Surviving as a Barbarian in a Fantasy World

Chapter 246: The Blooming Flower of Evil (3)

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 246: The Blooming Flower of Evil (3).

"Is it about time?"

The Mercenary King took a deep breath.

He was now heading towards the Federica Church.

Even though it was quite a distance from the Mercenary Guild, he had moved himself personally.

Because it was such a sudden journey, he didn’t have a single subordinate with him.

The reason he was suddenly heading towards the Federica Church was simple.

He had heard that Federica had given a revelation to Ketal and dragged him to the church, and he wanted to help him.

The Mercenary King had survived thanks to Ketal.

If it weren't for him, he would have died at the hands of the dragon.

He was moving to repay that favor.

'Something is wrong. Him, a criminal of the revelation?'

Ketal was a strong man among heroes.

He had toyed with a mighty dragon.

Although he didn’t know the details since he had fainted afterward, it seemed he had also dealt with a monstrous woman without any issues.

He was someone who possessed awe-inspiring power, even across the entire continent.

And yet, such a person was now considered a criminal of the revelation?

Something had gone terribly wrong.

Although he had already expressed his regrets, he judged it wasn't enough, so he headed directly to the holy sanctuary of Federica to plead for leniency on Ketal’s behalf.

'Since the revelation came directly from God, it’s likely it won’t work...'

He couldn’t just stand by and watch Ketal die.

Of course, that wasn’t the only reason.

There was another reason as well.

But the primary reason was still to save Ketal.

He moved swiftly.

Being at the pinnacle of superhuman strength, the background rapidly passed by in a blur.

'Hopefully, it hasn't ended already.'

He had come running as soon as he heard the news, but a considerable amount of time had already passed.

The Mercenary King felt uneasy.

Now, just over this hill, he would be able to see the holy sanctuary of Federica.

The Mercenary King crossed the hill.

"...Huh?"

And then he froze.

A look of shock quickly spread across the Mercenary King’s face as he gazed at the holy sanctuary.

His expression suggested he had seen something impossible.

"W-what?"

* * *

"Oh! Bloodedge!"

Upon arriving at Federica's holy sanctuary, Ketal greeted him.

"We meet again! How have you been?"

"Y-yeah."

"What brings you here?"

"...I heard that you were dragged here as a criminal of the revelation, so I came to help."

"Oh!"

Ketal's eyes sparkled.

"You came all this way just for me! Thank you so much!"

Ketal tapped the Mercenary King on the shoulder with a bright smile.

To come all this way to help someone he had only met once—that’s what you call the romance of fantasy!

He was genuinely happy.

And the Mercenary King, once again, felt bewildered by Ketal’s warm reception.

Ketal had been labeled a criminal by Federica’s direct revelation.

He had been forcibly brought to the holy sanctuary.

And yet, he was moving about confidently.

No, that wasn’t the important part.

"W-what on earth happened here?"

The Mercenary King groaned as he looked around the holy sanctuary.

The holy sanctuary was completely destroyed.

The outer walls had entirely collapsed, and not a single building inside was intact.

It looked more like a ruin than anything else.

It wasn’t just the buildings that were damaged.

The very land itself had rotted away.

It would take decades for it to recover its vitality.

And there was one more significant problem.

As the Mercenary King, he had been invited to divine holy sanctuaries several times.

Each time, he felt a gaze looking down from the lofty heavens and sensed the grace that enveloped the entire holy sanctuary.

It was an otherworldly sensation, far removed from intelligence.

But here, he felt nothing.

It just seemed like an ordinary place on the ground.

"...Is this really a holy sanctuary? What on earth happened...?"

"Something happened."

"A 'something'?"

And then the Mercenary King noticed something.

Federica's followers were glancing at them.

The emotions in their gazes were quite peculiar.

They were fearful, resentful, full of hatred, and yet fearful again.

At the very least, they weren’t looking at him as a criminal of the revelation.

Liltara spoke quietly.

“We can’t talk here. Let me guide you.”

“Oh, thank you.”

"...I see."

The Mercenary King swallowed hard.

He quickly cleared his mind, as if trying to avoid thinking about it any further.

"At least you're safe. That's a relief."

"Yes. Thank you for coming all this way to help me."

The biggest problem had already resolved itself.

The Mercenary King chuckled in disbelief.

"The problem may be solved, but... now we'll have to find another place. I never imagined they would lose their divine power. What on earth is happening?"

Ketal picked up on the strange comment and asked,

"Did you have another reason for coming here?"

"I did."

Aside from coming to rescue Ketal, he had also intended to seek the cooperation of the church members.

He spoke,

"A demon has devoured another holy sanctuary."

"Oh?"

Ketal's interest was piqued.

"What exactly happened?"

The Mercenary King explained.

A demon had descended near the holy sanctuary of a god without any prior warning.

It attacked the sanctuary, consuming everything and devouring it all.

The demon took over the holy sanctuary, turning it into its own domain.

Preparations to deal with this situation needed to be made.

Ketal stroked his chin as if he understood.

"It sounds similar to what happened when they attacked the holy sanctuary of Kalosia."

The difference was that, during the Kalosia incident, Ketal's presence had led to the demon's defeat, but this time, it seemed the demon had succeeded.

It had managed to transform a holy sanctuary into its own territory.

"I intended to seek their help regarding the demons... but now it seems impossible."

"Hmm."

Ketal's face showed growing interest.

'I want to go.'

A demon that had successfully consumed a holy sanctuary.

He was curious to see what it looked like.

His curiosity was piqued.

However, there was something more important that he needed to deal with right now.

He wanted to explore the mysteries.

He didn't want to delay it any longer.

'No, wait.'

Ketal looked at the Mercenary King.

Standing before him was a top-tier superhuman, someone who understood the mysteries better than anyone else.

Ketal asked,

"Do you have any information on the demon?"

"We don't know much about it. The demon destroyed the holy sanctuary overnight. There were no survivors. We'll have to investigate directly."

"...I see."

Ketal's face showed even more interest.

"I see. Are you going alone?"

"No. It's a big matter, so several people will be gathering. Other followers of different gods will likely join as well."

The Mercenary King explained,

"The elder of the Earth Mother will be coming. Some mercenaries will likely join too. An extraordinary magician from the Tower of Magic will also be there. I arrived late because I came here to help you. Most of them should have already arrived."

"Hmm, I see."

Ketal's interest grew even stronger.

The Mercenary King continued, and Ketal's eyes widened at the mention of one particular name.

"Swordmaster Cain will also be joining."

"...Cain?"

"Do you know him?"

"Are you talking about Swordmaster Cain of the Kingdom of Gahentra?"

"You know of him. How?"

The Mercenary King mumbled in amazement.

Swordmaster Cain.

Ketal couldn't possibly forget him.

He was the first extraordinary warrior Ketal had met, and the one who had introduced him to the mysteries.

Ketal muttered,

"...So he's joining as well?"

"Yes. I should start moving to join them too. It's a relief you're safe. So, what will you do now?"

The Mercenary King asked about Ketal's plans.

Ketal smiled, pleased with how things were turning out.

"I have nothing else to do. So, this is perfect."

"Perfect?"

"Yes. How can we tolerate a mere demon devouring a holy sanctuary of a god? It's unacceptable!"

"...Uh, uh..."

The Mercenary King found himself momentarily at a loss for words.

Unconsciously, he glanced at the now godless holy sanctuary.

While Ketal had acted in self-defense, he couldn't help but feel a strange mix of emotions.

"Such evil cannot be allowed to happen in this world."

Ketal smiled brightly.

He could gain new knowledge, fight demons, meet strong warriors, and even reunite with Cain after a long time.

It was an opportunity to catch two birds with one stone, no, four birds with one stone.

"So, may I join you all in helping to deal with this?"

"...Huh?"

The Mercenary King's eyes widened in surprise.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]