Chapter 209

Winter Has Come (1)

While Grylls and Ludwig were making thorough preparations for the approaching winter, the rest of the world was passing through an extremely turbulent period filled with all manner of incidents.

The greatest turmoil of all was unfolding in El Dorado.

Contrary to predictions that Ludwig’s revelations would spark a civil war, the citizens focused solely on protesting.

There were two primary reasons for this.

The first was the absence of a central figure.

Protesters tended to become disorganized without a leader to take charge of the situation.

The more unstable the political climate, the more desperately they needed a charismatic leader. However, no such figure had emerged yet.

Furthermore, the citizens of El Dorado possessed an exceptional degree of patriotism and pride in their homeland.

For centuries, they had served as the sword and shield of Ares, fighting demon kings and their demonic forces.

The sense of duty that came from fighting an unmistakable "evil" had allowed El Dorado to develop into a great power.

Under such circumstances, were they supposed to start a civil war that would tear their homeland apart?

No one could readily bring themselves to take that step.

The second reason was their lack of military strength.

In truth, this was the greatest reason of all.

El Dorado’s military was currently held firmly in the grasp of Pope Louis II.

With Ludwig and most of those associated with him having been purged, virtually no one remained except the pope’s puppets.

No matter how proud or patriotic the citizens might be, such feelings did not automatically translate into military power. They could not hope to match a professionally trained army.

Above all, the citizens firmly believed that the army existed to defeat external enemies, not the people it was meant to protect.

As long as the soldiers did not regard them as "enemies," they believed the army would never turn its blades upon them.

Title: The Protests in El Dorado Are Fundamentally Different

Most protests usually happen because people feel they can’t survive anymore.

The economy has completely collapsed, there’s a famine, or a war has pushed them to their absolute limit.

But the protests in El Dorado are driven purely by anger and a sense of betrayal toward the leadership.

Honestly, it doesn’t matter whether those in power have bizarre fetishes or strange hobbies as long as they govern the country properly.

The upper and lower classes are strictly separated anyway. A few commoners occasionally enter politics, but they’re a tiny minority.

The protesters can unite like this—and avoid crossing the line—precisely because they’re driven purely by anger and betrayal toward the leadership.

└ They just don’t have any power. If they did, they would’ve overthrown the government ages ago, lol.

└ If Ludwig were still there, he probably would’ve torn the whole thing down, lol.

└ What has the pope been saying lately, anyway? Has he said anything?

└ He says never to believe the groundless rumors spreading through the gallery. Apparently, Ludwig is also a man who committed a grave crime.

└ He still hasn’t come to his senses. Does anyone actually believe that?

└ Surprisingly, a shitload of people do. All the cardinals say the pope is right.

└ That’s because they’re all his bootlickers...

└ The army isn’t going to massacre the protesters, right?

└ Maybe if it were a riot or rebellion, but this is an ordinary protest. Doing that would be insane.

└ Word would spread all over the gallery. How could they possibly stop the information from getting out?

└ Seems like they’ve been laying the groundwork for that. They keep telling the media that an evil entity is operating behind the scenes.

└ Is that "evil entity" supposed to be Grylls?

└ They haven’t said it outright, but it’s almost certainly him. They’re calling the protesters a faction that supports the Immortal King.

└ Meanwhile, the survivors of the Balkan Kingdom curse the Immortal King every chance they get, lol.

└ There are survivors from the Balkan Kingdom?

└ They’ve been incorporated into El Dorado, but their territory still exists.

└ Wild Grylls: Why me?

└ Oh, Grylls. Congratulations. Looks like you’ll become a Demon King soon.

└ Wild Grylls: ??? What the hell are you talking about?

└ The pope says he’ll brand you a Demon King if you keep this up, lol.

└ Louis: You’re a Demon King now.

└ Wild Grylls: Good grief, lol. Tell him I wouldn’t take that tiny-ass country even if he gave it to me.

└ Then what country would you want besides El Dorado?

└ Wild Grylls: I don’t want any of them. I just want to go home.

└ Aren’t you already home?

└ Exactly. Why does he keep saying he wants to go home when he’s already there?

└ Wild Grylls: F—

Title: Still, It’s a Fact That This Is Worrying

What bothers me most is that the pope keeps issuing warnings.

He says he won’t stand idly by if the protesters refuse to back down.

He says they’re being deceived and have fallen under sorcery even more wicked than necromancy.

He isn’t going to declare it a riot and send in the army, is he?

└ Wouldn’t the other countries condemn him if he did?

└ What could they do besides condemn him? If El Dorado insists it’s a rebellion or riot... Another country’s intervention could start a war.

└ Would they really tell such an obvious lie when the gallery exists? Lol.

└ Plenty of people only see what they want to see, even with the gallery around.

└ Once people become trapped in the belief that whatever they see must be the truth, there’s no helping them.

└ What is the Hero doing? If the Hero intervened now, they might be able to reach some kind of compromise.

└ It would only make things worse if the Hero sided with the protesters. The pope would seize the opportunity to declare it a rebellion.

└ The pope might be getting cursed to hell right now, but that doesn’t mean the Hero is no longer considered a traitor.

└ Don’tAbandonTheHero: The Hero isn’t a traitor! It’s all a misunderstanding!

└ Yeah, we know, but how is she supposed to clear her name?

└ Everyone who matters already knows, Head Mod. The situation is just completely fucked.

└ Every time I see something like this, I’m reminded that the pope is disgustingly good at politics, lol.

└ The bitter part is that he only bothers with politics when he needs to preserve his own power...

While the situation in El Dorado gradually took a sinister turn, the Hero, Asella, was silently making her way toward the capital with Reina.

Along the way, she also managed the gallery and monitored the situation.

As they neared their intended destination, Reina, who was riding ahead, spoke.

"What are you thinking about?"

"...Is it really okay for us to do this?"

They were currently riding horses.

Naturally, the horses had not been acquired through any legal procedure.

Then where had they obtained them?

"What’s the problem? It’s not as if I said anything untrue."

"I’m not a wanted criminal..."

"I don’t think you are either. The authorities would disagree, though. Would you rather I call you a traitor?"

"I-I’d hate that even more!"

The situation had unfolded roughly as follows.

While they were being pursued by trackers, Reina had suggested turning the tables on their pursuers.

The upright Asella naturally refused, but Reina relentlessly pushed the idea.

Most of the pursuit teams traveled using horses or similar means of transportation.

In that case, there were bound to be grooms responsible for caring for those animals.

If they found and threatened the grooms, they could secure transportation for themselves.

"Hey, friends. Is anyone among you armed or wanted by the Holy Kingdom?"

"Uh, no..."

"We’re both."

"..."

"So you understand, right?"

When Reina threatened them along those lines, the grooms obediently produced two horses.

It was the art of obtaining exactly what she wanted without shedding a single drop of blood.

Asella couldn’t understand Reina, but she decided to let it go.

Her beloved homeland was in danger. This was no time to be particular about their methods.

"How far are we from the capital?"

"Two days if we take it easy. If we’re lucky, we might arrive tonight."

Although Asella was being pursued, she had not fled to another country.

Escaping abroad required the use of illegal routes, and Asella knew nothing about such things.

Consequently, she had been wandering in circles around El Dorado, particularly near the capital.

There was a reason Reina had found her so quickly.

"I wish we could go faster..."

"No. We’ll exhaust the horses. We don’t even have anything to feed them."

"Couldn’t we continue on foot?"

"You might be able to, but my knees ache too much."

’You’re only two years older than me.’

Asella grumbled inwardly.

However, Reina was right. They had no fodder for the horses, so prolonged travel would be difficult.

They needed to conserve their stamina by riding as far as possible, then continue on foot if necessary.

"Are you that worried?"

"...Yes."

Asella nodded gravely in response to Reina’s question.

Unlike the gallery, where people discussed all kinds of theories, the newspapers continued to focus on the protests.

No matter how important the gallery might be, it could never take precedence over reality. The same was true for Asella.

The protests in El Dorado were also why she had recently failed to fulfill her duties as head moderator.

"Don’t worry too much. If the pope can’t endure the pressure, he’ll step down on his own."

"Will... he?"

Despite Reina’s optimistic words, Asella couldn’t shake her anxiety.

Would that pope truly surrender his position voluntarily?

The same man who had orchestrated a massive purge?

Furthermore, a rumor occasionally surfaced in the gallery: the pope was currently mobilizing the army.

What possible role could the army serve under these circumstances?

Without realizing it, Asella began imagining the worst possible outcome.

’Paladins are Lady Ares’s sword and shield. Would they turn that sword and shield against the citizens...?’

That would never happen.

If Ares learned of such a deed, she would surely be furious.

’But if they really intend to do that...’

What was she supposed to do?

Asella continued wrestling with the question.

She still had no answer by the time they reached El Dorado.

***

As Reina and Asella gradually drew closer to El Dorado, the papal administration was preparing a large-scale operation.

Only a limited number of organizations ordinarily used the word "operation."

The foremost example was the embodiment of a nation’s armed might:

The military.

"As you have all heard, the protesters are currently afflicted by the Immortal King’s wicked curse."

The briefing began with the commander’s plausible-sounding bullshit.

The problem was that every soldier present sincerely believed it.

The paladins listening to the operation wore tense or resolute expressions.

They clearly perceived the protesters outside as people afflicted by a curse.

There had been relentless indoctrination and an endless stream of lies. Above all, the military was largely a closed organization.

When people absorbed nothing but the stories circulating within an isolated environment, certain "beliefs" naturally took root.

"We must stop them. As the sword and shield of Ares, it is our duty to protect El Dorado."

Protect our homeland.

Those words alone would inspire a sense of duty.

The problem was that the "citizens" had been excluded from that homeland.

The paladins failed to recognize that contradiction.

One might wonder how anyone could close the paladins’ eyes and ears when the gallery openly existed.

However, the gallery had always been notorious for its lack of credibility.

They were told that the gallery itself had been corrupted by the Immortal King’s curse and that nothing said there was true.

Moreover, the Immortal King incident thirty years ago had been so horrific that such a claim did not seem entirely impossible.

As these numerous factors accumulated, the military gradually came to perceive the protesters as its enemy.

"We will begin by repeatedly warning the protesters. The clergy will continue attempting to dispel the curse."

The protesters were not cursed.

They were merely overwhelmed by betrayal and anger.

Those were natural human emotions, yet the authorities dismissed them as a curse.

"If the curse cannot be broken..."

The commander paused, then sighed as though the prospect genuinely pained him.

"We will have no choice but to break it ourselves."

The sweltering heat of summer was currently approaching El Dorado.

"You are the heroes capable of saving El Dorado. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir!!!"

Yet this summer seemed destined to become a bitterly cold season.

Meanwhile, in the Forest of Four Seasons—

"...What are you doing here?"

"Snort."

Grylls, who was likewise preparing for a bitterly cold winter, encountered an unexpected visitor.

It looked like an ordinary deer, but its familiar cynical expression told him they had met before.

The deer was holding an apple in its mouth.

Amazingly, the apple glittered with a golden light.

It wasn’t shining because of the light reflected in Grylls’s eyes. The apple itself was a gleaming golden color.

It looked exactly like a golden apple from mythology, leaving Grylls thoroughly bewildered.

"Moo. Moo."

"Cold days coming. Give me fire. Like last time. Then I give you this."

"...You want me to light a fire for you?"

"Mooo."

Through Kkobong, the animal interpreter, Grylls was able to understand what the deer was saying.

After considering its request for a moment, Grylls turned his head.

In that direction stood the brick house they had labored so hard to build.

"...Do you want to live in there over the winter?"

"Moo."

Plop—

Once Grylls gave his permission, the deer dropped the golden apple.

A strange winter was approaching.