BXBX NOVEL Chapter 37 – Descent of Evil (1)
Chapter 37 – Descent of Evil (1)
Chapter 37 – Descent of Evil (1)
The territory of Barkan consisted of numerous villages surrounding the city.
Traveling merchants would move between these villages, selling goods that were in short supply.
Like most regions, it was an interconnected, organic structure.
This meant that the villages regularly communicated with each other.
One day, however, contact with one of the villages was suddenly lost.
At first, no one thought much of it.
Sometimes, a merchant wouldn’t show up, or coincidentally, no one from the village would come out, causing brief lapses in communication.
But when several days passed without any word from the village, people began to worry.
To find out what was happening, people from nearby villages were sent to check on it.
But they didn’t return.
Those who went to search for them also didn’t come back.
Eventually, the villagers reported this to the lord.
Upon hearing the situation, the lord sent a tax collector to investigate.
However, the tax collector also failed to return.
This prompted the lord to send a fully armed detachment of ten guards to check the village, in case it was a situation where the villagers were refusing to pay taxes or were in some kind of rebellion.
Such events were not uncommon.
These ten guards, well-equipped and fully armed, were not people who could be easily dealt with by simple farmers.
Yet they too did not return.
Only then did the lord realize something was seriously wrong.
* * *
“What tasks do we have today?”
Ketal asked as he arrived early at the guild hall, just like any other day.
However, instead of showing him the job board, Rosa spoke calmly.
“Today, we have an urgent request. It’s from the lord.”
“Hmm?”
Ketal’s face showed interest.
“What is it about?”
“It’s to check on a village that’s lost contact.”
Rosa explained the details of the request.
A few days ago, contact with one of the villages was lost, and this task was to send someone to investigate.
“It’s a simple dispatch, but the reward is quite substantial.”
“…Oh?”
Ketal smiled intriguingly and nodded.
“I’ll take it.”
Rosa smiled slightly, as if she had expected this response.
Ketal then headed to the starting point, where a familiar face greeted him.
Ketal approached with a pleased expression.
“Heize! You’re here too.”
“Ah, Mr. Ketal. Hello.”
Priest Heize, who served the god of deceit and deception, Kalosia, bowed her head.
“Did you accept the request as well, Mr. Ketal?”
“How could I refuse such an interesting task?”
Heize smiled, knowing from experience that Ketal would never turn down such a request.
Ketal looked around and noticed something.
“Are you alone? Where are your party members?”
“They must have declined the request. Thanks to you, Mr. Ketal, they have plenty of funds now.”
They had cleared an uncharted dungeon recently.
Even receiving only 10% of the reward was enough for them to avoid taking new requests for a while.
They were probably idling in a nearby tavern.
Ketal tilted his head.
“Then shouldn’t you also be taking it easy?”
“I send money to the church. I can’t afford to spend it frivolously like them.”
Heize was supporting her church, dedicated to Kalosia, a god not widely accepted, and thus her church was not well-off.
She sent all her money, keeping only the minimum needed for herself.
“I see. That must be tough. Hang in there.”
“Yes. But thanks to you, I could send a large amount this time. Thank you very much.”
“We’re in the same party, no need to mention it.”
Ketal grinned.
Heize no longer found his smile frightening.
“How have you been, Mr. Ketal?”
“Same as always. Handling various requests.”
“I see.”
Heize did not know that Ketal had defeated Karthos.
Aquaz and the lord had kept it secret, so only a few people in the territory knew about Karthos’s existence.
So, she simply nodded at Ketal’s words.
“I also received this as a reward.”
Ketal tapped a leather pouch hanging from his waist.
Heize made an impressed sound.
“…It looks fancy. Must be quite valuable.”
Heize did not realize the leather pouch was an artifact.
Naturally, as artifacts were rare, usually found only in the capital and only accessible to the nobility.
Thus, she assumed it was just a luxurious leather pouch.
She smiled.
“Congratulations. Do you like it?”
“Very much so. Thank you.”
Ketal grinned broadly, genuinely pleased by her congratulations.
Heize chuckled quietly.
This barbarian had a childlike purity, reacting strongly and joyfully to small things.
Initially, it had been truly frightening, but by now, she had gotten used to it and even found it endearing.
As they spent time talking about trivial matters, the mercenaries who had taken the job began to gather one by one.
Ketal stroked his chin as he observed their numbers.
“There are fewer than I expected.”
The task was simple, and the reward was substantial.
He had thought more people would gather, but the total was less than ten.
Heize gave an awkward smile.
“To be honest, it’s a bit of a risky job.”
“Is that so? The task itself seems straightforward enough.”
“Yes, it is simple. But the reward is too large.”
The task was just to be dispatched to a village, something anyone could do.
But the reward was disproportionately high compared to the task.
This suggested that it might not be a simple job after all.
“There are also rumors that the guards who were sent haven’t returned. It’s not as simple as it seems.”
“Is that so? Are you okay with it? It could be dangerous.”
“The Lord will protect me.”
Heize spoke calmly.
“I have no reason to be afraid.”
It was the faith of a devout believer.
Ketal nodded.
“I see.”
“And…”
Heize trailed off, glancing at Ketal.
She knew he would accept this request.
Considering their experience of solving tasks together, she didn’t think there would be much danger.
“But even so, the number is too small. I thought there would be at least ten.”
Despite the risk, the reward was significant.
Ordinary mercenaries would normally accept such a job without hesitation.
“Haha… There’s another rumor going around.”
“What rumor?”
“Haha…”
Heize laughed awkwardly and looked away.
There stood a woman with silver hair.
She was very beautiful, but unfortunately, her expression was perfectly blank.
Though she drew attention, no one approached her.
“…Aquaz. The Inquisitor of the Sun God. Why is she here?”
There were rumors that she was in the territory and would be joining this task.
The thought of taking on a job alongside an Inquisitor of the Sun God was enough to deter most mercenaries.
“…She’s not going to split my head open, is she?”
Heize mumbled with a worried look.
She was a priest of a different faith and could be considered heretical.
Ketal shook his head.
“That won’t happen. She’s very polite and kind.”
Heize’s eyes widened.
“Ah, do you know Aquaz?”
“Of course. We’re friends.”
“…?”
A barbarian and an inquisitor being friends?
Heize felt dizzy.
Ketal walked over to Aquaz, as if to prove his point.
“Ke-Ketal?”
“It’s fine. Don’t worry.”
Ketal approached Aquaz leisurely.
“Good to see you again.”
“…I don’t recall becoming friends with you.”
“Did you hear that? Then we can become friends starting now, can’t we?”
Ketal laughed heartily.
Aquaz didn’t respond.
This barbarian was difficult to deal with in many ways.
“So, are you really going to split her head open?”
“We do not deny the existence of other gods. There was a time long ago during the holy wars when that happened, but no longer.”
“Oh, really?”
“Is she a follower of another god?”
“She’s a priestess of the God of Lies and Deceit. A good friend.”
“…You mean Kalosia?”
“Oh, you know.”
“I am aware of all the great ones that exist in this world.”
Aquaz spoke calmly, a hint of curiosity on her face.
“She’s a priestess of Kalosia?”
“Yes. Is there a problem?”
“…No. I was under the impression that the followers of Kalosia were currently in a period of rest. I thought only those of high rank could move.”
“Hm?”
“It’s nothing. I don’t know everything about every church. I must have been mistaken.”
Aquaz shook her head.
After rubbing his chin for a moment, Ketal asked.
“So, does your involvement mean it’s time?”
“That I cannot say. The Lord did not reveal the exact time. It might just be that communication with the village is down.”
Hence, the lord was preparing for all possibilities by assembling guards and calling in mercenaries to send a dispatch team.
“But there is a possibility, right?”
“……”
Aquaz did not deny it.
Ketal’s face showed deep interest.
‘A great evil.’
It wasn’t hard to guess what such a presence might signify.
Soon, the head of the guard arrived with his men.
He looked around at the mercenaries and, upon seeing Ketal, spoke with a knowing expression.
“As expected, you’re here.”
“Why would I refuse a job that looks this interesting?”
“It’s not exactly fun… but welcome anyway.”
The guard captain didn’t seem overly concerned.
Despite the peculiar situation, his expression lacked any significant fear.
The reason was simple: the Inquisitor of the Sun God, Aquaz, was present.
With the presence of the great inquisitor, he believed any problem could be resolved without issue.
“Then let’s move out.”
The guards and mercenaries began to gather.
Ketal watched them with satisfaction.
“Good.”
It wasn’t his first time moving with a group.
In the white snowfields, he had often killed monsters alongside his kin.
But that was only within the white snowfields, a place that could hardly be called fantasy.
Moreover, the fearsome barbarians there could never truly form a cohesive group.
But this was a real collective: mercenaries, a priest, guards, a barbarian, and an inquisitor.
It felt like they were going on a raid.
Ketal found the current situation very satisfying.
The head of the guard, who had been looking at Ketal’s pleased expression with some curiosity, finally spoke.
“Follow us. We also request your assistance, Aquaz.”
Aquaz nodded.
They began to move toward the troubled village.