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Chapter 35 – The Sun God’s Inquisitor (3)
“…Aren’t you uncomfortable?”
“What do you mean?”
“The god is watching you.”
“Why would that make me uncomfortable?”
Ketal asked, puzzled.
“I am upright. I have nothing to be ashamed of.”
Because he never lied.
Even if bound by strict rules, he had nothing to lose.
‘To put it simply, it’s just like a lie detector, right?’
There was no need to worry.
On the contrary, he welcomed it.
Unlike a lie detector in the real world, this one detected lies without error.
It was only amusing.
However, Aquaz’s thoughts were different.
The gaze of a god.
Its significance in this world was immense.
Exposed to a vast and lofty presence, everything was laid bare.
It was akin to a confession.
Anyone with the slightest shame in their life would naturally feel a visceral aversion.
But the barbarian before him spoke confidently.
He said he was upright.
That he had nothing to be ashamed of.
It meant that Ketal had lived a life he could be proud of, even when facing a god.
How many could say that?
Even devout believers felt fear under the gaze of a god.
“…….”
It was moving.
Aquaz wondered if the being before him was truly a barbarian.
His spirit seemed akin to that of a saint.
“You… are remarkable.”
Of course, Ketal didn’t think so deeply.
To him, the gaze of a god was simply like a lie detector, so Aquaz’s emotional gaze was puzzling.
“Then… let’s proceed.”
Aquaz closed her eyes.
She clasped her hands together and began to pray.
“O my god. You who observe from the highest place. You who contemplate the sun with great brightness. Please, with your gaze, reveal the corruption here.”
It was a prayer to the god.
In response to the believer’s prayer, the power of the god was invoked.
Kiieeeeeng!
A pillar of light descended.
Despite the church ceiling blocking the sky, the violent light pierced through as if nothing could obstruct it, descending upon them.
The people in the territory were startled by the sudden appearance of the light and some kneeled at its sanctity.
“Ooooh!”
Ketal was moved.
It was as if the god had descended, and the pillar of light surrounded him.
Ketal looked beyond the pillar of light.
There was something beyond.
The barbarian and the presence beyond sensed each other and faced each other.
“Oh-ho.”
Ketal smiled.
Vast.
No, it couldn’t even be described that way.
It wasn’t a being that could be expressed in human language.
Ketal felt the presence beyond watching him.
And he felt the emotion in that gaze.
It was puzzlement.
And bewilderment.
Ketal clearly felt those emotions.
Unaware that their gazes had met, Aquaz simply watched Ketal.
‘There’s no sign of falsehood.’
Her eyes settled. She slowly opened her mouth.
“Then let us begin. In this pillar, no lies are permitted.”
“Understood.”
Aquaz asked Ketal about the dungeon clearing process once more.
And Ketal’s answers were the same as before.
As he said, Ketal had never lied.
Aquaz organized her thoughts.
Karthos was in the process of revival.
He probably wasn’t in perfect condition.
This barbarian was incredibly strong.
It wouldn’t have been easy to face him in such a state.
He likely overexerted himself trying to defeat the barbarian and couldn’t withstand his own mana, leading to his self-destruction.
‘He was lucky.’
If Karthos had been able to use his magic, this barbarian wouldn’t be here.
That magic, which controlled emotions, was indeed powerful.
“Are your doubts resolved?”
“…Yes. Thank you. Please forgive my rudeness.”
“It’s fine. I enjoyed it as well.”
Ketal laughed.
Although the matter was settled, the pillar of light did not disappear.
Aquaz continued to watch Ketal.
Ketal tilted his head.
“Is it not over?”
“…There are a few more things I need to confirm. These are personal questions. You may refuse to answer. The only thing that isn’t allowed here is lying.”
“Hmm.”
Ketal stroked his chin.
“Then let’s make a deal.”
“Pardon?”
“For every question you ask, I’ll ask one in return. Isn’t that fair?”
“Oh. Yes. I’ll answer anything I can.”
Aquaz responded without much thought.
“Then the first question. Where do you come from?”
“From the coldest place in the world. A place untouched by human feet.”
Ketal shrugged his shoulders.
“A place you call the White Snowfield.”
“…What?”
Aquaz’s eyes widened.
“You came from there?”
Ketal nodded.
The pillar of light remained unchanged.
It meant he was telling the truth.
“Then it’s my turn to ask.”
“Oh, okay.”
Ketal asked about the myths, legends, and history recorded about the Sun God.
Normally, Aquaz would have been puzzled by such detailed inquiries, as if someone were preparing to join their faith.
But now, she was too absorbed in Ketal’s words to think that far.
A mysterious area at the center of the world.
A place beyond the gaze of the Sun God.
The White Snowfield.
A being from that place.
She hastily explained and then asked again.
“What, what is there?”
Aquaz was excited.
Though she was an Inquisitor, she was also a seeker of knowledge.
Discovering the unknown brought her great pleasure.
The White Snowfield.
The answer to that mystery was right before her eyes.
“Do monsters really exist there? Are there other barbarians like you?”
“Um….”
Ketal hesitated, trailing off.
There was a look of reluctance on his face.
“I’m sorry, but could I refuse? I don’t want to recall that place.”
“Oh, I see….”
Though it was disappointing, she couldn’t force him.
The look on Ketal’s face showed strong aversion.
Aquaz cautiously asked another question.
“Then, could I confirm just one thing? The legend of the Emperor.”
Long ago, an emperor who ruled the world challenged the White Snowfield and was defeated.
He spoke of terrible monsters there after barely escaping.
“Do those beings really exist?”
The white snake that devours icebergs.
The white bear that causes earthquakes.
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The vile rat that pollutes the ocean.
Ketal nodded.
“They exist. I encountered them often.”
“Is that so….”
She had confirmed the legend.
Aquaz was deeply moved.
She wanted to ask more.
How did he survive?
How many barbarian tribes were there?
But before she could, Ketal spoke.
“Then, my turn to ask. Why are you here in this domain?”
“Oh. I had business here. Personal business.”
Aquaz gave a vague answer and was about to ask more about the White Snowfield.
“Is that business to confirm if I am an unclean being?”
* * *
Thud.
Her heart stopped.
The excitement she felt vanished as if it had been a lie.
She barely managed to open her mouth.
“…What do you mean?”
“Hmm? Wasn’t it? I thought it was a reasonable deduction.”
Ketal leaned back leisurely on the sofa.
“You introduced yourself as an Inquisitor. I don’t know much, but you’re not an ordinary priest, are you? Someone like that came all the way to this remote domain.”
At first, he thought her target was Karthos, but from their conversation, it didn’t seem so.
Aquaz showed little interest in Karthos.
“That means you came here with a separate purpose. And when you prayed, you asked not to reveal lies, but to reveal corruption.”
It was a sort of wordplay.
But it changed the meaning significantly.
“And the gaze of the god. I don’t know much, but it doesn’t seem like something that happens easily. It’s too much just to prevent lying. It must have been to uncover something deeper.”
Ketal smiled.
“Wasn’t I called here so you could confirm whether I am an unclean being?”
“…….”
Her heart still hadn’t resumed beating.
She wanted to say no.
But the god was watching.
All corruption was forbidden here.
In the end, she slowly opened her mouth.
“…Yes.”
“Oh. Correct.”
He whistled.
It had been a deduction born of simple curiosity.
He was pleased it was correct, feeling neither more nor less about it.
But Aquaz felt entirely different.
Her lips grew dry.
She had believed she had successfully deceived the barbarian.
But it was the opposite.
The barbarian had known her true intentions from the start.
‘…What a foolish thing I’ve done.’
Offering a prayer for revealing corruption.
Using the god’s gaze simply to detect lies.
How could she have not realized how strange it was with just a little thought?
The reason she did it without much thought was simple.
Because her opponent was a barbarian.
A being who forgets ten things when taught ten things.
Even though the lord had already told her he wasn’t an ordinary barbarian, she had subconsciously clung to her preconceptions.
As she regretted her actions, a thought came to her.
Then this barbarian…
He accepted everything knowing all this?
“Then I’m curious. Was I your target from the beginning?”
“…No.”
Aquaz shook her head.
She couldn’t lie, and denying it now would be pointless.
All she could do was try not to provoke the barbarian further.
“That wasn’t it. We received a divine oracle. We needed to confirm if you were the subject of that oracle. As you can see, you are not.”
The barbarian was not the subject of the oracle.
Aquaz bowed her head.
“I’m sorry. I hid my intentions and deceived you.”
It wouldn’t be surprising if Ketal became angry.
Barbarians detested deceit most of all.
“It’s fine. I enjoyed it in my own way.”
But Ketal smiled.
It wasn’t forgiveness.
It truly meant that Aquaz’s actions had merely been enjoyable to him.
There was something in that smile that transcended the mortal realm.
Aquaz couldn’t help but ask.
“…Are you truly human?”
“I am human.”
Ketal answered.
The pillar of light surrounding them remained unchanged.
“Then, as a penance, if I may call it that, may I ask one more question? What is the content of the oracle?”
Normally, she shouldn’t tell a barbarian.
The content of a divine oracle was only to be shared with trustworthy individuals.
But she couldn’t refuse.
She had deceived the barbarian.
‘Could he have anticipated this far?’
Had he intended to make her indebted to him to hear the oracle’s content?
All sorts of suspicions filled her mind.
Her head became a jumble.
But slowly, she opened her mouth.
She told Ketal the content of the oracle.
Hearing it, a deep interest sparkled in Ketal’s eyes.
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