The Healing Solaris Cleric-Chapter 281: Memory Dive (2)

As the Monster Arena incident came to an end, Kai bid farewell to the members of the Holy Blood Order.

“It was a pleasure working with you, Commander.”

“Call on us anytime!”

“We are!”

“A shield for the weak, a dagger aimed at the throats of the corrupt!”

“Uh... Right. Keep up the good work.”

The members of the Holy Blood Order now felt a sense of pride in calling Kai their commander. Moved by the speech he had given upon his appointment, they even went around proudly reciting that embarrassing slogan.

Feeling overwhelmed by their intense gazes, Kai quickly sent them on their way. Then, he headed toward the hunting grounds. A hunting ground where no one ever ventured.

Stopping in his tracks, Kai turned to look at Blizzard. “Do you remember what I told you when we parted ways in Snowy Mountains?”

“Yes. You told me to study language diligently. You said I would be tested.”

“Not that.”

“Oh. You also told me to return stronger.”

“That’s right.” Satisfied with the response he had been waiting for, Kai gestured with his fingers. “Let’s see how much stronger you’ve become. Slowly come at me.”

“I know better than anyone how strong you are, Master. So, I won’t hold back.”

Blizzard politely bowed, but when he lifted his head again, his eyes gleamed sharply. He emptied his mind. He erased the fact that Kai was his master, and erased the fact that Kai had just rescued him. In their place, only one thought remained.

How can I take him down?

Hundreds of strategies surfaced and vanished in an instant.

“Um... when I said slowly, I didn’t mean literally.”

“My apologies. I will come at you immediately.”

Blizzard lowered his body, pressing himself flat against the ground before shifting into a quadrupedal stance. It was the optimal position for a lizardman to reach maximum speed!

“Hm?”

Kai, carefully observing his movements, furrowed his brows. Blizzard, who had been circling around him, had vanished without a trace.

This chapter is updat𝓮d by freēnovelkiss.com.

It’s been a while since I’ve seen this, and it’s even more refined now.

Camouflage—one of Blizzard’s unique abilities. Blizzard’s figure melted into the surrounding scenery like paint, making him nearly invisible.

Last time, I threw a potion on him to reveal his position...

Just as Kai remembered that battle, so did Blizzard. That was why he did not recklessly charge.

Even experiencing it again, Camouflage is still an advanced technique.

If he was losing track of Blizzard even while watching closely, then what if he hadn’t even known he was nearby?

You could become the greatest assassin.

Of course, whether the soul of a warrior would allow such a path was another matter entirely.

Kai’s eyes turned green as Hawk’s Witness was activated.

Not in front of me. Not up in the trees. There’s no sound of digging underground, so...

Blizzard had already positioned himself behind him. The moment that realization struck, the sheath of Kai’s sword let out a harsh breath.

Claaaaang!

At the same time, two curved blades and a longsword clashed, screaming as metal ground against metal.

“Krrrr.”

Blizzard let out a rough snort and swung his tail while maintaining the standoff.

Master doesn’t have a tail.

That meant the only option available to him would be to dodge. Blizzard made that judgment—but of course, he was mistaken.

“Gravity Field.”

Just as Blizzard had grown stronger during his journey, Kai hadn’t spent his time doing nothing either. In an instant, Blizzard’s tail, now burdened by immense weight, struck the ground instead of Kai’s side.

The moment dust clouds erupted into the air, and the moment Blizzard was taken aback in surprise, Kai shifted his body slightly backward, disrupting Blizzard’s flow before launching forward again. Thrown off balance, Blizzard was clearly bewildered as he stumbled forward. Like a lightning strike, the hilt of Kai’s sword came crashing down onto Blizzard’s chest.

He’s still weak when it comes to psychological warfare... Huh?

Suddenly, an unexpected message rang in Kai’s ears.

Ding!

[You have taken 14,840 damage from a counterattack.]

[Due to the unexpected impact, all movement is sealed for 2 seconds.]

What?

Kai’s eyes widened in shock, but what caught him off guard wasn't the unexpected damage that surprised him.

Blizzard knows how to pull off psychological tactics like this?

Before his journey, Blizzard had been fearless. Even during the battle against Aosa, he had charged head-on without hesitation, never bothering with tricks. But now, Blizzard changed.

He’s learned how to win fights. Even his acting has improved.

Someone who was merely strong could never defeat someone who was both strong and intelligent. Blizzard, who had once been a fearless warrior charging straight ahead, had been nothing more than easy prey for skilled opponents. Nothing more, nothing less. But now...

He’s really gotten stronger.

A broad smile spread across Kai’s face. Without anyone teaching him, Blizzard had managed to build this level of skill on his own. Kai found it admirable.

But admiration aside, I can’t let my dignity as a master be tarnished.

Blizzard lunged at Kai, who was still locked in a stunned state, and at that moment, a golden radiance enveloped Kai’s body.

“Sunlight’s Warmth.”

Kai instantly dispelled the debuff, and from his left sleeve, a chain shot out.

Shh-clink!

The Holy Chain looped halfway around a sturdy tree branch above before dropping down, wrapping tightly around Blizzard’s left arm.

“Krrk?”

Kai met Blizzard’s startled gaze. Then, he yanked the chain with all his strength.

Blizzard tensed his body and tried to endure, but he couldn’t resist Kai’s overwhelming strength, which even leveraged the principle of a pulley. Eventually left dangling helplessly in midair, Blizzard wore a sullen expression.

“I lost. Please let me down.”

“You threw yourself in recklessly just to land a hit on me.”

As Kai laughed and released the Holy Chains, Blizzard landed on the ground and shook his head.

“That wasn’t it. I just...”

Blizzard hesitated, unable to continue his sentence, as a single thought lingered in his mind before fading away.

I wanted to be acknowledged by Master.

Having been defeated one-sidedly in the duel, Blizzard couldn’t bring himself to say those words because he judged that he wasn’t worthy of speaking them.

Kai, who had just been sheathing his sword, suddenly said, “You’ve gotten incredibly strong.”

And that was why he reacted so greatly to Kai’s words. “I didn’t hear that correctly.”

“I said, you’ve gotten stronger. Strong enough that I’d trust you to have my back.”

Blizzard stared at Kai’s smiling face, momentarily dazed. Then, his eyes widened, and he clenched his fists tightly without realizing it.

“M-Master, do you truly mean that?!”

“Of course. How many players out there could even stand a chance against you right now?”

It wasn’t just empty praise. In truth, Blizzard’s current skills were formidable enough that only top-ranked players could match him. With that much ability, Kai genuinely felt he could entrust his back to him.

“I-If you truly entrust your back to me... I will protect it with my life.” Blizzard’s yellow eyes burned with determination.

“Alright, alright.”

Kai played along and was about to return to his territory with Blizzard when Blizzard hesitated for a moment before speaking with difficulty.

“Um... Master.”

“Hm? What is it?”

“I’ve heard that you possess the power to heal those who are afflicted with illness.”

At those words, Kai nodded without hesitation. “That’s right. What about that?”

“During my journey, I saved someone who had been surrounded by monsters.”

“Wow, good work.”

“But I think that person is gravely ill. They seemed to be in pain.”

Understanding what Blizzard was trying to say, Kai nodded. “Lead the way.”

“... Really?”

“My hands aren’t just any ordinary healing hands. Besides, I’m also curious about who this person is that has you so concerned.”

“Thank you.” Blizzard bowed his head in gratitude.

Truthfully, he had believed that his request wouldn’t be rejected, given his master’s kind nature. However, he hadn’t expected Kai to accept it so casually, even looking somewhat pleased about it.

“So, where exactly are we headed?”

“To a small village called Flam.”

“I’ll summon you there once I arrive.”

Flam was a small mountain village without a teleport gate. Because of that, Kai had to first unsummon Blizzard, then use a teleport gate to travel to the closest city before making his way there.

“This is the nearest city. Do you know the way from here?”

“Yes. I’ve been there once before. I am very good at finding my way,” Blizzard said confidently.

After all, it was unlikely that someone once hailed as the greatest warrior of his tribe would have a poor sense of direction.

Following him deep into the mountains, they traveled for two hours. By the time the sun was beginning to set, they finally arrived at a village.

“Is this the place?”

“Yes, this is Flam. It’s a good village.” Blizzard showed a subtle hint of excitement.

Flam was a truly small village, with only about twenty wooden huts in sight. As evening approached, the villagers, who had been moving about busily, recognized Blizzard and greeted him.

“Oh, the monster swordsman is back.”

“Hahaha, I wondered when you had disappeared, but I see you’ve returned.”

At their warm greetings, Kai nudged Blizzard’s side. “You’re pretty popular.”

“Master taught me to protect the weak. I merely helped some humans in distress.”

Blizzard spoke as humbly as possible, but his shoulders and the corners of his mouth were clearly lifted.

“So, who is it? The person you said was sick.”

“The owner of that house.” Blizzard pointed to a hut with his long finger.

Unlike the other houses, it was noticeably smaller and more worn down.

Blizzard then walked up to the door and knocked.

A hoarse voice seeped through the cracked wooden door, “... Who is it?”

“Blizzard.”

Creaaaak.

As soon as he introduced himself, the door opened without another word. Standing beyond the door frame was a boy who appeared to be around nineteen years old. Too old to be called a child, yet not quite an adult. Dark circles hung heavily beneath his eyes.

“Y-you’ve finally come. Are you here to teach me swordsmanship now?”

Blizzard shook his head, and introduced Kai to the boy. “What you need right now isn’t swordsmanship, but healing.”

Letting out a faint sigh, Blizzard looked at Kai and said, “ Kai, this boy’s name is Roen... As you can see, he is in terrible condition... He is a drug addict.”

“Hm...” Kai let out a quiet sigh.

Can Sunlight’s Warmth cure drug addiction?

There was no better time than the present to try.

“Excuse me for a moment.”

Kai cast Sunlight’s Warmth, Cure, Bless, and several other skills on Roen.

Roen’s complexion improved significantly, and his dark circles faded, but his lifeless eyes remained unchanged.

“I’ve tried every possible treatment...” Roen let out a weak chuckle and shook his head. “But nothing worked. The traveling healer who visited told me that my illness is of the mind and that I have to overcome it myself. But... I just can’t... I can’t...”

As Roen struggled to continue speaking, tears suddenly began streaming down his face.

When Kai looked over, Blizzard said, “It’s because he blames himself for his father’s death.”