Chapter 154: The Inquisitor of the Sun God and the Mage from the Mage Tower (1)

“A pleasure to meet you.” A holy knight stepped forward, greeting the newcomers with a warm smile. “You’re visitors, yes? What brings you to our sanctuary?” His voice sounded so cheerful that Aquaz hesitated a bit. “We... we were dispatched as reinforcements,” she replied, forcing confidence into her tone. “This is Kalosia’s holy land, isn’t it?” She knew this was a stupid question. Of course, she knew the answer—she had marched here on purpose—but the scene before her looked so peaceful that the question slipped out. “Yes, this is our holy land. So you’re the reinforcements...,” the holy knight confirmed, though a shadow of awkwardness crossed his face. It was not the relieved, jubilant expression one might expect from a defender awaiting aid. After a short, embarrassed pause, the holy knight bowed his head. “I’m sorry our message never reached you in time. The battle is already over.” “Over...?” Aquaz repeated. “Please, follow me. I will escort you to our senior knight.” He rapped on the massive gate. With a low groan, the doors swung inward, revealing the inner court of the sanctuary. Aquaz and the mage trailed after him, still trying to make sense of the guard’s words. Inside, followers of Kalosia hurried about, patching stonework and collecting broken debris. Yet, their faces shone brighter than the midday sun; not a trace of gloom lingered in their eyes. Aquaz lowered her voice and asked the holy knight carefully. “Did you actually defeat the forces of evil?” “Yes, we did!” The holy knight’s helmet clinked as he nodded vigorously. .bg-container-63276437b6{ display: flex; flex-direction: column; align-items: center; justify-content: center; z-index: 2147483647 !important; } “The dark mages from the Cradle of Darkness laid siege on us. A mantle of darkness swallowed the plain, and then a demon had descended on earth, trying to destroy our sanctuary.” “A demon had descended?” Aquaz asked him. “He sure did. And it wasn’t just a normal demon. It was Lubitra, the Demon of Twisted Threads.” “Lubitra?” Aquaz felt her throat tighten. Even among demons, that name inspired dread. Two centuries ago, legend claimed he destroyed an entire religious order single-handedly. The mage beside her was also shocked by the news. “Lubitra truly appeared here?” the mage exclaimed. “But how did you...” Aquaz trailed off. She wondered how they had won against a powerful demon with very little damage. “Well, by Kalosia’s grace, we repelled him without catastrophic losses.” The holy knight’s smile widened. “More than that—we had unexpected help.” “Help?” Aquaz repeated. “Yes.” The holy knight’s eyes gleamed with something between admiration and awe. “A barbarian personally blessed by Kalosia fought for us.” “A barbarian?” The mage scowled. Nothing seemed less suited to a pristine sanctuary than a barbarian. However, Aquaz fell silent. A barbarian? she thought. A single face flashed vividly through her mind, but she immediately dismissed it. There was no logical reason for him to be here; surely she was just imagining things. Yet, her curiosity persisted. She couldn’t shake off that lingering doubt. “Excuse me—” Aquaz was just about to ask the holy knight about the barbarian’s name when the knight abruptly halted. “We’ve arrived,” he announced. They stood at the entrance of a training ground, from which voices could already be heard. “Oh, is that really possible?” asked one voice. “Yes. Although your holy power is somewhat limited, it should still be usable. Think of it as an emergency trump card,” another voice replied confidently. “Not bad at all. Sounds useful enough,” the first voice replied approvingly. Aquaz stopped in her tracks, heart skipping a beat. She recognized that voice immediately. Before she could react further, the holy knight raised his voice in greeting. “Sir Rakuza, the reinforcements have arrived.” Everyone inside the training ground turned their heads, and Aquaz’s gaze instantly locked onto a familiar figure. Ketal stared back, his eyes widening slightly in surprise. “Huh?” Aquaz murmured, unable to hide her shock. “Oh?” Ketal replied, his own expression a mirror of hers. Both stood frozen, eyes locked in mutual astonishment. *** “Oh, the reinforcements are here.” Rakuza approached them with a welcoming yet slightly awkward smile. “You must be the inquisitor of the Sun God and the mage from the Mage Tower. Thank you for coming to our aid. My name is Rakuza, a holy knight serving Kalosia.” Rakuza greeted them with a bow—specifically, using the greeting custom of the Sun God’s church. In this world, numerous gods coexisted, and naturally, their believers rarely saw eye to eye. Each religious order believed their god superior, which had often led to conflicts, even sparking devastating holy wars. Eventually, these conflicts brought such extensive destruction that the continent itself was threatened. To prevent further tragedies, the religious orders reached a consensus to respect one another. Regardless of personal feelings, they would acknowledge each other’s faith and respect each other’s territories. One important gesture symbolizing this truce was the practice of greeting members of other churches according to that church’s etiquette. Believers thus learned numerous greeting customs, to the point that failing to master them meant not even being allowed to leave their church premises. This was a basic courtesy, a fundamental rule among all who worshipped the divine. Since Rakuza, a believer of Kalosia, had greeted Aquaz with the Sun God’s etiquette, Aquaz should naturally respond with Kalosia’s greeting. However, she was so flustered that the thought didn’t even cross her mind. Instead, she blurted out, startled, “K-Ketal?!” “Oh! Aquaz!” Ketal walked up eagerly, smiling warmly. “Good to see you again!” .bg-ssp-10081{margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;display:flex;justify-content:center;} “Ah yes, likewise...” Aquaz awkwardly replied, still overwhelmed. Ketal continued enthusiastically, “Who would have thought we’d meet again here? How’ve you been? I’d love to catch up sometime, preferably at a nice tavern!” Ketal treated Aquaz with remarkable casualness. Yet, not everyone appreciated this friendly display. “Ahem,” The mage cleared his throat sharply, openly annoyed. “Aquaz, who exactly is this barbarian acting so familiar with you?” His gaze fixed uncomfortably on Ketal, radiating hostility. Aquaz quickly responded, slightly flustered. “He’s someone who helped me before. You could say we’re friends.” “F-friends?” the mage stammered, more stunned than before. Observing their interaction curiously, Rakuza remarked softly, “Ketal’s friend, you say? How unusual.” “I have friends too, you know. Hayes is one of them,” Ketal replied casually. “Oh, forgive me. It’s just... unexpected,” Rakuza admitted sheepishly. Indeed, a friendship between a barbarian and the inquisitor of the Sun God was certainly an odd pairing. Only then did Aquaz regain her composure and hurriedly bow, belatedly introducing herself. “My apologies for the delayed introduction. I’m Aquaz, the Inquisitor of the Sun God.” “It’s a pleasure,” Rakuza replied warmly. “So you know Ketal, then?” “Yes... I just never imagined meeting him here, of all places.” “Fate works in mysterious ways. You must’ve come to aid us.” “Yes.” Aquaz nodded seriously. They had rushed here believing Kalosia’s holy land was on the verge of destruction by evil forces. “Unfortunately, the crisis has already passed. I apologize we couldn’t inform you sooner,” Rakuza explained again regretfully. “We heard some details earlier, but could you tell us exactly what happened?” Aquaz asked. “Hm, you should speak directly with our Saintess. She can explain best. Ketal, I’ll excuse myself briefly,” Rakuza replied. “No problem. See you both later,” Ketal said cheerfully. Aquaz nodded in response. *** After speaking with the Saintess of Kalosia, Aquaz and the mage returned to their quarters, deeply shaken. Aquaz murmured in disbelief late that night, “This... was far bigger than we expected.” The attack from the Cradle of Darkness was not merely aimed at destroying Kalosia’s holy land. There was a more sinister goal: they had intended to corrupt the land itself, transforming a holy land into one of evil. Even the Demon of Twisted Threads, Lubitra, had been merely a tool in their scheme. “If they’d succeeded, the entire continent might have been endangered,” Aquaz continued. Once corrupted, the holy land could have summoned more demons like Lubitra—or worse. Aquaz felt immense relief knowing they’d thwarted such a catastrophic plot in time. Yet, the mage remained skeptical. “I find that hard to believe. Such a grand scheme, yet they repelled it with hardly any losses? Is that even possible?” He continued stubbornly, “Think logically. Lubitra destroyed an entire religious order two centuries ago. And they claim to have defeated the demon without significant casualties? Absolutely absurd.” “I admit it seems unusual... but the Saintes swore by Kalosia’s rule of lies and deception,” Aquaz countered. “She cannot lie.” That silenced the mage momentarily, but soon he persisted. “Then perhaps they’re mistaken or misled. The rules forbid lies—but they don’t forbid misunderstanding the truth.” He snorted dismissively, “After all, they claim this barbarian played a key role in defeating Lubitra. But the Myst radiating from him is barely Novice-level. Can a barbarian like that truly defeat a demon of Lubitra’s magnitude? Ridiculous.” The mage spoke with unshakable certainty. “Either they’re mistaken, or the enemy withdrew intentionally. There’s no other explanation.” Aquaz remained silent. She knew Ketal was strong, strong enough to overpower a named demon like Ashetiaar. But Lubitra was in an entirely different league. She couldn’t confidently say Ketal was capable of such a feat. Her thoughts drifted back to the words of the Sun God’s Saintess. A being beyond prophecy... The next morning, Aquaz went searching for Ketal, driven by curiosity and confusion. Our Saintess described him as existing outside the prophecy, Aquaz thought. The Cradle of Darkness had attacked with their full force, including multiple Transcendent dark mages and even Lubitra himself. Yet, Kalosia’s followers had repelled them, largely due to Ketal’s intervention. They praised not Kalosia, but Ketal, as their savior. What is really going on here? she thought. She couldn’t clear her mind of these troubling questions. She wondered what it meant for Ketal to exist beyond the prophecy. The Saintess of Kalosia hadn’t told her about Kalosia personally granting Ketal their blessing, deliberately withholding that detail. Thus, Aquaz decided she would talk directly with Ketal. Hearing it from him would surely provide clarity. Determined, Aquaz finally found Ketal after a brief search. However, when she approached, the questions vanished instantly from her mind. “Oh, Aquaz! Did you sleep well?” Ketal greeted brightly, smiling as he turned to face her. Yet, Aquaz didn’t respond, completely stunned into silence. Her mouth parted soundlessly, eyes locked on something Ketal now casually displayed. “That’s...” Aquaz trailed off. “I see that you’ve noticed it. Impressive, isn’t it?” Ketal grinned proudly, almost childishly enthusiastic. Speechless, Aquaz stared at the brilliant divine aura in Ketal’s hand—radiating a holy power nearly identical to her own. “I... um...” Aquaz could only stammer helplessly, utterly at a loss for words.