Barbarian's Adventure in a Fantasy World-Chapter 37: The Evil Descends (1)

The Barcan Estate consisted of numerous villages spread around the city. Traveling merchants roamed among these villages, selling goods that were in short supply. Like most regions, these villages formed an interwoven network, maintaining regular communication with one another.

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Then one day, contact with one of the villages suddenly ceased. At first, no one found it odd. There were times when merchants failed to arrive or, by chance, no one ventured out of the village, causing a temporary lack of communication.

However, several days passed, and the village still did not send word. Concerned, people from a nearby village went to investigate, but they never returned. Those who went looking for them also failed to come back.

Alarmed, they notified the lord. After hearing the situation, the lord sent a tax collector to confirm what was happening. The tax collector did not return, either.

Realizing the severity of the matter, the lord assembled a squad of ten fully armed guards and dispatched them. Sometimes a village refused to pay taxes and either fled or barricaded themselves in, so he wanted to check if that was the case. Ordinary farmers stood no chance against such a well-armed force.

However, the guards did not return either. Only then did the lord realize that something dire was happening.

***

Ketal arrived at the guildhall early in the morning, just as he always did, and asked, “What kind of requests do you have for me today?”

However, instead of handing him the request board, Rosa spoke in a calm voice. “Today, we have an emergency request. It’s from the lord himself.”

“Hmm?” A look of intrigue flickered across Ketal’s face. “What is it about?”

“It’s to investigate a village that has stopped sending word.” Rosa explained that contact with a particular village had been severed a few days ago, and Lord Barcan had asked them to find out why. “It’s essentially a simple dispatch request, but the payment is unusually high.”

“Interesting...” Ketal grinned in a peculiar way, then nodded. “Let’s accept it.”

Rosa, as though expecting that response, gave a small smile. Ketal then headed toward the departure point.

There, he was greeted with a familiar face. He recognized her right away and walked up with a delighted expression. “Hayes! You came as well.”

“Ah, Ketal. Hello,” she replied. Hayes, the priestess who served Kalosia, the God of Lies and Deception, lowered her head politely.

“Did you accept this request too?” Ketal asked.

“Of course I did. I could hardly pass up such an intriguing job.” Hayes smiled. She knew from experience that this barbarian would never ignore a request that stirred his curiosity.

Ketal glanced around Hayes, as though noticing something. “Are you alone? Where are the other party members?”

“They must have heard about the request, so I assume they turned it down. We all have a bit of spending money now, thanks to you. They’re probably loafing around at some tavern.”

They had cleared an unexplored Dungeon together. Even though the other party member only received ten percent of the total reward, it was still enough money that they could afford to take it easy for quite a while.

Ketal tilted his head. “Then why are you here? Don’t you have enough to last you a while?”

“I have to send money back to my church, so I can’t spend frivolously like they do.” As a follower of the Church of Kalosia—a deity viewed with distrust—she served a faith that struggled financially. Hayes always sent all her income to the church, keeping only enough for bare necessities.

“That must be rough. Hang in there,” Ketal said.

“Thank you. Still, I managed to send them a large sum thanks to you. I’m really grateful.”

“No need to thank me. We’re in the same party, aren’t we?” Ketal replied with a grin.

Hayes no longer found his smile intimidating. “How have you been, Ketal?”

“I’ve been the same as always. I’ve just been completing smaller requests here and there.”

“I see,” Hayes said. She had no idea that Ketal had already defeated Kartos. Since Aquaz and the lord had kept it a secret, hardly anyone in the estate knew Kartos had ever existed. Hayes simply nodded at Ketal’s words.

Ketal tapped the leather pouch on his belt. “I received this as part of a reward, too.”

Hayes let out a small, confused laugh. “That looks high-quality. It must have cost a lot.”

She never imagined that the leather pouch was actually an artifact. Artifacts were extremely rare, usually obtainable only in the capital city, and even then reserved for those of noble status. So she just thought that the pouch was an ordinary, yet expensive, pouch.

“Congratulations,” Hayes said with a smile. “Do you like it?”

“I’m quite satisfied. Thank you,” Ketal answered, flashing a grin. He looked genuinely happy to receive her congratulations.

Hayes chuckled softly. She thought this barbarian had a childlike quality to him. He reacted enthusiastically to even small things, and he knew how to show pure joy.

At first, she had been terrified of him, but she had grown accustomed to his nature and even found it charming.

They passed some time chatting idly. Soon, other mercenaries who had accepted the request began to gather.

Ketal counted their numbers and stroked his chin. “There aren’t as many as I expected.”

It was a simple mission with a big reward, so he had assumed more people would show up. In total, however, they hadn’t even reached ten. Hayes gave an awkward smile. “To be honest, this request is a bit risky.”

“Really? The request itself seemed pretty straightforward.”

“It is straightforward, but the reward is too generous.”

All they had to do was travel to the village. Anyone could do that. Yet the pay was far higher than the job warranted, which suggested the situation might be more than it seemed.

“There’s also a rumor going around that none of the dispatched guards ever came back. This probably isn’t as simple as it sounds,” Hayes explained.

“Is that so? Are you fine with that? It might be dangerous.”

“I have no reason to be afraid. My god protects me,” Hayes said calmly. Her faith was unshakable, and Ketal nodded in agreement.

“I see,” replied.

“Also...” Hayes trailed off and glanced at Ketal. She had known he would accept the request. Given her experiences with him, it was hard to imagine much truly threatening them if Ketal was present.

“Still,” Ketal mused. “I expected at least ten people. This is a big job with good pay.”

Hayes let out a sheepish laugh. “There’s also another rumor that’s been spreading.”

“What rumor?”

“Haha...” Hayes let out an awkward laugh and subtly averted his gaze.

Her gaze shifted to a silver-haired woman standing nearby. She was strikingly beautiful, but her expression was utterly unreadable. Her commanding presence caught everyone’s attention, yet no one dared to approach her.

“Aquaz... the Inquisitor of Sun God. Why is she here?” Hayes muttered to herself.

Apparently, word had spread that Aquaz was in the estate and would be working alongside anyone who took the request. There were not many mercenaries bold enough to risk being around the Inquisitor of the Sun God.

“She’s not planning to split my head open, is she?” Hayes asked, her tone half-joking but laced with genuine concern. As someone who served another god, she could technically be labeled as a heretic.

Ketal shook his head. “She won’t do that. She is very polite and kind.”

Hayes’s eyes grew wide. “A-are you acquainted with Aquaz?”

“Of course. We’re friends.”

Hayes felt dizzy at the notion that a barbarian and an inquisitor were on friendly terms. Ketal looked ready to prove it, striding over to Aquaz in long, confident steps.

“K-ketal?” Hayes called after him.

“It’s fine,” he assured her over his shoulder. He approached Aquaz and greeted her. “It’s good to see you again.”

“I don’t recall ever becoming friends with you,” Aquaz replied.

“Oh, you heard me?” Ketal said with a chuckle. “Then how about we start being friends now?”

“Aquaz remained silent, finding him difficult to deal with for many reasons.

“So, are you really planning to crack open anyone’s head?” he asked.

“We do not deny other gods. In the distant past, there were holy wars, but we no longer commit such acts.”

“Interesting.”

“Is that priestess also a follower of another god?” Aquaz asked, glancing in Hayes’s direction.

“She is a priestess that serves the God of Lies and Deception. She’s a good friend of mine.”

“You mean Kalosia,” Aquaz said, her voice calm but tinged with subtle surprise.

“Oh, so you’re familiar,” Ketal remarked, intrigued.

“I am aware of all the great beings that exist in this world,” Aquaz replied evenly, though a flicker of curiosity crossed her face. “So, she’s a priestess of Kalosia?”

“That’s what I’ve been told. Is there an issue?” Ketal asked.

“No, I was just under the impression that Kalosia’s followers were in a period of dormancy. As far as I know, only those in very high-ranking positions are able to act during such times.”

“Hmm?”

“It’s nothing. I don’t claim to know every detail about every religious order. Perhaps it’s my mistake,” Aquaz replied, shaking her head.

Ketal stroked his chin thoughtfully before speaking again. “So, the fact that you’re here... does that mean it’s time? You know... about the divine oracle?”

“That, I cannot say. The divine has not revealed the exact timing to us. This request may simply be a case of losing contact with the village.”

This uncertainty was precisely why Lord Barcan had been preparing for all possibilities, assembling the guards and hiring mercenaries to send as a task force.

“But the possibility still exists,” Ketal pressed.

Aquaz did not deny it, and Ketal’s expression turned even more intrigued.

“The Great Evil, is it?” Ketal asked. The term itself brought to mind a certain kind of being, one Ketal could imagine without much difficulty.

Soon after, the guard commander arrived, leading his men. He scanned the gathered mercenaries before his eyes landed on Ketal. His expression immediately shifted to one of resigned acknowledgment.

“Of course, you’re here,” the commander said.

“Why would I pass up on something that sounds this interesting?” Ketal replied with a grin.

“It’s not as exciting as you think... but regardless, you’re welcome,” the commander said without much concern. Despite the unusual circumstances, his demeanor remained calm.

The reason for his composure was simple: the presence of Aquaz, the Inquisitor of the Sun God. The commander felt reassured knowing such a powerful figure was on their side; he was certain no challenge would remain unsolved. He held no doubt about Aquaz’s ability to handle anything that came their way.

“Let’s get moving,” the commander ordered. The guards and mercenaries began gathering and organizing themselves. Ketal observed the scene with satisfaction.

“Good,” he murmured.

Moving as a group wasn’t an unfamiliar concept to him. In the White Snowfield, he had hunted monsters alongside his comrades on several occasions.

But that was limited to the White Snowfield—a place that could hardly be called a part of this fantastical world. And his comrades, the terrifying barbarians of the snowfield, could hardly form anything resembling a cohesive unit.

This, however, was a true group—mercenaries, a priestess, a barbarian, and an inquisitor.

It felt like a raid party from one of the epic stories he had heard about. Ketal found the current situation immensely satisfying, a smile spreading across his face.

The guard commander, noticing Ketal’s odd expression, spoke up. “Follow us. Lady Aquaz, we’re counting on you as well.”

Aquaz nodded silently, and the group began their journey toward the troubled village.