?"

"I will bloom as another flower, and may I, within The Root..."

Within the radiant destiny held in that eye.

"...become one."

"What a magnificent aspiration."

"Thank you."

"Then I think it's time you slept."

"Would you please put me to sleep?"

"If you don't mind, I will."

"How could I mind?"

How could she commit such blasphemy?

"You are merciful."

"Such grand thanks."

A large, pale hand approached and settled like a butterfly over her blood-soaked eyes.

Feeling her heartbeat and the flow of her blood settle as though soothed and guided, feeling the happiness of the Flower Garden steeped in peace, Jeong Youngwon closed her eyes and fell asleep.

Steady breathing lingered in the flower-filled room.

"..."

And Jio...

"... Hmm."

He looked down at the soundly sleeping Youngwon with deep sympathy.

'Seongun told me not to be too surprised if she cried.'

But those had been bloody tears, not ordinary ones. He had been rather shocked.

'She's very ill. I should be understanding.'

It was only natural for pain and hardship to cloud a person's judgment.

Above all, Giovanni's distinctive divinity had once earned him the name of the living son of the sun. He had been praised simply for breathing. This sort of treatment had followed him his whole life, so there was no reason he couldn't play along.

'After all, people need something to lean on when they're ill.'

He understood Jeong Youngwon.

Jio quietly left her bedroom so as not to wake her. Though his body was so light that he would have made no sound regardless.

* * *

"..."

"And so I treated Ms. Jeong before coming here."

"... I see!"

Lying in his sickbed, Ju-hyeon asked, "Does anyone know you treated Hunter Jeong?"

"Well, Seongun knows."

"Who else?"

"You..."

"And?"

"Ms. Jeong herself would know."

Ju-hyeon's smile grew strained.

"Then the people at Eunwol, where you say her bedroom is, are going to find Hunter Jeong, who became overloaded for reasons unknown, suddenly healed and asleep, also for reasons unknown? Is that right?"

"She said she normally lets no one into her room when she gets like that, so it should be fine. Even if someone did find her, it could only be a coworker particularly close to her. Don't you think she'll smooth things over herself?"

"I'm speechless, because you seem to have done this knowing every last detail... I can't call it wrong, but it certainly was a bold and extraordinary thing to do."

It was almost absurd.

"I know very well that while you're somewhat unusual and exceptional in many ways, your heart is no different from an ordinary human's."

"That's quite a lengthy qualification. There's no need for it. I'm simply human. You all get confused because I'm more versatile than average."

"We can debate that later. In any case, even allowing for that, you know perfectly well that your appearance and abilities aren't ordinary, don't you?"

"Well, yes, but..."

"And yet you're insisting you're just an ordinary human and reducing Ms. Jeong's lengthy praises to the delirious ramblings of a sick person? At this point, you'd think you could accept them."

"But I'm not her god, am I...?"

"..."

As Ju-hyeon fell speechless, Jio continued making his case.

"Above all, I'm different from those gods with their grand, magnificent histories. If they're cakes from an artisan patisserie with three hundred years of tradition, I'm a makeshift cake someone living alone cobbled together at home from castella and whipped cream."

"... Hah..."

"So there was indeed a slight problem with both the target and manner of her lengthy praises. I think she reacted that way because she was very ill and struggling."

Unable to sit quietly through such outrageous remarks, Yu Seongun spoke up from his seat beside them.

"Don't belittle my portrait like that."

"I'm sorry, but I wasn't belittling myself. I was merely making an objective self-assessment."

"Who says you get to call that an objective self-assessment?"

How dare this obstinate portrait try to rewrite Earth's dictionary definitions? It was all the more exasperating because he seemed to know he was being unreasonable and was simply teasing them. Seongun felt a surge of indignation.

"I wish you'd learn humility in a slightly different sense."

"I'll take that into consideration."

"And that's all you'll do, again?"

"I'm delighted to see how close we've become."

Holding his dizzy head at their exchange, Ju-hyeon asked, "Why did you go to see Hunter Jeong in the first place?"

"She seemed to have overexerted herself during the raid, so I visited to repay her."

"I did hear she played a major role in the war."

Even tree-type Hunters could not bring life into bloom on barren ground. That was why they usually carried seeds, but even with those, forcibly controlling life was difficult.

Despite being a healer, however, Hunter Jeong was also certified as a tree-type Hunter. She had emerged with her hood pulled low and succeeded in creating a flower garden on the sea alongside her colleagues.

"Were you grateful for that?"

"Yes, I was."

"Then I understand why you healed her, but..."

Fundamentally, Jio's Portrait obeyed the one-to-one rule. If he received a gift, he had to give something in return. Jeong Youngwon's case seemed to have been similar.

"..."

Even so, it could hardly have been easy.

"... The healer Jeong Youngwon is a Gardener, like Seongun. You can't use ordinary healing to treat a Gardener suffering under the influence of the Garden they serve, can you?"

"I suppose not?"

"But you did just that. With a single touch."

"I did."

"At this point, why not admit you're extraordinary?"

"I'm well aware that I'm extraordinary. I don't deny it."

Jio felt wronged.

"I'm only saying I'm not the proper recipient of her praise. I'm not the god she serves, we've never built a proper friendship, and I've never accomplished any great feat that could benefit everyone in the world."

At first glance, his argument seemed to make some sense.

"..."

"..."

If only Jio's Portrait hadn't been The Root's eye.

"...? Wait a moment, Seongun."

"Huh? Yes?"

"Have you ever explained to Jio what sort of being he is?"

"... I don't think I have, but does he need to be told?"

"Aha."

"Seriously...?"

They had finally discovered why Jio was being so infuriatingly stubborn, but that did nothing to make him relent. Even after Yu Seongun's lengthy explanation, he stood firm.

"Does that matter so much?"

"I knew this would happen."

Clearly, he had never intended to concede in the first place.

(To be continued)