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Chapter 263: The Descent of the Holy Sword (3)
Ketal decided to head to the place where the Holy Sword had descended.
Milena spoke up,
"Then, I'll tell you the location."
The holy sanctuary of the order that worshiped Elia, the god of swords.
That was where the Holy Sword had descended.
Centuries ago, and even centuries before that, and again centuries before that, the Holy Sword always descended there.
"The holy sanctuary, huh,"
Ketal, who had been smiling joyfully, tilted his head.
"But if it's a holy sanctuary, isn't it somewhere that can't be approached carelessly?"
Ordinarily, outsiders could not enter holy sanctuarys.
Ketal had visited twice already, but each time had a legitimate reason.
Milena replied,
"Generally, that's true, but the holy sanctuary of Lord Elia is a bit unique."
It was always open.
Unless there was something special happening, anyone could freely enter.
Ketal muttered with a curious expression,
"I see."
"The location isn't far. Even at a normal pace, you'll reach it in about a week. But for someone like you, Ketal, you might reach it in a day."
"Great. Thanks!"
Ketal immediately stood up.
Surprised by his sudden movement, Milena tried to stop him.
"A-are you planning to leave right now?"
"That was the idea. Is there a problem?"
"The Holy Sword descended only a few hours ago. Since it was a sudden event, the people inside the holy sanctuary will probably be preparing. If you go now, you'll just end up waiting."
"Oh, is that so?"
"It would be better to move after giving it a few days."
"Understood."
Ketal nodded and sat back down.
"So, how do I draw the sword?"
"It's said that one must pass the trial of the Holy Sword. But what that trial entails is unknown."
"Are you saying I need to experience it myself? That sounds good to me,"
Ketal muttered happily.
With a few days to spare, Ketal spent the time honing his mysteries even further.
During this time, Maximus visited him.
Barbosa, who had learned of Ketal's return, had sent him.
Maximus spoke,
"I'm glad to see you returned without any issues."
"Well, yeah. There wasn't much of a problem."
"..."
Maximus fell silent.
Like Milena, he also knew what had happened to the holy sanctuary of Frederica.
"No, never mind."
It was something beyond his understanding.
If so, it was better to ignore it entirely.
Smiling brightly, Ketal said,
"I heard the Holy Sword has descended."
"Yes, because of that, the capital is in an uproar. It’s rare to see such liveliness in a chaotic world. It’s not a bad thing."
"Are you planning to go see the Holy Sword as well?"
"I'm not uninterested, but…"
The legendary Holy Sword, which descended once every few centuries.
Maximus did have a desire to see it in person.
But he shook his head.
"I have things I need to do."
Maximus didn’t seem particularly interested in the Holy Sword, while Ketal, on the other hand, seemed very curious about it.
"You seem quite interested in the Holy Sword,"
Maximus noted.
"Is that strange?"
"Usually, yes. Most of the extraordinary beings don’t find the Holy Sword particularly appealing."
"Hm?"
Ketal paused.
"Why is that?"
"The one who wields the Holy Sword is revered as a hero and gains power worthy of that title, regardless of whether they were a mere peasant or a skilled swordsman."
"...Ah,"
Ketal made a face of realization.
"You mean their power becomes fixed?"
"You catch on quickly. Yes, you can gain great power in an instant, but there’s a limit. Your own strength gets bound to the Holy Sword."
The extraordinary beings were all mad, driven to reach even greater heights by their own power.
For them, no matter how strong they became, few would want to be bound by the Holy Sword.
It was unusual for someone of Ketal's caliber to show interest in it.
"...No, that’s not it. It’s actually the opposite,"
Maximus thought.
For someone like Ketal, such a thing had no meaning—it was so insignificant and trivial that he simply didn’t care.
Maximus swallowed hard; Ketal was truly beyond his comprehension.
Of course, Ketal wasn’t thinking that deeply.
He was just simply curious, but that too was beyond Maximus' understanding, so it made no difference.
Ketal smiled.
"Well, fine. I'll enjoy it for the both of us."
"Do as you please. In any case, I'm glad you returned safely."
Maximus answered lightly.
Over the next few days, Ketal continued to hone his mysteries.
Though it was little by little, there was definite progress.
Finally, the time came to move.
Ketal left the capital, with Milena seeing him off.
Ketal leisurely made his way towards the holy sanctuary.
Though he planned to move at a relaxed pace, his steps quickened as he grew more excited.
As a result, he reached his destination within a few hours.
"So, that’s the place."
Ketal’s eyes gleamed.
A vast plain.
There stood the holy sanctuary.
"Wow."
Ketal marveled.
The first reason was the sheer size of the holy sanctuary.
The holy sanctuary was enormous.
It filled the vast plain.
It was larger than any holy sanctuary he had ever seen, and it was twice the size of the capital of the Denian Kingdom.
It was the largest city he had ever seen in this fantasy world.
It could easily accommodate tens of thousands of people.
And the second reason was the crowd.
There were countless people there, so many that it was impossible to estimate their numbers.
It was easily over ten thousand.
All of them were gathered around the holy sanctuary.
The people were diverse.
There were sturdy swordsmen, old men leaning on staffs, and even boys who had not yet come of age.
But they all had one thing in common.
Their faces were filled with anticipation.
With faces full of dreams, they were all staring at the massive holy sanctuary.
They must all have come here to try and draw the Holy Sword.
"Alright, then."
Ketal smiled and took a step forward.
* * *
'There are so many people.'
It was the first time Ketal had seen such a large crowd.
It was hard for him to move forward.
So Ketal politely spoke up.
"I'd like to move forward. Could you please step aside a little?"
"Huh?"
The person in front of Ketal turned their head.
And then their face turned pale.
"Y-Yes, please..."
"Thank you."
Ketal smiled softly and expressed his gratitude.
Without much trouble, he squeezed through the crowd.
He looked towards the sanctuary, but the door was still closed.
'Are they still preparing?'
Noisy sounds were coming from inside the sanctuary.
Despite the noise from the crowd of over ten thousand people, Ketal could hear it.
He thought it wouldn't be long before the doors opened, and he was content to wait patiently.
And around him, a small circle had formed.
Even though there were so many people that it was hard to walk, no one touched Ketal.
Despite perfectly concealing his aura, people were still intimidated by his appearance.
The only ones who could approach Ketal were probably those confident in their own power and background.
"Hello?"
A man broke through the circle and approached Ketal to greet him.
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* * *
'Oh.'
Ketal was surprised.
No one had ever approached him and spoken first.
He was always the one who made the first move or spoke when necessary.
Ketal turned his head to look at the man and was once again impressed.
'He's like a painting.'
He had flowing blonde hair and blue eyes.
His features were perfect, as if they had been drawn in a picture.
The man smiled faintly and asked.
"Hello. I'm Pasika. What's your name?"
"I'm Ketal."
"Ketal. Did you come here to draw the Holy Sword as well?"
"Well, yes. I don't know if I can do it, though."
"Haha, challenges are always fun."
Pasika smiled warmly.
"Since it's fate that we met here, can we chat for a bit? It's a bit boring just waiting around."
"That sounds good."
Ketal readily agreed.
Meeting a stranger—this too was part of the fantasy experience, wasn't it?
Pasika, standing next to Ketal, smiled mysteriously.
"You came here to draw the Holy Sword too, right?"
"I don't know if I can pull it out, but I'm interested. I just want to give it a try. Isn't it the same for you?"
"Haha, yes. I don't know if I can, either."
Pasika scratched his head awkwardly, then spoke again with a warm smile.
"But it's worth trying, isn't it? It's a chance to become a hero."
Those who draw the Holy Sword are called heroes, gaining great power and fame.
"A hero."
Ketal repeated the word as if savoring it.
Pasika muttered.
"Who will draw the Holy Sword and become a hero? I'm curious."
Though he spoke in a questioning tone, his face showed undeniable confidence.
It was as if he did not doubt that he would be the hero.
Pasika suddenly muttered as if something had come to mind.
"Speaking of heroes, Ketal, have you heard the rumor?"
"What rumor?"
"I heard there's already someone in the world who is like a hero."
"Oh?"
Ketal's eyes widened.
"Is that true? Did they draw another Holy Sword?"
"No, it's not that. It's more about the deeds they've done that people call them a hero."
Those who draw the Holy Sword are called heroes.
This was partly because they were the owners of the Holy Sword, but also because they used that power to defeat demons.
Even without the Holy Sword, there were a few people called heroes.
"I just heard about it, and I don't know who it is. But I've heard about their achievements. I don't know if it's true, but if it is, they truly deserve to be called a hero."
"Oh, really? What did they do?"
The word "hero" stirred something within him.
To think that such a person already existed.
Ketal's eyes sparkled as he listened intently.
As if expecting such a reaction, Pasika smiled and began to explain.
"They protected the capital and the Holy Sanctuary from an invasion of evil. People say that without them, it could have fallen."
"Oh, wow."
"And they rebuilt a coastal city that was on the verge of collapse. It's said they defeated the primates that were about to be unleashed from the depths of the sea."
"...Hmm?"
Ketal paused at that.
Pasika continued speaking.
"That's not all. They protected the Elves' Holy Sanctuary from an invasion of evil. They fought a powerful demon that was attacking this world and defeated it. Without them, the World Tree might have been corrupted, severing the connection between this world and the spirit realm."
"...Is that so?"
"They're truly amazing. Each of these feats should be widely known. I can't understand why it's been so quiet until now."
Pasika spoke as if he couldn't contain his frustration.
Indeed, if someone had done even one of the things he mentioned, their fame would have spread across the continent.
It was very strange that they hadn't been known.
"The truly amazing part is that all these events happened within less than a month, one after the other."
The protagonist of the rumor never rested.
They continuously moved to stop the invasion of evil and quell the chaos in the world.
"They're protecting this world more fervently than anyone else. I wonder what kind of person they are. They must have a strong will to protect this world. They must have a mindset very close to that of a hero."
Pasika muttered with genuine admiration.
There was a look of longing in his eyes.
"I really want to meet them and have a conversation. Don't you?"
"...Indeed."
Ketal answered with a somewhat reluctant expression.
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