I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 355

Most priests who can use divine power double as doctors.

There’s a reason people ask to call a doctor or a priest when they are injured or fall ill.

However, not all priests are skilled doctors. As the old saying goes, one must dig a single well to achieve true greatness.

A priest, after all, is merely a priest, and pales in comparison to a professional doctor.

Yet, there is a field where priests exert a massive influence—or rather, practically take sole charge of.

It’s the area related to human mental health—to put it in modern terms... ’psychiatry’.

Dementia patients, soldiers and adventurers suffering from PTSD, as well as various other mental illness sufferers.

For those who are difficult to care for at home, priests usually look after them in temples or separately constructed facilities, providing aid to many.

There is a funny yet tragic reason behind this, and that is none other than the ’existence of God’.

You might ask why the existence of God is suddenly being brought up, but to summarize it briefly, it goes like this:

Title) Mental Illness Explanation

Doctor: Blah blah problem in the brain. Blah blah genetics. Blah blah trauma...

(Complex. Difficult.)

Priest: You are cursed OR You committed a great sin in your past life.

(Very simple. Crystal clear.)

Pretty much this. Who would you trust with your care?

└ People actually get convinced by that? Really?

└ Yup, happens all the time. Honestly, which sounds easier to digest, the former or the latter?

└ And I think they used similar logic when reforming cannibals back in the day...

└ Basically "Reasons why cannibalism is bad" vs "God is sacrificing Himself in your place." Which would you pick?

└ Putting it into perspective like that actually hits home, lol.

Title) Don’t look down on priests.

My father has dementia and we couldn’t handle it at home, so we sent him to a temple, you know?

When I stopped by to visit, my dad was getting along so well and playing happily with the priest-nim. I seriously respect them.

└ Seeing things like that shows religion didn’t just pop up out of nowhere.

└ Since God literally exists here, the system naturally creates faith, lol.

└ Regardless of that, they’re seriously impressive. If it were me, I would’ve given up immediately.

└ I volunteered a few times myself, and it almost drove me insane.

└ Deal with mental patients a few times and you’ll naturally start believing human nature is inherently evil.

└ Caring for sick people is great, but it’s also so good that they take in orphans... Since the kids have a place to eat and sleep, they don’t steal.

Of course, that doesn’t mean it always manifests in a positive way.

The faith harbored by religious individuals can sometimes reach terrifying levels in the eyes of others, even to the point of being labeled ’fanatics’.

However, that is merely bringing up negative examples on purpose; most priests possess immense patience.

It goes without saying that such patience makes them uniquely suited to care for mentally unstable patients.

Furthermore, the priests had no complaints either.

Having mental issues or being born naturally unstable was a trial directly bestowed by God.

It was a priest’s duty to help humans overcome trials and live decent lives.

Even if it pertained to the mind, that duty remained unchanged.

Even while the Holy Kingdom became corrupt and pursued its own greed, this custom remained unchanged.

They merely slashed budgets or assigned priests to posts equivalent to demotions.

’I allocated as much budget as possible during the reorganization into Avalon... but it must still be tough.’

Asella stared at the Empty Sky Stone Milk that Grylls had handed over.

What she just received was purely for verification. Even though it reportedly showed effectiveness against dementia, the sample size was only one.

Medicine inherently had to undergo clinical trials. Even Grylls had acknowledged this.

’Still, thanks to this, many lives were saved. That it has no side effects has already been proven.’

It was when the borderlands were thrown into chaos due to the Wild Hunt phenomenon.

At that time, Grylls supported them not only with water to be used as Holy Water, but also with Empty Sky Stone Milk.

Unlike Holy Water, which was splashed on the undead, Empty Sky Stone Milk was used as a curative agent.

Indeed, it had a massive effect, and Asella herself benefited greatly from it.

’I was using it like a potion, so I didn’t know its true efficacy...’

Most of those who received the Empty Sky Stone Milk were trauma victims with physical injuries.

While there were certainly those suffering from psychological pain as well, as far as Asella remembered, at most they had complained of fatigue.

Of course, she knew that Empty Sky Stone Milk possessed efficacy in relieving fatigue.

When distributing the Empty Sky Stone Milk, Asella had taken fatigue into account along with expected injuries, and she recalled how it reduced complaints of exhaustion, aiding in the defense of the border.

However... she had been completely unaware of its other effects.

Since she hadn’t paid attention to the mental aspect in the first place, she had no way to compare the before and after.

’I should check on the urgent cases first. Who is there?’

Asella resolved to heal the patients at the border before returning to the Holy Kingdom.

The border military post was a kind of base, a monster that devoured supplies.

Naturally, there were nearby villages where supplies could be stored or transported.

Asella decided to inspect those places first.

Previously, she hadn’t been able to spare time due to dealing with the Wild Hunt, but now she had a bit of breathing room.

The undead raids had noticeably decreased as well, so she would likely be able to return to the Holy Kingdom before long.

"Where is the temple in this area?"

"I will guide you."Find the original chapter at novelpi⁠ng.com.

Asella followed behind a priest and arrived at the temple.

Just because it was called a temple didn’t mean it was always a grand building. That was only true in the capital; in most places, it looked like an ordinary chapel.

Still, since this was a place where the border garrison was stationed, it showed signs of thoughtful design.

"Ah, hello! Hero-nim! I am Angelica, the person in charge of this chapel!"

Upon stepping inside, a young priestess with a fresh impression greeted her. Her brown hair and freckles were memorable.

Asella smiled gently at the priestess’s energetic greeting and responded.

"Hello, Sister. Please feel free to call me Asella."

"T-That is out of the question! You are the Hero who saved the Holy Kingdom!"

"Alright. The reason I came here today is none other than..."

Asella spun a story that was half-truth, half-lies.

Recently, God had bestowed a powerful authority of healing upon her.

While wondering where to use this authority, she decided to use it for people with disabilities or ailments.

"Are there elderly individuals here who are struggling with their memory as well?"

"Ah... there are a few."

Catching the drift of Asella’s question, Angelica answered with a somber expression. Asella observed her face.

No matter how much a priest’s duty involved social welfare, tough work was tough work.

Even if she had never physically abused a patient, her heart was bound to grow exhausted. Venting to one another was a daily routine.

Very rarely—truly on rare occasions—a priest’s spirit would break, resulting in violent outbursts against patients.

In such cases, after meting out appropriate punishment to the priest, they would guide them through psychological counseling into a stage of ’repentance’.

Of course, if the severity was too extreme, there was no repentance. They were immediately expelled, barring them from any future career as a priest.

Asella had also volunteered in the past for educational purposes. Because of that, she could understand Angelica’s heart.

’There were even people who literally smeared feces on the walls.’

Some even threw feces like monkeys. The memories of those times were still vivid.

Back then, it was beyond horrific, but looking back now, she only felt pity.

Because that person hadn’t wanted to live such a life by choice either.

"Where are they? I will use this remedy first."

"Then right this way..."

Asella followed Angelica deeper into the chapel.

Before long, as soon as she entered the area where patients were cared for, she nearly grimaced.

"Fortunately, everyone is taking a nap right now."

"Is... ventilation difficult here?"

Asella asked, her voice sounding slightly pinched as she held her breath.

The stench pierced her nostrils. It was the foul odor caused by patients unable to control their bowels or bladder.

"Yes. If we open the windows, they constantly try to wander out... So to prevent accidents, we have no choice."

"Are you unable to assign them individual rooms?"

"Yes. Our budget was cut short. Of course, it was recently replenished... but currently, we have to focus funds on areas that were neglected in the meantime."

As expected. It seemed they were still unable to completely counteract the Papal Court’s past misdeeds. Asella tightly closed her eyes.

As mentioned, although new budgets had been allocated, the effects had not yet trickled down here.

"I see. It must be very difficult for you."

"It’s alright. God has merely granted a trial; those people have committed no sin, haven’t they?"

Angelica answered with a bitter smile. Asella nodded.

It was precisely because they harbored such faith that priests could serve as social workers.

Otherwise, these people would surely have been abandoned on the streets.

Asella looked at the elderly people lying deathly still, then pulled out the Empty Sky Stone Milk.

’He said he gave a whole bowl to that person... but for now, I should only administer a single drop to each.’

They were elderly folks with fragile bodies and minds to begin with. Suffering from dementia under such conditions meant they were even weaker.

Moreover, the patients here were in such severe condition that the word ’severe’ fit them perfectly.

She questioned whether their bodies could handle it even if she administered the Empty Sky Stone Milk.

Drip— drip—

Asella dropped a few drops of Empty Sky Stone Milk into the mouths of the elderly sleeping like infants.

The elderly smacking their lips at the distinct taste of the Empty Sky Stone Milk.

Now, all that remained was to wait quietly.

Crak! Crunch!

While waiting, strange sounds echoed from the elderly patients’ bodies.

The sounds of misaligned bones snapping back into place and bent backs straightening out stiffly.

Asella had been informed beforehand that this phenomenon would occur, so she wasn’t flustered, but Angelica was different.

"W-What is happening? The sound of bones breaking..."

"It is part of the healing process."

Asella blurted out words that sounded like those of a mad scientist without hesitation.

Angelica was bewildered by her reply, but decided to wait quietly.

Because Asella was the Hero. Surely she had a reason for doing this.

"Oh my goodness... What on earth is happening?"

"I... feel like I just had a strange dream..."

Before long, one by one, they woke up from their slumber.Follow the newest chapters on novelping(.)com.

While the hazy look typical of the elderly remained, their eyes were distinctly different from before.

"Sniff, sniff. Sniff? Ack?! What is this stench?!"

"W-Wait, more importantly... What was I doing just now?!"

"Did I really smear shit on the wall?! What in the world...!"

The result was a resounding success. The elderly had truly broken free from dementia.

Angelica gaped in utter disbelief at the sight, rubbing her eyes. Her reaction was that of someone witnessing a miracle.

This wasn’t much different for Asella herself, the perpetrator. She muttered inward:

’Grylls-nim... Just what are you...?’

Strictly from Grylls’s perspective, Empty Sky Stone Milk was everywhere.

Which meant he was a person capable of wielding such miracle-like feats at will.

’Could Grylls-nim perhaps be an apostle sent by God?’

Starting from saving the Holy Kingdom to curing the Devil’s Disease. Exquisite coincidences kept stacking one after another.

Even though Grylls himself hated—nay, loathed—gods, that didn’t matter at all.

If one acts like a god, what else could he be if not a god? Asella hardened her resolve.

’I want to spread this miracle far and wide. To do that...’

She needed to provide Grylls with more help to secure a stable supply of Empty Sky Stone Milk.

There was a risk of her identity being exposed in the process, but that was fine.

Now that she had witnessed a miracle, what did a mere identity matter? Spreading it far and wide was the right path.

’Is dementia really all this cures? The one called Lackey even healed his impaired eyes.’

Asella looked down at the half-used bottle of Empty Sky Stone Milk.

If it cured dementia, which was dubbed the Devil’s Disease, could it really have no effect on other illnesses or disabilities?

Those with impaired vision, those mentally unstable, those who were injured.

Perhaps... every single one of them could be restored to wholeness.

’Though lost limbs cannot be healed...’

Not every disability could be cured. Yet countless disabilities could be.

This alone harbored immense value. Asella tightly gripped the bottle of Empty Sky Stone Milk.

’Disabled people must disappear from this world.’

It might sound like a somewhat dangerous statement, but Asella was the Hero.

Though it sounded like the words of a somewhat twisted fanatic...

It was born from a pure desire that people suffering due to ’disabilities’ would cease to exist.

That was the true sentiment behind her words.

Wasn’t it the Hero’s duty to lighten the burdens of humanity?

"...Sister."

"Yes?"

"Are there people here who are cursed, or who have been born with some disability?"

That day, voices praising God echoed far and wide across the border.

Asella joyfully distributed Empty Sky Stone Milk for free, and Grylls was no different.

Because Grylls shared the same wish that disabilities should disappear.

Asella expressed this joyful feeling directly onto the Gallery.

Title) I realized something today!

Don’t Abandon the Hero

That disabled people must be eliminated from the world!

└ Wild Grylls) Horrible. I’m archiving this.

└ Don’t Abandon the Hero) Huh...? Could you please ask me for the reason!

└ Wild Grylls) No.

└ Sword Matstar) Orange Badge-nim. I never imagined you were like that...

└ Princess Chaenggu) I am sincerely disappointed, yong...

└ Starlight Lady) Excuse me, but could you cover your nose and mouth and hold it for 10 minutes?

└ How could a person have such a horrible thought...

└ At one point I suspected if that bastard might be the Hero, but I realized he definitely isn’t.

└ What is God doing? Why isn’t He striking down that evil bastard?

└ Don’t Abandon the Hero) Everyone!!! Please ask me why!!! TT TT T_T

└ Lmao

└ Lmao

└ Turned into trash in an instant, lmao

└ To be fair, it was a trashy statement, lol

And she was betrayed in spectacular fashion.

Meanwhile, Grylls, who was gleefully watching all of this unfold—

"What? You want me to make a glove that acts like a staff?"

"That is correct. We have plenty of materials, after all. You can craft it with those."

"Are you determined to become some purple fatty or what?"

He reacted with sheer disbelief upon hearing Lackey’s request.

’Wait, no. Should I craft it instead? Then maybe that company will come arrest me for copyright infringement and rescue me.’

Apart from the absurdity, he thought it wasn’t a half-bad idea.