I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 580

The entire world had come to learn of the miracle of Christmas.

While the world’s political leaders might have felt conflicted emotions, for ordinary folks, it became an unforgettable memory.

Not only had Santa appeared, but blessed snow poured down abundantly from the sky.

While many nations struggled to figure out what to do about Santa, exactly one place welcomed him with wild fervor.

"Aris granted my wish!"

"No! He fulfilled my wish!"

"So when is Santa coming?"

That place was none other than the Holy Kingdom of Avalon. From the Holy Kingdom’s perspective, Santa was quite literally a gift in himself.

And understandably so, considering Christmas was a public holiday personally designated by the gods; thus, Santa’s existence naturally linked directly to their faith.

The advent of Cain, the God’s Herald, and now the actual existence of Santa.

For the Holy Kingdom, there wasn’t a single thing to discard—it was divine blessing incarnate.

"Everyone! Santa will be here soon, so please wait just a little longer!"

"If you don’t maintain order, Santa won’t come!"

Thanks to this, accidents that often plagued huge events were prevented in advance.

Children, in particular, maintained order even better than adults, all for the sake of receiving Santa’s gifts.

Because the adults told them that if they behaved badly, Santa wouldn’t give them presents. The innocent children believed those words whole-heartedly.

Thus, as the sun set and evening ushered in the main festival, the citizens of the Holy Kingdom enjoyed the festivities while praying for Santa to arrive.

’I want to enjoy it too, but... it can’t be helped.’

However, there was a single person who could not enjoy it.

It was none other than Asella.

Looking out the window at the festival in full swing, she wore a bitter smile.

Although the Vatican was selecting capable talents, the most crucial position, the Pope, remained vacant.

If there were a Pope, she, as the Hero, would have dressed up as Santa and roamed the streets.

For it was a long-standing tradition of the Holy Kingdom for the Hero to dress as Santa and navigate the festival every Christmas.

One might wonder if this degraded the Hero’s prestige, but that wasn’t the case at all.

On the contrary, everyone was usually quite satisfied because it brought dreams and hope to the children.

Even if the children found out the truth in the distant future, they often looked back on it with fond affection, recognizing it as the sweet sorrow of adulthood.

This was possible because the Hero’s very existence felt familiar and approachable to the citizens.

’Though I never got to see Santa myself.’

After the Previous Hero perished alongside Kazan the Undying King, no Hero had been chosen for a long time.

Because of that, the children of the Holy Kingdom hadn’t been able to see a Hero dressed as Santa.

Other people took on the role of Santa, but they couldn’t command the same level of recognition as a Hero.

But today was different. It was self-evident that an actual, living Santa would soon arrive to bestow blessings upon the Holy Kingdom.

Until then, ensuring no accidents occurred and that the festival proceeded smoothly was the Hero’s duty.

Taking a moment to rest, Asella sat down and opened the Gallery to moderate it.

Due to Santa’s appearance, the forum was filled with nothing but posts related to him.

’By the way... do people really wear such vulgar clothes on Christmas?’

Posts occasionally popped up from people planning to spend a hot night with their lovers.

Naturally, the ones that caught her eye were men and women wearing Santa outfits.

There were many photos of men and women wearing outfits that reflexively drew out the word "vulgar" from Asella’s lips.

’...Would Grylls-nim like something like this too?’

Among them, Asella focused on the women’s outfits.

Outfits that exposed bare shoulders and clung tightly to reveal every contour of the body.

Exposing not only the chest but also shapely legs—just looking at them made her face flush red hot.

There were even photos categorized by race, not just humans. She was amazed by humanity’s bizarre creativity.

’If the gods saw this, what on earth would they think...?’

To the conservative Asella, it felt like downright sacrilege.

Santa was supposed to be a beacon of dreams and hope for children, yet he had evolved into the embarrassing desires of adults.

Although the core essence hadn’t changed, she wondered if the actual Santa would vomit blood if he saw it.

’Still, for both Heavenly Demon and Ash-nim to approach Santa Claus...’

Unlike Heavenly Demon, Ash had approached Santa late in the evening when the sun had completely set.

The festival was in full swing under a brilliantly lit nightscape, and because so many people watched, there were tons of verification posts.

And Ash attracted even more attention than Heavenly Demon. This was because she had boarded the sleigh pulled by Santa for over five minutes.

Some claimed she conversed with Santa, while others guessed she just wanted to ride the sleigh.

Endless theories circulated, but Asella thought differently.

’What if Grylls-nim was actually riding in that sleigh...?’

Grylls’ strangely quiet whereabouts, along with Ash riding the sleigh for so long...

Especially since Heavenly Demon’s actions were also somewhat suspicious, she could reach a conclusion.

’Did Grylls-nim come out of the Forest of the Four Seasons?’Read the latest chapters at NovelPing.

If so, what would happen next? Though it was merely a hypothesis, Asella formulated a plan for the future.

If Grylls came outside, he should naturally stay in the Holy Kingdom of Avalon.

After all, he had bestowed immense grace upon the Holy Kingdom and was proclaimed God’s Herald.

Devoting an entire lifetime wouldn’t be enough to repay the favor they owed him.

’Knowing Grylls-nim’s personality, he would try to repay those who showed him kindness.’

Rather than having Grylls visit people one by one, it would be better for people to come to him instead.

Given Grylls’ good-natured personality, he might not be able to distinguish impostors.

If she, the Hero, stood right beside him with wide-open eyes, no one would dare treat him lightly.

Even if Grylls decided to leave, she intended to use her status as Hero to accompany him.

’Mm. Absolutely perfect. As we get closer like that...’

Asella nodded while indulging in extremely hopeful imaginations. The corners of her lips curling slightly upward was a bonus.

Of course, all of this was mere imagination—what people often referred to as counting one’s chickens before they hatched.

Ttal-lang- ttal-lang-

Just as Asella was swept up in her flight of fancy, the sound of bells rang in her ears.

The moment she heard those bells, she instantly snapped out of her thoughts and looked out at the scenery outside.

[Ho! Ho-ho! Merry Christmas!]

It was Santa. Santa had arrived in the Holy Kingdom of Avalon.

Riding a sleigh pulled by Rudolph, pouring blessed snow down onto the earth.

Perhaps because she had consumed a Dragon Heart, even though he was high in the sky, he appeared as clear as if he were right in front of her nose.

"Uwaaaa..."

Asella didn’t just place both hands on the window—she pressed her face right up against the glass. Thanks to that, her face flattened out like a little squishy rice cake.

It felt as though she had returned to her innocent childhood. One might say she had truly received a gift from God.

But Santa was a busy man. He would surely depart before long.

Until then, she wanted to feast her eyes on him and treasure the view in her heart, not just her mind.

’Could Grylls-nim be up there too?’

Asella quietly watched until Santa departed.

According to Gallery posts, he usually hovered in the sky for about ten minutes before leaving for another region.

Yes. Surely he would do the same this time.

’...Why isn’t he leaving?’

That was, until he kept circling the sky for twenty minutes, well past the ten-minute mark.

She wondered if he was giving special treatment because this was the Holy Kingdom. If so, all the better.

The longer he stayed, the higher the Holy Kingdom’s prestige would rise. It would be fine if he stayed for an hour.

[Ho! Ho-ho! Young children! Have you all been good!]

"Huh?"

Had he ever said something like that before? Asella tilted her head at Santa’s booming question.

Wonder preceded fluster. Posts on the Gallery had only mentioned that he scattered snow and left.

Santa hadn’t asked questions directly like that. What on earth was about to happen?

[Grandpa will hand out presents directly to the good children!]

"What?"

What was he talking about now? Asella’s eyes widened into circles.

Meanwhile, Santa Claus, who had been circling the sky, snapped the reins vigorously.

Then, amazingly, the Rudolphs began steering the sleigh downward.

Countless pedestrians must be gathered down below. Asella felt her brain short-circuit at the sudden turn of events.

[Ho! Ho-ho!]

"..."

Santa’s hearty laughter struck her ears vividly.

Asella stood rooted to the spot for a moment before hurriedly pulling on her winter clothes.

Dignity of the Hero be damned—what she needed right now was confirmation.

Whether Santa had really descended, or if she was seeing hallucinations.

"Hey, did you see that just now? I think Santa came down!"

"Didn’t you see wrong?"

"No! I definitely saw... Hero-nim?"

"Hero-nim, where are you going..."

Passersby called out to Asella, but she brushed past them all.

Soon, with swift movements, Asella managed to reach the square where Santa had landed.This story is hosted at NovelPing.

As expected, a massive crowd had gathered. From the sheer size of the crowd alone, she could roughly guess the situation.

"Mommy! I want to see Santa Claus too! Santa Claus!"

"Wait! There are too many people, so hold Mommy’s hand tight!"

"What is the security force doing? It’s way too crowded."

"I think even the guards are too busy staring at Santa to care!"

The crowd was far too dense to push through easily.

Ultimately, the Hero threw off the robe that had been covering her entire head in one swift motion.

Her rare, brilliant orange hair vibrantly reflected the light.

"Huh? H-Hero-nim?"

"What brings Hero-nim here...?"

"Hero-nim came?"

As Asella appeared, the people naturally began clearing a path for her.

Feeling as though she was abusing her authority for personal reasons, Asella kept bowing her head and offering apologies.

But the priority right now was fact-checking. Thanks to their consideration, she reached the center before long.

"Ho! Ho-ho! Has this child been good?"

"Yes! I listened to Mommy and Daddy really well today!"

"Hold out your hands! That way I can give you a present!"

In the open space at the center, an unbelievable sight was taking place right before her eyes.

A situation comparable to the advent of Cain... no, even greater than that.

Santa Claus, a figure who only existed in fairy tales, was handing out presents to children.

The place where the gifts came from was none other than the red sack on the sleigh.

Every time Santa reached his hand into that sack, a square gift box materialized.

"The present you want should be inside! Keep listening to Mommy and Daddy from now on, okay?"

"Yes!"

"Grandpa! Me too! Me too!"

"Give me a gift too!"

"Good children stand in line, right?"

The child who received a gift trotted back to their parents with the happiest smile in the world.

The parents looked back and forth between the child and Santa with expressions of sheer disbelief.

Asella wasn’t much different from them, but something else caught her eye.

Jeob-eok- jeob-eok- jeob-eok-

Asella walked toward Santa as if spellbound. At that, the crowd around them began to murmur.

Naturally so—it was a confrontation between the Hero and Santa. Even fairy tales didn’t have scenes like this.

Asella then arrived right in front of Santa’s nose. Santa, who was rummaging through his sack, spotted her too.

"Ho! Ho-ho! The Sword of Aris-nim has arrived!"

"...Do you know me?"

"Of course I do! Grandpa Santa knows everything!"

Santa Claus said as much while handing a gift box to another child.

Just as Asella was parting her lips in confusion over what on earth was going on...

"Huh? I-Isn’t that person the Hero?"

"Nobody else has orange hair except the Hero."

Two voices drifted over from the sleigh. They were familiar voices.

Asella turned her head to look at the sleigh. Then, her eyes widened like lanterns.

Ludwig, who had been purged due to the Vatican’s schemes and forced to enter the Forest of the Four Seasons.

Though he had changed beyond recognition, that stern face was undeniably Ludwig.

If so, then the person beside him was definitely...

"...Grylls-nim?"

"That’s right! Hero Asella! Ah, by the way, how do you say hello in Holy Kingdom language?"

While Asella stood dazed and unable to utter a word, Grylls stepped down from the sleigh.

Although he wore thick clothing to prepare for winter, his face came clearly into view.

Thanks to undergoing Body Metamorphosis several times, he had quite a tall stature.

Amidst the romantic scene of falling white snow, right as Asella couldn’t bring herself to speak first...

"Hello, Asella-ssi."

His speech was awkward. Yet, it was a voice clearer and crisper than anyone else’s.

"I’m called Grylls."

Asella thought.

If this wasn’t a Christmas miracle, what else could it be?

Santa Claus had bestowed upon her a gift more precious than anything else.