I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 99

This world is a place where various races and peoples live harmoniously together.

As such, it is immensely complex, and cultural differences run deep, causing conflicts since ancient times.

By nature, when humans perceive differences, they tend to discriminate or cast unfavorable glances.

Therefore, it could be said that big and small disputes arising beyond mere conflicts are only natural.

However, amid these differences, there is a singular presence capable of uniting many.

That is God—in other words, religion.

Religion has exerted immense influence from ancient times plagued by frequent disputes right up to the present day.

Furthermore, in this world, the existence of God is explicit. That very proof is "Divine Power."

A sacred power obtained from God, an energy referred to as the purest mana.

Those who use divine power can wield strength far greater than other beings.

Of course, though there is a condition that one must hold genuine faith, it is well worth it.

Where did all the gods go?

They say gods used to descend directly in the past. Where did they all go now?

└ Probably went home.

└ Home my ass haha

└ It’s so ancient nobody knows. Even Elves and the Demon Race don’t know.

└ Isn’t teaching humanity magic and mana pretty much all they did?

└ They’re probably somewhere. God isn’t called God for nothing.

Though numerous gods exist, if one were to pick the most famous among them, it would be "Aris."

The Goddess of War and Wisdom, and younger sister to Aragon, the God of Magic.

Though a Chief God—their superior and father—exists separately, his influence is less than Aris’s.

Because Aris was the deity who protected humanity from the world’s evils during the era when humans were weak.

Hence, many worshipped Aris. This was no different even for the Demon Race.

As she was the Goddess of War, there was no reason for the Demon Race not to worship her.

In this manner, the gods including Aris left great footprints in human history, and this remains ongoing.

Just like El Dorado, a nation founded to worship the gods.

Kwang!

"How could this happen! And to think we hid it so well!"

A cranky-looking old man shouted while slamming his hand onto the table.

His voice was thoroughly withered, yet the malice harbored within could not be hidden.

"Did you think we could have predicted this either? Please calm yourself for now. The public is merely demanding an explanation; they haven’t completely believed it yet."

At that shout, the old man sitting opposite replied.

His lush beard suited him well, but his snake-like eyes radiated wickedness.

His voice was no less formidable than the old man with the stubborn appearance.

"Cardinal Morgan is correct. The public is still awaiting our response."

An old man with a unique mustache said while gently pulling at his mustache.

The posture of his head slightly raised could easily be felt as thoroughly arrogant.

Each differed in appearance, but they shared one commonality.

Namely, that they wore white clerical vestments emanating holiness.

However, the gilding-like patterns seemed to betray their greed.

"This is not the time for us to be fighting among ourselves. There are commoners outside demanding an explanation right now, so we must devise a solution."

A dignified yet solemn voice. Simultaneously, a subtle pressure was felt.

At that, the old men turned their gazes toward the head seat.

Deeply set wrinkles compared to the others, yet the sharp intelligence in his eyes was second to no youth.

Even if that sharpness exuded an ominous vibe, an unapproachable aura emanated from the old man.

"If you have any good ideas, speak up."

Pope Louis II, the current Pope of the Holy Kingdom of El Dorado, spoke quietly.

At the directive heavy with pressure, the old men cleared their throats with a cough.

Following that, the old man who had slammed the table was the first to speak.

"First, we flatly deny it unconditionally. As for evidence, is there anything other than what was posted in the Gallery?"

"Cardinal Howards is correct. Gallery posts are famous for their low reliability."

Currently, El Dorado has been in chaos since morning.

The Immortal King discussion topic that started in the Gallery had spilled into reality.

The Immortal King incident occurred merely thirty years ago. Its aftermath still lingered deeply.

Those who lost parents or lost children. Those who lost their livelihoods. Those who lost parts of their bodies.

Those who lost everything.

Those people gathered together and were staging protests in front of the Papal See.Read this novel at novelping . com for the best experience.

Jjaenggeurang!!!

The meeting was taking place covertly.

The stained glass shattered into pieces, scattering fragments everywhere.

While the startled cardinals flinched briefly, harsh shouts began ringing from outside.

[Bring back our son! Bring back our son!]

[Are you really clergymen! Do you dare claim to believe in God!]

[If you have mouths, speak up at once!]

Voices echoing from outside the broken window.

In truth, their location was far removed from the entrance of the Papal See.

Even though they conducted the meeting on a high floor for safety, stones ended up flying in after all.

Since former knights were among those protesting outside, it was only natural.

"W-What are you doing! Drag out the one who threw the stone at once!"

"Th-That is difficult to pinpoint, so...!"

"You useless fools!!"

Even scolding the late-arriving Paladin accomplished nothing.

That was how intensely the public’s rage was blazing.

They wondered if a single post in the Gallery could really cause this much chaos, but...

Because this was a world with newspapers and media.

And the media boundly snaps up provocative stories whenever they emerge.

Even if it was a discussion topic spread from the Gallery, it did not matter.

[We believed in God, not in you bastards!]

[If the Pope has a conscience, step down from the throne yourself!]

[Are you bringing shame upon Aris-nim!!]

Above all, El Dorado’s usually poor image also played a large part.

El Dorado was founded to worship the gods and originally possessed a pristine image.

Timely enough, it was an era when Mephisto’s Demon Race ran amok, so they could claim "justice."

However, as time passed and the demons became obsessed with mere ballgames, the confrontational dynamic gradually thinned out.

As that dynamic faded, the atrocities El Dorado had committed over time were exposed bit by bit.

’Annoying.’

Pope Louis II scowled and pressed firmly between his brows with his fingers.

Seeing that, the other cardinals were busy treading lightly around Louis.

The current Pope, Louis, was the most powerful figure in El Dorado’s history.

The moment one misspoke a single word, their head was in danger. Cardinal or not, it meant nothing.

"...Speaking of which, were there no statements from other countries?"

"Ah, yes! As of yet, there are none."

"’As of yet,’ you say..."

As stated earlier, El Dorado had committed no small amount of atrocities.

One of those atrocities was invoking the name of God to pressure neighboring countries.

Even if that happened to be the land of the elves, Alfheim, it didn’t matter.

El Dorado’s will was God’s will. For anyone who disobeyed God’s will became an enemy of the world.

Normally, God’s will should become El Dorado’s will, but the host and guest had swapped roles.

That was how mighty religious authority was, and as usual, stagnant water rots.

Because the stench of stagnant water grew worse than God’s will, it reached a point that could no longer be ignored.

"So, do you have a solution?"

"Pardon?"

"I asked if you have a solution. If you intend to keep your mouths shut, step outside."

The moment they stepped out, their heads would fly off. The cardinals could foresee their future.

How much hardship had they suffered to reach this position? They could never give it up.

"Flatly denying it unconditionally will also be difficult. In the off chance a survivor of the Balkan Kingdom emerges, things will get even more complicated."

"We can just appeal that we had no choice. Isn’t the context of events the issue here? We shall claim the Immortal King tried to conduct experiments turning his people into undead first."

To evade the Pope’s wrath, the cardinals racked their brains.

If anyone were to hear the contents of this meeting, they would realize the records Grylls posted in the Gallery were true.

Just like the saying that stagnant water rots, sublime faith was nowhere to be found.

Rather, they were merely scrambling to hide their own wrongdoing.

"Very good. Then let us do so."

"The angry public will surely repent once they hear our explanation."

"By the way, what will you do about that Gallery?"

At the mustachioed cardinal’s words, the atmosphere of attempting to laugh off the incident sank in an instant.

However, the present crisis was something that flared up from the Gallery.Read this novel at novelping . com for the best experience.

No one knew what kind of discussion topic might circulate later.

"That is simple."

Louis opened his mouth while wearing a somewhat unsettling smile.

As the cardinals looked at him, Louis proposed a solution.

"We shall take this opportunity to designate the Gallery as evil."

"The Gallery... you say?"

"Yes. We are those blessed by God. Our will is God’s will. Therefore, if we brand the Gallery as evil, it means God also brands it as evil."

As mentioned before, host and guest had swapped roles. The heart wishing to follow God’s will had long been corrupted.

Yet desire for power cannot be easily governed.

"That sounds excellent. While we’re at it, restricting the Gallery entirely would be best. Hahaha."

"There is nothing more dangerous than the foolish public coming into contact with false information."

"Come to think of it, unwholesome things get posted there too, right? What is this world coming to?"

They began defining the Gallery as evil.

Of course.

’I’ll still use it, though.’

’I should use it secretly.’

’As long as I don’t get caught, who cares.’

Because double standards were their passive trait, they merely spat out plausible-sounding words on the surface.

After the meeting ended, a spokesperson stood before the public.

In a situation like this, the Pope should have stepped forward personally, but having a spokesperson step up showed their arrogance.

"Descendants of God, listen! This incident was born purely of misunderstanding! The wicked ruler of the Balkan Kingdom, the Immortal King, had long conducted necromancy experiments on his people...!"

The truth is as follows.

The Immortal King was conducting evil experiments on his citizens.

The Holy Kingdom realized this situation in advance and was forced to carry out a massacre.

Is it not far better to die as a human than as an undead?

All of this was God’s will, and those who experienced the incident were suffering mental trauma.

At that explanation, the public gradually began to calm down. Of course, they didn’t look like they believed it yet.

Still, giving an explanation was something. At least their brazen shamelessness was formidable.

Trust toward the Holy Kingdom had already hit rock bottom, but they were checking if there was a deeper abyss below.

"Furthermore, His Holiness the Pope declares that the Gallery is true evil, and those who believe the false information of the Gallery shall face severe punishment...!"

"Hey, you motherfuckers!!"

"I fucking knew it! You’re spouting that bullshit because you have something to hide!!"

"The Gallery is what?! Have you gone insane and want your head chopped off like the Emperor of the Central Plains!!"

"Stop blaming the fucking Gallery! We’re sick and tired of it already!!!"

Did someone say it? That even rock bottom has a basement below it.

Blaming the Gallery whenever a problem arose was a repertoire that had been played for a long time.

Normally, people would pass it off as "Sigh, those assholes are at it again."

However, because the threshold of anger had passed its limit, even that was useless.

"Everyone! Breaking news! The Mage King Kadir has issued a statement!"

"What? The Mage King?"

"Isn’t he the dear friend of the Previous Hero?"

Amid the chaotic situation, someone delivered the news.

The spokesperson felt an ominous premonition at that news, but it was already too late.

"The Previous Hero did not die alongside the Immortal King! He chose to perish together with the Immortal King! Forced by none other than the coercion and pressure of the Holy Kingdom!"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"The Previous Hero chose death? He committed suicide?"

"Can you... even call that suicide? That’s practically...!"

Right on cue, Kadir threw oil-soaked firewood in at the perfect moment.

"Come out, Pope! Come out and explain yourself in person!"

"Bring back my son!"

"Return my father!"

The flames showed no sign of dying down anytime soon.

Meanwhile, at that time, in the Forest of the Four Seasons.

"Cough. Cough! Whew. Did I put in too much firewood?"

Grylls was putting in firewood for breakfast.