Chapter 42: The Evil Descends (6)

The group who had left to confirm the situation of the troubled village returned to the estate. They reported everything they had seen and experienced, and the estate descended into chaos.

They reported that a demon had occupied the village, and not just any demon—it was Ashetiaar, the Demon of Oppression. It was a demon with a name known well enough to be recorded in history books. A being whose descent alone would cause the entire continent to tremble had appeared in the village under the estate’s jurisdiction.

The guard commander clutched his stomach, claiming severe pain, while Lord Barcan buried his face in his hands. The lord wondered why such a trial had come to his small estate. He wanted to curse even the gods in his despair.

However, amidst this misfortune, there was a sliver of luck—the Inquisitor of the Sun God had successfully defeated the demon and banished it back to Hell.

Those who had left on the mission bore some injuries from the aftershocks of the battle, but miraculously, none of them had died.

Of course, the corrupted village had been completely destroyed, resulting in the loss of more than a hundred lives. However, considering the alternative of sacrificing countless lives to defeat the demon, losing one village seemed like a minimal cost. Had the demon chosen to move beyond the village and wreak havoc on the world, the toll would have easily reached thousands.

With the news of the named demon’s descent and her defeat, the estate was abuzz with rumors. News spread quickly, and Lord Barcan began pondering how to deal with the aftermath.

Meanwhile, the individuals at the center of the rumors were gathered in the Sun God’s church within the estate.

“It’s quite noisy out there,” Ketal remarked.

“It’s no small matter,” Aquaz replied. “The lord must have a headache trying to sort all this out.”

The room they were in was a simple, austere chamber—likely a place where the nuns usually rested. In the modest room sat the Inquisitor of the Sun God and a barbarian who didn’t believe in gods.

Ketal broke the silence again. “Are you really planning to leave right away? I think you should rest properly before setting out.”

Aquaz, lying on the bed, didn’t look well. It hadn’t even been a full day since the battle with the demon, and the time was far too short for her to recover from the aftermath.

Yet, her pale face held a firm determination.

“I cannot delay any longer,” Aquaz said, biting her lip. “This has to be reported to the holy sanctum immediately.”

“If that’s your wish, so be it.”

“I’ve already explained everything to Lord Barcan. Since this involves the kingdom’s internal matters, I cannot interfere further. The rest is up to the lord’s judgement,” she added. She slowly sat up and turned to Ketal, bowing deeply. “First and foremost, I must thank you. Without your help, we would all have become playthings for the demon.”

“No need for thanks,” Ketal said with a grin.” I was just saving a friend. That’s all there is to it. So, are we friends now?”

“I am the Inquisitor of the Sun God. Are you certain you wish to establish a friendship with someone like me?” Aquaz asked, her expression conflicted.

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“It’s not that it’s impossible, but...”

“Then that’s settled,” Ketal said with a hearty laugh.

Aquaz gave him a strange look. Someone like Ketal treating her with such familiarity was both perplexing and uncomfortable for her. Yet, there was a certain warmth to it she didn’t entirely dislike.

“As you wish. I would not refuse the goodwill of my savior,” she replied softly.

“Good. I had fun too, so it’s fine. So that’s what a demon is like. It was... different, to say the least.”

“Different, you say?” Aquaz muttered.

To Ketal, crushing Ashetiaar, the Demon of Oppression, seemed as trivial as squashing an insect. Aquaz couldn’t help but let out a bitter chuckle.

What kind of barbarian is he?

she thought.

“By the way, there’s something I am curious about,” Ketal said suddenly.

“What is it?” Aquaz asked, startled out of her thoughts. She quickly composed herself.

“What happens when you give a demon your name? Your reaction back then suggested it wasn’t just a ploy to buy time.”

Initially, Ketal had thought the demon’s threats about names were lies. Nothing seemed to happen, and he didn’t feel any effects.

However, Aquaz’s horrified reaction back then told a different story. It hadn’t been mere deception. She had truly been alarmed.

Aquaz finally opened her mouth to explain. “It’s called Branding.”

“Branding?” Ketal asked.

“A name is a fundamental part of one’s existence. By giving a demon your name, they can etch a brand deep into your soul with their darkness. Once you’re branded, it’s impossible to remove it without a sacred blessing.”

The Branding was like a beacon for malevolent beings, drawing them in like prey to a fragrant spice. Throughout history, those who were branded faced only two possible futures: either they received a blessing and were saved by the gods, or they spent the rest of their lives being hunted by evil until they were inevitably killed.

“Huh,” Ketal murmured, his curiosity piqued. “So, have I been branded too?” “No... no, you haven’t,” Aquaz replied hesitantly.

There was, of course, a way to block Branding. By wielding Myst to fortify the soul, one could protect themselves. For those with sufficient power, it was entirely possible to resist a demon’s Branding.

However, Ketal’s situation didn’t seem to fit the description. It wasn’t even accurate to say that he

blocked

the Branding. It was closer to the idea that it simply

didn’t touch him.

“It’s a bit unclear...,” Aquaz admitted. “It’s certain that your name has been announced in Hell, Ketal. However, since the Branding didn’t occur, they cannot pinpoint your location.”

In this peculiar state, the denizens of Hell were aware of Ketal’s existence, but they had no means of tracking him.

“Unless the forces of evil directly descend into this world to pursue you, there shouldn’t be any issues,” Aquaz murmured thoughtfully.

Ketal’s expression turned wry. “So... there’s a bounty on me?”

“That’s one way to look at it,” she replied.” But you don’t need to worry. Unless you encounter evil again, there won’t be any problems.”

In this world, direct descents of demonic entities were exceedingly rare. Aquaz firmly believed that Ketal would likely never encounter another demon.

‘Well, if that’s the case,” Ketal said, shrugging. “Still, demons are fascinating. I couldn’t kill her.”

“That’s their nature,” she replied. “If I had been defeated and you weren’t there, it would’ve taken the mightiest warriors of the continent to stop Ashetiaar. At the very least, this estate would have been completely destroyed.”

The defeat of an inquisitor would have caused an emergency among the various religious orders. However, mobilizing reinforcements would have taken time, and in that time, Ashetiaar could have obliterated several estates.

Had it not been for Ketal, this catastrophic scenario could have become a reality.

However, Ketal frowned. “She didn’t seem that strong to me. Honestly, she was weaker than I expected.”

Aquaz fell silent. She held back the words she wanted to say. She wanted to explain just how terrifying Ashetiaar truly was. However, seeing how Ketal had toyed with her as if she were a mere plaything, she found herself at a loss for words.

The barbarian of the White Snowfield...,

Aquaz thought.

Among the many mysterious regions in the world, the White Snowfield was the largest and least understood. It was an extreme, uncharted territory unreachable by most humans. The fact that Ketal hailed from such a place finally began to make sense to her.

“Well, I suppose it makes sense if she couldn’t be killed. Is divine power the only way to defeat a demon?” Ketal asked.

“Sort of,” Aquaz replied. “Strictly speaking, it’s not about killing them. It’s about banishing them. If a demon made a space into their domain, it becomes nearly indistinguishable from Hell itself. Without a divine miracle, defeating them is impossible.”

“That does sound like a pain,” Ketal muttered.

Without the power of the gods, defeating a demon wasn’t even a question of strength—it was an impossibility. Essentially, if not for Aquaz’s presence, the estate would have been utterly defenseless.

“Do demons like that show up often? This world is starting to seem pretty dangerous,” Ketal remarked.

“No, not at all,” Aquaz reassured him. “The descent of a named demon is exceedingly rare. And for them to create a domain, even more so.”

Creating their domain required numerous sacrifices and an extended period of preparation. Usually, such preparations would be discovered by divine entities and thwarted long before completion. However, this time, things had been different. Without anyone noticing, Ashetiaar had turned an entire village into her domain—without even the aid of a dark mage.

By the time Aquaz received the divine oracle about the situation, Ashetiaar had already prepared to create her domain.

“How could this have happened...?” Aquaz murmured, her face clouded with doubt. This was an anomaly, something that should have been impossible. And yet, it had happened. The world was changing in strange ways. Aquaz shook her head to clear her thoughts. “Still, if the demon didn’t create her domain, you could have defeated her easily, Ketal. For a regular descent, Aura can be used to banish them.”

“But I don’t use Aura,” Ketal replied casually.

“What?” Her eyes widened in shock. “Are you a mage, then?”

“Nope, I can’t use mana either.”

“Then... are you a spirit summoner?”

“No, no. I think you’re misunderstanding something. I don’t use Myst at all—not currently, anyway.” Ketal emphasized his last words, his tone deliberate.

Aquaz’s expression turned into pure disbelief. “No Myst at all?”

“I spoke to Kain about this,” Ketal explained. “He said my body is a bit unusual, making it difficult to follow the path of Myst.”

“W-wait,” Aquaz stammered, raising her hand to halt him. Taking a moment to gather her thoughts, she stared at him in utter astonishment.

She thought back to what happened in the village. Ketal had blocked the Demon of Oppression’s attacks with a single finger, shattered thousands of spikes with his bare body, and charged forward without hesitation. She wondered if all of that was purely from his physical prowess.

Is that even possible?

she thought. She stared at Ketal as if trying to determine whether he was a real human.

Ketal, meanwhile, stroked his chin thoughtfully. “So, without creating a domain, demons can be banished with something like Aura or another force created by Myst?”

“Y-yes,” Aquaz stuttered, still trying to process her thoughts. “Highly concentrated Myst could banish them.”

“And what about inside the domain? Do you think a Hero can banish them inside it?” Ketal asked.

“Impossible,” Aquaz answered firmly. “Without a divine miracle, no one can defeat a demon within their domain.”

Her voice carried a sense of finality, as if stating immutable truth.

Ketal’s curiosity deepened. “So, someone like me, who can’t use Myst, could never defeat a demon?”

“You might be able to stop their summoning, but once they’re summoned, you would need someone like me, a follower of a god, or a strong ally capable of wielding divine power to defeat them.”

Ketal leaned forward slightly, intrigued. “It makes me wonder. What exactly

is

a demon?”

Demons were beings that could only be defeated with the power of the gods.

“If humans can’t defeat them without divine intervention, why do such creatures exist?” Ketal asked.

Aquaz froze at the question, momentarily caught off guard.

Ketal tilted his head slightly. “Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine,” Aquaz said quickly. “I just didn’t expect such a question from you.”

Ketal’s question struck at the very roots of good and evil, of gods and demons. It was the kind of question pondered by scholars and theologians who spent their lives studying divine truths. Yet here was a barbarian, someone Aquaz assumed to be unfamiliar with such matters, asking such a profound question.

She steadied herself and responded, “I can explain, but it might take some time. Would that be okay?”

“I don’t mind. It sounds like it will be interesting,” Ketal said, a spark of excitement in his eyes.

“I see,” Aquaz replied, still slightly hesitant.

Barbarians were known for disliking explanations or lengthy discussions, preferring direct, physical confrontation over intellectual debates.

However, Ketal was different. He genuinely wanted to learn, to gain knowledge. He was, without a doubt, unique. He felt less like a barbarian and more like a scholar driven by curiosity.

“Well then...,” Aquaz said after taking a moment to organize her thoughts. She began her explanation, and Ketal listened intently, his expression filled with keen interest.