I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 831

Facing all those memories connected to Aris had brought a certain question to mind.

└ Heavenly Demon) I have a question. Is that woman not the Goddess of War—the God of War?

└ Don’t Abandon the Hero) Yes! That’s right! Have you taken an interest in Lady Aris too, Heavenly Demon-nim!

└ Heavenly Demon) You could call it an interest. But is a God of War worshipped for being good at war, or for loving it?

└ Don’t Abandon the Hero) Of course she’s praised as the God of War because she’s good at war!

└ Princess Chaenggu) But she went around slaughtering gods every chance she got, though?

└ Don’t Abandon the Hero) Th-there was a reason for that!

Did Aris truly have no choice other than armed conflict?

The thought struck me all the more because every single record of her was about destroying a research lab or slaughtering someone.

The closest she came to treating anyone mildly was her conversation with Alpha, the doctor and God of Beastmen.

Even then, her tone had been blunt, leaving plenty to be desired in a lot of ways.

’Granted, Aragon and every god who sided with him had bizarre mindsets, but...’

Aragon’s camp argued that the Chief God had to be present to keep humanity from facing extinction again.

Aris, on the other hand, insisted that the Chief God had borne too many burdens and should be left to rest in peace.

Honestly, both positions made sense, given that the world had already ended once before.

’If you count the collapse during Manatology’s reign, maybe twice.’

Over ninety percent of humanity had been wiped out clean, putting the species on the verge of extinction.

If judged by human decency and common sense, you’d side with Aris, but in practice, that would have been difficult.

Like it or not, the gods were structured around their dependence on the Chief God, and the twin siblings who could be called his successors were far from mature.

In essence, they had fallen victim to the worst risk of a monarchy: failing to properly designate an heir.

"Teacher finally entered his eternal rest, and you’re trying to wake him up? Just what did you think Teacher’s teachings were for!"

In that sense, even if Aris was doing the right thing, her actions were hardly the right way to go about it.

Aragon’s side was almost certainly the one refusing to talk, but she had still crossed a point of no return all the same.

"W-we know what you mean, Lady Aris. But...!"

"But what? That the world won’t hold together without Teacher? Can’t you trust anyone else?"

"There at least has to be someone to mediate...! Just like back in our homeland!"

By homeland, they likely meant Earth.

For reasons unknown, all the land on Earth had once been submerged beneath the ocean.

Humanity had possessed the technology to create an Artificial Sun, so nothing that happened to them would be surprising.

"What if the same thing happens to this world? What if the day comes when we lose a brilliant civilization right before our eyes? Do you honestly think anyone other than the Sovereign can stop it?"

"Even Teacher couldn’t stop the first collapse."

"Back then, the Sovereign was just an ordinary human!"

A few people stood watching as the two went back and forth.

But Aris must have already subdued anyone capable of fighting, given the sizeable number of corpses strewn about.

"’How can one who does not believe in oneself possess the strength to surpass tomorrow’s self?’"

With those words, Aris brought her sword to the researcher’s throat.

"Teacher said this, so why do you doubt?"

"And yet that teacher of yours doubted himself his entire life."

Amidst the hair-trigger tension, another woman’s voice cut in between Aris and the researcher.

It was a soft, gentle voice, yet carried a subtle resonance.

Much like when Vanir spoke to me.

"’Move forward, yet doubt constantly, for only then can you remain true to who you are.’ Did your teacher not say that as well?"

"You’re..."

The figure who suddenly appeared was, surprisingly, of the Dragon Race.

Long horns sprouted from her head like a demon’s, with scales scattered here and there across her body.

She was striking overall, and presumably of the Dragon Race, much like the residents of Large Field.

But since this memory had been unlocked by stimulating the Dragon Heart, I could sense right away that this woman was no ordinary dragon.

"...Anette."

Aris muttered under her breath.

Apparently, the dragon woman who showed herself was named Anette.

I could also tell she and Aris already knew each other.

"...Why are you helping my brother with his plan? Weren’t you trying to live in peace?"

"More accurately, we want to live freely."

As Aris lowered her sword slightly to ask, the dragon woman, Anette, answered in a matter-of-fact tone.

Her long, dragon tail swayed gently, deepening the subtle mood in the air.

"Our faction helped you for one simple reason: to give you dominion in exchange for guaranteeing our freedom."

"I know that. It was Teacher’s promise, and we tried to keep it."

This was something Gerdi had mentioned before.

Not all dragons had fought the gods; quite a few had sided with them.

Rather than ruling, they had preferred wandering the vast world, utterly enchanted by human civilization.

No matter how godlike a dragon’s strength was, they couldn’t separate themselves from amusement.

That came with having such high intelligence, which was precisely why they craved freedom.

"Then why help my brother? Knowing full well how he treats your kind right now?"

"I know. He’s using our kin to resurrect your teacher—that is, the Sovereign. And many of our people have fled."

"Then why haven’t you fled?"

"Because I, too, believe that once the Sovereign is resurrected, everything will be resolved."

Hardly the kind of statement you’d expect from a dragon that had once fought for continental supremacy.Enjoying the story? Read on at nove​lping.com.

If anything, the Chief God staying in his eternal rest ought to grant dragons their freedom.

But Anette must have thought differently, putting forth her own logic.

"I won’t deny that Aragon has walked the path of a madman. And that is why we need the Sovereign—to put an end to that madness."

"Insane. You’re all insane. Is that really what you think?"

Aris shook her head in disbelief and looked around.

The researchers who had drawn up plans for the Chief God’s revival.

Unable to meet Aris’s gaze, they still didn’t deny it.

Even though everyone knew Aragon’s plan was sheer lunacy, they had no choice.

They knew it was wrong, yet their faces were set in the conviction that this was the only answer.

"Then let me ask you, his disciple and child. Putting the rest of you aside, do you really think we could trust you?"

Anette was pointing it out from the perspective of dragons, not gods.

Aris kept her mouth shut, unable to find a counter to that.

She wanted to say something, but her expression showed she knew it in her gut.

"We saw your Sovereign’s overwhelming might with our own eyes. We were capable of destroying mountains, but throwing an entire mountain like the Sovereign did was impossible for us."

"..."

"We looked upon humanity and you gods as mere vermin, yet the Sovereign treated us like vermin."

So it had been for Lazar, the Tyrant Dragon King.

His entire lower body severed with a single sword slash, brought to semi-permanent death with a single arrow.

Even Lazar, reputed to be among the strongest in martial might of all dragons, had ended up like that. How much worse for the rest?

Aris and Aragon might be worshipped as gods, but they were still human beings.

The Chief God, however, had repeatedly displayed feats of martial might that could hardly be called human.

"...Someone like Teacher won’t easily appear again. Even by our homeland’s standards, someone like him comes along once every few thousand years, if that."

"Which is precisely why he is worshipped as a god."

"Teacher is not a god."

"He must become one now."

Crackle!

The moment Anette said that, potent lightning coiled around her right hand.

It was a blue-white bolt, as if lightning striking straight from the heavens had been gathered in her grasp.

Whoosh!

Flames bordering on yellow flared up around her left hand as well.

Considering how flame changes color with temperature, you could tell she meant business.

Shiiing—

Recognizing Anette’s intent, Aris slowly raised her sword.

The researcher who had been kneeling before her scrambled away in haste.

"You don’t know."

Aris spoke in a voice laden with sorrow.

"Just how much Teacher hated being hated."

Gripping her sword, she charged forward.

Flash!

As Aris lunged, the world suddenly flashed pure white.

The sudden glare forced my eyes shut.

A moment later, when my vision had recovered somewhat, I slowly opened my eyes to see—

"Cough... ugh..."

A dragon collapsed on the ground, riddled with wounds.

I realized immediately that the dragon was Anette.

The color of the scales, the shape of the horns—everything matched Anette’s human form.

Seeing that even her Dragon Heart wasn’t regenerating the wounds made me realize just how fierce the battle had been.

"N-no..."

"The World Tree..."

What was worse, Aris had succeeded in neutralizing the World Tree.

The Wedge driven into the World Tree proved it, and the researchers looking upon it fell into despair.

Research here was no longer possible; they would have to shut it down forcibly.

"...So this is how it ends."

Anette muttered in a low, troubled voice.

Then, barely lifting her head, she looked toward the World Tree.

"Can that wedge be pulled out?"

"...It’s impossible for us."

"Could the Demon God do it?"

"Lord Aragon might be able to, but now that the World Tree has been neutralized, we have no means of contacting that place."

In other words, they were virtually trapped here.

The World Tree had probably been protecting this place, but now that it was disabled, it had become a prison.

"What do we do? We can’t even continue the research..."

"Are you saying we have to die here?"

"Food. First, check whatever food we have left."

"A rescue team will come. Let’s just hold out until then."This story is hosted at nov⁠elping.com.

"R-right! Since communications were cut, surely...!"

The researchers searched for whatever hope they could find.

With an actual dragon directly backing the facility, the chances seemed high.

The problem was that there were signs Aris had personally wrecked Aragon afterward.

Completely unaware of that, they seemed determined to hold out to the end.

"First, use the remaining energy to generate fog. That’s the only way we’ll be safe from the creatures outside."

"But if we do that, the rescue team will..."

"The rescue team will see the fog and know something’s wrong."

It seemed they had squeezed out whatever remained of the World Tree’s power to spread the fog.

At first glance it might have looked like the best move, but in reality, it was the worst possible choice.

It completely eliminated any option of escaping to the outside world.

"...Cough!"

While the researchers were busy scrambling to draft a survival plan.

Anette tried to force herself up, only for blood to spill from her mouth in a heavy heave.

Given her sheer size, vomiting blood alone left a whole puddle.

"A-Anette-ssi! Are you alright?"

"Don’t tell me your Dragon Heart was hit...?"

"No. It’s just that the wounds are too severe..."

The battle between Aris and Anette must have been catastrophic, as every single surrounding building had collapsed.

The only place left intact was Sung Sim Dang.

Anette closed her eyes as if checking her own condition.

"...It looks like it will take decades to fully recover."

"What? D-decades?"

"My Dragon Heart has sustained damage."

Anette admitted she was gravely injured.

The researchers turned pale at her words, but it was already too late.

"I will close my eyes for a while. So please..."

With those words, Anette slowly closed her eyes and finished:

"Survive... to the very end..."

Leaving behind words that sounded almost like a curse.

With those parting words, the memory gradually faded, and I returned to where I had been.

Thick fog, and a city shattered to pieces from the violent clash.

Across the ground, slimy chunks of flesh, presumably from the Flesh Dragon, lay disintegrating.

The foul stench made me frown, but checking on the others was more urgent.

"Grylls-ssi! Are you alright?!"

"Master!"

Fortunately, had they seen the same memory as me?

Having just regained their senses, they called out to me and hurried over.

"Papa!"

And finally, Wonmo.

I hugged Wonmo tightly, feeling his exquisite, fluffy fur.

Wonmo’s plush softness always felt wonderful to hold.

"Is everyone okay?"

"Yes! We’re fine."

"I think I’ll be fine if I can just eat some candied sweet potatoes."

Seeing them talk nonsense, they were clearly fine.

"More importantly, where’s Gas Mask...?"

Where did he go?

Just as I was about to ask.

Flash!

A pillar of light shot up, piercing through the dense fog.

The direction was squarely toward Large Field.

"Over there..."

"I-it looks like the direction of the World Tree!"

It was where the World Tree stood.

And that wasn’t all.

"...Where’s the Dragon Heart?"

I belatedly noticed that the Dragon Heart was gone as well.

We dashed toward the World Tree in a hurry, and what came into view was—

"Whimper... whine..."

The shepherd mourning Gas Mask, who had already melted away into a mush.

Thud— clatter—

The Wedge on the ground, looking as if it had been wrenched out by force. And—

Huuuum...

The Dragon Heart, having completely lost its color as if every drop of its power had been drained.