I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 409

Title) Just gave these penguin bastards a true re-education

Wild Grylls

(Photo of a massive pile of penguin corpses)

(Photo of the penguin leader dead with an incredulous expression)

(Video of burning all the penguin corpses with fire)

I was fishing and a penguin came up. It tried to kill me just because I bumped into it. So I killed them all.

It’s good that I cleaned them out, but these bastards ruined every single corner of my house, so fixing it is a damn headache ffs.

Heavenly Demon: They are bird-people [Injyo]. Do bird-people dwell in the forest as well?

Sword Matstar: Don’t penguins usually live in extremely cold regions?

Depends on the species. There are penguins that live in volcanic zones too.

You mean the ones said to swim in lava, right?

They can swim in lava?;;

That’s why they’re a rare species.

But why burn all the penguin corpses? Aren’t you keeping them for food?

Wild Grylls: I only took the parts needed for fishing. I tried grilling one to eat once, and it tasted damn terrible;;;

Talk about being full and picky. Not long ago you were whining about all your food being raided.

Exactly my thoughts. Why don’t you just set up a full household while you’re at it?

Wild Grylls: In this damned place, I at least won’t starve to death. Setting aside the disruptor, all sorts of beasts keep barging in.

True enough. And it’s just that something weird got hooked this time—he even caught a Water Dragon yesterday haha

It’s great not needing to worry about food, but his life though lolol

Food = Life, so maybe it’s fairly reasonable?

As usual, while Grylls was suffering in the Forest of the Four Seasons,

Asella used her rare moment of rest to keep an eye on his daily life.

Perhaps because he entered a break period upon stepping into winter, he wasn’t broadcasting real-time video streams.

Still, she sporadically read the posts he uploaded to the Gallery or exchanged direct messages with him.

They stayed in steady contact, and she intended to help him whenever he was in danger.

"Auuuh..."

But that didn’t mean the mountain of work piling up before her had diminished.

Changing the name of Eldorado to Avalon was fine and good. The real problem was what came after.

Just figuring out the full extent of how much the Papacy had embezzled and corrupted over the years took an immense amount of time.

Fortunately, she gathered those who had lost in the power struggles against the Papacy, but even that wasn’t enough.

’Because those who entered the Forest of the Four Seasons, like Teacher Ludwig... cannot return.’

Those who were demoted or dismissed were relatively fortunate. The biggest issue lay with those exiled to the Forest of the Four Seasons.

They could not return, nor was their survival confirmed like Ludwig’s.

Therefore, she had to recruit new talent, which was equally far from easy.

’Compared to before, more people want to become clerics, but too few want to join the Papacy...’

The deep-seated corruption of the Papacy had been so severe that the aftermath was devastating.

And small wonder, for had not the Papacy seized control of the military and pointed its spears and swords right at the citizens?

It was by pure luck that she stopped blood from spilling at the final second, but public trust had already hit rock bottom.

’In contrast, trust toward me keeps soaring...’

Naturally, Asella the Hero was revered as the champion who saved the nation.

Furthermore, she had recently suppressed the Wild Hunt phenomenon that erupted in the Balkan Kingdom.

Preventing a nightmare from repeating while maintaining constant volunteer work—public opinion couldn’t possibly be bad.

’Thanks to that, talented people are gathering one after another... but this isn’t good.’

Asella worried about power and influence concentrating in a single place.

She herself would not end up like the Papacy, but human nature was unpredictable.

Far in the future, long after she died, people might form a faction under the pretext of honoring the Hero.

Just as the saying goes that history repeats itself, it was hardly an impossible scenario.

’If that happens, people harboring resentment will cluster around the Papacy... and in the end, everything will repeat.’

Originally, the Papacy and the Hero held a mutually supportive relationship.

The Papacy lent political influence that the Hero lacked, while the Hero provided the martial might that the Papacy lacked.

Yet this was only feasible when a powerful external threat—namely, the Demon King—was alive and kicking.

As time passed and the violent nature of the Demon Race evolved into different forms, the Holy Kingdom lost its way.

Ultimately, it escalated into the worst possible outcome: attempting to create a Demon King themselves.

’The Papacy and the Hero. Power cannot be split between just these two. We need at least one more faction.’

Then what sort of faction would fit this third role? Asella agonized.

If it were simply walking down a previously established path, that would be one thing, but now she had to pave an entirely new road from scratch.

On top of that, the first button had to be fastened correctly to avoid future troubles. Stress naturally piled up step by step.

’Phew... so this is why people take up drinking and smoking.’

Having no proper solution coming to mind, she researched and studied the political structures of other nations.

However, most of them adopted monarchies to keep overwhelming martial might in check.

Even Wydd, the nation of beastfolk practicing democracy, wasn’t of much help.

Because even under a democracy, if power concentrated on one side, it was no different from a monarchy—just with voting attached.This chapter was taken from n‌ovelping.com without permission.

’I must find a way to decentralize power somehow, tailored to Avalon’s somewhat unique political structure.’

In the Holy Kingdom, a "symbol" like the Hero was paramount. One could criticize it as outdated, but that was its core identity.

A symbol that could never be abandoned, neither now nor in the future.

In short, it was a somewhat contradictory structure where power had to be split while preserving the symbol.

’...Should I ask Grylls-nim? If only he had relevant books on this.’

Perhaps because she was mentally exhausted, Grylls naturally came to mind.

In reality, Asella always had to set an example as the Hero.

She couldn’t show her exhaustion just because times were tough. Furthermore, Avalon currently leaned heavily upon her.

If she faltered even slightly, the citizens would tremble in anxiety, and the remnants of the Papacy would scheme their tricks.

Her close friends, including Reyna, were all busy for their own respective reasons.

Slap! Slap!

’No. Pull yourself together, Asella. You can’t use your benefactor as an emotional trash can!’

Asella slapped her cheeks hard, steadying her wavering spirit.

Perhaps because she hit herself too hard, her cheeks stung a bit, but she could bear it.

Of course, regardless of that, her mind was already naturally accessing the Gallery.

The fact that random thoughts kept popping up meant she hadn’t rested enough, so she intended to take a little more break.

[Don’t Abandon the Hero: Um... Grylls-nim. Do you have a moment?]

[Wild Grylls: What’s wrong? There’s no energy in your message.]

[Don’t Abandon the Hero: How did you know?]

[Wild Grylls: You usually put an exclamation mark at the end of every sentence.]

"Ah."

Hearing that, Asella gasped. She really hadn’t attached any exclamation marks.

Adding exclamation points was not a persona, but her natural way of talking—a speech habit to convey a lively impression at all times.

But because she was mentally drained, she had apparently slipped up halfway. Thus, Asella cleared her throat and corrected herself.

[Don’t Abandon the Hero: It’s nothing like that! I think my eyes just got a bit dim!]

[Wild Grylls: Is that so? Anyway, why did you call for me?]

[Don’t Abandon the Hero: Um... it’s just that...! I was curious about what kind of political system the Gods adopted when governing!]

[Wild Grylls: When things were normal, didn’t they use democracy?]

The moment the answer "democracy" came out, Asella clicked her tongue with a sharp breath.

With all sorts of side effects erupting in Wydd right now, she wondered if taking such a plunge was wise.

[Wild Grylls: But that was before discovering mana, so it’s meaningless. Someone once said it: if a Sword Master and a slum beggar get the exact same single vote, the Sword Master will just defect to another country.]

[Don’t Abandon the Hero: That is true! Then what happened after mana was discovered!]

[Wild Grylls: A war broke out and everything collapsed.]

[Don’t Abandon the Hero: Ah.]

Asella gasped again. She had completely forgotten.

That the late discovery of mana led the realm of the Gods straight to ruin.

Afterwards, they somehow salvaged what they could and slammed their entire world wholesale into the Forest of the Four Seasons.

’It is hypothesized that they spread mana to prevent such a tragedy from happening again, right?’

This was a hypothesis currently accepted as established theory in academic circles.

Even though it hadn’t been long since Grylls obtained knowledge from the library, the impact was practically meteor-level.

Since the cause and effect were actually quite plausible, Asella believed it as well.

[Don’t Abandon the Hero: Then is there no right answer...?]

[Wild Grylls: You shouldn’t underestimate human greed. Nothing in this world is perfect.]

[Don’t Abandon the Hero: I see... That’s a shame...]

[Wild Grylls: Sorry to pry, but what are you looking for? It doesn’t sound like you’re just asking about simple political structures.]

[Don’t Abandon the Hero: Actually...]

Asella explained the general situation to Grylls.

How she felt the need to create another faction besides the Papacy and the Hero.

But since a symbol was also required, it was troublesome in many ways.

[Wild Grylls: All I know about is the separation of powers into three branches. And I don’t even know that properly.]

[Don’t Abandon the Hero: Separation of three powers?]

[Wild Grylls: I’ll give you a book explaining it later. However, I have no way to help with the symbol part.]

Separation of powers wasn’t perfect either. It allowed checks and balances, but in the end, power could still skew.

Still, thinking she could latch onto a clue, Asella eagerly accepted.

[Don’t Abandon the Hero: It’s such a relief that you have a book...! Thank you so much! I will definitely repay you!]

[Wild Grylls: I told you, you can just come here haha]

[Don’t Abandon the Hero: I’ll train a successor and come immediately!]

[Wild Grylls: Just kidding lol;;]

She’s bantering back since I tease her so often, Grylls thought.

Asella felt the same. Her words were strictly half-joking.

To reiterate, "half"-joking. Meaning half was serious.

’Once everything comes to an end...’Read this novel at NovelPing for the best experience.

Throwing off all these oppressions and burdens to live freely wouldn’t be bad at all.

Devoting her very self to the benefactor who saved her beloved homeland wouldn’t be half bad either.

Although it carried a playful tone, well—even Asella herself couldn’t tell how long it would remain just a joke.

Knock, knock, knock—

"[Asella. A letter arrived for you.]"

Just as Asella’s mind eased, a familiar voice echoed from outside.

It was Reyna, currently serving as her direct adjutant. One of her closest friends in real life.

At this, Asella snapped to attention and responded in her signature energetic voice.

"Yes! Please come in!"

Creak—

As soon as Asella granted permission, Reyna stepped inside cautiously.

Following that, she clicked her tongue at the mountain of documents piled high.

"Are you still working? You’ll collapse at this rate."

"I’m fine. I can still hang in there."

"Being the Hero must be tough. Anyway, here’s your letter."

Asella took the letter Reyna handed over.

It was a quite luxurious envelope, seemingly sent by someone of considerable high status.

The very fact that Reyna delivered it in person was unusual in itself.

"...Kadir? Kadir-nim sent this?"

"Really? Anyway, I’ll take my leave now. I’ve got busy matters to attend to."

"Wait...!"

Reyna walked back out before even hearing Asella out.

Only Asella’s poor hand remained pitifully outstretched. Everyone was busy like this.

Feeling a bit hurt for a brief moment, she unsealed the letter and checked its contents.

She wondered what had happened, considering they had parted ways merely a fortnight ago.

[Greetings, Hero Asella-nim. I am of the Magic Tower... (omitted) ... Thus, in order to study the animals residing in the Forest of the Four Seasons... (omitted) ... Please grant us a favorable reply.]

Summarized roughly, it went like this:

Kadir and an outstanding mage had invented a summoning spell.

Through that summoning spell, they planned to study the beasts inhabiting the Forest of the Four Seasons.

While it could be dangerous, they recruited an exceptionally powerful figure as a bodyguard, so there was no need to worry.

Furthermore, the location presented no issue, as the entrance to the Forest of the Four Seasons was extremely wide.

Therefore, it was an easy matter to grant permission from Avalon’s perspective as well.

’...With good luck, it means we might even be able to rescue Grylls-nim.’

Asella quickly grasped the hidden intent behind the letter.

She and Kadir already knew each other’s fixed handles.

While research was a purpose, they were also aiming to exert efforts into rescuing Grylls.

’Just who is this helper that made Kadir-nim send a letter right away?’

The handles attached around Kadir were Starlight Lady and Sword Matstar.

However, she only knew their online handles and couldn’t discern their true identities.

She had dispatched someone before, but coincidentally it was at a moment when they had briefly separated.

Regardless, Asella had no reason to refuse. In fact, it was a matter she welcomed with open arms.

There existed a superb justification: rescuing Ludwig, not Grylls.

Without delay, Asella drafted a letter granting permission. She even attached a messenger for swift delivery as a bonus.

’We must rescue Grylls-nim as soon as possible.’

Though Ludwig might feel hurt if he heard this.

’Oh right. Teacher was there too! I almost forgot!’

Fortunately, Asella remembered at the very last moment.

She accessed the Gallery in high spirits, thinking Grylls might finally come outside.

She intended to send this news to Grylls right away. However...

Title) My life for Aiur!

Wild Grylls

(Photo wearing lightsabers on both hands)

(Photo that is actually an Aura Blade, not lightsabers)

(Photo fixing daggers onto the backs of his hands)

(Video humming vroom-vroom every time he swings the lightsabers)

For Adun!

Heavenly Demon: I know not what nonsense thou speakest, but thou seemest to be playing well.

Sword Matstar: Looking cool? Try fighting in that stance once.

It does look cool though lolol

Looks like a real lightsaber instead of an Aura Blade ROFL

Is this bastard really trapped in the Forest of the Four Seasons? Lmao

Seeing how well he was amusing himself, she hesitated for a moment.