I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 613

The robot that Lackey and I had boarded—honestly, it felt closer to a reinforced suit than a robot.

Not like the "suit" format worn by that playboy billionaire who turned into a hero at the end, but the genuine sensation of piloting a massive giant robot.

Whether the gods’ technology couldn’t fulfill that romantic ideal or it was a matter of efficiency, I couldn’t tell, but this was pretty cool in its own right.

It must have been especially useful for people who couldn’t use mana. They probably used it for various purposes.

"Phew. That should be enough."

"Master. Let’s do one more round."

"You suck at this."

"Master. Fight me again."

"I don’t listen to anyone weaker than me."

"...."

Lackey wore an expression of dumbfounded disbelief at my shamelessness disguised as confidence.

It’s a universal law that even if you lose ten times, winning the very last round is what counts. I had faithfully executed this principle.

Because of that, Lackey shouted something at me for a while, but I promptly ignored him due to time constraints.

[I have no idea where you learned such shamelessness.]

"Being shameless is an important skill sometimes."

[I truly hope Lady Aris grinds away that thick skin of yours.]

"Wouldn’t Cain-ssi grinding the calluses off the soles of my feet happen faster than that?"

Cain pouted his lips and grumbled at my retort. Even though he was a headless Dullahan, it felt that way.

At any rate, after fulfilling my adult sense of childhood nostalgia, we strolled through the Theme Park.

Each section was quite massive, so there were many fascinating things to see.

Ranging from various amusement rides to paintings of knights engaging in life-or-death battles against dragons.

[Oh! Could this be Lady Aris?!]

"It’s a doll."

"It looks like it could start moving at any moment."

The most impressive among them was a doll crafted to precisely replicate Aris.

Up until now, I had only seen Aris through records, but I had never seen anything as detailed as this doll.

As Lackey said, it was made so realistically that it felt alive, allowing us to properly inspect Aris’s actual appearance.

’A beautiful face revealed after removing the heavy armor and helmet, huh...’

It was a look and vibe straight out of a fairytale. It was easy to see why she was the most widely recognized deity.

As I examined Aris from various angles, a sudden question popped into my mind.

’When did this Theme Park actually open?’

What kind of place is a Theme Park? It’s a place that instills dreams and hope in children.

Being a massive entertainment venue, they wouldn’t have opened it during the middle of a war.

Chronologically, it must have been completed after the war against the dragons ended.

However, after the war with the dragons, the gods suffered internal strife and fought among themselves, leading to the destruction of their records.

’They built and opened a Theme Park in the midst of all that? Does that even make sense?’

Of course, there was no way to know how long that interim period lasted. It could have been much longer than I anticipated.

Because of that, I didn’t just glance around casually, but thoroughly explored every nook and cranny. The kids seemed to be having fun too.

Naturally, if one of them got lost along the way, nothing would be a bigger pain, so I kept a constant eye on them.

"What’s your name, Ahjussi?"

[My name is Michaela. A knight of Valhalla.]

"My name is Wonmo."

[That is a robust name. Who gave it to you?]

"Dad gave it to me!"

Every now and then, Wonmo would approach a knight and initiate a conversation.

Adults aside, the knights were always kind to children. Even now, that mechanical knight was speaking to Wonmo in a gentle voice.

What was even more surprising was the voice. Compared to the knight that had yelled at me earlier, the voice was completely different.

[Michaela? That is the name of someone who made a great name for themselves in the Knights of Valhalla.]

"Were there other famous knights besides Aris?"

[Of course there were. Perhaps their descendants still live on even now.]

Warriors of the gods. They were the formidable powerhouses who regularly appeared in myths.

There was a high probability that each and every one of them was on a power level comparable to Cain.

’Since Valhalla is Nordic... would it be named Ein-something?’

I didn’t know if the concept of breathing techniques existed back then, but they surely could use mana.

’Maybe there’s a sword where an Aura Blade erupts out like a lightsaber?’

The Ghost Ship operating in Mountain, the kingdom of the dwarves.

It suddenly occurred to me that the Ghost Ship had provided a cutter with exceptionally high performance.

With that level of technology, doing something like that would be child’s play.

"Then shall we ask for another knight’s name? To see if they’re all different."

[That sounds like a good idea.]Follow the newest chapters on novelping dot com.

Since we were at it, I went around asking the knights their names one by one.

I was curious whether they were just repeating pre-programmed responses or if every single one had a unique name.

And surprisingly, I realized that every knight had a different name, and furthermore, their armor designs were distinct from one another.

At first, I thought it was master craftsmanship, judging it to be a level of quality fitting for a Theme Park.

After all, didn’t the most famous theme park on Earth once maintain its concept with utmost fidelity?

But this place... how should I put it? It felt strongly like an exquisite blend of a Theme Park and an ancient ruin site.

’I wonder if the Terracotta Army of Qin Shi Huang’s tomb felt just like this...’

Didn’t they say the Terracotta Warriors had completely different faces because they were based on real people?

The Mechanical Knights were the same. Looking closely, every single one wore a different style of armor.

"Looking at this, it seems all these knights were based on real living figures. Some of them don’t even seem to be in any recorded history, right?"

[Don’t Abandon the Hero] If that’s true, this is a massive discovery!

[Allfather] I agree. So much documentation from the Mythological Age has been lost... It seems you are leaving another huge footprint on history.

[Sword Matstar] Does that mean there’s a lot of content related to the gods as well?

[Heavenly Demon] Intriguing.

At my words, the fixed-nicks, especially those who were related to or deeply interested in the gods, got immensely excited.

Most records regarding the Mythological Age had been lost due to the wars among the gods.

Everyone only remembered what heroic exploits the gods performed; they knew nothing about their past histories.

Even the Chief God’s true name wasn’t properly known, so this could serve as a huge opportunity.

"Heukgu. Do you know anything about a place like this?"

"I don’t know. It seems to have been built after I began guarding that place."

"And you don’t know who built it?"

"Yeah."

Regrettably, the answer came back that Heukgu didn’t know either. But that was fine.

We were still only exploring Aris’s sector. Exploring other areas would likely yield much more information.

"Dad. What’s that?"

"It’s a place that serves food, but it’s closed right now."

"Hing."

Along the way, Wonmo spotted a street stall rather than a restaurant. Regrettably, it was a vendor stall that had completely stopped operating.

Still, I checked to see what it used to sell and couldn’t help but be slightly surprised.

"Huh? What? This was a place selling bungeoppang?"

Usually, theme parks sell churros or ice cream.

However, whether the Theme Park had opened in winter or it was due to someone’s personal preference, a bungeoppang mold frame sat right there.

’Even in the era I lived in, finding a bungeoppang vendor was getting pretty hard.’

Nostalgic memories came flooding back. The bungeoppang my parents bought me when I was a kid.

Back then, prices were cheap, so I remember getting 3 for 1,000 won.

But as time passed and the government cracked down on all illegal street stalls, bungeoppang vendors became hard to find.

That was the right legal move, of course, but I couldn’t help feeling a touch of regret.

"Master. How do you use this?"

"You see these molds here? You put flour batter and red bean paste into them to make it. And..."

I detailed step-by-step to the party how bungeoppang was made.

Since everyone was fond of good food, they displayed immense curiosity.

"Is it tastier than sweet potatoes?"

"Along with roasted sweet potatoes, it’s one of winter’s greatest delicacies. Young and old, men and women all love it."

Older elders tended to prefer roasted chestnuts over bungeoppang, but it was all in the same vein.

For me in particular, it was one of the few fond memories of my parents, and a snack I used to share happily with friends.

"Then let’s take this."

"We shouldn’t just recklessly take things from here."

"It’s a closed-down place anyway, so wouldn’t it be fine to take it?"

"Mmm..."

At Lackey’s quasi-persuasive argument, I glanced around.

I was conscious of the Mechanical Knights watching, but Lackey had a point.

No one was using it anyway, so taking it shouldn’t hurt.

’Even though winter is still a long way off...’

Preparing early couldn’t hurt. I stealthily stepped inside the stall.

Underneath the bungeoppang mold, there was a heating apparatus. Typically gas would come out here, ignited with a lighter.

And surprisingly, it retained that exact structure intact. There was even a propane tank sitting right beneath it.

They could have easily used mana, yet it relied on quite an old-fashioned method.

’This brings back memories too.’

Keeping an eye on my surroundings, I slowly disassembled it.This story is hosted at nоvelping.com.

Even though it was my first time handling a bungeoppang mold, the disassembly itself wasn’t particularly difficult.

Thus, after detaching everything, I stashed the bungeoppang mold into the backpack Largo was carrying.

The mold itself was quite large, but because it was a Subspace Backpack, it fit inside easily.

"Now let’s pretend we know nothing and get going."

[O Lady Aris. Please forgive these plunderers.]

"You’re an accomplice too."

Leaving behind Cain who was making a solitary confession of conscience, I moved forward again.

Here and there were large amusement rides, light mini-games, and so on.

Various attractions existed, but regrettably, most were completely powered down.

’Seeing that there’s even a roller coaster and a Ferris wheel, they must have built this place with serious intent...’

I stared at the roller coaster and Ferris wheel that caught my eye even from afar.

They definitely built it with earnest dedication, so why did it leave such a strange feeling in my gut?

The more we explored, the more interesting things appeared, but that was all.

’Well... no threats are endangering us, and the kids having fun running around makes it worth it.’

My plan was to quickly finish exploring here and head to Aragon’s sector.

While Aris was relatively well-known, information on Aragon was far scarcer.

Although Aris enjoyed overwhelming recognition, Aragon was also one of the deeply revered gods.

It was just that while Aris was a knight with a low barrier to entry, Aragon was a mage with a high entry barrier.

Because of the disparity between their professions, he was bound to fall slightly short in terms of public awareness.

"Master. Look at that."

"Why is that thing so huge?"

[It looks like a giant mural.]

Right as we felt we were approaching the terminus of Aris’s sector, Lackey pointed toward something.

A painting drawn along a stretch resembling a massive wall. Put simply, a mural was carved into it.

An exit was visible at the end of this mural, which was likely the way into Aragon’s sector.

Before that, I planned to examine the mural first. What was depicted on it?

[I see two children.]

"Yes. And they look quite impoverished."

[Rather than just poor... they look filthy, as if abandoned in a back alley.]

Just as Cain described, two children were depicted on the mural.

As if reflecting a harsh, impoverished past, their shabby and smudged clothing left a strong impression.

I followed the mural to trace what kind of life those children had endured. It was an environment far harsher than it appeared.

Having nothing to eat, rummaging through trash cans or catching rats to eat. Images of them desperately struggling to survive.

There were even depictions of them weaving through crowds to pick pockets.

’And got beaten up as a result.’

In the aftermath of a failed pickpocket attempt, punches and kicks rained down on the kids. Yet they stubbornly survived.

Normally, one would wither away and die from injuries, but whether they were naturally born with iron constitutions, they endured steadfastly.

Having lived miserably since childhood like that, they hugged each other tightly to endure the long winter.

Perhaps because the painting was so realistic, the depiction of them shivering violently despite wearing rags was deeply striking.

At this rate, they wouldn’t survive the winter and would freeze to death. It was then.

Shaaaa-

I didn’t know what mechanism was at work, but as I turned my eyes, light leaked out. It seemed to incorporate a design where the perspective shifted depending on the line of sight.

And contained within that light was none other than a ’hand.’ A hand that looked like the warmest thing in the world.

The two children stared entranced at that light. An illusion arose as if that light had forced the cold winter to retreat.

Warm air actually seeped out from the mural, suggesting some sort of device had been installed.

Soon, the children began to be sheltered by that gentle, warm touch.

’How terrible was their environment that they couldn’t even receive a proper education?’

The adult who extended that hand taught the children various things. Starting from fundamental martial arts to moral ethics.

No, at the very beginning, they started by learning how to read and write. They had evidently been illiterate.

Only after the children—specifically the young girl—grew up rapidly did I realize her identity.

"...It’s Aris."

It was the Goddess of War, Aris.

Even though it differed slightly from her actual face because it was a mural, her distinct color scheme was unmistakably Aris.

Meaning, what this mural revealed was Aris’s ’past.’

Only then did I realize that this Theme Park wasn’t just an ordinary amusement park.

[This place... is akin to a historical ruin site. A ruin site that carves history into murals.]

"Yes."

This place was no mere Theme Park.

"It’s a rather glamorous historical ruin."

It was a ruin containing countless stories of the past.