I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 584

Asella’s honest confession followed by a warm embrace.

At first, he was desperately scrambling to maintain his composure, but fortunately, nothing dangerous occurred.

Even I, who had suffered every imaginable piece of bullshit in the Forest of the Four Seasons, felt my heart waver.

I realized anew just how frightening a woman’s embrace could be.

Anyway, as the cozy hug with Asella came to an end, the mood returned to normal.

"$... #$% $%%$% %%?"

[Don’t Abandon the Hero: Um... was that uncomfortable for you by any chance?]

It was while they were facing each other after ending the hug. Asella spoke with a cautious tone.

Since I couldn’t understand the language of the Holy Kingdom, I still had to rely on the Gallery, but my ears were slowly getting used to it.

"No? Why would you think I’d be uncomfortable?"

"#$... $#$%$ %%..."

[Don’t Abandon the Hero: Well... I haven’t even washed up yet...]

That remark lands a critical hit right on my heart. I quietly closed my eyes.

If anyone heard that, they might think she was seductive, but she didn’t mean it like that at all.

She was genuinely worried that her body might smell bad.

If I pulled any foolish nonsense with that purest of pure Heroes, Goddess Aris would never forgive me.

She might even descend in person to sever my neck.

’What smell? It only smells like a lovely fragrance.’

I didn’t know what scent it was, but it was certainly pleasant.

Especially since she was currently the leader of a nation, she had to pay attention to her dignity.

If I return to the forest, I should give her a few World Tree flowers.

’If I return, that is.’

Now that I’m out, I have zero intention of going back. Am I crazy enough to step into that place on my own two feet?

I especially want to leave Ludwig behind no matter what. He barely managed to reunite with his beloved family.

’He even has a granddaughter.’

I wonder how Santa will act. I’ll only find out after Christmas passes.

"$$#$...?"

[Should I wash up...?]

"No. Let’s just enjoy some rest for now."

What am I to do with a Hero who is far too innocent? It’s amazing she held a successful summit with Mephisto.

Of course, she might just be someone who strictly separates personal and professional matters, so there’s no need to overthink it.

Right now, what I need to ponder is how to spend Christmas fruitfully.

Currently, there are roughly four hours left until Christmas ends. Since I already did volunteer work happily with Asella, there wasn’t much else to do.

If anything, a late dinner is about it. I ate some street food while wandering outside, but it still wasn’t enough.

In the Forest of the Four Seasons, I ate almost ten meals a day, so there was no way that little bit satisfied me.

"How about some food? I ate a little bit outside, but..."

"I’ll prepare it right away!"

Asella shouted energetically and darted outside. Remarkably, she grasped what I said.

Thanks to that, I was left sitting alone in the bedroom. Scratching my cheek, I looked around.

Fitting Asella’s frugal personality, the bedroom contained strictly the essentials. Other than those, there were many items related to Aris.

The most eye-catching things were the stone statue and the mural. I could understand the mural, but I had no idea how she got the stone statue in here.

’She even has a small statue.’

I knew her devotion to Aris was deep, but seeing this filled me with admiration.

With such a devout believer by my side, I had been trash-talking the gods whenever I was bored. I felt strangely embarrassed.

’Still, that’s the gods’ fault, not the people who believe in them.’

It was a mindset I had consistently maintained for a long time: hate the gods if I must, but never hate the people.

If I hated people, I would ultimately be the one left isolated. Thanks to that mindset, even when things were tough, I was never lonely.

’Looks like this person is Aragon.’

In the mural, I could spot someone presumed to be Aragon instead of Aris.

While Aris wore a helmet so her appearance couldn’t be confirmed, Aragon did not.

Befitting the title of God of Magic, there was a somewhat intellectual air about him, and his looks were exceptionally striking.

Though not to the same degree as Aris, Aragon was also one of the major religions exerting influence over the world.

’They said the Magic Tower practically functions as the order’s church, right?’

If given the opportunity, I’d love to visit the Magic Tower too. However, that’s something to think about after Christmas ends.

As I mentioned earlier, Santa might drag me back to the Forest of the Four Seasons, after all.

Looking around various parts of the bedroom, I headed toward the window. Outside was still lively with the festival.

’Now that I listen... that song is definitely one I know?’

One of those famous songs that pops up at the very top of the charts every single Christmas.

It was downright hilarious that a song by a famous pop star had survived all this time to become a ’tradition’.

Well, considering the impact of that song back in its day, it wasn’t all that strange either.

’Should I browse the Gallery until Asella gets back?’

I carefully sat down on the bed and decided to browse the Gallery.

I didn’t know when Asella would return, and scrolling the Gallery was perfect for killing time.

Above all, many people must know that Asella and I were wandering outside together, so I was curious about their reactions.

’So many things really happened.’

First, getting abducted out of nowhere by Santa.

Then meeting the Heavenly Demon, Yoo So-wol, and holding hands.

And Ash revealing her fixed-nick and planting a light kiss on me.

All of this happened in a single day, leaving me bewildered in more ways than one.

’The messages... Woah. Why are there so many?’

I had expected it, but the number of messages I received was immense.

The Gallery posts were no different. Most of them were posts talking about me.

Rather than reading negative noise, I thought it would be better to slowly sift through my direct messages.

Naturally, the first was a message from the Heavenly Demon, Yoo So-wol.

[Heavenly Demon: Are you enjoying your long-awaited Christmas, noble sir? I have received an unexpected gift, making it feel quite special.]

[Heavenly Demon: (Photo of Grylls together with Asella)]

[Heavenly Demon: Santa Claus is truly cruel. While someone finds it difficult to even hold hands, another gets to remain together continuously.]

[Heavenly Demon: If there is another opportunity, I hope you will formally visit the Cult.]

It was a message thoroughly true to the Heavenly Demon. She grumbled about what she grumbled about, but let it pass coolly.

I composed a reply for her.

’Wait, isn’t Asella seeing all of this?’Visit novelping(.)com for the full chapter.

Perhaps because I had just received that non-confession confession from her, my fingers paused mid-typing.

The real-life Heavenly Demon, Yoo So-wol, had no idea that Asella was the Orange Badge administrator.

Therefore, it seemed best to completely leave out any mention of the real-life Heavenly Demon.

[Wild Grylls: Merry Christmas, Heavenly Demon-nim. If there’s another opportunity, I’ll visit.]

[Heavenly Demon: There is no need to rush. You must enjoy your own freedom as well. However, I have one request.]

[Wild Grylls: What request?]

[Heavenly Demon: When you visit the Cult, I hope you will refrain from addressing me so formally from then on.]

Treat me comfortably, that’s what she meant. I nodded.

However, while that was possible in the Gallery, it would be extremely tough in reality.

And no wonder—the Heavenly Demon, Yoo So-wol, was the ruler of an entire faction.

Not just any leader, but someone revered by every single member of the Cult.

She was practically a king, so could I really treat her casually?

The Holy Kingdom was fine because Asella personally proclaimed me the Herald of God, but the Heavenly Demon Cult would be a different story.

[Wild Grylls: Wouldn’t that be a bit tough? Maybe in the Gallery, but in real life I’d feel self-conscious.]

[Heavenly Demon: Since I have commanded it, who would dare raise an objection? You need not worry.]

A response supremely characteristic of the Heavenly Demon returned. I smirked.

She was genuinely someone capable of doing just that, so it didn’t feel like a lie.

[Wild Grylls: Then should I start speaking comfortably from now on?]

[Heavenly Demon: Wouldn’t that be boring? We must face each other in person to truly grow close.]

Her strangely conservative mindset was a bonus. However, there was a worrying point.

As I mentioned earlier, once Christmas ended, I might have to return like Cinderella.

If so, I might literally be stuck hiding out in the Forest of the Four Seasons for a whole year.

[Wild Grylls: What if I involuntarily end up returning to the Forest of the Four Seasons?]

[Heavenly Demon: I can wait. Or, once I fulfill all my duties, I shall enter the forest myself.]

[Wild Grylls: You don’t need to do that. I’ll come to you, so please wait.]

If it was the Heavenly Demon, she would actually do it, so I stopped her. There was no need to create unnecessary victims.

Afterward, we exchanged small talk and wished each other a Merry Christmas.

After the Heavenly Demon, I checked the messages from Sword Matstar, Ash. The person who launched an ambush kiss and ran away.

How would Asella react if she found out about this?

[Sword Matstar: (Photo of Grylls walking with Asella)]

[Sword Matstar: You said you’d come see me first, but here you are dating another lady?]

[Sword Matstar: And not just any ordinary woman, but the Hero herself. You truly are a fatal man.]

[Sword Matstar: If I knew it would be like this, I would have sprinted to the Holy Kingdom. It’s a pity it’s so late.]

[Wild Grylls: Haha;;]

Fortunately, Sword Matstar had enough tact not to reveal our secret.

Instead, she grumbled similarly to the Heavenly Demon. It was a cute reaction.

[Wild Grylls: I’ll come see you later if there’s an opportunity.]

[Sword Matstar: You know real-life meetups are grounds for a ban, right? Wanting to meet me even at the risk of getting banned, I’m truly touched.]

If we went by that standard, I would have been banned ten times over already. I only survived because Asella was the Orange Badge administrator.

Well, even if the administrator were someone else, I probably wouldn’t get banned. For some reason, my account was completely immune to bans anyway.

[Wild Grylls: I’ll message you after Christmas ends. If I’m really unlucky, I might have to return to the forest once Christmas is over.]

[Sword Matstar: It really might remain as a midwinter night’s dream. Though it wasn’t a dream ^^]

She’s definitely referencing the kiss in a roundabout way.

’Come to think of it, it really feels like a dream.’

Holding hands, kissing, and even embracing gorgeous women, each with their own powerful charm.

If only one of those had happened, I would have mistaken it for a dream, but since all three happened, I realized it was reality.

[Sword Matstar: If you visit my place, I can show you something even better than the photo I sent last time?]

[Wild Grylls: Is it alright for a fully grown maiden to say things like that?]

[Sword Matstar: Who could possibly say anything? It’s my choice lol]

She wasn’t wrong. Ash was one of the strongest figures acknowledged worldwide.

Even the Emperor of the Empire couldn’t treat her lightly, so she had good reason for such confidence.

The problem was that the Hero, Asella, would highly likely object. I wonder if Ash knows this.

[Sword Matstar: And it’s natural that skin-to-skin contact brings people closer.]

[Wild Grylls: Ma’am. That’s moving way too fast;;]

[Sword Matstar: Huh? I meant sparring, did you misunderstand something else?]

[Wild Grylls: You said skin-to-skin contact!;;]

[Sword Matstar: Ah, typo, typo. I meant blade-to-blade contact, not skin-to-skin.]

I guarantee you that was absolutely not a typo. She did that on purpose.

Was it because she sent photos of her body last time, and kissed me this time?

I felt strongly that the walls between us had completely collapsed. In the first place, she had voluntarily revealed her fixed-nick.

She had practically declared she had nothing left to hide, so I planned to treat her accordingly.

[Wild Grylls: I’ll believe it was a typo.]

[Sword Matstar: Thank you. Oh, don’t worry about the wedding venue and date, I’ll set them all up myself.]

[Wild Grylls: I have no intention of making an innocent woman a widow;;]

[Sword Matstar: If you don’t want to make me a widow, you have to come haha]

Even a bulldozer wouldn’t charge forward like that. I could only click my tongue.

Still, thanks to us becoming closer, we could exchange various jokes like this.

Soon, after telling her to have a Merry Christmas just as I had with the Heavenly Demon, I checked messages from others.

[Starlight Lady: Grylls-nim. Did you really come outside?]

[Wild Grylls: Yes. You can assume all the photos posted in the Gallery are real.]

[Starlight Lady: The gods are so cruel. How could you come right when I left the Holy Kingdom T_T]

[Wild Grylls: There might be more opportunities.]

Starlight Lady exhibited a genuinely regretful reaction.

Indeed, she had been in a position where she had to leave the Holy Kingdom for the summit.

Had it not been for the summit, I could have met Starlight Lady too.

[Starlight Lady: This won’t do. Since another opportunity like this might come someday, I need to make thorough preparations.]

[Wild Grylls: What preparations?]

[Starlight Lady: I made perfume using the World Tree petals you gave me earlier. I’ll give you that perfume, so please come find me later!]

[Wild Grylls: I am not a dog, though...]

[Starlight Lady: Your senses are as sharp as a beast’s! In a good way!]

Glad she added ’in a good way’. Otherwise I might have felt depressed.

At any rate, I agreed to receive perfume from Starlight Lady and continued replying to messages from other fixed-nicks.Find the original chapter at novelping(.)com.

Most asked if it was really me, if it was certain I came outside, and so forth.

[Princess Chaenggu: It’s a shame there are no matches today. If a match were going on, I would’ve brought you over.]

[Wild Grylls: It’s okay haha]

There were also those like Princess Chaenggu who sent unique messages.

As I passed time with the fixed-nicks like that, Asella returned with food.

She must have already known that I eat a lot, because she brought back a feast fit for a king.

"H-How is it? Is it to your taste?"

"It’s really delicious."

I wasn’t just being polite; it was genuinely delicious. Spices and seasonings that were hard to acquire even in the Gallery auction house.

They created a tremendous flavor, allowing me to enjoy dishes I had never tasted even in the Forest of the Four Seasons.

In my heart, I wanted to ask for the recipe, but unfortunately time was running short.

After finishing the meal, there were three hours remaining until Christmas ended.

"What is your normal daily routine like?"

"I wake up at dawn and start by offering a prayer to Goddess Aris."

"Isn’t that tiring?"

"Not at all. Coming this far is all thanks to Goddess Aris."

After eating, we had a light tea time and continued our conversation.

Through this, I learned that Asella’s devotion was deeper than I had anticipated.

At the very least, it seemed wise to refrain from speaking ill of faith in front of her.

She was someone who had just confessed to me anyway, so showing consideration was for the best.

"G... Grylls-nim."

"Yes. Speak."

"...May I go wash up?"

"..."

Time slipped by again, approaching midnight. The festival was gradually concluding, and it was dark outside.

At Asella’s tentative voice, I was speechless.

She had said something similar earlier, but her tone was distinctly different now.

I had to make the right choice now. A single misstep could deeply hurt Asella.

"Asella-nim. No, Asella."

"Y-Yes...!"

When I quietly called her name, Asella’s face turned ripe red like a persimmon. Just the reaction I expected.

It was unclear whether she had peeked at my conversations with the fixed-nicks in the Gallery or if it was her own resolve.

However, things were moving too fast, and even I wasn’t prepared.

"As for me... I don’t want this moment to remain as just a one-night dream."

"T-Then...!"

"So, would you like to step outside for a moment? So that a dream doesn’t remain just a dream."

Would it end as a simple Christmas miracle, or would it become eternal?

Asella was disappointed for a brief moment, but she soon understood my meaning and smiled.

Before long, bundling up warmly against the freezing weather, we stepped out onto the quieted streets.

It seemed Santa had finished handing out all the presents, as he was nowhere to be seen in the square.

’The time is...’

Just when about thirty minutes remained until Christmas came to a close.

"Ho! Ho-ho!"

A hearty laugh echoed from the sky. Raising my head, Santa was sprinkling snow from the heavens.

Before long, Santa slowly descended and landed right in front of us.

"It is time to return! Ho-ho!"

"Huh? Then really..."

I had expected it, but when it actually arrived, it left a bitter taste in my mouth.

Not just me, but Asella felt the same. She looked like she hated to see me leave.

"What if I say no?"

"Whether a good child or a good adult, one must keep their promises!"

Ttak!

Having spoken, Santa snapped his fingers. At that moment, something astonishing happened.

Ludwig, who should have been spending time with his family at home, appeared right in front of us.

The problem was...

"...Mmm?"

"O-Oh my goodness!"

He was completely butt-naked. Startled, Asella covered both of her eyes.

Meanwhile, Ludwig wore a bewildered expression, unaware of what was happening. He didn’t even seem to feel the cold.

Fortunately, Santa possessed some flexibility, pulling clothes out of his bundle for him. That it was a Santa suit was an added bonus.

"Looks like you were spending time with your wife."

"Ahem. Ahem."

Seeing him act bashful, unlike his usual self, it seemed to be true.

Because of that, I resolved even further. I must leave Ludwig here at all costs.

Unlike me, who would remain as a midwinter night’s dream, Ludwig had family waiting for him.

With that determination, I stared straight at Santa. He still wore a beaming smile.

"Can we leave Ludwig-ahjussi here?"

"Ho! Ho-ho! That won’t do! A promise must be kept!"

Such an inflexible Santa. I let out a long sigh.

Then I had no choice but to step up like this. Even if it was a bit pathetic, I had to do it.

"Then let me ask one more thing."

A condition that could only be proposed to Santa.

"Can I take an advance on next Christmas’s promise?"

A Christmas promise advance. This might be the first advance in history.

Even though it was an utterly pathetic method, I had no choice but to say it.

Santa’s answer to that was simple.

"Ho! Ho-ho! An amusing promise!"

After letting out his signature hearty laugh...

"However, today’s Christmas has not ended yet!"

He dropped the hint that I should endure well for the remainder of Christmas.