Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 10

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

◈ Got a Gallery in the Wild ◈

Chapter 10: Forest of Four Seasons (5)

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There were many races in the world, but if asked which race was most suited for combat, everyone would give the same answer.

Demonkind.

Even demonkind themselves agreed.

Horns sprouting from their heads, blue skin, and Inverted Eyes that sharply set them apart from other races.

Mana they could wield naturally thanks to their innate constitutions. Magic with overwhelmingly greater power than anyone else's.

All of that made them known as the race of demons, and true to their name, they lived according to their desires.

[Post title] Teaching You Continental History

[Post] Demonkind caused trouble in the past, and elves cause trouble now.

[Post] History lesson over!

└ For real, demonkind were absolute thugs back in the day.

└ There's a reason a Hero shows up every generation lol.

└ If nobody keeps these bastards in check, the world's fucked lol.

└ What kind of lives does demonkind even live?

Their devotion to desire had made them notoriously vicious in the distant past.

Their atrocities had been so severe that a Hero appeared in every generation to defeat and restrain the Demon King.

The Demon King ruled Mephisto, demonkind's nation, while Heroes were powerful figures personally trained by humanity.

Noble character, exceptional talent, devout faith. In proportion to those qualities, they received overwhelming divine power.

With all that in play, conflict between Demon Kings and Heroes continued in the past, producing no small number of casualties.

But perhaps they had grown tired of the long-running fighting. Or perhaps they had simply gotten bored.

[Post title] When Did Demonkind Get Their Shit Together?

[Post title] They've been quiet for a while now.

└ They quieted down when they got tired of fighting and started that weird ball game.

└ Hey! Call it weird in front of one of the demonkind and you'll get torn limb from limb.

└ These bastards are weirdly serious about ball games lol.

└ They didn't get their shit together. One guy killed a player for scoring a suicide goal back in the day lol.

└ Wow. Crazy, absolutely crazy lol.

└ Is that why suicide goals started being called own goals?

└ That's why player protection is so strict in Mephisto.

Demonkind wanted a different kind of battle, one that did not involve fists.

They wanted something as thrilling and tense as combat. They were tired of trading punches with their fists.

So they set aside their conflict with the Heroes and kept researching until they built a culture of their own.

Ball sports like soccer, baseball, basketball, rugby, and American football. In other words, sports.

At first, even demonkind found it ridiculous. They would rather fight, so what was this nonsense about playing with a ball?

They did not even have to look far to find gladiators fighting one another. Why bother with ball games?

As time passed and society and its laws developed, though, violence gradually became taboo.

More than anything, there was a severe lack of entertainment. When people had room to breathe, they sought amusement.

With that social shift and the limits of an era lacking proper entertainment, demonkind had no choice but to become increasingly serious about it.

Excluding drugs and gambling, demonkind who were serious about getting their dopamine fix became completely absorbed in those little “ball games.”

[Post title] These Bastards Are Serious as Hell

[Post] You can call them weak fighters and they'll laugh it off. Why? Because they know they're stronger. They naturally stand shoulder to shoulder with elves, so they're powerful from birth.

[Post] But ball games? Call them weak at those and they'll come at you like they're ready to kill. Especially soccer, since humans keep winning championships. Their pride's been completely shattered lol.

└ How do you know that?

└ I made fun of a friend from demonkind during futsal and got my arm broken.

└ Looooool.

└ Lol.

└ Serves you right lol.

└ Did you get your treatment costs covered?

└ Yeah. But they told me not to say that to other members of demonkind. Said I could really die.

└ Just how serious are they? Lol.

Naturally, it had initially been a culture enjoyed only by demonkind. Other races had not cared in the slightest.

Demonkind might invade while firing magic everywhere at any moment. Why would anyone accept their culture?

Ironically, though, the first race to embrace demonkind culture was humanity.

Humans had suffered the most in their long, long war with demonkind, so one might wonder why.

It was because humans had short lifespans. Their generations changed far faster than those of other races.

The generations that remembered demonkind's past brutality gradually faded away, leaving only generations who remembered them as idiots obsessed with ball games.

As exchanges with demonkind gradually increased and humanity adopted their culture, humans pulled out one clever move.

[Post title] An Unavoidable Trap for Demonkind

[Post] Humans: If there's a problem between us, let's settle it with a ball game. You guys are strong as hell anyway.

[Post] Demonkind: Sure, sure. Fair enough.

[Post] Humans: But you know it'd be a bit much to throw a fit over losing a ball game, right?

[Post] Demonkind: Why would we lose? Lol.

[Post] And ten years later, humanity beat the ever-loving shit out of them.

[Post] Humans: We won, you weaklings lol.

[Post] Demonkind: Fuck it, war.

[Post] Humans: Wow, you're starting a war because you lost a ball game? Don't you have any pride?

[Post] Demonkind: Ah, fuck... This is bullshit, but we've got nothing to say.

└ Lmao, there really isn't anything they can do.

└ Diplomacy really worked like that?

└ It's simplified, but yeah, that's basically right lol.

Demonkind was a race as prideful as elves.

They had once toyed with neighboring nations using their natural strength, but that had been during the age of barbarism.

Even as their reputation improved after they spread sports across the world, their pride remained unchanged.

And humans shrewdly exploited that pride for their own benefit.

Demonkind had effectively trapped itself in a contradiction, so they focused on diplomacy while gritting their teeth.

[Post title] One Fact Here

[Post] Without Heroes, demonkind would have started a war too.

└ That's true.

└ It only works because their power is roughly equal lol.

└ Then what are the elves doing?

└ Those bastards just stand around with their hands behind their backs lol.

└ It's because Mephisto is close to human countries.

└ Those damn knife-ears are never any help.

└ And now the knife-ears are the ones causing trouble, right?

└ What the hell did humanity do wrong?

└ Our ancestors founded their country in the wrong place, I guess lol.

└ We're surrounded by nonhuman countries on all sides lol.

Of course, that was only half joking. Sports remained sports.

Still, their popularity soared because they allowed races to overcome their differences and compete fairly.

A battle where mana could not be used, where superiority was determined purely through physical ability and skill.

More importantly, there was a chivalric spirit suited to the age. Sportsmanship. That appealed to people's sense of romance as well.

[Post title] What Are Dwarves Even Good At?

[Post] They're too short for soccer and basketball. They're too small for rugby and American football. Baseball is hard too because the strike zone gets weird.

[Post] What can they even do?

└ [Passing Dwarf]: makes the balls, you son of a bitch.

└ Looooool.

└ Lol.

└ Do they make a lot of money?

└ [Passing Dwarf]: makes a fucking fortune whenever there's a major tournament.

└ Did dwarves make the balls in the old days too?

└ Nah, I heard they used people's heads as balls.

└ Holy shit...

Dwarves, disadvantaged by their builds, could not enjoy the games directly, but they gained all kinds of related benefits.

From balls and uniforms to various equipment. Given the era, every task requiring delicate craftsmanship went to dwarves.

With industrialization and commercialization advancing rapidly and tournaments of every kind being held, Mephisto transformed into a nation of culture.

Sports could make people feel joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure simply by watching. At the same time, they were drugs that drove people insane.

[Post title] A Strange Thing About Beastfolk

[Post] They're the race that loves the quietest sport, baseball, and the roughest one, American football, the most.

[Post] Why?

└ What do you mean, quiet? In baseball they smash each other's heads with bats.

└ Fuck, that's a brawl lol.

└ Bench-clearing brawls lol.

└ Beastfolk are tough, so they're fine even after that lol.

Every nation and race had different popular sports, but Mephisto remained the birthplace of them all.

As a result, sports were woven into everyday life in Mephisto.

Entertainment enjoyed by everyone regardless of gender, age, or status.

“No! How do you miss that?! Are you kidding me?!”

That was true even of a high-ranking person in Mephisto.

A woman with demonkind's distinctive blue skin and Inverted Eyes, yet breathtakingly beautiful.

Her black hair gleamed like the darkest night, while the ram horns rising from her head gave her a strange charm.

Then there was her figure, enough to set countless men's hearts ablaze. She lacked nothing.

“Wow. Even I could've scored that.”

Keyrin Rondel Archive, Princess of Mephisto and heir to Mephisto's throne as the next Demon King.

She cursed as she watched the soccer match displayed through a Broadcasting Magic orb.

After the birth of sports, Mephisto had invented a variety of magic to industrialize sports properly.

The Broadcasting Magic Kaelin was currently watching was one such invention. Its range was considerable as well.

“That's really worth a hundred billion Yura? Are the Chaeyu executives blind?”

Kaelin clicked her tongue and frowned. Her expression was full of dissatisfaction.

As Mephisto's princess, she was revered by countless people. Thanks to her innate combat power and background, she faced almost no political pressure.

If something displeased her, she could pressure someone whenever she wanted. But applying that to sports would cause a disaster.

‘I get that there's nothing I can do, but it's frustrating.’

A club owner could be a noble. But if someone tried to turn that into a political matter, they would immediately be driven out.

It was not written into law, but it was an unwritten rule. Sports were a culture enjoyed by everyone, not just nobles.

Unless it involved something unavoidable like war, even the upper class could not completely control it.

They could manage it through policy at most. Any interference beyond that was impossible.

“The match is over! Chames United loses 2 to 1 at home!”

“Moss Village will be celebrating today. They are one step closer to the Challengers League they have long desired!”

“On the other hand, Chames United can barely maintain their position in the standings. How Coach Horen will...”

“Damn it.”

Click.

Kaelin irritably shut off the Broadcasting Magic. They had thrown away a match they practically had in hand with that red card.

She covered her face for a while, then quietly uncovered it. With a blank expression, she connected to the gallery.

[Post] Chaenggu belong in mid-table! Chaenggu belong in mid-table! Chaenggu belong in mid-table!

[Post] The Chaenggu lot are seething~ The Chaenggu lot are trembling with rage~ The Chaenggu lot are seething~

[Post] ???: Gotta start worshipping, right?

[Post] Chaenggu fans are finished lol.

The instant the match ended, lunatics flooded the gallery. It was nothing unusual.

Kaelin let out a hollow laugh and made a post.

[Post title] Butthole Reveal

[Author] PrincessChaenggu

[Post] (A photo of an emblem bearing a deer design)

[Post] This is my butthole.

└ Lol, did Chaeyu lose today?

└ [PrincessChaenggu]: Those motherless bitches conceded two goals in stoppage time, heehee.

└ Looooool.

└ No wonder all the lunatics showed up.

After making her post, Kaelin rose from her seat. Her head was burning, and she needed to cool off.

‘Before that, I should clean this room.’

She looked around.

Chames United uniforms, replicas of various trophies, and all kinds of Chaeyu-related merchandise filled the room.

It was exactly the sort of room a person completely obsessed with soccer would decorate. And that was precisely what it was.

Snap!

Kaelin snapped her fingers, and every object disappeared. Only a barren space remained.

It was originally a training hall, a private training facility designed solely for Kaelin.

She looked around the empty hall several times, then lowered her gaze.

Instead of a dignified dress, she wore an ordinary, almost plain uniform.

A uniform bearing the name of a player who had once been a Chaeyu legend.

Snap!

With another snap of her fingers, even that transformed into a beautiful black dress. It was all done through magic.

Normally, she would have needed to chant an incantation, but Kaelin did not need to. A gesture was enough for her to cast magic.

After carefully checking that nothing was out of place, she headed for the exit.

The door was fitted with various security spells and locks.

Clunk!

Kaelin released every lock and stepped outside.

A middle-aged butler was waiting there with several knights.

“You have worked hard, Princess. Have you finished your training?”

“Yes. You worked hard as well.”

“Not at all. Serving you is my duty.”

The butler lowered their head as they answered. As Kaelin passed the butler, she patted their shoulder.

It was her way of saying they had worked hard. The butler looked moved.

It was a kindness one could not find in the current Demon King. That kindness drew people to her.

There would have been nothing strange about Kaelin becoming arrogant in an environment where she was set to become the next Demon King.

Her personal combat ability also ranked among the top five on the continent.

Yet she was not arrogant, and her heart was kind.

Someone might think, Is that really worth making a fuss over? But they needed to remember they were demonkind.

Kaelin's tone might have been stiff, but she was kind and considerate to everyone, not only her butler.

‘Though she seems to be in a bad mood today. Did she gain nothing from training?’

Following behind Kaelin, the butler thought that. After serving her for many years, they could read her emotions to some degree.

Her mood was terrible today. Truly terrible.

At times like this, the best course was to keep one's mouth shut.

She was kinder than most demonkind, but Kaelin was still one of the demonkind. If the butler upset her, magic would come flying.

‘Control training only happens once or twice a week. It must be difficult.’

Demonkind was as warlike as beastfolk. They had a nature that enjoyed fighting itself, fighting to determine a winner and loser.

In the past, that had manifested as violence and caused great harm to those around them, but that was no longer the case.

As violence became taboo, controlling one's emotions became important.

That tendency mattered especially to those of high status, since acting in a burst of anger often ruined important matters.

Emotional control training was therefore very important, which made it painful and difficult.

‘Seriously. This is so fucking irritating. How do you concede two goals in stoppage time?’

Kaelin really had trained in emotional control. Her method was simply different from the usual one.

As an ardent Chames United fan, merely watching a match sent her emotions soaring and crashing constantly.

In the past, she had struggled to control herself and wrecked the training hall whenever she had the chance. Not anymore.

She could now brush it off with thoughts like, ‘Ugh. Fucking idiots. Of course you lot would do that.’

If nothing else, her mental strength had steadily risen to a level comparable to a saintess.

‘Why am I even a Chaeyu fan?’

Back in her bedroom, Kaelin lay on her bed and recalled the past. Why had she become a soccer fan, and a Chaeyu fan at that?

Originally, soccer had been far removed from her life. It might have been a culture spread throughout the world, but she belonged to the upper class.

Soccer in particular had spread from the lower classes, so the upper classes felt somewhat more hostility toward it.

But even the upper class could not do anything about the capital generated by culture.

Culture also could not be stopped. The more someone tried to suppress it, the more it spread.

‘Wouldn't things have been harder without it?’

Kaelin had been taught that way as she grew up. Soccer was something watched only by people who knew nothing.

Yet the owners of countless clubs were nobles. Only a few old-fashioned nobles, including the royal family, hated it.

Even they viewed sports favorably, but held a particular distaste for soccer.

Kaelin had not thought much of soccer either, but she had gradually fallen into it at some point.

The cause was none other than the gallery. Everything changed after she happened to connect to it, exposing her to knowledge she had never encountered while growing up like a flower in a greenhouse, along with soccer's uniquely addictive appeal.

For Kaelin, who had been born into demonkind, it was no different from trying a new kind of drug.

That was how she naturally came to support her local club, Chames United, and even chose PrincessChaenggu as her nickname on the gallery.

‘Ah, fuck. It's irritating that I can't even go watch live.’

Kaelin did not show it in real life, though. It was because of political issues.

Someone might wonder whether a sport like soccer could really become a political issue.

Strictly speaking, it was closer to generational conflict. Demonkind did not live as long as elves, but they still had fairly long lifespans.

Their generations changed rather slowly, and many elders who remembered the past brutality still remained.

Those elders still held a tight grip on the establishment, creating a difficult political situation.

One generation treated glory stained in violence as honor, while the other had experienced the new entertainment of sports.

As those generations clashed, nobles naturally had no choice but to pay attention.

Since soccer was the most popular sport, it was inevitably dragged into politics.

‘Why did I do that... I only did it because I didn't want Chames City to grow...’

On the surface, Kaelin herself was considered part of the generation distant from soccer.

It was because of the policy she had introduced. She had limited Setan's Gold Money to a certain degree.

Those damn Dark Elves irritated her by using piles of money to swallow famous clubs, but the biggest issue was her troublesome sibling.

Chames City, which should have been stuck in the third division, had consumed Gold Money and instantly risen as a powerhouse.

They had even lifted the trophy in the world's largest tournament last year.

Meanwhile, Chaeyu had been floundering. Her pride had been utterly crushed.

Of course Kaelin could not stand it. So she spoke up exactly once.

[Post title] Vote for the Person Chaeyu Fans Hate Most

[Post] 1. The Medes Family

[Post] 2. Princess Kaelin

└ I know the Medes Family, but why Princess Kaelin?

└ She made the acquisition process more difficult. Chaeyu probably would have gotten to enjoy some sweet Gold Money otherwise.

[Post title] Basically, it went like this.

[Post] Medes Family: We're selling our Chaeyu~ It's a bargain sale right now!

[Post] Setan: Oh! We'll buy it! We'll pay up!

[Post] Kaelin: Hell no! Not a chance! Policy approved, bang bang bang!

[Post] Medes Family: Ah. Because of the policy, we'll have to raise the price, heehee.

[Post] Setan: Fuck, not buying.

└ Lol, that makes perfect sense.

└ But isn't what Kaelin said understandable too?

└ Opinions are split fifty-fifty. Still, to Chaenggu fans she's an enemy they'd tear to pieces lol.

└ Doesn't Kaelin hate soccer too?

└ There's no official statement, but she probably does?

Kaelin found it infuriating. Her love for Chaeyu, and soccer itself, was genuine.

If she had been free to do as she pleased, she would have attended matches live every week. Sometimes she might even have become a hooligan and caused trouble.

Since she could not, she soothed herself by secretly buying uniforms and merchandise.

Watching matches filled her with rage, but that was another matter.

‘Just wait until I become Demon King. I'll proudly attend in a uniform.’

Sports built around soccer were an area even the Demon King could not touch carelessly. Touching them meant becoming enemies with the people.

It was culture's frightening power, and a kind of side effect. That was why not only demonkind, but other races as well, had become completely absorbed in it.

So much magic had been invented just to develop that one culture. Broadcasting Magic was one example.

Ironically, Mephisto was advancing further and further, not through conquest, but through cultural victory.

‘None of that matters if they keep making transfers like that.’

Kaelin sighed internally and made a tearful face. She looked somewhat depressed.

She was not the dignified demonkind princess she always appeared to be. She was simply a Chaeyu fan with a troubled heart.

The gallery was the best way to soothe such feelings. There was time left until the next match anyway.

‘Wild Grylls... Why did this human fall into the Forest of Four Seasons?’

Normally, she wrote Chaeyu posts or shitposts until a match began. Recently, though, things had changed.

Among the countless people and posts on the gallery, Wild Grylls's posts stood out. Wild Grylls was supposedly someone who had fallen into the Forest of Four Seasons.

At first, she had neither believed it nor been able to believe it. But as time passed, she could not help becoming interested.

Wild Grylls's posts had overwhelmingly more recommendations than other posts. That had been the biggest reason.

‘They came from another world? What a joke.’

Whether it was a gimmick or madness, it was interesting enough to catch her attention.

There was nothing else to do in her spare time anyway. There were still several days until the next soccer match.

So, partly to kill time and partly to help, she gave Wild Grylls a compass.

[PrincessChaenggu]: Then please cheer for our Chaeyu. That'll be enough.

[You]: I don't know this world very well, so what kind of team is Chaeyu?

“What?!”

Kaelin was horrified. How could anyone not know the famous Chaeyu?

Someone from a remote backwater might not know them. But Wild Grylls was a gallery user.

Ninety percent of gallery users were insane, but even among them, sports fans were the most abnormal ones.

Sports fans were users whose minds were rotten beyond repair.

There had even been one case of someone rotting so thoroughly that they attained enlightenment and became a Buddha.

“They don't know Chaeyu? I should teach them while I have the chance.”

Kaelin preached the greatness of Chaeyu and even gifted Wild Grylls a uniform.

Wild Grylls accepted the uniform despite seeming somewhat reluctant. Kaelin did not stop there.

Saying she should upload a highlight reel, she posted a Chaeyu highlight reel to the gallery.

The gallery had a save function and could pull in external videos.

That was also why sports highlights could be uploaded every so often.

How much time had passed since she uploaded Chaeyu's highlight reel?

[Post title] From Today On, I'm a Chames United Fan.

[Post] (A photo of a thumbs-up directed at the uniform laid on the ground)

[Post] Thank you, PrincessChaenggu. Thanks to you, I have one less thing to worry about when it comes to clothes.

└ Ah... The whole world is Chaeyu...

└ Of all teams, Chaeyu lol.

└ Does it matter? They're alone anyway.

└ It's better than walking around naked.

└ As of today, this is the Chames United Gallery.

It was satisfying. Truly satisfying.

Kaelin looked at Wild Grylls's post on the gallery and smiled proudly.

As of today, there was one more Chaeyu fan. Wild Grylls might be in the Forest of Four Seasons, but a fan was a fan.

Nothing else pleased her more than that. From now on, she could support Wild Grylls all she wanted.

‘If a fan dies, Chaeyu will be sad. So I need to support them properly so they don't die.’

If a Chaeyu fan was sad, Chaeyu would be sad too, and that might affect their results.

It was a single-celled thought process, but people were like that. When they became completely immersed in something, their thinking grew simple.

Just as Kaelin was about to close the gallery in satisfaction, a comment appeared that got under her skin.

└ [KingLeor]: Why give them that crap? It fucking stinks.

“...”

Kaelin's fine brows furrowed. She knew this registered user.

KingLeor liked Leor, Chaeyu's greatest rival. At the same time, KingLeor was the registered user Kaelin hated most.

Mocking Chaeyu by calling it Chaenggu whenever they had the chance was the bare minimum. KingLeor did plenty of other things that got under her skin too.

└ [PrincessChaenggu]: You're here again? You must really have nothing better to do.

└ [KingLeor]: Like you're any better lol. So, did we win?

“Fuck.”

Kaelin cursed. Chaeyu had recently lost 3 to 0 against Leor.

It was a scoreline that could only be described as overwhelming. That was why KingLeor could mock them.

‘Those bastards who used to get mocked as belonging in mid-table...!’

Leor had been a fallen giant just ten years ago. But after changing managers, they regained their former status.

On the other hand, Chaeyu had suffered a constant decline. Changing managers had changed nothing.

└ [PrincessChaenggu]: Heehee, we'll win too once our owner changes.

└ [KingLeor]: Nope. Kaelin's still around~

└ Lol, they really know how to get under her skin.

└ Kaelin right after the Medes Family lol.