Chapter 154: Let’s Catch the Rats, Let’s Catch the Rats Part 4

-Swiiiish!!!!

The sound of the arrow cutting through the air echoed throughout the underground temple.

Barbason had climbed to a considerable height. Could there have been a secret passage prepared in advance? I thought he only looked small because of the distance, but he was actually shrinking, just like a rat. He desperately searched for some rat hole in the wall while moving frantically.

-Thud!!!

Unfortunately for him, my arrow was faster.

The arrow which flew straight while scattering five-colored brilliant lights pierced Barbason's heart.

"Guh…!"

Barbason coughed up a handful of darkness. His black claws that were embedded in the wall snapped off weakly as he slowly began to fall. The darkness that had cloaked him burned away bit by bit in the light of the sea stones as he plummeted.

-Wham!!!

-Splash!!!

A huge wave surged as Barbason crashed down. The blue wave lit by the sea stones' light soon engulfed his body.

I headed toward the spot where Barbason had fallen. I needed to confirm if he was truly "dead".

-Splash. Splash, splash.

As I waded through the water that had already reached my knees, I finally saw Barbasson submerged under the water.

"..."

However, he was not like I remembered. Barbason had once been a healthy, handsome man with bronze skin and black hair, but now, what lay at the bottom was an old man with a blood-soaked face. His height had shrunk, his hair had turned white and thinned to the point of balding, and his back was hunched as if he got folded in half.

If not for the arrow lodged in the old man's heart, I might not have recognized him as Barbason.

-Gurgle… Gurgle…

-Bubble, bubble, bubble…

Barbason tried to say something, but since he was submerged in the water, all I could hear were faint bubbling sounds. I quietly looked down at the bloodied face of the old man beneath the water.

"I can't hear you well."

-Bubble, gurgle…!

"…Oh, right. That's right This alone can't kill you."

I threw the bow I had been holding into the air. It spun once before transforming into a plump sparrow that fluttered to rest on my shoulder.

"But, Barbason."

-Bubble, bubble…!

"Look at this underground temple. The floor is covered with morning stars, and the pillars are inlaid with sea stones. This underground temple will easily last a thousand years, no, ten thousand years. From now on, people like you won't even think of stepping foot here."

The morning stars radiated moonlight, the sea stones regained their brilliance, and even Donar's "water" flowed from the old mace embedded in the center of the underground temple.

The sanctuary had regained its holiness.

"So, here's the thing."

I met Barbason's eyes and smiled slightly. Perhaps he read something in that smile, as Barbason's eyes gradually filled with horror.

"I'm thinking of imprisoning you here as you are."

-...!

"You trapped the suffering and the pitiful in this place and left them in misery. How about experiencing a little of that feeling yourself?"

-Bubble, bubble!!!

"Yeah, yeah. Why don't you try praying fervently while you're here? If you're lucky, Donar might be moved by your prayers and release you someday, right?"

-Bubble, bubble!!!

"…Or, well, maybe he won't. That's up to Donar, I suppose."

I snapped my fingers lightly as I looked down at Barbason. With a snap, water vines imbued with the power of purification began to grow and started wrapping around Barbason's body. As the vines completely pinned Barbason to the ground, he could no longer struggle and simply glared at me with wide furious eyes.

"Take care, Barbason. I might drop by when I get bored."

I waved at Barbason with a smile.

Before I knew it, the water had risen to my thighs. Judging by the force of the old mace spewing out the water, it didn't seem like it would stop anytime soon. It looked like Donar was excited to taste "true faith" after so long. Perhaps the holy water would end up flooding the entire underground temple.

I need to get out of here quickly.

The farewell to Barbason was enough for now. I ran toward my companions. El and Lloyd were helping Draven tie up the Ratmen.

"Hey, Druid, the water is rising faster and faster."

"Yes, we need to get out immediately."

"But there's only one ladder…"

At Draven's words, I looked up at the wall. Just as he said, there was only one ladder embedded in the wall.

"There's a way."

I pulled out my bow, planted the seeds of the giant vine seeds that were left on the arrowhead, and shot a few shots at the wall.

-Thud!

-Thud!

-Thud!

-Thud!

When I used [Breath of the Forest], the giant vines began to grow rapidly. They dug firmly into the wall and grew in the shape of a ladder. Draven watched with his mouth half-open. He didn't expect such an easy path to form.

"…You really are amazing."

"I'll take the compliments later. For now, let's get out of here quickly."

We hurried into action. Ayla, Lloyd, Draven, and some of the stronger beastmen climbed up first; they started to pull up the Ratmen tied with the vines. Meanwhile, El and I, along with a few others, stayed below to supervise and prevent any further mishaps.

"This is the last one!"

When the final Ratman was tied to the vine and lifted upward, those of us who remained below also began climbing up the giant vines. I was the last to start ascending…

"..."

About halfway up, I looked down. Far below, in the shimmering water that beautifully reflected the silver and blue colors of the morning stars and sea stones, there was a small black dot that couldn't move. That "darkness" would be spending thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, of years in torment beneath the water.

Was it too cruel, even for a demon?

[Special Quest Success!]

[Special Quest: Let's catch the rats, let's catch the rats, squeak squeak squeak!]

[Special Reward: Strange? Seed?]

…Could it have read my thoughts?

Since the quest was to "catch" the rat and not "kill" it, the special quest was a success. I was curious about the reward, but I trust Lynshaka had given me something good.

"A strange seed, huh? I'll have to plant it as soon as I get up there."

I climbed the vines to avoid the overflowing water, and then I grew the last remaining giant vine seeds to block the entrance. Since it was blocked with something that had purification powers, nothing unholy would be able to enter or leave this place again.

We escaped through the sewers. Outside, there were subdued guards and people from Altan guarding the area. Every single one of them was looking up at the sky.

"The rain, the rain is stopping!"

Indeed.

The "black rain" that had been pouring down in torrents was gradually easing. The rain began to clear, then turned into a light drizzle before finally stopping.

At last, the disaster had ended.

-Thunk!

Draven who had been looking up at the sky with a face full of emotion fell to his knees and clasped his hands together in a prayer of gratitude.

That prayer…

"Thank you, Donar, thank you."

It was a prayer offered not to the barbarians god, but to Donar.

…With this, Donar should be satisfied.

In this situation, the contributions of the Altan people, including Connie and Draven, were significant. It would be difficult for anyone in Dihid to ignore the Altan people from now on. Their reputation and circumstances would certainly improve. Donar would also need people to fill the void left by the corrupted priests in Dihid, so he would probably look after the Altan people as well.

Fortunately, things ended well in many ways.

I planted the [Strange? Seed?] that Lynshaka had given me in the ground where the éblack rain" no longer fell. The seed which was about the size of a fist vaguely resembled a cat. After planting the seed in the soil and using the [Breath of the Forest], a tree quickly began to grow. Before long, it bore fruit and the shape of the fruit was quite strange. Just like the seed, the fruit also looked like a cat. It was round with what seemed like ears attached, and the surface was even fuzzy.

Lynshaka wouldn't have given me a useless reward.

I had a feeling. I split the well-grown fruit in half. Inside was ripe flesh that looked like a cat's paw, with plump, pink, jelly-like flesh. I took one out and tasted it. It was fragrant and sweet like a peach with a soft texture similar to jelly. And then…

I can feel Lynshaka's energy.

This was it.

There were no proper priests in Dihid capable of dispelling the curse placed on the Ratmen. Of course, that was because Barbason had taken care of everything beforehand. To break the curse, priests from other cities would probably have to be called in, but since the lord was not doing his job, it would take a lot of time and money to bring priests from other cities here. However, those who had become Ratmen wouldn't have that kind of time or money. If the dispelling took too long, they might be stuck as Ratmen forever…

Lynshaka had shown mercy to those people.

"I am grateful for the mercy of the goddess."

I leaned my forehead against the strange tree, offered a brief moment of gratitude, and then began picking the fruit.

"El, split these fruits in half and feed the flesh inside to them."

"Yes, Master."

El, along with the other beastmen, also began picking the fruits and helping to feed the flesh to the Ratmen. When the Ratmen ate the flesh, which resembled the jelly of a cat's paw pads, the fur covering their bodies began to fall off and they gradually returned to their original forms.

"It's a miracle! A miracle!"

"Oh, my son! My son wasn't dead after all!"

"Long live the druid!"

"Dad! Dad!! I've missed you!"

"Long live Theodore!"

Voices filled with joy echoed through the air. As people who had been hiding in their houses began to gather after noticing that the rain had stopped and hearing the commotion, the cries of joy grew louder.

But.

"..."

I couldn't fully share in that joy. There was still unfinished business. I averted my gaze from the cheering crowd and turned to look at the castle. The bricks of the castle where a yellow flag fluttered still bore the stains of the "black rain" here and there, remnants of which seemed to represent the "plague". I looked at the castle and muttered in a low voice.

"...Let's go."