Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 174

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

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◈ Got a Gallery in the Wild ◈

Chapter 174: Eye of the Typhoon (4)

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“Phew...”

Arnold, Crown Prince of the Messiah Empire, let out a long sigh.

The succession ceremony was in two days. He would finally wear the emperor's crown he had dreamed of.

The process itself had not been difficult. His brothers, who could have been rivals, had each found their own path.

“Soon, I'll have to call you Your Majesty instead of Brother.”

As Arnold struggled to calm himself, someone approached him.

He turned toward the familiar voice.

Unlike Arnold, who had the classic looks of a handsome young noble, this man wore a thick beard.

He was also much bigger than Arnold, making him look more like a general than a noble.

Still, aside from the beard, the two looked nearly identical.

He was Arnold's younger brother and the current Minister of Culture.

“...Paulo.”

“Just because you're becoming emperor doesn't mean you get to dump work on your little brother.”

Paulo casually dropped into the seat beside Arnold.

Since this was not an official setting and they were alone, they could speak casually as brothers.

Arnold looked at Paulo, who was enjoying life as a free spirit, that was to say, an unemployed bum, and spoke.

“So, is your team doing well?”

“More or less. They found a good manager, so they're winning.”

“If you siphon off the imperial budget, you'll be executed immediately.”

“The fans will beat me to death before that happens.”

Arnold snickered. Paulo was always so laid-back.

He had no interest in power and focused only on having fun.

Even that amusement was sports, far removed from a life of debauchery.

Well, he did occasionally gamble away all his money, but it was nothing serious enough to worry about.

“Anyway, congratulations on becoming emperor. Do you have any policies in mind?”

“I've got plenty in mind. Before that, there are mountains of problems to solve.”

“Come to think of it, didn't the Mage Tower of the Iris Kingdom rise into the sky?”

“That's not all. There are problems everywhere, from Alvenheim to the Holy Kingdom.”

“Father really picked a perfect time to hand over the throne.”

Arnold gave a bitter smile. He could not think of anything to say in response.

Still, Robert had already grown weak. That was why they had moved up the succession ceremony.

It was too late to delay it now.

“Come to think of it, what does Father plan to do from now on?”

“He said he plans to build a villa in the mountains. It sounds like he wants to live alone somewhere with clean air.”

“A mountain villa? Where?”

“I don't know either. He didn't tell me the details.”

Robert, who would soon become Emperor Emeritus, had been secretly preparing all sorts of things without Arnold's knowledge.

It looked suspicious, even bizarre, so Arnold had quietly looked into it.

Then he learned Robert had ordered piles of lumber supposedly good for building houses.

Arnold had been completely dumbfounded.

He had no idea what Robert intended, but at least one thing was clear. Robert truly had no interest in the throne anymore.

“By the way, Brother. Have you heard about Reva?”

Reva was the youngest of the three brothers and the one with especially deep faith, which was why he had become a holy knight.

With El Dorado in such turmoil, Arnold could not help paying attention to news about him.

“I have. Fortunately, it seems nothing has happened to him yet.”

“You heard he was originally on the purge list, but the Holy Kingdom spared him because they were watching our Empire's reaction?”

Paulo said it casually, despite how heavy the subject was.

Arnold nodded with a stiff expression.

“I heard it all. Ludwig, was it? Apparently, Reva was connected to his faction.”

“And Ludwig entered the Forest of Four Seasons. I heard he's still alive, at least.”

“For the Holy Kingdom, he's a problem whether he's dead or alive.”

To El Dorado, Ludwig was a ticking time bomb.

Normally, they could have used his entry into the Forest of Four Seasons as an excuse to declare him missing.

Socially, that would have been the same as him being dead.

But someone who could contact the outside world now lived in the Forest of Four Seasons.

“If Ludwig meets that man and exposes the secret...”

“The Holy Kingdom will immediately fall into civil war.”

Paulo spoke with certainty, and Arnold did not deny it.

Even though Paulo was Minister of Culture, his political instincts were excellent.

Whenever they had time, the brothers discussed matters like this and predicted where the political situation was headed.

“A civil war may be difficult. The Hero isn't there.”

“That's true. But if a civil war does break out, they won't be able to keep Alvenheim in check.”

That was the biggest problem. They would no longer be able to restrain Alvenheim, the country of the elves, through the Holy Kingdom.

El Dorado had originally been situated between Alvenheim and Mephisto.

That was why El Dorado had restrained Mephisto when it ran wild in the past.

But now Mephisto had become peaceful, while Alvenheim's movements had grown unsettling.

El Dorado needed to keep Alvenheim in check, but it would be unable to do so if it descended into civil war.

‘Then Alvenheim may turn its eyes toward our Empire.’

The Messiah Empire was practically right next to Alvenheim, with only the Forest of Four Seasons between them.

On top of that, the Messiah Empire bordered the Iris Kingdom.

They needed to stay alert, since they could be attacked from both sides.

Of course, Alvenheim might strike El Dorado first. Alvenheim was no less devout than El Dorado.

They might interfere in its internal affairs under the pretext that the Pope had fallen into corruption.

That would create another headache, because the Messiah Empire would have no excuse to intervene.

They might be forced to sit back and watch, which made the situation frustrating in many ways.

“All this would be easier if we knew what Alvenheim's real goal was. This is troublesome.”

“The Queen says she wants to plant trees...”

“You should never take a crazy person's words at face value. The elves are all collectively insane because of that Queen.”

Arnold did not disagree. The elves were not in a good state, either in reality or on the Gallery.

The older generation of elves had many who were still sane, but the younger generation was the problem.

It was as if they had all been hypnotized. Most younger elves had sworn loyalty to the Queen.

They were nothing like the gentle, peaceful people they were supposed to be.

“We can only do our best. Before long, we may learn what Alvenheim wants.”

“If things get bad, shouldn't we bring Lady Menesil back?”

“Lady Menesil...”

Arnold murmured as Paulo mentioned Lady Menesil, Ash.

Robert had also hinted that Arnold should ask Ash for help if anything happened to the Empire.

Even if Alvenheim caused trouble, Ash would be more than capable of holding them back.

But this was a world where military might became power. What if Arnold put Ash at the forefront and came to depend on her?

A mere count's title would not be enough. He would also have to consider power concentrating around her.

“We need to think that over carefully. It wouldn't be good to depend on her too much. More than anything, shouldn't her own wishes matter most?”

“That's true. So, do you have anyone in mind? I think you should raise at least one talented person, just like Father did.”

It was a sharp observation. Arnold let out a low hum.

The decisive reason Robert had earned the nickname Emperor of Domestic Affairs was his discovery of countless talented people, including Ash.

As long as they had strength and ability, he appointed them without caring about their status.

Ash stood out the most, but people supported by Robert were active throughout the Empire.

“I'll find someone suitable at the Academy. Or...”

“Or?”

“...”

Arnold could not continue. For some reason, one person came to mind.

Someone who was probably doing everything imaginable to survive in the Forest of Four Seasons right now.

Arnold could not meet him directly, much less use power to force him into anything.

Part of him wanted to stop thinking about Grylls altogether.

But the rewards he received through trading with Grylls were too tempting. He could not give them up.

‘Normally, I would leave this to Count Gorgon...’

Count Gorgon had completed an enormous trade. He had received an Adult Mandrake from Grylls.

Thanks to that, Robert had recovered, and they could even hold the succession ceremony.

‘He even found a Sky Whale and Ambergris recently.’

A Sky Whale, a mythical creature, and golden Ambergris.

Allfather and AllHailTheSun, who were usually close to Grylls, had received some without giving anything in return.

They were items so valuable that even the entire imperial budget would not be enough to buy them.

Ambergris alone was terrifyingly valuable, and nobody knew what he might discover next.

‘Do I support him seriously, or do I act as if he doesn't exist?’

It was too sweet a fruit. The sweeter the fruit, the harder it was to harvest.

He would have to keep supporting Grylls while hiding his identity.

No matter what happened, he did not want that damn username revealed.

“Brother?”

“...I need to think about this slowly. It's not like I absolutely need someone.”

“Hmm. That's true too.”

If necessary, he could put Count Gorgon forward.

He could trade with Grylls through him.

Count Gorgon was an ambitious noble, so he would gladly accept.

‘The more Count Gorgon's achievements stand out, the more naturally my own power will grow. Not bad.’

The more Arnold thought about it, the better it seemed.

Even if trading with Grylls failed, there would always be another chance.

“Then, Brother. When are you getting married?”

“Hm? What?”

“Marriage. Marriage. You need an empress.”

“An empress...”

There was one duty more important than any other for an emperor or king.

An heir.

It was not a choice, but an obligation.

Under normal circumstances, he should have already had a spouse, but things had become a little complicated, so he still did not.

“I should start looking soon. There really is too much to do.”

“Weren't you originally engaged to Lady Mercedes?”

“I was. But you know Lady Mercedes has an incurable illness and is at death's door.”

The incurable illness of Selena, the eldest daughter of the Mercedes family, was a fairly well-known story.

At first, people thought she had simply been born frail, but it was not long before they learned she had an incurable disease.

After all, she had firmly broken off her engagement with the imperial family. Even for a ducal household, that was an act that wounded the imperial family's pride.

It was far from a normal decision, so they investigated and learned about her illness.

Strictly speaking, it was not an incurable disease but a difficult-to-treat one, though the Mercedes family had kept it secret, so they had not learned that much.

“But rumors lately say Lady Mercedes has been taking walks often.”

“Has she fully recovered?”

“Perhaps. I don't know what method she used.”

Selena had stopped all public activities a year ago.

All sorts of rumors had spread because of it, the most notable being that her condition had worsened.

She had a disease serious enough to break off an engagement with the imperial family, yet she had suddenly recovered?

‘She must have received major help. If she comes to the succession ceremony, I should speak with her.’

He needed to find out who had helped her.

Someone capable of curing an incurable illness would surely be extraordinary.

One person did come to mind, but Arnold dismissed the thought.

Selena was famous for not simply despising the Gallery, but hating it.

Besides, it was uncertain whether an Adult Mandrake could cure an incurable illness.

An Elixir might heal wounds and poison, but it could not cure disease.

“Even if she has fully recovered, things have already fallen apart publicly, so it would be awkward to restore the engagement. Isn't there anyone suitable?”

“You're the one who needs to find her.”

“Phew. Why is there so much to do?”

Becoming emperor was great, but now that he was actually about to become one, he had far too much work.

Arnold was almost envious of Robert, who would leave everything behind for him to handle.

Arnold fell into thought for a moment, then turned to Paulo.

“No.”

“I haven't even said anything yet.”

“Didn't I say it? I'm going to loaf around for the rest of my life.”

“Thinking about it makes me mad. You want to keep your position as Minister of Culture, right? Then help me and work.”

“How could I? Call Reva instead.”

“That idiot has rocks for brains, so he can't work. And I don't want to work with someone so devout.”

The brothers sincerely worried about the affairs of a country filled with nothing but chaos.