I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 464

Selena, the eldest daughter of Duke Mercedes, was spending busy days.

The ongoing experiment—the summoning ritual for the Forest of the Four Seasons—alone kept her schedule packed to the brim.

But she was the eldest daughter of a ducal house. Personal matters were important, but public events were equally crucial.

Especially recently, with all sorts of incidents and accidents breaking out, there was a lot to pay attention to.

Among them, what she was keeping a close eye on was her family.

"Eonni. Ash-eonni."

"Hmm? What is it?"

"Eonni, you attended the Academy too, right?"

It was while they were researching a construct called a fighter jet. Selena asked Ash.

Ash was briefly puzzled by the question, but soon nodded and answered.

"I am an Academy alumnus. Though I was enrolled for only two years."

"Huh? Did you graduate early?"

"Officially on paper, I was expelled. Because I got employed way too fast."

Ash was of commoner origin. A person who elevated her social status purely through overwhelming talent.

With that talent alone, she stood out at the Academy and received love calls from numerous knight orders.

Furthermore, her political savvy was exceptionally outstanding, earning her the position of Commander of the Imperial Guard in her mid-twenties.

Of course, having passed her marriageable age by a wide margin led her into early seclusion, but let’s pass over that.

"By the way, why ask? Is someone in your family entering the Academy?"

"Yes. Mary, my adopted younger sister, will be entering soon."

"She must be quite skilled. Entering the Academy is notoriously difficult."

’The Academy’ referred to the supreme educational institution of that nation.

Since it served as the nation’s figurehead, the country provided immense support.

Because of this, anyone with sufficient talent could enter, but the admission difficulty was correspondingly extreme.

Especially for those in regions far from the Academy, merely arriving there was a hardship.

Wild beasts, monsters, and finally bandit groups. It was packed with danger.

As a joke, people even said that folks from distant provinces drew attention simply by surviving the trip to the Academy.

"I steadily taught her while I was sick. When it comes to alchemy, she’s about equal to me or just below."

"You can craft Elixirs if you have enough ingredients, right?"

"Yes."

"Impressive. Isn’t early graduation practically a given for her then?"

Ash spoke as she drank tea. A tangy yet sweet aroma hovered in the air.

Word had it that this was tea brewed from World Tree leaves received from Grylls. It was extremely good for one’s health.

"Still, you never know. Rumor has it that His Imperial Majesty the Emperor himself has his eye on a certain commoner."

"What? Is that true?"

A commoner drawing the Emperor’s interest. Ash’s eyes gleamed sharply.

Hadn’t she gone through a similar path? She was able to rise to this height thanks to the immense support of the former Emperor, Robert.

Ironically, Ash had uploaded all kinds of know-how onto the Gallery, driving up the entire continent’s average combat power.

Naturally, it was all for the sake of marriage, and even now, she had no particular regrets.

"Yes. However, it’s not combat talent like yours, Ash-eonni. Supposedly, he was originally a farmer."

"Aww. Got excited for nothing."

"Didn’t you say you were going to marry that man earlier?"

Selena spoke in a slightly sharp tone. It was a question loaded with meaning.

But Ash was no push-over. Shrugging her shoulders, she answered slyly.

"I didn’t even ask whether it was a man or a woman. Aren’t you being a bit too sensitive?"

"Are you serious about that?"

"I’m always serious."

"Well, I’ll believe you. Anyway, rumor says that farmer succeeded in selective breeding."

Succeeded in crop breeding. Ash pondered deeply upon hearing those words.

But nothing particular came to mind. She was close to the sword, not to books.

"...What does that mean?"

"It means he developed varieties that yield far better crops. The rice and wheat we eat were all bred from wild plants. Livestock too."

Someone once said: if you want to experience true gambling, try farming.

To increase the odds of winning that gamble even slightly, humanity continuously improved crop varieties.

Maximizing the number of grains in rice and wheat, increasing their size, and so on.

Therefore, succeeding in selective breeding directly tied into the nation’s harvest yield.

"That’s incredible! The Empire’s future is looking bright."

"However, there’s a slightly suspicious detail."

"Did it turn out he got help from that person or something?"Get faster updates on novelping . com.

"How did you know?"

Selena asked, her eyes widening in surprise. It was an unexpected reaction.

Seeing her reaction, Ash smirked and replied as if it were no big deal.

"That’s how things are in the world these days. Whenever something weird happens, guessing it’s him turns out right more than half the time."

"...I can’t deny that."

Selena nodded with a bitter smile. Indeed, Ash was right.

Something strange happened in the world? Most of the time, Grylls was involved.

In the past, it was the Demon Race; recently, it was the Elves; but he completely overshadowed both.

"Anyway, it must be tough for that guy too. If you’ve heard the rumor, it means everyone who ought to know already knows."

"That’s why His Imperial Majesty is protecting him. Telling people not to bother him."

"I received protection from the Retired Emperor as well. Even so, it was exhausting."

People are petty. And insidious.

Even if backed by immense power, there is no way to prevent the subtle, implicit stares directed at you.

’In fact, you become even more isolated.’

To nobles, it was because of being a commoner; to commoners, it was because the Emperor was keeping a watchful eye.

Crucially, add overwhelming talent to that. There was a reason she didn’t have a single friend despite being fully grown up.

She wasn’t fixated on marriage for no reason. She just didn’t express it on the outside, but she suffered from deep-seated loneliness.

"So I plan to ask Mary to get along well with that friend. It will surely be helpful."

"You’re not trying to match those two up and bring him in as a live-in son-in-law, are you?"

"Oh my. How did you know?"

"It’s way too obvious."

Knock knock knock—

Right around the time Selena and Ash were banteringly exchanging words, someone knocked on the room door.

At that, the two stopped their conversation and looked toward the door.

[Ducal Lady Mercedes. A letter has arrived.]

"A letter?"

Someone spoke from beyond the door. A message that a letter had arrived.

Puzzled for a brief moment by the message, Selena immediately opened the door.

Opening the door revealed a familiar face. It was the attendant of the Hero, Asella.

"Here is the letter. It appeared to be from your family house, so I delivered it personally."

"Thank you."

Selena greeted politely and took the letter.

Judging by the ornate envelope and the seal, it was definitely sent from her house.

’What’s the matter from my house?’

She had already informed her family that she would be away for a while.

Yet receiving a letter stamped with the ducal seal meant it was an urgent matter.

Asking for Ash’s understanding, Selena carefully opened the envelope.

Soon, she opened the neatly folded letter inside and checked its contents.

"Hmm..."

The more she read the letter, the more Selena’s fair brow furrowed.

Watching her, Ash instinctively knew it was no ordinary matter.

After a short while, Selena finished reading all the contents. Her furrowed brow showed no sign of unknitting.

Perhaps because the atmosphere had grown a bit grim, Ash asked why she had become so serious.

"What’s wrong? Did your family tell you to get married quickly?"

"My parents actually told me not to. They said after barely surviving death, they couldn’t burden me any further."

That wasn’t all. It was back when she had just recovered her health thanks to Grylls.

At that time, she ran around foolishly and coughed up blood right in front of her parents.

Though it was thoroughly decayed, black blood, from a parent’s perspective, it must have felt like the sky was collapsing.

"Is that so? Then it must be another reason. Should I not hear it?"

"No. If it’s Ash-eonni, it’s fine. It’s just..."

"Just?"

"Because it’s an issue related to foreign affairs, not internal."

"Hmm..."

Foreign affairs, not internal. Ash took a sip of tea upon hearing that.

When it came to Messiah Empire politics, both Ash and Selena held immense influence.

But foreign nations were different. This involved diplomacy, bound directly or indirectly to the Emperor.This chapter was copied from novelping dot com without permission.

Although relations between the Imperial Household and the Mercedes Dukedom were currently good, even a minor issue like this could strain them.

"Where did it come from? The Iris Kingdom?"

"No. It’s from the Central Plains."

"The Central Plains? Did you say the Central Plains?"

Ash wore a grim expression at the mention of involvement with the Central Plains.

Right now, there was one faction that immediately came to mind when thinking of the Central Plains. That was the Heavenly Demon Cult.

Ash instinctively realized it was related to either the Central Plains Imperial Court or the Heavenly Demon Cult.

"Is it from the Imperial Court? Or..."

"It’s from the Demonic Cult. The second-in-command of the Demonic Cult personally requested a visit."

"That’s dangerous."

Ash said shortly and firmly. Selena agreed, nodding her head.

If it came from the Imperial Court, they could relax. But the Demonic Cult was different.

Currently, the Demonic Cult was a ’rebel force’ taking up arms against the Imperial Court. At least, that was their public image.

Such a second-in-command of the Demonic Cult requested a visit. In truth, they could simply refuse.

"Surely he isn’t asking for help?"

"Not that. It’s actually the opposite."

"The opposite?"

"Yes. He requested that we do not interfere in the affairs of the Central Plains under any circumstances."

"That’s even more surprising."

Since ancient times, rebellions—especially those borrowing foreign power—ended poorly.

If the rebellion succeeded, they became easily swayed by foreign powers; if it failed, it was simply the end.

Thus, asking for foreign power was a move made only when backed into a corner.

Yet the Demonic Cult didn’t do that. On the contrary, they requested non-interference.

"Does it mean they are confident in bringing down the Imperial Court themselves?"

"I’m not entirely sure about that, but... couldn’t it mean that the existence known as the Heavenly Demon is just that powerful?"

"Rumor has it she even assassinated the Emperor..."

It was quite a troublesome problem. The Mercedes family wasn’t agonizing over this for nothing.

Whether they accepted this proposal or not, there was nothing harmful to the Mercedes family—or more precisely, the Messiah Empire.

Even if they sided with the Central Plains Imperial Court, the Demonic Cult couldn’t complain. From the moment they made such a proposal, that is.

"That’s why they asked me to return to the family. It’s not something my parents can decide on their own, and above all..."

"They want to figure out the true intentions of that second-in-command, right?"

"Yes. There must be some hidden intention behind it."

Ultimately, returning to her home country was inevitable. It wasn’t an issue that could be resolved abroad.

Ash looked silently at the conflicted Selena before speaking pointedly.

"If you’re worried about displeasing His Majesty, don’t be. I will speak to him."

"Thank you so much, eonni."

"If you’re thankful, yield a bit so this eonni can get married."

"Yield... what?"

Selena tilted her head as if she didn’t quite understand.

At that, Ash waved her hand as if it were nothing. She had sounded her out, but it seemed not to be the case after all.

"Then let’s return right away. By the way, was the name of that second-in-command mentioned?"

"Yes. But it was hard to pronounce."

"That’s how names of the Central Plains people are. So what is it?"

Selena glanced at the letter, then opened her mouth hesitantly.

"Wi... Seol-ak? Something like that."

"That’s a unique name."

The two immediately returned to the Mercedes Dukedom.

"Hehehe. Have a safe trip. I shall remain here."

"Um... please don’t do anything strange, okay? We’re in a foreign land."

"Oh my. Worry not. I shall genuinely do nothing but research."

Kadir, left alone, was the only one having the time of his life.

And around that time, in the Forest of the Four Seasons.

Ttiriring~ Ttiriring~

[Never in all my life did I expect to see a gorilla and a frog singing in duet.]

"It’s my first time seeing it too."

An unseasonal campfire gathering took place in the Forest of the Four Seasons.