Barbarian’s Adventure in a Fantasy World
Chapter 129: The Isolated Village (3)

Chapter 129: The Isolated Village (3)

“What...?” Naflas’s voice quivered. He hadn’t expected such a response from Ketal. “Is that your only reason?”

“I don’t have any other, really,” Ketal replied.

In truth, Ketal simply wanted to see some genuine bandits from a fantasy world, but he couldn’t admit that out loud.

“I see...” Naflas’s eyes trembled. Ketal’s words about not needing a reason to save another resonated with him.

Even the legends of Kalosia, which Naflas himself had proudly shared, spoke of how the god had aided a child thief for no apparent reason. If even such a great deity didn’t weigh the costs and benefits before lending a hand, he believed human beings had no right to decide who was worthy of rescue.

“Uh...” Naflas’s voice caught in his throat as a kind of realization swept over him. No one actually needs a reason to save someone else. You do it simply because you’re moved to act.

In that moment, he felt as though he had reached a higher level of understanding. His body remained unchanged, but the divine energy within him grew subtler and more refined.

Breathing a slow sigh, Naflas fixed Ketal with a newly composed gaze and said, “Thank you. You’ve broadened my narrow perspective.”

“Is that so?” Ketal replied casually, feeling slightly bewildered inside. What just happened?

Ketal just repeated a cliché line he had learned back on Earth, and Naflas seemed profoundly moved.

Since Naflas seemed happy, Ketal decided not to overthink it.

Naflas looked upon Ketal with warm eyes and thought, So this is what Hayes meant by his alien sense of values.

He realized Hayes simply lacked the spiritual depth to grasp Ketal’s outlook. Instead of clearing up misconceptions, the conversation had only caused Naflas to misunderstand Ketal even more deeply.

Before long, Naflas and Ketal finished preparing to deal with the bandits. The village chief repeatedly thanked them.

“Thank you... Oh, thank you,” he said over and over.

“You needn’t worry too much. We will take care of it and be back soon.” Naflas reassured him with a gentle tone. Then, he turned to Hayes. “You should get some rest here. The journey must have worn you out, so take this chance to recover.”

“Yes,” she replied quietly, staying behind to recuperate while Ketal and Naflas departed for the bandits’ hideout. It wasn’t far, and soon they found a single cave entrance.

“That must be it,” Naflas observed. Several bandits keeping watch spotted them and hurriedly grabbed their axes.

“Who’s there?!” one shouted.

“Ah, we meet again,” Ketal said with a friendly smile. These were the same men who had threatened the village earlier. Their faces went pale at the sight of him.

“Everyone! Get out here! Intruder!” another one yelled.

“Huh? What’s going on?”

Men poured out of the cave, and Ketal watched them with interest.

“There’s quite a few of them,” he muttered. More than ten bandits emerged, meaning they all lived inside that cave.

Is there really enough space in there for all of them? Ketal wondered, picturing them crammed together.

Once the bandits recognized Ketal and Naflas, they gasped, “A barbarian! And a priest...?”

Their alarm was obvious as Ketla kept his voice calm but firm. “I’ve heard you’ve been harassing and extorting that village. I would like you to stop.”

“Nonsense!” one of them roared as others reached for their bows. “Fire!”

Arrows flew toward Ketal and Naflas, but Naflas merely raised a hand. A wall of divine light appeared, deflecting every arrow.

The bandits froze in horror. “W-we cannot fight people this strong!”

“Boss! This is bad!” One of the bandits ran back into the cave.

Moments later, a voice echoed, “What? You idiots can’t handle them yourselves?”

“S-sorry, they’re just way too strong...”

“I swear, you’re all useless,” the voice snapped.

“Hm?” Naflas frowned. Something about the voice sounded unexpectedly feminine. Then a moment later, the leader stepped out.

Ketal let out a small exclamation. “Oh, so the boss is a woman.”

She was indeed a woman—and a striking one at that. Her attire was revealing, exuding an undeniable allure. Her long brown hair was surprisingly well kept, lending her a certain grace.

Naflas’s expression changed as he instinctively sensed the difference in her presence.

She’s strong, he realized, significantly so.

“A barbarian and a priest of Kalosia?” The woman eyed them narrowly and furrowed her brow. “What kind of bizarre pairing is this?”

Ketal answered lightly. “I heard you have been tormenting the people in the nearby village, so I came here to put a stop to it.”

His words deepened the woman’s confusion. “You actually came all the way here to stop me from bullying some no-name villagers? What are you, some champion of justice?”

She sounded both amused and irritated.

Naflas understood why she was reacting that way. I felt the same way at first.

The woman exhaled, fixing them with a cold stare. “Whatever your motive is, you’re getting in my way. That’s going to be a problem.”

She extended her arms, and two daggers dropped from hidden sheaths on her forearms into her waiting hands.

Naflas narrowed his eyes and muttered, “She’s strong...”

“Oh?” Ketal replied, raising a brow. “Is she really that powerful?”

“Certainly. She’s at least an Advanced fighter,” Naflas explained.

“Wow.”

Naflas knew that level of skill could easily qualify someone to command an order of knights in a smaller kingdom. It surprised him to learn such a person was leading a ragtag band of thieves.

I guess in a fantasy world, you need real strength for banditry, Ketal thought. He recalled that this realm was packed with dangers that simply didn’t exist back on Earth. Without the protection of the law, one would need considerable strength to survive through banditry. On some level, it made sense. Yet, in reality, there was no obvious reason for a fighter of her caliber to stoop to that kind of life.

Naflas noticed the emblem of a skull engraved on the woman’s dagger, and his expression hardened. “You’re a criminal from the city of the underground. What brings you outside?”

“The underground city?” Ketal asked. He recalled hearing about it. Arkemis had once told him about a sunless haven for criminals, created by one Hero mage.

Naflas nodded. “That skull is the symbol of Magna Rain.”

Polishing her dagger, the woman spoke with an air of languid confidence. “So, you know your stuff. I’m not surprised, you being a priest of Kalosia. The underground is dreary without sunlight, so I stepped out for a little vacation.”

She turned her gaze toward Ketal’s imposing frame. His well-defined muscles were evident, even beneath his clothes. Licking her lips in a seductive manner, she murmured, “Your body looks good... Why not spend some time with me instead of that old man? Wouldn’t it be more fun?”

“That’s certainly an interesting proposition,” Ketal answered with a faint smile, “but I’m afraid I have to decline.”

“Really? How sad.” The instant the words left her mouth, she darted forward, skimming low across the ground. Naflas flinched at the sheer speed.

Her dagger streaked toward Ketal’s wrist so swiftly that an average person wouldn’t have even registered the attack.

“Oh?” Ketal murmured, sounding vaguely impressed. “You’re fast.”

He caught her hand with ease, and her eyes went wide. Although she froze for only a fraction of a second, she recovered quickly. A shadowy aura enveloped her arm, dissolving it into darkness

Ketal’s brow rose in surprise as he realized the limb he was holding had melted away like an illusion.

Seizing her falling dagger, she lunged again, aiming for Ketal’s arm.

Clang!

The blade was sent flying back. Her eyes went round in disbelief. She had definitely struck his arm, but the dagger bounced off as if it had hit a solid wall of iron.

“Huh...?” she muttered.

“An interesting trick,” Ketal said softly. He lifted his foot, and in one smooth motion, closed the distance between them. She gasped and tried to retreat, but Ketal seized her by the neck.

“Ugh!” She let the same dark power flow over her body, slipping free from his grasp—only to be captured again an instant later.

“What...?” she choked out.

Ketal tightened his grip, and in moments, she lost consciousness. Her body went limp.

“That’s the end of that,” Naflas remarked in a calm voice. However strong she was, Ketal was on an entirely different level. There was no contest.

“Eeek!” Seeing their leader so easily overpowered, the remaining bandits tried to flee. But they were ordinary men lacking any Myst, so they, too, were quickly subdued.

Naflas turned to Ketal. “What do you plan to do with them? Kill them all? It wouldn’t pose a problem.”

“W-what?!” The bound bandits trembled in terror.

Ketal shook his head. “I’m not a savage.”

“R-right.” Naflas fell silent, acknowledging that while Ketal’s words were true, his rugged appearance often said otherwise.

“In that case, leave them to me,” Naflas suggested. “I will invoke Kalosia’s power and brainwash them. They will go to the nearest town and turn themselves in.”

“Is that possible?” Ketal asked him.

“For a large group, it would be difficult, but this is only around a dozen men. It shouldn’t be a problem.”

With that, Naflas placed the bandits under Kalosia’s geas. Only the bandit leader—the woman—remained.

“The others I could force into submission,” Naflas admitted, “but she’s a different story. As an Advanced fighter, she has to accept the brainwashing willingly.”

By then, the woman had gained back her consciousness, her eyes narrowed in pain and anger. “What if I refuse?”

Naflas’s gaze cooled. “Then there’s no alternative. We will have to be... extreme.”

After a long sigh, the woman lowered her head. “I only came out here to take a break. Fine, I will submit.”

Naflas raised his hands, chanting, “O Kalosia, hear me. Take from them all traces of lies and deceit, and grant these sinners a chance to atone.”

A radiant light enveloped the bandits. They were now compelled to walk into town and surrender themselves.

Just before leaving, the woman looked back at Ketal. “What’s your name, barbarian?”

“Ketal.”

“Keta, huh...” Narrowing her eyes, she offered a faint smile. “I’m Cassandra. Let’s meet again sometime.”

“I’d like that,” Ketal replied with a good-humored grin.

They set off toward the nearest town, and Ketal watched them go.

“She used some fascinating technique,” he mused. “I definitely grabbed her arm, yet it vanished like smoke.”

Naflas nodded. “She’s from Magna Rain, after all. They supposedly possess unusual abilities that do not exist on the surface.”

“So that’s Magna Rain,” Ketal murmured. His eyes shone with curiosity. “How does one reach it?”

“That’s simple,” Naflas replied. “You commit a crime.”

“And if you’re not a criminal, you can’t enter?”

“Not ordinarily,” Naflas said. He pointed at the dagger lying on the ground. “That skull emblem is an entry pass to Magna Rain, issued only to criminals.”

“I see,” Ketal said, flashing a slight smile. “So having that skull mark lets you come and go.”

Naflas shook his head firmly. “In theory, yes, but no sane person would try to force their way in. That place is called a paradise for criminals for a reason. Everyone who lives there is a criminal—some of the worst imaginable.”

He paused, then decided to emphasize his warning. “I really hope you aren’t interested in that place. It’s not just petty thieves living down there. It’s full of people who tried to overthrow entire kingdoms, mass murderers who killed thousands, deranged mages who used humans as experimental subjects... Magna Rain is extremely dangerous.”

Ketal responded with a quiet laugh. “I see.”

Why do I get the feeling he’s even more intrigued now? Naflas thought, anxiety flickering inside him.