I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 777

The flashback ended with the sight of me driving the car toward Daejeon.

As the flashback ended, a dead silence naturally settled over us.

And for good reason, since the people he had finally grown attached to had been brutally killed in a surprise attack.

What was sadder was that he had left the charnel house, which he had vowed to guard for the rest of his life, just to fulfill that man’s last wish.

ㄴHeavenly Demon) Fulfilling the last wish of a fallen subordinate is also a duty one must uphold as the heavens.

ㄴSword Matstar) I think I know that feeling. I also once fulfilled the last wish of a fallen comrade.

ㄴDon’t Abandon the Hero) To that person, Grylls-nim must have been his heaven and his world.

ㄴPassing Dwarf) You should have at least poured some alcohol for them.

Amidst the various words of comfort being exchanged, the dwarf’s words particularly caught my eye.

Thanks to that, I felt my heavy heart ease up a little.

"Well... since we’ve seen everything we need to see, let’s grab some Korean Melons and head back."

As I spoke up in the awkward atmosphere, it eased up slightly.

Among us, Elia was reading the room, appearing to have something she wanted to ask.

Though she usually blurted out whatever she wanted to say without any filter, she held her tongue when the atmosphere was truly serious.

Her ability to read the room in crucial moments was quite impressive, to say the least.

"Is there something you want to say?"

"Am I allowed to?"

Elia asked, her eyes sparkling.

Normally, one would say "no" at least once, but Elia had none of that.

Although I was slightly taken aback, I thought it was just like her and nodded.

At this, Elia brought up the question she had kept in her heart with a thoroughly relieved expression.

"I’ve been thinking about this for a while, but Grylls-nim, you have a personality where you grumble on the outside but still take care of others, don’t you?"

"...?"

"I became certain of it through this memory. That Grylls-nim possesses the capacity to forgive even those who have committed great wrongs!"

The words ’Me?’ surged up to my throat.

Since she looked as if she had gained some grand realization, it was all the more absurd.

"Uh... female. I have learned something from my meager knowledge."

"What is it, Lackey-ssi?"

"It’s called survivorship bias, which is making a wrong judgment by only considering the survivors or successful ones."

He had been learning from various books in the library all this time, and now he even knew about things like that.

A hollow laugh escaped me, but there was nothing better than that to explain this situation.

"But Lackey-ssi, you survived even though you kept challenging Grylls-nim, didn’t you?"

"That’s why it’s called survivorship bias."

"Dolsoe-ssi also harmed Grylls-nim in the past, but now he has become an excellent member."

"That is also survivorship bias."

"If it’s not just once or twice but multiple times, wouldn’t it be because he is broad-minded and spares them, rather than survivorship bias?"

"Uh... is that so?"

Why are you being convinced? I let out a hollow laugh.

As he had said himself, Lackey was smart but lacked knowledge.

To be precise, his logic was somewhat weak, but that couldn’t be helped.

While Lackey’s debates were limited to the Gallery, Elia had engaged in debates with leaders from all over the world.

Especially since she had even faced off against the Senate, who were beyond stubborn and were absolute brick walls.

Therefore, whether it was sound logic or sophistry, challenging Elia was a suicidal act.

ㄴDon’t Abandon the Hero) Mmh! The Elf Queen speaks the truth! I like it very much!

ㄴPassing Dwarf) Don’t you mean she’s speaking words that deserve a beating?

ㄴDon’t Abandon the Hero) Even if Grylls-nim gets beaten up, he will forgive us!

ㄴPassing Dwarf) Fucking hell, you’re turning a guy into a total pushover, lol.

ㄴSword Matstar) Since he has such a broad mind, he will surely marry me too, right? I believe in him ^^

ㄴHeavenly Demon) A mere snake struggles to harbor the Cintamani. The reality is that even if it reaches, it would be difficult to become even an Imugi.

ㄴSword Matstar) If we become one, wouldn’t we be under the same heaven? Haha.

ㄴHeavenly Demon) Silence! How dare you look up to the heavens!

ㄴPrincess Chaenggu) Wow. They’re fighting again! I’m gonna watch.

ㄴKing Reor) You’re watching this instead of the Chaeyu match playing right now? Tsk tsk.

ㄴPrincess Chaenggu) (Video of watching live) Yes?

ㄴKing Reor) Ah, fuck.

Because of Elia’s words, the Gallery had also turned into a chaotic mess.

I also wanted to refute it, but I figured all kinds of sophistry and logic would fly out, so I gave up.

"...So, you’re not asking me to forgive you even if you commit a huge mistake later, right?"

"I heard that it’s originally easier to get forgiveness than permission."

"Get out of my house."

"It’s a joke."

Seeing her giggling, it must have been a real joke.

Subsequently, she wore a subtle expression and quietly spoke.

"Just... thinking that I’m not particularly special? That’s all."

"I considered you special? In what way?"

"From when we first met until now? Honestly, wouldn’t anyone think that way?"

Hearing her words, I pondered deeply.Read the latest chapters at n⁠ovelping.com.

The reason I rescued Elia was solely to prevent the dwarf from facing a difficult situation.

Since I hadn’t told Elia this, she certainly had reason to think that way.

"So, are you disappointed?"

"Not at all? Rather, learning that you are this kind of person has deepened my trust."

"That sounds like you didn’t trust me before."

"I thought you highly valued my utility."

A somewhat cold remark came out of Elia’s mouth.

As I wore a bewildered expression at this, she smiled brightly.

"That’s a reaction of someone who hadn’t even thought about it! Very good!"

"What’s so good about it?"

"That means in the future, I can boldly reveal my greed for planting trees...!"

"That will absolutely never happen."

"It’s fine! Just following Grylls-nim is enough to satisfy me!"

Seriously, she has a way with words.

If Lackey chose only truly detestable words to say, Elia seemed to choose only mind-boggling words to say.

I shook my head, moving my feet.

"Female. The tips of your ears turned red."

"It’s because I blurted out words so rapidly."

"For someone who claims that, they are twitching quite a bit, aren’t they?"

"It’s a habit!"

Let’s ignore the words of the two bickering behind me.

What was important right now was entering the greenhouse and finding a suitable Korean Melon first.

Since we had authorization, entering the greenhouse would be no problem at all.

"Wow... it seems they’ve been cultivating them steadily!"

"Indeed."

As soon as we entered the greenhouse, a field filled with Korean Melons came into view.

Perhaps because the AI cultivated them directly, they looked perfectly ripe and delicious.

I selected a suitable Korean Melon from among them.

Tapping it lightly with my fist, I could feel that the inside was full.

’I should try eating one.’

Since I was going to offer it at the ritual table, my parents would be disappointed if it didn’t taste good.

I pulled out a dagger and peeled the skin very skillfully.

Normally, one should peel it with a fruit knife, but this was more than enough.

Asak!

Putting a mouthwatering slice into my mouth and chewing, a strong sweetness spread.

It was originally a sweet fruit, but perhaps because they had improved it further, the flavor was deep.

Furthermore, it even had the refreshing coolness unique to juicy fruits.

"You guys try one each too."

"I will eat well."

"I’ll eat well!"

Excluding Cain, I handed one to each of the other companions.

Since Korean Melons were scattered all over the place, I planned to peel them directly and let them taste as much as they wanted.

’I should send some to the regular users too.’

Handing some over to the regular users I was close with was a bonus.

Soon, after eating the Korean Melons together, we selected suitable sizes to take.

It was quite a large amount, and I decided to take a few home to share with the children.

Haljjak!

"Cheongseol-ah. Don’t just eat the seeds; eat the flesh too."

Although it was a headache that Cheongseol only picked out and ate the seeds, we passed over it smoothly.

Soon, after putting the Korean Melons into the Subspace Bag, we finished preparing to return.

’Since there are seeds in the fruit, those who want to grow them will do so on their own.’

First of all, I bet it’s 100% certain that they will grow Korean Melons in the Holy Kingdom.

While other places were ambiguous because they might expose their regular user identities, the Holy Kingdom had Ludwig.

Even if I handed it to Asella, I could just say, "I handed it to Ludwig~" and that would be the end of it.

Thus, with all preparations complete, we gradually prepared to return to the charnel house.

"Are you going to keep guarding this place?"

Before leaving, I asked Yellow, who guarded the base.

I was curious if it would continue to cultivate Korean Melons steadily after we left.

[No. Since I have fulfilled my duty, my operation will be suspended before long.]

An unexpected answer came back. The statement that its operation would be suspended soon.

A brief moment of wondering ’why?’ was immediately followed by realizing the reason.

"Did Aris order you to do so?"

[Yes. That is correct.]

An order that a mere machine had no choice but to accept absolutely.

Perhaps Aris had taken into account the possibility of this base’s existence being revealed.Enjoying the story? Read on at novelping(.)com.

It was a relief that it was us who possessed the authority; otherwise, there was no telling what would have happened.

If someone had forced their way in, I wondered if it would have self-destructed.

"Right. Good work."

[Thank you.]

After leaving words of appreciation to Yellow, I used Cheongseol’s ability.

Naturally, I did not forget to bring the helicopter bag.

Thus, we returned to the charnel house once again.

"Dad!"

Ppi-i-ik!

Upon returning to the charnel house, Wonmo and Tyranno welcomed us passionately.

As for Heukgu... despite turning his head away coyly, he was vigorously wagging his tail like a helicopter.

I freely expressed my affection, squeezing Wonmo’s cheeks and stroking Tyranno’s back.

"Then I’ll finish the ritual quickly and leave. I can do it alone..."

"I’ll do it with you!"

I intended to perform the ritual alone, but Elia suddenly chimed in.

There is a common prejudice that only men perform ancestral rituals, but this varies from household to household.

Since I wasn’t the type to cling to rigid frameworks anyway, and since she wanted to bow together, I just let it go.

Even if it was a bit awkward, at least my parents wouldn’t feel lonely.

"Alright. Lackey and Dolsoe..."

"I will do it too."

"Me too."

Somehow, all the members of our household ended up bowing.

Whether the children also had some sense, or were simply satisfied with copying us, they bowed as well.

"...Wonmo. You have to kneel down to bow."

"Isn’t it like this?"

Of course, there was an incident where Wonmo, who didn’t know how to bow, flat out lay down when bowing, but we laughed it off.

The quadrupedal children also coped by just bowing their heads.

Thus, with all kinds of ritual food laid out, we observed the anniversary of my parents’ passing.

I thought we would return home just like this and spend our minor daily lives, but.

Syaaaa-

"Hmm?"

"What is that?"

An anomaly occurred on the shelf where my parents and friends were enshrined.

The center of the shelf wavered like a mirage, then spread out like bleeding ink.

Soon, the urns of my parents and friends were pushed slightly to the sides, and another space was created in the center.

Unlike the urns enshrined in narrow spaces, it was an extremely spacious area.

And inside, there was an urn with gold embroidery on a pitch-black background, and.

"...A bow?"

A dark, shining bow was placed neatly.

As I blinked while looking at this, a line of text beneath the urn caught my eye.

[May you rest in peace beside your family and friends.]

That text, written in elegant cursive, read:

[From your daughter, Aris, who was always lacking and only followed your shadow.]

A deep affection was felt intensely.

With a bewildered heart, I stared at the urn for a long time before slowly reaching out my hand.

Next, instead of the bow, I took the urn and carefully opened it, and.

"...."

I could lay my eyes on the bone ashes filling the inside.

At that time, Yellow.

[Data self-deletion in progress... 80% deletion complete.]

[Upon completion of data deletion, record playback program activated.]

[1 of 2 records playback complete. Starting playback of the other record.]

Teong! Teong! Teong!

The lights of all the buildings began to turn off.

As if taking its own life, as if having served all its usefulness.

However, the screen in the command and control room alone was shining brightly.

It was truly a bizarre thing.

For Grylls had clearly assumed that the remaining record was his own memory—that is, the memory contained in the World Tree.

Was it due to a pure misunderstanding, or was this also one of the hidden records?

[When you open your eyes again, I hope I can face you as a proud child.]

The reason for that would now be known to no one.

From that screen, a certain woman’s voice flowed out.

[I love you. Dad.]

Teong!

With those words as the end, all the lights were extinguished.