I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 530

In their long history, it wasn’t that the Demon Race had never set foot on the land of the Holy Kingdom.

However, invasion was the general rule, and a formal visit was entirely non-existent.

When they possessed strength, why bother putting forward various excuses and undergoing troublesome procedures?

Why not just invade smoothly via flight or teleportation?

The fact that human magic developed so exceptionally was by no means a coincidence.

It was the result of struggling to resist the Demon Race—a history written in blood.

In that sense, Kaylin’s official visit to Avalon held immense global significance.

’If relations between traditionally hostile countries improve, there are bound to be nations seeking to sabotage it.’

Just before the arrival of the demon princess, Kaylin.

Asella looked at herself in the mirror. Her appearance was immaculately dressed.

It was not her usual baggy shirt and plain leather trousers, but formal attire worn for official occasions.

What stood out most in her outfit was the cloak. Though it looked like an ordinary cloak, it was crafted from the thread of the World Tree.

Unlike its fluttering material, its durability matched steel—truly a cloak fitting for the Hero.

’I’ve also maintained the Holy Sword consistently...’

Asella meticulously checked if there were any issues anywhere.

Since it was an occasion where a foreign princess—and from Mephisto at that—was visiting in person, flawless protocol was required.

’It’s a relief that the princess is visiting rather than the Demon King.’

Had the Demon King visited, the Pope himself would have had to handle the protocol.

However, with the Vatican undergoing a purge, not to mention the Pope, even the Cardinal seats were vacant.

With Asella, the Hero, naturally becoming first in the order of precedence, it would have been deeply embarrassing had the Demon King visited.

’Perhaps she targeted this intentionally.’

Her counterpart was a master of politics. In contrast, she herself was someone who had been manipulated by politics to the point of being driven out.

Of course, the reason was Aris’s prophecy, but it was undeniable that she had been outmaneuvered politically.

Now she was trying to learn politics somehow, but it wasn’t easy. First off, her head hurt too much.

Knock, knock, knock—

"Hero-nim. Princess Kaylin has just entered."

While inspecting the mirror, the voice of an attendant from outside reached her ears.

Upon hearing those words, Asella sheathed the Holy Sword at her waist. It was about time to go out and greet her.

Fortunately, protocol preparations had been carried out steadily, as Mephisto had given prior notice.

It had only given Asella a headache while preparing it. She took a deep breath and stepped forward.

’Once Princess Kaylin passes the entrance, she will board the carriage prepared by the Holy Kingdom. That carriage will bring her to the Vatican...’

Protocol was a first for her as well.

As mentioned earlier, the moment she became the Hero, she was put in a position of being hunted by the Vatican.

Yet now that she was actually about to greet the guest directly, nervousness washed over her like a tidal wave.

’Everything is difficult the first time.’

Unlike Selena’s group, this was a state guest being formally received.

On top of that, it was the princess of the Demon Race, a relationship that could be described as uncomfortable. The difficulty was high right from the start.

Because of this, she resented the Vatican for dumping every single burden onto her, but Asella did not let it show.

’This too must be Aris-nim’s will.’

She turned her head. In the direction she turned, a stone statue of Aris stood.

After devoutly tracing the sign of the cross, she headed outside. When she went out, attendants were waiting.

"You have a tense face."

A familiar voice struck Asella’s ears.

It was Reyna, who had remained one of her reliable helpers and pillars of support up to now.

"Re-Reyna eonni? When did you return?"

"I just got back. But the timing is quite coincidental."

Originally, Reyna had been dispatched to the Central Plains for intelligence gathering.

Her coming back like this meant one of two things: she had brought back crucial intelligence, or she had pulled out because it was dangerous.

"It seems difficult to speak right now. I’ll submit a report later."

"You’re not hurt anywhere, right?"

"No. It just seemed like things were about to get dangerous, so I pulled out quickly."

Nearly got dangerous. Asella could not easily brush off those words.

A nation consumed by civil war was always dangerous, but Reyna was a seasoned soldier with extensive experience.

That even she felt endangered meant a full-scale clash had begun.

’Once the summit concludes, I’ll have to investigate that side quickly as well.’

Asella made her judgment, bade Reyna farewell, and departed.

As much as she wanted to bring Reyna along, the stage was already set, and doing so might cause confusion.

Reyna, knowing this, quietly took her leave. She still had work to do.Read this novel at novelрing.com for the best experience.

Thus, Asella stepped outside with her attendants. With every step she took, her feeling grew progressively heavier.

Her first protocol, her first diplomacy. Her heart began to pound no less than during a nerve-wracking battle.

’I can do well. Asella. Aris-nim will also be watching this.’

Asella traced the sign of the cross once more with a devout heart. Tracing the cross calmed her mind.

Soon, Asella arrived at the main gate of the Vatican. From the main gate, paladins clad in white heavy armor were lined up on both sides.

At the end of the line, the carriage prepared directly by the Holy Kingdom had arrived. Kaylin would be inside that carriage.

’It opened.’

As the carriage door opened, Princess Kaylin revealed herself. In an instant, Asella’s mind grew complex.

Whether she could converse smoothly with Kaylin, what topics Kaylin would bring up, and so forth.

Even the music of the band prepared in advance barely reached her ears.

Was that why?

"...Ah."

At some point, the demon princess had reached right in front of her face. Asella hastily snapped out of it.

Taking a deep breath, she faced Kaylin with a smiling face. The encounter between the Hero and the demon princess.

At first, no words were exchanged between the two. They merely stared intently at each other, as if gauging one another.

’She is beautiful.’

Asella gazed silently at Kaylin’s face. The exotic traits unique to the Demon Race caught her eyes.

Blue skin. Horns on her head. And finally, reversed eyes. Yet, a beauty impossible to conceal.

Her sharply turned-up eyes and the beauty mark beneath her left eye exhaled a nearly bewitching atmosphere.

Above all, even her black dress could not hide her voluptuous figure.

Although demons were said to rival elves in beauty, Kaylin stood out most among them.

’Is it because she’s a demon?’

Until recently, Asella had met with beauties capable of bringing down nations.

Selena and Ash. Both had their own distinct charms, but neither was quite like Kaylin.

Since the Demon Race possessed such unique appearances to begin with, it felt distinctly different.

"Pleased to meet you. I am Kaylin Deron Evelyn, Princess of Mephisto. Please feel free to call me Kaylin."

It was while Asella was admiring Kaylin’s beauty. Kaylin offered a greeting with a smile first.

Only then did Asella regain her composure and smile back. Being so tense for her first protocol, an awkward smile emerged.

"It is an honor to meet you. I am Asella, the faithful sword of Aris-nim. You may address me comfortably as well."

Fortunately, she managed to greet her smoothly without any major blunders. At that greeting, Kaylin gave a small nod.

The encounter between the two took place smoothly without any clashes or conflicts.

A combination of the Hero and a demon princess—a truly bizarre and historic meeting had come to pass.

"Let us go inside. I will guide you through the Vatican."

"Yes. I look forward to your guidance."

Afterward, there wasn’t much else. It ended with introducing various parts of the Vatican to Kaylin.

Naturally, classified or important locations were not revealed. It was strictly limited to receiving a state guest.

Kaylin also followed the tour obediently without showing displeasure or bringing up contentious topics.

Yet she didn’t just passively agree either. She directly asked about things she was curious about.

"Come to think of it, isn’t there a place where one receives prophecies directly?"

"Yes, that’s correct."

The Holy Kingdom’s prophecies were world-famous, as they were revelations handed down directly by Aris Herself.

It was also the reason why the Holy Kingdom possessed formidable national power despite its territory being smaller than other nations.

Instead, the frequency of receiving prophecies had dropped drastically recently, and the Vatican’s arbitrary interpretations had led to a decline in prestige.

Even so, it was an undeniable fact that it had wielded immense historical influence, so it could not be ignored.

"Would you be able to show me that place as well?"

"If you believe in Aris-nim, Princess, it would be fine."

Asella seized the opportunity to suggest it immediately. Spreading the faith was always right.

Naturally, Kaylin politely declined. It was closer to being premature.

"That seems to be a matter to consider step by step."

"It is alright. From what I understand, the Demon Race does not deny Aris-nim."

"Spot on. Rather, it is closer to respecting Her."

Demons had a strong racial tendency to be drawn to the powerful.

Aris was a deity with such mighty power that She was revered as the Goddess of War.

Naturally, She was worthy of respect from the demons’ perspective, so they did not deny Her.

"I understand Aris-nim has never protected the Demon Race. I thought you might feel uncomfortable because of this..."

"There were demons who held such thoughts. Indeed, there were many even recently."

There were many even recently. Was she referring to the older generation of demons?

For humans, ’recently’ meant at most a year or so, but for long-lived species like demons, it was far longer.

Because there was a clear disparity in perceived time, coordinating smoothly between them was essential.

"However, seeing the descent changed our minds. Aris-nim didn’t hate us, She merely saw us as troublemakers."This story is hosted at novelping dot com.

"Are you referring to... the descent of Cain?"

"Yes. Has Cain ever descended during all the wars fought with us demons?"

Asella pondered deeply upon hearing those words. She had studied every bit of history before Kaylin arrived.

After a moment, she realized that just as Kaylin said, Cain had never descended during battles against the Demon Race.

If the Demon Race were truly ’evil,’ Aris Herself would have stepped in personally. Yet She did not.

"Now that I hear it... while the individual strength of Heroes may have grown, Aris-nim Herself never acted directly."

Of course, conditions were attached to Cain’s advent. The difference lay in whether Grylls found the stone statue or not.

The reason Cain failed to descend until now was highly likely because the statue was not intact.

"The statue of Cain was found by the Herald operating in the Forest of the Four Seasons. Perhaps that was why He could not descend previously."

"I agree. However, one must also ponder why the Herald awakened in the Forest of the Four Seasons at this specific time."

Though words were exchanged, the conclusion was one: the Holy Kingdom no longer needed to designate the Demon Race as evil.

In the first place, when absolute evil was lurking right inside the Vatican, making such a designation was absurd.

Asella guided Kaylin to the conference room amid an increasingly comfortable atmosphere.

Through the summit, they could thoroughly explore what each side desired and what they wished to inquire about.

"According to the plan, you expressed a desire to tour various parts of the Holy Kingdom after the summit. Do you require a guide? If you wish, I will personally escort you."

"If the Hero-nim guides me personally, it would be my honor."

"Thank you. Please excuse me for a moment."

Was it because she was too tense? Asella excused herself and headed to the restroom.

Because the situation was so grave, her throat felt dry. The problem was that she had been drinking water frequently because of it.

’Since it’s before the summit, it should be fine to use the restroom... right?’

She wasn’t sure, but it would probably be fine. From Kaylin’s perspective, she would assume Asella was preparing for the summit.

Thus, while Asella went to tend to her business, Kaylin remained alone in the summit room.

Normally, guards should be present, but... this was Mephisto’s self-confidence.

A message that Kaylin alone could handle whatever arose even without guards.

’She still shows signs of naivety... but I cannot lower my guard.’

Kaylin thought to herself and subtly raised her eyes upward.

Even at this very moment, she couldn’t resist browsing the Gallery. She was alone anyway, so what was the problem?

’Still no news of a recruitment.’

With that thought, Kaylin left a post. A post expressing her desire to recruit a rising prospect who had been making waves recently.

Leaving only that, she quietly waited for Asella. Fortunately, Asella returned in less than a minute.

However.

"..."

"Is something the matter?"

"A-Ah, it is nothing."

Though she had supposedly just gone to use the restroom, Asella kept glancing repeatedly at Kaylin.

Clench—

On top of that, she was biting her lip tightly.

’Did she hear bad news?’

To be so incapable of controlling her expression. Kaylin clicked her tongue inwardly.

When controlling one’s poker face was the most critical aspect of such a summit. She was truly a novice.

Still, it couldn’t be helped. Originally, a political seat like this was meant for the Pope, not the Hero.

Since a new Pope had not even been elected yet, it must have acted as a tremendous burden on the Hero.

Of course.

’Ah, fuck. I shouldn’t have checked the Gallery... Why did I look...!’

At present, Asella was downing a massive dose of the "red pill."

For reference, the post Kaylin made during the brief gap was:

Title) Breaking news! Breaking news!

Princess Chaenggu

(Photo of Asella taken from a distance by someone)

Word is the Hero is coming to Mephisto to watch a football match!

Re: Where did you hear that?

Re: Princess Chaenggu) It’s my headcanon!

Re: WTFFF what is this rofl

Re: But the possibility is actually pretty high lol

Re: The demon princess went to the Holy Kingdom, so the Hero should come to Mephisto too.

Re: Yeah, goes without saying.

It was a post where her inner motives were painfully obvious.