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Chapter 135: The Sanctuary of Kalosia (5)

Ketal saw it while touring the sanctuary.

A huge statue of Kalosia lying on the ground.

Ketal stopped in front of it.

The devotees watching him held their breath.

The statue had recently fallen due to ground weakening over time.

Normally, it should have been lifted immediately, but the invasion of evil forces caused its repair to be relatively delayed.

“What should we do?”

“Ugh…”

The devotees murmured.

Seeing the statue of their deity fallen in the sanctuary was far from a good sight.

They were worried that Ketal might think badly of them or do something bad to the statue.

“Hmm.”

In the midst of their anxious gazes, Ketal moved.

He grabbed the statue.

The onlookers couldn’t believe their eyes.

The statue was carved out of rock.

It was made of pure stone and was very heavy due to its large size.

That’s why the devotees hadn’t been able to lift it easily.

Ketal lifted the statue with one hand, as if it were very light.

He moved the statue to stable ground and set it upright.

After dusting off the dirt and debris, he muttered,

“It’s fine now.”

Satisfied with his work, Ketal nodded.

Then he started walking again.

“…What?”

The devotees watching had wide eyes.

* * *

Ketal lifted the fallen statue, cleaned off the dirt and dust.

It was an act that could not be done without sincere goodwill.

“…Does that barbarian like Kalosia?”

“Could he have goodwill towards us? A barbarian?”

The devotees couldn’t understand.

But they saw through his actions that Ketal did not have ill feelings towards them.

“Should I go and talk to him?”

“Give it a try.”

“Alright.”

One of the devotees, a woman around the same age as Heize, gathered her courage and stepped forward hesitantly.

“Hello?”

“Oh.”

Ketal smiled brightly.

He had been wondering how to approach them, and now they came to him first.

First impressions are important.

Thinking this, Ketal put on the warmest smile he could muster.

“Nice to meet you.”

“Eek.”

The woman let out a shrill scream without realizing it.

Her legs trembled like a newborn fawn.

Regret for stepping forward swirled in her mind, but she managed to overcome it and spoke again.

“N-nice to meet you!”

But her voice was tinged with undeniable fear.

Ketal chuckled.

“It seems I frighten you. I’ve come to help you, so don’t be so scared.”

“Haha… Yes, yes.”

“If someone saw, they’d think I came to eat you all.”

Ketal joked lightly to ease the tension.

The woman’s face turned as pale as a sheet.

Despite the awkwardness, the conversation continued.

Gradually, more devotees began to gather around her.

Someone asked cautiously,

“Y-you said you’re a companion of Heize?”

“The word’s spread quickly, it seems.”

“Naplas told us about you.”

While Ketal was meeting the saint, Naplas had briefly explained Ketal to the gathered devotees.

Ketal nodded.

“Yes. We’ve gone into several dungeons together. We’ve even shared drinks.”

“Wow…”

The devotees knew Heize very well, having grown up with her in the sanctuary.

Knowing that someone they knew was friendly with a barbarian was fascinating.

Interest sparkled in their eyes.

Sensing this, Ketal spoke.

“You seem curious. If you’re interested in life outside, I can tell you about it.”

The best way to connect with strangers is to create common ground.

Ketal and the devotees’ common link was Heize.

They nodded eagerly.

Ketal began to talk about his experiences with Heize.

The story of their first dungeon expedition.

The time they were trapped in an unexplored dungeon.

The mission they were on when they encountered a demon.

The devotees were engrossed in his tales.

This was a medieval-like fantasy world.

While some larger cities had libraries, life was generally too harsh for most to indulge in reading.

Even the so-called scholars had only read about a dozen books at most.

In contrast, Ketal was from the modern world.

He had seen and heard countless stories on Earth.

Though he’d never written a story himself, he knew how to tell one to captivate an audience.

Moreover, most of the devotees here were novice priests who had grown up in the sanctuary and had not yet ventured outside.

For those who yearned for the outside world, Ketal’s stories were like adventure tales.

Their fondness for Ketal grew steadily.

He continued to speak gently.

“Heize is a calm and excellent woman, truly a model for the devotees.”

“Wow…”

“Heize? That’s surprising.”

“Is it?”

“She has a very lively personality here. She loves to joke around.”

“That’s something I didn’t know.”

As Ketal planned, the conversation smoothly flowed through the topic of Heize.

The devotees’ gazes towards Ketal became increasingly friendly.

Along with their goodwill, their curiosity grew.

‘How does such a barbarian exist?’

A well-spoken, considerate, and gentle barbarian.

It was as amazing as seeing a unicorn in reality. Someone cautiously asked,

“So, did you come here because of Heize?”

“Hmm.”

He did come to help Heize, but he was also very interested in seeing the divine sanctuary.

However, he couldn’t say the latter.

Ketal nodded.

“That’s right.”

“You must be very close to Heize.”

“Yes, she was one of the first humans I met after coming out into the world.”

There weren’t many humans he had formed relationships with after leaving his homeland.

Heize was one of the few.

Arkamis didn’t count as a human.

The devotees’ eyes widened at Ketal’s words.

“Really? She was one of the first people you met outside?”

“Pretty much.”

Technically, the guards were first, but Heize, the thief, and the holy knight were the first he had substantial conversations with.

“I learned a lot from her.”

It wasn’t a lie.

He learned about the state of the outside world and information about the gods from Heize.

At that moment, the listeners became convinced.

Aha!

Heize must have civilized this barbarian!

It was impossible for such a rational barbarian to become that way on his own.

He must have been educated and civilized by someone.

And it could only be Heize who transformed a ferocious barbarian like that.

‘He must have come to help us out of gratitude for Heize!’

Their sanctuary was surrounded by evil, a very dangerous situation.

They had asked for help from many places, but it wasn’t easy for others to come to their aid.

For someone to come and help without any compensation was indeed remarkable.

Naturally, they assumed Heize and Ketal had a very deep relationship.

A myth of Kalosia came to their minds.

Kalosia, during a journey, saw a boy who grew up in the wild and lived like a beast.

Feeling sorry for the boy, Kalosia taught him to speak with others, to read and gain knowledge, and the deceit and cunning necessary to survive in the outside world.

The boy, who grew up, thanked Kalosia and became a great holy knight of Kalosia.

It was a well-known myth among the devotees.

They began to see Ketal as that boy and Heize as Kalosia.

Instantly, their gazes towards Ketal warmed.

‘What’s this?’

Ketal was puzzled by the sudden, overly friendly atmosphere.

“Anyway, if there’s anything you need help with, let me know. I’ll help.”

“Yes.”

The devotees answered softly.

* * *

“Ugh…”

Heize groggily got up.

Her eyes were filled with fatigue.

She had slept for a whole day due to the exhaustion from the long journey.

After stretching and getting ready, she left the house.

“I wonder how things are going.”

Her voice held a hint of anxiety.

Ketal was now wandering around Kalosia’s sanctuary.

She was a bit worried about what he might do.

‘…That’s right!’

Suddenly, her eyes sparkled.

Naplas firmly believed that Ketal was a great person, akin to a saint.

However, just because Naplas thought so didn’t mean others would too.

By now, someone must have noticed how different Ketal was.

It was no longer just about Ketal.

Heize was on the verge of madness, wanting to confirm that she wasn’t the odd one out.

As she walked briskly, she soon saw a familiar face.

“Kasha!”

“Oh, Heize!”

The woman called Kasha greeted Heize warmly.

She was a friend from childhood.

“I heard you returned. You look fine. I’m glad.”

“Well, yeah.”

They chatted about various things that had piled up.

Once they calmed down, Heize asked cautiously,

“Do you know anything about the barbarian?”

“Ah, you mean Ketal?”

“Yeah.”

Heize was about to ask what Kasha thought about Ketal, but Kasha spoke first with a bright face.

“He’s amazing!”

“Huh, what?”

“He’s a great person! Heize, how did you manage to teach someone like that?”

“What?”

Heize suddenly realized that the conversation had taken an odd turn.

“Teach? What do you mean?”

“Come on, don’t hide it. It’s already spread everywhere. They say you educated and civilized the barbarian and brought him here.”

“…What?”

Heize’s face stiffened.

“W-what are you talking about?”

“It’s all out in the open.”

Kasha explained.

Ketal was a ferocious barbarian who knew nothing about the outside world.

But after coming out, he met Heize, received her teachings, and was civilized by her.

That was the story currently circulating about Ketal and Heize’s relationship in the sanctuary.

Heize’s face turned pale as she understood the implications.

“W-what kind of nonsense is that!”

“Huh? Isn’t it true?”

“Of course not!”

The idea that she had educated and civilized Ketal!

What a ridiculous notion.

She hurriedly ran through the sanctuary and soon found Ketal.

“K-Ketal?”

“Oh, Heize. It seems you’ve woken up.”

Ketal smiled, carrying what looked like five logs on his shoulder.

“W-what are you doing right now…?”

“Well, they said the church was in disrepair, so I thought I’d help out a bit.”

“Ah… I see…”

“Oh, Heize!”

One of the church priests spotted Heize and approached with a broad smile.

He leaned in and whispered,

“I’ve heard everything. They say you educated the barbarian. Practicing the teachings of Kalosia even outside the sanctuary—what a credit to our church.”

“N-no, it’s a misunderstanding!”

She shook her head frantically.

The idea that she had taught and civilized Ketal!

She had no idea how Ketal would react if he heard this.

She couldn’t understand how such a ridiculous rumor had spread.

Desperately, she tried to clarify that it wasn’t true.

But the priest laughed heartily.

“There’s no need to be so modest. Everyone already knows.”

“N-no.”

Everyone knows.

Those words made Heize feel dizzy.

The priest patted her on the shoulder.

“You must be very tired. Take some rest. Later, when he becomes a devotee of Kalosia, you’ll have even more to do. Better prepare in advance.”

“Ah, okay…”

Heize now felt like crying.