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Chapter 288: The Vile Rat That Pollutes the Seas (5)

"Wait a second. Then you…"

Bayern regained his senses and asked,

“…have lived that long, haven’t you?”

Of course, those who had reached a certain level of mastery would see their lifespans extend dramatically.

The arcane powers would assist the body’s functions, delaying the aging process.

For a hero capable of intervening in the world, aging became practically irrelevant.

Even now, Bayern was over sixty years old but maintained the appearance and physique of someone in their mid-thirties.

However, living for centuries was a different matter entirely.

At present, only certain long-lived races such as elves, dwarves, and dragons, or those like the Tower Master who had given up their humanity, could live that long.

Even among humans who had reached the level of a hero, the oldest lived about 200 years.

"Well, there\'s no way to keep track of time in there. My people don\'t really care about it either. The actual time could be shorter since it\'s all just perceived time."

"Oh, uh, I guess that\'s true."

No matter how you looked at it, Ketal appeared too young.

It was hard to believe he had lived for centuries, perhaps even close to a millennium.

After all, even the Magic Tower, which stood proudly as one of the pillars of the continent, only had a history of a few centuries.

“So, it takes about a hundred years or maybe just a few decades for the pollution to be purified?”

That meant Ketal was probably between one hundred and two hundred years old, which was still somewhat understandable.

‘…I think?’

Bayern tried to dismiss the creeping doubt in his mind.

"But even if it\'s only a few decades, that\'s still a long time."

Though it was a more reasonable span of time, it was still long enough.

Bayern let out a groan.

"You must have clashed with that monster in the White Snowfield quite often. How did you deal with it?"

"The rat needs time to pollute an area. It can’t do it right away. So when it tried to expand its territory, I sensed it and drove it out. And if I failed and the area got polluted, it didn’t really matter."

Ketal just ignored it.

In the White Snowfield, land didn’t hold much value to begin with.

It was all covered in ice, so it didn’t matter where you went.

Even if an area got polluted, you could just find another place.

"But we can\'t do that here."

This was the outside world.

Every piece of land here had significant value.

You couldn’t just abandon it like in the White Snowfield if it got polluted.

Even if they managed to defeat the rat, it would be a problem if they couldn’t find a way to deal with the pollution.

Bayern let out a bitter laugh.

“Why does such a creature even exist?”

There didn’t seem to be a solution.

As Bayern propped his chin on his hand, deep in thought, the Holy Sword spoke up.

[I know the answer.]

Ketal’s eyes widened.

“You know?”

“Hm? Didn\'t you say you didn\'t know?"

“No, it’s not me. Someone else knows?”

“Huh?”

Bayern was confused.

There hadn’t been any sound or presence.

Ketal unsheathed the Holy Sword from his waist and showed it to him.

"This thing."

"A broken sword? Is it an ego sword?"

“It’s the Holy Sword.”

“…Huh?”

Bayern was genuinely shocked.

A broken sword, the Holy Sword?

But upon closer inspection, he could feel an unusual divine presence emanating from it.

“Now that I think about it, they said they were keeping the person who drew the Holy Sword a secret. It was strange because that had never happened before…”

“I forced it out and ended up breaking it.”

“…You broke the Holy Sword?”

Bayern looked incredulous.

But Ketal remained calm.

Bayern’s expression wavered as he realized it was the truth.

“Uh, uh, okay. So, the Holy Sword knows, does it?”

"That\'s what it said."

[I said I possess knowledge. I don\'t know what that rat is, but I can guess its origin. It was likely born from the Filth of the Swamp.]

"The Filth of the Swamp?"

[It existed in the age before the world became what it is today—the Dark Age. I only know of it through records and have never seen it myself. It was the largest concentration of filth that existed in the beginning.]

“As filthy as it was, I didn’t think it came from such a place. So how do we deal with it?”

[It’s simple.]

The Holy Sword answered.

[You can purify the pollution with divinity.]

“Huh?”

Ketal was puzzled.

Divinity?

Out of nowhere?

It was too unexpected.

"Isn\'t divinity only effective against demons?"

[No, that’s not true. The superiority of divinity over demonic energy is only a secondary function.]

The Holy Sword explained calmly.

[The original purpose of divinity was to erase filth. Divinity was created for that very reason.]

“What is it saying?”

Bayern, who couldn’t hear the Holy Sword’s voice, asked curiously.

Ketal explained.

"It says divinity was originally meant to purify filth."

“…Huh?”

Bayern was equally puzzled.

That contradicted everything they had known.

But if the Holy Sword, created by the gods themselves, said so, there was a high chance that their common knowledge was wrong.

“…We’ll just have to verify it.”

After some thought, Bayern rang a bell.

Soon after, a barbarian entered the room.

“What do you need, Your Majesty?”

“There’s a follower in the city. Tell him I request his presence.”

“Yes!”

The barbarian shouted and rushed off.

Ketal didn’t stop him.

Though he could use divinity himself with the holy relic of Kalosia, he wanted more solid confirmation.

A few minutes later, Darkul, a follower of the Sword God, entered the room.

“…Oh, Ketal, you’re here too. Your Majesty, you summoned me?”

"Yes. Can you heal this?"

“Huh?”

Darkul, confused, looked at Bayern’s polluted arm.

Seeing it, Darkul gasped.

In this room were Ketal and Bayern, both stronger than most heroes.

The two of them had been casually talking while ignoring the poison, but that wasn’t something Darkul could do.

“Ugh, ah…”

The venom wriggling in Bayern’s arm…

It was alien.

Just looking at it made him feel nauseous, a repulsive and filthy presence, something utterly unacceptable in the world.

Darkul wanted to flee the room immediately.

The venom had that kind of overwhelming presence.

“Heal this arm with your divine power.”

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“I-I don’t know if I can... but I will try.”

Darkul hesitated as he approached.

His expression showed uncertainty.

Divine power could heal wounds and cleanse demonic energy, but this was too thick and alien.

As Darkul drew closer, his hands hovering over the arm, he muttered under his breath.

“Elia, please cleanse the filth of this world.”

Bzzzz!

Light enveloped Darkul’s arm.

And immediately, the change began.

Crackle! Crack!

The miasma that had invaded down to the bone began to subside, slowly.

“Huh, huh?”

“…It’s working. Thank you.”

“N-No, not at all.”

Bayern expressed his gratitude, and Darkul, feeling flustered, stepped back.

The Holy Sword\'s words were true.

Using divine power, the corruption could be dealt with.

Bayern muttered with some surprise.

“The Sun God’s saintess couldn’t even heal the wounds from the bear. I thought it was impossible even with divine power.”

[Although I don\'t know what this \'bear\' is, it likely wasn\'t born from the Filth Swamp. Divine power is a force meant to cleanse filth, but against other things, it is not as effective.]

During the Dark Ages, it wasn’t only the Filth Swamp that gave birth to creatures.

Life was also born in other places.

[When it comes to filth, divine power can cleanse it. Of course, not just anyone can do it.]

The purification wasn’t complete; significant corruption still remained in Bayern’s arm.

But Darkul was a top-tier warrior.

He ranked highly in terms of strength across the entire continent, though nowhere near the level of Rat or Bayern.

The fact that Darkul could purify even this much meant their powers were strongly aligned.

“So that’s how it is.”

Ketal relayed the words of the Holy Sword, and Bayern had a look of newfound understanding.

“For now, this will do.”

They had found a solution for dealing with the miasma.

But there was a problem.

Ketal asked,

“Where are we going to find more followers?”

The corrupted area was vast.

Darkul alone could not cleanse it all.

They needed more followers.

But this was the North—home to barbarians who rejected gods and despised believers. Ketal turned to Darkul.

“Can you bring followers of the Sword God here?”

“It’s possible. The southern regions have the Sun God and Earth Mother temples, so they should be available. But…”

Darkul trailed off.

The barbarians would likely resist.

And more importantly, the distance was far.

Ketal had arrived in just a few days due to his hero-class power, but it would normally take months.

By the time news reached the South, preparations were made, and people traveled here, at least half a year would pass.

“Unless the Tower Master directly helps by teleporting them, it’s going to take a considerable amount of time.”

“I see.”

Ketal clicked his tongue.

Then, Bayern, who had been quietly listening, spoke.

“…There’s no need to worry about the followers. There are still some temples in the North.”

Many temples had left the North due to heavy persecution.

However, there were still quite a few that remained, either because they couldn’t abandon their homeland or because they refused to leave their sacred grounds.

Of course, they were barely hanging on, teetering under constant persecution and disdain, ready to collapse at any moment.

If not for Bayern, who had set boundaries as king, they would have crumbled already.

“…This is a good opportunity.”

Bayern’s eyes narrowed.

“Leave that matter to me. I can take care of it within a week.”

“Understood.”

Ketal seemed to understand what Bayern was planning.

“This is a good chance to establish a foothold for the temples in the North. I’ll leave it to you.”

“Good. Ketal, then I’ll leave the matter of rat to you. I cannot defeat that monster.”

Bayern had already been defeated.

Only Ketal could defeat rat.

“Don’t worry.”

Ketal smiled softly.

In that moment, Darkul felt a chill run down his spine.

It was a bright, gentle smile, but something about it was unsettling.

“I’ll make sure it never threatens this place again.”

* * *

That very day, Bayern took action.

As king, he made a declaration.

“Hear me, barbarians. I have something to say to you.”

His voice echoed throughout the city.

The barbarians, bewildered, gathered at the place where the king stood waiting.

“What is it, my king?”

Someone asked.

Bayern was silent for a moment before speaking.

“I am aware that you have many grievances against me. You call me a coward and say that my rule is stifling. And your greatest complaint must be this: why have we not invaded the continent?”

“That’s right, my king!”

A response came immediately.

The barbarians, faces full of frustration, shouted.

“We are strong! We want to prove our strength!”

To leave the North, invade the continent, shatter kingdoms, and topple temples.

This was the barbarians’ long-held desire.

But Bayern had been holding them back.

They had followed him as their king, but inwardly, resentment had built up.

“…Fools. Ignorant fools.”

Bayern muttered quietly, then opened his mouth.

“I understand your desires. And so, I have had a change of heart.”

“O-oh?”

“My king! Surely you don’t mean…”

“We shall march upon the continent. Go forth and prove our strength. Show the outsiders that we are the strongest.”

“Ooooh!”

“Finally!”

The barbarians let out a cheer.

Finally!

They could finally attack the continent!

The king himself had commanded it!

As they rejoiced in their victory, Bayern spoke again.

“But, in exchange, I have one condition for you.”

“What?”

“A condition?”

The barbarians, puzzled, looked at him as Bayern continued.

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