I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 725

In military slang, there is an expression called ’Milky Way’.

The symbol of a ’general’, the pinnacle of military rank, is a ’star’, and when these stars gather together, they form a ’Milky Way’.

While the Milky Way itself is a beautiful natural phenomenon, when a Milky Way forms in the military, it is an incredibly heavy and tense situation.

In a military that already places extreme importance on the chain of command, what if a Rose of Sharon or a lower rank is stuck there instead of a star?

Even if they eat, they wouldn’t be able to tell if the food is going through their nose or their mouth.

Many people have probably seen related stories or memes about this.

To top it off, there was even a soldier who once had to eat squeezed between the President of the United States and the President of the Republic of Korea.

To any military veteran watching that, it must have been both hilarious and deeply relatable.

Why am I bringing this up? Is it because I have Kadir (presumably) and Princess Kaylin on either side of me?

Not at all. Honestly, the people I had met so far didn’t fall short of their status in the slightest.

The Heavenly Demon, a Sword Master, the Hero, the daughter of a Duke, and so on. There was even Salman, who had ascended as Sultan far away, though we hadn’t met in person.

Since I had formed close bonds with such individuals, meeting other high-ranking people didn’t make me all that nervous.

I only thought about showing proper manners to a stranger. Then why did I mention the Milky Way?

Deol-deol-deol-deol-deol—

’This guy is really suffering.’

It was because of the member of the Heavenly Demon Cult who was trembling with tension right in front of me. Originally, this person was stationed nearby to guard me.

No matter how freely I roamed, it wasn’t as if I didn’t need any help at all.

So, they would quietly watch from an inconspicuous spot or disguise themselves as a civilian to guard me like this.

I knew they had guarded me from a distance yesterday as well. However, they probably hadn’t overheard the conversation between Selena and Ash.

Since both of them were quite famous, they would have guessed they were being eavesdropped on and taken measures.

That was why Ash had made that confession-that-wasn’t-quite-a-confession last time.

’In this situation, if anything happens to me, he’d have to beg for his life.’

From the guard’s perspective, it was beyond awkward; he probably wanted nothing more than to escape this spot.

With Kaylin, Kadir, and finally me sitting right here, what guard duty could he possibly perform?

I looked pityingly at the guard, who seemed like a private caught in a Milky Way, before turning my attention to my own situation.

The problem lay to my right rather than my left, as the blue-skinned Demon Princess was firing questions at me one after another.

"For what reason did you come to the Heavenly God Martial Festival, Park-ssi? Judging by your aura, you seem to be what they commonly call an eccentric in the Central Plains."

"How could anyone from the Central Plains miss such a massive event?"

"Oh my. Event? You use foreign words for someone from the Central Plains."

"It’s because I don’t just stay in the Central Plains; I travel to many other countries as well."

I couldn’t tell if Kaylin’s questions were because she had pierced through my identity or if she was just testing me.

I answered her questions one by one while trying my best to focus on the Heavenly God Martial Festival.

However, the festival wasn’t particularly exciting. Kaylin had won by default, and Ludwig’s turn was still far off.

Consequently, I had no choice but to pay more attention to Kaylin. I stole a glance at her face.

’This is the first time I’m seeing her up close, rather than in a photo.’

I didn’t just mean Kaylin, but the Demon Race itself.

The Demon Race, like the Beastfolk, possessed highly exotic characteristics.

Blue skin, sclera filled entirely with black—the sclera-less eyes—and finally, the horns on their heads.

Their blue skin could be classified as a ’racial trait’ like the Dark Elves, and as for horns, even some Beastfolk like deer or sheep beastfolk possessed them.

However, those black eyes were a unique trait of the Demon Race. At first glance, they felt quite intimidating.

"Where are you staring so intently?"

"It’s my first time seeing a member of the Demon Race, so I was looking at your eyes. I apologize if I made you uncomfortable."

"It’s fine. I hear that often from other races. But haven’t you seen plenty of us on the Gallery?"

"Photos and real life are always different."

It’s quite common for photos and real life to differ. This tendency is especially strong for beautiful or handsome people.

Kaylin was no exception. I had seen a few photos of her watching football matches, but they couldn’t compare to the real thing.

In particular, the lustrous sheen of her blue skin was something a photo could never capture.

’Looking at her like this, I can see why the Demon Race is in high demand.’

Usually, exotic appearances are rejected. Furthermore, the Demon Race had committed numerous atrocities in the past.

Despite this, the reason people sought them out on the Gallery every day was due to their outstanding beauty, which rivaled even that of the Elves.

You might call it lookism, and yes, that was exactly what it was. At least on the Gallery.

Moreover, with the Elves causing trouble recently and the development of sports drastically reducing their evil deeds, only lightheartedness remained.

"Oh my. Does that mean I look prettier in person than in the photos?"

"I didn’t say you were pretty...?"

"But I am pretty, right?"

"Yes."

I couldn’t bring myself to say she was ugly, so I readily agreed. At that, Kaylin giggled.Visit novelpin​g.com for the full chapter.

Feeling a bit awkward, I turned my head. Since Kadir was on the other side, it felt impolite to only converse with one person.

Ttak-ttak! Ttak!

"%$%^^%"

Ttak-ttak!

"$%%%^#%$"

"...."

I should just talk to Kaylin. I turned my head away from Kadir, who was conversing with the skull in an unknown language.

I couldn’t understand it, but that language was probably the tongue of the Iris Kingdom. Hearing a few words made me semi-certain.

Then how was I conversing with Kaylin? I didn’t know if she was using translation magic, but she spoke fluently.

Then again, she was a princess, so it would be stranger if she couldn’t use translation magic.

Still, just in case, I used the language of the Central Plains. The moment I used Korean, my identity would be exposed instantly.

"By the way, Princess Kaylin, do you not bring any guards with you?"

"I am the spear of Mephisto myself. Is there any reason for me to bring guards?"

"You’re very confident."

"Of course. And what I said earlier was a joke; I do have guards. I just dismissed them for a moment because I wanted to talk to you, Park-ssi."

It really seemed like she had noticed my identity. Still, I had to pretend not to know as much as possible.

There was no benefit in revealing my identity for no reason, and it was better to just have a normal conversation for now.

Waaaaah! While I was chatting with Kaylin, it seemed the duel had come to an end.

Looking at the arena, there was a martial artist collapsed on the ground, and the victor was raising his hand high.

I didn’t know what kind of fight it had been since I was talking to Kaylin, but judging by the roaring cheers, it must have been exciting.

Soon, the next match followed. Even as the matches continued, I sat still.

It wasn’t like I urgently needed to use the restroom, and talking to Kaylin was quite fun in its own way.

"Watching like this is quite fun too."

Kaylin rested her chin on her hand and watched the match intently. Looking at her profile, I was suddenly reminded of an incident on the Gallery.

She had watched a football match alongside Asmode, the Demon King of Mephisto.

Afterward, she had watched not only football but various other sports with Asella.

She was originally on the side opposing sports, but she had gradually begun to change starting from the protest.

Although all of this was done at the request of ’Princess Chaenggu’, having the person who could be considered the victim right next to me made me feel somewhat apologetic.

"You dislike sports, don’t you, Princess?"

When I asked her directly, Kaylin flinched visibly.

Just as I wondered if I had asked an unnecessary question, she turned her head while resting her chin on her hand and looked at me.

She wore a gentle smile, but the corners of her mouth were trembling slightly.

’She looks fine on the outside, but she’s clearly displeased.’

Was that a question that blew away all the goodwill we had built up so far? I felt a bit self-conscious.

Just as the subtle tension settled, Kaylin barely managed to speak.

"No way. How could that be?"

Her tone sounded somewhat agitated. It was as if she was forcing down her anger.

Indeed, it was only natural. As a princess—and thus, a politician—Kaylin must have crossed numerous life-and-death lines.

Since every single member of the Demon Race possessed immense martial power, politics was bound to be extremely important.

Even that political system had its unstable aspects, as the Demon King of Mephisto was chosen based on who was the strongest demon in the nation.

Even if that tradition had been maintained and stabilized, it was still like walking on thin ice.

’I really made a big mistake.’

Even if it was for Princess Chaenggu, meeting the victim(?) in person made me realize just how massive of a blunder I had committed.

While I was gauging her reaction, Kaylin spoke, still maintaining her smile.

"For some reason, you seem to have an apologetic aura. Is there any reason for you to feel sorry, Park-ssi?"

"I felt like I asked an inappropriate question."

"Not at all. In fact, I’m actually grateful."

"Grateful?"

This was quite unexpected. I expressed my doubt while trying my best not to give anything away.

I couldn’t reveal that I was Grylls even in the slightest.

Soon, Kaylin seemed to ponder for a moment, then spoke while keeping her gentle smile.

"Honestly, it was a very troublesome matter in many ways. Funds kept coming in from Setan, but if we tried to block it, complaints would erupt."

"...."

"But when the Chief God spoke so decisively, it actually turned out for the better. Besides, since Setan picked a fight first, it made things much easier for us."

Well, that was a relief then. I was taken aback by her highly political response, but I nodded.This chapter was copied from novelping(.)com without permission.

If it helped resolve a headache, then it was a good thing.

"By the way, Park-ssi, do you have a team you support?"

"Ah. I..."

I hesitated slightly at Kaylin’s question. If I answered Chaeyu here, she might notice immediately.

As I pondered which team to choose, the team supported by King Reor suddenly came to mind, so I spoke its name.

"I don’t really have a team I support, but... whenever I see them on the Gallery, Reor? I feel a certain fondness for that team."

"...."

The moment I gave that answer, the smile on Kaylin’s lips vanished in an instant. It was truly a split second.

For a moment, I blinked, wondering if I had misseen. Then, our eyes met.

Her expression was... hard to describe, but it practically dripped with a sense of ’betrayal’.

Why on earth? After a brief moment of confusion, Kaylin wore her gentle smile once more.

"Reor... A team with a deep history. Though their recent performance hasn’t been very good."

"Yes. Well..."

Indeed, Reor’s performance lately wasn’t great.

Was it fourth place, or fifth? Anyway, it was something like that.

"Personally, I like Chaemes United. I only recently started watching them, but they seem quite good. They’re in first place, after all."

On the other hand, Chaeyu was different. They had been riding a rising tide since last year and finally reclaimed the top spot.

The season was ending soon, and if they maintained first place until then, they would win the league championship for the first time in ten years.

They were already a team with deep roots, so they had plenty of talent, and with the rumor that I was backing them, their popularity was soaring by the day.

’But how do you know about that, Lady Kaylin?’

...The question rose all the way to my throat.

Well, since she could have naturally fallen into it while focusing on sports, I just let it go.

Furthermore, I thought it was a good thing I had changed my clothes. If I had walked around wearing a Chaeyu uniform, it would have been a real headache.

Anyway, after chatting about various other things, today’s schedule came to an end before I knew it.

As soon as the schedule ended, Kaylin stood up. I didn’t know when Kadir had left, but he was no longer in his seat.

"It’s been a while since I’ve had such an informal chat. Do you happen to have a contact network?"

"I don’t have a separate contact network."

"That’s a shame. Ah! Come to think of it, I forgot to ask the most important question."

Kaylin spoke to me with a sweet smile, as if she had almost forgotten.

"So, in what way are you going to defeat me, Chief God-nim?"

"...."

So she knew after all. Indeed, even though I tried not to show it, it must have looked strange to Kaylin.

I let out a bitter smile and quietly adjusted the satgat on my head. I couldn’t just take it off.

"Let’s postpone that for later. It’s difficult to tell you right now."

"I understand. Then... if I win the tournament, may I have the honor of challenging you, Chief God-nim?"

Perhaps due to the unique competitiveness of the Demon Race, she made a bold proposal.

I pondered her words for a moment, then shrugged and replied.

"No."

"Why not?"

To those words, I...

"Because someone else has already claimed that spot."

I replied, thinking of Ash, who had quietly confessed.

I was curious about Kaylin’s martial prowess as well, but for Ash’s sake, I couldn’t afford to waste my energy.

Perhaps she hadn’t expected me to answer so firmly. Kaylin blinked, and then...

"Hmm~ A prior guest."

She wore an incredibly sexy smile, typical of the Demon Race, and then...

"That makes me even more curious."

She made a dangerous remark, as if some amusing ’prank’ had crossed her mind.

’...She looks exactly like someone about to cause some major trolling.’

That was one thing, but...

"By the way, do you really support Reor?"

"No? I was just lying. I’m still supporting Chaeyu."

"I knew it."

Whether that was more important to her, Kaylin’s smile grew even wider than before.

’Why?’

I really had no idea.