WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
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◈ Got a Gallery in the Wild ◈
Chapter 191: Omen (1)
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News that Ludwig had sparred with Kkobong and Fast Sloth spread quickly.
Not just through the Gallery, but in the real world too, especially among the people of the Holy Kingdom.
Ash, Kadir, and Asella were all famous, but there were more famous figures in the Holy Kingdom than one could count on both hands.
The Hero was a symbolic figure above all else, while Ludwig was El Dorado's guardian.
He had spent his entire life serving his homeland and Goddess Aris, so many people had benefited from his devotion.
“It's a relief that he seems to be doing well... but is he really in the Forest of Four Seasons?”
“How many times do I have to say it? The Forest of Four Seasons! That damned Papal Palace forced him in there!”
“Shh! Keep it down! What if they arrest you?”
“Let them try! With even Sir Ludwig gone, there aren't any true holy knights left in the Holy Kingdom!”
A middle-aged man shouted at the top of his lungs, sounding drunk despite it being broad daylight.
Normally, people would have given him dirty looks for causing such a disturbance, but no one stopped him.
That was the state of El Dorado at the moment. His words about there being no true holy knights left struck painfully close to home.
“How did even Sir Ludwig end up like this...?”
“It's all because of the Pope. He purged everyone he didn't like.”
“They shoved him into the Forest of Four Seasons, and now what? He's missing? Give me a break.”
Even those who had not been shouting were dissatisfied.
At least this was a city outside the capital. If it had been the capital, protests would have broken out long ago.
“How's the capital right now?”
“It's a complete mess. Feels like it's about to blow at any moment.”
“The Papal Palace hasn't said anything?”
“Why would they? At best, they'll say it's a baseless rumor from the Gallery and can't be trusted.”
“I'm sick of them blaming everything on the Gallery.”
Public opinion toward the Papal Palace had hit rock bottom.
One incident after another had steadily filled the powder keg, and Ludwig's testimony had finally lit the fuse.
It was destined to explode from the smallest spark, though it would probably go off even without one.
Their claim that it was all nonsense from the Gallery did not work at all.
Some newspapers even said that, just as Ludwig had cut off his rotting foot, El Dorado needed to do the same.
Naturally, the rotten part was the Papal Palace. It was practically a call to cut off its head.
The government had been driven to the brink of collapse.
Considering all the wrongs the Papal Palace had accumulated, it was only fitting.
Still, it was frightening.
“Who knows what the Pope might do next...”
“Exactly. He's the kind of bastard who cuts off the heads of anyone he doesn't like.”
No one knew what a Pope backed into a corner might do.
He had hidden his shameful acts by controlling information through the media.
Then, out of nowhere, ugly truths had been exposed in the Forest of Four Seasons. And on the Gallery, of all places.
The Forest of Four Seasons was a nightmarish wilderness even the Pope could not control.
To make matters worse, Ludwig had exposed everything from there and left him cornered.
A cornered rat could become vicious enough to kill a cat.
The Pope had purged Ludwig and seized control of the military. There was no telling what he might do next.
“If only the Hero were here at a time like this...”
Someone muttered quietly, and the mood fell silent.
The Hero. It was a symbol that stirred complicated feelings.
What was the Hero? The symbol and pride of the Holy Kingdom.
Heroes throughout history had fought the Demon King and protected peace.
The previous Hero, in particular, had sacrificed themself by perishing alongside the Undying King.
The Papal Palace may have pressured that Hero into it, but it did not diminish the value of the sacrifice.
“...Do you really think the Hero will destroy our country?”
“Wasn't it a prophecy?”
“What if the Papal Palace fabricated that prophecy?”
“Come on. How could anyone fabricate a prophecy? If they did, divine punishment would have struck them down.”
“There were lots of witnesses too. Too many people testified.”
This Hero was different, though. The fall had been as intense and shocking as the Hero's once-brilliant status.
A prophecy had declared that the current Hero would destroy El Dorado.
After that prophecy, the Hero had been branded a traitor and fled.
The Hero had even made off with the holy sword, Revolution. Naturally, the citizens of the Holy Kingdom could not help but worry.
“Still, isn't a prophecy just a prophecy? If you ask me, the Pope looks more likely to destroy our country.”
“That's true, but... it's unsettling. We're talking about destruction here. Destruction.”
“I heard the Hero is an incredibly kind person. Isn't it possible something went wrong?”
Whether they liked it or not, El Dorado was directly and indirectly tied to Goddess Aris.
It was a nation founded on faith. They could not help but pay attention to prophecies delivered by the object of that faith.
That was why a prophecy that the Hero would destroy their homeland felt so troubling.
“Honestly, maybe destruction wouldn't be so bad. If it wipes out the Papal Palace, anyway.”
“I hope that's what the destruction means.”
“Ugh. Just drink. The Papal Palace is rotten, the Hero is a traitor... what a state this country is in.”
All they could do was complain. The people sighed.
“Maybe we were better off when we knew nothing.”
“Our hearts would have been more at ease. The next generation would just have suffered more.”
“We should be glad we were the ones who had to suffer first.”
Information traveled remarkably quickly in this world because of the Gallery.
There were lies mixed in from time to time, of course, but it was still terrifyingly effective.
The very institution known as the press had originated from people gathering to separate truth from lies on the Gallery.
That was why the press was so unusually developed for this era.
It was also why the Papal Palace desperately tried to block both the press and the Gallery.
It was a policy of keeping the people ignorant. Controlling information meant controlling the citizens.
They had successfully concealed the truth about the Undying King, after all.
At least until an unexpected variable appeared in the Forest of Four Seasons.
“The country's really a mess... We'll be able to return to the capital, right?”
“...”
Two women were experiencing that public sentiment firsthand.
They sat in robes with their hoods pulled low, listening to the people's conversation.
One was Lace. The other was Asella, whose name had been mentioned again and again by the citizens.
“...Sis.”
“Yeah. Go ahead.”
“Will I... no, will the Hero really destroy El Dorado?”
Asella asked in a dejected voice. They were currently returning to the capital.
Originally, they had planned to keep avoiding pursuit, but several incidents had forced them to change their plans.
The most decisive of those was Ludwig's revelation. It had proven that Ludwig's faction was innocent.
On top of that, things looked so dangerous that a civil war could break out at any moment, so they were hurrying back.
“The Hero? How would the Hero destroy it?”
Asella still needed to watch what she said. Their pursuers had not completely given up.
Asella seemed to consider Lace's question for a moment, then closed her mouth.
As if Lace had expected that response, she gave a small laugh and took a drink.
“Don't worry about it so much. It's only a prophecy, right? Goddess Aris must have a purpose.”
“So you're saying the prophecy isn't wrong.”
“...”
Lace smiled bitterly. She could not deny it.
Aris's prophecies were famous for coming true in one form or another.
There were even records of people desperately trying to avoid a prophecy, only to find that their struggle had been part of the prophecy all along.
Asella was therefore fated to be unable to escape it. That was what made it so sad.
“Well... I don't know. It's not something I can say for sure either.”
“I see.”
“But you'll protect El Dorado until the end, won't you?”
“...I'll protect the citizens.”
She would protect the citizens. Those words alone showed how much Asella's heart had changed.
At first, she had believed it was all a misunderstanding. That the Pope had simply gotten the wrong idea.
She had trusted the Pope completely, but doubts had begun to take root lately.
Ludwig's revelations had been decisive. Her trust in the Papal Palace had fallen.
‘If armed conflict breaks out, should I be the one to stop it?’
Could she, someone branded a traitor, really do that?
They were rushing back to the capital, but there was no telling what would happen.
Asella had just let out a sigh when the shop door flew open with a bang.
Someone violently threw it open.
It was a deliberate act, as if to make everyone look.
“What?”
“Why are holy knights here?”
“Did they hear us badmouthing them?”
The people entering the shop were none other than holy knights.
The citizens were briefly puzzled when they appeared, then reacted with indifference.
With even Ludwig purged, they believed there were no true holy knights left in El Dorado.
“Everyone, listen. We have received information that a traitor is currently here.”
“A traitor? You mean the Hero?”
“No, they mean the Pope.”
“Ha! That's true enough!”
People drinking in the middle of the day were not about to exchange kind words.
They did nothing but mock them. The holy knights frowned, then ignored it and continued with their task.
“From this moment on, we will conduct an inspection. Please remain seated and cooperate.”
“An inspection? What kind of bullshit is that?”
“Go back and arrest the Pope, you bastards!”
“You've got the strength to hunt down the Hero, but not the strength to arrest the Pope?”
“Hahahahaha!”
The shop was instantly filled with laughter.
It was laughter dripping with scorn.
A holy knight finally shouted.
“Silence! How dare you slander the Pope! Are you not afraid of Lady Aris's wrath?”
“My wife's wrath is scarier.”
“Hahaha! That's true enough!”
“I've seen enough! Arrest every one of these vile people! They have unjustly insulted the Pope!”
At their commander's order, the holy knights moved in.
The citizens did not resist and allowed themselves to be led away. Not one of them looked trusting.
Asella sprang to her feet in alarm, but Lace urgently grabbed her wrist.
“S-Sis?”
“Not yet. Those people bought us time. Let's run now.”
“B-But they're being arrested just for insulting them...”
“They'll probably only be questioned and released. If you get caught too, El Dorado really is finished.”
“...”
Lace's realistic judgment left Asella with no choice but to prepare to run.
The holy knights had just led the citizens outside when the window beside them shattered.
“Huh? Th-Those bastards! Catch them!”
“Damn it! Of all times!”
The two smashed the window beside them and fled.
The holy knights saw them and hurried after them.
“What? The Hero was really here?”
“They did look suspicious.”
As the holy knights began their pursuit, the detained citizens were naturally released as well.
The citizens watched the chase, then sat back down as if it were nothing important.
“The Hero's still way better. It's the country that'll be ruined, not us.”
“That's true.”
“I hate the Hero.”
While everyone else defended the Hero, only one person criticized her.
It was the shop owner, who had been insulting the Pope alongside them moments ago.
Everyone looked puzzled by the sudden change in attitude, and the owner let out a deep sigh.
“I'll hate the Hero until my window is paid for.”
“Hmm... Fair enough.”
“Make the Hero pay for it later.”
“Like that'll happen.”
* * *
Public sentiment in El Dorado was plunging further and further.
What was the Papal Palace, facing that public anger head-on, doing now?
Were they considering stepping down? Or something even more extreme?
“I understand. This is all we need to do, correct?”
“Yes, that's right.”
“And if it fails?”
A cardinal answered Pope Louis II's question.
“We will have no choice but to mobilize the army. We have sufficient justification.”
“Hmm.”
“Goddess Aris will forgive us as well.”
Mobilizing the army was not something a leader should ever suggest.
An army was meant to be mobilized only in cases such as an enemy invasion or an internal rebellion.
The army was the citizens' sword and shield. That could not be forgotten.
Any normal person would have refused, but...
“I understand. I approve it.”
“Thank you.”
“What could we possibly fail to do for Goddess Aris?”
Those drunk on power cast Self-Justification.
They told themselves that signs of an internal “rebellion” had already started to appear.
The Pope pressed his seal firmly onto the documents.
Before long, the cardinal withdrew, leaving him alone.
‘That Ludwig bastard has finally gone and caused a mess.’
Louis II clicked his tongue.
If Ludwig had just stayed quiet, none of this would have happened.
If he had at least kept it off the Gallery, things would not have come to this.
‘What's he doing right now? If he starts saying more strange things...’
What was he doing?
“Hey. Put it here, not there.”
“I did put it down.”
“No! Why are you so bad at this?! You're a soldier!”
Ludwig had become Grylls' excellent laborer.
Was it too harsh to make him work when one of his legs was injured?
‘What do you expect me to do? He's much stronger than I am.’
That was not his problem. Ludwig's hands worked fine, so he was good to go.
“Not human...”
“What are you even saying? You work too. This is the house you'll be living in.”
“Bad guy. Really bad guy.”
“I won't feed you.”
“Actually, a good master.”
They were getting by well enough, in their own way.
Footnotes:
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