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Chapter 193: The Queen of High Elves (1)
Karin had a shocked expression.
It was the face of someone who had seen something incomprehensible.
“Your body... that is….”
She murmured softly as she groaned.
“A result of karma... perhaps?”
“You noticed immediately.”
Ketal admired her.
It had taken Arkamis quite some time to grasp his essence, but Karin figured it out with just one encounter.
‘As expected, heroes are indeed different,’ he thought.
And Karin was even more surprised by Ketal’s reaction.
“Really? Your body has changed due to the energy from karma?”
“That’s what I suspect. I’m not entirely sure yet.”
“I see. So you came to me for confirmation.”
Ketal’s body was special.
It endured mystery and power.
Was its uniqueness truly due to the feats he had accomplished, as Arkamis suggested?
Karin closed her mouth, contemplating.
After a while, she spoke cautiously.
“It is possible... I know that much.”
Like the great emperor, like a distinguished saint, when one achieves feats or accomplishments that others cannot, they acquire an aura.
But can this aura go beyond simply existing and actually alter the body?
The answer was yes.
“In the past, there was a similar case with the emperor who ruled the entire continent.”
The emperor who had conquered the continent.
Despite failing in his grand dream of conquering the White Snowfield and returning as a cripple, he had indeed ruled the continent.
“He was an ordinary human who couldn’t wield any mystic powers, yet blades couldn’t pierce him and poison didn’t affect him. Even after his death, his body remained uncorrupted and maintained its living appearance despite no preservation measures.”
“Oh, really? I didn’t know that.”
“It’s not widely known. There hasn’t been a precedent since then.”
The emperor’s case showed that it wasn’t impossible.
Theoretically, it was plausible.
Even so, Karin couldn’t comprehend it.
Since that legendary emperor, no one had exhibited such phenomena.
Not even heroes possessed bodies like Ketal’s.
Thus, a natural question arose.
“Who exactly are you?”
“Barbarian. Ketal.”
“That’s not what I meant. I don’t know you.”
To achieve a level where the body itself changes, how many extraordinary feats must one accomplish?
Even the emperor who ruled the continent didn’t have a body like Ketal’s.
This implied he had accomplished feats greater than conquering the entire continent.
Yet, as the High Elf Queen who had lived on the continent for a long time, Karin didn’t know Ketal.
“Who are you?”
“Hmm.”
Ketal looked at Arkamis.
Arkamis nodded slightly.
“You said that in the distant past, an emperor who conquered the continent had powers similar to mine. And that emperor failed in his attempt to conquer the White Snowfield, right?”
“Yes.”
Karin was momentarily puzzled by Ketal’s repetition, but then her eyes widened in shock as she looked at Ketal.
“…The barbarian with ashen hair.”
Ketal continued calmly.
“I come from the place you call the White Snowfield.”
* * *
Karin swallowed hard.
She looked at Ketal with incredibly shocked, trembling eyes.
But those eyes soon calmed.
“I see… I understand.”
“Your reaction is quite subdued. Isn’t this shocking?”
“There’s no other explanation.”
The aura Ketal possessed was superior to that of the emperor who ruled the continent.
And the emperor failed to conquer the White Snowfield.
This meant that conquering the White Snowfield was far more difficult than ruling the entire continent.
If Ketal was the legendary ashen-haired barbarian, it made sense.
Seeing Karin’s rather flat reaction, Arkamis looked disappointed.
“Aww. I thought you’d be more excited.”
“I’m sufficiently surprised. The last time I was this shocked was five hundred years ago when I met the Tower Master.”
“Five hundred years, huh.”
Ketal laughed.
A person who appeared to be in their early twenties was talking about five hundred years ago.
This small detail reminded him how much he loved fantasy.
“I’m curious why you, the ashen-haired barbarian, are outside and how you came to know Arkamis… but I should finish explaining first. It’s highly likely that the uniqueness of your body is due to the feats you’ve achieved.”
“Oh.”
“Probably, no mediocre mysteries or powers could even scratch your body.”
“Oh. So that’s why.”
It was only natural.
The very aura that Ketal accumulated through his achievements transformed and protected his body.
That in itself was a mystery.
There weren’t many things in this world that could penetrate it.
“…Wait a moment.”
Arkamis made a strange face as he listened.
“Does that mean no one can harm Ketal’s body?”
“No, that’s not the case. It’s an aura from his achievements. Since it’s not directly handling mystical powers, it’s not perfect protection.”
Just as there are slaves who resist the intimidation of a great emperor or criminals who defile saints revered by everyone, it wasn’t absolute.
“Of course, with the physical protection, most things would be impossible, but someone with a certain level of prowess could potentially harm him.”
But her words didn’t carry much weight.
Even she didn’t look entirely convinced.
“I see….”
“So, that’s how it is.”
Ketal had a satisfied expression.
He finally understood the cause of the uniqueness of his body.
As Karin cautiously watched Ketal, she asked carefully.
“…Mr. Ketal, are you human?”
“I am.”
“Really? I don’t think someone who has achieved such feats can still be human.”
If the aura from his achievements was enough to protect his very body, he was closer to being an incarnation or a concept rather than a living being.
At the very least, it was likely he was a higher-dimensional existence than a human.
Ketal spoke languidly.
“I am human.”
He came to this world as a human.
He stepped into the fantasy world as a human.
The possibility that he had become something else didn’t exist, nor should it.
Hearing this, Karin felt one thing.
Ketal was denying all possibilities except that he was human.
It was both stubbornness and obsession.
“…If you believe so, then.”
Karin judged that it wasn’t wise to push further and took a step back.
“Ah. Then could it be that my inability to handle mystic powers is also due to the uniqueness of my body?”
Karin had mentioned that the emperor of the distant past couldn’t handle mystic powers either.
It could be the reason why Ketal still couldn’t handle them.
But Karin denied this possibility.
“No, that’s not it. The emperor didn’t acquire mystic powers because he believed a great ruler didn’t need such physical force. If he had wanted to, he could have acquired them at any time. He could probably handle them more easily than anyone else.”
Since he was a mystery himself, he was qualified to handle mystic powers.
“Is that so?”
Ketal looked disappointed.
‘Why is this separate?’
Was it really because he had withered like Arkamis said?
It wasn’t strange for his abilities to have atrophied since he hadn’t used mystic powers for a long time.
‘Geez. Couldn’t my ancestors have handled mystic powers?’
Ketal grumbled inwardly, feeling no affinity for his tribe.
“…I see you still can’t handle mystic powers. This is unfortunate.”
Karin shook her head.
The common sense she had accumulated over a long time was gradually breaking down in front of Ketal.
She looked at him anew.
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The legendary ashen-haired barbarian.
That being was now in the sanctuary, right in front of her.
As a High Elf, she was special enough, but she paled in comparison to the ashen-haired barbarian.
“Although I was surprised… if you came at Arkamis’s invitation, there’s no reason to refuse you. As long as you don’t cause any problems, we will welcome you. If you need any help, please feel free to ask.”
“I have no intention of causing trouble, so don’t worry. By the way, could I learn something?”
“What is it?”
“When we first met, you asked me to lower my presence. Is that possible?”
Ketal naturally exuded an aura of intimidation.
It was enough to pressure humans and make elves or High Elves, beings of nature, fear approaching him.
To be honest, it was getting annoying.
He wanted to resolve it since it prevented him from enjoying things properly.
Karin made a reluctant face at his words.
“…I see. You don’t know how to control your aura.”
Her expression was as if she was hearing a martial arts master say they didn’t know how to hold a sword.
“If that’s the case, I’ll teach you how to control your aura. If you wish, I can also teach you about mystic powers. It’s late today, so come tomorrow and I’ll teach you.”
“Oh, I’d appreciate that.”
Ketal smiled brightly.
Satisfied, he prepared to leave.
As Arkamis was about to follow him, Karin spoke.
“Arkamis. Stay here.”
“Huh?”
Karin was glaring at Arkamis with a serious expression.
Ketal chuckled.
“Seems like you have a lot to discuss. I’ll head down first.”
“O-Okay… got it.”
Arkamis nodded with an uneasy face.
* * *
Near the top of the World Tree.
A wide clearing.
There, Arkamis, the High Elf, was sprawled on the ground as if being crushed by something.
“Your Majesty, it’s hard….”
Karin sat elegantly in her chair, sipping tea with a smile.
But her eyes weren't smiling at all.
“You. You knew he was the Ashen Barbarian, didn’t you?”
“Y-Yes….”
“And yet you brought him here without telling me beforehand. Why?”
“I wanted to see you surprised… ack!”
Arkamis’s body flattened even more.
Karin watched him for a moment, sighed, and waved her hand.
The wind pressing down on Arkamis dissipated.
“Oof. That was tough.”
“What if he had ill intentions? Have you forgotten the importance of this place?”
“Don’t worry. He’s not that kind of person. So, what do you think? Impressive, isn’t he?”
Arkamis asked with a beaming smile, as if seeking recognition for Ketal’s greatness.
Karin didn’t want to say what she wanted to hear, but she had no choice.
“He is impressive. Bringing the Ashen Barbarian here… How did you come to know him?”
“He approached me first. Said he wanted to learn alchemy.”
“…The Ashen Barbarian, alchemy?”
“He actually studied hard. Probably at an apprentice level now.”
“That’s… something.”
Karin shook her head, unable to understand.
Arkamis’s eyes sparkled.
“So, what do you think? From your perspective, Your Majesty, how strong is Ketal?”
Just how strong was Ketal?
She was incredibly curious.
She had learned that Ketal defeated the monsters of the White Snowfields, but she couldn’t gauge the extent of his power.
As an entity of heroic rank, the queen would surely know.
Her question was filled with that expectation.
But Karin remained silent.
When the silence stretched, Arkamis’s eyes widened.
“Huh? You couldn’t figure it out either? Really?”
“Be quiet.”
Karin spoke in a tone that showed her pride was hurt.
“No, really?”
Arkamis was genuinely surprised.
For her, the High Elf Queen Karin was an absolute being.
She existed before she was born and was the only spirit master who had a contract with the Spirit King.
She still couldn’t forget the sight of Karin displaying her power when she was a child.
The world had literally turned upside down.
She followed Karin despite her hatred for High Elves because she had awe and respect for her power.
And yet, she couldn’t figure out Ketal.
It was unbelievable.
“It’s not like I can grasp everything perfectly.”
When she grabbed Ketal’s arm.
She instinctively stepped back.
She had felt an overwhelming aura from him.
“…As he can’t handle mystic powers, his strength is limited to his physical abilities.”
There was no way to fathom the depth.
Karin shook her head as she pondered.
“He won’t be an enemy anyway. There’s no need to worry. The Spirit King hasn’t said anything either.”
“Hmm… I guess so.”
Arkamis nodded with a vague expression.
That emotion cracked Karin’s face.
Right now, Arkamis was comparing her strength to Ketal’s.
‘How could this be.’
Karin had cherished Arkamis immensely when she was young.
She quickly recognized her talent and provided all sorts of support and care.
After taking care of Arkamis for hundreds of years, Karin began to see her as a daughter.
Considering the nature of High Elves, it was a very unusual thing.
That’s why she tolerated Arkamis’s mischief as a daughter’s prank.
She should have immediately brought Arkamis back when she left the sanctuary.
But Karin suppressed that with her power.
That’s how special Arkamis was to Karin.
Yet now, Arkamis was doubting her strength.
No matter the mischief, Arkamis never denied that she was the strongest.
But now, her faith wavered.
Karin felt immensely wronged.
It was as if she had been betrayed by her daughter.
‘I’m stronger.’
Who was she?
The High Elf Queen and the only contractor with the Spirit King.
She was a hero, the strongest existence in this world.
Naturally, she had strong pride in her power.
Karin thought inwardly.
‘Though that barbarian is unusual…’
She’s stronger.
If they fought, she could win.
She might not be able to pierce Ketal’s body, but without knowing mystic powers, he couldn’t reach her.
Though Ketal’s class was far above hers, he didn’t possess matching strength.
He couldn’t even control his presence.
He just wielded overwhelming physical strength.
Of course, that alone was an astonishing power, but it had its limits.
She didn’t think she would lose.
‘I can win.’
But since he was a friend of Arkamis and they had a good relationship, there was no need to fight.
Arkamis saw him as more than a friend, so technically, he was like family.
Even though she could win, proving it through a duel felt childish.
‘I can win, but…’
There’s no need to prove it.
She made up her mind.
And the next day.
Ketal came to see her.
Before Karin could explain, Ketal spoke first.
“Karin. I have a favor to ask.”
“What is it?”
“Could you spar with me?”
“Huh?”
Karin was momentarily breathless.
Ketal was looking at her with sparkling, childlike eyes.
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