Chapter 59: Human? (5)

Ketal reacted to Elene’s statement. “The Demon Realm?”

“Yes. It’s a place beyond human comprehension, a twisted domain. The grotesque beings from such places could certainly exhibit anomalies like these,” Elene said with conviction.

Ketal pondered for a moment.

Is this why the Quest appeared?

The Quest window, which had remained dormant since he left the White Snowfield, had suddenly reappeared. He had wondered about the reason and whether it was tied to the Demon Realm.

However, Aron interrupted with a wry smile. He spoke in a tone of gentle correction. “That’s impossible, my lady. Haven’t I explained this before? The beings from the Demon Realm cannot exist in this world.”

“What?” Ketal asked, tilting his head in confusion. “What do you mean

cannot exist?

Was there some divine decree or revelation about this?”

“No, nothing like that,” Aron replied. “The higher powers have thoroughly excluded the beings of the Demon Realm, labeling them as forces of evil.”

Aron’s expression remained calm as he explained. “It’s simple. The beings of the Demon Realm have never emerged into the world—not even once—since its creation long ago.”

“I see,” Ketal muttered in understanding. “So, this is a conclusion based on experience and history.”

“That is correct. There is no reason why such powerful and anomalous entities would not emerge if they could. Yet, there is no record of their appearance. It’s a logical conclusion. Moreover, there is one piece of evidence that supports this reasoning.”

“Evidence?” Ketal asked.

“It’s the tale of the ancient emperor,” Aron replied.

“Oh, I’ve heard of the tale,” Ketal said, nodding knowingly. “You mean the emperor who ventured into the White Snowfield and was defeated, correct?”

“Yes. He barely escaped the White Snowfield and described the entities that reside there.”

The emperor spoke of White Serpents that devoured glaciers, White Bears that caused earthquakes, and Ugly Rats that polluted the sea. And yet, he said that the most dangerous thing in the White Snowfield wasn’t the monsters—it was the humans. He described ash-haired barbarians with scars on their chest.

“Whatever means they use to survive, there are humans in the White Snowfield. If they could leave, wouldn’t they have already emerged to influence the world? Living in the harsh snowfield is far more difficult than living on the warmer continents,” Aron continued.

“That does make sense,” Ketal agreed without much argument.

As the story unfolded, Elene suddenly looked at Ketal as though a thought had struck her. “Ketal, your hair is gray, isn’t it?”

“Now that you mention it...,” Aron added.

Ketal’s gray hair, while distinctive, had never seemed particularly significant. The scar on his chest couldn’t be confirmed, but everything else matched the description of the barbarians from the emperor’s legend.

Ketal simply smiled and diverted the topic. “That aside, hearing this story raises a question.”

This was something Ketal had been curious about ever since hearing about multiple Demon Realms.

“The emperor is said to have conquered the continent. Did he subjugate the other Demon Realms as well, aside from the White Snowfield?” Ketal asked.

When Ketal had lived in the White Snowfield, he believed it was the only Demon Realm. However, after venturing outside, he discovered that there are many such realms. This naturally raised his curiosity.

“That is not the case,” Aron said, shaking his head. “The White Snowfield is one of the oldest Demon Realms. Most of the existing realms did not exist during the ancient emperor’s era.”

“Interesting,” Ketal said, his eyes lighting up with intrigue. “So, Demon Realms are newly formed?”

“That’s correct,” Aron confirmed.

“And no one knows the cause, I presume.”

“If we knew, we’d be creating Demon Realms in enemy territories. But no one knows. There are even records of a kingdom being destroyed after a Demon Realm emerged in its capital,” Aron explained casually before continuing.

“During the ancient emperor’s time, there were only a few Demon Realms. The White Snowfield was not the only one. There were others, like the Deep Sea inhabited by sentient primates or the World’s Edge, but access to these was extremely difficult. Compared to these, the White Snowfield, being located at the continent’s center, was a much more practical target.”

“So that’s the reasoning behind it,” Ketal said, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

“In any case, Demon Realms have existed for a very long time, and yet, no being from these realms, not even the barbarians of the White Snowfield, has ever left. The entities of the Demon Realms are bound by laws that prevent them from emerging. This is the prevailing theory,” Aron concluded.

“However, Aron,” Elene interjected. “You must have noticed that the world has been changing recently.”

“That’s true, but...” Aron admitted, unable to refute her.

The world was becoming distorted in ways it had never been before. Unusual rumors were spreading from all corners. Even if only a tenth of these rumors were true, they indicated undeniable change.

“Princess Elene, are you suggesting that this distortion has affected the Demon Realm as well?” Aron asked.

“It’s possible. If that is the case, wouldn’t it also explain the distortion that has consumed our kingdom?” Elene asked.

“That... is a plausible explanation,” Aron conceded, falling silent.

Ketal murmured, “The idea of such horrors emerging into the world is far from ideal.”

The Tower Master inadvertently glanced at Ketal. Ketal’s expression was uncharacteristically serious, and the mage, who had intended to say something, chose to remain silent.

“So, could those knights be a manifestation of this Anomaly from the Demon Realm?” Ketal asked.

“It’s a possibility. It cannot be ruled out,” Aron replied.

Ketal tilted his head slightly, his thoughts clearly focused.

Something about this feels different.

***

The possibility that the entities of the Demon Realms had overtaken Elene’s kingdom was a plausible explanation. The narrative seemed to fit. However, even with that understanding, their path forward remained unchanged.

The distance to their destination was about three days. They quickened their pace, yet the knights’ relentless attacks persisted.

“Return our princess!” one of the knights shouted.

“You’re welcome to come and take her if you can,” Ketal retorted as he swung his axe.

The knights’ heads were severed. Knowing they would simply resurrect, Ketal no longer held back.

As they passed the bodies, Elene muttered, “I remember that face... This is the third time he has died.”

“And each time, he returned as if nothing had happened,” Ketal added.

“These cursed monsters... daring to mimic the faces I know, consume our memories, and devour our kingdom!” Elene’s eyes blazed with fury as she clenched her teeth.

“They must have planned to silently devour our kingdom and expand their power, using it as a stepping stone to conquer the continent. But I will not let that happen,” she declared, her voice filled with determination.

“Perhaps,” Ketal said with an enigmatic smile, “but I don’t think their motives are that simple.”

“What do you mean?” Elene asked, confused.

“These entities are not human. That much is clear. So, what is their real purpose?”

“To take over our kingdom, gain power, and spread across the continent,” Elene began.

“Like I said, it doesn’t seem that simple,” Ketal interrupted.

An arrow whistled through the air toward Ketal, who casually swatted it away with a flick of his hand.

“They try to stop us, but they never aim to kill you,” Ketal observed. The arrows and blades were all directed at Ketal. Not a single attack was aimed at Elene or Aron. “If their goal was truly to take over the kingdom, killing you would have been the easiest solution. But they show no intent of doing so.”

“That could be because they believe their disguise is still intact and are trying to maintain the illusion,” Elene suggested.

“That’s certainly a possibility,” Ketal acknowledged.

“Pardon me for a moment,” he said suddenly, grabbing Elene by the arm. Her face flushed in surprise.

At that moment, the knights burst out of the woods.

“You bastard!”

“Die!”

The knights swung their swords at Ketal, but he pulled Elene toward him, placing her in the path of the blades.

“W-what?” The knights panicked, twisting their blades away to avoid harming her. Their movements revealed a strong resolve not to hurt the princess.

“Damn it!”

“You coward...!”

Ketal struck them down effortlessly, blood splattering as the knights collapsed.

“You scoundrel!” Aron exclaimed, appalled. “How dare you use the princess as a shield!”

“My apologies for that,” Ketal said nonchalantly, “but I needed to confirm something.

He had verified that the knights were unwilling to harm Elene.

“If they were pretending, there would have been no reason for them to hesitate just now. Their actions confirm that they truly do not intend to kill you,” Ketal explained with a shrug.

“W-what?” Elene stammered, her confusion evident.

“If their goal was to devour your kingdom, they’ve had countless opportunities to kill you over the past year. Yet, they didn’t. In fact, their surveillance was so lax that it allowed you to escape,” Ketal continued.

Elene’s face was filled with uncertainty. “Then, why...?”

“That’s not the only strange thing,” Ketal added. “They’re attacking us with guerrilla tactics.”

Logically speaking, even if all the knights attacked at once, they wouldn’t stand a chance against Ketal. However, using guerrilla tactics to wear down their stamina and look for an opening was a reasonable strategy—if they were human.

“But that’s human reasoning. For creatures that don’t die, there is no reason to split their forces. They could block the road by attacking all at once, resurrect, and repeat the process,” Ketal noted.

***

Night fell, and the group settled down to rest. While preparing a meal, Ketal made another observation. “These knights do not attack at night.”

“Perhaps they need to rest,” Elene suggested.”

“Rest? For monsters?” Ketal questioned skeptically.

If they were human, this would make sense. The group had been traveling at a rapid pace, and the knights, burdened by the heavy equipment, would struggle to keep up. Naturally, they would need to rest at night.

However, these entities were monsters—something that imitated humans and resurrected after death. There was no reason for them to adhere to human logic or customs.

“These creatures do not behave like monsters. They act as if they are bound by human conventions,” Ketal concluded.

Elene and Aron fell silent, unable to refute his claim. Indeed, the behavior of the knights was peculiar. Upon reflection, they realized the knights could have captured Elene and Aron at any time. Even the king, having been turned into one of them, would not have hesitated to allow it.

Yet, the knights had done nothing. Even when Elene and Aron had summoned mages to uncover their identities, the knights allowed them to proceed.

“As I said, they do not appear to operate with simple intentions,” Ketal remarked, turning to Elene.” Do you have any idea what they truly want?”

“No...,” Elene admitted. She had never attempted to converse with them, knowing they were no longer human. It would have been foolish to demand that they reveal their true nature.

“In that case, my task is simple. Wait here for a moment,” Ketal said.

Before they could respond, he vanished.

“W-what,” Aron stammered, his face pale. A possibility crossed his mind, one that he fervently hoped was not true.

“Ahhh! Barbarian! What are you doing?!” a voice rang out from the woods.

Ketal returned shortly after, but he was not alone. In his grip was a captured knight.

“K-Ketal?” Elene exclaimed in shock.

“Princess?” the knight gasped, looking at Elene in surprise.

She recoiled in fear.

“You’ve spent a year in the same kingdom, yet you never exchanged a word with them. Neither side understands what the other truly wants. Isn’t that a shame?” Ketal said with a laugh.

“You bastard! What are you doing?” Aron shouted, aghast.

The Tower Master let out a quiet chuckle.

This barbarian is insane.

Ketal laughed heartily. “Now, how about we have a genuine conversation between a human and a monster?”