WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Irevi
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ I Unleashed a Gossip Gallery in Another World ◈
Chapter 11: Knight Commander Ciel (2)
──────
“Urrgh...”
Right after Commander Ciel declared defeat and the duel ended, I immediately disconnected from the duel Magic Circle, threw myself onto my bed, and lay there groaning.
“God, my whole body hurts...”
All I had done was lightly grip a sword and pretend to swing it, but it felt like every muscle in my body was being twisted apart.
Was I seriously this frail in this life?
Of course, I had no intention whatsoever of becoming a Hero again like in my previous life, but I should probably set aside some time to build up my stamina.
-Knock, knock, knock!
As I lay in bed resting, lost in thought, someone suddenly knocked on the door.
“Hey, what are you doing?”
“Fuck, you scared me.”
It was my rude little sister, Eirin.
Thank god I had locked the door ahead of time. She had been trying to barge into my room without knocking lately.
“I’ve been hearing moaning from your room for a while.”
“...”
“Elrod, were you doing something weird?”
Listen to the shit that bitch was saying outside my door.
Even if we were not blood-related, I was still her older brother. Couldn’t she watch her mouth?
“Get lost, bitch.”
“What? So it was real.”
“I don’t feel well, so quit talking bullshit.”
I was a little pissed off, but I did not even have the energy to deal with her. So, in the most courteous and respectful tone I could manage, I told her to get out.
“...Ugh. Gross.”
Muttering through the door in a voice dripping with disgust, she soon quietly left.
“Ha...”
Only then did I finally catch my breath and summon the Gallery window to check the reaction to this incident.
(Author: Eirin, the Mage Tower's Top Disciple)
[Anonymous: I want my big brother to teach me a lesson like he did that knight too....]
(Author: Princess Ruabel)
[Anonymous: ❗❗❗❗Look at my dogeza picture too❗❗❗❗]
(Author: Saintess of the Holy Church)
[Anonymous: Guys, what the hell does “belly punch” mean???]
The moment I logged in, I casually ignored the posts from the Gossip Gallery’s three biggest trolls, including my sister Eirin.
‘I should put them in their place someday.’
Of course, I did not plan to keep ignoring them forever.
I was already planning to pick a day and punish those three troll leaders for disrupting my peaceful Gallery life.
‘Let’s see...’
For now, checking the reaction to this incident was more important.
So I quickly skimmed through the featured posts on the Empire Village Gossip Gallery, which had somehow become something like the Gossip Gallery’s general forum.
[Grinning Empire Village Gossip Gallery]
[✪If Gossip Gallery Eraser is starting to genuinely scare you, upvote]
[✪Not a person. Seriously. ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ]
[✪(Scary Story) Gossip Gallery Eraser apparently didn’t even use Aura in that duel....]
[✪The Eraser We Thought Was the Users’ Punching Bag Turned Out to Be Secretly the Strongest.novel]
As expected, even though quite some time had passed since the duel ended, the featured posts were still full of topics about me.
----------
[Title: I FIGURED OUT GOSSIP GALLERY ERASER’S IDENTITY!!!]
Author: Anonymous (High Elf Sigria)
This bastard is at least a ten-thousand-year-old ancient dragon.
There’s no other way to explain it.
Does it make any sense for someone to reach godly realms in both magic and swordsmanship?
I’ve been alive since the World Tree was planted in the Great Forest, and not even the Demon King or the First Emperor were at that level, yeah.
----------
The High Elf who had been deeply curious about my identity since last time was eagerly adding more fuel to the speculation.
(Black Dragon Azrakan): Do you people... think dragons... have nothing better to do...?
(Chief of the Dragonkin Ubellum): We aren’t... idiots who voluntarily become Erasers either... haha.
(Ancient Dragon Ragnak): Ugh, look at this knife-ear’s prejudice lol.
Surprisingly, even the dragons, who would not move unless something was especially interesting, had joined the discussion.
(Ancient Dragon Ragnak): Why not say the previous Hero came back from the dead instead?
One surprising thing was that one old-hand dragon had come remarkably close to the truth.
‘I made sure nobody could hear that muttering during the duel...’
Even if that got out, it would not hurt the real me much.
As long as nobody uncovered my identity as Elrod Durgel in this life, the Gossip Gallery would never collapse.
Still, as someone who wanted to preserve an air of mystery for the Gallery’s popularity, I was not thrilled about it.
(Saintess of the Holy Church): If that were possible, the Goddess would’ve revived the Hero long ago....
ㄴ(Ancient Dragon Ragnak): That’s true, yeah.
ㄴ(High Elf Sigria): Can’t argue with that....
Fortunately, the users having that heated debate discarded the speculation that had come close to the answer themselves.
(High Elf Sigria): Then could they be a new Hero?
ㄴMage Gallery Eraser: I searched like crazy, but there’s nothing in the Church about any Hero prophecy.
ㄴ(Saintess of the Holy Church): How would you even know that?
Watching the discussion sink back into uncertainty, I tilted my head at a question that suddenly came to mind.
‘Come to think of it, why did I reincarnate?’
I thought it over for a while, but naturally, no answer came to mind.
“Hmm...”
My head started hurting again as I narrowed my eyes and shifted around in bed, so I eventually shook my head and decided to focus on what was in front of me.
‘First, I need to end this topic.’
Things had gotten a little overheated because of the recent string of incidents involving moderator badges, but this was still the Gossip Gallery.
It was a place where everyone around the world could freely mock and slander others without worrying about appearances, all while having a good time.
I absolutely did not want such a sacred place to be drowned in excessive worship of me.
----------
[Notice: Starting in ten minutes, I’m purging posts that speculate about my identity.]
Author: Gossip Gallery Eraser
It’ll be better for all of us, haha.
----------
So I wrote an announcement and forcibly ended the topic that had once again covered the Empire Village Gallery.
Exactly ten minutes later, the Gossip Gallery had thankfully returned to its proper purpose, and a new target for public mockery had already appeared.
[Anonymous: So where the hell did Slave Candidate 2 go?]
[Anonymous: Where’s the noble Swordmaster’s shameful dogeza?]
[Anonymous: Don’t tell me they pulled all that shit and ran away? lol]
[Anonymous: Hurry up and take your mod badge so you can give us our dopamine!!!!!!]
[Anonymous: Upvote if you’ve been refreshing for some reason since earlier lol]
“Hmm...”
As I watched those posts closely, I scratched my head and muttered to myself.
‘Did she seriously run away?’
Just as I was idly regretting kicking her in the stomach during the duel, a private post written by Knight Commander Ciel was uploaded to the Empire Village Gossip Gallery.
[🔒Slave Candidate 2: Please check.]
* * *
At the same time, inside the commander’s office of the Imperial Knights barracks within the Imperial Palace.
“...”
Ciel sat on her knees without moving, blankly repeating one fact to herself.
‘I... lost?’
For the first time in her life, she had lost to someone, despite having been undefeated ever since she first picked up a sword.
‘To a man whose origins I don’t even know?’
The more she repeated that thought, the blue drained from Ciel’s face, gradually leaving it ashen.
“Ugh...”
After some time had passed, Ciel looked at the Gallery floating quietly beside her and began trembling without realizing it.
Anonymous33: At this point, doesn’t look like she’s coming lol.
Anonymous34: Is the first permaban finally happening!?
Anonymous35: Well, yeah lol. A proud Swordmaster would find dogeza humiliating.
ㄴAnonymous36: For real, if it were me, I’d just quit the Gossip Gallery.
Anonymous37: No response this whole time, so she really just ran off?
As the promised dogeza photo still had not been uploaded, the atmosphere in the Gallery was growing increasingly hostile.
“...”
And it was not only the ordinary users reacting that way.
>Noble Lady Gallery Eraser: Check my private post and use the verification template as a reference.
>Mage Gallery Eraser: Check my private post for dogeza instructions, go.
The two senior slaves had just mercilessly commented on the private post she had uploaded to negotiate.
“Ugh...”
Ciel read the templates they had attached with a vacant expression, then let out a groan with a humiliated look on her face.
‘They want me to send a picture like this to someone whose address I don’t even know?’
The two senior slaves had kindly given her passwords to previous verification posts.
But the verification template she found using them was difficult for a proud female knight like her to accept.
[Gossip Gallery Eraser♡]
‘With a note saying something this humiliating held in my mouth?’
Ciel remained there with her mouth hanging open, agonizing over it for a long while. Eventually, she staggered to her feet.
-Swish...
She walked straight to the full-length mirror in the commander’s office, gritted her teeth, and slightly lifted her training clothes.
‘This is really not okay...’
Reflected in the mirror was a body with nothing remarkable about it except her smooth, toned abs.
Forcing herself to look at it, Ciel held the note in her mouth and bit her lip anxiously.
‘If I take a photo like this... it’s basically the same as revealing my identity...’
To repeat, she was the only Swordmaster on the continent with such a youthful build.
In other words, even if she hid her face, the instant she uploaded the verification photo, people would be able to identify her.
“...!”
Ciel was drenched in cold sweat as she continued agonizing over it, when she suddenly froze in place with her training clothes lifted at the sound of someone outside.
“Commander, what are you doing?”
“Eek.”
“Everyone has assembled at the training grounds.”
Ciel drew a sharp breath at the voices of her subordinates outside.
“What? I can’t hear you.”
“What did you say?”
Fortunately, the commander’s office door was locked, and the soundproofing for privacy was fairly good as well.
“I’m changing clothes, so wait!”
Ciel shouted at the top of her lungs to send her subordinates away, then urgently gritted her teeth and began writing a comment on the private post.
>Slave Candidate 2: I’m busy right now, so could you give me a little time to think...?
>Slave Candidate 2: I’m soaked in sweat, so I need time to wash too....
Right afterward, the sudden rush of humiliation made her body tremble once more.
-Tremble...
But when the replies arrived immediately, Ciel squeezed her eyes shut and cursed.
>Noble Lady Gallery Eraser: Verify within five minutes or you’re getting permabanned.
>Mage Gallery Eraser: Just don’t do it, yeah.
“Fuck... assholes...”
Just like one would expect from Gossip Gallery moderators, the two senior slaves had no intention of taking her circumstances into consideration.
“...”
How much time passed after that?
[🔒Slave Candidate 2: (No Title)]
At last, the post every user had been eagerly waiting for was quietly uploaded to the Empire Village Gossip Gallery.
[Noble Lady Gallery Eraser: lolololololololololol]
[Mage Gallery Eraser: She really did it just because we told her to lol]
Ciel gritted her teeth at the two Erasers’ loud reactions, then hurriedly put on her armor.
“...Recite on my count.”
She ran straight to the training grounds, climbed onto the platform with the calmest expression she could manage, and began issuing commands to the subordinates waiting for her.
‘Damn it.’
Yet unlike usual, the face she was trying to keep calm was slightly flushed.
‘I didn’t put on any underwear...’
She had put on her armor in such a rush to avoid arousing her subordinates’ suspicions that she had not been able to put on what she needed to.
“One.”
“We are His Majesty’s sword!”
Feeling the cool breeze slip beneath her armor and wrap around her body, Ciel forced herself to continue the cadence.
“Two!”
“No one but His Majesty!”
Then she suddenly stopped.
[Gossip Gallery Eraser: God, that’s obscene.]
The Gossip Gallery Eraser, who had been oddly quiet until then, had chosen that exact moment to leave that post in the Empire Village Gallery.
“Thwee...”
“We shall never serve anyone but His Majesty as our master!”
Her pathetic, slightly slurred command made the clueless subordinates answer loudly.
“...”
At that very moment, a message appeared before her eyes with perfect timing.
[You have been appointed manager of the International Swordsman Gossip Gallery!]
[Accept: Y/N]
“Ugh...”
Ciel lowered her head weakly as she read the message, while her jogging subordinates looked at her as though something was off.
“Doesn’t the Commander’s face look a little red today?”
“Ha, she must be really angry.”
“Guess we’re not sleeping early tonight...”
They would probably never realize it.
>Swordsman Gallery Eraser: Can I delete the post now...?
>Noble Lady Gallery Eraser: Nope, I already retagged it as a Hall of Shame post.
>Mage Gallery Eraser: Congrats on your slave duties^^
That their noble Imperial Knight Commander, who was currently leading them, had just become someone’s scabbard, the exact opposite of her own command.
“I’ll... never forget this humiliation...”
Feeling the full weight of that fact, Ciel’s eyes filled with tears, just like those of the other slaves before her, as she muttered in a low voice.
[Notice: The International Swordsman Gossip Gallery has been created!]
Of course, even if she tried to forget it, the Gallery she would manage from now on would remind her of that humiliation for the rest of her life.
Footnotes:
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