As the two naked men had an awkward atmosphere between them, there was a woman watching them from a distance.
ââŠWhat the hell are they doing?â
It was the blonde woman, Benya. She quietly approached the two of them.
âHuh?â
Runald found her first. He pointed at her and spoke.
âOh, itâs the woman who peed on the ground.â
ââŠI didnât pee,â Benya retorted and glanced toward Jaehwan. She looked down when Jaehwan looked back at her. She stood there silently and hesitated for a few seconds before she handed out a shopping bag.
âH-here!â
ââŠWhat is this?â
âClothes,â she said in a shaky voice.
âClothes?â
âItâs called Reinholdtâs Long CoatâŠâ
It was the [Part] that Jaehwan saw at the lower auction house area earlier. Jaehwan reached into the bag and took it out.
[Reinholdtâs Long Coat]
Description: Long coat worn by Vicegerents of High-ranking God â Reinholdt. Itâs durable and keeps the temperature of the wearer. It is said to wield Reinholdtâs Setting â [High Speed Flying].
Asking about the size when it was free? It seemed rude, but Jaehwan did not care about manners.
âI have bad memories about getting the wrong size.â
âUh⊠well, you donât need to worry about sizes. It changes to fit the wearer.â
ââŠIs that so?â
Jaehwan was surprised as he looked down at the coat again. Mino once gave him clothes when he arrived in .
âSomething bad happens when I get something like this.â
He ended up in a messy situation.
âI guess it should be alright this time.â
Jaehwan decided to receive the gift.
âBut why are you giving it to me?â
Benya thought the order of the questions was wrong, but she decided to not care.
ââŠI felt sorry.â
She couldnât even bear to look at Jaehwan.
âIf itâs about what happened earlier, donât worry about it. Iâve forgotten it already.â
âAre you forgiving me?â
Jaehwan nodded and Benyaâs face brightened. Jaehwan then took the coat and wore it. The coat began to shrink on Jaehwan and soon changed its shape to fit Jaehwanâs body. It didnât hinder his movements at all. It was truly a good [Part].
âThank you.â
Jaehwan showed his gratitude.
âIt looks good on you!â Benya also added. But the other man, the only Follower of Jaehwan, did not seem to share the idea.
ââŠIâm disappointed, Jaehwan.â
Runald, who was now naked alone, looked at him with a disappointed expression.
âWhy now?â
âYou have clothes! Itâs not beautiful! Itâs revolting to our âNaked wayâ!â
Jaehwan was about to object and refute the fact that he never wanted to uphold that ridiculous âWayâ, but Benya jumped in instead. She stood proudly in front of Runald and looked down.
âHeh, little kid. You donât know anything, donât you?â
Runald felt like he was being belittled by an older person, but he couldnât fight back. Benya scoffed, âA kid like you wouldnât know âtrue beautyâ. No way.â
ââŠTrue beauty?â
Benya then smiled arrogantly as she continued, âTrue beauty doesnât show when youâre naked.â
ââŠWhat?â
Runald was reminded of the following words from Andersen ever since he arrived at Depth.
-True beauty lies in nakedness.
He didnât care at first, but he soon didnât mind whether it was true or not. Then when he realized it, he was fully submerged in the idea. It was true. The Goddess was right. The true beauty lies in⊠no. It was nakedness that was the definition of beauty!
Yet, here was this woman, a powerful foe who directly opposed the idea.
Runald became angry.
Who was she to talk about ânakednessâ?
âItâs the difference between art and pornography⊠but youâre too young to understand.â
Surely, it was too difficult for Runald to understand. He fired back, âThen, what is true beauty?â
âItâs only when you can barely see it that you can see true beauty.â
Barely? What did she mean? Runald couldnât understand.
âNo way. The true beauty of a human being lies within the nakedness!â
âHmm⊠how about I put it this way- kid. A âGodâ is a mysterious being, right?â
Runald was confused by the sudden subject change, but he decided to answer anyway.
âYeah, I suppose so.â
âThen why is it mysterious? Do you know why?â
âUh, what does that have to do with true beauty?â
âJust answer me first.â
Runald gave some thought to the question, but he couldnât find the answer. He became disappointed at himself and shook his head as he looked up to the lady.