I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 300

While Grylls was unable to do anything due to the rain pouring down all day.

"So bored."

Swordmaster Ash was idling around on her bed again today.

Except for visiting House Mercedes a few days ago to meet Selena, she hadn’t done anything.

Selena had asked her to wait until a reply—that is, a letter from Kadir—arrived, but there was no telling when that would be.

’Given that eccentric’s personality, there’s a high chance he’ll just ignore it.’

It had already been a week since the letter was sent, so the odds of that were high.

Because the Messiah Empire and Iris Kingdom bordered each other, it should have arrived quickly.

Furthermore, since Selena had paid a steep price, it would be normal for a reply to have arrived.

’Using Teleport for a single letter is a bit much, but...’

She wondered if it was excessive, but it wasn’t actually that expensive in the first place.

It was closer to the concept of buying time with money, so to speak.

The problem was that no matter how fast it was sent, it was useless if the recipient didn’t look at it.

Waiting endlessly until a day that might never come was boring. Above all, she felt self-conscious.

"Dear. When are you going out again?"

While she was slacking on the bed, her mother approached and asked bluntly.

In the old days, she would have unleashed a back-smack out of nowhere. This was actually on the milder side.

"Mom. Anyone hearing you would think I’m cooped up at home every single day."

"Place your hand over that big chest of yours and think about it."

"You’re the one who gave it to me, Mom."

Zzaak!

"Kkeuak!"

A back-smack detonated the instant she talked back.

It was a terrifying strike that even Ash, revered as a Swordmaster, could not dodge.

"That’s my point! This mother gave you your face, your body, everything! So why aren’t you dating a single man?! Your younger sibling..."

"Owwwww..."

A barrage of nagging pierced her ears. However, Ash was too busy rubbing her stinging back.

Every single word was true, so she couldn’t even refute it.

Ash took after her father more, but it wasn’t like her father was ugly either.

Rather, it was as if only the best traits of both parents had blended perfectly.

"Honey. Ash must have her own plans. Besides, we’re living abundantly thanks to Ash, so don’t scold her too much."

"You are...! Phew. Fine."

Ash’s father, who had approached unnoticed, barely managed to soothe her.

Ash’s mother was about to blow her top, but the moment she looked at his face, she quietly calmed down.

It was a face that made anger melt away just by looking at it. It even made her feel inexplicably embarrassed.

"Now, now. Ash is a grown adult, so she’ll make good choices on her own. Let’s just enjoy our retirement happily. Right?"

"..."

"Shall we go out somewhere today? I heard a new café opened up ahead."

Whether completely captivated by her husband’s gentle words or dazzled by a face that remained handsome despite aging.

Ash’s mother pretended to give in reluctantly and let herself be led away by her husband’s hand. Her blushing face was a bonus.

Even though they had been married for a long time, love was practically dripping from every moment.

’I wish I had a man like Dad too.’

The sight of him firmly holding sway over such a terrifying mother—it fit the saying that gentleness overcomes strength.

Of course, Ash was an exception. Merely gentleness alone could not break her strength.

Even deploying every tool at one’s disposal would barely offer a chance at victory.

’I need to pull Grylls out quickly and train him up myself.’

It had been nearly 3 months since Grylls survived in the Forest of the Four Seasons.

Currently, Grylls had grown to the point where the expression ’ignorantly strong’ suited him best.

Technique aside, his weight class and raw physical stats had grown so noticeably it made her mouth water.

’If he becomes equal to me or grows even stronger... ehehehe.’

Ash grinned stupidly, flashing her characteristic bright-white smile.

He was an unpolished gem, but if that raw stone was a diamond, the story changed.

Because even without polishing, its value would never drop.

’He’ll definitely repay the favor of rescuing him... and since he’ll be freed from the special circumstances of the Forest of the Four Seasons, interest in him will fade too.’

The reason Ash thought this way was simple.

’There’s no way someone who can produce such a huge and beautiful Aura Blade could be weak.’

If anything, he was ignorantly strong; there was no way he was weak.

Of course, due to lacking technical proficiency, he might not be a match for Ash.

’I’ll only know this once we clash directly.’

Still, it didn’t matter. She factored that much into her calculations.

An un-scratched lottery ticket that was simultaneously guaranteed to be a winning ticket.

Her goal was to be the first person to scratch that ticket.

’And to get my hands on that ticket first, I need to get in touch with Kadir...’

Since there was still no answer, even browsing the Gallery was getting tedious.

Grylls’s posts were the most amusing, but perhaps because of the rain today, he wasn’t posting.

’He’s steadily reading the tip posts I made, right?’

Since Ludwig was by his side as well, he could receive advice too.New chapters come out on NovelPing first.

While Ash was slacking on the bed with nothing to do.

Uung! Uung! Uung!

The crystal orb placed on the shelf beside the bed hummed with light.

It was a crystal orb for private communication. Moreover, one that could only contact a specific person.

The moment that contact arrived, Ash answered without a moment’s hesitation.

[Hello? Countess Menethil?]

A lovely woman’s voice flowed from beyond the crystal orb.

It was Ducal Lady Mercedes, Selena.

"Yes, Ducal Lady. What’s the matter?"

[The reply we were waiting for has arrived. From the Mage King.]

At Selena’s words, Ash muttered to herself internally, ’What was bound to come has arrived.’

At the same time, it was unexpected. To think it caught the interest of Kadir, famous for being an eccentric.

Given his personality, if he wasn’t interested, he likely would have ignored even someone of high renown.

’He might be absorbed in research on the Forest of the Four Seasons these days.’

If it was good luck, it was good luck. Ash judged as much.

"That is good news. Around when should we depart?"

[First, it would be best to report to His Imperial Majesty the Emperor. Since the two of us are going to meet the Mage King.]

That was certainly correct. Going off without reporting might just invite needless fault-finding.

Tacking on various reasons would make him let them go easily. Above all, it wasn’t an official state visit.

"I’ll speak to him about that separately. It’ll probably be possible within two days."

Granting an audience with the Emperor was difficult enough, let alone securing permission.

For anyone else, it would have taken several days.

It was possible only because it was Ash. Even the Emperor had no choice but to be mindful of her.

[That’s a relief. Then I’ll prepare in advance. Please let me know when you’re ready.]

"Yes, understood. Ah, right. Ducal Lady."

[Go ahead.]

Something suddenly crossed Ash’s mind. News that was reported not only in the Gallery but also in recent newspapers.

That monster activity had become frequent in the Cantata region located within the Mercedes Duchy.

Normally she would have brushed it off thinking it was business as usual, but this time it nagged at her a bit.

’Though the newspapers brushed it off as no big deal...’

From what she saw in the Gallery, that wasn’t the case. All kinds of monsters had formed a ’force’ and invaded.

Furthermore, the Cantata region was a breadbasket zone, a place monsters constantly targeted.

If an abnormal phenomenon occurred among the monsters, it wasn’t something to overlook lightly.

[You’ve seen the posts on the Gallery. Truth be told, I was starting to get worried as well.]

"The fact that adventurers went out on recon and failed to return is not something to be taken lightly."

[Yes. We urgently dispatched troops for now, but... part of the breadbasket region is in a dangerous situation.]

It was as expected. An anomaly had occurred in the Cantata region.

She didn’t know what the identity of that anomaly was, but it demanded extreme caution.

"If things get severe, should I help out?"

[No. There’s no need to go that far. It would look much better politically if His Imperial Majesty requested your aid rather than me.]

"Tsk..."

Ash smacked her lips in disappointment. This was why politics was such a headache.

Still, since she would meet him face-to-face soon, she could casually bring it up.

Of course, she had no intention of returning to active duty. It was closer to taking a casual stroll.

’I haven’t moved my body much recently anyway, so I can help a friend while I’m at it.’

Too much time had passed since she last fought in real combat.

She needed to oil the gears before her skills rusted so she could prepare for the future.

Above all, she wanted to face Grylls with her true ability when he escaped in the future.

Her pride wouldn’t tolerate facing him with skills dulled by sloth and laziness.

"Understood. Then I’ll see you next time."

[As I always say, thank you for helping.]

"Don’t mention it. I want that man to come outside too."

[Ah... yes.]

Selena’s unenthusiastic reply returned.

A reaction showing she had much to say but deliberately refrained.

Ash roughly realized what she was thinking and chuckled.

Having posted so many times on the Gallery about wanting to get married, there was no way Selena wouldn’t know.

"Then I’ll see you next time. If there’s anything you need, feel free to contact me anytime."

[Yes. Understood.]

The call ended like that. Ash popped up from her seat.

Next, she rummaged through the shelf beside her bed and pulled out another crystal orb.

It was a line of communication given only to special individuals, capable of contacting the Emperor directly.

Uung- ung- click!

[Countess Menethil. For you to contact me first is a strange occurrence indeed.]

A low-pitched male voice flowed from beyond the orb.

It was the current Emperor, Arnold, who had been piling up work upon work recently.

"Have you been well, Your Imperial Majesty?"

[With work piling up so high, I am hardly well.]Enjoying the story? Read on at novelpin⁠g.com.

It was a reply that felt like a earnest truth rather than a joke.

In fact, hadn’t the conflict between Alfheim and Mountain reached its peak until just a few days ago?

Though it had quieted down now, from the Messiah Empire’s perspective at the time, it must have been a grave matter.

[So, for what matter did you send word first?]

"I contacted you because there is something I need permission for. I believe I need to meet Your Majesty in person."

[Is it an urgent matter, or something that simply requires permission?]

Judging by how he spoke as if wanting to gloss over it quickly, he seemed busy indeed.

At this, Ash briefly explained what had happened with Selena.

Naturally, she omitted the parts related to fixed handles. She simply stated that she lent her name for research purposes.

[For the purpose of researching the Forest of the Four Seasons... and you are meeting the Mage King for that purpose?]

"Yes. That is correct."

[Come to think of it, Ducal Lady Mercedes did say something similar before. Very well. I shall grant permission.]

"Your grace is boundless, Your Majesty."

[Enough. You are not the type to use such tone.]

Following the silly joke, Arnold requested that she refrain from causing trouble as much as possible.

Trouble, at most, would be nothing more than getting into a conflict with the Mage King.

[I shall send word to the Iris Kingdom side. Good work, then.]

"Thank you."

Surprisingly, things wrapped up easily. All that remained was preparing to depart.

Since she was going to another kingdom to meet a famous figure, her attire ought to be neat.

’Though even if I dress neatly, I only have my uniform.’

Ash picked out her clothes with a cheerful heart. She checked her equipment while she was at it.

Her weapon was the sword she had been steadily using until now. However, the time to replace this one was approaching as well.

’It was an ordinary sword to begin with anyway.’

While there was a sword bestowed by the Emperor, that was ornamental.

The sword she actually used was purchased from a blacksmith shop near her house.

If asked why someone with such high prestige didn’t use an expensive sword?

’At the end of the day, all swords are the same.’

As the saying goes, a master craftsman doesn’t blame his tools; no matter what she used, it was all the same.

Or rather, she hadn’t found a sword she thoroughly liked until now. In any case, the essence of a sword remained unchanged.

The only thing that piqued her interest was Grylls’s Mythricon sword.

’I wish a sword like that would just drop out of nowhere.’

Ash began her preparations while harboring such useless thoughts.

Mercedes Duchy, Cantata Region.

As a breadbasket region and a area frequently pillaged by monsters, it was also referred to as a holy land for adventurers.

After all, the military defended the city, and the adventurers simply had to subjugate monsters while earning various incomes.

The city also provided numerous supports to adventurers. The role of adventurers was surprisingly heavy.

Starting from basic scouting all the way to analyzing monster ecosystems.

Especially if an ominous sign appeared, they could uproot it early and prevent disasters.

However, sometimes even those adventurers failed to uproot the threat, and when that happened, the situation grew complicated.

Adventurers being defeated meant that monsters had established a ’force’, signifying the presence of a powerful monster at its center.

However, since humanity had been victimized by monsters many times, they possessed manuals to handle such events.

"What? Even the third assault failed? What on earth does that mean?!"

"I-It is just as the news says. According to the survivors, the monsters possess powerful weapons..."

"Weapons?"

While newspapers stated that monsters were ramping up activity and causing considerable damage, the reality was slightly different.

Because the situation was rapidly turning grave.

"Y-Yes. Monsters wielding strange weapons reportedly slaughtered the adventurers. The performance of those weapons was so absurdly high that they couldn’t withstand them..."

"Damn it. Don’t tell me they found relics in ancient ruins or dungeons?"

"That is highly probable."

Humanity had merely escaped nature to build fences, not mastered it.

On the other hand, monsters were different. They had adapted completely to nature and expanded into areas humanity had yet to explore.

Therefore, monsters could find extraordinary relics and recklessly wield their power.

It was an occurrence that happened surprisingly frequently, warranting the escalation of the disaster threat level by several stages.

"Phew... First, determine which monster is at the center of the monster force. If it’s orcs..."

"It’s orcs."

"...From this moment on, elevate the disaster level to Stage 3. Get out there and work immediately!!!"

"Y-Yes, sir!"

As his subordinates bolted outside, the commander in charge of the Cantata region flopped down into his seat.

The Cantata region was frequently invaded by monsters, but accumulated know-how made it an easy area to defend.

For officers, it was practically a cushy post, yet a crisis had erupted out of nowhere.

And not just any ordinary situation, but a situation so severe it had to be termed a ’disaster’.

Still, he made a quick judgment and requested reinforcements from higher-ups.

However, there was a difference between the urgency on the ground and listening to a report, so it might take a long time.

It was good news that many were uploading vivid photos from the field on the Gallery, attracting high attention... but despite all this buzz, the possibility of it being buried still had to be considered.

’Damn it... what kind of situation is this?’

The commander wiped his face with his hands.