Chapter 158: The Inquisitor of the Sun God and the Mage from the Mage Tower (5)

Ketal remembered something he had once read in the Barcan Estate’s grand library—a thick volume cataloguing every known Demon Realm scattered across the continent.

One entry in particular had stood out: a place called Deep Sea where a race of primates was said to live and breathe in its crushing depths.

“Hold on... You’re saying those creatures now have their eyes on the City of Merfolk?” Ketal asked Aquaz.

Aquaz nodded gravely. “We can’t confirm every detail, but the evidence is almost conclusive.”

“Hm... What sort of beings are they?” Ketal muttered.

Primates conjured images of land-dwelling monkeys; picturing them thriving beneath the sea felt absurd. When he voiced the thought, Aquaz shook her head.

“We know very little beyond rumors,” she explained.

Until now, every Demon Realm had been sealed within its own borders, and no one—aside from a few suicidally curious souls—dared venture inside. Therefore, reliable information on the Demon Realms was scarce.

Aquaz’s expression tightened as she continued, “The only reason we even learned they might be involved is because one missing sailor drifted back on a plank from his wrecked ship. He was half-frozen, trembling, and utterly terrified.”

“Terrified of primates?” Ketal asked her.

“Yes. Between chattering teeth, he swore those

apes

had attacked them from the ocean floor. We tried to question him further, but panic had shattered his mind. That’s all we have right now,” Aquaz replied.

“I see,” Ketal said, exhaling softly. “Sounds dangerously complicated.”

“We’re prepared for that,” Aquaz replied, gripping the sun-shaped emblem hanging at her throat as though drawing courage from it.

Ketal offered a small, encouraging smile. “I’ll do everything I can to help.”

That calm, however, did not extend to Baker, the mage traveling with them. He stood to one side, arms folded, wearing an unmistakable scowl. Remembering his presence, Ketal addressed him in a friendly tone.

“You’re Baker, right? I’d like to hear a mage’s perspective on all this,” Ketal said.

“Save your breath, barbarian,” Baker snapped, voice as cold as polar ice. His open hostility made Aquaz flinch.

“B-Baker, please—” Aquaz began, flustered.

“It’s fine,” Ketal said, waving the apology away with an easy grin. “We’ve got a long road ahead of us. We can become friends in our own time.”

Baker’s frown only deepened at Ketal’s unruffled composure, but he offered no reply.

***

Ketal held no ill will toward Baker—quite the opposite. A mage from the Mage Tower could be a wellspring of arcane lore, and Ketal hoped friendship might coax out stories about untranslated grimoires or the Mage Tower’s inner politics.

However, Baker clearly felt otherwise. He gritted his teeth as he glared at the newcomer.

Why in all the realms did that barbarian invite himself along on our journey?

Baker fumed.

Aquaz was on a pilgrimage, a preemptive measure against the chaos threatening the world. It was a thankless task offering no personal gain or reward. Worse, it demanded traversing the entire continent, a journey that would take an incredibly long time and constantly put their lives at risk. It was the kind of arduous quest only a true devotee of a god would undertake.

The only reason why Baker was accompanying her was that he was utterly smitten with Aquaz.

Baker’s parents were both mages belonging to the Mage Tower, and he had been born and raised within its walls. Blessed with their guidance and his own exceptional talent, he had reached the level of a Transcendent at a young age. Recognized by the Mage Tower, he was hailed as a next-generation talent destined to lead the Startail School.

Baker himself had been content with this life. He had always believed, without a doubt, that he would spend his entire existence within the Mage Tower, dedicated to the study of magic.

However, one day, Aquaz visited the Mage Tower seeking support for an artifact, and a chance encounter changed everything.

In that single moment, Baker fell head over heels for her.

Her hair shimmered like spun silver, her eyes were like deep red jewels, her skin was startlingly white in contrast, and her calm expression seemed capable of absorbing all the sins of the world.

Faced with what seemed like beauty incarnate, Baker’s heart hammered in his chest. It was his first love, arriving quite late at the age of thirty-two.

From that day forward, Baker ignored all the concerns and attempts to dissuade him from the Startail School members. He set aside his promising future and joined Aquaz on her pilgrimage.

The journey was grueling for someone accustomed to a comfortable life, but simply being by Aquaz’s side filled him with immense joy. It felt like living in a dream, a time he wished would last forever.

However, now, that dreamlike time felt shattered. Baker glared venomously at Ketal.

Damn barbarian.

An unwelcome intruder had disrupted their private journey.

What irked him even more was how easily Aquaz conversed with Ketal, how friendly she seemed.

She’s always strangely formal with me,

Baker thought bitterly. Of course, the reason for her stiffness was Baker’s own overly suave and slightly corny demeanor, which made Aquaz uncomfortable.

Unaware of this crucial detail, Baker burned with jealousy toward Ketal.

“

Hmph...

,” Baker snorted, trying to regain control of his emotions.

Still, he’s just a barbarian.

Aquaz was an inquisitor of the Sun God, highly regarded within her church. Having reached the Transcendent level at a young age, she was on track to become a high-ranking official. And Baker was a Transcendent mage from the Mage Tower, destined for a leading role in the Startail School, perhaps even joining the Mage Tower’s highest echelon. They both possessed significant power and prestige.

In contrast, Ketal was just a barbarian—a simpleton with nothing to his name, no authority whatsoever. Baker was clearly superior. The difference between them would only become more apparent over time.

He conveniently ignored Ketal’s recent achievements at Kalosia’s holy land—the overwhelming support he received, even catching the eye of Kalosia, the God of Lies and Deception.

Baker rationalized it as a natural reaction toward an outsider who had helped them in a crisis. Admittedly, it was an unusually strong level of support for just that reason, but Baker deliberately pushed that thought away.

Normally, as a mage, he would have analyzed the situation objectively. However, he was incapable of such clarity, blinded by infatuation. A young man in love could sometimes be the most foolish of all.

Composing himself, Bake spoke in a deliberately casual tone. “By the way, Aquaz. Remember what I mentioned before? About having met the Tower Master?”

“I remember,” Aquaz replied. “You said the Tower Master came to meet you personally when you reached the Transcendent level.”

Even in the Mage Tower, home to all the continent’s mages, Transcendents were rare. Baker had achieved this rank in his twenties, a remarkably young age that had drawn significant attention within the Mage Tower.

“That’s right.” Baker puffed up slightly. “The great Tower Master himself came to see me. And he praised me! He said he’d been waiting for a talent like me to emerge. That he had high expectations.”

“Is that so? That’s quite impressive,” Aquaz said, genuinely impressed.

The Tower Master was the founder of the Mage Tower, a legendary figure rumored to have approached the profound secrets and truths of magic.

He was one of the most famous Heroes in the world. For such a person to personally seek out and praise Baker was undoubtedly something to be proud of.

Satisfied with her reaction, Baker shot a sideways glance at Ketal.

See that?

Baker thought triumphantly.

I’m this important! You should recognize your place and bow your head already!

Baker stared at Ketal, full of smug satisfaction. However, Ketal just tilted his head, a confused expression on his face.

“Is that really true? The Tower Master said that?” Ketal asked him.

Baker flinched. “Wh-what do you mean?”

“It just sounds... odd,” Ketal said thoughtfully.

The Tower Master he had met didn’t seem like someone who cared much about individual power levels or ranks. His disdain for Maximus, a true Transcendent, calling him worthless, was proof enough of that.

It seemed unlikely that the Tower Master would offer praise in the manner Baker described.

Baker fell silent. He knew Ketal was right. The Tower Master

did

come to meet him, but he hadn’t offered any particular praise. After a brief conversation, seeming unimpressed, the Tower Master had simply left.

Baker had fabricated the praise entirely to make himself look good in front of Aquaz.

“I-it’s true!” Baker insisted forcefully, though a slight tremor betrayed his voice. “Why would I lie about something like that?”

“No reason.” Ketal shrugged, already losing interest. “If you say so, then that’s how it was.”

Whether the Tower Master had praised Baker or not meant nothing to him.

That very indifference struck Baker as strangely humiliating. It felt as though Ketal was dismissing his boast as completely insignificant. Baker ground his teeth again.

Hmph! The lowly barbarian must be jealous that a great Hero praised me,

Baker concluded inwardly.

However, even that comforting thought didn’t last long. After traveling a bit further, the group paused for a rest. Ketal turned to Aquaz. “Aquaz, may I ask you something?”

“What is it?” she replied.

“I want to ask about using holy power. I learned the basics, but I thought you might know different methods, given your path.”

Aquaz was a follower of the Sun God. Since she served a different deity, her way of utilizing holy power might differ from what Rakuza had shown him. Ketal was curious about that possibility.

Aquaz nodded understandingly. “First, please show me how you manifest your holy power.”

Ketal clenched his fist. A brilliant golden light bloomed around it—the power granted to those who served a god.

Baker’s eyes widened in shock. “What? He can wield holy power?”

“Oh, you didn’t know.” Aquaz realized she hadn’t explained the situation to Baker yet. She quickly filled him in, describing how Ketal had greatly aided Kalosia's holy land, and as a result, Kalosia had granted him a holy relic, enabling him to wield divine energy.

Hearing the explanation, Baker’s jaw dropped. “Is something like that even possible?”

A god granting one of their holy relics to a non-believer was completely unheard of.

Aquaz gave a wry smile. “That’s what I thought as well... but it actually happened.”

Baker closed his mouth, momentarily speechless. Meeting the Tower Master was certainly impressive, something he himself had achieved. However, Ketal had spoken directly with a god and received a holy relic—that was undeniably on a different level entirely.

In this world, the value placed upon gods was immense. To be acknowledged by a deity was, in itself, a colossal honor. If Ketal were to simply tell people what had happened, he could easily command more respect than Baker ever could.

Ketal spoke up, sounding genuinely perplexed by their reactions. “Even if you say that, it doesn’t mean much from my perspective. Honestly, Aquaz, being able to use the holy scripture seems far more impressive to me.”

When Ketal first met Aquaz, he hadn’t given it much thought. He simply assumed that as a devout believer, she could naturally use holy scriptures. However, after visiting Kalosia’s holy land, he understood their true significance.

The holy scripture represented a rare and potent power. Within the entire Church of Kalosia, only the Saintess could wield them. That Aquaz could handle such power marked her as an exceptionally gifted follower.

“Well...” Aquaz trailed off uncertainly. Objectively speaking, receiving a holy relic as a non-believer was probably more extraordinary than wielding the holy scriptures as a devout follower. “So, what exactly is it you wish to know?”

“Does the way holy power is used change depending on the god one serves?” Ketal asked her.

“Yes,” Aquaz confirmed. “While the source—the great celestial power—is the same, the specific deities granting it impart subtle differences. However, the fundamental results are often similar.”

For example, Ketal could use Kalosia’s holy power to create the bell that would ring whenever deceit was spoken. Aquaz, using the Sun God’s holy power, could brightly illuminate everything, allowing her to see the transparency or falsehood within words directly.

The methods differed, but the outcome—detecting lies—was comparable.

Ketal looked intrigued. “So that’s the kind of difference. The results seem mostly similar then.”

“Of course, that’s not true for every faith,” Aquaz added. “Some churches wield truly unique powers that seem quite alien to outsiders. The followers of Ferderica are a prime example.”

“What kind of church is that?” Ketal asked her, leaning in slightly.

Ketal and Aquaz chatted animatedly about the nuances of divine power. Meanwhile, Baker sat silently, unable to join the conversation, feeling completely left out.

After their discussion wound down, Ketal noticed Baker’s quietness.

“Oh, sorry about that,” Ketal said apologetically. “We got caught up in the conversation. Did you have any questions, Baker?”

“N-no, it’s fine...,” Baker replied, his voice lacking any energy.