I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 125

It was extraordinary right from the start. That was Race’s thought upon seeing Ludwig’s post.

Creating a registered handle the moment he logged on was amazing enough, but it was even his actual real name.

Considering that a registered handle could never be modified once created, it was all the more astounding.

However, what was even more shocking was that he had verified his post with a picture of his actual face.

"...Commander-nim."

"Speak."

"Do you know how well-known your face actually is, Commander-nim?"

If he hadn’t been a public figure, it might have ended as a harmless incident.

And Ludwig was a warrior to the core—a martial artist through and through who knew absolutely nothing about the Gallery.

While others might have heard rumors in passing, he had devoted himself solely to martial arts.

Therefore, normally, his face should only have been recognized within the Holy Kingdom—specifically inside the Paladin Order.

"I do not believe it is quite that well-known."

"You showed your face during the Hero’s escape, didn’t you? After that, practically everyone knows what you look like."

"I see. I only read the newspapers occasionally."

"Sigh. Go ahead and write something in the comments. The milk’s already been spilled anyway."

Ever since the Hero’s escape incident, Ludwig had been forced into the public spotlight.

He was the instructor who had taught martial arts to the Hero and imparted all kinds of knowledge to her.

Thus, accusing him of instilling rebellious ’ideology’ in her and claiming that the Goddess had handed down an ominous prophecy, they dragged him to trial.

In the process, his face was plastered all over the press, and combined with various testimonies, he had been semi-forcibly turned into a famous figure.

’Is this really okay though? There are definitely people checking the Gallery in real-time.’

Race glanced out the carriage window.

The investigation team was accompanied not only by paladins, but also by personnel tasked with supporting them.

Support in name only—they were an escort of monitors. Sent by the Pope’s faction to prevent any funny business.

It wasn’t as if those people didn’t use the Gallery either. They had certainly seen Ludwig’s post.

Seuk-seuk— Seueuk—

In the meantime, Ludwig was scribbling something down in a pocket notebook.

He then stared intently at the piece of paper before sliding it back inside.

Watching his actions, Race logged into the Gallery. It was the post Ludwig had just written.

↳ I saw that guy’s face in the newspaper. Didn’t he stand as a witness during the Hero’s escape incident?

↳ Probably? The first name is pretty common, but even the surname matches.

↳ Isn’t it just a roleplay account? Seems like he hurriedly made it because Grylls promised a gift.

↳ Can you really say that after seeing that face? lol

↳ If he really wants to verify, he should write his name and today’s date on a piece of paper.

↳ LudwigvonErold (Photo of paper with name and date written) Will this suffice?

↳ Wow. It’s actually the real deal lmao

↳ That guy joined the investigation team? I thought it was just a rumor;;

↳ Man, those Holy Kingdom bastards really purge everyone they don’t like lol

↳ And yet they call it an investigation instead of a purge hahaha

↳ Ah, lmao! "We didn’t kill them, they just went missing!" hahaha

↳ Don’t Abandon the Hero: Ludwig-ssi, why...? Why were you assigned to the investigation team?

↳ LudwigvonErold: I received orders. That is all.

↳ Don’t Abandon the Hero: I see. I understand.

↳ Why is the Orange Badge acting like that all of a sudden? Didn’t she usually put exclamation marks at the end of every sentence?

↳ Yeah. Wasn’t there a rumor that she was a former paladin?

↳ Ludwig’s an instructor for the Paladin Order. He even raised the Hero.

↳ Must feel pretty heavy for her.

He had laid out the entire truth in plain sight. Race swallowed a hollow laugh.

But what was the point of saying all this now? It was already open knowledge, making it completely meaningless.

Calling it a "disappearance" was a farce; El Dorado had put together an investigation team purely as a performative purge.

’I miss Asella’s face.’

At times like this, she missed Asella, the Hero, all the more.

A young woman whose innocent yet remarkably sharp personality left a lasting impression.

Her specialty was driving home devastating hard facts while wearing a bright, beaming smile.

"Mmm..."

"..."

"Ho?"

Ludwig, who had been browsing through the Gallery for a while, let out an exclamation.

Wondering what had happened, she logged into the Gallery, but nothing caught her eye.

Just as Race wore a puzzled expression, a change occurred with Ludwig.

Seueuk!

"Huh?"

It was a sword. A longsword bearing a dull greyish-silver sheen.

Out of nowhere, the longsword materialized right on top of Ludwig’s thighs.

This meant only one thing: Grylls had sent Ludwig a gift.

"Oh."

However, Ludwig seemed to place meaning on the fact that an object had actually arrived rather than on the gift itself.

Rather than marveling at the blade, he gasped the moment it appeared.

It was the reaction of a middle-aged father encountering modern technology for the first time.

"...Commander-nim? What on earth is that...?"

"The person named Wild Grylls gave it to me. He told me to use this to come to where he is."

"..."

With that dull sword? Race wore a doubtful expression.

At a glance, it looked like a shabby blade. An ordinary steel sword would have looked far better.

"Did he say what kind of sword that is?"

"I cannot tell you. He asked me to keep it a secret."

"..."

Did it possess some special ability? Race looked skeptical.Visit novеlping.com for the full chapter.

Grylls’s gift had fallen into the hands of none other than Ludwig.

If things went like this, even the surveillance escort would find it difficult to take it by force.

After all, they were an investigation team, not prisoners.

Kki-ik—

Not long after Ludwig received the sword, the carriage ground to a halt.

Usually, a carriage stopped for only one reason: to take a rest.

However, they had just rested barely thirty minutes ago. If so, there was only one remaining possibility.

"We have arrived. Everyone, disembark."

They had arrived at the entrance to the Forest of the Four Seasons. Race tightly shut her eyes, thinking that what was bound to come had finally arrived.

She didn’t want to get off. She didn’t want to go. If she went in, she would die.

All kinds of agonizing thoughts stormed through her mind, but that didn’t last long either.

Ludwig was already preparing to step out while clutching his new sword.

She stared at him with eyes that practically demanded to know if he was truly going to comply so obediently.

Ludwig met her gaze for a moment before looking away.

A silent signal that he would not answer. Race let out a sigh.

’This is way too disappointing.’

Although Ludwig could be rigid and frustrating, he was generally flexible enough when it counted.

Yet she couldn’t tell if he had surrendered to authority or simply fallen into despair.

Barely composing her gloomy spirits, Race stepped out of the carriage.

Upon stepping outside, she saw the Paladin Order members assigned to the investigation team as well as the surveillance escort all staring at a single spot.

"There it is."

"..."

The place they were staring at was the known entrance to the Forest of the Four Seasons.

And the entrance itself was far from ordinary even in appearance.

The atmospheric phenomenon observable only in extremely cold regions: the aurora.

A vivid, multicolored aurora completely blanketed the threshold of the Forest of the Four Seasons.

Behind the aurora lay a wildly diverse array of terrains.

In one area, terrain filled only with gnarled, barren trees.

In another, a desert composed entirely of sand.

In another, a snowy mountain struck by raging blizzards.

In another, an utterly ordinary forest.

This was why it was called the Forest of the Four Seasons.

It was why it was called a labyrinth from which no one could ever escape, where no one knew where they would start the moment they entered.

"...Damn it, it really is drop-dead gorgeous."

"..."

At Race’s lamenting evaluation, Ludwig nodded silently.

Beneath that beautiful phenomenon, an endless hell undoubtedly waited.

A region that could not be explained by magic, science, nature, or life science—by any discipline known to man.

"My, my. It has been a while since I last came here, but it truly is magnificent."

It happened while the paladins were gazing at the entrance of the Forest of the Four Seasons. A man’s voice came from behind them.

At that sound, Race turned around and faced the owner of the voice.

"To think that hell hides behind such a beautiful sight. Isn’t it ironic?"

A beaming face, thick plump cheeks, and a short, stubby height.

Greed practically dripped from his blunt nose and downturned eyes.

"...Archbishop Odon."

Race knit her brows as she uttered his name.

Her expression openly displayed her disgust—it was by no means a friendly reaction.

And for good reason: Odon was firmly aligned with the Pope’s faction, serving as his faithful lapdog.

Currently, he was the commander of the surveillance escort sent to confirm that the investigation team entered the Forest of the Four Seasons.

Cheolkeok—

As the Archbishop stepped forward, the paladins guarding him lined up in formation.

Unlike Ludwig and Race, who showed their faces, these men wore full helmets.

Perhaps due to their silent demeanor, an intimidating aura bled from them.

They were there to ensure that the investigation team could not offer any resistance.

"Do not wear such a face, Race-nim. Should you refuse this mission, His Holiness the Pope will be quite displeased."

"Bullshit."

"Your foul mouth is as sharp as ever. Which makes me like you even more."

Odon ogled Race with greedy eyes. At that, Race scowled fiercely.

Although she had an androgynous appearance with her short hair, Race possessed remarkable beauty.

Her striking, distinct features made her wildly popular regardless of gender.

Flies are naturally drawn to attractive flowers, and Odon was a prime example.

"I’d rather walk straight inside. Back off."

"How regrettable. It seems I was being overly ambitious."

"..."

Race turned her head, unwilling to deal with him any further.

Even as words were exchanged behind him, Ludwig merely kept staring silently at the Forest of the Four Seasons.

Odon was not one to miss such details. He quietly approached Ludwig.

Thanks to that, he could clearly see the sword Ludwig had received from Grylls with his own two eyes.

The blade he usually used was sheathed at his hip, while an unfamiliar sword rested in his hand.

Odon instantly realized that was the sword received from Grylls.

Monitoring the Gallery was mandatory in order to prepare for the possibility of investigation team members leaking information.

"Sir Ludwig. I never imagined that you would log into the Gallery."

"..."

"How do you feel? Do you feel inclined to execute the seditious element inside?"

Instead of answering, Ludwig turned his head to look down at Odon.

Given the considerable height difference between the two, he looked down at him from above.

"And that sword—you received it from that seditious individual, did you not?"

"That is correct."

"Hand it over to me. Since it is an object given by a seditious figure, it naturally ought to be confiscated."Read the latest chapters at novelping dot com.

Sophistry. Grylls was not a seditious element, but a survivor.

A truth accidentally revealed while exerting every effort just to stay alive.

Even if he had an intention, the likelihood of it being a lie was low.

However, El Dorado had already branded him a ’seditious element.’

"..."

Ludwig stared intently at Odon before silently handing the sword over. Odon’s expression brightened instantly.

Just as Race’s anger was about to explode at the sight, an anomaly occurred.

Teob!

"Huh?"

Ludwig grabbed Odon by the wrist just as he reached out to take the sword, and then—

Hwoong!

"Uaaaaakh!!"

Hurled him straight into the Forest of the Four Seasons.

The paladins guarding Odon rushed forward in sheer shock, but it was already too late.

Odon had already plunged into the Forest of the Four Seasons and vanished completely from sight.

Because it was an unexpected outburst committed by none other than Ludwig himself, they hadn’t been able to react in time.

"What is the meaning of this?!"

"Do you think you can return alive after doing this?!"

The members of the surveillance escort drew their weapons one by one, threatening Ludwig.

Naturally, Race and the rest of the investigation team drew their weapons as well.

Though it was a sudden act, there was no way they didn’t understand Ludwig’s intent.

"Teacher! We’re making a break for it, right?!"

"Phew..."

At Race’s shout, Ludwig let out a sigh filled with complicated emotion.

He then looked toward the Forest of the Four Seasons and muttered quietly under his breath.

"I was planning to take up farming once I retired..."

"Teacher!"

"It seems I shall be sowing a different kind of seed instead."

Ludwig muttered these incomprehensible words and turned around.

As he turned, he saw a force more than double the size of the investigation team surrounding them.

Behind them was the Forest of the Four Seasons; before them, the surveillance force. It was a battle with no hope of victory.

Yet Ludwig did not give up. He gripped the sword he had received as a gift from Grylls.

[Reyna. I shall breach one side. Escape and find Asella.]

In this touch-and-go situation, Race could hear it clearly. It was Ludwig’s voice.

No, it was not heard with her ears, but a voice penetrating directly into her mind.

Voice transmission—a technique that only high-tier powerhouses could utilize.

Startled by the voice transmission for only a moment, Race glanced at Ludwig.

’What about you then, Teacher?’ was what her eyes asked.

[Do not mind me. I shall do what I must.]

Saying so, Ludwig slowly began to step forward.

Clutched in his hand was a sword glowing like a green galaxy.

A radiant glow that sent a shiver of brilliance through one’s entire body just by looking at it.

Just moments ago it had worn a dull, lifeless color, but now it had transformed completely.

"What on earth is that sword...?"

"Be careful! It has been confirmed to be a gift given by the seditious element!"

It seemed someone who had heard the earlier conversation was shouting.

The fact that Grylls had given a gift to Ludwig was now exposed for all the world to see.

Still, it did not matter. Race stared at the sword shining like a green galaxy.

’It must be a good sword, right?’

Chwa-ang!!!

The moment that thought crossed her mind, Ludwig made his move.

Unlike a certain dumbshit who got strong in a completely nonsensical way, this aura took on a distinct and clear form.

An Aura Blade—or Sword Gang—that served as the absolute measure of a ’true powerhouse.’

However, its size was far from ordinary. Normally, it would merely expand slightly and stop there.

Yet the Aura Blade currently coating the sword manifested a scale that far surpassed a longsword, even exceeding that of a greatsword.

"T-Teacher... What on earth is...?"

Even the energy radiating from it was terrifying. It was so intense that touching it felt as though it would slice a hand clean off.

As someone had once said, increasing the size of aura was an inefficient endeavor.

However, that applied only when using aura alone; at the stage of an Aura Blade, things were entirely different.

A warrior’s true skill could be judged by the sheer magnitude of their Aura Blade.

In that sense, it signified that Ludwig’s prowess had levelled up, but...

"...I do not know."

"Pardon?"

"I do not know. What is this?"

Even Ludwig himself showed a baffled, bewildered reaction.

"This is scary."

"..."

It felt all the more absurd because he genuinely seemed to mean it.

Meanwhile, at that very time. Grylls, who had tossed the sword out into the world beyond.

"Cough! Cough! Ugh. It’s so stinging, so spicy. Did I check on him for nothing?"

He was clearing the forest to produce a large batch of charcoal.

’As for a sword, I can just craft another one anyway.’

Making another sword was no trouble at all.

’By the way, who is that guy for the Orange Badge to personally ask if I could give it to him?’

He grew a bit curious.

I’ll ask him later when he arrives at where I am.