The Artist Who Paints Dungeon-Chapter 240

Aram liked studying.

She liked it very much.

Whether eating food, listening to music, or even just walking down a road, knowledge was always necessary.

And the more she learned, the clearer the world became.

In the end, a wretched beggar with nothing to her name was lucky enough to become a priestess.

“Will you come with me?”

“Am I allowed to?”

“Yes, I see potential in you.”

“Then... I’ll go.”

She took the offered hand.

The risks of joining the Moon Sect had been explained to her in advance.

But that didn’t matter.

It wasn’t just about escaping her lowly status as a beggar.

What mattered was that she would be able to enjoy knowledge that was beyond her station.

“How does the Moon grant wisdom?”

“If the priests gather and pray for an average of a month, we can receive answers from the Master. If there’s an easier method, it would be asking a Saint to commune directly with the god.”

“But the current Saint seems like they’re about to die. They’re bedridden and can’t even exchange questions with the Master.”

“Then another Saint will appear. That’s what we’ve gathered for, isn’t it?”

“...Ah.”

Maybe her fate had already been sealed from that moment.

From the instant she heard the bishop—her adoptive mother—say those words, she began to form a vague resolve: I’ll take on that role.

But it wasn’t as if she was obsessed with becoming one.

Aram simply loved to study.

She delighted in learning.

She welcomed the clarity it brought to the world.

She wanted to become a more perfect being.

If I keep changing myself like this, day by day, I’ll be able to do more. I’ll become a better person, and that’ll let me live happier days. I can do it.

And so, Aram became the Saint.

“...?”

On the day she heard the voice of the Moon.

“...You’re saying you heard the Master’s voice?”

“Yes. I was clearly told answers to things I was curious about.”

“If that’s true, we’ll need to verify it. Be prepared.”

“I’ll wait.”

Aram knew exactly what it meant to become a Saint of the Moon Sect.

Still, she didn’t mind.

Even if she died as a human like the previous Saint, or became just a fragment of divinity, it was fine.

This place was the perfect home for her.

She had people she relied on and loved like family.

She wanted to repay the grace she had received and become more perfect for herself.

She had nothing to fear.

“If I become a Saint, I’ll ask the Master the questions the Bishop is curious about. I’ll especially try harder for the ones you care most about.”

“...That’s very kind of you.”

“I’m fine with it.”

“......”

The bishop didn’t reply.

The test was held.

She was bombarded with deep and complex questions she shouldn’t have known.

Aram answered without pause, guided by the voice of the Moon.

The priests were amazed, and a new Saint was born.

“Aren’t you glad I exist?”

“Of course, Saint.”

“...Am I no longer the Bishop’s daughter now?”

“......”

Once again, the bishop didn’t reply.

“...That’s not okay with me...”

“I’m sorry.”

“I hate it even more when you apologize.”

“I’m sorry, Saint.”

“......”

This time, it was Aram who fell silent.

She understood.

It wasn’t that she didn’t answer. She couldn’t.

No matter what she said, it wouldn’t change anything.

She didn’t know what the right answer was.

Even if she had something to say, maybe it would only cause more pain.

That’s why the bishop never answered Aram’s questions.

But still, this was the path Aram had chosen.

“......”

“It’s okay.”

She still loved learning.

“I can make the world a better place. Doesn’t even the Research Facility rely on the Moon Sect’s advice the most? If I become divine one day and make the Moon warmer, I’ll be satisfied with that.”

So—

“...So don’t look at me like that.”

“My apologies.”

That precise tone of voice struck her as so cold.

“......”

She had no regrets.

I chose this.

This was the path she walked because she wanted it.

She was still young and had much to learn.

Her family was distant but dependable.

The depths of mystery had yet to reveal their end.

There was still so much joy ahead.

And yet, from time to time, she would feel a sudden, crushing loneliness.

“...Is the Moon’s embrace this frightening too?”

“It must be cold and dark. That’s why we need to make the Moon warmer.”

“They’re providence itself, and yet they make people feel scared.”

“A foolish thing to say. Just because it is providence doesn’t mean it can’t destroy a mere creature.”

“I still have much to learn, Bishop.”

The Earth was full of confusion.

The Moon held wisdom she longed to know but could not reach.

The Moon Sect was working for the world’s sake.

Aram respected and loved that.

She felt proud to be part of it.

“I will become closer to perfection.”

“Admirable.”

So her fear could never be her top priority.

Aram studied and learned with all her might.

With the Moon Sect’s support, her vessel had only barely expanded, and she could die at any moment.

She wasn’t yet strong or big enough to fully contain the Moon.

If I’m fated to die young, then I’ll enjoy even more while I can.

And she would leave behind as much as she could.

Knowledge lives on in permanent form and spreads to many kinds of beings.

Knowledge is an immortal concept.

If a part of that knowledge remained in the world, that would be enough.

Aram studied with everything she had.

And eventually, when the time came, she collapsed.

The Moon may have come to take her, for her mind went hazy.

And then, she met a man named Sergio.

“Today we’re having French toast.”

“French toast...?”

“I didn’t think it’d be your first time. Is there a problem?”

“I just wondered if it’s always this thick.”

“Thicker is tastier.”

“...That’s true.”

He often gave Aram delicious snacks.

...It really is tasty.

Soft, like a cloud melting on her tongue.

A fluffy texture that spread gently.

Egg batter soaked in just right, without any fishy scent.

The flavor of butter and milk.

Honey and cinnamon.

I can taste it.

Even if her vessel was imperfect, perhaps her potential wasn’t completely lacking.

Over time, she could feel the mystery accumulating within her body.

Aram was drifting away from being human.

Even when she ate, it didn’t feel like she had eaten.

She could still taste, but it was becoming dull.

It was because she was becoming divine.

There was no way divinity would be satisfied with mere mortal food.

The more her senses dulled, the less joy she found in physical pleasures.

Only knowledge brought her joy, and she had even nestled into the Moon’s embrace.

Until...

“What is this? I’ve never had it before. It’s amazing.”

“It’s just fruit from some dungeon, aged in sugar and fermented.”

“You make ‘fruit syrup’ sound so complicated...”

“I wanted to make it sound fancy.”

“Silly.”

Before she realized it, she was enjoying gourmet food.

...Ah. I see now.

I had forgotten how to eat.

Forgetting what one learns is the kind of foolishness even novice priests of the Moon Sect avoid.

She remembered the feeling from when the bishop first taught her table manners.

How to hold utensils.

How to savor food.

How to enjoy a meal the most joyfully.

“...I’ll remember it all.”

“What do you mean?”

“The flavor, texture, and color of this toast you made. And all the other food you made before this. I won’t forget any of it.”

“Why?”

“Because when I become the Moon, I want to remember this.”

She could not allow herself to forget how delicious food made by a mere creature could be.

She shouldn’t.

A Saint was a little warming stone meant to heat the Moon, to make it gentler.

She wanted to fulfill that role fully.

Sergio the hunter asked her,

“Is that what you want?”

“Of course.”

It was her pride, her choice.

“Someday I’ll become the Moon and make the world more perfect. The great calamity only ended recently, so everyone is still struggling and confused, but once more knowledge is shared and people grow wiser, the world will be much better.”

More perfect.

“That’s why I won’t forget.”

“I hope you don’t forget your mother either.”

“......”

She choked up again.

“...I don’t want to cry, so why do you keep making me cry...”

“If you want to make the Moon warmer and more perfect, you have to remember sorrow too.”

“...You’re right.”

“Here, look. I won’t turn you into a strange girl.”

He was such a kind person.

“You need to live a life with no regrets.”

“I’ve never regretted anything... not once, up till now...”

“Mature, aren’t you.”

He even sighed a little.

“You really did grow up too fast.”

“It’s because I’m special.”

“Then make sure you remember the emotions you can only get from being ordinary.”

“I will.”

“You can become anything.”

“You can become anything.”

“...Teacher...”

She became curious.

“What about you, Teacher?”

“Me?”

“...Don’t you want to remain human?”

“Hmm. My father doesn’t absorb me.”

“But I can feel it.”

It was an instinctive sense.

She had never experienced anything like it before, but somehow, she knew.

The man before her was a Saint.

And maybe, just maybe, he had already gone beyond humanity.

“You too... you’re already filled with mystery...”

“Overflowing, right?”

“......”

“Yet still just an ordinary person. °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° That’s my special trait.”

“That doesn’t make any sense...”

“I’ve always been human.”

“Did you choose that path?”

“For me, the path isn’t what matters.”

That was a foreign idea to Aram, who had spent her whole life choosing just one path.

“But don’t beings like us become disasters if we don’t choose a path?”

“A disaster is still a disaster, but even those come in many kinds. The important thing is not to cross the line, Aram.”

Her teacher had no expectations of her—nor disappointments.

He simply looked at her with gentle eyes.

If something was wrong, he helped her correct it.

If something needed improvement, he pointed it out.

To Aram, that felt impossibly sweet.

A sense of peace she hadn’t felt in a long time.

A feeling like her feet were firmly on the ground.

“I really want you to stay here, Teacher. I want to talk to you every day, without missing a single one, and I want you to keep making delicious food like this forever.”

Someone equal to her.

Not pitying her, not expecting things from her, just... being there.

“But I guess that’s too much to ask.”

“You’re not greedy, even at the end.”

“...Then just this once, I’ll be greedy.”

“What is it?”

“Can I become your student?”

“......”

For the first time, he didn’t reply.

He couldn’t.

“...Did I make things hard for you?”

“...Not really.”

He looked a little sad.

“I just never thought I’d be in a position to take on a student.”

“I want to learn how to live from you, just like I learned from the Bishop.”

“No, Aram. What you’ll learn from me is how to lean on someone. How to let go.”

“...Isn’t that a waste?”

“You’ll have to learn that too.”

He smiled.

“If you want to become perfect.”

“...I’ll do it.”

“I’m looking forward to the day you laugh like a child who’s nothing at all.”

“Can I really do that?”

“Of course. You’re full of talent.”

His encouragement was so warm.

“You can become anything.”

And with that, the fear faded.

She felt like crying.

One day, I might regret this...

She was scared.

***

“The Saint looked very peaceful.”

The bishop still felt conflicting emotions.

She wanted the Saint to walk the path of divinity and lead the Moon Sect to new heights. frёeweɓηovel_coɱ

But she also wanted the girl she had cherished like a daughter to live a happy, peaceful life.

“In the end, the choice is hers.”

“She will choose well.”

Gio smiled.

“She can do anything.”

It was time for the wicked Demon King to appear.

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