The Healing Solaris Cleric-Chapter 288: Arkan Academy (4)

Accidents always came without warning. Even for Kai, who had successfully established Arkan Academy, an unexpected situation arose.

"...The academy?"

At Kai’s reluctant tone, Helik’s large eyes sparkled as she nodded eagerly. "Yes, yes! I wish to visit as well. The beautiful academy you created."

"Umm." Kai pressed his throbbing forehead, clearly showing his regret for coming here.

Noticing his reaction, the quick-witted Helik fidgeted with her hands and looked up at him. "Is it not allowed...?"

Seeing her adorable expression, Kai unknowingly shook his head. "It’s not that you can’t... but can you even go down there?"

"Kai, the one standing before you is the almighty Solarian God. What could possibly be impossible for me? However..." Helik hesitated, trailing off at the end of her sentence. "For a god to descend to the middle realm, most of their power must be sealed."

"No, then it’s not happening."

As Kai firmly refused, Helik whined, "Come onnn! Why! Why not? I wish to go!"

"It’s too dangerous. What if you get kidnapped?"

"Even with my power sealed, I would not be taken by some mere child abductor."

"Hmm..." After a brief moment of thought, Kai asked Helik, "Then, can you promise to behave and not cause any trouble?"

"Yes... But I am a god... and you are my envoy..."

Helik puffed out her cheeks in dissatisfaction, but Kai remained firm.

"If you don’t promise, I won’t take you. Now, promise me."

"I promise," Helik answered decisively and extended her hand.

Hooking her tiny pinky around his, she sealed the promise before excitedly packing her belongings.

"Are you ready?" Kai asked.

With everything stuffed into a small backpack, Helik nodded enthusiastically. Of course, her so-called luggage consisted entirely of her favorite candies and snacks.

"I am ready."

"...Ugh."

Even as he reconsidered, Kai couldn’t shake the lingering doubt.

Well... what could possibly go wrong?

Arkan Territory was home to royal and noble heirs from various kingdoms and empires. If anything happened to them, the responsibility would fall entirely on Kai as both the lord and the academy’s chairman. Thus, he had reinvested a significant portion of the students' tuition to hire knights for security. As a result, Arkan Territory was now secure enough to be called an impenetrable fortress without exaggeration.

Not to mention, High Priest Albert is here, along with the elite forces of the Solarian Church and the Solarian Knights.

Honestly, if anyone were foolish enough to target Helik, he would almost feel sorry for them.

Shoving aside his worries, Kai took Helik’s hand and said, "Shadow Shift."

Arriving at the academy’s chairman’s office, Kai glanced at Helik, now dressed in a pure white dress, and said, "Follow me. I’ll give you a tour of the academy."

Clinging closely to Kai, Helik hurried after him, her short legs working hard to keep up. "Woow, it’s beautiful."

Her eyes sparkled as she admired the artistic architecture crafted by the dwarves.

Seeing how much she likes it, bringing her along might have been worth it.

Aside from when she was eating candy or snacks, it was rare to see her this excited. She eagerly ran around, exploring every corner of the academy like a child.

"Does she never get tired...?" Kai muttered to himself as he watched her run around for hours.

Just then, someone approached him and greeted him. "Kai... No, Chairman!"

It was Roen, who had been touring the academy. He looked at Kai with the same reverence one would give a legendary figure from a textbook.

"I can’t believe I’m able to study in such an incredible place, and even receive a scholarship... I will do my best! Thank you!"

"It’s nothing."

Kai still felt a slight twinge of guilt for having altered Roen’s memories, which was why he had decided to grant him a scholarship. Of course, even in the long run, it wasn’t a loss. Roen was undeniably talented enough to be worth the investment.

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"But who is that person? I don’t recall seeing her at the entrance ceremony," Roen asked, staring at Helik, whose appearance was impossible to forget after seeing even once.

Her height and overall features made her look like a child, yet she carried an undeniable aura of authority that ordinary people could not easily approach.

"Oh, that is..."

Hearing the mention of herself, Helik approached them and began saying, "My name is Hel—"

"Helizabeth," Kai swiftly cut off Helik’s words and answered first.

"... Helizabeth?" Roen looked at Helik with curiosity, hearing such an unfamiliar and unique name for the first time.

"Yes. I’m thirteen years old, and I love candy and snacks. My best characteristic is that my cheeks are soft and squishy."

"I-I see..." Roen gave an awkward smile before turning back to Kai. "Is she your younger sister, Chairman?"

"Huh? Well, something like that."

"If I see her again, I’ll make sure to greet her properly. It was an honor to meet you. Then..." After politely bowing, Roen turned and left.

Watching his retreating figure, Helik glared at Kai. "I am not your younger sister. And I am certainly not Helizabeth."

"I know. But I can’t exactly introduce you as the god I serve, can I?"

"Hmph..." Helik pouted and wrapped her long hair around her neck like a scarf, sulking.

Kai gently patted her head and asked, "So, how was the academy tour?"

"It was fun. I’m glad I came down."

"Do you want to visit the church too? High Priest Albert would probably come running out barefoot to greet you."

"Th-that won’t be necessary." Shaking her head, Helik suddenly grabbed onto Kai’s sleeve. "Kai, I’m feeling a bit sleepy now."

"Shall we head back, then?"

"Yes..."

Even though she was a god, she had spent the entire day running around the vast academy in a child’s body. It was only natural that she would be exhausted.

Watching Helik yawn cutely and rub her eyes, Kai took her hand and murmured, "Shadow Shift."

***

After his brief date with Helik, Kai visited Libertia, and the reason was simple.

"Oh, my friend! How long has it been?"

"It’s been a while, Luteria." Lifting the tiny world tree, Luteria, onto his palm, Kai turned his head. "Is the Grand Blacksmith Tournament proceeding as planned?"

"Yes. If all goes well, it should begin in a week," Elania, the elven queen, responded politely.

Beside her, Karius and Karundal each chimed in.

"As expected, you were right. Now that the tournament is just around the corner, even more tourists are pouring in."

"Haha. The participants are busy practicing, eager to prove who the greatest blacksmith is."

"That’s great. Competition is always a healthy motivator."

The entire city of Libertia pulsed with life, as if it were a giant beating heart. Its once desolate past was now nowhere to be seen, replaced by the image of a perfectly thriving city.

Libertia’s growth is fast. It’s already on the verge of reaching B-rank.

With such a promising future ahead, there was nothing to worry about. On top of that, most of the projects he had previously set in motion were now coming together, easing his mind.

Once the Grand Blacksmith Tournament ends successfully... the entertainment show filmed at the Sanctuary of Corruption will air. After watching that, I’ll set off on another adventure.

Just as Kai finished sorting out his thoughts, a new visitor arrived.

"Kai!"

"... Camilla?" Kai had completely forgotten about her existence until she appeared before him. "It’s been a while. What brings you here?"

"What do you mean? I came because your gear is finished." With her usual confident tone, she held out a pair of gloves to him. "Take good care of these. I put in a lot of effort to make them special for you."

Oh, right. I gave her some of Zatan’s materials last time and requested a pair of gloves.

Receiving the equipment he had completely forgotten about felt almost like receiving a gift.

Kai lifted the gloves, appreciating their fine texture. The materials he had given Camilla for crafting the gloves included the Zatan’s Hard Shell, along with four legs, each imbued with the attributes of fire, ice, earth, and lightning. These elements had been masterfully combined, resulting in a new unique design.

The gloves, which had a light brown color, were unbelievably soft despite being made from a hard shell. They were so smooth that one could easily mistake them for leather or fabric rather than a rigid material. Additionally, four distinct lines were drawn across the gloves. Each line had a different color—red, blue, brown, and yellow—seemingly representing the four elements.

"What do you think? Pretty cool, right?"

"The design is really nice. But why are these so soft?"

"Ugh, don’t even ask. That shell was a nightmare to work with. I had to hammer away at it endlessly to make it this smooth." With an exhausted expression, Camilla shook her head and urged him, "Go on, check the stats."

"You must be pretty confident in them," Kai chuckled and did as she suggested, appraising the gloves.

"Item Appraisal."

[Zatan's Gravity Gloves]

Grade: Unique

Strength +20

Agility +20

Stamina +20

Defense: 1240

Magic Defense: 1215

*Significantly increases the efficiency of Gravity Field skill.

*Movement within the gravity field becomes a little easier.

*Randomly grants an elemental attribute within the gravity field.

Requirement: Level 400+

Durability: 100/100

"Wow." Kai’s eyes widened as he read through the item’s description.

I never expected it to have an option that enhances the efficiency of the Gravity Field skill.

Expanding a gravity field over a wide area instead of targeting a single opponent had always been a double-edged sword. It could restrict enemy movement, but Kai himself would also be affected by the increased gravity.

Back at the Sanctuary of Corruption, I felt that flaw all too clearly when fighting the vampires.

However, with the gravity gloves that Camilla crafted, the situation would be completely different.

The only question is, how much does it actually improve movement within the gravity field...

That was something he could test right away. Kai immediately equipped the gloves on both hands.

"Sorry about this, but give me a moment. Gravity Field."

"Wha—?!"

After briefly informing Camilla, Kai activated his gravity field across the area. Gravity instantly became four times heavier. At the same time, the yellow line engraved on his gloves began to glow brightly.

This means...

It signified that he had been granted the lightning attribute while inside the gravity field.

Kai snapped his fingers, and sparks crackled in the air like an electric current discharging.

"This is interesting."

Amused by his new toy, Kai smiled and made a light jump. It was slightly more difficult than usual, but not to the point of being uncomfortable.

Gravity was supposed to be four times stronger... but it only feels about twice as heavy.

In other words, the gloves had reduced the pressure he experienced within the gravity field by roughly half.

"Dispel."

After deactivating the gravity field, Kai turned to Camilla and expressed his gratitude. "Thanks. I really like these."

"Ugh... Hey! You can’t just activate a skill like that without warning...!" Camilla had started to get angry but then smiled in defeat as she noticed how lovingly Kai was staring at the gloves she had crafted. "... Well, since you like them that much, I suppose it’s fine."

Watching someone genuinely appreciate the gear she had made...

Right. This is why I became a blacksmith.

Camilla shrugged, reaffirming that choosing this profession had been one of the best decisions she had ever made.