Chapter 59

"Who are you?" Ketchum said softly, straightening up and returning his greatsword to his right hand.

It's as if this guy is a demon, able to withstand the release of his holy magic head-on.

Another calamity-level monster? I never expected there to be so many of these monsters, which are on par with dragons, here.

There are also some monsters that are just short of reaching this level, such as the monster that blocked my way earlier. That mercenary with ram's horns is probably close to reaching the Catastrophe level as well.

And the fact that this guy blocked his full-force attack so easily made Ketcht feel heavy-hearted.

It's a real headache. Every time I think about how there might be more catastrophic monsters in the world than the total number of humans, I get a headache.

It hurts so much, my head hurts so much.

In the pouring rain, the guy opened his collar, broke his necklace, and threw it over.

Ketch jumped back to dodge the projectile. Although he didn't know what it was, he shouldn't pick up something thrown by a stranger.

"Don't worry about it, look at what that is." Ark said helplessly, "Relax, I don't want to fight you either."

Ketchum hesitated for a moment, looking at the pendant that had fallen into the water.

That was the coin that Ark had been holding and looking at in the room, but now, in the heavy rain, the image on it was blurred.

But Ketchum still saw the cross carved on it, as well as the scriptures behind it.

And a small signature appeared on the side, small but neatly signed.

Just how small a carving knife is needed to sign the side of a coin? I don't know; even just seeing it made it a little difficult for Ketcht.

When that name came into view, the world seemed to fall silent. Ketchum stared at the string of words in astonishment, pondering its meaning.

"Ark, why are you here?" Karl asked in surprise, looking at the merchant standing in front of him. He tried to stand up, but he was so weak that he stood unsteadily.

"I can give a more detailed explanation later. Right now, I have a question I'd like to ask."

"Huh?" Karl hesitated for a moment and let out a short sigh to express his surprise.

"Interested in a fun trip? My carriage needs someone to help dispel the corruption. Getting injured would be a real problem without one. Interested in joining us? I'll hire you for a hefty commission and a guaranteed fun trip. Plus, there will be a scarf and sweater as free gifts."

Yak spoke very seriously, as if he were looking for a partner at a job fair. He laid out his conditions and waited for Yak's reply.

Suddenly, everything fell silent, as if the heavy rain itself had quieted down because of this question. Karl's expression was a little strange; although you couldn't see what it was under his visor, you could roughly sense that he was probably a bit embarrassed.

It was still pouring rain, and the paladin was still standing before him. The light from the greatsword in his hand hadn't faded. Logically, Karl should have begged him to take Lori with him when he left, while he stayed behind to hold off Ketchum. Although it had only been a short while, Karl had now roughly recovered to a level where he could fight.

As a member of the clergy, Karl's physical abilities have become terrifyingly exaggerated.

However, dealing with the Ketchum in front of them was still impossible; at most, they could only delay it for a moment.

The brief delay was enough for everyone except himself to leave. This guy seemed quite capable; escaping the pursuit of a paladin didn't seem to be a difficult task for him.

But this guy was actually asking me if I wanted to come along, as if he could really take me back safely as I said if I agreed.

Who does he think he is? Karl admits that it's impressive that he was able to withstand Ketcht's full-force attack, but how many times does he think he can withstand it? Ketcht's weapon is the Void of Judgment, and as long as he holds that weapon, he can use that attack without limit.

Although we don't know who this guy is, he definitely can't possibly deal with Ketchum.

Blessings, for they do not acknowledge defeat. Among all blessings, this is considered the most difficult ability to gain recognition. As long as he still has the will to fight, even if his own holy power is completely exhausted, he can still use holy power obtained from an unknown source, and that holy sword will make him like a candle that never burns out.

Logically, he should leave now.

But there was a strange feeling, a very strange feeling.

It was a feeling that defies description, as if there was a trigger in front of me that could change the gears of fate. Pulling it would change something strange.

Ark turned his head and looked at the guy standing in front of him. Karl was a head taller than him, wearing exaggerated armor, making Ark look like a tiny person next to him.

He extended his hand, as if to shake hands.

"With the question raised, can you leave at any time?"

“I wish you could find a more meaningful place; I can’t afford to pay you the salary you’ll receive when you become even better.”

Then, without waiting for Karl to refuse, Ark grabbed his arm, shook it, and then held his hand, thus fulfilling the agreement.

When he turned around, Ketchum tossed the necklace back, which he caught and put in his pocket.

Are you serious?

"Are you asking about Karl's invitation or something else?"

"I'm really annoyed by your way of answering questions with questions," Ketchum said, his tone tinged with displeasure.

"Sorry, I'll be careful," Ark said in his distinctive, emotionless voice.

After a brief silence, Ketchum looked at Ark, then turned and left.

"You?" Karl was taken aback. The guy actually turned around and was about to leave, as if he had only come for his daily practice tonight and was now tired, so he wanted to leave.

“Let’s hurry up and go.” Ark turned to Karl and patted him on the shoulder. “If the Knights come later, it will be really difficult for us to leave.”

"What did you do?" Karl asked, suddenly feeling something being shoved into his hand. He looked down; it was the same necklace.

It took Karl about three minutes to realize what this was.

“It was a gift from an acquaintance at the Central Church. With it, I can vouch for someone’s safety in the name of a friend.” Yak shook the coin pendant, then put it back in his pocket. “Perhaps we shouldn’t discuss the specifics here.”

Indeed, there is such a rule in the church: if someone is capable of guaranteeing the safety of another person, it means that person is willing to bear the punishment for all the wrongdoings of the person being guaranteed.

For example, if Lori were to actually kill someone, the blame wouldn't fall on her, but on the person who vouched for her.

Not just anyone can act as a guarantor for someone else; only a guarantor with the ability to bear the guilt of the person being guaranteed can do so.

The original owner of that pendant had the ability to vouch for a demon. Who was it? Ark smiled helplessly, looking at the still-rainy sky.

"I'm so sorry to have troubled you again," he said, but his expressionless face showed no sign of remorse.

......

The knights, carrying rain-proof lanterns, watched as Ketchum approached, puzzled as to why their commander, who had just disappeared, had reappeared before them.

"The trouble is over, the demon has been killed by me," Ketchum announced from afar. "Thank you all for your hard work, now we should leave."

"Where is Karl?"

"He died in the battle against the demons, and I will mourn him afterwards."

Thus, he led the Knights back to the church.

The rain outside seemed to be decreasing. Ketchum stood by the window looking out, and he actually took off his armor.

This office was used by the guys who worked at the church, namely him and Carl. Now Carl has left, and he's the only one left in the room.

He walked to the table and picked up the trace left by the demon's power—ash without elemental content—that he had thrown in through the window, where it had fallen into the soil and would be buried by the rain.

This matter can finally be brought to an end.

Ketchum, looking this way, sat down in a chair. He changed into more comfortable clothes, a priest's robe. His armor had been sent downstairs to be processed by others.

The weapons hung on the wall; they weren't needed for a while. After all, with the most troublesome demon dealt with, this place would finally enjoy a rare and precious period of peace.

What's next? Oh, rebuild the city. Tomorrow I'll have to lead others to continue rebuilding the city.

Once the city is rebuilt, perhaps everything will be alright. After all, without all sorts of shady characters lurking here, it will just be an ordinary city.

Perhaps I'll be transferred here after a while; after all, a paladin's duty isn't to handle paperwork here. A priest will probably be sent here, but there's no need for me to stay. That's not Karl anymore; in the report, his close friend Karl has died in the demon's brutality.

No one will question this report, and the events of tonight will not be leaked.

It doesn't matter if word gets out; an adult will take responsibility for these mistakes.

Ketchum genuinely didn't want to kill the child. She was a good child, and like Carl said, a good child shouldn't die for such ridiculous reasons. She should experience many things, not become someone attacked by everyone because of a demon's curse.

As for what she really was? I don't know. Anyway, this matter was over when the pendant fell into my hands. This matter, and its consequences, were borne by a great person whom I could never reach.

Because it was a knight granted the title of Honor Keeper, whose name and appearance were beyond his knowledge. He only knew that it had a voice in the central decision-making council of the church.

There are seven positions in total, meaning seven people. Directly chosen by God, they possess incomprehensible and unimaginable power. Because of them, no matter how many catastrophic monsters appear in the chaotic regions, or how many demon kings emerge, the Church remains the most purely violent ruling institution in this world. As long as these few individuals exist, humanity will continue forever, regardless of how many demons appear.

Is this claim true or false? I don't know. Information is really congested; by the time it gets here, it's just a rumor.

But no matter what, this time it doesn't have to be the bad guy; it can prioritize its beliefs over its duties and allow itself to be a little cleaner.

It's so spacious! He only just realized that the room wasn't small at all. At first, he thought there wasn't enough space because the floor was piled with stuff if two people were working together.

But if he were alone, the only sound in the quiet room would be the crackling of the fireplace.

Carl chose to leave with that guy, whose name was I think it was Ark?

Thinking this, Ketchum frowned, but in just a moment he forgot Ark's face. He only vaguely remembered that he was a merchant.

In short, he was a businessman. As a businessman, he seemed a bit unusual. It's a mystery where he got his authorization; did he perhaps meet those legendary figures? Or perhaps he not only met them but also knew them? The latter seems slightly more likely, since no one would give a token to someone they've only met.

They'd better leave before dawn, Ketchum thought, scribbling something in his notebook and having it taken away. He sent down the new schedule, according to which they wouldn't see anyone from the church when they left.

The rain was about to stop, and Ketchum stared blankly at the thick, dark clouds outside.

Just as he was thinking this, the rain actually stopped. At the same time, the sun shone brightly, its light shining through the dissipating clouds onto the city that had been submerged in darkness and water. Ketchum looked into the distance; that was the room they had left.

At the edge of the horizon, a caravan moved slowly forward as dawn broke. It appeared to be a hastily departing convoy, as the two carriages following behind, except for the two at the very front, were hastily made.

What was pulling the cart? Ketcht observed it closely, then chuckled to himself. It looked like a little monster sculpted from clay, perhaps a puppet created by some kind of magic he didn't recognize, pulling the cart.

He waved goodbye.

They should be able to meet again, since they've both become high-ranking clergy. Their endless lives will eventually bring them together again. The next time they meet, he might tell them many interesting things.