I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 796

How did it end up like this? Having heard Asella’s true feelings, Ash fell into deep thought.

At first, she thought it would be nothing more than ordinary relationship counseling.

But once the lid was opened, it was more tangled and complicated than a knotted ball of yarn.

Asella’s serious concern: whether it was acceptable for a cleric to harbor romantic feelings for a god.

Hearing that felt like a heavy blow to the head with a hammer.

"Um... by any chance, are you talking about the Chief God-nim?"

"It’s embarrassing, but... yes. That’s right."

She had asked just in case, but it only returned a killing blow of confirmation.

Upon hearing that answer, Ash silently took a sip of her drink to buy some time to think.

Even one glass wasn’t enough time, so she drank another in quick succession, which brought on a slight buzz.

’The reason she fell for him... I can probably guess without even asking.’

When analyzing it piece by piece, the plausibility was overflowing.

First of all, it started with him helping summon Cain so she could stand against the festering Holy See.

From Grylls’s perspective, he dismissed it as a mere coincidence, but as time passed, the story changed.

Because it was revealed that she was a Guardian personally prepared by Aris to protect the sleeping Chief God.

Even after that, he provided big and small help to the prestige of the Holy Kingdom and the Hero, and the climax of that was Christmas.

Not only did Grylls himself actually come outside, but he even did volunteer work together with Asella.

Ludwig had also returned and been a huge help, so it would be stranger if she didn’t fall for him.

’If he helps her like that, any woman would fall for him.’

His abilities were already proven to be more than enough, and his looks were top-tier.

Even Ash, who had faced countless handsome men, drooled whenever she saw Grylls’s sharp nose bridge and jawline.

His personality was also great, genuinely enjoying the orphanage volunteer work, and his spirit of self-sacrifice was incredibly high.

It was not strange for her to harbor romantic feelings as a woman, not just out of religious devotion.

’For some reason, I’m jealous.’

What a sorrowful and beautiful narrative this was.

On the other hand, what about herself? She didn’t have a narrative like Asella or the Heavenly Demon.

She had steadily supported him simply because he showed promise, and after sharing relatable stories, she had just fallen deeply for him.

Grylls had also shown endless goodwill, saying that Ash was the first person he helped out of pure ’favor.’

Granted, they were now at the stage where they had even kissed and she had rivals in love, but she couldn’t help but feel a bit pushed back.

’There’s also the fact that I don’t want to waste emotional energy.’

There was a term, ’romance firewood,’ that popped up whenever relationship counseling was discussed on the Gallery.

Romantic feelings are like firewood; as time passes, they turn to ash.

Once the firewood is completely burned, even if you try to light it, it won’t flare up, leaving only embers.

Ash once had such a time, but she had wasted that period on all sorts of political struggles.

In a way, her reason for wanting to marry a man stronger than herself also included political motives.

Because of this, her romance firewood had already turned to ash, and she had made her move on Grylls before it completely crumbled away.

The push-and-pull strategy commonly used in romance? There was no such thing.

She would only run forward like a racehorse looking straight ahead.

Kkulkkuk—

"Keu-eu..."

So she drank another glass of strong liquor.

Her body didn’t easily get drunk, but since she was drinking something strong, a buzz was gradually creeping up.

Ash blinked at the feeling of the heat slowly rising, then looked at Asella.

To fight over the same man with a Hero who was the most pure (devious) and clean (sly) in the world.

Fortunately, the saving grace was that Asella didn’t know this fact yet.

’...Yes. I should tell her honestly.’

While she herself was gradually heading toward her forties, Asella was in her fresh twenties.

On top of that, there were already two other women who loved Grylls.

It was pitiful enough that she was facing all kinds of hardships in the world at a young age, but she could also be deeply hurt in her relationships.

Shouldn’t she prevent that as much as possible?

Although she had only lived about ten years longer than Asella, she didn’t want to remain a pathetic ’adult.’

She would rather confidently seduce the man as a woman, rather than resort to dirty tricks.

At this, Ash drank another glass to bolster her courage a bit more.

It was stronger liquor than before, so she frowned slightly, but she willingly endured it.

"...Hero-nim. I like you."

"I told you that you can just call me Asella comfortably. But thank you anyway."

"So, I want to tell you the truth, Hero-nim."

"...Yes?"

Asella heard Ash’s words and made an ’Uh?’ expression.

She instinctively sensed that something was going wrong.

However, perhaps due to the alcohol, her judgment was slightly clouded, so she missed her timing.

"...."

Before speaking the truth, Ash quietly looked around and lightly tapped the table with her finger.

At the same time, a barrier made of mana formed and began to envelop the two of them.

She had set up a soundproof barrier just in case.

"Huu...."

Now that all preparations were complete, Ash took a deep breath.

Due to the alcohol, her breath was very hot, as if she were breathing fire.

Following that, she looked Asella straight in the eye and spoke with a determined expression.

"It might be hard to believe... Hero-nim."Read this novel at NovelPing for the best experience.

"Yes, please go ahead."

"My lover, about whom there are only rumors... is Grylls-nim."

"...Yes?"

At the shocking confession, Asella blinked her eyes slowly.

Ash felt a pang of guilt seeing that reaction.

She was surely around the same age as Yoo So-wol, but her emotions themselves were completely opposite.

This was probably because Asella usually showed a pure and noble side, fitting for a Hero.

Yoo So-wol was just very shy as a woman, but thanks to the years she had lived as the Heavenly Demon, her mature side stood out.

On the other hand, Asella was not like that. Especially since she had lived as a fugitive as soon as she became the Hero.

"W-what do you mean by that..."

"Exactly what it sounds like. We formed a connection starting from the Heavenly God Martial Festival. No, actually, it’s embarrassing to even say we’ve definitely formed a connection yet."

At Ash’s honest story, Asella’s pupils shook even more violently.

Ash nodded as if she understood her shock and continued.

"You probably don’t understand. It might feel completely out of the blue, too."

"T-that’s... true."

Asella nodded with a complex, subtle expression.

Anyone looking would say it was a shocked reaction, and indeed, she was shocked.

’T-this isn’t how it was supposed to go...?’

Though it was a shock of a different kind.

The fact that the person she was drinking with was actually her rival in love? She had known that ages ago.

But she never dreamed she would reveal it all so openly.

That was because of the behavior of Ash, namely Sword Matstar, who chatted and played on the Gallery rather than in reality.

The real-life Ash stood out with her dignity and maturity as a Sword Master, but the Gallery’s Sword Matstar did not.

Giggling and playing around in a way that didn’t suit her age, or saying vulgar things.

Therefore, she had expected her to hide the fact that she had a connection with Grylls until the very end.

’Is it because of the alcohol? When I drank it earlier, that liquor was incredibly strong....’

It was a bit ambiguous to attribute it solely to the alcohol.

Did she reveal such a truth out of pure concern?

If so, the bad person wasn’t Ash, but Asella herself.

"To explain in detail how it happened... Hero-nim, you use the Gallery too, right?"

"Yes."

"By any chance, do you know Sword Matstar? She’s a fixed nick who usually talks about trivial things to Grylls-nim...."

"I know her."

"That person is me."

"...Yes?"

On top of that, she even revealed her fixed nick.

The thought ’This isn’t right’ swirled in Asella’s head, but perhaps due to the alcohol, she couldn’t think straight.

Regardless, now that she had even revealed her fixed nick, Ash brought up one by one how she had formed a connection with Grylls.

Her tone was also cautious, filled with worry that Asella might get hurt.

"...And so, right after the Heavenly God Martial Festival ended, I fought Grylls-nim with all my might. And I lost."

"D-did you really lose, Ash-nim?"

"Yes. After that, well... I even ended up confessing."

"Then the reason the mountain of the Demonic Cult shook back then was..."

"It was probably because of the fight between me and Grylls-nim."

Hearing the general circumstances, Asella shut her mouth.

She had been in a situation where she only knew the result but not the cause, but now she even knew the cause.

The problem was what she should do now. But the obstacles didn’t stop there.

"And this might be even more shocking... two friends I know also harbor feelings for Grylls-nim."

"T-two people? Not just one?"

"One? Ah, if you mean me, then including me, it’s three. It seems I made a slip of the tongue."

"A-ah, no. That’s..."

She had realized long ago that the Heavenly Demon, Yoo So-wol, harbored romantic feelings for Grylls.

Since she expressed it so openly, how could she not know?

But she never dreamed there would be someone else besides Yoo So-wol.

’Who on earth... Ah. Ducal Lady Mercedes.’

As a result of holding onto her mind, which was hazy from the alcohol, she was quickly able to figure out who that person was.

A person she usually kept her guard up against due to her brilliant mind.

It was not strange for her to harbor romantic feelings for Grylls, so she could understand.

’Why on earth are only women attracted to... No, wait. There are plenty of men among the fixed nicks too. It’s just that there are overflowing reasons to fall for him.’

The competitors had become far too many.

Even worse, because Ash had revealed her fixed nick for her sake, the situation had become terribly tangled.

It would have been much easier if she had just passed over it without revealing her fixed nick.

’How on earth did it turn out like this....’

Asella agonized.

Ash was a more mature adult than expected, and she felt like she had become a bad child who clumsily deceived such an adult.

Just as she was contemplating whether she should reveal that she was the Orange Badge even now, Ash spoke up.

"...I’m sorry, Hero-nim."

"Y-yes? Why are you apologizing, A-Ash-nim?"

"I just feel sorry. You must be the one who likes Grylls-nim more than anyone."

Then can’t you yield him to me?

...She barely suppressed those words that rose to her throat.

It was a struggle because the alcohol kept trying to make her blurt out nonsense.

"I-it’s fine. As a cleric..."Read this novel at novelping(.)com for the best experience.

"Can you really fold those feelings away? Truly?"

"...No."

Gradually, the initiative began to shift to Ash.

No, perhaps it had already crossed over from the moment she revealed the truth.

While Asella was wavering, Ash continued.

"It will probably be hard. And I also have no intention of giving up Grylls-nim—no, Grylls."

"...That sounds like you’re telling me to give up."

"No. I’m not telling you to give up. Perhaps you, the Hero—no, Asella-nim, have a higher chance than me."

"Didn’t you say you even kissed? And you even bestowed unconditional favors upon Grylls-nim."

"But in return, Asella-nim, you’ve built up countless memories."

"Memories are something Ash-nim also..."

Ash was trying hard not to hurt Asella, and Asella was trying hard to figure out Ash’s real intentions.

Isn’t this exactly when the phrase ’same bed, different dreams’ is used?

They tried to ease the awkward atmosphere somehow, but it wasn’t easy.

Of course, as if to prove that a drinking session is not called a drinking session for nothing, it improved from a certain point.

"Um... what did it feel like when you kissed?"

"Are you planning to do it when Grylls comes outside later?"

"A-ah, no...! That’s not it, but...!"

From a certain point, Ash started speaking informally to Asella.

On the other hand, Asella still treated Ash with difficulty, which was a matter of conscience.

Because Ash had openly revealed her secret, while Asella had not.

It was probably because of the subtle difference between an adult and a child, showing that Asella was still immature when it came to human relationships.

"But is it really okay for me to like him?"

"A friend I know was similar to you. She couldn’t find her direction. I was so frustrated that I even gave her advice."

"Could that friend by any chance be..."

"There is one. That friend over there in the Central Plains who was agonizing all by herself."

Because Ash brought up interesting stories from time to time, Asella’s heart also softened bit by bit.

Of course, deviousness still lurked deep inside her, and she didn’t let it show.

"Ash-nim..."

"When it’s just the two of us, you can call me eonni."

"It’s hard for me because it feels uncomfortable. By the way, aren’t you jealous, Ash-nim? There are so many women who have set their hearts on Grylls-nim."

"Of course I’m jealous. Would I be human if I weren’t?"

Ash replied with a face that had turned slightly red before she knew it.

Even if she had a constitution where mana accumulated just by breathing, her body wasn’t a bottomless pit.

Moreover, since most of Mountain’s high-grade liquors had a high alcohol content, it was only natural for the buzz to rise.

"Still, he’s the person who defeated me with his skills... and above all, I feel comfortable when I’m next to him."

"Comfortable?"

"Yeah. It feels like just talking between friends. Besides, in terms of reputation, Grylls is much higher than me, right? He’s the Chief God, after all."

"It seems acknowledging him as a god is a separate matter."

"You don’t happen to think this is blasphemy, do you?"

"T-that’s not it!"

At Ash’s half-joke, Asella was startled.

For a moment, she wondered about the somehow familiar exclamation, but she drank her liquor as if it didn’t matter.

Asella also quietly drank while contemplating what to do in her mind.

"Huu... Still, if possible, I want him to accept me. At first, it was because I was in a hurry, but the more I get to know him, the more I like him."

"What if Grylls-nim refuses you to the very end?"

"I guess I’ll just drink, thinking that we weren’t meant to be in this lifetime."

Ash pretended to be cool on the outside, but Asella could clearly see.

Her expression, where bitterness lingered because her true feelings had been revealed by the alcohol.

’She really likes him.’

On the Gallery, they played trivial pranks on each other, so it didn’t hit home, but seeing it in person was completely different.

Ash liked Grylls. And truly, at that.

’...Even if she sends strange photos, I should pretend not to notice and let it slide.’

She couldn’t bring herself to reveal that she was the Orange Badge.

It was a petty action if one were to call it petty, but she didn’t have the same courage as Ash.

"...With Grylls-nim’s personality, he won’t push away someone who likes him. Rather, because he hates seeing someone who likes him sad, wouldn’t he accept them all?"

"He does have that kind of personality... but that’s why I feel anxious for some reason."

"Yes?"

Aside from the somewhat random answer.

"Because I’m worried about when we face Aris-nim or Aragon-nim later."

"...."

"He’s too kind of a person. Grylls is."

At Ash’s answer, which worried about Grylls as a single human being, Asella couldn’t say anything.

Such a mature, and adult-like appearance.

’...You are a truly wonderful person.’

Asella’s gaze toward Ash gradually began to change.

Of course.

’Still... even so, I cannot hand Grylls-nim over.’

Her characteristic deviousness was still there.