The Healing Solaris Cleric

Chapter 118: Poetic Justice (4)

As Kai exited the audience chamber, someone was waiting for him. It was none other than the blond young man who had brought him there, except this time, he was wearing his armor instead of his uniform and carrying his helmet under his arm.

"Come to think of it, I don't even know your name yet," Kai said.

"Bach. Bach Den Black.”

"Thank you, Bach. But what's with that outfit?"

"Did His Majesty not inform you?"

Kai tilted his head in confusion. "Inform me of what...?"

"That you'd be provided with a knight to personally pass judgment on the lord of Whitehall."

"Well, yes, but..." Kai trailed off, scanning the surroundings with a bewildered expression.

Is he seriously only providing one knight for support? The number of knights and soldiers in Whitehall isn't exactly small...

The king seemed to be underestimating Whitehall just because it was a rural area.

Worry appeared on Kai's face, but Bach ignored it and said, "Let's get going."

"Uh, okay...

Just as the way they had arrived here, a tear of a teleportation scroll transported them straight to the streets of Whitehall.

"Bach, what do you intend to do now?"

"What a foolish thing to ask. We go to the lord's mansion and hold him accountable."

Kai was left speechless at his answer. He seemed completely unaware of the importance of planning!

Kai, breaking into a cold sweat, tried to persuade him. “But Bach, there are only two of us, and they probably have dozens of knights. No matter how just our cause is, we’re at a significant disadvantage in numbers...”

"Interesting." Bach stared intently at Kai and continued to say, "The one who took down Aosa alone is now lecturing on the importance of numbers?"

"But Aosa and knights are different."

"How so?"

"Well, their levels, for one... I believe the knights here are at least level 100.”

That was for the new recruits who just came out of the academy. Naturally, the longer a knight served, the higher their level would be.

Whitehall is close to the border and surrounded by mountains, so monster invasions must be frequent.

This meant they had hunting conditions available year-round! Therefore, the levels of the knights would have increased significantly.

"So you're saying... you doubt my abilities?"

Kai shivered at Bach's cold glare. "N-no, that's not it..."

"If that's not the case, then follow me without objection."

With a cold tone that indicated he wouldn’t accept any objections, Bach headed toward the lord's mansion.

Is he that confident in his skills?

When Kai, unable to hide his anxiety, arrived in front of the lord's mansion, two soldiers blocked their way.

"I recognize the healer from last time, but... who are you?"

"Judging by his gear, he looks like he's heading to a battlefield."

The soldiers immediately raised their guard.

Bach replied in his characteristically dry tone. "Move aside, or you'll get hurt."

Before the soldiers could understand what he meant by that, his sword sheath scattered lightning.

"Huh?!"

"He drew his sword!"

The soldiers didn't even see Bach's lightning-quick slash. They only saw him sheathing his sword and inferred that he had drawn it.

"B-Bach, you can't just attack like that!" Kai exclaimed.

"His Majesty didn't send me to talk. He sent me to demonstrate my force," Bach replied briefly and walked forward.

The soldiers wanted to stop him with their spears, but they didn’t have the courage to do so after seeing his cold gaze.

He's not someone we can handle.

If we fight, we'll die.

Passing the frozen soldiers, Bach pressed against a two-meter-high wall. With a push, the wall toppled backward.

Watching this, Kai’s mouth dropped open in shock.

Was that why he drew his sword earlier?

He couldn't believe how cleanly the wall was cut, as if it were tofu.

"What's going on?!"

"A loud noise came from the front gate!"

"Assemble!"

The crash of the collapsing wall brought the knights rushing into the courtyard.

After a quick count, Bach muttered, "Thirty-two."

"That's a lot," Kai sighed, noticing the pig lord approaching angrily from a distance.

"What in the world are you...!"

"Criminal, Phigynia Tiburn, hear this," Bach's solemn voice cut off the lord's words and echoed through the courtyard.

Everyone's attention turned to Bach, drawn by his captivating voice that seemed impossible to ignore.

"By the order of His Majesty, Beoruk Von Rashion, I hereby strip Phigynia Tiburn of his barony. The criminal and his family will be imprisoned, and all their ill-gotten wealth will be confiscated into the royal treasury."

"W-what nonsense is this!" the pig lord shouted, his face pale. "Who are you to say such things!"

Phigynia quickly looked at Bach's chest and then pointed at him as he spoke to his knights.

"This man claims to have orders from His Majesty, yet he wears no Rashion insignia on his chest. Seize this impostor and make him kneel before me!"

The knights had initially been stunned by Bach's declaration, but they quickly came to their senses. Bach really had no insignia on his chest.

"Wait, so then the supposed royal order is...”

"All a lie."

"He must be delusional."

"He should pay for his reckless words."

Angry, the knights drew their swords and activated their skills.

Even as he looked at the blades aimed at him, Bach calmly said to Kai, "You doubted my level earlier, didn't you?"

"D-did I? But shouldn't you be more worried about those incoming swords...?" Kai pointed ahead with an awkward smile.

Turning his head to face the knights, Bach continued, "By His Majesty's command, watch my sword closely, for I will not swing it more than once."

Bach's hand moved slowly to the hilt. As his hand grasped it, the lightning sealed within the sheath tore through the air.

"Huh...?"

The trajectory of his sword was so smooth that it was almost beautiful.

At the same time, a message appeared.

[You have witnessed a master swordsman exhibit skills far superior to your own.]

[Your swordsmanship is low. You failed to ascertain the meaning and principle of what you have seen.]

[Nevertheless, your swordsmanship understanding has reached a new level.]

[Your Swordsmanship of the Dawn proficiency has increased greatly.]

[Swordsmanship of the Dawn has reached Intermediate Level 5.]

"Uh..."

A dumbfounded sound escaped from Kai's mouth, but there was no one to scold him for it.

Only the pig lord, Phigynia, echoed Kai's dumbfounded sounds while trembling.

"Uh, uh..."

He looked at Bach, who knocked down all his knights with a single strike, as if he were a monster.

"W-who the hell are you?"

Bach sheathed his sword and walked slowly toward the pig lord, saying, "Bach Dan Black. Captain of the Ironblood Knights."

"Captain... of the Ironblood Knights?!"

The Ironblood and Guardians were the only two knighthoods that existed in the royal palace of Rashion, and Bach was the master of swordsmanship leading one of them.

***

Kai watched with his mouth agape as the lord of Whitehall and his household were taken away in chains.

The pig lord who wielded such great power... is being dragged away like an actual pig.

Slumping his shoulders, he waddled away with the appearance of a defeated man.

Watching this, Kai reaffirmed his belief.

Power is indeed necessary.

The strength he currently possessed was already considerable. Although his level was low, the overwhelming stats accumulated through his benevolence deeds, various special titles, and his Mythic-rank profession made him capable of competing with level 200 players.

But it's not enough.

Kai glanced over at Bach, who was giving orders to his subordinates from a distance. If he had the immense power to make everyone kneel like Bach...

...I could correct more wrongs, fix greater injustices.

From that moment on, his goal to obtain an unrivaled strength that no one could challenge was set.

With that power, I will help more people.

This was something impossible in reality. No matter how great an individual was, they couldn’t stand against corporations and nations.

But this is a game.

Players had the freedom to pursue what they wanted.

My aspirations aren't grand.

He had no delusions of creating some utopian paradise. All he had was the modest dream of gradually fixing the wrongs he encountered.

Then, Kai turned his head to see a family reunited.

"Mom, Dad!"

Ayana, who hadn’t seen her parents for almost two months, was crying in their embrace. Her parents, too, were shedding tears as they held their daughter tightly.

"Our baby, have you been alright?"

"You’ve been eating while we were gone, right?"

"Yes! I've been eating well... studying... and locking the doors properly!"

"That’s our girl. Mommy is so proud of you."

"Thank you. Thank you so much for staying safe on your own."

Kai wondered how the parents must have felt, being imprisoned and leaving their thirteen-year-old daughter alone.

They must have been heartbroken. They would have thought about her dozens of times a day.

Kai's eyes welled up as he sniffled.

At that moment, the pig lord, who was being taken away in handcuffs, passed by Kai and gritted his teeth.

"Y-You! I should have known when you were saying all that nonsense about promotion!"

"...Hey, piggy. Haven't you come to your senses yet?" Kai glared at the pig lord, who quickly interrupted his emotional mood. "If you have any sense, look around you."

"What do you...?"

The pig lord looked around. As he and his family were being taken away, the villagers poured into the streets, laughing and hugging each other.

The residents, who had suffered from the heavy taxes imposed by the wicked lord and the neglect of security, rejoiced at the situation, chanting the king’s name.

"There’s a saying: You reap what you sow. If you had shown even a bit of consideration and care for these people, maybe at least one person would have mourned for you."

"Argh...!"

Unable to find a retort, the pig lord's face turned red as Kai approached and whispered in his ear.

"And I'll make good use of the 1,000 gold you gave me."

"W-what? That would have been spent on treatment... The residents' illnesses have all been cured..."

"23 gold."

The pig lord was confused.

"About 23 gold. That’s what I spent on treating the residents."

Kai shrugged, causing the pig lord to almost have a heart attack from shock.

"Y-You thief...!"

"Oh, I hear a pig squealing somewhere. Knights, please continue taking him away."

"Let go, let go! You scoundrels! Let go of me!"

Kai waved goodbye to the pig lord being dragged away by the knights.

As the villagers watched, they started to approach Kai one by one, bowing their heads.

"Healer, thank you."

"If it weren’t for you, Cleric Kai... I would have died from the plague long ago."

“Thank you so much for saving me from being trapped under the building the day Aosa attacked the city. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn't be standing here right now.”

"Oh, there's no need for all these thanks..."

Kai was overwhelmed by the crowd of villagers swarming around him.

Did I treat this many people?

He had treated the sick for over two weeks and saved one hundred thirty-two NPCs on the day Aosa attacked!

Suddenly, someone ran into Kai's arms amidst the crowd.

"Cleric Kai... Thank you so much for keeping your promise!"

"A-Ayana!"

Kai looked surprised for a moment but then smiled softly at her puffy-eyed, beaming face and patted her back.

The villagers' applause followed. It was a tribute to the hero who saved them and their way of celebrating the departure of their corrupt lord.

Ding!

[Eliminating the cause of suffering itself is the ultimate goal a benefactor should strive for. You removed an immoral lord whose abuse of power led to the suffering of his people from his position. Despite the overwhelming power your opponent held, you upheld your own justice and thus deserve to be called a saint.]

[7,472 NPCs are sincerely grateful to you.]

[Special title acquired: Saint of Whitehall.]

[The story of a great benefactor driving out a corrupt lord will be widely spread across the continent through storytellers.]

[+5,000 Contribution to the Solarian Church.]

[Spread of the word of the Church of Solaris increased by 25%. Residents oppressed by the corrupt lord will fervently pray for the mercy of the Solarian Church.]

[+15 Benevolence.]

Ah, truly, doing good deeds is the best...

It felt similar to when he saved the residents of Glendale. However, this time, the scale seemed a bit larger.

As Kai felt a sense of relief that everything was over now, an unexpected message appeared.

Ding!

[The Poetic Justice effect has been activated.]

[You have stripped a corrupt lord of his title.]

[The title you stripped is Baron.]

[+25 Benevolence.]

"...Huh?"