The Healing Solaris Cleric

Chapter 245: Banquet of the Gods (1)

“Banquet?”

Horn blinked, while Helik shook an empty snack bag to collect the crumbs in one corner and eat them. When the crumbs didn’t satisfy her, she immediately began to grumble.

“Hmph... If I can’t eat candy, snacks, or cake, what’s the point of a banquet?”

“Oh, of course, you’ll be allowed to eat them during the banquet.”

“Then I’m all for it!” Helik shouted, and raised her hands.

Watching her overly simple reaction, Horn let out a groan. “Ugh, that simple-minded fool... But first, I’d like to ask—what’s the purpose of hosting this banquet?”

He was a sharp individual—or rather, a sharp god. In truth, Horn's question was perfectly reasonable. It could even be seen as the most normal reaction one could have.

As a god, he must be able to see through lies to some extent, wouldn’t he?

After organizing his thoughts briefly, Kai replied, “Meeting the other gods in person and exchanging greetings would bring me great joy.”

That wasn’t a lie. He just didn’t say everything he needed to.

Horn stared at Kai for a moment, then slowly nodded. “Interesting. Sure. It does sound like it could be fun.”

“Then, when would be a good date for the banquet?”

Helik raised her hand high again. “Today! Today seems perfect!”

“Hm. Considering the preparations, wouldn’t at least three days later be better?” Horn pitched in.

“Three days from now. Understood. Then, may I ask which gods you plan to invite?” Kai asked.

“W-why are you ignoring me?”

The two naturally ignored Helik, but she quickly quieted down when Kai patted her head a few times.

“Hm. Honestly, this kid and I don’t know that many gods. We’re not exactly sociable...” Horn said in a slightly timid voice, as if embarrassed.

Of course, Helik’s take on the same situation was different. “Huh? Horn, what are you talking about? I know Roby and Haku.”

“Counting me, that’s barely three,” Horn replied.

“... Is that really so few?”

While Helik pondered alone, the other two continued their conversation.

“Not that I’m much better socially—I only know about five or six gods myself.”

“Hm... That’s fine. I imagine everyone has been too busy to make friends.”

At Kai’s comforting words, Horn gave a grateful look and let out a light exclamation. “Ah! Now that I think of it, there’s a solution.”

“A solution?”

“The god of love, Roby. Do you know of her?”

“I’ve heard Helik mention her a few times.”

“As the god of love, she has quite an extensive network. With her help, we could gather a fair number of gods.”

“Then I’ll leave it in your hands. Oh, and do you happen to know what the gods might like? I’d like to prepare accordingly for the banquet.”

“Food.”

“Something to eat!”

For the first time, the opinions of the two gods aligned.

Helik added, “We, who spend our entire lives in the celestial realm, rarely have the opportunity to taste earthly food.”

“That’s true, and even when we do, it’s nothing like the chimaek we had earlier.”

“So, it’s food, then.”

From Kai’s perspective, this was a cause for celebration.

Food is easy to prepare.

Plus, this was an opportunity to earn special titles, so he was more than willing to spend on a meal for such a reward.

“Then, three days from now at this time, I’ll return here with the food.”

“We should tell the other gods to arrive about two hours later.”

“Kai, whatever else you do, make sure you don’t forget the cake. Absolutely don’t forget!”

“Ahem. If possible, don’t forget the chimaek, either.”

“Of course,” Kai smiled.

He planned to bring out dishes far better than that for the banquet.

I need to completely captivate the gods.

With that, it seemed things were about to get busy.

***

Kai returned to the mortal realm and began moving busily.

The first place he visited was the kingdom's largest library.

“The keyword is gods, please.”

After receiving guidance from the librarian on books about gods, Kai sat down and began reading. The sound of turning pages echoed for over twenty hours.

Thud.

Finally, Kai closed the book and put on a relieved expression.

Phew, this should be enough for research. I’ve figured out the preferences of the gods.

The gods of MID Online had diverse stories and myths, much like those of Greek and Roman mythology. Naturally, reading these myths allowed one to roughly infer their personalities and preferences.

Now everything is ready.

This was as far as Kai could prepare on his own. All he could do now was hope for Horn, Helik, and Roby to successfully invite the gods.

“At least ten should show up, right?” Kai chuckled playfully.

***

“Wow, the space has gotten bigger, hasn’t it?”

Although Helik’s floating island in the celestial realm was a place Kai had visited several times, today it looked quite different.

So the island can even grow.

For starters, the island’s area was much larger than usual. The ground was covered in grass, and white marble lined the pathways, creating a luxurious vibe. Moreover, the fountain at the center of the island had become much more elegant. Although the mechanism was unclear, the streams of water from the fountain formed shapes of animals and other figures.

“This fountain was crafted by Haku, the god of water,” Horn said, approaching with a satisfied smile.

“I see. Do you know how many gods will be attending today?”

“Hm... Not sure. Roby asked me to leave that to her, so I don’t have any details.”

“I understand. Then let’s start preparing.”

Kai began preparing food for the gods.

This has to be a buffet-style setup. Otherwise, it’ll be chaos.

Kai had much experience volunteering at orphanages and senior centers during his younger days. Recalling those memories in full detail, he quickly set up the food in a buffet style.

“Ooh, what delicious smells.”

The table Kai put the prepared food on was twenty meters long. The dishes on it, including chicken, consisted entirely of modern foods unlikely to polarize anyone's tastes!

“Now all that’s left is to wait.”

“Hmm, the idea of actually hosting a banquet is a bit exciting.”

“Hahaha, please enjoy. By the way... where is Helik?”

“Oh, Roby took her.”

“Roby?”

Kai blinked at the thought of taking the host away before the banquet even started.

“Well, it’s about time for them to arrive.”

“Yes, it seems so.” Kai, who had been calm until now, swallowed nervously.

Horn sensed something Kai could not and murmured, “They’re coming.”

At the same time, Kai saw the space around them begin to distort. “Wh-what’s happening?”

Kai, who rarely got surprised, stood gaping as over thirty distortions appeared in his view. Shortly after, gods of various domains casually emerged and stepped out from each distortion.

“Hmm, a banquet hosted by the solarian god? Intriguing.”

“That little one, huh? I wonder if she’s grown taller.”

“By the way, what is this smell? It’s making my mouth water.”

W-wait. How many are there?

As Kai counted the gods one by one, he became dizzy. It was no wonder as...

[You have witnessed Haku, the god of water.]

[Special title acquired: Witness of Water.]

[You have witnessed Gauss, the god of strength.]

[Special title acquired: Witness of Strength.]

[You have witnessed Mars, the god of war.]

[Special title acquired: Witness of Battle.]

[You have witnessed Yanir, the god of wisdom.]

[Special title acquired: Witness of Truth.]

.

.

.

A flood of messages appeared before him, so overwhelming that daily activities would have been impossible to carry out. Even for Kai, it was the first time he had obtained dozens of special titles in such a short span. And that wasn’t all.

“Oh, is that the one? The envoy you’ve been endlessly bragging about?”

“That’s right.”

Kai turned his head toward the familiar voice coming from behind, and his eyes widened.

“H-how do I look?” Helik asked.

She was dressed in a dazzling oriental-style dark-red dress befitting a banquet host. The golden accents scattered across the dress sparkled like stars decorating the night sky. What completed the look was an elegant hairpin placed in her neatly tied-up hair.

Kai couldn’t help but think that if he ever had a daughter in the future, he would want her to look just like her.

“You look incredibly adorable.”

“Hehe.”

Embarrassed by Kai’s genuine compliment, Helik tightly grasped the hand of the person standing beside her.

Oh, come to think of it...

Though the message hadn’t appeared yet, Kai had a good idea of who the woman standing next to Helik was.

The god of love, Roby.

His assumption was spot on.

[You have witnessed Roby, the god of love.]

[Special title acquired: Witness of Allure.]

Roby smiled warmly and said, “Hi, I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Yes, I’ve heard about you often as well. As I’ve heard, you’re truly beautiful.”

It wasn’t mere flattery. Roby’s beauty was befitting her title as the god of love. Among the people Kai knew, only Yoo Ha-Rin or Seol Eun-Yeong could come close to comparing.

“So, how many gods have come to the banquet today?”

Since Roby had invited them, Kai expected her to know.

However, she shook her head with a playful smile.

“I have no idea.”

“... Pardon?”

“I don’t know either.”

“But you were the one who invited them, aren’t you?”

“Yes, but do you know how many gods there are?”

“Well...”

Based on Kai’s research at the library, the number of gods in MID Online was exactly seventy-seven.

“Isn’t there seventy-seven?”

“Oh my, is that what they say in the mortal realm? How unfortunate. That’s wrong.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“No matter how few worshippers a god may have, they don’t lose their divine status. They’re just forgotten.” With a slightly wistful gaze, Roby looked at the continuously distorted space around them. “So, I just sent invitations to every existing god.”

“... And how many is that?”

“About two hundred. I’m not sure how many will show up, though. Oh, but I didn’t invite any of those trashy evil gods, so don’t worry.”

Two hundred. Even if only half of them responded and came...

Oh no.

Kai’s expression became uncertain as he looked out at the Celestial Garden, which was now as noisy as a bustling marketplace.