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Chapter 185 - To the Elves' Sanctuary (2)
Kukulitan, having come to his senses, spoke to Ketal about the practical issues.
“It’s the Elves' sanctuary. No matter how much you say you'll help, the elves won’t accept it. Its location is hidden too.”
The Elves' sanctuary's location was indeed hidden.
Kukulitan himself didn’t know the exact location.
Moreover, entry by outsiders was prohibited.
Even if Ketal offered to help, they wouldn’t accept it.
“Ah. You don’t have to worry about that.”
Upon hearing those words, Ketal rummaged through his subspace pouch and pulled out a red jewel.
“…Oh, oh?”
Kukulitan’s mouth dropped open.
He recognized what that red jewel was.
The jewel was an invitation to the Elves' sanctuary.
It was an extremely rare gem, given perhaps to a queen of a tribe, and only to someone they deeply trusted or considered a lifesaver.
And Ketal mentioned he had been invited by a High Elf.
Kukulitan’s eyes widened to their limit.
“A High Elf…? I knew one was out there, but….”
“I was directly invited by her.”
“W-what is your relationship with her?”
“We’re teacher and student. She’s my mentor.”
“…Oh, um. Okay.”
Kukulitan gave up thinking.
There was the red jewel, and he was invited by a High Elf who had ventured outside.
There was no longer any reason or justification to stop him.
The merfolk prepared to see Ketal off.
And two days later, with all preparations complete, Ketal left the city.
Kukulitan and the merfolk saw him off.
“Thank you very much, Ketal. Without your help… we would have perished there.”
“I enjoyed it too, so it’s fine.”
“Please accept this.”
Kukulitan handed Ketal a ring.
It was an extremely luxurious ring engraved with the image of a mermaid.
“It’s a token of appreciation from us. If you ever meet other merfolk or visit their cities, show them this ring, and they will welcome you warmly.”
“Thank you.”
Ketal smiled broadly.
Receiving the final farewell, he left the merfolk city.
Despite some disturbances, it had been a thoroughly enjoyable time.
And now, it was time to start another enjoyable journey.
Ketal crossed the sea, leaving a trail with the waves.
* * *
Around the time Ketal departed for the Elves' sanctuary,
a group devoted to serving a god arrived at their destination.
“Is this the place?”
“Yes, Priestess Liltara. This is the sanctuary of Kalosia.”
“I see.”
Black hair swayed as she looked at the destination with blood-red eyes.
A priestess serving the god Federica.
She had arrived at Kalosia’s sanctuary.
Following the commands of the god they served, she was pursuing Ketal.
They hadn’t gathered much information from Barbosa and had been driven away, but they managed to find out that Ketal was heading to Kalosia’s sanctuary.
“This is the place surrounded by the Cradle of Darkness and where the demon descended.”
Kalosia’s sanctuary was currently a hot topic on the continent.
It was the place where the Cradle of Darkness had shown itself to the world, and Rubitra had descended.
More surprising was that Kalosia’s sanctuary had managed to repel their attack without external help.
Achieving such a feat, the name of Kalosia was spreading widely across the continent.
Liltara, surveying the sanctuary, was slightly taken aback.
“It looks more intact than I thought.”
They had successfully repelled the descent of evil, but she thought they wouldn't be in good shape.
Given the considerable strength of the opponent, it was likely a victory full of wounds.
However, Kalosia’s sanctuary appeared to be very intact.
No destroyed buildings were visible, and the sanctuary’s barrier stood firm.
It was an unexpected sight.
“…A barbarian headed to a place like this.”
It was quite an odd thing.
Barbarians usually despised those who served gods.
“Priestess Liltara. What will you do?”
A holy knight behind Liltara asked cautiously.
Liltara was traveling with five holy knights in pursuit of Ketal.
Liltara spoke calmly.
“First, let’s enter and gather some information. If possible, I’d like to speak with the Saintess as well. Let’s go.”
The holy knights nodded.
They approached Kalosia’s sanctuary.
They revealed their identity to the guards.
“We are priests serving Lady Federica. Would you allow us entry into the sanctuary of Lord Kalosia?”
“P-priests of Lady Federica?”
The guards were bewildered.
The Church of Federica was quite a distance from here.
They had no particular connection, and naturally, didn’t expect a visit, so it was only natural they were flustered.
Not all priests of one god were welcomed in the sanctuary of another.
Clashes were common, and if the nature of the gods they served was opposing, they were often turned away.
“Please, come in!”
“We welcome your visit!”
However, the followers of Kalosia warmly welcomed them.
The Church of Kalosia was a religion that was ostracized and hated on the continent.
The Church of Federica was not much different.
Even though there was no connection between them, the shared sense of alienation allowed Liltara's group to enter the sanctuary without much difficulty.
And that night, Liltara met with Kalosia’s saintess, Shadrenes.
“Nice to meet you. I am Shadrenes, the unworthy one who has taken the position of Kalosia’s saintess. Welcome to the sanctuary.”
Shadrenes smiled gently.
Liltara inwardly admired her beautiful, almost picture-perfect smile.
‘…As expected. One of the two treasures of the Church of Kalosia.’
One of the treasures was an extraordinary holy knight, Rakza.
And the other was the saintess who was closer to sainthood than anyone, Shadrenes.
Shadrenes’ fame was widely known.
She was a saintess closer to sainthood than anyone, nearly perfect, and one who executed the will of God perfectly, serving as a role model for many saintesses.
Liltara was impressed by Shadrenes' perfect demeanor, while Shadrenes was inwardly quite bewildered.
‘What, what is this? Why are they here?’
The Church of Federica was quite a distance from here.
Since there had been no significant exchange, she couldn’t figure out why they had visited.
But she hid her true feelings with a perfect mask and smiled gently.
Liltara greeted her respectfully.
“Nice to meet you. I am Liltara, a priest serving Lady Federica. I hold the position of judging heretics with my unworthy body.”
“Liltara. I’ve heard your name. I’ve heard of a devout and talented believer at a young age. It’s a very good day to meet such a person.”
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“I am also honored to meet you, Lady Shadrenes.”
Receiving the compliment, Liltara smiled pleasantly.
A warm atmosphere flowed.
Shadrenes calmly got to the point.
“The reason for your visit, is it to gather information about the invasion by the dark magicians?”
The Cradle of Darkness had revealed itself to the world through an attack on Kalosia’s sanctuary.
Many churches and kingdoms visited to obtain that information.
Shadrenes thought Liltara had come all this way for that reason.
But Liltara shook her head.
“No. I would appreciate it if you could tell me, but it is for a different reason.”
“A different… reason?”
Shadrenes tilted her head.
Even that questioning gesture was perfect, like a painting.
Quietly admiring, Liltara spoke.
“I understand that a barbarian visited this place.”
Shadrenes momentarily hesitated.
Liltara continued.
“I need information about him.”
“When you say a barbarian, you mean Mr. Ketal.”
“I believe that’s the name. Did he visit this place?”
“…Yes. He did. But this has not been disclosed to the public yet.”
“We have our sources.”
Liltara narrowed her eyes.
“Is the barbarian in the sanctuary? If he has left, where did he go?”
“…”
Shadrenes fell silent.
After gazing at Liltara for a moment, she asked.
“May I know the reason?”
“Our god, Lady Federica, has commanded us to capture the barbarian and bring him before her.”
“What?”
Shadrenes’ eyes widened.
“Lady Federica personally… commanded it?”
“Yes. I am acting on the church. I believe you understand, Lady Shadrenes. Where is the barbarian now?”
Liltara spoke calmly but firmly.
Shadrenes, who had kept silent, quietly spoke.
“It seems you are hostile towards Mr. Ketal.”
“The god herself has commanded us to capture him.”
“I see. So, you need information.”
“Yes. Please.”
“Indeed, I know where Mr. Ketal headed and his purpose.”
“Can you tell me?”
Shadrenes smiled gently.
“No.”
“Thank you… What?”
Liltara, who was about to thank her, was taken aback.
“You said no?”
“I am a follower of Lord Kalosia. I have no reason to tell you just because you want to know.”
Normally, there was no need to show such emotion.
She was a saintess of deceit and deception.
She could have hidden her true feelings and dealt with it gently with a mask.
But she didn’t want to.
Shadrenes displayed pure hostility.
“W-well, that’s true.”
Shadrenes’ words were logical.
She was not a follower of Federica.
She had no obligation to share information just because Liltara wanted it, even if it was by a god's decree.
But Liltara hadn’t considered the possibility of refusal.
It was just a barbarian.
There was no reason for Kalosia’s saintess to hide information about a barbarian.
“C-can I know the reason?”
“I don’t think I need to tell you that either. I’m sorry. I have a lot of work to do, so I can’t spare more time.”
It was a clear dismissal.
Liltara was dumbfounded by the stark change in attitude and retreated.
She came outside to find the holy knights.
They too had bewildered expressions like Liltara.
“Lady Liltara.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Something strange is happening.”
They had also wandered around inside the sanctuary to gather information.
When the followers of Kalosia saw the holy knights of Federica, they initially reacted positively.
Sharing the same sense of alienation, they treated them very warmly.
But when they learned that they were pursuing Ketal, they clammed up and refused to talk.
“It’s the same for you?”
“Same for us? Lady Liltara, did you experience the same thing?”
“I asked Lady Shadrenes about the barbarian, but she refused to tell me.”
“Why….”
While talking, they fell silent.
The followers of Kalosia were glaring at them.
Those gazes were filled with clear hostility.
As if they were enemies for pursuing Ketal.
“…What’s going on?”
“Let’s leave. It seems we won’t be able to get any information.”
Under the sharp gazes, they hastily left the sanctuary.
Liltara cautiously looked back and swallowed hard.
The followers had come out of the sanctuary and were glaring at them.
“What on earth is going on….”
They couldn’t understand at all.
Under the intense gazes, they hurriedly fled the sanctuary.
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