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Chapter 104 – Mystery (1)
[Translator – Night]
[Proofreader – Gun]
Chapter 104 – Mystery (1)
[You look like you have a headache.]
“Of course I do.”
The returning Barbosa pressed his forehead with a troubled expression.
“They refuse to accept my explanations. The nobles are also launching political attacks, calling me a butcher. It’s chaos.”
[Well, that’s to be expected.]
It was anticipated.
Even borrowing the name of the Tower Master wouldn’t make them readily relinquish power.
It wouldn’t be easy for them to accept that their royal castle had been replaced by the anomaly of the Forbidden Lands.
But in time, they would come to understand.
They would realize that the anomaly of the Forbidden Lands was emerging into the outside world.
They were just the first victims.
The Tower Master spoke.
[How is that child?]
The last remaining bloodline of the Lutein Kingdom, and one of the only two anomalies: Elene Malvocci.
She was the only one who could stabilize the chaotic Lutein Kingdom.
Ultimately, Elene’s will was crucial.
If she decided to forget everything and run away, things would become considerably troublesome.
Barbosa responded.
“She’s doing better than I expected. She remains calm and rejects the nobles’ attempts to cajole her. I thought she was just a child, but she has quite the resolve.”
[She must have found something to hold onto amidst all the turmoil.]
The Tower Master had a suspicion about who that support might be.
The Barbarian of the White Snowfield.
That existence was likely preventing Elene’s mind from collapsing.
[It’s quite a peculiar relationship. Don’t you think?]
“What do you mean?”
[The relationship between anomalies. The anomaly of the White Snowfield dealt with the anomaly of the Nothing Forest. And then helped an anomaly live as a human.]
“…You’re talking about the Barbarian.”
[It seems that the anomalies of the Forbidden Lands are independent entities. I suppose that’s somewhat fortunate.]
“That Barbarian…”
Barbosa asked with a confused look.
“How strong is he?”
When Barbosa first moved to the Lutein castle, he assumed the scene of destruction was the work of the Tower Master.
It was such a powerful and immense destruction that it exceeded the bounds of comprehension, and Barbosa knew that only those in the ranks of heroes could accomplish such a feat.
[Who knows.]
The Tower Master muttered in an ambiguous tone.
[How strong could he be?]
“Even you don’t know?”
[I’m not certain.]
In terms of pure strength, he was definitely in the hero class.
But it couldn’t be said with certainty.
The reason was simple.
Ketal had ultimately not mastered the mystery.
The mystery wasn’t just about strength.
It was a miracle.
Those who could handle it to the extreme could impose their perceptions onto the world.
Based on the information Nano showed this time, it wouldn’t have been difficult for the Tower Master to annihilate him either.
Nano had never mastered the mystery.
Whether it was because it was more efficient to use physical force, or due to some restriction, was unknown, but his limits were clear.
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Those who couldn’t handle the mystery couldn’t win against those who could.
That was a truth.
In fact, Nano couldn’t even scratch the barrier he set up.
In that sense, Ketal couldn’t be considered in the hero class.
[But… that Barbarian hasn’t shown all his strength either.]
Ketal was unscathed after dealing with Nano.
Although he had the limitation of not mastering the mystery, his sheer power was extraordinary.
The only clear thing was his strength.
[At least at the top of the superhuman level. Perhaps even beyond that. The realm of heroes is a separate tier, so I can’t be sure.]
“Huh…”
Barbosa let out a breath.
“A warrior of that caliber exists in the Denian Kingdom. Should I be pleased or frightened?”
Barbosa chuckled.
“Still, he seems favorable to humanity, so that’s good, right?”
[Hmm.]
The Tower Master responded ambiguously again.
[Indeed, the Barbarian’s presence is beneficial to us. But it also brings up a possibility.]
“…What possibility?”
[The anomaly of the Forbidden Lands is emerging.]
The anomaly of the Nothing Forest emerged and devoured the Lutein castle.
[It’s not just the Nothing Forest. The Barbarian of the White Snowfield has also emerged. What do you think that means?]
Barbosa’s face turned pale after a moment of thought.
“…The monsters of the White Snowfield could also emerge?”
Long ago, there was an emperor who ruled the world.
The strongest emperor who trampled on numerous sacred sites of the gods and took control of the entire continent.
The emperor entered the White Snowfield to conquer it.
He was not alone.
He was accompanied by several heroes, a hundred top-tier superhumans, and countless followers of the gods.
With most of the forces that had trampled the continent, he entered the White Snowfield.
And a few years later, the emperor returned alone and said,
“There are monsters in the White Snowfield.”
A white snake that devours icebergs.
A white bear that causes earthquakes.
A vile rat that pollutes the seas.
Those legendary monsters could reveal themselves to this world.
[That Barbarian is undoubtedly powerful, but it’s uncertain whether he can handle the legendary monsters on his own. The balance could be disrupted.]
The emperor spoke of the Barbarian as the most dangerous among the White Snowfield beings, but it was likely referring to the collective rather than the individual.
However, the gray Barbarian that came out was Ketal alone.
More importantly, it was unknown whether the other Barbarians would be friendly towards humanity.
“Ah, that’s…”
Barbosa swallowed hard, struggling even to imagine it.
The Tower Master spoke in a soothing tone.
[There probably aren’t many monsters of that level. The fact that they haven’t appeared yet means they either have no intention of coming out or there are some restrictions.]
But even the Tower Master’s thoughts were speculative.
The interior of the White Snowfield was still an unknown territory.
“…It’s a terrifying prospect.”
[Is this why the Empire has been investing so much in the Forbidden Lands? I wonder what the emperor is thinking. I’d like to crack open his skull and look at his brain.]
The immense insult made Barbosa flinch, forgetting the situation momentarily.
Even without the emperor present, few could speak of him this way, except the Tower Master.
“…Does His Majesty still behave like that?”
[Translator – Night]
[Proofreader – Gun]
[Always. If this news gets out, he’ll likely act immediately. It’s best to block any information about the Barbarian. The Empire knowing about him won’t do us any good.]
He was the Tower Master.
He had that much power.
Barbosa nodded.
The conversation wrapped up, and the Tower Master waved his hand in the air.
“Are you leaving?”
[This isn’t the only place with problems. I need to deal with the missing guy too. Busy life, you know.]
Should he had asked about that guy?
The Tower Master muttered softly.
[The world is twisting. The anomaly coming out is just a prelude. And to be frank, the Forbidden Lands itself is not the immediate problem.]
The Forbidden Lands consisted of independent locations.
They didn’t move in coordination.
While they were a threat, it was only a possibility until they actually moved.
It was something to prepare for, not respond to immediately.
There were other entities that needed immediate attention.
The clear enemies of the world.
Those who intended to destroy the world with malice.
They had once driven most of life to extinction.
They burned and corrupted nine-tenths of the world.
[The movements of the demons are noticeably increasing. The same goes for the dark wizards. Researching the changes in the world, I found the old records to be accurate.]
The Tower Master said.
Barbosa’s eyes widened.
[The Demon King will appear, Barbosa.]
* * *
While they were having a serious discussion, Ketal was looking into the air, deep in thought.
‘Why is this appearing?’
[Quest 786 completed.]
[Rewards will be distributed.]
The quest window, which hadn’t appeared since the White Snowfield, had appeared twice already.
‘Does it appear only for things related to the Forbidden Lands?’
The first time it appeared was when he was escorting Elene to the Denian Kingdom.
The second time was when he was preparing to deal with the Denian Kingdom and the anomaly.
Both were related to Nano, and Nano was an anomaly of the Forbidden Lands.
The White Snowfield, if you think about it, was also part of the Forbidden Lands.
Since Ketal didn’t know about the quest window, he could only speculate.
‘I don’t know.’
Ketal shook his head.
It wasn’t immediately important.
Even if he cared, it wasn’t something he could figure out.
What mattered was what he could do and what he could enjoy.
‘I should enjoy some fantasy again.’
Nano was ultimately an anomaly of the Forbidden Lands.
It wasn’t the fantasy he knew.
While it was interesting in its own way, it wasn’t that much fun.
Ketal smiled and knocked on the door.
“What? You’re back already?”
The door opened, and Arkamis spoke with a surprised expression.
“I thought it would take longer since you were called to the castle.”
“It wasn’t something that would take long.”
“Really? Well, come in.”
Ketal entered the room.
“What was the reason for calling you? Or rather, why did they call you? Was there any reason to go to the castle?”
Arkamis looked excited enough for Ketal to notice.
Ketal smiled and asked.
“Is there something good happening? You seem to be in a very good mood.”
At Ketal’s words, Arkamis flinched.
“…Do I look like that?”
In fact, Arkamis had been quite bored while Ketal was gone.
Before, Arkamis had lived well on her own.
She had always secluded herself and focused on her research before Ketal arrived.
But since Ketal came, she was never alone.
Ketal stayed with her until just before he fell asleep and came to see her immediately after waking up.
As a result, except during the raid dungeon times, she had never been apart from Ketal.
Although Arkamis had lived without knowing loneliness, once Ketal left, she felt his absence.
So, when Ketal returned, she unconsciously felt elated.
She coughed to hide her embarrassment.
“Just… I’m glad you’re back.”
“Is that so?”
Ketal, seeming to understand, moved familiarly toward the kitchen.
“It’s just about lunchtime. Wait a moment. I’ll make a simple meal.”
“…….”
Arkamis didn’t stop Ketal.
After a pleasant meal, it was time to rest.
Arkamis brought up the main topic that had been delayed.
“Why were you summoned?”
“It’s nothing serious.”
Ketal sipped his tea.
“I once did a bodyguard job while I was a mercenary. I was called because of that connection. I went and took care of a task.”
“R-really?”
‘Can an ordinary mercenary get a bodyguard request that requires going to the royal castle?’
Arkamis was momentarily confused.
But Ketal spoke as if it was the most natural thing.
She was an elf and didn’t know much about human affairs.
She just let it pass, thinking it might be possible.
“Well, if that’s the case. Anyway, I continued researching the iridescent grains while you were gone. This is really absurd.”
The grains were almost truly omnipotent.
They could be any catalyst and replace any role.
Arkamis’s eyes sparkled.
“Where did you really get this?”
Ketal had previously said he couldn’t tell her, claiming he had no intention of killing her.
At that time, Arkamis had backed off.
But now, she was determined to find out even if it risked her life.
The grains were worth that much.
Ketal shook his head.
“Unfortunately, it’s no longer possible to get them.”
“Don’t worry about my life. Just tell me.”
“No, that’s not what I meant. It’s truly impossible to get them anymore.”
“What? All of a sudden?”
Arkamis was bewildered.
It had only been a few days since then, and now they were unobtainable?
As she was perplexed, Ketal pulled out a bag.
“Instead, I brought this.”
Thud.
The table shook under the weight.
It was twice the size of a human torso.
When Arkamis opened it and checked inside, her eyes widened.
“…You, this.”
“With this much, it should be enough for me to grasp the mystery, right?”
Ketal said with a big smile.
[Translator – Night]
[Proofreader – Gun]