I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 556

People inevitably face numerous dilemmas throughout their lives.

Facing them in minor matters is tolerable, but making decisions in grand affairs like politics is a massive headache.

One wrong move could easily turn powerful nations into enemies, leaving no room to even claim neutrality.

It was time for a so-called "decision for the salvation of the nation," where being criticized regardless of the choice was simply destiny.

’Even Demon King Asmode is wild about sports... I had no idea about this.’

She had long understood that the Demon Race’s devotion to sports bordered on fanatical faith.

However, that was limited to the younger generation of demons. Generally, the older generation disliked sports.

The older generation revered the past era of blood and slaughter as their golden age, and because of this, they were still causing trouble of various sizes even now.

"If you are referring to the Immortal King Cain... I can assure you he was not a demon king, but an innocent victim."

"An innocent victim... I suppose the humans who suffered at the hands of our ancestors long ago felt the same way."

And Asmode, who brought up this long and stubborn history, was also a member of that older generation.

Not just any demon, either, but the strongest Demon King in Mephisto.

Having reigned as Demon King for a long time, he stood alongside Kaylin as Mephisto’s apex power.

’And yet, the reason he isn’t frequently mentioned as the ultimate strongest figure is...’

It was simple: he had been retired from the front lines for far too long.

This was precisely why she couldn’t carelessly choose Princess Kaylin over him. There had never even been a rumor that his martial prowess had waned.

Though Kaylin was slated to be the next Demon King, it was impossible to easily judge "when" that would happen.

The Demon Race was famous for being a long-lived race alongside elves. He might still be reigning when Asella put down her Holy Sword.

’Until then, the Holy Kingdom might get on his bad side.’

She had to exercise extreme caution. Asella prayed to Aris in her heart.

May it be that choosing one side won’t displease the other.

"On behalf of Mephisto and the Demon Race, I offer a sincere apology for the suffering we inflicted upon your people. May it bring some small comfort to those who have already returned to the earth."

While Asella was praying internally, Asmode bowed his head and expressed his genuine feelings.

Not only Asmode, but Kaylin also closed her eyes tightly and bowed her head. It was an attitude completely different from the ruthless image one might expect of demons who knew nothing of apologies.

Formally apologizing at an official summit was effectively equivalent to offering the first concession.

Considering the Holy Kingdom’s current disastrous state, Mephisto could have easily crushed them by force if they wished.

Though taken aback for a moment, Asella quickly regained her composure and spoke quietly.

"...Avalon accepts your apology. Though our history is soaked in blood, we can set things right moving forward."

"Thank you. No, my thanks to you, Hero. From this moment forth, I will sincerely treat you with absolute respect."

Asmode changed his tone as a mark of respect, transitioning from patronizing speech to addressing her as an equal.

Asella felt a complex mix of emotions. She had a feeling that had she not accepted the apology, no progress would have been made.

After all, an apology is only an apology when accepted by the victim. Above all, she was curious about Mephisto’s current situation.

’Honestly, our Holy Kingdom holds almost no genuine ill will toward Mephisto. We received religious education, but it was closer to brainwashing by the Papacy.’

The citizens of the Holy Kingdom who harbored true, deep-seated resentment against the Demon Race had all returned to dust long ago.

The Papacy tried to forcibly cultivate hatred toward Mephisto while teaching history, but the Gallery was the obstacle.

No matter how hard they tried to brainwash the public, the Gallery was an open forum of information accessible to everyone.

That was precisely why the church had attempted censorship.

’This is... not a declaration aimed at the Holy Kingdom, but at Mephisto itself.’

A declaration of a full-scale break with the older generation of demons. Asella saw right through the Demon King’s true intentions.

Did this mean Avalon suffered any loss? Absolutely not. Now that she understood his inner thoughts, playing along appropriately was all that was needed.

’A proposal that could only arise because both of them love sports.’

She felt much at ease. If she cleverly exploited this angle, she could achieve the best possible outcome.

Asella softened her rigid expression and proceeded into the main meeting. First came the banquet.

"It is humble fare, but I hope it suits your palate."

"Thank you."

Asella surveyed the banquet prepared by Mephisto. Even for someone like her who cared little for gastronomy, there were many dishes to admire.

Though modest in appearance, every dish was crafted with painstaking care. With each bite, rich aromas burst across her palate.

’Mephisto’s cuisine was originally infamous, wasn’t it?’

It was a well-known topic in the Gallery: every piece of food from Mephisto was notoriously unpalatable.

What was funnier was that the most famous restaurants in Mephisto actually served dishes from other countries.

It was hard to describe precisely, but it was as if their entire culinary culture had adopted the exact mistakes terrible cooks made.

If you ignore cooking steps and order, food inevitably turns out bizarre. Mephisto’s cuisine was exactly like that.

Cooking over high heat for a short time what ought to be slow-cooked over low heat, for instance.

Or substituting entirely different ingredients under the assumption that the taste would be similar.

Classic examples included sardine pie and eel ice cream—undeniably bizarre combinations.

’The reason it turned out this way was their historical habit of fighting at every opportunity.’

The mindset of "as long as it fills the stomach" had severely crippled their culinary culture.

Of course, there were plenty of delicious dishes, like the banquet she was currently enjoying. The problem lay mostly in the food consumed by the commoners.

After enjoying the feast, the official summit commenced. Before that, they had a brief break.

Banquets were never just about displaying a nation’s culture and tradition; they always carried underlying political intentions.

"Mephisto is treating us with remarkable favor."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. Mephisto is famous for being exceptionally strict and demanding with hospitality, owing to their inherently warlike nature."

The Rules of Hospitality.

It was a divine code established by the Lord God, recorded in few surviving documents.

It was virtually a universal law across the world, where even barbarians treated guests with absolute hospitality.

The Demon Race was no different, but their past was written in blood and slaughter.

Never knowing when, where, or how they might be attacked, they couldn’t even trust guests. Naturally, their etiquette for hospitality became incredibly stringent.

’My only concern is that I don’t know what demands Mephisto might make...’This chapter is updated first at novelping . com.

Honeyed words, a hidden dagger.

She had no way of predicting what blade might be hidden beneath their show of goodwill.

No matter how much they conceded, she couldn’t afford to lower her guard.

Mephisto was by no means weaker than the Holy Kingdom, and politicians were creatures who would stop at nothing when national interests were on the line.

’I must keep in mind that unexpected questions could come up.’

After praying to Aris once more, Asella stepped into the official meeting.

She wasn’t alone; she was accompanied by aides handling diplomatic affairs.

Opposite them sat Asmode and Kaylin, alongside several prominent nobles.

"Hero-nim. Something is a bit unusual."

"What seems unusual?"

"Hardly any demons of the older generation are present."

Before entering the meeting room, the aide had whispered this to Asella.

They had thoroughly analyzed Mephisto’s political structure before arriving. Know your enemy and know yourself, and you will win a hundred battles without danger.

Thus, through extensive intelligence gathering, they had painstakingly investigated Mephisto’s power dynamics.

’The low ratio of older-generation demons means...’

Asella surveyed the older demons present—specifically, the elder demon lords. They were familiar faces.

Unlike the radical older demons who rebelled against new cultures like sports, these were the moderate faction.

Nobles willing to humbly embrace any culture if it increased Mephisto’s power. Those were the truly terrifying figures.

’I must remain vigilant.’

It appeared the hardline older generation had lost the power struggle. It was no coincidence that Asmode had offered an apology first.

Without letting her guard down, Asella quietly listened to Mephisto’s official position.

"As mentioned earlier, Mephisto wishes to issue a sincere apology to the Holy Kingdom and subsequently establish a formal peace treaty."

"Avalon accepts this request. Should this treaty be breached..."

Pragmatic discussions were exchanged. There were hardly any contentious issues.

Though surprising on the surface, Asella vaguely deduced the underlying reason.

"The Holy Kingdom also receives Mana Stones from Setan, correct?"

This was it: the recently escalating tension between Mephisto and Setan.

In truth, Mephisto had essentially taken an unexpected blow out of nowhere, but it was impossible to ignore.

For Setan was extraordinarily wealthy and held the vital key known as "resources."

Considering that even Mephisto could not remain indifferent to those resources, it was a troubling matter.

"Yes. However, our supply of Mana Stones is routed through the Messiah Empire."

"I see. We understand that the Holy Kingdom’s reliance on Mana Stones is not particularly high."

"Yes, that is correct."

Though not on Setan’s level, the Holy Kingdom possessed plenty of Mana Stones of its own, thanks to its proximity to the Forest of the Four Seasons.

They imported and used Setan’s Mana Stones merely to maintain diplomatic trade. Mephisto was well aware of this.

’Bringing that up means they want us to gradually reduce trade with Setan.’

It appeared Mephisto was expanding the scope of its conflict with Setan.

Even if an open war didn’t break out, they likely felt the need to re-examine their territorial lands and waters during this opportunity.

Especially since Grylls had recently revealed that the ocean was a treasure trove of untapped resources.

’It seems conflict is inevitable.’

The deepening friction between Alfheim and Mountain, the civil war in the Central Plains, and now Mephisto and Setan.

With each passing day, disputes were igniting across every corner of the world.

As the Hero, she wished to stop the strife, but unfortunately, the Holy Kingdom currently lacked the strength to intervene.

With the Pope not even selected yet, poking her nose into everyone’s business would accomplish nothing.

"Hero-nim. Your signature."

"...Yes."

Still, taking things step by step would suffice. Asella signed the peace treaty.

With this, a long Chapter of blood-soaked history came to a close. Avalon and Mephisto would now initiate formal exchanges.

Surely, they would exert a positive influence on one another. Among all concerns, her top priority was faith.

’Just as Mephisto spreads its culture, we shall spread our faith.’

It was one of her ultimate goals: spreading faith throughout all of Mephisto.

To do so, priests needed to be dispatched to Mephisto. Surprisingly, Mephisto accepted this humbly.

Afterward, the nobles and aides from both sides withdrew, leaving only the key figures behind.

On Mephisto’s side were Asmode and Kaylin. On the Holy Kingdom’s side sat Asella alone.

"Does the Hero have no man she is seeing yet?"

"That is correct. For now, I wish to devote myself to serving Lady Aris."

"I see."

At first, he brought up trivial small talk—personal matters.

But mild as he seemed, a demon was still a demon. Asmode made a suggestion in a quiet voice.

"I have always been curious about the extent of the Hero’s martial prowess. If it is not rude, may I request a spar when time permits?"

"I have no objection. Since Asmode-nim is likely far stronger than I am, I shall approach it with the intent to learn."

"There is no need to flatter me so."

"If possible, may I also request a spar?"

’My body won’t survive this.’ Asella flashed a bitter smile, but nonetheless accepted Kaylin’s request.

She planned to stay in Mephisto for a while anyway, so it didn’t matter. There was something more crucial to address.

"As signed earlier, you agreed to the clause allowing the Holy Kingdom to dispatch clergy."

"Indeed."

"May I take this to mean that Mephisto is open to accepting faith?"

This was the core question: would Mephisto welcome faith?

Now that they had agreed to cultural exchange, it was bound to exert some influence, big or small.The source of this chapter is novelp​ing.com.

"Even if we allow faith, adopting Aris as our state religion would be difficult."

"May I ask why?"

"Because there are still many gods unknown to the world. Recently, wasn’t the existence of a deity favored by elves and dwarves revealed?"

A deity favored by elves and dwarves. Asella realized who he meant.

A forest where cooked meat grew like fruit and rivers of alcohol flowed endlessly.

The master of that forest, a god acquainted with Goddess Aris.

The academic world had exploded once again due to the records shown by Grylls. She understood what Asmode was driving at.

"Perhaps we demons also served a god in ancient times. It was merely forgotten."

"Forgotten..."

"Even if there were none, we would serve the Chief God rather than Aris. The Chief God’s martial power is presumed to far surpass that of Aris."

Asella couldn’t offer any rebuttal to Asmode’s answer.

He was saying they would accept faith as a cultural element, but it would not unfold as Asella intended.

Pushing the topic any further might inflame the atmosphere. Sensing this, Kaylin quietly stepped in.

"More importantly, Hero-nim, what are you looking forward to most in Mephisto?"

"Sports, of course. Since it’s something I’ve never witnessed in my life, I’m even more excited."

Asella replied without a moment’s hesitation. At her response, the father-daughter duo’s expressions grew subtle.

It was a reaction suggesting they were desperately trying to think of other things to hide their overwhelming delight.

That wasn’t all. Asella pressed further to gain their favor.

"Among them, football is what I’m looking forward to most. From what I’ve researched, two rival teams are clashing."

"Ah, Reor and Chaemes United."

This time, Asmode spoke up first.

True to his nature as a die-hard Reor fan, he named Reor first.

Though the match itself was tomorrow, the prelude was already underway.

"Hero-nim, who do you think will win?"

"Well... I can’t give a definitive answer. Statistically, Reor holds the upper hand, but..."

As she sided slightly with Reor, the corners of Asmode’s mouth tugged upward.

On the other hand, Kaylin gripped her neatly folded hands tightly in an effort to maintain her composure.

"I know Chaemes United has had incredible momentum recently. Ah! And I read in the newspaper that a famous player just joined their roster."

As she backed Chaemes, Kaylin’s tense expression melted away.

Asmode... well, he reluctantly nodded.

You see what you know; knowing their online identities, their reactions were blatantly obvious to Asella.

’I think I’m in real trouble here...’

She desperately needed wisdom.

It was around the time our newly adopted family member, Heukgu, was adapting to the shelter.

[Don’t Abandon the Hero: Herald-nim! Herald-nim, please share your wisdom with me!]

[Wild Grylls: Huh?]

Asella suddenly sent me a message out of nowhere.

Just as I was wondering what was going on, Asella sent a bizarre choice.

[Don’t Abandon the Hero: Trusting Chaemes United vs. Trusting Reor]

[Wild Grylls: ...Are you gambling?]

[Don’t Abandon the Hero: It’s a gamble with national interest on the line!]

Now that I thought about it, I had heard about this. Asella had headed to Mephisto.

She was planning to watch various sports matches live, and that match was scheduled among them.

One might ask why she couldn’t just pick one randomly, but seeing her panic made one thing crystal clear.

[Wild Grylls: Did you by any chance meet nobles who were Chaemes fans and Reor fans?]

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

[Wild Grylls: Because it’s painfully obvious.]

An Orange Badge admin can figure out fixed handles—assuming those users were physically close by.

Perhaps she met Princess Chaenggu or King Reor. Meeting both simultaneously would be virtually impossible even with coincidence piled upon coincidence.

Still, since she said national interests were at stake, I offered a compromise.

[Wild Grylls: Just cheer whenever either team scores a goal. That should work.]

[Don’t Abandon the Hero: That sounds like a total fence-sitter...!]

[Wild Grylls: You’re not even a real fan of either team anyway, so isn’t it fine as long as you show that you’re enjoying the match itself?]

[Don’t Abandon the Hero: I see! Thank you for the advice! As expected of Herald-nim!]

’You’re the one who appointed this Herald in the first place.’ I chuckled to myself.

More importantly...

"Kyuuu! Kyuyu! Kyu!"

"Ke-eng! Keng-keng!"

"Piiiek! Piek!"

"Pbae-aek!"

"Oh dear. Guys, why are you fighting again?"

I was losing my mind trying to break up the kids.

Was Heukgu mature, you ask?

"Ke-eeng!"

"Kyu-aaak!"

"Don’t bite! I said don’t bite!"

Not at all. He had already been corrupted by the rest of them.