WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Irevi
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ I Unleashed a Gossip Gallery in Another World ◈
Chapter 19: Imperial Ball
──────
After hiring Black Dragon Azrakan, the continent's worst troll, as the lowliest slave responsible for bans across the galleries, the Gossip Gallery had, amazingly, become a far more pleasant place than ever before.
[Ban Appeal Gallery]
[Anonymous: I swear I'll never pretend it was an accident and upload a house crest to the Noble Ladies Gossip Gallery again....]
[Anonymous: I won't put backdoor plugins in Magic Circles again.... Please, spare me just this once....]
[Anonymous: I'll never recommend magic swordsmen in the Swordsman Gallery again.... Please lift my ban....]
[Anonymous: You fucking bitch, a twenty-four-hour ban for ding-dong-ditching the call bell?! You used to ban people for one hour!!!]
Behold the cries of the pitiful souls flocking to the Ban Appeal Gallery after falling victim to Azrakan's fixed-handle purge.
Of course, that alone would have been admirable enough, but Azrakan's achievements did not end there.
----------
[🔒Title: Why am I banned?]
Author: Anonymous (Crown Prince Lukabel)
I suddenly got banned for 168 hours today. What's this about?
I checked the moderation record, and it looks like this bastard Troll Eraser banned me. Who the hell are you?
[Comments: 7]
Troll Eraser: [1] Repeated use of internal Imperial Royal Family slang.
Troll Eraser: [2] The interior layout of the Crown Prince's palace visible in the photograph.
Troll Eraser: [3] Mentioning when the imperial council session ended.
Troll Eraser: [4] Defending the Crown Prince in the Noble Ladies Gossip Gallery.
Troll Eraser: [5] Continued posts related to hair loss.
Troll Eraser: Want me to keep going? Or will you shut your mouth and come back in a week before I post your identity to Receipts?
ㄴAuthor: You fucking crazy bitch.
----------
Just look at that imposing display. With competence nearly worthy of a detective, she had even caught the Crown Prince in the act of trolling.
I had hired her simply to punish people who harmed the Gossip Gallery. I never imagined she would perform this well.
Wasn't there a saying that it took a barbarian to catch a barbarian?
As the worst troll in history, she was intimately familiar with how malicious users operated. She was protecting the Gossip Gallery with the force of a hundred soldiers.
[✪Upvote if you think we picked a fucking great mod this time lol]
[✪That bastard spends all day browsing galleries....]
[✪Isn't that seriously the dragon from that Hall of Shame post? lol]
[✪Even an ancient-civilization golem couldn't match that efficiency, fuck.]
Naturally, the users' response to her was overwhelmingly favorable.
Just a few days ago, these same users had suffered under Azrakan's trolling. Now they were praising her. You really did live long enough to see everything.
Troll Eraser: This is,,, kind of fun,,, heh.
ㄴGossip Gallery Eraser: Idiot.
ㄴNoble Lady Gallery Eraser: Got a leash put on you and turned into a pet lizard, huh? lol
ㄴMage Gallery Eraser: LOLOLOLOLOLOL
And absurdly enough, perhaps Azrakan did not dislike that favor. She had entered full enjoyer mode.
Troll Eraser: Administrator,,, I would like to repay you for giving me such an entertaining position,,, could you tell me your address...?
ㄴGossip Gallery Eraser: Fuck off.
ㄴTroll Eraser: You didn't fall for it lol.
She still seemed to hold a grudge against me, but at this point, I could acknowledge her as an excellent member of the Erasers.
‘Is it finally time...?’
Once the Gossip Gallery had stabilized considerably thanks to Azrakan's work, I sensed that the moment had finally arrived and wrote an announcement.
[Notice: The Other Races Gossip Gallery has been created!]
The Other Races Gossip Gallery was essential for the Gossip Gallery to spread across the entire world.
At last, the gallery that would bring in the largest influx of users was announcing its birth to the world.
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[Notice: Other Races Gossip Gallery Rules!]
Author: Other Races Gallery Eraser
All identity exposure is forbidden!
However, you may reveal your race as long as it does not expose your personal identity!
----------
Ugrin, who had also been waiting for the Other Races Gossip Gallery to open, immediately posted the rules and breathed life into the new current.
“Good....”
Watching it all with a satisfied smile, I quietly leaned back against my bed.
‘Now I'll stay off the galleries for a day.’
Whenever a new gallery opened, I deliberately refrained from checking it for about a day.
That way, I could get more dopamine the next day.
Until now, I had held myself back because the galleries could not be managed without me. But things were different now.
Even if I stayed away from the galleries for a day, the carefully selected Erasers and Azrakan would manage and maintain them just fine.
‘What kind of juicy threads will be waiting for me when I open the galleries again tomorrow...?’
Filled with anticipation, I lay on my bed and closed my eyes, intending to take a leisurely nap.
“Elrod, come see me for a moment.”
“...Yes?”
But my perfect plan collapsed in less than ten minutes.
“Prepare to attend the Imperial Ball immediately.”
Count Durgel, my father, had suddenly opened my bedroom door and delivered that shocking news.
“What?!”
* * *
What was an Imperial Ball?
It was a holy land of elite circlejerking, one every imperial noble sought to attend.
‘Why would I go there?’
Naturally, for a shut-in Hero like me, it was the sort of place that gave me hives just thinking about it.
“Wasn't Father supposed to attend this Imperial Ball?”
“Something came up.”
“No, what could possibly have come up...?”
Unable to hide my dissatisfaction, I asked Father the question. Then his answer left me speechless.
“His Majesty the Emperor is establishing a department to monitor unauthorized galleries.”
“......”
“I have been appointed head of that department, so I believe I must begin work immediately.”
I never imagined the snowball created by the Gossip Gallery would roll this way.
And of course, I never expected that snowball to land on me, someone who had been trying to live as though he were dead.
“I've never attended an Imperial Ball before.”
“Yes, naturally I know that.”
“I've never even shown my face in high society to begin with....”
After breaking into a cold sweat for some time, I tried to resist in a stammering voice.
“Are you saying you intend to absent yourself from an Imperial Ball?”
“...You could send Eirin instead.”
“What would become of our family's dignity if we sent a collateral relative to represent us instead of a direct descendant?”
Father's attitude was firm.
“Of course, this is not discrimination against Eirin. But in official matters such as this, the hierarchy must be observed.”
“......”
“Have you forgotten that since your elder brother passed away, you are highest in the line of succession for this estate?”
He really was worthy of being called the model imperial noble.
Though from the perspective of someone who had been dragged into attending the ball as acting head of the family, it was an utterly infuriating personality.
“Why not send my elder sister instead...?”
“The eldest daughter is busy with matters in the North. Unlike you.”
“Haah....”
Even my eldest sister, who had been filling the role of eldest child in my place, was absent. There really was no getting out of this.
“Elrod, no matter how poor your health may be, you cannot remain shut up in your room forever.”
“......”
“Since you were born a noble, you must eventually enter high society and conduct yourself as a proper noble.”
Still, giving up this easily felt unfair, so I clutched my head and attempted one final act of resistance.
“I apologize, but I'm really not feeling well right now....”
However, Father's next words rendered even that attempt meaningless.
“I have already informed the representatives of the noble houses that you will be attending as acting head of the family.”
“Ah.”
“Everyone is very eager to see what the second son of House Durgel, who has never shown his face even once in his life, will be like.”
I had to admire Father's initiative. He had anticipated I would react this way and already set everything in motion.
I wanted to praise his competence by recruiting him as a Gossip Gallery mod, but my head would probably roll the moment I made the offer.
“So please tidy up that messy hair of yours and make yourself presentable.”
“Ugh....”
“At the very least, you ought to avoid making a laughingstock of yourself in high society. Tsk, tsk.”
As I entertained such foolish thoughts, Father clicked his tongue while glancing at my hair, finished his unilateral announcement, and left my room.
“If you refuse to listen to me again, I will assign you a personal physician and enroll you in the academy.”
Then came a quiet silence.
“......”
As I sat blankly on the bed in that silence, I made a face of utter disgust at the combs and cosmetics the maids brought in as they cautiously entered.
“Young Master Elrod, shall we help make you presentable?”
“...No need.”
“Then at least allow us to dress you in the ball attire the count has prepared....”
Even so, I could not stop them from putting me into flashy clothes suitable for the ballroom.
“Mm....”
As I stifled groans while being forcibly changed, I hurriedly opened the gallery.
I had decided not to access it for a day, but this was an emergency, so I had no choice.
[Noble Ladies Gossip Gallery]
[✪Attention, ladies debuting this year! I've organized the factions you absolutely need to avoid, so please read it!!!]
[✪Is it true that Lady Yurian is coming to this Imperial Ball? She has no shame lololol]
[✪The Saintess of the Holy Church isn't even an imperial citizen, so why is she farming an invitation to the ball as a state guest?]
[✪Will "that bitch," who has monopolized her position as queen of high society for over five years, finally step down this year? Hehehe.]
I entered the Noble Ladies Gossip Gallery, the place most likely to be helpful, and marveled at how it was already filled with talk of the Imperial Ball.
(Author: Lady Yurian)
[Noble Lady Gallery Eraser: Ah, fuck, I really don't want to go;]
(Author: Princess Ruabel)
[Anonymous: Anyone want to kidnap me at this ball? Heh.]
(Author: Saintess of the Holy Church)
[Anonymous: I'm so nervous I feel like I'm going to throw up.... I've never gone outside in my life....]
Even the malicious users I often saw were writing about the Imperial Ball, the greatest event in imperial high society, instead of their usual pointless posts.
‘It's nothing but a clique meetup.... Ah, right. This is real life.’
For a moment, my identity as a gallery mod almost came out, but I remembered just in time that people meeting in real life was ordinary socializing, not clique-making.
“......”
Anyway, I was rapidly organizing the information on the Imperial Ball in my head and making plans when something caught my eye.
“That's insane....”
Even in this urgent situation, I came across posts so shocking that I could not possibly ignore them.
[Noble Ladies Gossip Gallery]
[Anonymous: Is it true that the second son of House Durgel <<< is finally crawling out of hiding???]
[Anonymous: One of high society's three greatest mysteries is finally being solved lmaoooooo]
[Anonymous: Upvote if Elrod is searching his own name in the Noble Ladies Gossip Gallery and trembling right now lol]
[Anonymous: But has absolutely nothing about what Elrod <- looks like been revealed?]
The second son of House Durgel. Elrod Durgel.
Posts about me were appearing in the Noble Ladies Gossip Gallery in real time.
‘I really didn't expect things to turn out like this.’
Until now, I had stayed shut inside my home, never mind participating in high society, so there had been no reason for the Gossip Gallery to mention me.
But after Father passed information about me to the noble houses, I seemed to have become a subject of immense interest to noble ladies.
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[Title: Don't expect much from Elrod <<< this guy lol]
Author: Lady Violetta
I'm friends with someone who knows him, and I've heard about him a few times. Apparently, his face is so horrific that he never leaves the house lol.
Unless you're desperate enough to marry a monster of a count's son, don't take any interest in him lolol.
[Comments: 5]
Anonymous1: Well, yeah lol. If a noble son hasn't shown himself by the age of his coming-of-age ceremony, the reason is obvious, right? Hehe.
Anonymous2: Is there any chance he'll transform from an ugly man into a handsome man if he shares a heartfelt kiss?
ㄴAnonymous3: High society isn't a fairy tale. It's a grim fairy tale lol.
ㄴAnonymous4: This one's still living in a flower garden, hehe.
Anonymous5: Seriously, you can only keep up the mysterious act for so long, yeah.
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And, true to the Gossip Gallery's nature, every mention was utterly vicious.
‘So this is what it feels like to be gossiped about....’
Of course, it was a flow born from the Gossip Gallery's great principle that supply existed where demand existed, so I had no intention of resisting it.
‘To think I'd become a target of the Gossip Gallery.’
But now that I had become the target of the system I created, I felt strangely conflicted.
“Hey, Eirin.”
“What? You scared me!”
With a slightly unsettled heart, I paced around my room before going to Eirin's room and suddenly throwing open her door.
“You opened my door without knocking first. What do you want?”
After pondering for a moment, I gave her, still wearing a bewildered expression, a very serious look and asked.
“What do I look like?”
Then silence passed for a while.
“Mm....”
Eirin stared at me with an incredulous expression before narrowing her eyes and starting to think.
“Like the third secondary male lead in a romance novel, made by cramming in every trait the author likes?”
“......”
“That's your position, at least, but hmm.”
Then came her analysis, filled with needless detail.
“Like the kind of landmine character who causes such a huge backlash when the author tries to write him out that they reluctantly turn the story into a reverse harem?”
Naturally, I could not understand even half of what she said, so I asked as kindly as I could.
“What the fuck are you talking about, bitch?”
“In simple terms, you're fucking ugly, idiot.”
What came back was a slightly painful dose of brutal honesty.
“Thanks for the answer, you fucking bitch.”
“What, are you nervous because you're going outside for the first time in your life?”
As I frowned and turned away, my younger sister's voice, filled with laughter, rang out behind me.
“Want your cute genius little sister to escort you?”
“...Haah.”
A shiver ran through my entire body at her sugary voice, and I simply walked away.
“Haah, if it weren't for my graduation thesis, I'd go too.”
“......”
“Still, good luck. If noble ladies see you and giggle, it's because you're fucking ugly, so don't misunderstand.”
I tried my best to ignore Eirin's sharp remarks, which continued to come from behind me.
“Mm....”
Feeling even more troubled for no reason, I unconsciously opened the Gossip Gallery, but there was no paradise there either.
(Author: Eirin, Top Disciple of the Mage Tower)
[Anonymous: Elrod <<< His face is nauseating and his personality is awful too, so innocent ladies should never approach him!]
(Author: Eirin, Top Disciple of the Mage Tower)
[Anonymous: If he shows up at the ball, I recommend not even making eye contact with him lol.]
Eirin was blatantly spamming the Noble Ladies Gossip Gallery with posts right before my eyes.
‘I think I understand what she meant now.’
In the end, I closed the gallery again and stood before the mirror. With a sigh, I grabbed hold of my thoroughly tangled hair.
“Fuck.”
Maybe because I had done nothing but lie in bed and browse galleries until now, I looked utterly pathetic.
I was already being viciously mocked. If I appeared at the ball looking like this, how many more gossip posts would go up afterward?
“Young Master! Please let us tidy up your appearance!”
“You'll regret it for the rest of your life if you miss this chance!!!”
But there was nothing I could do.
I was doomed to get dragged to the Imperial Ballroom and mocked by noble ladies for the rest of my life, and I had no way out.
“Phew....”
“I should at least fix my hair first....”
After attending the ball, I should probably stay far away from the Noble Ladies Gossip Gallery for a while.
Footnotes:
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