Got a Gallery in the Wild

The news that Ludwig had fought Lackey and Sloth spread rapidly.

And not only through the Gallery, but throughout the real world as well, especially among the people of the Holy Kingdom.

Although Ash, Kadir, and the Heroine Asella enjoyed tremendous fame, there were so many renowned figures in the Holy Kingdom that you couldn’t count them all on both hands.

Moreover, the Heroine was, in a way, a symbolic figure.

Ludwig, on the other hand, was Eldorado’s true protector.

He had devoted his entire life to serving his homeland and the Goddess Aris, so countless people owed him a debt.

“Fortunately, he seems to still be alive… but is he really in the Forest of the Four Seasons?”

“How many times do I have to tell you yes? It was that damned Papal Curia that threw him in there by force!”

“Shh! Keep your voice down! What if they arrest you?”

“Let them try! Now that even Sir Ludwig is gone, there isn’t a single real Holy Knight left in the Holy Kingdom!”

Like someone completely drunk in broad daylight, a middle-aged man shouted at the top of his lungs.

Under normal circumstances, everyone would have glared at him for making such a scene.

But no one tried to stop him.

That was the current state of Eldorado.

Those words—there isn’t a single real Holy Knight left—echoed painfully in everyone’s hearts.

“How could even Sir Ludwig end up like this…?”

“It’s all the Pope’s fault. He got rid of everyone he didn’t like.”

“They throw him into the Forest of the Four Seasons and then claim he simply disappeared? How ridiculous.”

In truth, it wasn’t just that man who was furious.

Everyone felt the same way.

And fortunately, this was happening in a city other than the capital.

If it had been in the capital, the demonstrations would have already begun.

“How’s the situation in the capital?”

“It’s complete chaos. It feels like everything’s about to explode at any moment.”

“Has the Papal Curia said anything?”

“What could they possibly say? At most, they’ll claim it’s all just rumors from the Gallery and that it’s not worth believing.”

“I’m sick of them always blaming everything on the Gallery.”

Public opinion of the Papal Curia had fallen to rock bottom.

Over all this time, countless incidents had piled up, gradually filling an enormous powder keg.

And with Ludwig’s testimony.

Someone had finally lit the fuse.

Whether with a tiny spark or none at all, that explosion had become inevitable.

Not even their propaganda dismissing everything as Gallery rumors had any effect anymore.

It had gotten to the point where some media outlets claimed that, just as Ludwig had been forced to amputate his rotten foot.

Eldorado needed to do the same.

And that rotten part was, naturally, the Papal Curia.

In other words.

They were calling for their heads.

The entire government stood on the brink of collapse.

And considering all the sins the Papal Curia had accumulated, many believed it was only just.

But at the same time.

Everyone was afraid.

“What do you think the Pope is planning to do now…?”

“Who knows. He’s the kind of man who beheaded anyone he didn’t like.”

No one could imagine what a cornered Pope might be capable of.

Until now, he had concealed all of his scandals by controlling information through the press.

But out of nowhere.

The horrifying truth had emerged from the Forest of the Four Seasons.

And not only that.

It had been revealed through the Gallery.

The Forest of the Four Seasons was a hellish land that even the Pope himself couldn’t control.

And to make matters worse.

Ludwig had used that very place to denounce him publicly.

A cornered rat can kill a cat.

And the Pope, who had already purged Ludwig and seized control of the military.

Could do anything.

“If only the Heroine were here…”

Someone murmured those words quietly.

And the atmosphere fell into silence.

The Heroine.

She was a symbol that stirred extremely complicated emotions.

What did a Heroine represent?

She was the pride and emblem of the Holy Kingdom itself.

Every Heroine of the past had fought against the Demon King to preserve peace.

The previous Heroine in particular had sacrificed her own life while taking the Immortal King down with her.

Even though it was later revealed that the Papal Curia had pressured her into doing so.

That did not diminish the value of her sacrifice.

“…Do you really believe the Heroine will destroy our country?”

“Wasn’t it a prophecy?”

“What if that prophecy was manipulated by the Papal Curia?”

“Come on. How could they manipulate a prophecy? If that were possible, they would have already received divine punishment.”

“Besides, there were countless witnesses. Too many people saw it.”

However.

This generation’s Heroine was different.

Her fall had been just as spectacular and devastating as the brilliance of her reputation.

A prophecy had been proclaimed.

This generation’s Heroine will destroy Eldorado.

After that revelation, she was accused of treason and fled.

And she took the Holy Sword, Revolution, with her.

It was only natural that the citizens of the Holy Kingdom were filled with anxiety.

“Even so, a prophecy is still just a prophecy, isn’t it? To me, it looks like the one who’s going to destroy our country is the Pope.”

“That may be true, but it’s still frightening. We’re talking about the complete destruction of the country.”

“From what I’ve heard, she has always been an extraordinarily kind person. Could there be some kind of misunderstanding?”

For better or worse, Eldorado was tied, both directly and indirectly, to the Goddess Aris.

After all, it was a nation founded upon faith.

And when the object of that faith uttered a prophecy.

No one could ignore it.

That was precisely why the prediction that the Heroine would destroy the nation was so difficult to accept.

“To be honest, I wouldn’t mind if the country disappeared… as long as it wiped out the entire Papal Curia first.”

“I wish that were the true meaning of the prophecy.”

“Well… let’s just drink. The Papal Curia is rotten, the Heroine has been branded a traitor… What has this country become?”

The only thing they could do was lament.

Everyone let out a long sigh.

“Maybe it would’ve been better if we had never learned the truth.”

“In that case, we would’ve lived in peace. The ones who would’ve suffered would have been future generations.”

“It’s better to think of it as our good fortune that we have to bear this burden instead of them.”

The speed at which information spread in this world was astonishing thanks to the existence of the Gallery.

Of course, false rumors were mixed in from time to time, but even so, its ability to spread information was terrifying.

In fact, the institution known as the press had originally emerged from people dedicated to distinguishing truth from falsehood within the Gallery.

That was why the media was so well developed for an era like this.

And at the same time, that was precisely why the Papal Curia did everything in its power to suppress both the press and the Gallery.

It was a policy of keeping the people ignorant.

To control information was to control the citizens.

After all, they had successfully hidden the truth about the Immortal King.

At least, until an unexpected variable appeared in the Forest of the Four Seasons.

“The country’s so restless… I hope we can return to the capital without any trouble.”

“……”

There were two people experiencing that atmosphere firsthand.

Two women hidden beneath thick cloaks as they listened to the people’s conversations.

One was Lace.

The other was the Heroine everyone had been talking about—Asella.

“…Big Sister.”

“Yes. What is it?”

“I… no, the Heroine… will she really destroy Eldorado?”

Asella asked in a subdued voice.

At that moment, the two of them were on their way back to the capital.

Their original plan had been to keep avoiding their pursuers for a while longer, but recent events had forced them to change course.

And the decisive trigger had been Ludwig’s revelation.

Thanks to it, the innocence of Ludwig’s entire group had been proven.

Moreover, the situation had become so tense that a civil war seemed ready to break out at any moment, so they were hurrying back.

“The Heroine? And how exactly is she supposed to destroy the country?”

Even so, they remained careful with their words.

They still couldn’t assume the pursuit was over.

Hearing Lace’s question, Asella seemed to reflect for a few moments before falling silent.

Lace smiled bitterly, as though she had expected that reaction, and took a sip of her drink.

“Don’t worry so much. In the end, it’s still just a prophecy. I’m sure the Goddess Aris has some purpose.”

“Then… does that mean the prophecy isn’t wrong?”

“……”

Lace forced a bitter smile.

She couldn’t deny it.

Aris’ prophecies were famous for always coming true in one way or another.

There were even records of people who had fought desperately to avoid them.

Only to discover that those attempts had also been part of the prophecy itself.

In other words.

Asella’s fate was impossible to escape.

And that saddened her deeply.

“Well… who knows. Even I can’t answer something like that.”

“I see.”

“But you’ll keep protecting Eldorado until the very end, won’t you?”

“…I’ll protect the citizens.”

I’ll protect the citizens.

That single sentence was enough to understand how much Asella’s heart had changed.

Before, she would always say things like.

“There must be some misunderstanding.”

“The Pope has simply made a mistake.”

She had trusted the Pope blindly.

But lately, doubts had begun to arise.

And Ludwig’s revelation had been the final blow.

Her trust in the Papal Curia had completely collapsed.

‘If an armed conflict breaks out… will I be the one who has to stop it?’

Her?

The very person branded a traitor?

Did she truly have the right to do so?

As she sighed, worried about what awaited her upon returning to the capital…

Bang!

The door of the establishment was thrown open violently.

It was an obviously deliberate gesture, as if they wanted to draw everyone’s attention.

“What’s going on?”

“What are the Holy Knights doing here?”

“Did they hear us criticizing them?”

The newcomers were none other than the Holy Knights.

Their arrival sparked curiosity for a brief moment.

But everyone quickly returned to being indifferent.

After all.

If even Ludwig had been purged.

Then, in their eyes, there wasn’t a single true Holy Knight left in Eldorado.

“Everyone, listen. We have received information that a traitor is inside this establishment.”

“A traitor? You mean the Heroine?”

“No. He’s talking about the Pope.”

“Haha! That’s true too!”

The customers had already been drinking since broad daylight.

It was impossible to expect kind words from them.

Only mocking laughter answered back.

The Holy Knights frowned, but chose to ignore it and continue.

“From this moment onward, we will be conducting an inspection. We ask that you remain seated and cooperate.”

“An inspection? Stop talking nonsense!”

“Go arrest the Pope instead of coming here, you idiots!”

“So you’ve got the strength to hunt down the Heroine, but not to arrest the Pope?”

“Hahaha!”

In an instant, the entire tavern erupted into laughter.

Laughter filled with contempt.

At last, one of the Holy Knights lost his patience.

“Silence! How dare you slander the Holy Father?! Do you not fear the wrath of the Goddess Aris?!”

“I’m more afraid of my wife’s wrath.”

“Haha! That’s true too!”

“I’ve had enough! Arrest every one of these criminals! They have publicly insulted the Holy Father!”

Following the commander’s order, the Holy Knights began to move.

The citizens didn’t resist either.

They simply allowed themselves to be taken.

It was a scene utterly devoid of even the slightest trace of trust.

Seeing that, Asella jumped to her feet.

But Lace quickly grabbed her wrist.

“B-Big Sister?”

“Not yet. They’ve bought us time. We have to escape right now.”

“B-But they’re only being arrested for insulting him…”

“At worst, they’ll be questioned and then released. But if you’re captured as well… then Eldorado truly will be finished.”

“……”

Faced with Lace’s reasoning, Asella had no choice but to prepare to flee.

Just as the Holy Knights were leaving with the arrested citizens…

Crash!

“W-What?! I-It’s them! Catch those two!”

“Damn it! It had to happen now of all times!”

The two women smashed through the nearby window and escaped.

The Holy Knights immediately rushed after them.

“What? So the Heroine really was here?”

“They certainly looked suspicious.”

As soon as the pursuit began, the arrested citizens were naturally released.

They watched the scene for a few seconds and, as though nothing important had happened, simply sat back down.

“I’d take the Heroine over them any day. Just because the country gets destroyed doesn’t mean we’ll disappear.”

“You’re right.”

“Well, I don’t like the Heroine.”

While everyone else defended her.

Only one person criticized her.

It was the owner of the establishment, the very same man who had been insulting the Pope alongside everyone else just moments earlier.

Taken aback by the sudden change, everyone looked at him strangely.

The innkeeper let out a long sigh.

“I won’t like her until she pays for that window.”

“Hmm… that’s understandable.”

“She can compensate me later.”

“Fair enough.”

***

While Eldorado’s public opinion continued to collapse.

What was the Papal Curia, the very target of all that hatred, doing?

Were they planning to resign of their own accord?

Or were they considering an even more extreme measure?

“Understood. Will doing this be enough?”

“Yes, Your Holiness.”

“And if we fail?”

In response to Pope Louis II’s question, the cardinal answered.

“We’ll have no choice but to mobilize the army. We have justification to do so.”

“Hmm.”

“The Goddess Aris will forgive us as well.”

Proposing to mobilize the army was something no ruler should ever do.

The army existed only to repel foreign invasions or suppress internal rebellions.

It was the sword and shield of the people.

That should never be forgotten.

Any sensible person would have rejected such an idea.

But.

“Very well. I approve it.”

“Thank you very much.”

“What wouldn’t we do for the Goddess Aris?”

Those men, blinded by power, justified themselves.

They claimed there were already signs of an internal rebellion.

And so.

The Pope forcefully stamped his seal onto the documents.

Shortly afterward, the cardinal left the room, leaving the Pope completely alone.

‘In the end, that Ludwig caused all of this.’

Louis II clicked his tongue.

If he had simply kept his mouth shut.

None of this would have happened.

At the very least, if he hadn’t posted anything in the Gallery.

‘What’s he doing now? If he says something stupid again…’

What was he doing, you ask?

“Hey! Not there, put it over here!”

“I already put it there.”

“No! How can you be so clumsy?! Weren’t you supposed to be a soldier?!”

He had become an excellent source of manual labor for Grills.

Wasn’t it too cruel to make someone with an injured leg work?

‘So what? He’s still way stronger than I am.’

That didn’t matter.

As long as his hands were fine, he could work.

“You’re not human…”

“What are you talking about? You get to work too. This is going to be your house.”

“You’re evil. Truly evil.”

“Do you want to go without food?”

“In that case… you’re a good master.”

And somehow or another.

The two of them were getting along quite well.