I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 127

Ludwig was rigid and completely inflexible, but he was a man who understood honor.

As a believer of Aris, as the Shield of Aris, and as the master of the paladins.

Everyone acknowledged Ludwig’s honor, and he took immense pride in it himself.

Therefore, when his honor was defiled—especially through underhanded schemes—he could not help but feel enraged.

But perhaps the last time was truly the final opportunity to salvage the situation.

No matter how much he resisted, he was ultimately destined to enter the Forest of the Four Seasons. Now, it seemed like nothing more than the desperate struggles of a man pushed to the edge of a cliff.

Even so, he stepped forward to defend his honor until the very end.

Not only his own honor, but the lives of others as well.

’Everyone escaped safely.’

Ludwig looked around.

The investigation team, including Race, had already scattered in all directions. Soon, they would become the ’seeds’ of revolution.

The reason all of this was possible was that blade—the sword he had received as a gift right before entering the Forest of the Four Seasons.

The raw power of the blade, shimmering like a green galaxy, awed even Ludwig.

Though he had fought countless battles in service of Aris, he had never seen a weapon so terrifying.

’If mismanaged even slightly, this will turn into a demonic sword.’

Unlike the holy sword, Revolution, this blade amplified the wielder’s abilities.

However, it was so difficult for even the wielder to control that a single slip could result in cutting oneself down.

It was fortunate he had fought with utmost restraint; otherwise, things would have turned perilous.

’Just what kind of being created this sword?’

The sword’s power was astonishingly magnificent. The problem was that it was overly excessive.

To the extent that he couldn’t even focus solely on combat, since the slightest mistake would cause his aura to go wild.

Ludwig caught his breath and stared ahead. The surveillance squad was still glaring at him.

Though their faces were hidden behind helmets, he felt it clearly: they were terrified.

"What are you afraid of?"

"...."

"Come. Your enemy is right here."

Ludwig spoke in a gruff, blunt voice.

If the Hero was the Sword of Aris, Ludwig was the Shield of Aris.

For the surveillance squad to pierce through him was practically preposterous.

What’s more, a terrifying masterwork blade was currently gripped in Ludwig’s hands.

With the rest of the investigation team having fled, the surveillance squad had no choices left.

Either charge forward and die at Ludwig’s hands, or return and be purged by the Pope.

Ludwig had no room to run either, as the Forest of the Four Seasons lay behind him. Nor did he possess the energy left to break through the surveillance squad.

Because he had overexerted himself to scatter the seeds of revolution, he was barely holding on thanks to the sword alone.

Both sides were trapped in a complete dilemma, unable to see a way out.

’What do we do?’

’What do you mean, what do we do?! Why aren’t we charging right now?!’

’Didn’t you see what just happened? The ones who tried that got thrown into the Forest of the Four Seasons!’

’Dammit. I wish this was a cliff instead.’

The surveillance guards whispered back and forth. It wasn’t just Ludwig they feared.

It was the Forest of the Four Seasons behind him. The moment anyone set foot inside, they would never emerge again.

Starting with Archbishop Odon, several members of the surveillance team had already been forcefully tossed inside.

Having seen them vanish into thin air the moment they entered, the guards had no choice but to hesitate.

’They are wavering.’

With the wisdom accumulated over his years, Ludwig immediately picked up on the squad’s atmosphere.

They were stuck in a tight corner too, which made them hesitate.

’Not that my own situation is any better.’

Ludwig’s outlook was by no means bright. In fact, it was bleak.

Even if he managed to break through the guards and survive, his honor would be dragged through the dirt.

As long as the Pope held absolute sway over El Dorado, manipulating public opinion would be child’s play.

Furthermore, since he was the Hero’s master, he was the perfect scapegoat.

They would claim that the Hero fell from grace due to Ludwig’s corrupting ideology, or something of the sort.

It was so painfully predictable that he couldn’t help but chuckle softly.

As a man who understood honor, he wished to avoid having his name sullied above all else.

’I’m glad I took care of that pig first.’

With Archbishop Odon gone, the commander giving them orders was also gone.

The senior officers had all been killed by Ludwig’s hand or forcefully thrown into the Forest of the Four Seasons.

No one knew whose orders to follow. Chaos was the natural outcome.

"It seems you are quick to assess the situation. If you return like this, you will be purged, and if you attack me, you will die."

"...."

"I make a proposal to you."

When Ludwig made his proposal, the guards looked at one another, silently asking if they should even listen.

But since they had no clever alternative, they decided to listen for now.

"Even if you return as you are, you will die at the hands of the Pope. Even if you kill me, the outcome will be no different."

"What? What does that mean..."

"The person who wants to tarnish my honor more than anyone else is the Pope. Do you know why he wanted to frame this as my disappearance?"Get faster updates on NovelPing.

Ludwig was stubborn, but he was far from stupid.

He possessed a personality similar to a certain Orange Badge in the Gallery, enriched with decades of experience.

"To prevent me from becoming a martyr."

"...."

"Even if you bring back my head, every last one of you will be eliminated by the Pope under fabricated pretexts. I will be recorded as missing, and you will be executed. Anyone who remembers what happened here will cease to exist."

It was not nonsensical logic; in fact, it was a disturbingly plausible scenario.

The Pope had elevated his prestige by purging ’subversive elements’ all along.

To protect that prestige, he wouldn’t care if tens—or even hundreds—of innocent people were sacrificed.

The surveillance squad was merely part of that machine. Either way, their fate of dying remained unchanged.

"H-How are we supposed to believe that...!"

"Because that is precisely how he created the Immortal King."

"...."

"Breaking a single person to the point of driving an entire nation to ruin is easy for him. Naturally, countless casualties will follow in that process."

The moment Ludwig brought up the Immortal King, the guard who was about to object snapped his mouth shut.

El Dorado was a power that did not hesitate to commit slaughter just to break the king of a small nation.

There was no guarantee that such cruelty would not be directed at them.

It was so spot-on that the surveillance squad was thoroughly shaken.

The moment Ludwig sensed the crack in their conviction, he immediately pressed his offer.

"So run."

"...."

"Choose whether to flee beyond the borders of the Holy Kingdom, or wait for me to recover."

"...If you recover, will you kill us?"

A guard with a deep voice spoke, his tone fraught with tension.

Ludwig stared quietly at the guard before uttering an unexpected answer.

"No."

"Then what?"

"I will enter the Forest of the Four Seasons."

"What?"

The unexpected answer threw the entire surveillance squad into confusion. And understandably so.

They had assumed he was struggling so desperately to avoid entering the Forest of the Four Seasons, but that wasn’t the case.

In truth, Ludwig had long since made up his mind to step into the forest.

Thus, Ludwig explained so they could understand.

"If I sacrifice my own honor, I can preserve the honor of others. Framing it as if a traitor was born because I instilled improper ideas into them."

"...."

The Pope put up human shields to protect his own honor.

But Ludwig offered himself up as the shield—an act truly fitting for the Shield of Aris.

Did his words strike a chord within them? The guards began to hesitate one by one, slowly sheathing their weapons.

The survival instinct to stay alive, paired with the sincere weight behind Ludwig’s words.

Everything aligned perfectly to break the surveillance squad’s will to fight.

"A wise choice."

"...When will you go in?"

"In one hour."

As soon as Ludwig said that, he sat cross-legged. It was the stance for the Mana Cultivation Method.

The guards were left utterly dumbfounded.

Cultivating mana right in front of opponents who were threatening his life moments ago?

It was a move so contrary to common sense that muttering quickly broke out.

’Should we strike?’

’Are you crazy? What if it’s a trap?’

’If he fully recovers like that, he might target us.’

’Ludwig wouldn’t do something like that. Trust him.’

Ultimately, the guards trusted Ludwig. They knew just how upright he was.

Even setting aside their recent conversation, his character was far from murky. On the contrary, it shone as brightly as the Hero’s.

While Ludwig channeled his cultivation method, the surveillance guards slowly backed away.

Soon, leaving behind only a pair of guards to monitor him, most of them began to withdraw.

"...."

An hour passed, and Ludwig finished his mana cultivation.

He slowly opened his eyes and looked ahead. Only two surveillance guards remained within his sight.

’It seems most of them have left.’

Even sensing his surroundings, there was no one else. Ludwig slowly rose from his spot.

As he stood up, the guards flinched, looking startled out of sheer fear.

Ludwig stared at them intently before speaking in his signature blunt voice.

"You two."

"Y-Yes?"

Ludwig’s tone had softened compared to before, causing the guard to reply respectfully without even realizing it.

"Are you the youngest recruits?"Follow the newest chapters on novelping(.)com.

"P-Pardon?"

"I asked if you are the youngest."

At the somewhat random question, the guards exchanged glances.

After a moment of hesitation, they answered in timid, submissive voices.

"Y-Yes! That is correct! We only recently shed our apprentice titles!"

"I joined one year earlier than this guy!"

Rigid, disciplined answers. Ludwig chuckled softly.

At the same time, he felt pity. To think even fresh rookies like them had been dragged into such dirty business.

’What will become of the Holy Kingdom’s future?’

Though he had done his duty as the Shield of Aris, he had failed to protect it from within.

For the Holy Kingdom to regain its true self, the rotted portions would have to be gouged out.

And that role could be carried out not by the Shield, but only by the ’Sword.’

"...."

Ludwig turned around and gazed at the entrance to the Forest of the Four Seasons.

An entrance shimmering like an aurora. Beyond it, diverse environments flickered into view.

Fearless though Ludwig was, he was still human, and thus harbored a fear of the ’unknown.’

’Beyond this... what kind of place will it be?’

Fear of the unknown, mixed with curiosity.

Ludwig hesitated for a brief moment before slowly reaching out his hand.

Soon, his hand passed through the aurora. He felt no sensation whatsoever.

Having taken a step forward, it was now time to enter fully. He slowly closed his eyes and murmured softly under his breath.

’O Aris, protect me.’

Jeobeok- jeobeok-

Ludwig moved his legs and entered the Forest of the Four Seasons. A bizarre sensation washed over his body.

He slowly opened his closed eyes.

"...."

As soon as he opened his eyes, what met his gaze was a vast meadow.

A prairie completely draped in lush green. A scene far removed from any forest.

He stared blankly at the meadow before turning back.

Normally, the place he had just left should have been visible behind him, but like a lie, nothing but the green meadow filled his view.

’Is the one called Wild Grylls in a place like this?’

Ludwig immediately accessed the Gallery.

Though he was unfamiliar with it, accessing it wasn’t difficult.

[You are in a region where accessing the Gallery is not supported.]

"...."

Setting aside the lack of difficulty, actual access had become impossible.

Ludwig looked at the system message displayed before him and dismissed it without a word.

Being unable to access the Gallery—this meant one thing.

’This is definitely the Forest of the Four Seasons.’

The Gallery could not be used inside the Forest of the Four Seasons. That fact remained unchanged.

If so, how on earth was Grylls able to use it? A sudden curiosity piqued him.

’I will find out if I ask him directly.’

Ludwig set off at a steady pace. Vast meadow though it was, they would surely meet someday.

Though he didn’t know when that might be, it was far better than standing completely still.

Ah. Of course.

"Munch. Munch. Munch."

"...."

Searching for someone and receiving a welcome ceremony were two separate matters. Ludwig tilted his head high up to stare at an animal.

Its entire torso was predominantly yellow, patterned heavily with brown spots.

Long legs that dwarfed Ludwig’s height by far, characterized by sturdy muscles.

But there was one feature far more eye-catching than the rest. Beyond strange, it was downright absurd.

’Its neck....’

The neck was long—absurdly long.

So long that it effortlessly munched on leaves from the highest branches of towering trees.

The head, neck, and body seemed to move independently of one another, bestowing a truly grotesque impression.

An animal that even Ludwig, with all his worldly experience, was witnessing for the very first time in his life.

’...What kind of ridiculous animal is that?’

An animal that, had Grylls seen it, he would have dubbed a ’giraffe’ [Kirin].

Ludwig watched the giraffe’s mukbang for quite some time before shaking his head side to side.

’This place really is hell.’

Otherwise, there was no way a creature like that could exist.

Harboring such thoughts, Ludwig walked right past the giraffe.

"Nyam-nyam-nyam. Nyam-nyam."

Be that as it may, the giraffe simply carried on eating its leaves with relish.