Surviving as a Barbarian in a Fantasy World

Chapter 155: The Inquisitor of the Sun God and Magician of the Magic Tower (2).

“Uh… What is that…?”

Aquaz managed to blurt out.

Ketal responded with a look that seemed to say, ‘Isn’t it obvious?’

“It’s divine power.”

“No, that’s not what I meant.”

That wasn’t what Aquaz was asking about.

She swallowed her words with difficulty.

That radiant light.

A miracle that shouldn’t exist in this world.

It was divine power.

As a believer in the Sun God, there was no way she could mistake it for something else.

That’s why she had to ask.

“How do you have divine power?”

“I received it.”

“You received divine power? From whom?”

“From Kalosia.”

“…Are you talking about Kalosia, the god of Lies and Deception?”

“Yes. Is there any other being named Kalosia?”

Ketal asked in a puzzled tone.

Aquaz shook her head.

“No, it’s not that…”

In this world, a god’s name itself held independent value.

The name Kalosia could only belong to the god of Lies and Deception, so Ketal must be referring to that god.

That much was certain.

But that only made Aquaz more confused.

“So… you’re saying that Kalosia granted you divine power?”

“That’s what it feels like.”

“…?”

Aquaz couldn’t understand.

The sentence didn’t make sense to her.

She repeated the words like a parrot.

“How can you… have divine power…?”

“Oh. You were asking how I can wield it.”

Ketal, understanding, tapped the black bracelet.

“It’s a holy relic of Kalosia. I received it directly as a reward for saving a sanctuary. By having this, I can wield divine power.”

Ketal kindly explained.

And with that explanation, Aquaz became even more dizzy.

She asked in a groan.

“Kalosia personally gave you a holy relic?”

“Yes.”

“That, that’s…”

“What? I heard you talked with Shadrenes, didn’t she tell you?”

“No. I didn’t hear anything about this…”

“Hmm. I guess she wanted you to hear it from me directly.”

Ketal explained to Aquaz what had happened.

And the more she listened, the more bewildered she became.

“Oh… um…”

“Was my explanation difficult? Let me make it simpler.”

“N-no. I roughly understand.”

Barely managing to calm herself, Aquaz began to speak with a face that still showed her disbelief.

Ketal arrived at Kalosia’s Sanctuary.

He stopped an invasion of evil and defeated the dark magicians.

In the end, he faced the demon, Rubitra.

During the battle with Rubitra, Kalosia granted Ketal the power to defeat the demon.

Thanks to that, Ketal was able to defeat the demon.

After stopping the invasion of evil, Ketal conversed with Kalosia, the god of Lies and Deception.

At that time, Kalosia, as a reward for saving the Sanctuary, gave him a holy relic.

Because of that, Ketal could wield divine power.

Ketal marveled at her summary.

“Correct. You understood very well.”

“…I can’t believe it.”

Aquaz’s face twisted.

Even as she summarized it, she found it hard to believe.

It felt like being told that a lion and a rabbit not only lived together but also introduced each other to their families and lived in the same burrow.

But she couldn’t keep denying it.

The great divine power contained in the bracelet was proof of Ketal’s words.

She couldn’t understand it, but it had happened.

The miracle of a lion and a rabbit living together in the same burrow had occurred.

It felt like a lie.

But there were no contradictions.

It matched the explanations given by Shadrenes, the saint of Kalosia.

‘Wait a minute.’

Then what did the saint of the Sun God mean by what she told her?

The saint of the Sun God had said that Ketal was an entity beyond understanding, with unclear intentions.

But after hearing the story, it turned out that the great celestial being Kalosia had met Ketal directly, conversed without issues, and even rewarded him with a holy relic.

‘…Could the saint have been mistaken?’

There was no way a great god would fail to grasp Ketal’s true nature.

From a believer’s perspective, it was inconceivable that a celestial being could not discern something.

Aquaz’s mind became more complicated.

Ketal tilted his head.

“Why do you seem so troubled?”

“No. It’s nothing.”

Aquaz shook her head.

“I think I was just overthinking things.”

She realized she had been too concerned about the words of the saint.

Come to think of it, Ketal had helped her.

He had also come to Kalosia’s Sanctuary afterward and contributed significantly to stopping the plans of evil.

Yet she had shamelessly doubted Ketal.

Aquaz suddenly felt ashamed of herself.

‘That was such a foolish thought.’

Yes, an entity that defies divine revelation.

Such a thing couldn’t exist in this world.

The saint must have been mistaken about something.

Aquaz nodded calmly.

“It seems Kalosia played a big role in defeating Rubitra. It must have been dangerous, but I’m glad you’re safe.”

Ketal was undoubtedly strong.

He had the power to toy with Ashetiar.

But Rubitra was a demon of a different caliber than Ashetiar.

It was impossible for Ketal, who couldn’t wield divine power or mysticism, to face Rubitra alone.

Although she sensed a small amount of mysticism within Ketal, it was so insignificant that it wouldn’t have made a difference in battle.

Therefore, Aquaz believed that Kalosia had bestowed a powerful blessing upon Ketal.

Ketal nodded in agreement.

“The blessing was indeed great.”

No matter how overwhelming his power was, without the ability to wield mysticism, he couldn’t reverse-summon the demon.

Ending a futile fight, the blessing certainly played a significant role.

“Indeed. But even so, it’s amazing that you faced the demon.”

Even with divine power, being able to somewhat match Rubitra was a remarkable feat.

It meant Ketal’s personal strength reached the highest levels of superhuman capabilities. Aquaz was purely impressed.

Their conversation began to wrap up.

Ketal smiled.

“Anyway, it’s good to see you again. I didn’t expect to meet you like this.”

“I feel the same way… How did you end up here?”

“I came to help a friend. Do you remember Heize?”

“If you mean Heize… I remember a follower of Kalosia talking with you at the Barkan territory.”

Ketal nodded.

“Your memory is good. Yes, I met her by chance. It was a dangerous situation, so I came to help a friend.”

Aquaz was impressed by his answer.

“That’s very noble of you…”

Risking his life to help a friend.

It was an incredibly commendable act.

It was something worthy of great respect from many people.

Aquaz’s eyes shone with admiration towards Ketal.

Of course, while he indeed had such noble intentions, his personal desire to witness the clash between gods and evil played a larger role.

There are truths in the world that are beautiful because they are unknown.

“So, what brings you here? Did the church send you to help?”

“No. This is a personal journey unrelated to the church.”

Aquaz began to speak.

“I’m on a pilgrimage.”

“A pilgrimage?”

“Currently, evil is invading the world. It’s a very dangerous situation. Because of the vile interference of evil, even the divine revelations of the great ones are being distorted.”

Until now, the continent had followed the divine revelations to counteract evil.

But now, if they moved according to those revelations, it would be too late.

They didn’t know what might happen in places beyond their sight.

Even in the Barkan territory, had Ketal not been there, it would have been a disaster.

Thinking of this, Aquaz set out on a pilgrimage.

Traveling the world, finding places in turmoil, and helping people.

That was her pilgrimage.

Ketal was impressed upon hearing her story.

“That’s admirable.”

Taking action on her own to quell the chaos in the world.

Helping those in need and saving groups in crisis.

It was truly exemplary behavior as a follower.

From Ketal’s perspective, it was a commendable mindset.

“But are you sure it’s okay? It seems quite dangerous.”

“I’m prepared for it. Moreover, I have also reached a great level.”

“…No way.”

Ketal’s eyes widened.

Aquaz spoke.

“During my pilgrimage, I have reached the realm of superhumans.”

In the Barkan territory, Aquaz was already a first-rate warrior.

After many events, she had reached the realm of superhumans.

“Oh! Really! That’s amazing. Congratulations!”

“Th-thank you.”

Ketal rejoiced as if it were his own achievement.

Aquaz felt a bit embarrassed by his reaction, but she didn’t feel bad.

She smiled.

Ketal asked.

“By the way, who is the magician beside you? They don’t seem to be a follower.”

“Oh. This is a magician I met at the Magic Tower during my pilgrimage. They offered to help me, so we are traveling together.”

“Oh.”

Ketal’s eyes gleamed.

“A magician from the Magic Tower. Traveling together on a dangerous journey. They must be quite exceptional.”

“Yes…”

Traveling together on a dangerous pilgrimage.

It was certainly an impressive feat, but Aquaz had a somewhat ambiguous expression.

After that, they shared various small stories.

Both of them had been through a lot, so there was much to discuss.

Meanwhile, believers occasionally came by.

“Good morning, Mr. Ketal!”

“Hello!”

They greeted Ketal with enthusiasm.

Their eyes shone with deep respect and reverence.

Aquaz muttered, feeling a bit perplexed.

“It seems the believers have a lot of trust in you, Mr. Ketal.”

Believers of the gods showing such reverence towards a barbarian rather than a saint.

It felt like a dream.

“It’s a bit overwhelming for me too. It wasn’t like this before, but it got worse after I had a conversation with Kalosia.”

“Oh, you talked with Kalosia…”

Conversing with a god.

Even within the church, only a chosen few had such an opportunity.

Despite the high expectations placed on her, Aquaz had never conversed with a god.

The barbarian in front of her had seized such an opportunity.

Aquaz asked in a worried tone.

“Are you alright? It must have been quite overwhelming.”

Speaking with a great celestial being.

It was a heavy burden for a mortal.

Even a mere voice, not a full manifestation, of such a being, could suppress a mortal.

Even the saint of the Sun God would break out in cold sweat each time she spoke with the Sun God.

She wouldn’t leave her chambers for a whole day afterward.

And Ketal wasn’t even a believer.

He didn’t know how to conduct himself in front of a god, so he must have been extremely anxious about potentially committing blasphemy.

She asked in a concerned tone, but Ketal shook his head.

“It was nothing. It was an enjoyable conversation.”

Aquaz froze.

“En-enjoyable?”

“Yeah. We had a good rapport.”

“Good rapport…?”

“I’d like to meet again.”

“…Pardon?”

She had a bewildered expression.