I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 147

Mage King Kadir.

The story of his life passed down through history was filled with tales that sounded as though they came straight out of a fairytale book.

Slaying a dragon single-handedly, defeating all the soaring high-level mages, and so on.

Yet among those, the most fairytale-like account was none other than his friendship with the Hero.

The protagonist Hero and the supporting Mage. A classic combination commonly seen in fairy tales.

Even their achievements mirrored fairy tales, having jointly overthrown the Immortal King.

Just as the Demon Race was gradually shedding the villainous image of the Demon King, the Immortal King emerged due to the Holy Kingdom’s atrocities.

Regardless of the Immortal King’s past, the Previous Hero and Kadir joined forces to subdue him.

Although a tragedy unfolded in the aftermath where the Previous Hero lost his life, it was recorded as a noble sacrifice.

Kadir, who was the Hero’s dearest friend, also buried the painful truth for a time and quietly honored his memory.

However, coming face-to-face with the ugly, dark truth hidden by the Holy Kingdom made even that tragic truth feel futile.

’Since ancient times, those who claim they have no greed for money are always the greediest for money.’

The same applies to justice. People who shout that they themselves are righteous are out of their minds.

Present-day Eldorado was precisely like that. The very lineage that ought to distance itself from greed was indulging in greed.

On the surface, they feigned deep piety and righteousness, but Kadir had noticed long ago.

Eldorado’s image as a ’Holy Kingdom’ had collapsed long ago.

’I look forward to seeing what nonsense they will spout.’

Thus, Kadir made thorough preparations and set off for Eldorado.

He did not seek separate permission from Iris Kingdom, the nation to which the Magic Tower belonged.

He was the Magic Tower itself and a mage of national-power rank; who could possibly stop him?

He wasn’t called the Mage King for nothing. Even the King of Iris had to walk on eggshells around him.

Thus, Kadir visited the Holy Kingdom, Eldorado, entirely alone.

Eldorado was thrown into utter panic by his sudden visit, but immediately welcomed the honored guest.

Having already dropped subtle hints beforehand, coupled with their past connection from the Immortal King incident.

Before long, Kadir entered the Papal Palace without any hindrance.

"...What did you just say?"

"We merely follow the will of God. What will could a servant possibly possess?"

And in the meeting within the Papal Palace—specifically with the Pope and Cardinals—he could not help but be flabbergasted.

As the close friend of the Previous Hero, he knew all too well how corrupt Eldorado’s high leadership was.

However, the power elite back then differed from the power elite now. Human lifespans were short, so generational turnover was fast.

So he had hoped things might be slightly better now, but through a brief conversation, he realized they were even more rotten than before.

’These bastards are truly beyond help.’

Kadir looked at the Pope, Louis II, with a serene expression.

On the outside, he was an old man with a benevolent appearance, but inside, a treacherous snake slithered.

A treacherous snake ready to devour a person at any given moment.

’All the unsavory aspects of Eldorado are contained within this single Pope.’

Kadir clicked his tongue internally.

Judging by appearance, Kadir looked younger than the Pope, but the two were roughly similar in age.

He glanced around at the other Cardinals. As if they were already the Pope’s limbs, none of the Cardinals uttered a word.

"A servant of God... what ambiguous phrasing. Then are you saying that ruthlessly massacring the people of the Immortal King was also the will of God?"

"Do you think we enjoyed it? We merely obeyed instructions."

"Was it the former Pope, or was it God?"

"The words of the Pope are the divine words of God."

That damn excuse of invoking God was all-powerful no matter when you heard it.

Simply claiming it was ’God’s will’ served as both attack and defense.

In the distant past, Aris would have deemed it sacrilege and personally struck them with divine punishment.

However, as time passed and human civilization advanced, the gods stopped interfering in the mortal world.

’Perhaps they left out of disappointment.’

It was highly probable. Right now, even he—who didn’t believe in gods—felt immense disappointment.

No. Beyond disappointment, disgust bubbled up fiercely inside him.

All the more so because he knew how noble a being the Previous Hero had been.

"God issued such an order, you say... is that truly the case?"

"Are you suggesting God failed to make the right decision?"

"No. What I am asking is whether a oracle or prophecy was delivered. Because the Hero told me it was his homeland, not God, that pushed him forward."

"...."

You guys were the ones who did it. Where do you think you’re lying?

I’m the Hero’s friend. Plus, I even have recent evidence.

When Kadir asked carrying that implicit message, Louis II’s expression stiffened slightly.

The same went for the other Cardinals. They didn’t conceal their discomfort.

Habitually stroking his lush beard, Kadir quietly continued.

"There is a saying in the Central Plains: ’Trying to cover the sky with the palm of your hand.’ Do you truly believe the world won’t discover the truth? I think it would be better for you to repent even now."

"With all due respect...."

"Ah. Naturally, back then, you were on the receiving end of orders, not the ones issuing them. It would have been much better to emphasize that aspect and offer an apology, which makes this truly unfortunate."

"...."The source of this chapter is NovelPing.

If you weren’t the ones who gave the orders back then, it could be understood.

However, if you refuse to apologize even for that, you’re hopeless trash.

Or simply brainless fools.

"Look here. Your words cross the line...."

Unable to endure it any longer, just as one of the Cardinals was about to flare up, Louis II raised a hand to restrain him.

The Cardinal had no choice but to swallow his anger.

Continuing, Louis II maintained his genial smile and spoke.

"I understand full well what you are saying, Kadir-nim. However, I hope you realize that we merely follow God’s will."

"I wonder whether God would truly accept that will of yours."

Kadir sneered as he spoke.

A mockingly laced remark signifying that the people would no longer believe their words.

Because Kadir was the partner of the Previous Hero and possessed fame and strength no one could ignore, he could mock them right to their faces.

Had it been anyone else, their severed head would already be on display.

Yet even Kadir did not anticipate it.

That beneath rock bottom, there lay another bottom.

"Mage King. Do you know why we, and by extension humanity, place our faith in God?"

"What do you mean?"

"Because humanity is dull and foolish. Since they constantly make wrong choices, God guides them. Of course, God does not always make the correct choice either, but at the very least, it is far better than the choices we make."

Summarized simply, it was this:

[Humanity is livestock.]

Strictly speaking, he was referring to the people of Eldorado rather than all humanity, but interpreting it that way posed no issue.

After all, everyone is equal before God, so what difference did it make?

In the end, Kadir had no choice but to let out a hollow laugh.

He couldn’t tell whether they were brazen or simply insane.

"I understand your thoughts well. Thanks to you, I feel as though my eyes have been opened."

"I am glad to have been of help."

"Putting a steel plate over your face won’t last long, either."

Ttak!

At the same time as those words, Kadir snapped his fingers. Louis II realized what that action signified.

It undoubtedly meant he had cast magic. Flustered, Louis II hurriedly spoke up.

"What on earth is this...."

"Ah. It is nothing major. Just as my eyes were opened, I merely opened the eyes of the people as well."

"Do you think you can get away with this unscathed?"

"What makes you make such claims when you don’t even know what I did?"

Responding to brazenness with brazenness. This was the answer Kadir gave.

Whether Louis II flew into a rage or not, Kadir casually stood up from his seat.

The Cardinal who grasped the situation tried to hastily summon the paladins, but—

"Your Holiness! We have a disaster!"

"What is the matter?"

"Th-The footage of the meeting is currently being broadcast all across Eldorado!"

"What on earth do you mean?"

Louis II couldn’t understand the news delivered by the herald.

It wasn’t even projection magic, yet meeting footage was leaking all over Eldorado?

Because it was a completely incomprehensible situation, Louis II glared fiercely at Kadir.

"Ah. It is no big deal. I merely imitated the Gallery that you deemed evil."

"Imitated it?"

"Recording and playing back everything seen with the eyes without the aid of any device... isn’t it truly a captivating spell?"

Kadir cackled. It was truly an eccentric laugh.

Just as Louis II’s face contorted like a fiend, Kadir leisurely raised a hand.

"You will suffer for a while. Do not blame me, for this is entirely of your own making."

"Do you think God does not know the truth! Are you truly a follower of that Gallery as well?"

I obtained books from there and even deciphered them, you bastard.

Kadir suppressed those words deep inside. It was not time yet.

At the very least, it was something to be revealed when time had passed and the moment to move forward arrived.

"Gallery? I have no idea what you are talking about. You must have a guilty conscience somewhere."

"You...!"

"Well then, handle it amongst yourselves. I shall be taking my leave."

Setting a fire and making a run for it. Kadir had hurled heavy timber onto dying embers.

As Eldorado grew beyond chaotic and plunged straight toward the brink of civil war, the entire world fell into uproar.

Kadir thought to himself as he leisurely returned to the Magic Tower.

’In times like these, a Hero is needed... no. Rather, it might be better that she isn’t around right now.’

The Hero currently on the run under the false stigma of a traitor.

No matter how fierce the protesters became, without a central figure, they were bound to scatter.Enjoying the story? Read on at novelpi​ng.com.

Will the Hero return, or will the Papal Palace act first?

’It’s going to be quite a long battle.’

While Eldorado descended into chaos, Kadir swiftly returned to the Magic Tower.

Teleporting using magic was easy. Of course, that was only possible because it was Kadir.

As soon as he returned to his beloved laboratory, he opened the refrigerator first.

"The blue mushroom I received before... here it is."

[Kill him.]

"Later."

Kadir lightly ignored the Immortal King’s plea and closed the refrigerator.

The Gallery was ablaze over the "Humanity is livestock" remark.

To me, it was practically like watching a fire across the river, so it wasn’t particularly important.

Just a feeling of "Ah, some weird stuff went down in the world~"

Even if I said something, it wouldn’t be of much help, and the Gallery wouldn’t help me either.

It was just fascinating that a small ball I launched had turned into a massive meteor crashing down.

’The weather has really warmed up too.’

The weather became perceptibly warm, as if the end of winter were approaching.

To the point where thick winter clothes slowly felt hot. Still, I thought I’d wear them until tomorrow.

Now I had to manage the house again. Starting with the frozen ground that had thawed out.

Rain had fallen, followed by a sudden winter, and now the land had thawed as warm weather returned.

Because of that, it was squelchy like mud, making management a bit of a pain.

Still, it wasn’t so bad that your feet sank like in a swamp or mudflat. It was just annoying.

’Later, I should get some gravel from the river.’

The most important thing when constructing a building is the ground.

Compacting and reinforcing the ground alone takes up more than half of the total labor time.

Since I planned to craft the furnace and oven soon, I intended to compact the ground firmly.

Gathering river gravel, spreading it over the ground, and tamping it down should do the trick.

"Wonmo. Come here."

"Kkyu?"

"Uhehe."

As the day gradually darkened into evening.

I wrapped my arms around Wonmo and rolled around together.

With winter ending and Wonmo awake, I could begin full-fledged activities.

Once I finish what needs to be done, I’ll be able to explore the regional sectors too.

’Assuming there isn’t any damn yellow dust, that is.’

It might not be yellow dust, but a full-blown sandstorm.

Well, unlike spring in Korea, it might not even exist at all.

I laid down all the foundation steps to prepare for spring.

’Just in case, let’s pitch the tarp.’

Blocking the cave entrance with the tarp meant sleeping preparations were done.

After that, I tossed firewood into the fireplace to maintain warmth.

"Achoo!"

While making preparations, a sneeze burst out. My nose felt super itchy.

It wasn’t a cold. It was literally just a sudden itch in my nose.

’What’s this? How ominous.’

Should I sleep wearing the face mask just in case? Though uncomfortable, it wouldn’t prevent me from sleeping.

Leaving a word asking Speed Sloth—who had started zoning out at the fire—to keep watch, I went to sleep.

Ah. I didn’t forget to practice my Internal Cultivation Art before falling asleep.

Things like this had to be practiced consistently to increase skill even a bit.

Thus, looking forward to the coming spring, I spent the night in the cave.

The next day.

Hwi-i-i-ing!

The moment morning arrived, I pulled back the tarp, only for a bright yellow world to welcome me.

So yellow dust really came. Just as I had that thought—

"Achoo! Achoo! Puh-achoo!"

A string of sneezes erupted one after another. My nose went beyond itchy into stinging pain.

I wondered if it was because of the yellow dust, but it was strange that it was sneezing rather than coughing.

Even wearing the mask, it felt like something bright yellow was penetrating right through. Barely opening my eyes, I gasped in realization.

’Wait a second. Don’t tell me this isn’t yellow dust, but....’

Pollen, which plagued me every single time spring arrived.

"Puh-achoo!!!"

Pollen whirled like yellow sandstorms, dying the entire world in vibrant yellow.