Got a Gallery in the Wild

Ludwig was a rigid and extremely inflexible person, but he was also a man who understood honor.

As a believer in Aris.

As the shield of Aris.

As the master of the Holy Knights.

Everyone acknowledged the honor Ludwig possessed, and he himself took pride in it.

That was why, when that honor was stained, and by such underhanded methods at that, it was inevitable that he would feel anger.

But perhaps the last chance to set things right had already passed.

No matter how much he resisted, his fate was still to enter the Four Seasons Forest.

Now he was nothing more than a man cornered at the edge of a cliff, desperately struggling.

Even so, he decided to protect his honor until the very end.

Not only his own, but the lives of others as well.

‘They all managed to escape.’

Ludwig looked around him.

Lace and the rest of the expedition had already scattered.

Someday, they would become the “seeds” of a revolution.

All of this had been possible thanks to a sword.

The sword he had received as a gift just before entering the Four Seasons Forest.

Even Ludwig admired the power of that sword that shone like a green galaxy.

He had fought in countless battles as the sword of Aris, but he had never seen such a terrifying weapon.

‘If it is used incorrectly, it could become a demonic sword.’

Unlike the Holy Sword, Revolution, this sword amplified the power of its wielder.

However, even for the user himself, it was difficult to control.

If he was not careful, he could end up cutting himself.

He had fought while restraining himself as much as possible.

If he had not done so, things could have ended very badly.

‘What kind of being could have created a sword like this?’

Its power was terrifyingly extraordinary.

The problem was that it was too extraordinary.

So much so that it was impossible for him to focus solely on the battle.

The instant he made even the slightest mistake, his aura ran wild.

Ludwig took a deep breath and looked ahead.

The surveillance group was still aiming at him.

Although they all wore helmets and he could not see their faces, he understood clearly.

They were afraid.

“What is it that you fear?”

“……”

“Come. The enemy is here.”

Ludwig spoke in his usual dry voice.

If the Heroine was the sword of Aris, Ludwig was the shield of Aris.

For the surveillance group, breaking through him was practically impossible.

And on top of that, he was now wielding a terrifying sword.

With the rest of the expedition already escaped, the surveillance group did not have many options.

They could charge at Ludwig and die.

Or they could return and be purged by the Pope.

Ludwig had no way out either.

Behind him was the Four Seasons Forest.

And he no longer had the strength to break through the enemy lines.

He had pushed himself too far in order to scatter the seeds.

He was only managing to remain standing thanks to that sword.

Both sides were completely cornered.

There was no visible way out.

‘What do we do?’

‘What do we do?! Charge at him already!’

‘Didn’t you see what happened?! They were sent into the Four Seasons Forest!’

‘Damn it, I wish it had been a cliff instead.’

The members of the surveillance group whispered among themselves.

And they did not fear only Ludwig.

They also feared the Four Seasons Forest that stretched out behind him.

The moment they entered it, they would never be able to come back out.

Archbishop Odon and several members of the surveillance group had already been thrown into the forest.

And every one of them had disappeared without a trace.

They had seen it with their own eyes.

It was only natural that they would hesitate.

‘They’re wavering.’

Thanks to all the experience he had accumulated over the years, Ludwig immediately understood the atmosphere among them.

They were trapped as well.

As rigid and inflexible as he was.

‘Though that doesn’t mean my situation is any better.’

Ludwig’s future was not bright either.

Rather, it was dark.

Even if he managed to break through and survive, his honor would be dragged through the mud.

As long as the Pope maintained complete control over Eldorado, manipulating the press would be child’s play.

Besides, he had been the Heroine’s master.

He was the perfect scapegoat.

They would say that the Heroine had fallen because of the dangerous ideas he had taught her.

It was so obvious that Ludwig could not help but show a faint smile.

Precisely because he understood honor, he wanted to avoid seeing it destroyed at all costs.

‘I did the right thing by dealing with that pig first.’

Archbishop Odon had disappeared.

And with him, so had the one giving the orders.

The veterans of the surveillance group had either died at Ludwig’s hands or been thrown into the Four Seasons Forest.

No one knew whom to obey anymore.

Chaos was inevitable.

“It seems you understand the situation. If you return, the Pope will purge you. And if you come at me, you will die.”

“……”

“Allow me to make you a proposal.”

When Ludwig spoke, the members of the surveillance group looked at one another.

It was a silent question.

Should they listen to him?

But since they had no better alternative, they decided to do so.

“Even if you return, you will die at the Pope’s hands. Even if you manage to kill me, the result will be the same.”

“What…? What do you mean by that…?”

“The person who most wishes to destroy my honor is the Pope. Do you know why he is trying to make me disappear?”

Ludwig was an upright man.

But he was not an idiot.

He had a personality very similar to that of the head moderator of a certain gallery, only with many more years of experience.

“To prevent me from becoming a martyr.”

“……”

“Even if you bring him my head, the Pope will make all of you disappear. He will invent any excuse he pleases. I will be listed as missing. You will be executed. And no one will remember what happened here.”

It was not an absurd idea.

In fact, it sounded quite believable.

The Pope had built his prestige by purging so-called “subversive elements.”

And to preserve that prestige, he would not hesitate to sacrifice dozens or even hundreds of innocent people.

The surveillance group was part of that as well.

In the end, they were all destined to die.

“H-how do you expect us to believe that?!”

“Because that is exactly what they did to the Immortal King.”

“……”

“If they were capable of destroying a single man to the point of bringing an entire kingdom to ruin, getting rid of all of you will be even easier. And many people will die in the process.”

The moment Ludwig mentioned the Immortal King, the members of the surveillance group fell silent.

Eldorado had committed a massacre just to destroy the king of a small country.

There was no guarantee that the same cruelty would not eventually fall upon them.

His reasoning was too convincing.

And their convictions began to waver.

Ludwig sensed that crack and seized the opportunity.

“So… run.”

“……”

“Run from the Holy Kingdom. Or wait until I recover. Choose.”

“…And when you recover, will you kill us?”

One of the guards asked in a heavy voice.

His tone was full of tension.

Ludwig looked at him and replied with something unexpected.

“No.”

“Then…”

“I will enter the Four Seasons Forest.”

“What?”

The entire surveillance group was bewildered.

It was only natural.

They had thought that until this very moment he had been desperately fighting to avoid entering the forest.

But that was not the case.

Ludwig had made that decision long ago.

Then he explained his reasons.

“If I sacrifice my honor, I can protect the honor of others. Just as they will say that a traitor was born because I filled her with the wrong ideas.”

“……”

The Pope had used other people as human shields to protect his reputation.

But Ludwig was offering himself up as a shield.

A decision worthy of the Shield of Aris.

Perhaps his words had moved them.

Little by little, the members of the surveillance group began lowering their weapons.

The instinct to survive.

And the sincerity they sensed in Ludwig’s words.

Everything came together perfectly and finally destroyed their will to fight.

“You have made a wise decision.”

“……When will you enter?”

“In one hour.”

As soon as he said that, Ludwig sat down cross-legged.

It was the posture required to practice his mana circulation technique.

The guards could not help but feel confused.

The man who had been threatening their lives just moments ago was calmly cultivating right in front of them.

It was behavior that was impossible to understand.

Whispers began to spread.

‘Should we attack him?’

‘Are you insane? What if it’s a trap?’

‘If he recovers all his strength, he might come after us.’

‘Sir Ludwig would never do something like that. Trust him.’

In the end, the guards decided to trust Ludwig.

They knew better than anyone how upright he was.

Even without that conversation, they knew his character.

He had never been a corrupt person.

On the contrary, he was as noble as the Heroine herself.

While Ludwig circulated his mana, the guards slowly backed away.

Finally, they left only a few behind to watch him, and most of them began to withdraw.

“……”

One hour later, Ludwig finished his meditation.

He slowly opened his eyes and looked ahead.

Only two guards remained.

‘It seems most of them have left.’

Even as he sensed his surroundings, he detected no one else.

He slowly stood up.

The moment he did, the two guards flinched.

They seemed frightened.

Ludwig silently observed them before speaking in his usual tone.

“You two.”

“Y-yes?”

His voice sounded calmer than before.

Without realizing it, the guards answered him respectfully.

“Are you the youngest?”

“Y-yes?”

“I asked if you are the youngest.”

Faced with such an unexpected question, the two looked at each other.

Then they answered in timid voices.

“Y-yes! I only recently stopped being an apprentice!”

“I joined one year before him!”

An answer befitting well-disciplined soldiers.

Ludwig showed a faint smile.

And at the same time, he felt sadness.

Even recruits that young had ended up being dragged into that dirty work.

‘What will become of the future of the Holy Kingdom?’

He had fulfilled his duty as the Shield of Aris.

But he had failed to protect the kingdom from within.

If Eldorado wished to regain its true form, the rotten part had to be cut away.

And that was not a task for a shield.

Only a sword could do it.

“……”

Ludwig turned around and gazed at the entrance to the Four Seasons Forest.

The aurora shimmered before him.

Beyond it, all kinds of landscapes could be seen.

Although Ludwig feared nothing, he was still human.

And, like any human being, he felt fear in the face of the unknown.

‘What kind of place lies beyond…?’

Fear.

And curiosity.

After hesitating for a few moments, he slowly stretched out his hand.

His hand passed through the aurora.

He felt absolutely nothing.

He had already taken the first step.

Now it was time to cross completely.

He slowly closed his eyes and murmured,

‘Lady Aris… Please protect me.’

Step.

Step.

Ludwig walked into the Four Seasons Forest.

A strange sensation enveloped his body.

Slowly, he opened his eyes.

“……”

The first thing he saw was an enormous grassland.

A vast green sea that had nothing to do with a forest.

He stared at it for a few seconds and then looked behind him.

Normally, he should still have been able to see the place he had come from.

But there was only another endless green grassland.

‘Could this be where WildGrills lives?’

Ludwig immediately tried to connect to the gallery.

He was still not used to it, but accessing it was not difficult.

[It is not possible to access the gallery from this area.]

“……”

Connecting was simple.

Using it was impossible.

Ludwig looked at the message before him and closed the window without saying a word.

He could not access the gallery.

That meant only one thing.

‘I am definitely inside the Four Seasons Forest.’

Inside the forest, it was still impossible to use the gallery.

Nothing had changed.

Then how was it possible that WildGrills could use it?

For a moment, he grew curious.

‘I suppose I’ll ask him when I find him.’

Ludwig began walking slowly.

The grassland was immense, but sooner or later, they would meet.

He did not know when that would happen.

But standing still would be far worse.

Ah, right.

“Nom. Nom. Nom.”

“……”

Finding him and the welcoming ceremony were two different matters.

Ludwig raised his head and looked at a certain animal.

Its body was yellowish and covered with brown spots.

Its long legs were far taller than Ludwig and packed with muscle.

But there was something even more striking.

Something that went beyond being merely strange.

‘That neck…’

It was absurdly long.

So long that it could eat the leaves of the tallest trees without any effort.

The head, neck, and body looked as though they belonged to completely different creatures.

Even for someone with as much experience as Ludwig, it was an animal he had never seen before.

’…What in the world is that thing?’

If Grills had seen it, he would have called it a giraffe.

Ludwig watched the creature devour leaves for quite some time before slowly shaking his head.

‘Yes… this place truly is hell.’

Because otherwise, such an absurd creature should not exist.

With that thought, he continued walking and left the giraffe behind.

“Nom. Nom. Nom.”

The giraffe, of course, did not care in the slightest.

It simply went on eating leaves in complete peace.