Chapter 40

Someone came to find me.

But this time, I had a shotgun and a famous sword gifted by a dwarf.

“Who am I? The owner of a shotgun.”

I suppressed my nerves and slowly approached the door.

As I opened it cautiously,

“Ah, there you are. I am an investigator sent from the Kellierhton Kingdom.”

“Ah.”

A man with deep dark circles was looking at me, repeatedly writing and erasing something.

What the heck, just a regular civil servant.

“What kind of investigation are you doing?”

“We’re currently surveying the population since the establishment of Kellierhton. Were you a citizen of the former Kelton Kingdom?”

“No, that’s not the case…”

He spoke to me in a fatigued and formal tone.

“Then let’s go get your ID issued.”

*

A new nation had been established, but there were still many people remaining under the rule of the Kelton Kingdom.

Kellierhton issued new IDs for them to become citizens.

I had just been going from place to place when it was finally my turn.

“All done. Now you are a citizen of Kellierhton.”

“Um, thank you.”

And it was over quickly.

As expected in such a chaotic situation, they didn’t seem curious about who I was.

What if they rummaged through my storage and found out I was the Head of the Gallery? That wasn’t going to happen.

They just listened to my name, stamped it, and handed me a wooden plaque.

[Kellierhton ID]

[Name – John Malfight]

“This actually works.”

I couldn’t say my Korean name, so I just called out randomly, and I couldn’t believe it actually worked.

Getting out there was less difficult than I thought.

“It seems like there are no monsters either.”

Thinking back to when I first fell here, the scenery had changed a lot.

Of course, it hadn’t really shaken off the ruins vibe, but at least there were no zombies hunting for my flesh.

I was contemplating going back when I noticed something strange in the square.

A statue, at least as tall as a building.

“What is this?”

In flowing magician robes, the statue resembled a beautiful girl despite being made of stone.

And the description label on that bizarre statue boldly read.

[Head of the Gallery]

Kellierhton, established under the protection of the Head of the Gallery. This is the first statue made to honor the Head of the Gallery.

“Me?”

Wait, when I thought about it, most of the conversations around the statue were about me.

Opinions and evaluations about the statue, or…

“Um, but isn’t it a bit incorrectly built?”

They were really nitpicking on accuracy.

“What do you mean? Are you saying this statue is wrong?”

“I mean the Head of the Gallery is a half-elf beautiful girl. Shouldn’t her ears be sharper?”

“What nonsense! The Head of the Gallery is a noble’s youngest daughter. Naturally, she has to be of the human race.”

Of course, they were all wrong.

Anyway, while some were heatedly debating my race and gender.

On the other side, there were people throwing coins into the fountain in front of my statue, making wishes.

“Please, release the tuna can at the next marketplace.”

“Let me pass the knight exam, please.”

The scene of the newborn kingdom of Kellierhton had an atmosphere just like the Gallery, if not more.

As I watched it all from a nearby bench, holding my head, I thought.

“What is going on?”

Did they all go collectively insane?

“Why are they praying and debating about the Head of the Gallery like that?”

There were just too many things I couldn’t accept about stepping into the outside world.

I could no longer stay outside.

I needed to return to the storage and regain my composure by looking at selfies of the Beastfolk.

“Wait? What did you just say?”

Suddenly, someone passing by heard my mumbling and called me out.

“Excuse me?”

“What do you mean, what is the Head of the Gallery? Are you asking the same question?”

When I turned around, a muscle-bound man, shirtless and looking ready to burst, was glaring at me as he approached.

“Take it back…! That remark you just made…!!!”

“Take it back!”

I don’t fight unless I’m sure I can win.

I immediately handed over ten Mana Pills to retract my statement, and the man nodded and walked away.

“I didn’t expect it to be like this.”

I knew that praise for the Head of the Gallery was being posted daily in the Gallery.

But experiencing it firsthand felt different.

However, right after the man left, a suspicious guy in a black robe approached me.

“Excuse me, I came to share some wise words.”

His shady getup gave off a cult vibe.

However, the man approached with a friendly smile and suddenly asked me,

“Do you believe in the Head of the Gallery?”

*

Evelyn Ophelia, now a queen, stepped out of the castle for an inspection.

In one hand, she held a tuna can, and in the other, a spoon, strolling down the street.

“Your Majesty, look over there.”

Lloyd, the queen’s knight, pointed to something.

There stood a black-haired man being indoctrinated by a sinister-looking fellow.

“That’s an unusual appearance, is he a foreigner?”

“Your Majesty.”

“Oh, right. I said to speak informally.”

Evelyn awkwardly corrected herself while gazing at the black-haired man.

She hadn’t seen many people with black hair in her life.

Let alone someone with completely black eyes; his unique appearance drew her attention.

The problem was that he was currently being captured and indoctrinated.

“It seems it’s not just monsters causing issues…”

In a world facing destruction, the problems weren’t limited to just monsters.

There were all sorts of criminals and cults taking advantage of the chaos, which was a huge social problem.

It wouldn’t be surprising if the same fate as Adrian befell them if they only focused on the monsters and stayed vigilant.

“Let’s help him.”

“Understood.”

As the two approached the man, their suspicions turned into certainty.

“It’ll only take a moment. This will be a good word for the brother as well.”

“Oh, I’m not buying what you’re selling.”

“Trust in the Head of the Gallery. The Head of the Gallery grants us the marketplace and weapons. Only the Head of the Gallery is our savior!”

“Ugh, no thank you. Just leave, please.”

A man obviously horrified and a cultist desperately clinging for attention.

“Enough of that.”

Just then, Lloyd stepped forward to mediate.

“What? Who are you to suddenly…”

Swish.

“I think it’s acceptable to speak like that.”

As soon as the cultist drew a sword, he disappeared into the alley.

With the monsters gone, it was now these types of cultists and scammers that were infesting the place.

Was there some kind of poetic law for the preservation of all garbage?

The man hesitated for a moment before bending down to express his gratitude.

“Thank you very much. Thanks to you…”

But at that moment, he met Evelyn’s gaze and froze.

His expression turned pale as if he encountered someone he shouldn’t have.

“Are you alright?”

Evelyn observed him with a worried expression.

Why was he so surprised?

At this rate, it felt like he was being forced to do something against his will.

Like being teased by someone he didn’t want to interact with at all.

As if he was looking at someone familiar, someone he had talked and laughed with a long time ago.

“Have we met somewhere before?”

When the sudden question popped into her head and she asked it, the man had already vanished without a trace.

“Huh?”

I was about to ask about this familiarity.

Evelyn pondered seriously, resting her chin on her hand.

“Did I know him from somewhere?”

“No, that’s not it…”

It was difficult to articulate.

Clearly, he had shown me respect, yet… how should I say it, it felt more like he was literally speaking casually?

The scent of the Gallery was unmistakably saturated in his tone.

“Well, I can always ask him next time we meet.”

With dark hair and eyes.

On the contrary, he had skin so pale it looked like he hadn’t seen sunlight in a long time.

“I don’t think I’ll forget him easily.”

As she recalled the face of the man who kept lingering in her mind, Evelyn took a bite of tuna.

*

– The story behind the Head of the Gallery statue in Kellierhton.jpg

– An emotional true story) Imagining the Head of the Gallery

– Smiling) The first-ever Head of the Gallery statue’s status

Title: Reasons why the Head of the Gallery statue in Kellierhton contains reference errors…jpg

(Tightly clenched fists with something to say, a cute meme)

Reference? Uh, I don’t really know.

To be honest, I think it’s fine because it’s cute…

– What does that even mean, GallumGallum…

– As expected of the Gallery…

Concept post) Kellierhton Magic Tower under construction ㅇㅇ

Author) ZL Storm Magician

(A picture of the magic tower completed up to five floors)

I’ll build it up to the tenth floor as a first phase.

I’ll make an office, and a portrait based on the Head of the Gallery’s statue will be made and posted.

– Oh, that sounds cool, great design!

ㄴ Humans these days also have talents in magic.

ㄴ If I had a magic tower like that, for real…

ㄴ ZL Storm Magician) It’s not mine though.

ㄴ?

ㄴ If you built it, then who does it belong to?

ㄴ ZL Storm Magician) It belongs to the Head of the Gallery.

ㄴ ???

– I can’t understand what that means.

ㄴ Never try to understand a wizard.

ㄴ They’re like this once they get fixated on something.

– Didn’t something like this happen before?

ㄴ Gallum once built a tower, wanting to become a great magician’s disciple, and invited people. ㅇㅇ

ㄴ?

ㄴ Do you really have to go that far to learn magic?

ㄴ Becoming a disciple sounds tough.

ㄴ Fact) They took the tower but never taught any magic back then.

“Hmm, it’s the same as usual.”

An endless horror story.

Numerous rumors piled on top of each other, distorting into truth.

Yeah, this is the Gallery.

Watching the Gallery made me feel at ease.

– Do you believe in the Head of the Gallery?

– Have the Gallums been reborn?

– Join the Head of the Gallery’s believers and awaken to the Gallery life!!

Until I saw cultists circulating even inside the Gallery, I was fine.

“What the heck is this?”

Season 3-level curse words in the Gallery.

I felt my consciousness drifting away.