The Artist Who Paints Dungeon
Chapter 242

“......”

The bishop, after wandering the archives for quite some time, finally parted her lips.

“...Nothing.”

No matter how much she searched, there was no trace of it.

Who in the world was that being I saw before dawn?

She wanted to believe it was just a dream. But she couldn’t call it ordinary.

It was just like facing the Master who dwelled within the Saint—or no, even more bizarre and ominous than that...

She could still vividly recall the sensation from when that strange entity's language crashed over her like waves. That was no dream.

It said the moon has set.

A message clearly directed at the Moon Sect.

And the second hand of that creature held what unmistakably looked like the form of the Master...

Each of the four ranks described the Moon’s appearance differently. Some called it a round mirror. Others, a transparent orb. Still others said it was a sphere made of overlapping rings.

The only thing they agreed on was its spherical form. Nothing more.

But the bishop knew.

What she had seen that day—was the Moon.

That white, cold, and luminously beautiful thing.

...Which means that red being I saw wasn’t just a mere hallucination either...

But nowhere could she find any information.

“...There’s no way a being of that scale doesn’t have a history.”

Divine beings grow stronger through fate. The more stories are attached to them, the more presence they have.

To say “the moon has set,” and to hold the Moon in its hand—it had to be an entity of immense power.

Yet the Moon Sect has no record of it.

She had checked everything, from the most ancient deities to the infamous evil gods.

She even looked into mysteries that were not divine in nature.

But nothing. Not even in the archive of the Moon Sect, where all manner of knowledge and wisdom gathered.

Half a head. Thick golden blood. Three pairs of arms... and wings made of broken light...

She even considered the possibility it had changed form—but that felt too convenient.

I asked the Association, but they gave me no answers either.

Only one possibility remained.

“......”

A new evil god has arrived on Earth.

And it has set its sights on the Moon.

While the public remained unaware, the global Hunter Associations constantly compiled and protected numerous secrets. Mysteries were no exception.

And yet, even they had no answer.

Which meant a new calamity.

“...We’re in trouble now...”

The confidential archive was still and silent.

Only the bishop and the Saint were permitted entry.

She slumped into the nearest chair.

“What’s going to happen to the world...”

Even as she said that aloud, her thoughts whirled.

...That entity was clearly an evil god. But what is its goal? Entertainment? A scheme? Whatever it is, it’s clearly a great threat to this already unstable Earth.

Her head pounded.

Still, a divine presence always has a reason for walking. And even if it doesn’t... it eventually finds one. But why was the first thing it did to hold the Moon in its hand? For amusement? Or something else entirely...?

If only she had more data. But she’d only seen the being once.

During the war with the merfolk, the Sun Church confirmed an intrusion by the evil god Sankallut. Korea is one of the few nations still maintaining human civilization on Earth. And in the capital are two major religions. One was invaded—but it recovered. Could it be... that the evil forces are coordinating their schemes?

The merfolk, said to have accumulated sin great enough to rival divinity. Sankallut, the evil god who violated the Sun Church. And now, a red divine being invading the Moon Sect.

Perhaps it was time for the religious world to prepare for war.

But the issue with the merfolk was resolved well. The Collector played a major role. And even though the evil god Sankallut invaded the Sun Church, all it did was abduct a single trainee. It had only one or two contacts beyond that... and in the end, it was said that Cha I-Sol overcame it by forming a contract with the Black Cloak.

If so—

“...Was that red being behind the merfolk and Sankallut?”

It was too soon to conclude, but if framed as a hypothesis—it was plausible.

The war with the merfolk could have lasted years longer.

Sankallut’s schemes could have been far more wicked.

Yet the problems were resolved with little damage.

The Moon Sect believed the Black Cloak had greatly helped.

But what if there was something more?

What if the red evil god was behind those other evil forces?

What if all the chaos on Earth had been orchestrated just as a prelude for something greater?

It was only a hypothesis. Nothing certain.

Still, the dispatch team had reported something.

They said the merfolk kept trying to divert the Black Cloak’s attention by abducting his child.

There was clear tension between the merfolk and the Black Cloak.

And if the merfolk, Sankallut, and the red god were aligned...

Sankallut, ever impatient, concluded its invasion of the Sun Church with a mere abduction. It must have been ordered. And if that order came from the red god I saw—then things are even more complicated.

At this point, she found herself wondering again.

What’s its purpose?

Why did it show itself to me?

“......”

Then she suddenly flushed with shame.

...Did it think I’d be the one to betray the Master?

On the day she saw the Moon in the hands of the red god, she hadn’t felt rage—only confusion.

And beyond that confusion... she had felt relief.

If the Moon were to truly fall... maybe that child could finally live as a human.

She had never imagined a world without the Moon.

But after seeing that vision, she couldn't help but think of the Saint.

The way she writhed in pain, trapped between humanity and divinity, was still fresh in her mind.

...Was it because I thought something so blasphemous... that I was chosen?

It made her feel sick.

No matter how much she checked, no one else had seen the red evil god.

There ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) was no record of it on Earth.

Of all people—why her?

Divinity might not have much meaning for the divine themselves.

But to a human, to be chosen meant everything.

For a bishop of a traditional deity to be chosen by an evil god... A person who couldn't even become a Saint, who watched countless Moons fade away, who was always left behind in this temple... now chosen by an evil god...

But another thought crept in.

“......”

Maybe it’s for the best.

...If I betray the Master, erase the Moon from Earth—erase the Moon Sect itself...

Then maybe...

“...I’m overthinking things.”

She’d been pushing herself too hard these past few days.

Her thoughts had become strange.

The bishop waved her hand and returned the archive to order.

Just in case the Saint entered, nothing should seem out of place.

That she had heard the voice of an evil god—that had to remain a strict secret.

Whatever happens, I should inform my trusted aides.

She didn’t know for certain if the red god wanted a bishop who would betray the Moon.

But the Moon Sect was still needed on Earth.

To pass on a better world to the next generation.

So even if the bishop became mad with emotion and attachment, someone needed to be able to stop her.

They needed capable people.

With that thought, she finished tidying the archive and stepped outside.

She walked for a long time down a long hallway.

“......”

“B-Bishop?!”

And then—she ran into the Saint, holding a basket.

“...Saint? What brings you out into the hallway?”

As she approached, the gathered priests stepped aside.

“What’s with all this commotion?”

“Th-that is... I, uh, it’s nothing serious. This wasn’t supposed to become such a scene...!”

“You seem very flustered. Please, calm down.”

In the bishop’s line of sight, she spotted Sergio, smiling quietly.

“Hunter Sergio... You seem to know what’s going on here?”

“Since I caused it, how could I not?”

“Ah. Then may I ask... what exactly happened?”

“We baked cookies in the kitchen.”

“Cookies?”

Now that she looked, the basket the Saint held was filled with cookies.

“...I knew you sometimes cooked or made snacks...”

Everyone knew Hunter Sergio was serious about food.

Unlike the Moon Sect priests, who often skipped meals if not for research, he frequently visited the empty kitchen.

“I suppose it makes sense for you. But why the Saint?”

“She cooked with me.”

“Ah...”

A strange feeling crept in.

“I didn’t think you’d be interested in such things.”

“It was more like... studying, than interest...”

Perhaps because she had caused such a rare stir in the normally quiet Moon Sect, the Saint’s cheeks were red.

She looked visibly flustered.

Trying to collect herself, she explained.

“Ahem. After I nearly transformed into divinity last time without any preparation, I belatedly realized how little I had truly learned. All I really knew was scattered theory.”

“That’s not knowledge to belittle.”

“Of course, I take pride in the wisdom I’ve accumulated. But to teach the Moon more... I thought I needed some practical knowledge too—things I’d never tried before.”

“So you cooked yourself?”

“Yes. Teacher said he’d help, so we went to the kitchen together.”

“No wonder things have been lively in the temple lately.”

A tired smile broke through the bishop’s weariness.

So this is what you’ve been doing.

Perhaps because she was unusually exhausted, she found herself smiling—unaware it came from a place of pride and affection.

“I also heard you started a flowerbed in a sunlit bedroom. And that you made Gyeongbokgung out of origami. This cookie distribution must be part of that experience-building too?”

“I’m sorry if I’ve caused any trouble while you’ve been so busy lately, Bishop...”

“It’s lovely to see.”

Her heart felt light for the first time in a long while.

“Thank you as well, Hunter Sergio. As you know, we of the four ranks know only how to study. We have no experience with such activities. Without you, the Saint likely wouldn’t have even thought to learn these things.”

“I only helped distribute some cookies.”

One of the nearby priests murmured,

“Only? This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to get cookies made by two Saints.”

“To say only in such a heartwarming moment—what kind of man are you? These cookies were made by the Saint’s tiny hands! Is that all you have to say as a grown man?!”

“The cookies you shared—uh, we kept them as specimens for study...!”

“If it’s not going into your stomach, hand it over.”

Another priest asked,

“If I eat it first, then study it—is that allowed?”

“Just hand it over.”

“No...! My precious research specimen...!!”

“Creepy.”

As the adults squabbled, the Saint approached the bishop.

“Um, Bishop.”

“......”

“Bishop...?”

“Ah, yes. It was such a rare sight, I got distracted. What is it?”

“This is a snack I made for you.”

It was a slightly lumpy cookie shaped like a rabbit, wrapped in clear plastic.

“You’ve seemed holed up in research lately. It’s not much, but I made something sweet that you could eat easily. If... if you don’t skip meals, that would be even better...”

The Saint’s cheeks were flushed red as she spoke.

“......”

A child’s face, robbed of the chance to grow.

“...Thank you. I’ll try to take better care of my meals.”

“! Then I have nothing more to ask.”

“To think—the Saint who once refused even a spoonful of porridge would now be giving such advice... This priest is deeply moved.”

“T-that’s because... back then, I still had so much to learn...!”

“No.”

The bishop reached out to brush her pale, bleached hair—but flinched, her hand trembling, stopping short.

Her hand, hidden beneath her flowing sleeve, clenched so tightly it drew blood.

“You did nothing wrong.”

“I was just too stubborn...”

“Not at all.”

This child’s first priority was never her own fear.

“Thank you for the gift.”

All that failed research...

The star beside the Moon.

Maybe, with the help of divinity—it could become possible.

***

Argio said,

“No, even after all I told them, they still haven’t come to their senses.”

Giovanni said,

“Well, a frog stuck in a well can’t easily imagine the world outside.”

“But still! How could they have shown no growth at all, friend?”

“That child is doing her best. She’s swaying diligently just as you push her. I think you should be proud. She’s following along far better than expected.”

“If I shake her a bit more, maybe she’ll start walking the right path...”

Sergio said,

“Can we go eat now?”

“Let’s do that.”

“Let’s.”

And so, “Gio” decided to take the bishop and the Saint with him—to go eat.