Chapter 69
Chapter 69
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 69
Chapter Title: Isekai Destruction Gallery
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At first, I thought he was some lunatic.
I thought he was Frederick mk2 or something.
“But it’s my stuff to begin with?”
Of course, it was ridiculous that they were forcibly confiscating items I had sold or given away.
Naturally, given the nature of the Gallery, a flood of handshake requests poured in under the veil of anonymity.
- Ooh, are you the crazy one?
- Soldiers beat up someone on a whim, but no interference? Totally fine lol
- Fron’s done for.
ㄴ Sigh, fuck, now we got nowhere to go.
Fron was an isolated region.
Mountains to the rear, and the beast forest ahead.
It wasn’t free to enter, and it wasn’t free to leave either.
- Duke Proxy: They hadn’t paid taxes for a long time. We only took goods equivalent to what was owed.
“Like, tough luck?”
They were using that isolation to their advantage, planning some kind of feast with me, huh?
But surprisingly, no.
Count Mark’s thinking was a bit different from mine.
Count Mark was a mad stickler for principles.
- Duke Proxy: But violence is an abuse of power.
- Duke Proxy: I will punish them according to the law.
ㄴ Fuck that severe punishment bullshit.
ㄴ Yeah, it’ll just fizzle out anyway.
ㄴ Harsh punishment (1-day suspension)
ㄴ That’s how all the high-and-mighties are.
- Duke Proxy: I will strip them of their qualifications.
ㄴ What?
ㄴ Huh, what?
“Huh?”
Tax collectors held fairly high positions in the hierarchy.
They had backers, and were often in cahoots with nobles.
So I figured it’d get swept under the rug, but stripping qualifications?
- Duke Proxy: Additionally, a fine of 10,000 gold, compensation to the victims, and further investigation to follow.
ㄴ Whoa, I didn’t even hope for that much.
ㄴ That’s intense;
ㄴ OP: Whoa, thank you!
ㄴ Duke Proxy: Just following the law.
A true law maniac.
He was different from Frederick.
No, the problem was he was way too different.
If he’d been a brainless dictator like Frederick, the people would’ve taken care of him themselves.
- Not bad otherwise, just too much law-law talk ㅇㅇ
- Never seen the Duke Proxy splurging at his own estate.
- Last time he punished himself for his own mistake, I thought he was insane ㅇㅇ;
His reputation wasn’t bad at all.
“Guess I should look him up.”
Curiosity naturally sparked.
I pulled up the activity history for that nickname and ended up diving into the deep end.
[Duke Proxy’s Post Collection]
One day ago / 07:00) Log: Arrival time
One day ago / 23:00) Log: Departure time
Two days ago / 07:00) Log: Arrival time
Two days ago / 23:00) Log: Departure time
.
.
n months ago / 16:00) Log: Appointed as Duke Proxy
“Whoa, insane.”
He was pulling 16-hour days every single day.
And clocking exactly 23:30 bedtime, 06:30 wake-up, even logging sleep times.
[n months ago / Title: What Should I Do?]
Poster: WhatDoesThisNicknameMean
“Huh, this one?”
That’s when I found his very first Gallery post.
It was from before he was Duke Proxy.
Wondering what it said, I opened it—and the content was a sight to behold.
[n months ago / Title: What Should I Do?]
Poster: WhatDoesThisNicknameMean
Duke Isaac has joined hands with the crown prince.
As that happens, the North’s situation worsens.
All sorts of crimes are rampant,
Beast attacks are on the rise,
And officials are busy pocketing bribes.
What’s the problem?
Why aren’t they following the law?
Someone has to step up and uphold it.
[Upvotes 0] [Downvotes 5]
- Old man, had some drinks?
- Go to bed after washing your feet.
- Yeah... law sounds good. But who enforces it if following it screws you over?
ㄴ Poster: What do you mean?
ㄴ If I follow it alone while everyone else breaks it, I’m the only one who starves lol
ㄴ You from another world or what? Asking the obvious;
ㄴ Poster: Hm... I see, got it.
ㄴ Got what?
ㄴ Poster: Then if everyone follows the law, doesn’t everyone live better?
“This is where it all started, fuck.”
No one follows the law.
So he figured he’d climb to the highest rank and make everyone follow it.
That must’ve been his way to hold the crumbling North together.
- Duke Proxy: Appreciate the support, but please refrain from excessive meddling.
So even that statement was 100% sincere.
Proof was in how he skipped luxuries, even meals, to focus on work.
“But if the laws themselves are flawed, it’s all meaningless anyway?”
In the end, if people didn’t cooperate, that was that.
So I made my decision.
“Jukkiyat-hoo!”
-Poof
I flopped onto the bed and pulled out some snacks.
Then I opened the Gallery and started meticulously rereading posts from a week ago.
“Am I being too harsh?”
The tax collectors who used violence did get punished, and the Gallery didn’t die.
Pushing further would be internal affairs meddling.
Taking my stuff was a flaw, but even thousands or tens of thousands wouldn’t dent my points.
He wasn’t keeping it for himself; it was for territory development, so...
“Hey.”
That’s when something poked me.
I turned around, and Penny had snuck up close, holding a picture book and staring at me.
“I finished this picture book too. Got any other books?”
Her eyes brimmed with anticipation.
Maybe because she’d lived outside before coming here?
She loved picture books fiercely.
If my routine was eat-sleep-Gallery, hers was eat-sleep-picture-book.
‘Wait, should I try selling picture books?’
While picking ones for Penny, the thought hit me—what if I sold them?
I’d held off assuming no one busy surviving would care...
But maybe they’d sell well instead.
“Here, next one.”
“I’ll read it well!”
I handed Penny the next picture book, and she snatched it eagerly and bolted to her room.
“But registering on the Market right away feels off.”
It’d be nice to gauge reactions first.
And luckily, I had just the people for it.
My loyal unpaid slaves, the Padaks.
[Admin Chat]
(Judak has registered ‘Picture Book’!)
Full Elf: What’s this all of a sudden? A picture book?
Soon-to-Die Vampire: Food?
Judak*: Short, simple storybooks.
Judak*: Read when you have time and give some feedback.
If the reactions were meh?
“Eh, won’t sell? No biggie.”
Just don’t list them on the Market.
It was a casual whim anyway, so I gifted the two picture books without high hopes.
*
“Hmm...”
In the silent audience chamber.
Erzebet, sitting side by side on the throne next to the fridge, stared intently at something.
In her hand was none other than a picture book.
“Judak sent another weird thing.”
Erzebet’s eyes narrowed.
It was a book, but a strange one.
Compared to existing books, even the exterior felt utterly alien.
A sturdy cover with flawless finishing.
Glossy, smooth texture on paper that made you question if such material existed.
And above all, what were these illustrations?
“Fluffy art style... cute.”
Medieval paper, rough and crumbly, struggled to hold delicate images.
Plus, finding artists with that skill was rare.
“Was there an artist this skilled?”
She’d seen plenty of famous paintings and art, but this style was refreshingly new.
Curiosity bubbled up endlessly.
After some deliberation, Erzebet slowly opened the cover.
Wondering what wondrous content lay within.
[Buy Matches. Please Buy Matches.]
“!”
The moment she peered at the first page, Erzebet’s eyes widened like a rabbit’s.
*
A day passed since giving the picture book.
“About time for feedback.”
Even a casual “It’s decent, good read” would’ve been enough to list on the Market.
These were classics that had endured through ages, inspiring countless adaptations and interpretations, right?
But the response was unexpected.
[Admin Chat]
Full Elf: Th-this...
One Padak making weird noises.
“Oh, finished already?”
I was about to type a happy reply.
Full Elf: You evil Judak! Heartless Judak! How can you call yourself Judak after this!!!
Judak*: ?
Full Elf spat fury at me, then suddenly burst into tears.
Full Elf: How could you take such a young girl and make such a cruel story...
Full Elf: (Elf unable to continue... con)
Full Elf: I thought it’d end happy!! Change the story now, you wicked admin!!!
Judak*: ???
The picture book was short—barely two A4 pages in text alone, excluding illustrations.
I hadn’t expected such deep immersion and a review like this.
In this medieval world post-apocalypse with no fairy tales or novels, their impact must’ve been huge.
Judak*: Tag soon-to-die-vamp: How about you? What’d you think?
Soon-to-Die Vampire: .
Judak*: You.
Soon-to-Die Vampire: (Meme of collapsing on audience chamber floor, sobbing)
Soon-to-Die Vampire: (Vampire con bundled in a box, wailing)
Quite a bit, too.
“This is a hit.”
Beyond what I’d hoped.
This... will definitely sell!
With proven effect, no time to hesitate.
“But which ones to pick?”
Stuck on what fairy tales to choose.
But the shop, as always, had the answer.
[Category – Fairy Tales/Best Sellers]
[Random Books x3] - 30P
“This is it.”
Random system recommendations.
No need to agonize.
I bulk-ordered without a second thought and listed them all on the Market.
[New items added to the Market!]
Unaware of the storm it would unleash.
*
Deep into the night.
In the duke’s office in Fron, northern Adrian, a soldier entered holding books.
“Sir Mark, the books you requested.”
“Yes, leave them there.”
“Yes, sir!”
Thud. Three books stacked on one corner of the office desk.
Count Mark eyed them with a peculiar expression.
“So these are the books Judak put on the Market.”
Word was, two picture books called fairy tales and one bestseller.
Mark casually inspected them for confirmation.
“Hm, the art’s good...”
Especially The Little Match Girl—quality matching the rumors perfectly.
Enough to make him want to read it when he had time.
But what caught his eye wasn’t a picture book.
“Hm, this one?”
The bottom book.
Oddly red and rugged-looking.
“Might be dangerous literature. Better read it.”
Mark was wary of Judak.
One gesture from Judak could shake the nation’s foundations.
Mark didn’t welcome everything hinging on one person’s hands.
Mark slowly took in the book.
“Whew.”
To judge if it was dangerous contraband or the acclaimed literary gem the world praised.
Mark turned the first page.
“Hm, unique title.”
And the title that met his eyes.
[Imperialism]
It was that 1917 bestseller from its era, Imperialism.