BXBX NOVEL Chapter 207: Return
Chapter 207: Return
When Ketal left the sacred land of the elves, he was being pursued by Liltara and her group, followers of Federica.
They arrived in the city of mermaids without much difficulty, as the presence of the Forbidden Lands had disappeared.
In the city, they met the leader, Kukulitan, and Liltara asked if someone named Ketal had come there.
Kukulitan answered affirmatively,
"He came here, but he has since left."
"Do you know where he went?"
Kukulitan hesitated for a moment before shaking his head,
"I\'m sorry, I don\'t know the details."
"I see..."
Liltara instinctively realized that this mermaid knew where Ketal had gone but did not want to tell her.
Although she felt the urge to intimidate the mermaid for information, she couldn\'t do so given the circumstances.
Satisfied with the minor achievement, Liltara was about to leave when she asked one more question.
"May I ask one last thing?"
"What is it?"
Kukulitan replied.
"What did the barbarian do here?"
"He helped us,"
Kukulitan answered immediately.
Liltara\'s eyes darkened.
"I see."
"As you may know, our city was taken over by the monkeys of the Forbidden Lands. Many survivors were trapped in the city, waiting for death. That\'s when Ketal appeared!"
Kukulitan spoke fervently, showing clear respect and admiration for Ketal.
"Ketal and his companions saved us without expecting anything in return. Even after defeating the Forbidden Lands, he helped us rebuild the city without asking for any compensation. He is truly an excellent person."
"I see..."
Liltara felt dizzy.
She was currently pursuing Ketal under the orders of the divine.
Since the gods had given a direct revelation, Ketal must be an enemy to the world.
However, everyone she met spoke highly of Ketal.
More than just good, they treated him as a benefactor.
She now understood why the people of Kalosia had looked at her with hostility.
They resented her for chasing their benefactor, Ketal.
As Liltara was deep in thought, Kukulitan cautiously spoke to her.
"Are you pursuing Ketal?"
Liltara hadn\'t mentioned she was following divine orders, leading Kukulitan to mistakenly think she had personal reasons for chasing Ketal.
"...Yes."
"You may misunderstand him because of his appearance, but he is truly a great person. I believe there is a misunderstanding. It would be good if you could meet him and clear it up."
"I see..."
Liltara\'s eyes grew even darker.
* * *
The world was in great turmoil.
Evil was revealing itself, and so were the Forbidden Lands.
Kingdoms were falling, capitals were being invaded, and churches were being attacked.
Events that were supposed to occur once in decades were happening all at once, spreading their impact across the world.
Food prices were skyrocketing, and armor was selling out at lightning speed.
Amidst this chaos, Milena Akasha, a merchant from the Kingdom of Denian, was extremely busy.
She was sorting logistics and handling paperwork without rest, dark circles under her eyes.
As she was frantically organizing documents in her office as usual, someone knocked on the door.
"Come in."
"Miss Milena, you have a visitor,"
Said the guard, making Milena frown.
"A visitor? I told you not to let anyone in."
The world was in chaos, and she had a lot of money.
Many who had lost their capital in the chaos came to her to beg for help.
She was so exhausted from dealing with visitors that she had completely refused any further visits.
The guard stammered.
"Well... I thought I should let you know."
"Who is it?"
Milena asked.
When she heard the name, her pupils dilated.
* * *
"Ketal, you\'re here!"
Milena greeted.
"Yes, it\'s good to see you again. You seem to be having a hard time,"
Ketal observed.
"The world is in turmoil."
"I\'m sorry for bothering you when you\'re so busy."
"No, you\'re always welcome, Ketal. It\'s good to have you here,"
Milena responded with a smile, welcoming Ketal warmly.
The guard sighed in relief.
\'Thank goodness...\'
He was the guard who had once tried to chase Ketal away when he first visited the Akasha family.
Seeing Ketal return, he had hurried to find Milena, trembling in fear.
Although Milena had refused all other visitors, the guard was certain this barbarian would be an exception, and he was right.
Milena glanced at the guard.
"You did well. What\'s your name?"
"Brand."
"Brand. I\'ll remember it."
"Thank you!"
The guard exclaimed joyfully.
Milena led Ketal into the reception room.
"How have you been?"
"You know it\'s been chaos,"
Milena sighed deeply.
Two named demons had descended upon the capital, partially destroying it and killing many people.
The country suffered significant damage.
As a result, the Kingdom of Denian had no choice but to seize the Akasha family\'s assets.
While it was a necessary measure during a national crisis, it was still a heart-wrenching experience.
Milena, primarily in the banking business, suffered great losses as many of her debtors went bankrupt.
Yet, she managed to overcome the crisis somehow.
As the situation stabilized, the Kingdom of Denian began to offer benefits equivalent to the seized assets.
Seizing this opportunity, the Akasha family quickly expanded their influence.
Consequently, the Akasha family succeeded in recovering most of their losses.
Although minor issues remained, the major problems had been resolved.
"I\'m glad to hear that."
"It was really tough,"
Milena sighed deeply again.
"And how have you been, Ketal?"
"Not nearly as busy as you,"
Ketal replied.
He then recounted his recent experiences.
He had prevented the descent of demons at the sanctuary of Kalosia, dealt with the monkeys of the Forbidden Lands that had engulfed the mermaid city, met the High Elf Queen at the elf sanctuary, drove out the demons invading there, and prevented the corruption of the World Tree.
"...What?"
Milena\'s jaw dropped as she listened.
"...Is that true?"
"I have no reason to lie."
"Well, that\'s true, but..."
Preventing two demonic invasions and eliminating the presence of the Forbidden Lands in just a few months?
It was hard to believe even after hearing it.
If what Ketal said was true, he was practically a protector of the world.
If his deeds became widely known, the continent would praise and hail his name.
"...Are you, by any chance, dreaming of becoming a hero? Do you have a mission to protect the world?"
"Not really,"
Ketal replied.
He had simply followed his interests and stumbled into these events.
"I met Arkamis at the elf sanctuary. I thought I should let you know. She’s doing well."
Milena was close to Arkamis, practically friends.
Ketal had come to relay this message to her.
Milena\'s expression softened upon hearing this.
"That\'s a relief. I was worried about how she’d cope with her unique personality in that place."
"There seemed to be no issues."
"Did you come just to tell me that? Thank you so much,"
Milena said, genuinely touched.
Ketal shook his head.
"That’s part of it, but not the only reason."
Ketal looked at Milena.
The woman before him was the head of the largest merchant family in the Kingdom of Denian, the Akasha family.
"You are a merchant. That means you’re sensitive to world affairs and have a lot of information."
"Yes, that\'s true."
"Can you tell me? What is the current situation of the world, and about the invasion of evil?"
* * *
Until now, Ketal had not been particularly interested in the state of the continent.
His purpose was to travel freely, see new places, and enjoy himself.
However, the world was becoming so chaotic that he could no longer ignore it.
Wherever he went, demons and Forbidden Lands creatures appeared.
The demons were clearly targeting him, and the beings of the White Snowfield could emerge at any moment.
The world\'s chaos was affecting him as well.
It was time to gather proper information.
That’s why he had come to see Milena.
She began to speak calmly.
"What exactly do you want to know about the world\'s situation?"
"General information or specific events, anything is fine."
"Then... I\'ll start with an overview. As you know, the demons are targeting the world, and the Forbidden Lands creatures are emerging as well."
The world was in great turmoil because of this.
Villages near the Forbidden Lands began to evacuate hurriedly, and the prices of food skyrocketed.
People from border territories flocked to the capital.
"The various religious churches are also moving urgently."
Despite the invasion of evil, the gods were not showing much response.
The believers, confused, were trying to do what they could.
"Currently, the confirmed Forbidden Lands entities that have emerged are the Nothingness Forest and the Primate of the Deep Sea. Including the White Snowfield if you count Ketal."
"Is there no other movement besides that?"
“Not at the moment,”
Milena replied.
Ketal stroked his chin thoughtfully.
‘Are only the White Snowfield, the Nothingness Forest, and the Primates of the Deep Sea freed from restrictions?’
He wondered.
Or perhaps the other Forbidden Lands entities were also freed but had not yet moved.
It was impossible to tell.
“It’s an unsettling situation because we don’t know when they might act. I’ve heard that the Empire has deployed soldiers to various Forbidden Lands locations. That’s somewhat reassuring.”
“The Empire is responding to the Forbidden Lands?”
“They don’t seem to be paying much attention to the demons, but yes. Thanks to their efforts, the Forbidden Lands entities have stayed contained.”
“Wait. The Empire isn’t concerned with the demons?”
“No. When asked for cooperation, they claimed they didn’t have the resources. The silence of the continent’s strongest force has only added to the confusion.”
“Do you know why?”
“No one does. Perhaps they’re preoccupied with controlling the Forbidden Lands. The relatively few Forbidden Lands entities emerging might be due to the Empire’s containment efforts.”
Ketal muttered with interest,
“I see.”
The Empire showed no interest in the demons.
They focused solely on the Forbidden Lands.
“I understand the situation on that front. What about the demons?”
Ketal asked.
“As you know, the demons are invading the world.”.
So far, Ketal had thwarted four demonic invasions.
It was certainly not a small number.
The demons\' plans must have been significantly disrupted because of him.
However, he hadn’t stopped all demonic attacks.
The world was vast, and the demons’ assaults continued elsewhere.
In places where he wasn’t present, the demons had succeeded.
“The Dwarf’s Den, Mantamia. The ancient meteorite that fell from the stars thousands of years ago. The demons invaded and stole it.”
“The fairy village of Pysaraphia, where all the world’s mysteries supposedly exist. The essence of purity that had existed since the dawn of time was defiled and taken by the demons.”
Other significant losses included national treasures stolen from the royal family.
There had been numerous smaller incidents as well.
Milena sighed.
“Somehow, they know exactly where to strike to seize valuable treasures. The world is in turmoil.”
“They’re taking highly valuable items,”
Ketal noted.
“Their goal is likely…”
“The Demon King.”
“…Yes.”
Milena swallowed hard.
The King of all demons.
The Lord of Hell.
The adversary of the gods.
Ketal\'s face lit up with interest.
The demons were gathering offerings to summon the Demon King.