WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Got a Gallery in the Wild ◈
Chapter 211: Winter Has Come (3)
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The Undying King incident broke out around thirty years ago.
The Undying King was born in the Balkan Kingdom, and countless clergy members were deployed to subdue him.
But they were helpless before Necromancy's greatest strength: overwhelming numbers.
No matter how powerful the clergy members were, they could not overcome such a crushing numerical disadvantage.
That was why the previous Hero and the Wizard King, Kadir, had no choice but to infiltrate the heart like a special operations unit.
While they infiltrated the heart, the holy knights somehow held back the massive undead army.
[Post title] Title) They Were Basically Meat Shields
[Post] They said they held them back, but they were basically just meat shields.
[Post] Especially since the Undying King never withdrew his forces and threw his entire army at El Dorado.
└ Didn't the Undying King cut El Dorado's military strength in half?
└ Calling it half is generous. Some clergy members were cursed, and lots lost arms or legs. They effectively lost around two-thirds of their forces.
└ Plus, the Undying King obsessively attacked only El Dorado. You could probably count Alvenheim's casualties on one hand.
└ Why else do you think other countries helped rebuild it themselves?
└ If anyone had invaded back then, it wouldn't have been the army they faced. It would've been every citizen of El Dorado;;
└ Thinking about it now gives me chills. Back then, we thought the Undying King attacked El Dorado because he was the Demon King.
└ Turns out El Dorado had created the Demon King itself;
└ What if they end up making another Demon King?
└ The Pope's already Demon King-level lol
Countless clergy members died holding them back, and the Undying King was finally defeated.
Though El Dorado had been left with an unhealable wound, their sacrifice had been noble.
They had fought for their country and carried out Goddess Aris's mission to destroy evil.
Thanks to that, even those left physically disabled rarely suffered mentally.
The people of El Dorado respected their noble sacrifice and supported them in countless ways.
Economic aid, honor, and respect for those left behind. It became another source of pride.
Until a truth more than shocking, a vile truth, came to light.
“You bastards! My father was a great holy knight! He gave everything for El Dorado! And this is what he got in return?! This?!”
“My mother was kinder than anyone. I can still picture her from behind. Why did my mother have to be sacrificed?”
Some of them had been parents their children admired, people they dreamed of becoming.
“I always resented my husband for leaving me and our children behind! But why did my husband have to die?!”
“My wife wasn't supposed to die like this! She was someone who deserved to live longer than anyone!”
They had been someone's lifelong partner, someone they had vowed to love forever.
“Our son...! Cough! Our son... Why did our son... have to die... Cough!”
“Bring my daughter back! Bring my daughter back!! Bring my daughter back!!!”
They had been children for whom their parents would not have hesitated to give their own lives.
They had firmly believed those deaths had not been in vain, yet the truth was cruel.
They had been sacrifices caused by the nation's sins.
A disaster that could have been stopped, deaths so pointless they never should have happened.
Those who had devoted their lives to their country had been sacrificed to cover up that country's mistakes.
Who would not be furious? Who would not grieve?
That was what the protests raging through El Dorado were like.
They were not struggling desperately to survive. They were crying bitterly because they could not contain their rage and grief.
“Th-there are so many people...”
“...It's incredible. It looked serious even in the Gallery, but this is something else.”
Asella and Reina saw it clearly with their own eyes.
Even calling it a sea of people was not enough.
The area before the Papal Palace, the plaza, even the streets.
Most citizens had stopped all economic activity and joined the protests.
They had only one goal: to make the Pope personally admit his wrongdoing.
The people of El Dorado, who had always lived under the threat of the Demon King, tended to come together during national crises.
Still, there had rarely been such a terrifying crowd in all of their history.
That showed how deeply their disappointment and sense of betrayal toward the Papal Palace had grown.
‘And they still haven't said a word...?’
Asella watched the terrifying tide of people and recalled the Papal Palace's response.
So far, its response had been stubbornly consistent.
They were right, and the protesters had been deceived. A lie nobody could possibly believe.
The more she heard it, the angrier she became. The Papal Palace was basically throwing more fuel on the fire.
“Asella. Keep your hood on the whole time, just in case.”
“Pardon?”
“Your hair stands out too much. Mine is at least fairly ordinary.”
“You're pretty too, Reina.”
“Oh my. It feels nice hearing that from you. Still, I'm not as distinctive as you, am I?”
That was not true. Reina's appearance was more than distinctive enough.
Asella was simply too dazzling. She could not argue with that.
“Let's get to the very front somehow. I want to hear what those bastards are spouting.”
“Yes.”
Part of Asella wanted to stay quiet until the protests ended.
The darkest place was beneath the lamp. The Papal Palace probably would not expect the Hero to be in the capital.
“Excuse me. Coming through.”
“Excuse us.”
The two pushed through the rough tide of people.
The farther forward they went, the louder the protesters' voices became.
It looked like an accident could break out at any moment, but there was surprisingly plenty of space.
-$%^%$!
A voice amplified by magic reached their ears.
It looked like they were nearing the front line.
Asella pulled her hood even lower, just in case.
When they finally reached the front, one voice reached her ears.
“People of El Dorado, you are being deceived! We have never spoken a lie!”
A voice steeped in lies.
Perhaps because it was amplified by magic, she heard it all too clearly.
Disgusting. The thought came to Asella without her meaning to.
After Ludwig's revelation, trust in the Papal Palace had hit rock bottom.
Could there be a bottom lower than this? She even found herself wondering that.
‘Why has El Dorado become like this…?’
Asella's heart grew more troubled.
Step! Step! Step! Step!
Disciplined footsteps sounded from before the Papal Palace's doors.
Asella's sharp senses let her identify exactly where they came from.
“H-huh?”
“The Holy Knight Order? Why are holy knights...?”
The voices of those at the front, once filled with fury and sorrow, turned to confusion.
“Everyone! Form ranks!”
The heavily armed Holy Knight Order stood before the protesters.
It was not particularly strange for holy knights to stand before a protest. There were safety concerns, and violence could break out.
But this was not a few holy knights.
An army had blocked their path.
“That crazy Pope even brought out the army?”
“A-are they really trying to start a civil war?”
“Oh, Aris. How did El Dorado come to this...?”
The protesters naturally imagined the worst. Asella was no different.
Her expression hardened as she reached for her holy sword.
If the worst came to pass, she planned to step forward and protect the citizens herself.
“Beloved citizens of El Dorado! Please, listen to me!”
Fortunately, the army did not move. Instead, a clergy member stepped forward.
This was no ordinary clergy member. The ranks of clergy were mostly distinguished by their clothing.
In particular, the shape of their hats made their status clear.
The clergy member's hat was rather tall.
“A-a cardinal?”
“A cardinal came out personally?”
A cardinal stood directly below the Pope in rank.
The protesters could not help but be confused when one appeared in person.
And that was exactly what the Pope's side wanted.
“We know you are disappointed in us. But we have never told a lie.”
The shameless lie nearly made the protesters erupt.
“More than that, we have learned something even more shocking. Right now... you are all cursed!”
“What? Cursed?”
“What curse are you suddenly talking about?”
“If the Pope's existence is a curse, then sure, we're cursed.”
The declaration was so absurd that the protesters were half dumbfounded and half confused.
Asella was not much different. She knew curses well.
Only clergy members could lift them, and the stronger a clergy member's divine power, the better they were at lifting curses.
“The vile Undying King's remnants still remain! The Undying King created undead through many methods. If you are not careful, you too may become undead!”
“W-what? U-undead?”
“We could become undead? Is that true?”
The claim that they could become undead while still alive shocked them.
People began demanding confirmation. Retired soldiers stepped forward first.
“...That is true. I saw it clearly with my own eyes.”
“The Undying King's Necromancy was powerful enough to turn even the living into undead.”
As testimonies from veterans poured forth, the citizens grew even more anxious.
But Asella had doubts. If they were cursed, could they not simply be cured?
That was what clergy members were for, yet the Papal Palace had done nothing.
It was only escalating their fears. No matter how she thought about it, something was wrong.
“Therefore, purification is needed! If you remain gathered like this, there is nothing we can do!”
In other words, cooperate. Disperse the protest.
Otherwise...
“If you refuse to comply, we too will have no choice but to take extreme measures to stop the curse.”
Clack!
At those words, the holy knights stamped their feet in unison. It was clearly a threat.
Archers even stood behind them. The protesters fell into complete confusion.
The army was being this forceful. What if they were the ones who had misunderstood?
Even the boy who cried wolf eventually told the truth. Could they trust them just once more?
As the protesters fidgeted anxiously, someone raised a hand.
“Listen! Then let me ask you one thing!”
The voice was rough, yet carried a sense of warmth.
The protesters made way for the person who had stepped forward with a raised hand.
Thanks to that, Asella saw the person's face clearly.
‘Uncle Hans?’
She knew that face well. He was the man who sold fruit in the plaza.
He treated everyone kindly and was popular for his sense of humor.
He also knew everybody. No one living in the capital had not eaten Hans's fruit.
Hans strode confidently to the front of the protesters and faced the cardinal.
“You say we're cursed?”
“That is correct.”
“I don't know where you got that information, but I'll believe you for now. But! I just need to find out whether I'm cursed, right? Go on, prove it.”
If he was cursed, prove it. Were they not clergy members?
It was an argument impossible to refute. Yet the cardinal spoke in a deeply regretful voice.
“The Undying King's curse is extremely powerful. And insidious. It is very difficult to detect, so it must be examined directly.”
“Even a cardinal has trouble with it?”
“Regrettably, yes. The Pope must personally examine you.”
In effect, it meant he had to meet the Pope alone. There would be risks.
Hans scoffed, then answered confidently.
“All the better. I'll go myself.”
“...”
The protesters said nothing at Hans's declaration that he would go himself.
They were uneasy, but they also wanted to know if the curse truly existed.
The Pope's side had even brought out the army and taken such hard-line measures. Surely they would not lie.
“Thank you for your cooperation. This way.”
The cardinal bowed to Hans and led him to the Papal Palace entrance.
As Hans entered the Papal Palace, the mood among the protesters slowly began to die down.
“W-what do we do?”
“For now, we have no choice but to wait for Uncle Hans's results.”
“Let's all go back for now. We can clean up while we're at it.”
The protesters dispersed. Asella, though, stayed until the end and watched the Papal Palace entrance.
Could what the Papal Palace said really be true? Those who had done nothing but spew lies?
She felt uneasy.
‘Not yet, but…’
She ran her fingers over the holy sword.
It was a sword she would never draw unless the moment truly came.
Asella stared at the Papal Palace for a while before turning away.
Reina beside her turned away as well.
“Hey, Asella.”
“Yes, Reina.”
“If Uncle Hans doesn't come back tomorrow... what will you do?”
Asella answered Reina's question without hesitation.
“I'll go in. Secretly.”
“Alone?”
“Yes.”
A curse could be lifted quickly, assuming the person was skilled enough.
Someone at the Pope's level should be able to handle most curses without difficulty.
So if Hans did not return by tomorrow...
It would mean something had definitely happened.
‘Aris…’
Asella prayed desperately in her heart.
‘Please protect Uncle Hans…’
* * *
It was while Asella prayed desperately in her heart.
“W-what are you doing?! Are you really...?!”
“Quiet! Cover his eyes, now!”
Not long after Hans entered the Papal Palace, the holy knights subdued him.
He was larger than most people, but that meant nothing before holy knights.
They restrained both arms first, then covered his eyes with a blindfold so he could not use the Gallery.
Hans was dragged off somewhere. He had never expected this.
“You've come.”
The holy knights dragged Hans into an interrogation room. The blindfold remained over his eyes.
Hans raised his head at the voice from ahead and shouted.
“What in the world are you doing?! Do you think Aris will forgive you after this?!”
There was no tremor in his voice. Only betrayal and fury.
But the cardinal sitting before him did not flinch. Instead, he said:
“Now then. From this moment, you are...”
Hans heard what came next.
“The Undying King's lackey. Do you understand?”
“What...?”
It felt as though he had looked into an abyss beneath the very bottom.
* * *
Rattle-
“Hm?”
Grylls turned at the rattling sound.
In that direction stood the Cain statue that had been inside the Mimic.
It was not as if the Cain statue had moved on its own, so why had it suddenly rattled?
‘Did I hear that wrong?’
There was something more important than that. He stared at the fireplace.
He was not the only one. The other animals were looking too.
“This should be enough, right?”
He took something out of the fireplace.
It was a roasted sweet potato, browned to perfection.
When he peeled the skin, its golden flesh shone brightly.
“Damn. That looks good.”
“Piiiii! Piik!”
“Got it. Wait.”
Nothing beat roasted sweet potatoes in the freezing winter.
Footnotes:
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