Chapter 77: The Mage of Domains (1)

Ketal raised his arm, his muscles bulging visibly even through his clothing. Milayna instinctively stepped back. At this moment, Ketal radiated danger. She could feel it in her very bones.

Ketal swung his fist forward. A massive force of wind surged toward the roaring flames, creating a gust that seemed to tear through the air.

The wind struck the building.

Boom!

“

Kyaah!

” The onlookers screamed and covered their ears against the deafening sound of splitting air. The forceful gust knocked several people off balance, sending them tumbling to the ground.

By the time the wind settled, Milayna raised her head cautiously and opened her eyes wide in disbelief. “What...?”

The raging fire that had threatened to consume the entire building was completely extinguished.

What just happened...?

Milayna thought. Still stunned, she stared at Ketal, who stood before her.

Could it be? Had he extinguished the fire using only the wind generated by his punch?

Ketal brushed off his arm casually. “The fire is out. However, you should check for embers that might have scattered nearby.”

Milayna didn’t respond immediately. She just stared at him in a daze.

***

The charred building was now swarming with people, all searching for scattered embers to prevent any secondary fires.

Ketal and Milayna watched from a short distance away.

“Thank you, Ketal,” Milayna said, her voice still shaky. Even after some time had passed, she hadn’t fully recovered from the shock.

It only took him one punch to extinguish the flames that had engulfed a three-story building. She was suddenly reminded of who the man standing next to her truly was—a barbarian from the White Snowfield.

Ketal broke the silence. “Is it over?”

“Yes. All that’s left is the cleanup. Thank you again,” Milayna replied, bowing slightly.

At that moment, a man approached Milayna, pausing when he saw Ketal. His body stiffened, and he hesitated to move closer.

“It’s fine, you can come closer. What is it?” Milayna asked.

The man leaned in and whispered cautiously, “There is no evidence of arson.”

“So it happened naturally?”

“Yes. But it’s highly likely that it was caused by magic.”

Magic?

Ketal thought. The word piqued his curiosity.

Milayna frowned. “It seems they’re starting to cross the line. Thank you for the update.”

The man nodded and left, leaving Milayna to turn to Ketal.

“Ketal, would you mind returning to the residence first? I will come find you after the cleanup is done,” she said.

Ketal nodded silently and headed back to the Akasha family’s residence.

***

A few hours later, Milayna returned to the residence, her expression still tense from the events of the night.

“Ketal, you’re here,” she said.

“Looks like it’s over. What’s the damage?” Ketal asked.

“Half of it was destroyed... but the other half is still usable,” she replied with a sigh.

Losing half the contents of such a massive warehouse was no small blow, but it was far better than losing everything.

Milayna bowed her head deeply. “It’s all thanks to you, Ketal. I’m truly grateful.”

“It’s nothing. I already owe you a lot,” Ketal replied lightly. After all, Milayna had provided him with shelter, taught him alchemy, and even helped him procure rare and expensive materials.

Who would have thought that our connection from the White Snowfield would lead to this?

Ketal thought. Even he found it a little surprising.

“I see.” Milayna smiled and took a seat across from him. “How is your alchemy coming along?”

“It’s enjoyable. Very interesting,” he said, smiling contentedly. “I’m planning to make an artifact with my own hands.”

“An artifact?” Milayna asked.

“Yes, it’s a simple one, but I think it will be useful. I could ask Arkemis to make it for me, and she’d do it quickly, but there’s meaning in crafting it myself,” Ketal explained, his face lighting up with excitement.

Milayna found his enthusiasm remarkable.

She herself had dabbled in alchemy out of curiosity but had given up quickly. It was a field that demanded extensive memorization and deep knowledge, making it extremely challenging.

The fact that Ketal found it enjoyable was fascinating. After all, his appearance screamed

barbarian

in every sense.

Milayna’s gaze darkened as her thoughts turned inward. The man before her was undeniably a barbarian. One of the reasons he was learning alchemy was his desire to wield Myst.

In other words, the barbarian before her lacked knowledge of Myst. And yet, he was immensely powerful—overwhelmingly so.

He was the one who single-handedly defeated the White Serpent of the White Snowfield,

Milayna thought.

When Milayna had traversed the White Snowfield for trade, she had encountered the White Serpent. It was an enormous monster, so vast it seemed to bridge the earth and sky.

The serpent was less a living being and more of a natural disaster—a calamity that humans could neither resist nor combat. The moment she laid eyes on it, she had been certain of her death.

However, the barbarian standing before her had destroyed it. Thinking back to that moment, extinguishing a fire that had engulfed an entire building felt like nothing in comparison.

Ketal lacked understanding of Myst. That meant he had accomplished such feats with sheer physical force.

Is that even possible?

Milayna thought.

Milayna, a member of the greatest merchant family in the Denian Kingdom, had considerable influence and power. She had met several Transcendents in her time. However, none of them had demonstrated power on the same level as Ketal. Even the great Transcendents who wielded Myst paled in comparison to this barbarian before her.

She could not help but wonder,

Is this man truly human? Where do the limits of his strength lie?

As she stared at Ketal in silence, she finally spoke. “Ketal... you lived in the White Snowfield, correct?”

“That’s right,” he replied.

“What did you do there?” Milayna’s curiosity was piqued. She wondered how he had attained such strength.

Ketal tilted his head, thinking for a moment. “Not much, really. I just focused on surviving.”

“With strength like yours?” Milayna’s eyes widened in disbelief.

Ketal shook his head. “I wasn’t always this strong.”

When he first came to the White Snowfield, he was weak and fragile. He had to fight to survive against the bitter cold and the monsters that roamed there.

Ketal continued, “When I first encountered one of the monsters in the White Snowfield—the Black Slime, I think it was—I barely survived. I had to dig into the frozen ground and spend the night buried in ice just to escape it.

“I see...”

Though it made sense, Milayna found it hard to believe. The strength Ketal displayed seemed almost supernatural.

However, his words were true. When Ketal was first thrown into the White Snowfield, he had struggled desperately just to survive. He had grown stronger over time, not through some ambition, but as a natural consequence of enduring countless challenges.

“I wish I could explain it better, but I don’t remember much. It’s been a long time,” Ketal said.

What does he mean by long ago?

Milayna wondered. She wanted to probe further but instinctively stopped herself. She could tell she was treading close to a line she shouldn’t cross.

Ketal broke the silence. “By the way, how are the materials coming along?”

Milayna hesitated for a moment before answering with a sigh. “We haven’t made much progress. There are some... complications.”

“Complications?”

“Yes. Right now, I don’t have the resources to focus on it. It will take some time to resolve the issue. I’m sorry.”

“There is no need to apologize. I’m the one receiving your goodwill,” Ketal replied reassuringly. Then, he asked, “Is it related to the fire incident?”

Milayna’s bitter smile confirmed his suspicion. “You overheard, didn’t you?”

“I have sharp ears for things like that,” he admitted.

“It’s not a secret. Yes, the fire wasn’t an accident,” Milayna said, her expression hardening. “It was an attack on our family.” “An attack?” Ketal said, his interest piqued. “Are you not on good terms with the neighboring families?”

Milayna nodded. “Our Akasha family has grown rapidly. It only took a few years for us to become the top merchant family in the Denian Kingdom.”

Their growth had been nothing short of miraculous—so rapid it could almost be described as aggressive. Naturally, such rapid success had created a lot of friction.

In a limited sphere, one person’s gain often meant another’s loss. Other merchant families couldn’t possibly view the Akasha family’s rise favorably.

“There have been countless cases of petty theft, slander, and false rumors. We crushed them all to get where we are now, but there are still families that continue to attack us,” Milayna explained.

“And one of them is using a mage,” Ketal deduced.

“Exactly. Someone has hired a mage to target us. I’d like to deal with him right away, but it’s proving difficult.”

“Have you figured out who the mage is?”

“Yes. We know their identity and location,” she replied.

“Then what’s stopping you?” Ketal asked, puzzled.

“It’s not that simple. The mage is highly skilled. We can’t approach him recklessly,” she explained.

Milayna hadn’t been idle. She had hired skilled mercenaries to deal with the mage, but none had succeeded.

“I think I would need at least an Advanced warrior to fight against the mage. And even among the Advanced, they’d have to be top-tier. Finding someone like that isn’t easy.”

“What about Arkemis? Isn’t she helping?” Ketal asked.

“Arkemis isn’t someone I can order around. She is the kingdom’s greatest alchemist and far above me in terms of reputation. Besides, our contract only involves artifact production, not protection for the Akasha family,” Milayna said.

Theirs was a business relationship, not one of subordination.

“Still, thanks to her advice, we’ve been able to bolster our defenses. It seems the opposing mage also uses alchemy, so they’ve been incredibly precise in their attacks. We managed to hold him off for a while, but not this time,” Milayna said, biting her lip.

The attacks from the mage were escalating. While they had been manageable before, they were now causing significant damage. Milayna was prepared to invest heavily if it meant eliminating the threat.

“I see,” Ketal said, his expression shifting to one of intrigue. “So, the mage uses alchemy?”

“Arkemis mentioned they follow a school of magic closely tied to alchemy. But I’m not too familiar with the details, so I can’t recall much,” Milayna admitted.

“I see,” Ketal murmured thoughtfully. “So, it’s because of this mage that you haven’t been able to gather the materials. If the mage is dealt with, you will be able to resume gathering the materials,” he said.

“That’s likely. It shouldn’t take too long; I’ve already hired someone through the governor of the capital.”

“If the mage practices alchemy, they probably have materials on hand,” Ketal pointed out.

“That’s... true.”

“And among those materials, there’s bound to be something I need,” Ketal added, his lips curling into a smile.

Milayna froze for a moment before finally noticing his expression. A subtle smile played on Ketal’s face, one that hinted at his growing interest in the new turn of events.