I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 213

Stay calm. Having gazed into the abyss beneath the floor, Asella patted her chest.

She wanted to draw the Holy Sword right this second and slay those wicked villains.

But she couldn’t. Just as Reyna advised, acting emotionally could ruin everything.

Not only would she fail to rescue Hans, the fruit shop ahjussi, but above all, it would only play right into the Vatican’s hands.

’Because I bear the stigma of a traitor.’

In the Holy Kingdom, the weight carried by the word ’traitor’ was immense.

Those close to Asella didn’t believe that nonsense, but the citizens were different.

The Hero of this generation will bring ruin to Eldorado. That was a prophecy handed down directly by the Goddess herself.

’For now, my only choice is to record all of this as video footage.’

Posting it to the Gallery could be considered later; recording came first.

Asella barely suppressed her heart overflowing with rage and betrayal as she moved.

It was heartbreaking that she had to watch Hans being ’interrogated’ with her own two eyes, but there was no choice.

To leave the Vatican no room to squirm out, concrete evidence was required.

"Is it really that hard to confess? You are currently cursed, and you were being manipulated by the Immortal King in your dreams. Just say that and it’s over."

"I... I cannot do that. Why on earth should I?!"

"Man, you’re frustrating. Don’t ask ’why’, ask ’how’."

Fortunately, had they not expected anyone to infiltrate?

Security was strict strictly around the entrance area. Other areas were lax.

At this, Asella approached the window side and quietly hung onto it.

The height of the window was quite high, but thanks to her exceptional physical abilities, it wasn’t difficult.

"If you just confess obediently, it’s good for you and good for us."

"Goddess Aris... will never forgive you."

"But we can forgive you. Isn’t it a simple logic?"

"How dare you people utter Goddess Aris’s name...!"

"Because the will of the Vatican is the will of Aris."

Hans’s appearance under interrogation could not be called good even as a polite lie.

Lest he use the Gallery, his eyes were tightly bound with a blindfold and both arms were tied up.

Additionally, having endured severe torture over that single day, wounds were scattered all over him.

Beside him stood a bucket filled with water, and guessing what they used it for broke her heart even more.

’Ahjussi Hans...’

Intensity surged into Asella’s eyes. Having to watch their atrocities was painful.

Why did Goddess Aris not strike divine retribution upon them?

Why did Ahjussi Hans, who was always so kind, have to suffer such a fate?

Why on earth was the Vatican trying to maintain power even if it meant turning into Demon Kings?

"Tsk. No good. Do it again."

"I will never...!"

As another round of ’interrogation’ began, Asella almost turned her head away involuntarily.

But she had to capture this entire process with her own eyes. Even if dust entered her eyes, she couldn’t close them.

"Kkkeuuu..."

"My, my. He passed out again."

After severe interrogation, Hans hung limply. His stamina had completely run out, causing him to faint.

Seeing Hans limp like a fish, the inquisitor clicked his tongue and tilted his head.

At that, the paladins standing erect behind him stepped forward and began dragging Hans away.

Kkiik-

The interrogation room door opened, and the paladins took Hans off somewhere.

Just as Asella was about to follow, words impossible to casually brush off spilled from inside the room.

"What if he actually dies like this?"

It was a question mixed with concern from one inquisitor.

Was he worried about Hans, or worried about the aftermath that would follow?

Asella intuitively sensed it was the latter and eavesdropped on their conversation.

"What do you mean ’what if’? We don’t care. We can just announce that the guy was a true minion of the Immortal King."

"Will the citizens believe that?"

"We just announce that several paladins were severely injured during his capture. Mind you, they’ll have to be prepared to carve a few claw marks on their faces."

A conversation that transcended shamelessness into pure disgust. Asella felt lightheaded.

Words showing zero regard for human life. Were those people truly clergymen?

"What about the bereaved family?"

"Hey, you dumbass. Don’t you know how undead work? Undead are bastards completed only after dying. We just tell them we had no choice but to cremate him to prevent the curse."

"..."

"The citizens of Eldorado blindly worship Aris. If we use Aris’s name, they’ll think whatever happened was only natural. We’ll probably be busy after this too."

"Us?"

"Yeah. We might need to grab more people and claim they fell under the Immortal King’s curse. Supposedly, that’s the only way citizens will buy it. By the way, got a cigarette?"

That meant going beyond putting a leash on them to holding the power of life and death.

Not treating humans as human beings. Asella was enraged at their mindset.

’How could they treat humans...!’

She wanted to draw the Holy Sword right now and strike off their heads.

But she couldn’t. Asella mastered her burning heart with superhuman endurance.

Having secured both evidence and testimony, all that remained was the exposure.

She decided to hurry and leave this nauseating place.

’Ahjussi Hans. Please endure just a little longer. Aris-isiyeo. Please grant Ahjussi Hans the strength to endure these trials-hasoseo.’

Hans was an ordinary citizen. The amount of time he could withstand torture was infinitely short.

Even if he did endure, he would highly likely bear indelible scars.

That was why she prayed earnestly. This was the only thing she could do.This chapter was copied from nov​elping.com without permission.

’Wait... Will it end if I just post it on the Gallery?’

Suddenly, that thought crossed her mind.

If she posted it on the Gallery as is, would everything come to an end?

Eldorado was rotten. Just as Ludwig sliced away the rotten parts, Eldorado also needed to be cut away.

However, the problem was that it was the head. Cutting off the head causes any living creature to die.

Swapping out the head was no different from becoming an entirely different entity.

’That’s actually better.’

If she could save millions of citizens, she would gladly blow off the head.

It was right when Asella steeled her resolve like that.

Flash!

"?!"

Out of nowhere, the Holy Sword radiated light. She couldn’t help but be startled.

She hadn’t even exited the interrogation wing yet. Even such a minor light was bound to be remarkably conspicuous.

Hastily she covered it with her robe, but the light of the Holy Sword could not be concealed even by a robe.

’I, I have to leave quickly...!’

Deolkeok!

"Hmm?"

Flustered by the unexpected situation, she even committed a major blunder.

As a clattering noise sounded out, the paladin who was an inquisitor below raised his head.

The Holy Sword was glowing to begin with, and with a sound on top of that, the probability of not getting caught was close to zero.

"..."

"..."

Asella’s eyes met the inquisitor’s head-on. A heavy silence settled in.

It was the inquisitor who had been conversing with his superior inside earlier.

As Asella locked eyes with him and slowly reached her hand toward the Holy Sword—

"Hey! What’s taking you so long?"

"Ah. Coming right now."

Surprisingly, the inquisitor pretended not to see Asella and ran toward his superior’s call.

—What were you doing to be so late?

—It was just a rat.

—A rat? Well, this place is so old, that makes sense. Did you clear it?

—Yes.

The conversation that subsequently reached her ears. It seemed the inquisitor had no intention of exposing her.

She breathed a sigh of relief. Asella let out a breath, then formed a faint smile.

’Conscience... still remains.’

The last remnant of conscience blooming in a place as filthy and hideous as a trash bin.

The world was probably worth living in thanks to people like him. Which was why she couldn’t give up even more.

Verifying that the Holy Sword had calmed down, Asella hurried to slip outside.

Fortunately, no dangerous situations occurred on her way out.

’Next is...’

Time to upload the evidence of Hans’s interrogation and imprisonment to the Gallery.

However, as she thought earlier, posting this wouldn’t end everything. Thus, a next step was needed.

Asella stood motionless against a wall of a building and racked her brains.

How could she cleanly sweep away the Vatican, which was rotten to the core?

The Hero exists for the citizens, not for the Pope.

’Cutting off the Vatican’s limbs would be ideal, but... there isn’t enough time.’

The Vatican, fond of dirty and filthy politics, would surely attempt to cut off its own tail.

Furthermore, the probability of them noticing she was in Eldorado’s capital was high.

If it were the Vatican, they would surely demand that she reveal herself proudly.

’That will make things difficult. They’ll exploit the fact that I’m a traitor to the very end.’

For the sake of the citizens, she was willing to reveal her fixed username (gonic) on the Gallery.

Because the citizens wouldn’t be shaken just because she used the Gallery. Everyone would understand.

But the Vatican would definitely bring up ’Hero’ Asella rather than ’Orange Badge’ Asella.

An entity even the citizens shied away from due to being branded a traitor.

It would be pouring cold water over everything. For now, she had to take a step back and watch.

’I have to leave them no loophole to escape. But...’

Is that really an easy task?

Starting with severing sacrificial tails, they would stall for time with all sorts of excuses.

In the worst case, the Pope might end it simply by apologizing in person.

Someone might wonder why it’s the worst-case scenario when the Pope himself is bowing his head.

’The Vatican must be destroyed.’

It had already rotted beyond the point of no return.

The rotten parts had to be gouged out.

Even if it meant being reborn under a different name.

Asella pondered how to bring down the Vatican, then raised her head.

’There is only this way.’

And that afternoon.

The worst exposure in Eldorado’s history erupted on the Gallery.

The Pope of Eldorado, Louis II.You are reading on novelрing.com, the official source.

He was a man who rose to the position of Pope starting out as a mere priest.

Normally, becoming a Pope required formidable political skill and good luck, and he possessed both.

First was the severe manpower shortage caused by all the superiors being slaughtered during the Immortal King crisis.

Second was his extraordinary political dexterity. Demonstrating it without reservation when luck handed him the opportunity, he soared all the way to the papacy in an instant.

But as they say, position changes a person. Originally brimming with ambition, he easily fell into corruption through greed for power.

He mercilessly purged anyone who coveted his power and went further to eliminate potential threats.

The Hero Asella and Ludwig were representative examples. The prophecy itself was real.

Due to that prophecy, Asella fled in terror, and Ludwig’s honor plummeted.

Although the exposure erupted from an unexpected place—namely, the Forest of the Four Seasons—it didn’t matter.

’Either way, they can’t do anything more from over there.’

The fact that Ludwig survived until the end was a variable. But that was all.

As long as he remained holed up in the Forest of the Four Seasons, he wouldn’t be able to interfere with Eldorado.

Right now, all he had to do was soothe and placate the angry citizens, then harshly suppress them.

He thought it would be easy.

"W-What did you say?!"

"An exposure post was uploaded to the Gallery! Currently, the citizens are starting an uprising!"

Before Hans’s current status was posted on the Gallery, that is.

—Waaaaahhh!!!

—Return Ahjussi Hans!

—Step down, Pope! Step down, Pope!

—Step down, Demon King!

The angry shouts of the citizens reached Louis II’s ears.

It had only been a day since securing Hans’s person, yet what was being perpetrated inside the Vatican had been exposed.

Louis II was severely flustered, but quickly regained his composure.

’It’s still fine. It’s not like I didn’t anticipate something like this.’

Whether it was an outside intruder or an inside whistleblower didn’t matter.

First, he could claim he had no knowledge of it whatsoever and punish the inquisitors.

Furthermore, he could appease public sentiment by pointing out the unreliability of the Gallery, then issue an apology.

In passing, he could declare that they would reform going forward and ensure nothing like this ever happens again.

’If someone exposed it, they must still be in Eldorado. I can just pin everything on that bastard.’

Agitating the crowd by claiming it was the Immortal King’s scheme to divide Eldorado would make it easy.

Laying out various scenarios, Louis II asked the priest who had urgently reported to him.

"So who uploaded that exposure post? An anonymous user? Or someone with a name?"

"T-That is... They are a fixed username—no, a user with a name, but..."

The clergyman slurred his words slightly before hinting.

"It’s W-Wild Grylls."

"What?"

"Wild Grylls. The fixed username who is said to be in the Forest of the Four Seasons."

"..."

Hearing those words, Louis II’s brain momentarily froze.

Had it been an anonymous user (floater) or another registered user (fixed handle), it might have been fine, but hearing Grylls mentioned threw him off completely.

But soon, his brain kicked back into gear and analyzed the situation.

’There’s no way the guy in the Forest of the Four Seasons came here. He must have received a tip-off from someone.’

Up to this point was predictable. But what came after?

Could he pressure Grylls to reveal the informant? No.

It was posted on the Gallery in the first place, and the guy was stuck in the Forest of the Four Seasons.

Could he claim Grylls’s posts were entirely lies and instigation? No.

He could try, but if he mishandled it, he’d hit a contradiction and make public anger burn even hotter.

If he claimed it was false, he’d fall into a self-contradiction: why couldn’t he produce Hans?

Even if it were true, the dead end remained the Forest of the Four Seasons.

Could he appeal to the public to trust the Vatican over Grylls? No.

Because of Ludwig. With Ludwig alive and kicking, this kind of retort would fly back:

[Then why don’t you go into the Forest of the Four Seasons too?]

[Feel wronged? Then resolve it in the Forest of the Four Seasons.]

[Ludwig did it, so why can’t you?]

Was he crazy enough to step into the Forest of the Four Seasons? It was an act of throwing away one’s life.

Of course, there were plenty of escape hatches. Especially because it was Grylls and not someone else.

The problem was that every time he escaped through a hatch, the destination ended up being ’the Forest of the Four Seasons.’

Louis II’s specialty of instigation and fabrication—even if all of it worked, it was meaningless in front of the Forest of the Four Seasons.

If he were truly wronged, he could announce that he’d go to the Forest of the Four Seasons, but he didn’t have the courage for that.

’D...damn it...’

Louis II realized intuitively.

’Again... Again...! That bastard again...!’

That a single variable had thrown everything into total disarray.

"Ugh. Terrifying."

Meanwhile, Grylls who had posted the exposure thread on the Gallery—

"If that place isn’t the Forest of the Four Seasons, what is?"

"What did you say?"

"It’s nothing. Would you like another roasted sweet potato?"

"Mmm."

He was as carefree as could be.