I Unleashed a Gossip Gallery in Another World - Chapter 40

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Irevi

◈ I Unleashed a Gossip Gallery in Another World ◈

Chapter 40: Master and Disciple

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The Gossip Gallery always craved anything sensational and dopamine-inducing.

Thanks to that tendency, new topics and trends frequently sprang up on the Gossip Gallery even on days when nothing in particular happened.

[International Other Races Gossip Gallery]

[✪Subjective Top 10 Strongest on the Continent]

[✪Latest Strongest-on-the-Continent Tier List (9/18)]

[✪I’ll Definitively Rank the Four Calamities]

And the topic recently trending on the Gossip Gallery was, of all things, fanwars.

(Author: High Elf Sigria)

No one but me knew that it all began with posts a certain noble elf living in the Great Forest wrote to relieve her boredom.

----------

[✪Title: Latest Strongest-on-the-Continent Tier List (9/18)]

Author: Anonymous (High Elf Sigria)

Tier 0: Four Calamities, Dragon Lord, Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Army (New)

Tier 1: Demon Commander Lilith, Commander of the Imperial Knights Ciel, Holy Knights Captain Christina, Southern Continent Adventurer Rankings No. 1, ancient dragons of the Northern Continent.

Tier 2: Martial Arts Alliance Leader, Inquisitors, Elf Queen (Tier 1 only with World Tree Domain Expansion), head of the Empire’s Shadow.

Tier 3: The continent’s ruling-class bastards (Gallery system applies)

F Tier: Lower-Rank Lust Demon (Fake Demon King)

Unranked: Gossip Gallery Eraser, Saintess of the Holy Church.

Excluded: Goddess (what’s she even doing these days?), Demon God (its existence has not been proven), Awakened Elrod (Who the hell is that? Why do you Imperial shills keep telling me to add him?)

[Comments: 139]

Other-Races-Gallery-Deputy-Mod1: This is a long-winded load of nonsense!

ㄴ(Author): Sounds like you’re a demon-faction shill? Heh.

Anonymous2: This person makes tier lists better than anyone lol.

Anonymous3: How do you even know information from across the entire continent?

Anonymous4: Long-lived races <<< They live forever just to make shady tier lists on the Gossip Gallery lol.

Noble Lady Gallery Eraser: How could you leave out Awakened Elrod ㅠㅠㅠ

Anonymous5: Is this canon? Amazing.

----------

What had begun as a tier list made by an anonymous elf to stave off boredom rapidly gained popularity and became a topic of discussion throughout the Gossip Gallery.

It was the perfect topic for Gallery users who had been chasing dopamine ever since Pope Valentino III’s ousting, the Golden Shield’s removal, and the rumors about the Saintess’s pregnancy.

----------

[✪Title: I’ll Definitively Rank the Four Calamities]

Author: Anonymous (High Elf Sigria)

Black Dragon Azrakan >= Witch of the West > Lord of the Ten Thousand Great Mountains > Dungeon Master (as of Imperial Year 509)

Before you all spend the entire day fanwarring again, I’ll explain why.

Black Dragon Azrakan < Crazy bitch who hasn’t been subjugated for ten thousand years

Witch of the West < The undisputed ruler of the Western Continent. Everyone knows the previous Hero nearly became part of her collection as a newbie and barely escaped lol.

Lord of the Ten Thousand Great Mountains < Honestly, this one seems pretty strong too, but there’s too little information on the Eastern Continent heh. Tier lists should only contain facts, so I put them in third for now.

Southern Continent Dungeon Master < It consumed an entire continent and took the last seat among the Four Calamities, but honestly, is that all? Attempts to subjugate it should start soon. We’ll have to see how long it lasts.

[Comments: 4]

Troll Eraser: A very easy-to-understand post indeed ^^

Mage Gallery Eraser: lol

(Ruler of the Ten Thousand Great Mountains): Heavenly Demon <<< Rumored to be praised as the greatest under heaven in the Eastern Continent’s martial arts world. Please revise it heh.

(Dungeon Master): I believe this is not a tier list, but a ranking of old-timers. I shall note you down as an unreasonable hater.

----------

The tier-list topic, popular enough to make all four Calamities appear one way or another, naturally spawned derivative posts across numerous Gossip Galleries.

[Cheerful Empire Village Gossip Gallery]

[✪Empire’s Strongest Tier List, Imperial Year 509 Ver.]

[International Mage Gossip Gallery]

[✪Sharing the Latest Mage Duel Rankings]

[Noble Ladies Gossip Gallery]

[✪Latest Empire Noble Sons Tier List (9/18), Updated Version]

Before long, it was easy to find tier lists and fanwars on most Gossip Galleries.

----------

[✪Title: You bastards making tier lists, leave Gossip Gallery Eraser <<< out of them, fuck]

Author: Anonymous (High Elf Sigria)

I’ve been telling you for forty hours to leave Gossip Gallery Eraser alone, so why do you keep forcing them in?

Once that bastard is in it, the tier chart stops being fun, so leave them unranked when you make it!!!!!!!!

[Comments: 5]

Noble Lady Gallery Eraser: What tier is Awakened Elrod? Heh.

ㄴ(Author): You Imperial shill, what the hell is an Elrod? Fuck.

ㄴChurch Gallery Eraser: Awakened Elrod <<< Someone said he’s evenly matched with the previous Hero!

ㄴ(Goddess): (Nodding Orc reaction sticker)

ㄴ(Commander-in-Chief Elosia): Our Elrod is SSSSSS-tier heh.

----------

“...”

As I diligently lurked on the Gossip Gallery again today, I scratched my head and did something I normally wouldn’t have done.

Gossip Gallery Eraser: How strong was the previous Hero?

ㄴ(High Elf Sigria): Are you asking because you don’t know? Lol.

ㄴ(High Elf Sigria): Yeah, at their peak, I don’t think even everyone on that tier list combined could beat them.

Having the approval of the user who had started the tier-list trend made my shoulders rise for no reason.

‘Yeah, I used to be insanely strong...’

Normally, I wouldn’t have done something so pathetic.

But this time, it couldn’t be helped.

“Pant, pant...”

As someone sweating profusely beneath the scorching sun and swinging an old sword for training I could no longer put off, I wanted comfort at least that way.

“Good grief...”

But after training all day, I came to realize one devastating fact.

‘I had no idea this body was this hopeless...’

All my experience and skills as the previous Hero remained in my head, so that wasn’t a problem.

The greatest problem was that my body was far too weak to keep up with those skills.

At this rate, even engraving the most basic mana circle would take over a year.

‘Why am I even doing this?’

I had begun feeling so listless that I considered giving up on training, but there was a reason I could no longer delay growing stronger.

----------

[✪Title: Latest Empire Noble Sons Tier List (9/18)]

Author: Lady Roanna, Imperial Palace Maid

Tier 0: Awakened Elrod

Tier 1: Elrod Durgel

Tier 2: All the other worthless nobodies.

[Comments: 75]

Anonymous1: Second Prince <<< I can’t even remember what he looks like anymore hehehe.

Anonymous2: Should we pin this as a notice? Hehe.

Anonymous3: At least the Northern Margrave is fairly handsome, but they’re married lol.

Anonymous4: Can’t Elrod just become public property? (I’m serious heh.)

----------

“Fuck.”

This was no joke. At this rate, my chastity was in danger.

At the very least, I needed to recover enough stamina to beat noble ladies who were skilled at duels.

‘Should I take an Eastern Continent elixir or something?’

If I could, I would have liked to go looking for the cheat items I had discovered in my life as the previous Hero.

But with this absurdly frail body, I could barely walk around my room, never mind travel.

Why not replenish my vitality with an elixir?

I had considered that too, but the Saintess’s blessing currently resided in my body.

Not only poison and curses, but even elixirs that affected the body in any way could not properly take effect.

“Haa...”

So I gritted my teeth and began swinging my sword at the training dummy again.

Persistent effort would someday bear fruit.

Even this terrible stamina would improve a little if I swung a sword a thousand, ten thousand times.

“Please do not overexert yourself, Young Master.”

“...”

“Excessive exercise is poison instead.”

But there was one person interfering with my desperate efforts.

(Author: Dorothy, Durgel Count Family Maid)

[Anonymous: (Breaking) Young Master Elrod is training in swordsmanship lololol]

(Author: Dorothy, Durgel Count Family Maid)

[Anonymous: Young Master only swings his sword a few times before collapsing face-down on the floor and panting. So adorable ♡♡♡♡♡♡♡]

(Author: Dorothy, Durgel Count Family Maid)

[Anonymous: The sickly second male lead training to protect the female lead <<< This is truly gourmet material....]

‘That fucking bitch.’

She was Dorothy, one of the servants of House Durgel and my personal maid.

“Why are you looking at me like that, Young Master?”

“...”

“By the way, my legs are beginning to hurt. As the future head of the house, please spare a thought for your servants as well.”

She always maintained an impassive expression and spoke in a businesslike tone, but I alone knew what she truly was.

(Author: Dorothy, Durgel Count Family Maid)

[Anonymous: (Shock, horror, grotesque) There’s a developing second male lead striving to overcome even his one and only weakness!?!?!?]

A lunatic who wasn’t even a noble lady, yet constantly spammed the “shock, horror, grotesque” template on the Noble Ladies Gossip Gallery.

That was the true nature of that shameless maid.

‘How long are you planning to keep up this stoic-maid act? I’m watching you with both eyes wide open.’

As I glared at Dorothy with pointless fury, I eventually lost my strength and sat down in the training yard.

‘This won’t do.’

Training was one thing, but I needed to start thinking of other ways to protect myself.

‘I think I need to find someone who can protect me in real life...’

Since there was no way to fix this terrible stamina for at least a year, I keenly felt the need to properly hire guards.

“Young Master...”

But just as I was sighing heavily because I had no idea where I could find such a person...

“The Imperial Knights will arrive tomorrow.”

“Huh?”

“Oh, had you forgotten?”

Dorothy suddenly reminded me of something I had forgotten because of the Church incident.

‘The Imperial Knights said they would guard the estate for a while, right?’

Only then did I toss aside the sword in my hand and open the Gossip Gallery with a somewhat relieved expression.

(Author: Commander of the Imperial Knights Ciel)

[Swordsman Gallery Eraser: Elrod <<< Is it true he’s been training in swordsmanship lately? Lolololololol]

(Author: Commander of the Imperial Knights Ciel)

[Swordsman Gallery Eraser: Some friends I know in the Empire are going to guard him today. They’ll get a good show lol.]

“...”

Not long afterward, I found thoroughly shameless posts written by my third personal slave.

(Author: Commander of the Imperial Knights Ciel)

[Swordsman Gallery Eraser: But even if it’s Elrod, for a noble escort assignment <<< I doubt any idiot would volunteer lol.]

(Author: Commander of the Imperial Knights Ciel)

[Swordsman Gallery Eraser: Work your asses off, Imperial Knights lololol.]

‘I don’t need you either, you fucking bitch.’

For a moment, I muttered that inwardly in disbelief, but then reconsidered.

‘No, this is no time for petty pride...’

Ciel, Commander of the Imperial Knights.

She had been utterly defeated by me in a Gossip Gallery Duel and performed a dogeza, but in reality, she was a formidable fighter who could never be dismissed.

If she guarded House Durgel, I could use the Gallery without worry for a while.

“Hmm?”

I smacked my lips in disappointment when...

(Author: Commander of the Imperial Knights Ciel)

[Swordsman Gallery Eraser: Ah, fuck.]

Suddenly, a short and forceful curse appeared on the Swordsman Gossip Gallery.

Swordsman Gallery Eraser: Take my fixed handle away for a while.

ㄴGossip Gallery Eraser: ???

ㄴSwordsman Gallery Eraser: I don’t think I can preserve my anonymity, so hurry.

ㄴSwordsman Gallery Eraser: If you don’t, I’m jumping off.

“...?”

Then, at the call bell, she appeared with a grave air unlike usual and made that request of me.

‘Did something happen?’

Scratching my head, I first removed her Eraser handle for the time being, as requested.

‘Lady Yurian had hers removed once too, so I should be fair.’

Then, on the Cheerful Empire Village Gossip Gallery, Ciel’s murderous posts began appearing.

(Author: Commander of the Imperial Knights Ciel)

[Anonymous: “Bald head mod” <<< Now that the Golden Shield is gone, the sunlight must be scorching his head lol.]

(Author: Commander of the Imperial Knights Ciel)

[Anonymous: Seriously, this is so fucking ridiculous lololololol.]

‘What is this?’

It wasn’t until the following morning that I understood why, as I read those posts in confusion.

“...It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Instead of the armored knights I had imagined, a small woman had arrived alone at the gates of House Durgel.

“As of today, I have been assigned to personally handle the task of guarding House Durgel...”

Of course, that small woman, who could easily have been mistaken for a young noble lady, was undoubtedly more reassuring than a hundred armored knights.

“Haa...”

Though she wore a gloomy expression as she kept sighing heavily.

“I am Ciel, Commander of the Imperial Knights.”

The Gossip Gallery’s third personal slave, Swordsman Gallery Eraser, finished introducing herself and saluted me.

‘Well, well?’

* * *

About an hour later.

“...Commander.”

As usual, I was lying blankly on the bed in my room when I turned my gaze slightly and spoke.

“You do not need to guard me at close range for twenty-four hours.”

“...”

“Shouldn’t you also be handling the Knights’ affairs?”

Despite holding such an important position, Ciel, Commander of the Imperial Knights, had been standing at the window with her hands behind her back as though she were a personal bodyguard.

“It is His Majesty the Emperor’s order.”

“Pardon?”

“It is an order to protect you, the target of an unauthorized Gallery, at all costs.”

Only after hearing Ciel’s cold answer did I understand how things had unfolded.

‘Should I be grateful for this or not?’

It seemed the bald Emperor, alarmed by the recent string of incidents, had decided to put on this show to demonstrate that they were trying somehow.

“Still, I need some private time as well...”

Of course, being watched around the clock would be burdensome for me, so I muttered with an awkward expression.

“The Emperor’s honor and that of the Empire are at stake. Please cooperate.”

But at those words, Ciel immediately bowed at the waist at a ninety-degree angle and asked for my understanding.

It was truly exemplary conduct for a knight.

(Author: Commander of the Imperial Knights Ciel)

[Anonymous: Empire <<< Upvote if it needs to collapse immediately lol.]

(Author: Commander of the Imperial Knights Ciel)

[Anonymous: I want to smear glue all over the Emperor’s wig lol.]

If those posts had not been appearing on the Gossip Gallery in real time, I too would have considered her an exemplary knight.

“You are working very hard.”

Suppressing my laughter with difficulty, I turned away and lowered my head.

(Author: Imperial Knights Vice Commander Howard)

[Anonymous: Ciel <<< She probably failed to dump this work on us and is fucking furious right now lololololol.]

(Author: Imperial Knight Ronan)

[Anonymous: Right when we’re busiest lololol. A noble escort assignment lolololololol.]

(Author: Sion, Knight Trainee)

[Anonymous: But she gets to stay with Elrod twenty-four hours a day while others are dying to see him. Isn’t that a reward instead? Heh.]

Sure enough, the knights who had successfully dumped the work on their commander were celebrating on the Gossip Gallery.

“...”

But while my lips twitched at those posts, my face soon hardened.

(Fiona, Second Daughter of a Swordsmanship House)

[Anonymous: Ciel <<< She must have fallen for Elrod and volunteered to guard him without knowing her place lol.]

(Penelope, Eldest Daughter of a Swordsmanship House)

[Anonymous: It’s truly pathetic seeing a lowborn old maid desperately trying to erase her scarlet letter hehehe.]

(Pyro, Eldest Son of a Swordsmanship House)

[Anonymous: What’s the use of having a marquis-level ceremonial rank? Everyone in the Empire knows she’s common-born lol.]

Posts with rather absurd content were appearing in real time on the Swordsman Gossip Gallery and Empire Village Gossip Gallery.

Grind...

Around then, I began hearing the sound of Ciel grinding her teeth from where she stood quietly against the wall, hands behind her back.

(Pyro, Eldest Son of a Swordsmanship House)

[Anonymous: Ciel <<< Upvote if she’s better suited to noble escort duty for life than strutting around as the Knights’ commander lol.]

Seeing Ciel’s expression rapidly darken, it seemed she had seen the same posts I had.

‘I somehow feel sorry for her.’

Watching her cautiously, I quietly spoke to her again.

“Commander, I am truly all right, so you may take a break...”

“...This is my duty.”

But Ciel cut me off before I could finish.

“And you may speak casually to me.”

“Pardon?”

“Do you not know my past?”

She stared at me expressionlessly and spoke in an even tone.

“I am from the lowest of the low in the back alleys.”

Then silence settled over the room.

“Until I became commander of the Knights, I bowed my head even to the servants of provincial baronial houses.”

“...”

“So being addressed respectfully now feels more awkward instead.”

When I could not readily answer, Ciel, who had been watching me quietly, asked in a subdued voice.

“...Would that not be more comfortable for you as well?”

But while I might do so on the Gallery, I had no intention of speaking casually to her in reality.

“Judging people’s worth by status is...”

“I understand roughly what you are about to say.”

I rose to speak, but Ciel interrupted me again.

“Thank you, Sir Elrod.”

Ciel gave me a brief nod, wearing a faded smile.

“...Please leave me alone for a while so that I may focus on my duties.”

Then Ciel lost even that faded smile and returned to silence.

(Author: Commander of the Imperial Knights Ciel)

[Anonymous: Let’s not expect anything.]

(Author: Commander of the Imperial Knights Ciel)

[Anonymous: It is not as though I have only been deceived once or twice by nobles’ hypocrisy.]

‘So that’s how it is...’

As I watched her quietly for a long time, an idea came to mind.

* * *

“Haa...”

That afternoon, in the garden of House Durgel.

[You have a keyword alert!]

Ciel followed the strolling Elrod with a vacant expression, then bit down on her lip at the notifications appearing before her in real time.

[Anonymous: Ciel <<< She’ll be thirty next year, yet she’s fawning over a young man who just came of age. What an ugly bitch lol.]

[Anonymous: Did anyone see Ciel’s face when Elrod first got out of his carriage at the last ball? Lololol.]

[Anonymous: Ciel <<< She definitely lied about her age when she introduced herself to Elrod lolololol.]

Tap, tap...

Then she suddenly began moving her fingers quietly.

(Author: Commander of the Imperial Knights Ciel)

[Anonymous: Ciel <<< She clearly knows her place and has no intention of pursuing Elrod, but the baseless hate is insane lol.]

“...”

But even as she wrote that post, Ciel was not smiling at all, unlike usual.

‘What am I even doing here?’

The justice-driven girl who had picked up an abandoned straight sword to protect friends beaten in the back alleys was gone.

All that remained was a faded knight, broken by the world’s unfairness and compromised by reality.

‘Can someone who swings a sword without anyone they ought to protect truly be called a knight?’

The reason Ciel usually went to such lengths to search for posts about herself was to find praise for herself somehow, to find a purpose in life.

“...”

But recently, Ciel had realized something.

No matter how much praise there was for her strength, the label attached to it would never change.

‘I thought I could at least hide it, even if I couldn’t remove it.’

She thought things would change if she became strong.

At the very least, she thought that reaching the position of the Empire’s Finest Sword would improve how people treated her.

But reality was cruel.

What she gained after striving hard enough to die and becoming the Empire’s Finest Sword was the envy of heirs to swordsmanship houses, the thorny position of Knights Commander that she had never wanted...

And being treated as a hunting dog that could always be easily commanded.

“...”

Having completely lost her usual arrogant manner, Ciel stood there blankly when...

Crack...!

Suddenly, the sound of a sword slicing through the air came from ahead.

‘So the rumor that he was training in swordsmanship was true.’

Elrod was training at the makeshift training yard set up in a corner of the count family’s garden.

“...Hmm?”

And only a few minutes later, Ciel’s eyes widened as she watched him indifferently.

“...Excuse me.”

“...?”

“Has Sir Elrod ever learned swordsmanship?”

After watching Elrod’s training blankly for some time, Ciel stopped a passing maid and asked.

“No. He only began training yesterday.”

At the answer she received from the maid, her pupils widened further.

‘That is the skill of someone who first held a sword yesterday?’

Despite having only just picked up a sword, Elrod’s form looked far too perfect to Ciel.

A clean, unadorned stance that looked as though he had copied the Imperial Swordsmanship Textbook word for word.

A stance even beginners struggled to imitate from a textbook, perfectly assumed by a man who had first held a sword yesterday.

‘I had no idea he was such an uncut gem...’

Ciel twitched, then after much deliberation, slowly took a step forward.

“Pant, pant...”

“Excuse me, Sir Elrod.”

After hesitating for a long time, Ciel finally spoke to Elrod, who was already breathing heavily from exhaustion.

“I apologize, but would it be all right if I presumptuously corrected your form a little?”

Elrod turned toward Ciel and answered with a bright smile.

“It would be an honor to receive instruction from the Empire’s Finest Sword.”

“...Would it?”

Briefly surprised by his hearty permission, Ciel soon found herself reaching for Elrod’s arm without realizing it.

“Then, just for a moment...”

How much time passed after that?

“Now that I hold my form as you taught me, swinging the sword feels much more comfortable.”

“...”

“As expected of the Empire’s Finest Sword and Commander of the Imperial Knights.”

Ciel watched Elrod swing his sword several times with the form she had corrected, his face bright and innocent. Gradually, she could no longer hide her astonishment.

‘It would be rude even to call this an uncut gem.’

Before she knew it, Ciel had taken Elrod’s hand and begun adjusting the placement of his fingers little by little.

“Then... would you perhaps like to correct your grip as well?”

“Hmm... Like this?”

“Y-yes. Excellent.”

And once more, time passed.

“There are also some points to improve in your breathing...”

“Ah, like this?”

“...That is remarkable.”

Before they knew it, the evening sunset had filled the sky.

‘He understood and applied the principles of the Imperial sword forms after merely hearing them explained...’

Only then did Ciel realize how much time had passed. As she quietly looked Elrod over, she murmured inwardly.

‘A genius who appears perhaps once in a century...’

It took a genius to recognize a genius.

And Ciel could instinctively tell that Elrod possessed the talent to surpass her.

“This is astonishing. Even Imperial Knights often fail to understand my corrections, and their habits remain fixed.”

“Is that so?”

“Someone who has never once held a sword adapting this quickly is...”

The awkward atmosphere from earlier utterly forgotten, Ciel praised Elrod with shining eyes.

“...It must be because the person teaching me is so skilled.”

At Elrod’s words, Ciel suddenly fell silent.

‘Is that so...?’

Ciel could understand, at least a little, why so much time had passed so quickly.

‘Is this what it feels like to teach someone...?’

Then silence lingered between them for a while.

“Um, perhaps...”

Ciel hesitated in the silence, about to say something to Elrod, then suddenly closed her mouth.

‘What am I thinking?’

At an age nearing thirty, it would have been natural for her to have at least one personal disciple.

Yet she had never even properly taught her swordsmanship to anyone, let alone found a disciple to inherit her techniques.

No one would want to follow the example of someone who had reached this position through swordsmanship for survival and deadly combat, rather than the foundational swordsmanship Imperial swordsmen ought to learn.

‘I nearly ruined this person’s future.’

The base swordsmanship of a Knights Commander from common origins.

Once that label was attached, it would never be regarded as part of the mainstream, no matter how strong it was.

In this age of forcibly created peace, knights cared more about whose side they stood on than their personal martial strength.

‘Would someone as outstanding as him want to learn the sword from someone like me...?’

With a bitter expression, Ciel swallowed the words she had been about to say, turned her head, and walked out of the training yard.

“You worked hard today.”

“...”

“In my opinion, Sir Elrod possesses dazzling talent for swordsmanship.”

Suppressing her excitement as much as possible, Ciel began offering that advice.

“So please find a good swordsmanship teacher as soon as possible.”

She was making an effort to smile as she finished speaking when...