Got a Gallery in the Wild

By the time Grills welcomed a new member who, technically, wasn’t part of the family,

the entire world was in turmoil over what had happened in Eldorado.

That a state should not use violence against its own citizens was something as obvious as common sense.

After all, humanity had created states to protect themselves from the dangers of the untamed world.

And yet, the very state that was supposed to protect its people had attacked them instead.

Even if it resorted to force, it made no sense without legitimate justification.

But Eldorado had not only violated that principle—it had completely exposed its most disgraceful side.

Numerous nations issued statements condemning its actions.

Meanwhile, Mephisto openly mocked them.

After calling others Demon Kings, they had ended up doing exactly what a Demon King would do.

Ironically, Mephisto had advanced culturally to the point where violent incidents had become extremely rare.

However, as befitted the kingdom most beloved by the goddess and founded directly by her, Eldorado did not fall, even though it had staggered.

On the contrary, with the appearance of the legendary hero Cain, Eldorado’s prestige could only continue to grow.

As long as it managed to overcome this crisis.

What had happened would have consequences, both great and small, for countless nations.

And that also applied to—

‘It’s not the worst possible outcome, but it’s not a situation I can celebrate either.’

Arnold, who had recently ascended to the imperial throne.

In addition to the reports from his subordinates, he carefully examined everything happening in the Gallery.

At that moment, Eldorado was occupied with reorganizing the country and deciding the Pope’s fate.

It was the perfect opportunity to attack them politically rather than militarily.

But they couldn’t.

All because of Cain, who had descended in response to the Hero’s call.

That fact alone forced them to proceed with caution.

‘This is why religions are always such a problem.’

There were countless gods in this world.

But most people primarily worshipped two.

Aragorn, the God of Magic and Order.

And Aris, the Goddess of War and Justice.

Even Zhongyuan in the east was no different.

They simply used titles unique to their own culture, but religion still existed there.

That said, Buddhism wielded such overwhelming influence there that the worship of gods carried far less weight.

‘The fact that even they don’t deny it is noteworthy in itself.’

Even Zhongyuan, famous for its conservatism, did not persecute religions.

Because they, too, did not deny the myths.

And that made the situation even more complicated.

The fact that Cain had personally appeared meant—

‘It was as if the goddess herself had given her seal of approval.’

From now on, Eldorado’s influence could only increase, never decrease.

In effect, the Hero had forced the nation to reclaim its prestige.

And that was something impossible to ignore.

‘Thank goodness the Gallery exists. Thanks to it, we were able to react immediately.’

If the Gallery hadn’t existed, it probably would have taken them three days to learn what had happened.

But thanks to it, they had understood the situation at once.

It was one of the Gallery’s greatest advantages.

‘The problem is that Eldorado is practically in a state of anarchy… Will the Hero assume provisional leadership?’

It would take roughly a month to establish a stable government.

Until then, the Hero would most likely act as the country’s provisional leader.

After all, she enjoyed the absolute support of the people.

Arnold gathered every piece of information he could about the Hero.

But there was very little of significance.

She had been born an orphan, raised by the Papacy because of her exceptional talent, and later chosen as the Hero.

That was practically the extent of it.

Afterward, she was accused of treason and became a hunted fugitive.

‘Compared to the Pope, her political ability is probably inferior.’

The Pope had been extraordinarily skilled at politics.

The problem was that he had used that talent to commit unforgivable acts.

With Alvenheim undoubtedly preparing to take advantage of the situation, Arnold doubted the Hero would be able to handle everything properly.

Then again, Alvenheim wouldn’t dare attack Eldorado so easily either.

After all, Cain could descend again.

So they would likely look for some way to undermine its prestige instead.

Or perhaps resort to other methods.

‘Even in a situation like this, Alvenheim only issued a statement of condemnation and nothing more… What are they plotting?’

Both in the Gallery and in the real world, Alvenheim was the country whose silence stood out the most.

They say no news is good news.

But Alvenheim was too quiet.

It wouldn’t be unreasonable to think they were secretly amassing strength to conquer the world.

Alvenheim and the elves possessed enough power to accomplish such a feat.

After all, they were a race comparable to demons.

‘If necessary, I’ll send a delegation to provoke some sort of reaction.’

Now that he was emperor, it was about time.

And not just to Alvenheim.

To the other countries as well.

For the moment, he planned to dispatch envoys to the neighboring nations.

‘There’s too much work. Far too much.’

Internally, there weren’t many major problems.

But the international situation was extremely unstable.

Eldorado had managed to stabilize itself somewhat, though no one knew what would happen next.

They needed information.

And an overwhelming amount of resources as well.

‘The Kingdom of Iris has become awfully confident thanks to Kadir…’

Before the Eldorado crisis, the biggest topic of discussion had been the incident involving the Magic Tower floating in the sky.

The tower had already returned to its original location.

But one rumor continued to circulate.

People said the reason the Magic Tower had risen into the sky was Kadir.

That the increase in his level had caused the phenomenon.

And, honestly,

it wasn’t a rumor that could simply be dismissed.

Because Kadir was exactly the kind of monster capable of doing something like that.

After all, he was a mage who had defeated a dragon by himself.

“Ugh…”

Arnold let out a long sigh as he rubbed his temples.

Problems had erupted everywhere at once, and he no longer knew where to begin.

At times like this, he absolutely needed to secure at least one allied nation.

But finding one wasn’t easy.

‘Eldorado is politically unstable, the Kingdom of Iris would probably tell me to go to hell, and that only leaves…’

The Beastmen Kingdom, Weed.

A neighbor that felt both distant and close.

In the past, they had been regarded as a barbaric tribe, but since founding their nation, they had become a formidable power.

To the point that even demons preferred to avoid fighting beastmen.

‘It’s the best option.’

Arnold drew a circle around Weed’s name.

Deep down, he would have liked to strengthen ties with Mephisto as well, but that might provoke Alvenheim.

Of course, they would continue maintaining cultural exchanges.

For now, gathering information was the top priority.

Knock, knock.

“Your Majesty. It’s Count Gorgon. May I come in?”

While organizing his thoughts, his loyal subordinate knocked on the door.

Arnold finished arranging the documents before granting permission.

“Come in.”

Creeeak.

When the door opened, Count Gorgon entered.

Perhaps because he had become one of the emperor’s most trusted men.

His face looked far more relaxed than before, and his bearing had become much more refined.

Even his expression conveyed calm confidence.

“What is it?”

“I’ve found the place Your Majesty asked me to locate.”

“Oh?”

Arnold’s eyebrows rose slightly.

He hadn’t expected them to find it so quickly.

Lightly tapping his fingers on the desk, he asked,

“No one has gone there to bother him yet?”

“According to our investigation, no. Though it seems the rumor had already spread. Thanks to that, we were able to locate him quickly.”

“Make sure no one disturbs him. Even if it’s only soil, it could become an extremely valuable resource.”

Count Gorgon nodded.

The person Arnold had been searching for was the registered user who had received soil from the Forest of Four Seasons thanks to Grills.

The moment Arnold read that post, he understood.

With that soil, they could produce abundant harvests all year round.

Naturally, it would have to be studied first.

But even from reading the post, its tremendous potential was obvious.

“What is he doing now?”

“Apparently, he’s working from home on developing improved crop varieties.”

“Developing improved varieties…? Is he a student at the Academy?”

“No, Your Majesty. He comes from a family of farmers that has cultivated the land for generations.”

“And despite that, he’s trying to develop new varieties?”

“Yes. In fact, he’s already succeeded in developing a variety intended for livestock feed.”

‘What extraordinary talent.’

Arnold began thinking quickly.

He was a registered user who received soil from Grills on a regular basis.

Of all the registered users who maintained contact with Grills, Arnold personally knew only two.

Himself.

And Count Gorgon.

“First, send an official document to the lord of that region. Tell him not to bother him and to provide him with everything he needs so he can continue his research.”

“Understood.”

“Oh, and recommend that he enroll in the Academy. The more knowledge he acquires, the better.”

“As you command.”

Someone might complain that they were offering too many resources to a single person.

But just as a fisherman doesn’t want to lose the fish that has taken the bait.

Arnold had no intention of losing that “channel.”

Today they were only receiving soil.

But perhaps in the future they could obtain things that were far more valuable.

“Oh, by the way. We’ve received an asylum request.”

“Asylum? From where?”

“It comes from… Eldorado.”

“Ignore it. I have no intention of seeing Cain descend on top of our heads.”

He rejected the request without hesitation.

After bowing respectfully, Count Gorgon left the room.

Once he was alone, Arnold let out a deep sigh.

Just when it seemed that one problem had ended.

Another one appeared.

‘Even so, I’m in a good mood.’

The possibility of obtaining more resources from the Forest of Four Seasons was enough to cheer him up.

In that mood, he decided to relax by browsing the Gallery.

At that very moment, several rather interesting trending posts had appeared.

‘Though I wonder if the Hero will be able to control such an enraged population.’

Well.

That was her problem.

He intended to enjoy a little rest.

***

Just as Arnold had predicted, the anger of the people of Eldorado.

Or rather, of the Holy Kingdom.

Had not diminished in the slightest.

They had already been consumed by rage and a sense of betrayal after discovering the deception.

And on top of that, the Papacy had tried to attack them.

Removing them from office wasn’t enough.

Many felt they could only calm their anger by seeing them hanging from the gallows.

“Kill the Pope!”

“Execute the cardinals!”

“Execution!! Execution!!”

Every citizen demanded the death penalty.

Those cries even reached the ears of the Hero, Asella.

The problem was that this was an unprecedented situation.

Even organizing a trial wasn’t easy.

Based on the charges alone, the sentence should have been hanging.

And, moreover, a public execution.

However, Asella firmly refused.

This couldn’t be resolved simply by killing someone.

“Everyone, please calm down! It’s true that their crimes are extremely grave, but we should at least hear their defense!”

“What defense are you talking about!?”

“You’re on their side too!?”

Asella’s words only had the opposite effect.

For the citizens, it was impossible to accept such a thing.

Even Reis, who was watching the scene, ended up thinking.

‘This has gone too far…’

But Asella hadn’t spoken without thinking it through.

She continued insisting.

“In a moment, the defendants will make their final statement! After hearing it, I will deliver the verdict!”

Those words managed to calm the people’s fury slightly.

Or rather than calming it.

They merely suppressed it.

It could erupt again at any moment.

Shortly afterward, the Holy Knights brought in the Pope, the cardinals, and the commanders.

All of them had been directly involved in what had happened.

It seemed they had received a thorough beating while in prison.

There wasn’t a single part of their bodies that was uninjured.

Their faces were completely swollen.

Some of them couldn’t even open their eyes properly.

“Die!”

“Execution! Execution! Execution!”

The moment they appeared, the shouting grew even louder.

In addition to garbage, stones also began flying.

While trying to restrain the crowd, Asella asked for a mage to be brought over.

Everyone had to hear the defendants’ final statements.

“Very well. Is there anything you wish to say?”

“……”

“……”

No one opened their mouth.

They all understood there was no longer any escape.

Only one person was different.

The Pope.

Although he had received the worst beating of them all, his eyes still burned with unshakable stubbornness.

With absolute shamelessness.

“I… I haven’t committed any crime! I only followed Lady Aris’s will! Why should I end up like this?!”

“Shut up!”

“Can’t we just rip his tongue out already?”

Naturally, those words only fueled the people’s anger even further.

And that was exactly what Asella wanted.

She stared at him before asking.

“Do you truly believe you’re innocent?”

“I do! You’re the traitor! Lady Aris sent Lord Cain to prove that I was right!”

“I see. It seems you feel deeply wronged.”

“I…!”

“Then I’ll help you prove your innocence.”

“My… innocence…?”

Luis II opened his eyes in disbelief.

Just a moment ago, she had looked ready to cut off his head.

And now she was saying something like that?

“Master Ludwig was also treated unjustly. That’s why he personally entered the Forest of Four Seasons.”

“T-That…”

“So we’ll give you the same opportunity. Enter the Forest of Four Seasons, find our benefactor, and prove your innocence there.”

“Y-You damned…! How can you seriously say something like that?!”

“If you don’t like that option…”

Asella smiled gently.

And made Luis II an offer he couldn’t refuse.

“You can always accept all of the people’s wrath.”

“……”

“Citizens! The time has come to deliver the verdict! The defendants claim they have been treated unjustly!”

Asella raised her voice to address the crowd.

“To atone for their sins and in gratitude to our benefactor, we will send these criminals into the Forest of Four Seasons!”

“Woooooo!!!”

“Long live the Hero!!”

“Long live the Hero!!”

“Asella!! Asella!! Asella!!”

Arnold had said he was concerned about the Hero’s political ability.

But at least.

Her ability to deliver speeches and win over the crowd was extraordinary.

‘First I’ll have to thank Mr. Grills. While I’m at it, I’ll let him know I’m sending him a few people.’

If Grills had heard that.

He probably would have replied.

‘I don’t need garbage that can’t even be recycled.’

Little by little.

Eldorado was returning to normal.