The Healing Solaris Cleric

Chapter 191: Snowy Mountains (1)

"King of the human kingdom, you say. You use interesting words. Who are you?" Beoruk stroked his chin with one hand, revealing his curiosity.

In response, Helene smiled gently and lifted the polymorph. Then, her fresh fish tail was revealed from under her robe!

"Are you a member of the merfolk?"

At the completely unexpected turn of events, both Beoruk and Baron Bariton showed expressions of bewilderment.

Of course, the thoughts that came to their minds were different.

Why is a mermaid here...?

Why is she here...?

Baron Bariton's face turned pale as he stared at Helene, whose face he could never forget. Memories of displaying her in the square and treating her like his slave came flooding back.

Seeing Bariton's face turn as white as a sheet, Beoruk regained his composure and asked, "Right. May I ask why a protector of the sea has personally come into the royal palace?"

"Of course. I just... want to talk a bit about this man."

Helene spoke softly, like a grandmother telling an old story to her grandchild.

When she finished speaking, Beoruk nodded. "I see. I can tell that there is not a single lie in your words."

"Y-Your Majesty! Th-that’s not true!"

"What is not true?"

Beoruk’s emotionless eyes pierced through Bariton.

Faced with the eyes of an absolute ruler, Bariton couldn’t even muster a false story and could only stammer.

"I dislike reversing my decisions, but just this once, I must correct myself. From this moment, all of Baron Bariton’s titles are revoked, and he is to be treated as a criminal for violating national law."

"N-nooo...!"

As Kai watched Baron Bariton being dragged out by the knights of the audience chamber, a familiar notification sound rang in his ears. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Ding!

[The Poetic Justice effect has been activated.]

[You have stripped the title of a lord who violated national law and sought selfish gain.]

[The title you stripped is Viscount.]

[+40 Benevolence.]

[Due to the effect of Witness of the Sun, your Benevolence stat has additionally increased by 20.]

Nice!

Kai clenched his fist in triumph.

In fact, he could have stopped Baron Bariton from being promoted from the start.

If Helene’s story reached King Beoruk’s ears, it could have definitely been stopped.

However, his thoughts changed the moment he arrived in Aquaria.

Wait, come to think of it, there’s an effect called Poetic Justice, right?

It was a system that granted Benevolence stats when stripping a corrupt lord of their title! Moreover, it seemed that the amount of Benevolence stats granted varied based on the rank of the title.

When I revoked a baron’s title last time in Whitehall, I received 25 Benevolence stats.

Thus, he wondered how much it would be for a viscount. For a greater reward, Kai put in a few more days of effort, stopped by Libertia, and even brought Helene along. The result was a great success!

I gained 60 Benevolence points all at once. This has never happened before.

Kai trembled with excitement as he recalled using the Descent skill last time. But at the same time, he worried.

Losing 20 Benevolence points every time I use it... It's a loss in the long run.

The Descent skill was akin to sacrificing his own combat power to unleash a burst of momentary strength. Though it felt like a waste of Benevolence points, it was a skill he had to use in moments of crisis. Thus, Kai had made a resolution.

Benevolence stats. I need to start collecting them obsessively from now on.

After all, in the end, it was about dealing with a villain.

Sometimes, you need to shake hands with the enemy to achieve a more dramatic effect.

That was why Kai laughed and chatted with Baron Bariton.

Beoruk quietly observed Kai and then said, "You knew what kind of person he was from the beginning, didn't you?"

Oops.

As expected, Beoruk was a monster who lived among politicians every day.

Kai didn’t bother to lie. After all, Beoruk possessed the eyes of an absolute ruler, capable of seeing through the truth.

"Yes, that is correct."

"Then why?"

"Well, wouldn’t falling from a higher place cause more damage?"

Beoruk let out a soft sigh, at a loss for words in response to Kai's shameless answer. "It seems like there’s something more hidden behind your reasoning... but in any case, you’ve done well in completing your mission."

Ding!

[Territory Inspection quest completed.]

[+15,000 contribution to Kingdom of Rashion.]

[Count Hind’s affinity increased.]

As Kai successfully secured his rewards, finished his greetings, and was about to leave, Beoruk's voice stopped him.

"Where do you plan to go now?"

"Lord Tardal mentioned there was a mission in Snowy Mountains."

"I see. Tardal intends to entrust that mission to you, does he...?" Beoruk, with a glint in his eyes, thought for a moment and then nodded. "My people are suffering. It’s not just the mission of a Darkness Hunter. If you successfully resolve this matter, I too, as the King of Rashion, will express my gratitude to you."

[The King’s Order]

Difficulty: A-

The King of Rashion, Beoruk, is deeply troubled by the recent disappearances and deaths of residents in the Snowy Mountains region. You will receive a reward from him if you solve this issue promptly.

Quest Reward: +20,000 to Kingdom of Rashion Contribution, +20,000 Fame.

"As always, I will do my best."

Kai smiled widely, wearing a rather business-like grin.

***

After sending Helene back to Libertia, Kai encountered a familiar face.

"Is that you, Kai?"

It was Bach Den Black, the commander of the Ironblood Knights, and a young monster rumored to have reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship. He seemed slightly surprised at Kai’s changed appearance.

"Adventurers are fascinating. In such a short time, he’s managed to reach that level..." Muttering to himself, Bach continued speaking, "Are you here to keep the promise you made before?"

The promise from before was that Kai would spar with him once Kai gained confidence in his swordsmanship.

A sparring match with Bach would surely bring me great benefits.

Considering it was a duel with someone called a Swordmaster, that was obvious.

But Kai shook his head.

"As much as I’d love to, I’ll hold off a bit longer for the future."

One only saw as much as they knew. That saying fit perfectly. Even though Kai's swordsmanship skill was at Advanced level 3, he couldn’t even think of mimicking the miracles Bach had performed with a single sword in the past.

At least Advanced level 5. I need to reach that before challenging Bach to make the most of it.

Kai, who knew well the virtue of patience, was in no hurry. After all, he was ahead of anyone else in the world. He had no desire to act like a fool who let impatience get the best of him.

"Hmm. That’s unexpected. I thought you’d be the type to eat the sweet candy first."

"Maybe that was true in the past, but not anymore." Kai flashed a grin as he continued walking and conversing with Bach. "Oh, by the way, Bach. Have you ever encountered a drake, wyvern, or dragon?"

"I’ve faced countless drakes and wyverns, but I’ve never met a dragon. Why do you ask?"

"I’ve heard there’s a good chance that the monster appearing in Snowy Mountains is one of those."

"Ah, that’s what you were talking about. Are you heading there to deal with the issue?"

"Yes."

Having understood Kai’s answer, Bach slowly nodded and said, "A drake cannot fly, but it’s a monster that runs across the ground with its strong legs. Sometimes, it breathes fire, and its scales are so tough that an average sword can’t even scratch its skin. Its sturdy legs are its strength. On the other hand, a wyvern’s legs are weak, but it has wings. It flies in the sky and keeps spitting fire, making it an extremely annoying opponent. If you face a wyvern, cut its wings first, and if you encounter a drake, attack its legs first."

"What about if I meet a dragon?"

Bach suddenly stopped at Kai’s question and furrowed his brows.

"I’ve never faced a dragon myself... but they are considered the ancestors of drakes and wyverns. They’re known as controllers of magic, and it’s said they have no physical weaknesses. However, rumors suggest that they have a patch on their necks where the scales grow in reverse."

"Is that the reverse scale?"

The reverse scale referred to a part of the dragon’s neck where the scale grew the opposite way. According to Eastern legend, even if someone tamed a dragon, touching this spot would cause the dragon to bite and kill them.

I guess dragons do have it.

Learning this interesting fact, Kai bowed to Bach.

"Well, I don’t think I’ll be encountering a dragon, but if I do, I’ll make sure to aim for the reverse scale."

"Good luck," Bach gave a brief word of encouragement.

***

"Huff, huff."

Each time Kai exhaled, white breaths clouded his vision.

It’s freezing cold.

After meeting with Tardal and receiving his mission, Kai wasted no time and headed straight for the Snowy Mountains.

His current destination was a village at the foot of the mountain. It was a remote area without a teleport gate, a place mostly inhabited by NPCs and rarely visited by other players.

I’d be in serious trouble if it weren’t for these clothes.

Kai was currently wearing clothes made from the hide of a Triple-Headed Ogre—a gift from Yoo Ha-Rin. Of course, he had also given a set to Blizzard, who was eagerly awaiting his summoning. He wanted to gift one to Mimic as well, but after some thought, it seemed like too much.

Mimic’s usual state is a squishy creature.

How could a slime wear clothes, after all?

Recalling how happy Blizzard had been after receiving the set of clothes, Kai approached the village.

"Phew."

He finally arrived at the village entrance where a wooden palisade, barely worthy of being called a fortress, stood alongside a watchtower.

"Hm? An adventurer?"

The two sentries standing guard at the watchtower looked at Kai with curiosity and talked to each other.

"An adventurer coming to such a harsh place? Adventurers really are strong, aren’t they?"

"I’ve heard rumors that they grow stronger at an incredibly fast rate. I guess it could be true."

Chatting among themselves, they opened the gate without much of a check.

As Kai entered the village, he acquired the special title of First Village Visitor.

The effect isn’t that great. It just slightly increases my resistance to the cold.

However, even with just that effect, he felt a sense of warmth spreading through his body.

Kai brushed off the clumps of snow that had stuck to his clothes and stood still, taking a long look around the village called Cordo.

The houses were built from dark and sturdy logs and were huddled together, resembling a village from a fairy tale, the kind one could find on Christmas cards.

"Alright, I need to start finding clues from here..."

Even at a glance, the village didn’t seem large. It was a small village with no more than thirty households at most.

The villagers walking outside were wary of the adventurer they encountered for the first time.

I need to unlock the barriers in their hearts first if I want to gather any leads on this case.

Kai was not necessarily great with humans, but when it came to NPCs, his sociability was exceptional!

He quickly set up an impromptu medical clinic, something that now felt almost second nature to him.

People tend to warm up to those who heal them.

It didn’t take even two hours for Kai to confirm that his thoughts were correct.