Got a Gallery in the Wild

It had been a long time since her last outing.

That was what Selena thought as she rode in the carriage.

Thanks to Grills’ kindness, she had been given a second chance at life.

And she had no intention of wasting that new life.

Her ultimate goal was to continue supporting Grills so that one day he could escape the Forest of the Four Seasons.

She searched through all kinds of books for information about the forest, and from time to time she also sent him elixirs.

‘Grills is already causing major and minor changes throughout every country. I’m sure they’ll be talking about him during the Succession Ceremony.’

The real reason she had attended the ceremony was to find out what the world thought of Grills.

Some people might say he was nothing more than a famous Gallery user.

But they were completely mistaken.

Grills had already turned Eldorado upside down and had even come close to triggering a civil war.

And what about the Central Continent?

Hadn’t the successor to the former leader of the Blood Cult appeared?

Although it was absurd that the successor was a gorilla, that fact alone had been enough to set the Blood Cult in motion once again.

‘HeavenlyDemon temporarily extinguished the fire through direct confrontation…’

But no one could guarantee that the Blood Cult wouldn’t reappear at any moment.

The more Grills explored the Forest of the Four Seasons, the more the entire world was shaken.

And recently, he had even proven the existence of the Celestial Whale, a creature that had existed only in myths.

She herself had rubbed her eyes several times after seeing it.

Until then, the Celestial Whale had existed only in stories based on ancient legends.

And not only that.

He had even obtained ambergris from that Celestial Whale.

There was no need to explain the value of such a treasure.

‘SunForEver only used it by burning it as incense, and AllFather acted far too hastily as well.’

When Grills offered to share some of the ambergris, Selena had also considered accepting it.

But after thinking it over carefully, she decided to decline.

It wasn’t a legendary item.

It was a mythical item.

Legendary relics at least had records describing their effects.

Mythical items, on the other hand, were little more than stories passed down orally for countless generations and only recently reconstructed.

If they couldn’t even explain how a sea whale could soar through the skies.

How could they possibly understand the effects of ambergris?

There was no way to know what consequences it might have.

And precisely because it was unknown, it was frightening.

Even though SunForEver had treated the matter lightly by using it as incense, he had actually taken an enormous risk.

That was the Forest of the Four Seasons.

A mysterious land about which almost nothing was known.

Not even Selena could hope to fully understand it.

That was why she planned to find other people who shared her way of thinking.

‘Although I won’t show it openly.’

Among the nobility, the Gallery was considered a vulgar place filled with base desires.

For that reason, it was better to avoid mentioning it in public.

But nobles were still people.

It was highly likely that many of them also used the Gallery.

The problem was that they were accustomed to speaking indirectly, so identifying them wouldn’t be easy.

‘Besides, I have to return to the Academy. It won’t be easy.’

She had requested an indefinite leave of absence because of the Nine Yin Severed Meridian.

She had never officially dropped out.

And above all, she had to return for Mary’s sake, the new face of House Mercedes.

Helping Grills was important, but she couldn’t neglect her life in the real world.

“Selena, if you start feeling dizzy, tell us immediately. You don’t have to push yourself.”

While she was lost in thought, her mother, seated across from her, spoke with obvious concern.

Her father, sitting beside her, also couldn’t hide the worry on his face.

Selena wanted to answer them with a warm smile.

But she had never been good at smiling.

Not before.

Nor now.

“Don’t worry about me. I can even exercise intensely now without any problems. Look.”

To reassure them, she stretched out one arm.

In the past, that arm had been so thin it looked like a dry branch covered with nothing but bones.

Now, however, it was filled with healthy flesh and muscle.

And her skin radiated a natural glow.

There was no trace left of the frail, sickly girl she had once been.

Mary looked at that beautiful arm in amazement before speaking.

“But, pri…”

“Big Sister.”

“…Big Sister Selena. What did you eat yesterday for your skin to change so much?”

Mary’s question was perfectly reasonable.

Even her parents were curious.

Before recovering, Selena had practically never left the house.

That was why her skin had always been as white as snow.

And that hadn’t changed even after she recovered.

However, for some reason, her skin was now completely different.

Its color hadn’t changed.

It simply radiated a brilliant glow.

Her skin seemed to emit its own light, making her beauty stand out even more.

“Maybe it’s because I’ve been exercising regularly. If you start training too, it’ll probably happen to you as well.”

“But I don’t like exercising…”

Mary’s complaint made everyone in the carriage burst into laughter.

Even Selena, who always wore that cold expression, let out a faint smile.

‘I only ate a little honey. I never imagined something like this would happen.’

The honey she had tasted was the very honey Grills had given her.

Honey obtained from the Forest of the Four Seasons.

And it had been delicious as well.

What she had never imagined was an effect like this.

‘Well, as long as it’s beneficial…’

As a woman, she could only consider this change an advantage.

Of course, once the ceremony was over, if there was a ball or a social reception, she would inevitably attract everyone’s attention.

Just imagining it already gave her a headache.

But she was willing to endure it in order to achieve her goal.

“Mary. Once the ceremony is over, don’t leave my side under any circumstances. Understood?”

“Yes!”

“And regarding whatever the nobles may say…”

Since this would be Mary’s first official appearance in noble society, Selena began explaining all kinds of precautions to her.

Her parents watched the scene with satisfied expressions.

For years, the Mercedes Family had lived in despair because of Selena’s incurable illness.

But that was all in the past.

Now, nothing but a future filled with happiness awaited them.

And this Succession Ceremony would mark the beginning of that new chapter.

“It looks like we’ve arrived. Let’s get down.”

“Yes.”

At last, the Mercedes Family arrived at the Imperial Palace, where the Succession Ceremony would take place.

Selena stepped out of the carriage alongside her father.

The moment she set foot outside, countless gasps of admiration began to rise from all around her.

‘So it starts now.’

Thinking they were simply compliments directed at her, Selena was about to ignore them…

“…Huh?”

Suddenly, her eyes met someone else’s.

If Selena’s hair was as white as snow, the person before her had silver hair that seemed to contain the radiance of moonlight.

Her beauty alone was already breathtaking, but the uniform she wore bestowed an even greater sense of dignity upon her.

‘Ash? But…’

The appearance of Ash, the Empire’s strongest swordswoman, was surprising enough.

However, something caught her attention even more.

Her skin.

Skin so beautiful it seemed to emit a soft glow.

Although the tone was different, it gave her the strange feeling that it was exactly the same as her own.

“Hmm. It seems Countess Menesil is attending as well.”

“It would seem so. I heard she’d been living in seclusion for a long time.”

“Countess Menesil? You mean the Swordmaster Ash?”

Hearing those voices, Selena quickly looked away.

No matter how strange it seemed, continuing to hold eye contact would only make things awkward.

‘What’s going on…?’

Even as she entered the Imperial Palace, Selena discreetly glanced toward Ash.

Maybe it was all just a coincidence.

But the timing was simply too perfect.

Was Ash thinking the same thing she was?

Or had she simply been staring because of her beauty?

There were too many possibilities.

It was still impossible to reach a conclusion.

“Ash… I mean, Countess Menesil was incredibly beautiful too. Though not as beautiful as you, Big Sister.”

“Really? I think Countess Menesil is more beautiful.”

“What are you saying?! No matter how beautiful she is, she still can’t compare to you. Although… I guess her skin did look a little similar.”

“…You thought so too?”

Upon hearing Mary mention her skin, Selena asked cautiously.

Mary nodded and expressed exactly what Selena had been thinking.

“Yes. It gave me a very similar feeling to yours. Is it really just because she exercises?”

“Probably. So you should train more diligently as well.”

“Ugh… but I don’t like exercising…”

If even Mary had reached the same conclusion, then it couldn’t simply be her imagination.

Had Ash really tasted that honey as well?

The honey Grills had given them?

If it was Grills, he had probably shared the honey with the registered users he was close to.

And Selena knew quite well who those users were.

’…No. It’s still too early to jump to conclusions.’

She would have to speak with Ash personally later.

Only then could she be certain.

Even if she discovered that Ash was one of Grills’ close users, it wouldn’t change anything.

There was no advantage in publicly acknowledging that they both used the Gallery.

After all, it was the Gallery.

A place filled with posts that were too embarrassing to mention out loud.

The best course of action was to pretend to know nothing and play dumb.

‘But if Ash really is one of the people who helped Mr. Grills…’

Even after arriving at the audience hall where the Succession Ceremony would take place, Selena continued pondering.

Most of the registered users who maintained a good relationship with Grills had extremely distinctive personalities.

And if she had to associate Ash with one of them…

There was only one possibility.

‘Swordmaster.’

Ash was an unrivaled master of the sword and someone who had trained countless disciples.

Meanwhile, the user Swordmaster had spent years posting all kinds of swordsmanship knowledge on the Gallery, raising the average combat level across the continent.

The two descriptions matched far too well to ignore.

‘Now that I think about it, Swordmaster helped Mr. Grills tremendously when Mad Dog attacked him. She even gave him an elixir.’

Elixirs were items that were practically impossible to obtain on the market.

But Ash was different.

If the Empire ever faced a crisis, she was someone they would keep around even if they had to cling to her clothes to stop her from leaving.

That was precisely why the State granted her all kinds of privileges.

Among them were elixirs.

Using her extraordinary reasoning ability, Selena connected all the pieces together.

“…With this, I officially declare the birth of the Empire’s new sun!”

Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap!

The applause brought her back to reality.

She looked forward.

In the center of the audience hall stood the Imperial Throne.

Before it stood the Crown Prince.

No.

The now-proclaimed Emperor Arnold greeted the crowd while wearing the Imperial Crown.

Behind him, Robert, the former Emperor who had just handed over the crown, applauded quietly.

While she’d been lost in thought, the Succession Ceremony had already concluded.

’…I need to focus.’

Maintaining her expressionless face, Selena began applauding.

If she didn’t applaud now, everyone would start looking at her strangely.

The social banquet would begin shortly.

She had to remain completely alert.

‘Ash is over there.’

A short while later, Emperor Arnold went outside to continue the official proceedings.

With that, the audience hall naturally transformed into a grand reception hall.

Normally, the place was never used for social gatherings.

But today was the Succession Ceremony.

Since all of the Empire’s high-ranking officials were gathered together, a special exception had been granted.

‘It’s been a long time since I experienced an atmosphere like this.’

Holding a glass, Selena observed the atmosphere of the hall.

In the past, she had attended so many social gatherings that they had become unbearably boring.

However, as her illness worsened, she came to realize how precious it was simply to be able to meet other people.

’…Yeah, right. I just want to finish what I came here to do and go home.’

She hadn’t learned that lesson at all.

She still found it bothersome.

Besides, ever since becoming addicted to the Gallery, she’d also developed the habit of enjoying staying shut indoors.

Even so, she had to endure it.

Without rushing, Selena quietly remained where she was.

“B-Big Sister… what should I do now?”

“Mm… How about we go greet those young ladies over there first? They seem to be about your age.”

“Y-Yes!”

Of course, Selena also didn’t forget to help her adorable younger sister.

And while she was doing her best to introduce Mary to the others…

“Excuse me for a moment.”

An important figure approached.

A pleasant female voice reached Selena’s ears.

When she turned her head, she was met by a familiar face.

It was a rather tall woman with a sturdy build that was accentuated by the uniform she wore.

Her extraordinary beauty.

And that skin, which made her beauty stand out even more.

‘She came.’

The person she had never expected to speak with.

And now, the one who interested her the most.

Maintaining her usual expressionless face, Selena spoke.

“So, it is the illustrious Countess Menesil.”

‘For now, this is just testing the waters.’

That was what Selena thought.

But sometimes, in this world, actions mattered more than cautiously feeling the other person out.

“You know my name. It’s an honor, Lady Mercedes.”

“The honor is mine, Countess, to know that you know mine. But to what do I owe this visit?”

Hearing Selena’s question, Ash hesitated for a moment before answering, casting a quick glance around her.

It seemed she was checking whether anyone was listening.

Just as Selena wondered why she was acting that way…

“Your skin, as sweet as honey, is truly beautiful. That is why I dared to approach you, even at the risk of being discourteous.”

“…”

It was an incredibly syrupy way of speaking.

If anyone else had overheard it, they probably would have begun questioning Ash’s tastes.

But not Selena.

To her, those words were automatically translated as.

[Hello. I’m from the Gallery. Nice to meet you.]

Just as Selena had suspected.

Ash suspected her as well.

Since neither of them was completely certain, Ash had just thrown out a sort of password that only the two of them could understand.

For a brief moment, Selena’s mind went completely blank.

But she quickly regained her composure.

If the other party had already revealed her identity.

She couldn’t keep pretending.

“…Thank you for the compliment. Your skin is also very beautiful, Countess.”

“Thank you very much.”

“And you as well…”

Selena left the sentence unfinished for a moment before carefully adding,

“It seems you’ve tasted some excellent honey.”

What she truly meant was.

[Hello. I’m from the Gallery too. Let’s get along from now on.]

It was a completely unintended moment of camaraderie.

‘I’d better never speak of this.’

‘If she has even a shred of common sense, she’ll keep her mouth shut.’

And at the same time, they both realized the exact same thing.

The two of them had just acquired a secret that could ruin the other’s life if it ever came to light.