Chapter 147: Kalosia (1)

“Uh...” Ketal nodded as he cleared his throat. Then, he said in a calm voice, “Everything was fine. I slept well.” “Wow!” “That’s great!” “He said he slept well!” The followers of Kalosia burst into cheers, relief evident on their faces. It was easy to see they felt genuine joy at the news that Ketal had stayed here without any difficulties. He watched them with a curious expression, but at that moment, a young child stepped forward from the crowd, looking shy and hesitant. “Um... Mr. Ketal,” the child began, his voice trembling. “Would you accept this, please?” The child held out a small wooden statue. It looked clumsy, as though it had been carved with unsteady hands, but on closer inspection, Ketal recognized his own likeness in the figure. “Is that supposed to be me?” Ketal asked the child. “Y-yes...” The child squeezed his eyes shut and nodded. When Ketal reached out and took the statue, the boy’s hands shook slightly. “You made this yourself. Thank you. It’s very well done,” Ketal said, smiling. A rush of joy lit the child’s face. The surrounding followers watched with deep emotion and shouted excitedly. “Wow!” “He accepted the statue!” “As expected of Ketal the Savior—he’s so kind!” Caught off guard by the overwhelming praise, Ketal slipped the statue into his belongings and let out a quiet sigh. I’m glad I stayed out of sight until now, he thought. In the beginning, he had helped restore the holy land, and his immense power allowed him to do the work of dozens on his own. However, once the reconstruction reached a certain point, he stopped volunteering. Whenever he showed up, everyone abandoned their tasks and flocked to him, making the work impossible to finish. He felt their admiration had become more of a disruption than a help. This is a bit too overwhelming, he mused. Yet, their reaction wasn’t just simple gratitude or reverence. Their feelings bordered on worship, and it wasn’t hard to guess why they were acting this way. One of the believers, moved by how Ketal had accepted the child’s statue, called out with a trembling voice, “He takes such considerate care of the child’s feelings! As expected from the one chosen by Kalosia!” After the battle ended, the followers asked Rakuza to explain how events unfolded in the final battle. Rakuza told them everything: Ketal had singlehandedly destroyed the altar meant to turn this land into a dark sanctuary. In the process, he broke through the defenses of a Transcendent dark mage. He also fought alone against the named demon that overwhelmed Shadranes and Rakuza. That demon was no ordinary fiend. It was Lubitra, Demon of the Twisted Threads. Two centuries ago, Lubitra had descended upon this plane and singlehandedly wiped out an entire religious order. The followers themselves had heard the stories about that horrific being. Yet, Ketal faced him alone—and won. If not for him, the holy land surely would have been destroyed. This feat alone would have secured him a palace in history as a hero. Still, it wasn’t enough to push people into nearly worshipping him. They might have praised and respected him, but not gone so far as to watch his every move. The decisive reason for their intense feelings was something else altogether: Kalosia had personally bestowed divine favor upon Ketal, who was not even a follower. A deity granting such a blessing to an outsider was, quite literally, a miracle. All of these factors combined to elevate Ketal’s standing to an extraordinary degree. It had reached the point where a few believers claimed that Kalosia had taken a barbarian’s form to save them, and that Ketal was effectively the god’s avatar. Although that was just a fringe opinion, the simple fact that people uttered the words divine incarnation when speaking of a mere human showed how fervently they revered him. “If you don’t mind stepping aside, I’d appreciate it,” Ketal said. “Ah! So sorry!” “Yes! Right away!’ “How rude of us to stand in our savior’s path!” They sprang aside in an instant, forming a clear passage. Ketal walked forward, feeling slightly uncomfortable as he noticed their eyes still glued to him in reverence. If he were to speak honestly, that attention was quite burdensome. While walking through the throng, he spotted a welcome face and called out, “Oh, Hayes!” “Oh, hey.” Hayes gave him a calm greeting. “It’s good to see you, Ketal.” “You still call me Ketal,” he said with a faint smile. She chuckled softly. “Well, we’ve known each other for a while now.” Hayes had known about Ketal’s power and what kind of person he was. Though she found it astounding that Kalosia had blessed him directly, she saw no reason to change how she treated him. “I’m glad,” Ketal admitted with a quiet sigh, “To be honest, the way they look at me is a bit overwhelming.” Hayes raised her eyebrows in mild surprise. “Really?” He’s a barbarian, but he feels burdened by this much attention? That’s unexpected, she thought. “I’m still human,” Ketal said. “I’ve never experienced devotion like this.” Although the tribe members in the White Snowfield had followed and trusted him, their feelings were more like confidence and loyalty, not the near-worship these believers displayed. He didn’t mind their admiration, but it did weigh on him. Hayes’s eyes lowered thoughtfully. “Right...” She reminded herself that this was not some monstrous being but a person, different from her in many ways yet very much human. Collecting her thoughts, she bowed her head politely. “Let me thank you once more. You truly saved us.” Ketal’s values were certainly different—alien, even. However, he had risked his life fighting evil and had received Kalosia’s own acknowledgement. Hayes wasn’t foolish enough to reject someone like that, especially not under these circumstances. Hayes actually felt ashamed of herself. She realized she had let her own prejudices blind her to Ketal’s true value. As though confessing, she admitted, “To be honest, I was a little afraid of you.” “Hm? Really?” he asked her. “Yes, but not anymore. I’m sorry, Ketal. I judged you through my own flawed perception.” Ketal brushed it off with an easy shrug. “That’s unexpected, but it doesn’t bother me. Misunderstandings happen all the time—what matters is that we’ve cleared it up.” He accepted her confession without making a fuss, responding with a leniency that felt more saintly than barbaric. Maybe Naflas’s perspective was right all along, she thought. In the end, she realized his judgment had been more accurate than hers. Ketal gave a hearty laugh. “There’s no need to feel burdened. You are my friend, and I can’t simply turn a blind eye when a friend is in danger.” Hayes smiled, looking noticeably relieved that her guilt had lifted at least a little. But I wish these stares would die down..., Hayes thought. All around them, the followers were watching quietly. When they looked at Hayes, their gazes were filled with admiration, as though she were the wonderful individual who had enlightened Ketal and brought him here. She felt a knot in her stomach and worried she might grow chronically stressed from all the attention. After finishing the conversation with Hayes, Ketal continued on through the crowd until he arrived at the church. Inside, Shadranes was waiting for him. “So you’ve come. I knew it the moment I heard all the commotion outside,” she remarked. Ketal wore a strained expression. “I’ve never experienced such attention. It’s really overwhelming.” “Well, of course it is. It’s not just what you did but the fact that Kalosia chose you. That alone is enough to justify their reaction.” “Is it really so rare?” Ketal asked her. Shadranes looked at him as though he were stating the obvious. “It is extremely rare for a god to bestow blessings on someone who isn’t even a believer. Across all denominations in the world, there are only a handful of such cases.” Gods normally concerned themselves only with their own followers. In extraordinary situations, they might offer advice or a revelation to an outsider, but conferring an actual blessing like they did for Ketal was almost unheard of. Even if one went through every record from every church, they wouldn’t find many examples. That alone explained why Ketal’s status had risen so dramatically. Shadranes thought it was only natural for the believers’ fervor to grow. “I see. Then let’s hope it calms down a bit in time,” Ketal said, although his tone suggested doubt. “Let’s see about that,” she replied. In truth, she expected people’s admiration to grow stronger, not fade, once they fully realize the gravity of what had happened. Time has a way of exaggerating past deeds into legends. Who is he, really? Shadranes wondered, gulping hard. Ketal asked her, “So, how are you feeling now? Are you recovering well?” “Yes. I’m much better now,” Shadranes said with a nod. She had used up all her divine power in the battle against the demon and overtaxed the holy scripture’s abilities, which left her completely exhausted. After a week of rest, she was finally on the mend. Bowing her head slightly, she spoke in a soft voice. “Thank you so much. If not for you, we would have vanished from history entirely. We can’t offer much right now, but please wait a little while. We intend to prepare the best reward we can give.” Ketal waved a hand dismissively. “Don’t worry about it. I didn’t help you because I wanted compensation.” Shadranes smiled and said gently, “Thank you.” They spoke for a while longer before Ketal departed. Left alone, Shadranes stared at the closed door. Who is that man, really? She recalled the final strike Lubitra had delivered—a blow of pure dark energy strong enough to pierce right through the holy land itself. Ketal had taken that blow head-on, yet he bore not a single wound, aside from a faint red bruise that would fade with time. He had also singlehandedly overwhelmed the Demon of Twisted Threads, Lubitra. Yes, Kalosia’s blessing had given him a miraculous edge, but that was only because he wasn’t accustomed to channeling holy power. It was never a matter of him lacking raw strength. She wondered how a barbarian could be that powerful. After thinking about it briefly, she rose from her seat and knelt before Kalosia’s statue at the center of the church. Kalosia blessed Ketal, she remarked. She remembered that moment, hearing Kalosia’s faint amused voice. Her god definitely knew something about the barbarian. So she decided to pray and ask Kalosia directly. Closing her eyes, she pressed her palms together, allowing her holy power to flow outward. A bridge began to form between the small being on the mortal realm and the great existence above. *** The next day, Ketal found himself lying in bed, bored out of his mind. Though he didn’t really need to sleep, he tried to rest simply because he had nothing else to do. But that, too, was wearing thin. “I’m getting bored...,” he mumbled to himself. He didn’t want to step outside, because he knew the attention would be overwhelming. He could have talked with Rakuza, but the man was still undergoing treatment for injuries that were even worse than Shadranes’s. That left Ketal with few ways to pass the time. He was gazing idly into the air when he heard hurried footsteps approaching, quick and urgent. A moment later, someone knocked on his door—no, pounded on it—with an almost frantic energy. “Ketal!” came a voice from the other side. “Shadranes?” Ketal muttered in surprise, opening the door. Surely enough, Shadranes stood there. She was sweating and breathing heavily, as though she had run all the way without stopping. “What’s wrong?” Ketal asked her, puzzled. As the leader of the church, Shadranes didn’t usually rush around in such a state. “Uh...,” she stammered, unable to get her words out. Ketal waited calmly until she managed to steady herself. Then, with considerable effort, she exclaimed, “Kalosia wants to see you!”