Chapter 36: The Inquisitor of the Sun God (4)

Aquaz leaned back against the sofa, staring blankly at the ceiling. She felt drained. It had been a long time since she had felt this exhausted. Her unshaken mind, which had resisted countless curses, hatred, words of apostasy, and even demonic whispers, had finally reached its limit after less than an hour of conversation with the barbarian.

The barbarian from the White Snowfield, huh...

Even the thought of it made her head spin. She found herself wishing that he had simply been the subject of the divine oracle.

“You seem troubled,” Lord Barcan remarked, sitting across from her. He was chuckling lightly as he lifted his teacup. He was deeply intimidated by Aquaz, the Inquisitor of the Sun God—a figure of great renown and countless accomplishments.

While her individual strength might not rival Swordmaster Kain’s, she carried the unique status of a devout servant of the divine. Moreover, as an inquisitor, she was a tool of her god, someone who had executed and dealt with countless heretics.

To Lord Barcan, Aquaz appeared less like a fellow human and more like a transcendent being. However, seeing her react to the barbarian in a way similar to his own gave him a sense of shared humanity.

Aquaz finally spoke. “Who is he?”

“I don’t know. He showed up on the estate not long ago and has been living here ever since. He claims to have come from the White Snowfield, but there’s no evidence to support it.”

“I’ve confirmed it. While I couldn’t gather detailed information about the White Snowfield, I can say with certainty that he is a barbarian from the snowfield.”

“Are you sure?” The lord’s eyes widened. Though Ketal had said so himself, Lord Barcan hadn’t fully believed him. After all, barbarians from the White Snowfield were the stuff of legends.

However, now Aquaz, a trusted authority, had confirmed it. It meant that the existence of the White Snowfield—and its habitant—was real.

“If this becomes known, the world will erupt in chaos...,” Lord Barcan muttered.

The White Snowfield was a land many sought to explore, especially the Emperor, who wished to conquer the world, including the Demon Realms. If the Emperor were to move on this discovery, the scale of the ensuing chaos would be unimaginable. Just thinking about it gave the lord a headache.

“You needn’t worry about that. Kartos will be handled by my side, and we plan to keep the matter of the barbarian from reaching the public,” Aquaz said.

“That’s a relief.”

“Are all the barbarians from the White Snowfield like him?”

“Probably not. That barbarian must be an exception. If they were all like him, they would’ve left the snowfield and conquered the world by now.” Though Lord Barcan spoke as if joking, it was no jest. There were many barbarians in the world, even if they weren’t from the White Snowfield. Their strength was formidable. As a group, they ranked among the strongest.

While their strength was undeniable, they were also foolish—or rather, not quite foolish but simple-minded, though the distinction hardly mattered. It was an inherent limitation of their nature.

Lord Barcan suddenly recalled something. “Now that I think about it, I heard that the King of the Barbarians is different from other barbarians. They say he has both strength and intelligence.”

“Oh, you mean the King of All Barbarians. I’ve met him once. He was certainly unlike any other barbarian I’ve encountered,” Aquaz replied.

“Is that so? It would be interesting if Ketal and the King of All Barbarians were to meet.”

“I wouldn’t say the same,” Aquaz replied with a wry smile. The relationship between barbarians and the followers of the Sun God was far from amicable. To Aquaz, the idea of their power growing stronger was no laughing matter.

Lord Barcan sipped his tea lightly. “Whatever you may be concerned about, from what I’ve observed, there is nothing to worry about. Ketal is a good person. Remarkably so.”

Ketal handled tasks no one wanted to take on, solving them with a smile. He split the rewards of the unexplored Dungeon with his party members without hesitation. Ketal had never once acted in a way that caused harm to others. In fact, he was the most polite and kind person the lord had ever encountered.

“Swordmaster Kain once said that as long as you don’t provoke a beast that’s lying still, there’s nothing to worry about,” Lord Barcan remarked.

“If Swordmaster Kain said so, then it must be true, but...” Aquaz bit her lip. In her eyes, the barbarian was intelligent and rational. He was considerate of others and didn’t seem like the type to cause trouble on his own.

However, that was only because he had no reason to do so. It was a matter of pure indifference—he had no reason to care, so he was considerate. Even beasts, when full, did not bother hunting prey.

But what if an external factor placed restrictions on Ketal’s actions? What if something sparked his interest?

Aquaz thought. She knew that if that were to happen Ketal would do anything to destroy everything that hindered his way. Barbarians were that kind of being.

It seems many changes are on the horizon,

Aquaz thought. Just thinking about the chaos and ripples Ketal might cause already gave Aquaz a headache.

“By the way, were you able to accomplish what you came here for?” Lord Barcan asked, trying to lighten the mood.

Aquaz nodded. “Yes. There were no issues on that front.”

“I’m curious. What was the oracle about that necessitated meeting with Ketal one-on-one?”

“I needed confirmation.”

“Confirmation?”

“I needed to see whether he was a pure human or... something mimicking humanity.”

“What could the oracle possibly be...?”

A brief silence fell. Lord Barcan gulped nervously as Aquaz began to speak. His eyes widened in shock at her words.

***

A day later, Ketal visited the lord’s castle. “We meet again,” Lord Barcan said, waiting in the reception room.

Ketal entered with a cheerful grin and extended his hand. “How have you been?”

“Well enough. And you?” the lord asked with a faint smile.

Ketal chuckled in response. “I’ve been enjoying my days thoroughly. All thanks to you for managing such a fine estate.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” the lord replied, somewhat awkwardly.

Ketal sat on the sofa across from him. “So, what’s the reason for this meeting?”

Lord Barcan had invited him into his castle without telling him the details of the meeting.

“As the lord of this estate, there’s something I need to tell you,” he said, bowing his head slightly. “I must express my gratitude. You saved this estate.”

He was talking about Kartos. If the lich had been resurrected as he planned, this small estate would have been reduced to ruins in an instant. The barbarian was nothing short of the estate’s savior.

“Did I?” Ketal asked, his expression genuinely puzzled. “Aquaz told me as much, but honestly, I don’t quite understand. Even if my party members had gone to the Dungeon, they would have resolved it without issue.”

“You mean the warrior, the thief, and the priestess of the God of Lies and Deception?” Lord Barcan asked.

“Exactly. They’re all exceptional individuals.”

Lord Barcan fell silent. As far as he knew, those party members were still classified as F-Rank mercenaries, solving low-level requests. Shaking his head, the lord decided it was futile to take the barbarian’s words too seriously. “Regardless of that, the fact remains that you saved the estate. As its lord, I must thank you. And I... must apologize.”

“For what?”

“I need to inform you that you defeating Kartos will not be made public.” Lord Barcan’s face was tinged with deep unease.

Defeating Kartos was a remarkable achievement. If the news spread, Ketal’s name would become known across the entire continent. However, that couldn’t be allowed to happen.

If word got out, the Emperor himself would take notice. Ultimately, this meant that Ketal would not receive the recognition he deserved. While key figures in the kingdom and the Sun God’s Church would know of his feat, it would still result in considerable disadvantages for him.

“Is that so? As long as my freedom isn’t hindered, it doesn’t matter much to me,” Ketal replied nonchalantly. He had little interest in fame.

However, from the lord’s perspective, it was as though he had deprived Ketal of something he was entitled to, and so felt obligated to compensate him appropriately.

“It might not be much of an apology, but you saved the estate. I must reward you for that.” Lord Barcan took out an item from his belongings—a luxurious leather pouch. “This is for you.”

“A leather pouch?”

“It’s no ordinary leather pouch. See for yourself?”

“Oh?” Ketal’s expression lit up with curiosity as he took the pouch. The material was clearly of high quality and upon closer inspection, it was adorned with intricate, mysterious patterns. “Is this what I think it is?”

“Check inside,” Lord Barcan said with a grin.

Ketal opened the pouch, and what he saw exceeded his expectations. The pouch itself wasn’t very large—just big enough to hold a few gold or silver coins. However, its interior was incredibly spacious.

Even with a cursory glance, Ketal could tell it was large enough to hold the equivalent of an entire room. He looked at Lord Barcan, excited. “This is incredible!”

“It’s an artifact. A fairly high-grade one, at that. Consider it a reward for saving the estate and for keeping certain matters confidential. I hope you find it satisfactory.”

“Satisfactory? It’s perfect!” Ketal exclaimed. He had just received an artifact—a genuine magical item. It was his first time seeing one in person.

The lord smiled. “It doesn’t have any particularly extravagant effects. It’s just a space-expansion artifact, nothing more.”

“That’s more than enough.” Ketal recalled the hassle of carrying all his supplies during his recent expedition into the unexplored Dungeon. With this pouch, such inconveniences would no longer be an issue.

“The space inside is roughly equivalent to the size of this reception room. Items larger than the pouch’s opening will still fit inside,” Lord Barcan explained.

“Really?”

To test it, Ketal picked up his axe. The weapon was too large to fit into the pouch under normal circumstances. Yet, as soon as he placed the axe near the opening, it seemed to be sucked inside effortlessly.

Ketal’s eyes grew even wider. “Oooh!”

“To retrieve an item, simply reach in and think of the object you want.”

Ketal reached into the pouch, picturing his axe. Instantly, the weapon was drawn into his hand, seemingly pulled out by an invisible force.

“Ooooh!!” Ketal was ecstatic.

It’s a genuine artifact! A staple of fantasy tales. And a pouch-shaped artifact no less!

It was the kind of item protagonists always acquired first in such stories. To have it in his hands felt almost unreal. The sheer joy made his mind spin.

Seeing Ketal’s elation, Lord Barcan laughed. Even though it was something he had to give as compensation, seeing Ketal so genuinely pleased made him feel good.

“I went to great lengths to acquire that. I’m glad you like it,” Lord Barcan said.

“It’s perfect!” Both its practicality and personal satisfaction were unparalleled for Ketal. “But I’m curious. How did you acquire such an item? It doesn’t seem like the kind of thing you’d come by easily. Did you buy it from the Mage Tower or somewhere similar?”

“No, not from them,” the lord replied. “I got it from one of the Wandering Merchants.”

“Wandering Merchants?” Ketal asked.

“Have you never heard of them? They appear out of nowhere, selling all sorts of peculiar items. I purchased this from them.”

“They’re not human, are they?”

“Who knows? They always wear strange ornaments, so their true identity is impossible to discern. They ask for payment, and if you pay, they give you the item. That’s all I know.”

“Interesting.” Ketal’s eyes gleamed with intrigue.

“If you travel enough, you’re bound to encounter them someday. They appear suddenly and unpredictably, so it’s all up to chance.”

“That sounds exciting,” Ketal said with a wide grin.

After asking a few more questions about the Wandering Merchants, Ketal left the castle.

Alone in the reception room, Lord Barcan leaned back into the sofa and pressed a hand to his forehead.

“At least this issue is resolved,” he muttered.

He was relieved that Ketal had accepted the artifact without complaint. It was an exceptionally rare item. The goods sold by Wandering Merchants were notoriously scarce, and their quality was often unmatched. This particular artifact had been a meaningful gift from Swordmaster Kain when Lord Barcan became a lord.

However, as valuable as the artifact was, Ketal was a man driven by curiosity. The possibility that he might refuse had loomed large, but fortunately, the worst-case scenario had been avoided.

Still, the matter was far from over. A much greater problem remained.

“The oracle...,” the lord murmured with a bitter smile. “What on earth is happening in this remote estate?”

Kain had said something was stirring in the world. He had come to the estate to warn Lord Barcan.

I just wish Kain had been a bit more specific,

the lord thought, quietly grumbling in his heart.

Aquaz’s words about the divine oracle echoed in his mind.

“Evil will descend,”

she had said.

“The Great Evil. It will come here and spread across the world.”