ALL NOVEL Chapter 274: To the North (2)
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
Chapter 274: To the North (2)
Ketal said he'd answer later and returned to his lodgings.
The Saint sent him off with a worried expression.
Lying on his bed, Ketal stared blankly at the quest window.
[789th Quest.]
[Respond to the anomaly that appeared in the North.]
[Warning: If you do not respond quickly, it could be dangerous.]
The appearance of the quest itself wasn't particularly unusual.
The beings of the Forbidden Lands were emerging into the continent, and quests appeared when it involved those entities.
There was no reason to be surprised since he had already encountered them several times since venturing outside.
But this time was different.
There was a warning attached to the bottom of the quest window.
[Warning: If you do not respond quickly, it could be dangerous.]
This wasn't the first time.
Even in the last quest he undertook in the White Snowfield, there had been a similar message.
[784th Quest.]
[Respond to the entity in front of you.]
[Info: Completing this quest will allow you to leave the snowfield.]
There had been a few occasions when something was attached underneath the quest.
And now, such a quest appeared again, telling him to head to the North and respond to the anomaly there.
"Hmm."
Ketal stroked his chin.
The Holy Sword, curious, asked him in a puzzled tone.
[What are you looking at?]
"What is visible to me."
[What is that? I can't see anything.]
The Holy Sword spoke in a confused voice.
[Your power. Something like that? With your level of strength, it wouldn't be strange to possess a power or two.]
"My power, huh."
Ketal looked at the quest window with a vague expression.
Even he didn’t know what it was.
It had been with him ever since he set foot in this world.
After thinking for a moment, Ketal spoke.
"May I ask for your opinion?"
[Ask anything! I am the Holy Sword! I know many things!]
The Holy Sword exclaimed joyfully.
Ketal explained the quest window in a tone that seemed eager to prove its usefulness.
The Holy Sword, listening intently, hesitated.
[Huh? What?]
"Do you have any guesses?"
[No, that's the first time I've heard of such a thing. Hmm...]
The Holy Sword pondered for a while before speaking cautiously.
[If I were to judge just based on the story, it seems most fitting for a revelation.]
A god couldn't easily intervene in the mortal world.
So, they would deliver revelations to their followers to make them act.
What Ketal had described resembled such a revelation the most.
[Does it ask something of you, offer specific rewards, or have penalties of any kind?]
"It doesn't ask anything of me."
The quest window only gave him choices.
It didn't demand anything specific.
There were rewards, but they weren't clear.
It only said they'd be given later, but what those rewards were, he didn't know.
And there were no penalties at all.
Sometimes, when he was too busy, he’d ignore a quest and respond much later, and nothing would happen.
The Holy Sword was startled by Ketal's words.
[Oh, oh. Is that so? That's odd.]
A revelation was something sent from a higher being to a lower one.
The expectations were clear, and so were the rewards and penalties for failure.
But Ketal said there were none of those.
After thinking hard for a while, the Holy Sword cautiously spoke again.
[In that case, it's more like an advisor or a guide than a revelation.]
"I suppose so."
[Oh, you knew that?]
"I suspected it, since it doesn't fit any other explanation."
[Ah... I guess I wasn't much help then...]
The Holy Sword's voice grew noticeably dejected.
Ketal spoke.
"Even though I suspected it, I couldn't be sure with just my thoughts. Your words were plenty helpful. Thank you."
[...! Really! Great! Please feel free to ask me for help anytime!]
The Holy Sword shouted with excitement.
Ketal stared at the quest window.
An advisor, a guide.
If that were the case, then who was it?
'...No. It can’t be.'
Was this really someone else's?
Ketal narrowed his eyes as the Holy Sword's words echoed in his mind.
'Your power.'
"Hmm."
He didn't know.
The only thing he knew for certain was that it had been helpful.
Without the quest, he wouldn't have known how to leave the outside world in the first place.
'Fine.'
Ketal made his decision.
The quest had never betrayed him.
It had always helped him.
If this quest was warning him, it had to be for a good reason.
'Though I'm not particularly interested in the Barbarians.'
He had enough reasons to move.
Ketal immediately went to the Saint and told him he would be heading north.
The Saint, surprised, stammered.
"W-were you born in the North?"
The Saint assumed Ketal was returning to protect his homeland.
Ketal shook his head.
"It's not that. I just feel like I should go."
"I see. I understand!"
The Saint quickly collected his thoughts and explained.
"Then... there is a believer doing missionary work in the North. I will tell you where he is. I’ll give you the Church's emblem, so you can explain the situation to him and receive guidance. He is a gentle soul, so he will kindly guide you."
The believer in the North was renowned within the Church for his gentleness.
No matter what happened, he never got angry.
Even when someone made a mistake, he calmly admonished and comforted them.
When he left for the North, many believers wept, clutching his robes.
Ketal nodded.
"I understand."
The next day, Ketal was ready to leave.
The Saint personally came out to see him off.
"Farewell. Our Church will always welcome your visit."
"Thank you. I hope to return someday."
Ketal smiled.
Kretein brought three horses.
"The North is far away. Even if you ride without rest, it will take months. Please take these horses with you."
It was a distance where you had to switch horses frequently.
These were the best horses in the Church, and they were being offered for free.
But Ketal shook his head.
"No need. I plan to run."
"Wh-what? You don’t need the horses?"
"No need."
"Oh, uh, I see."
The Saint pulled himself together.
He knew that Ketal was a Hero-class warrior.
He could move much faster than a horse.
But the distance was the problem.
Even a Hero-class warrior would find it difficult to cover a distance that took months on horseback purely on foot.
It seemed such concerns were meaningless for a Hero.
The Saint, impressed, asked.
"How long do you think it will take? If it’s going to take a while, I’ll send word ahead."
"At that distance, it'll probably take about a week."
Both the Saint and Kretein froze.
"...A week?"
"I plan to observe the state of the continent as I go. I’ll be moving leisurely."
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
The quest had urged him to act quickly, but from his experience, it wasn’t necessary to rush. He had at least half a year, if not a full year.
Hearing this, the Saint and Kretein were confused.
'Wait, what?'
A leisurely week for a journey that would take months of non-stop riding…?
"Well then, goodbye. I’ll see you again."
With those words, Ketal pushed off the ground.
A thunderous roar echoed, and a whirlwind kicked up.
The Saint and Kretein shielded their faces.
"Urgh!"
"Whoa!"
Moments later, the dust settled, and they couldn’t believe their eyes.
Dust settled for a moment.
And they doubted their eyes.
Ketal, who had flown off to the other side, was already gone beyond the horizon.
* * *
The continent was in chaos.
Demons were invading, and many kingdoms and cities had fallen, invaded by the horde.
And that kingdom was no exception.
"Aaaaah!"
A scream echoed.
A man gritted his teeth and swung his sword, piercing the chest of a rampaging monster.
"Ha!"
Crunch!
He put strength into his sword and cut down.
The monster was cleaved in half, and blood splattered all over the man.
His once radiant blonde hair was now soaked in blood.
[Kaaaaa!]
[Kuaa!]
Other monsters charged at the man.
He was knocked to the ground.
“Ugh!”
He barely managed to block the biting teeth, but he was in a dire situation.
In that moment, a soldier rushed forward with a scream.
"Your Highness! You beasts, get off him!"
The soldier clumsily raised his spear and swung it.
The purpose was achieved: the monsters were driven off from the man.
But unfortunately, this only angered the creatures.
[Kaaaa!]
"Argh!"
The soldier's neck was torn apart by a monster.
The man shouted in anger.
"Revan!"
Crunch.
He swung his sword, cutting down the monsters.
But the fallen soldier remained motionless.
The man gritted his teeth.
“Your Highness! We must retreat to the castle!”
A knight approached him.
His armor was completely dented, showing signs of intense battle.
"It’s too dangerous! We can’t hold out any longer!"
The situation was dire.
The soldiers were being torn apart by the monsters.
"...Everyone! Retreat! Fall back to the castle!"
In the end, the man shouted as if spitting out blood.
The knights and soldiers regrouped and retreated to the castle.
In the process, many fell to the monsters' hands.
Barely making it inside, they shut the gates.
The man collapsed, catching his breath.
A group of women who seemed to be maids hurried over.
"Prince Pasika! Are you all right?"
"I’m fine. Look after the other knights and soldiers."
"Ah, understood!"
The maids hurriedly tended to the wounded soldiers.
Groans of pain echoed from the soldiers.
The blonde prince, Pasika, grimaced.
Pasika, the first prince of the Kingdom of Feridoan.
He had met with Ketal, witnessed him talking with the guild master, the saintess of the sun god, and the disciple of the magic tower’s master, and had hurriedly left.
On top of that, Ketal had drawn the Holy Sword, leaving Pasika unable to claim it for himself.
He had gloomily returned to his kingdom.
But that gloom didn't last long.
For as soon as he returned, the capital of the kingdom had been surrounded by demons and monsters.
Pasika asked the captain of the knights,
“What’s the situation?”
“…Twenty knights have died. Over a hundred soldiers are dead as well. Less than half of our total forces are capable of fighting."
“What about the demon’s losses?”
“…None.”
The knight captain replied with a despairing face.
Pasika let out a hollow laugh and looked beyond the walls.
Countless monsters.
They were endlessly pouring out of the maw of a massive creature.
It wasn't just the monsters.
There were two named demons as well.
Though the knight captain, a superhuman, was desperately defending, it was impossible for him to face both alone.
The people of the capital were all sensing the same thing.
The Kingdom of Feridoan could not withstand the demon’s assault.
They were destined for destruction.
The knight captain cautiously whispered.
“Your Highness. You must escape, at least. We cannot allow the royal bloodline to end.”
“You want me to survive alone? Forget it. If you’re sending anyone, send my mother and my younger brother. The royal bloodline can continue with them.”
Pasika spoke harshly.
Though he had a secret hobby of disguising his identity and startling others, making it hard to talk about with others, he was by no means a villain.
He loved his country and his people.
“Our kingdom will fall. But we will face evil proudly, without running away. Even if everyone on this earth forgets us, the gods will remember.”
Pasika spoke resolutely.
Moved by his words, the knight captain bowed deeply.
“…As you wish, Your Highness.”
And the next day.
The demons launched a full-scale assault.
Monsters charged, howling wildly.
Pasika gritted his teeth and shouted,
"Listen up, everyone! We will fall here! But do not be afraid! The gods will remember our sacrifice, our struggle!"
Pasika fiercely drew his sword.
“I will die here with you! Follow me!"
“Waaaah!”
The soldiers cheered.
Heeheehee...
Laughter echoed from the demons beyond.
As if mocking them, as if their resistance was meaningless, as if all their resolve was in vain, and they would all perish.
But someone beside Pasika admired their determination.
“Impressive. The very embodiment of noblesse oblige.”
“…Huh? Wh-who are you!?”
Pasika was startled.
He hadn’t even noticed this person by his side.
He hastily stepped back, his eyes widening as he saw the face of the stranger.
“K-Ketal?”
“Good to see you again.”
Ketal smiled gently.
“I was passing through and saw a kingdom surrounded by evil, but I didn’t expect to find you here. Is this your kingdom?”
“Y-Yes. But…”
Something...
Why was Ketal here?
Pasika was confused.
Ketal casually looked at the monsters charging towards them.
“From what I see, things don’t look good. Since we’re friends, I’ll lend you a hand.”
Before Pasika could even process what was happening, Ketal lightly stepped forward.
The earth cracked beneath him.
Pasika staggered.
Ketal’s body flew toward the monsters like a cannonball.
[Kuaa!]
[Uwooo!]
“Let’s do this.”
Ketal, now standing in front of the roaring monsters, imbued his foot with mystery and stomped on the ground.
The earth surged like a tsunami, swallowing the monsters whole.
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]