The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic

The trip to the water city of Mearaq was uneventful.

Thanks to Amako's foresight, we were able to avoid battles with demons as much as possible, there were no traps like in Neah, and we were able to replenish our food supply in the villages we passed by.

I guess I'm getting used to traveling.　We were able to enjoy the trip enough to think "I'm getting used to traveling" or "I'm enjoying the scenery around me" --- but at the last minute, we were about to get into trouble.

I wonder why this is happening!

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Now, we are running... well, it's me, Bulrin, and the horse with Mr. Alc on it, but that's not the problem.

A herd of demons is chasing us at a great speed behind us.

Normally, it's not often that we encounter such a large number of demons, but it happened all of a sudden. Even if Amako had foreseen it, the swarm was so large that it could not be avoided.

"Usato, look ahead!　If you fall here they'll catch up with you!

Don't you forget that Amako and I are here!

As I was running in a daze, Nair on my shoulder and Amako on my back shouted impatiently.

I mean, I want Nea to fly away normally, but I wonder if she ever thought of that in this situation ......?

"Usato-dono, we are almost at Mearaak!　Once we get on the boat, the demons shouldn't be able to get into the lake!"

I answer to Mr. Aruk who is riding his horse.

I understand!　If worst comes to worst and they catch up with us, I will stop them!　If they try to catch up with us, I'll stop them!

"Grua!"

"...... please!　Please don't do anything rash!"

If I run as fast as I can, I'll leave both Bulrin and the horse behind.

I'm trying to match my speed to prevent that from happening, but when the time comes, I'll take on the demons. They are wild beasts after all. If I punch them in the nose, they'll lose their will to fight and go home.

And even if I can't drive them back, I should be able to hold off the horde of demons for a few minutes if I can keep them at a standstill. .......

"But why would such a large number of demons attack ......?"

I look in the direction where Mearaak is supposed to be while running to keep my breathing steady.

This number is unusual.

They are so many that it's safe to say that all the demons in the area are gathered here.

"...... You don't think it's because of that voice, do you?"

That voice we heard may have been the beginning of all this trouble.

The time when we heard that voice goes back to just before our journey, which seemed to be going smoothly, turned into an escape from demons in an instant.

I was in the middle of a journey.

Master Lucas's shocking statement.

Eva's too straight feelings.

And the senior's covering fire from afar.

We ran away from Samaria as if we were running away from them and headed for the next country we were going to visit --- the floating city of Mearrauk.

"Oh, my God, what's going to happen to me? ......"

"Usato, you keep saying the same thing, but you should give up now."

Two weeks after leaving Samaritan's Alley.

I muttered the same thing every time I remembered my senior's article.

"But you know what, there are sketches like this out there, right?　I'm afraid that if people see me in real life, they'll say I'm definitely not what they imagined. ......"

"You worry too much. Besides, the good thing about Usato is not his looks.

I can't be honestly happy about that follow-up because it could mean a lot of different things. .......

If I get a strange impression from the mi-arrak I'm on my way to, it could hinder the delivery of the letter or cause me a great deal of psychological damage.

Besides..,

"Pupu, you are always a masterpiece!　Your nose and your sparkling smile!　It's too funny that you don't look like Usato at all!"

"......"

It's depressing how the owl, dexterously holding the article about my seniors and me with its wings, teases me every time I read it.

And it has been like this for the past two weeks since we left Samaritan's Alley.

I wonder if he is still bitter about me knocking him out.

"...... hmph!"

"Kyan!"

Amako grabbed Neah.

Amako starts spinning the hand that grabbed Neah around and around. The person whose hand is being spun is screaming inaudibly.

The two are now fighting. I shift my gaze to Mr. Aruk who is pulling the horse.

"Mr. Alc. Mialak is a city on a lake, right?

Yes, Mialark is a city located on a lake in the center of the great river that runs through this continent.

The place where we are going to deliver the letter, Mialak.

It looks like a water city in my image, but what is it really like?

We have to pass through Mearaak to get to our final destination, the land of the beastmen, so we need to know a little bit about it.

"So, are there many boats?"

"Well, are there a lot of boats?" "There are quite a few boats in Mialak, since the fishing industry is very active there. Some of them are designed mainly for battles against water-dwelling monsters. If you want to get to the other side of the coast where the land of the beastmen is located safely, the best way is to take a ship of Mearrak.

"Well, can't we just swim across?　Or find a bridge or something. ......"

If you avoid the lake and swim in the river, or find a bridge and cross it, you don't have to take a boat in Mearaq, do you?

It's a bit simplistic, but it's not impossible.

Aruk slowly shook his head at my words.

"In the water, humans are no match for demons. Even if we succeed in swimming across the river, what awaits us is the territory of the demon king and the beastmen, a place where humans are not allowed to venture, so no bridges have been built.

"The Demon Lords...... don't tell me they built a big bridge when they attacked the Lingle Kingdom. ......"

"Yes, that's right. That's because no bridge had been built to connect the two sides of the river in the first place."

I see, it is true that the human side doesn't need to go all the way into the demon king's territory or the place where the beastmen live, so there is no need to build a bridge. .......

Anyway, it has been mentioned a little bit about demons living in the water. .......

I'd like to meet them even just once, since I've only met demons living on land so far.

In the original world, kappa or something like that?

Ah, yes. Mearaak has a reputation for its delicious fish dishes.

"Fish dishes?"

I wonder if it's freshwater fish, since it's called a lake.

No, it is said to be close to the sea, so there might be saltwater fish as well. Like sea bass or salmon in the original world.

I don't think we'll be able to eat them as sashimi, but I'm still looking forward to it.

After all, I've eaten only grilled river fish recently, and I seldom get to eat real fish dishes.

Perhaps my excitement at the fish dishes in Mialak was reflected in my face, because Mr. Alc smiled when he saw my face.

"When you visit Mearaq, shall we go for a fish dinner?　From what I've heard, fish dishes in Mialak have a reputation for being very tasty.

"That's good. I'm looking forward to seeing it when I get there.

"Ha-ha-ha, I'm looking forward to it too."

Oh, but what about Burlin?

I look next to him and see a bear with an expectant look in his eyes.

"Oh, I know, I know. I'll bring some fish for Bulrin later. The biggest one you can find, okay?"

"Grrrr!"

You're a cash cow.

Nair, covered in dust, jumps onto my shoulder with teary eyes from behind as I pat him with a wry smile.

Amako comes alongside me, wiping her forehead with her hand.

I smile at her as if I've done it all, but I can't hide my shudder at the fact that I've single-handedly won a victory over Nair.

"Huh. Usato, what were you talking about?"

"Isn't it strange, this fox, after he's mistreated me so much!"

The nea on his shoulder flaps her wings in protest to Amako.

"Shut up, do you want to be circled again?"

"What?　You're putting Usato in danger, aren't you!

"Hey, what? What do you mean my dangerous part?

I was just told that I'm dangerous.

What do you mean by "dangerous part"? It hurts my feelings when people talk about me like I'm dangerous.

"...... I don't mind. I don't care if I end up like Usato.

"I'm not good!　Are you willing to become a monster in human form?

"Hey, can you be more subtle about it?"

Amako's reply is so blunt that Nea is shocked, but I wonder why the most damage is done to me, the one who is not participating in the conversation.

And I know I've been called a lot of names, but I'm an established person in my own category, you know?

I'm just a little overtrained, that's all.

So, Usato. So, the question you just asked me: ......."

"Hmm?　Yeah, I was talking about Mearaak."

"Hmm."

You don't seem interested.

"It's a nice place. It's a human city near the beastmen's country, so there's no blatant discrimination like in Samaritan's. There are only a few ......, but there are also beastmen coming and going."

"Well, do you know anyone there?"

"No. I didn't have a lot of time then. ......"

"......"

Well, Mialak was the first place this girl visited after she left the land of the beastmen.

He must have been so eager to save his mother that he didn't have time to look at the scenery around him.

......I may have been a little too insensitive.

......I was different then and I am different now.

Amako mutters a few words.

"I was alone for a long time,...... but I met Kirija and the others, the people of the Lingle Kingdom,...... and now I'm with Usato and the others, so I'm not bitter at all."

"I see."

"Yes."

She gives me a small smile and I smile at her.

I'm not alone.

Hearing her say that reassured me.

I am no longer the lonely girl I was when I was traveling alone. Now I have me, Mr. Alk, Neah, and even Bulrin.

I want to make sure she has a smile on her face long after this journey is over. .......

"......?"

"What's the matter, Amako?　You stopped all of a sudden."

"Someone's fighting. ......"

Amaco stops with his hands over his ears.

Someone is fighting, huh?

Hearing Amako's words, Mr. Aruku puts his hand on the hilt of his sword to warn the others.

I stop and check the situation with Amako, keeping my eyes ahead.

"Are you saying there is a battle going on ahead?"

"It sounds like iron being hammered...... and the sound of something shattering......."

"Shattering"?　The ground?

"Not exactly, maybe. It's more like the sound of glass or ice shattering. ......"

I listen carefully, but I can't hear if the sound is so loud that the beastman's ears can barely detect it.

Is someone being attacked?

It is possible that the traveling merchants are being attacked by bandits, but ...... the scariest possibility is that it was a trap to lure us out to help... but first we need to check. We won't know for sure.

"Neah, why don't you fly over and see what's going on?"

......

If she can fly, she can go and assess the situation without danger.

Nair spreads her wings wide in a bothersome manner, looks up at the sky, and begins to flap her wings slowly.

---Wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

?"

Suddenly, what sounds like a loud yell is heard from up ahead.

It sounds like an animal, yet the voice is so powerful that everyone except for me and Mr. Arc shakes.

Nair, who was just about to fly, stiffened in mid-air and was about to fall headlong to the ground, so I hurried to catch her.

"Neah, what's wrong?

"......, the scream was carried by a wave of magic power. ...... What's ahead of us is not just a creature!"

"Wave ......?"

It doesn't seem to have any effect on me and Aruk-san, but it seems to have affected Bulrin, Nair, the horse, and the beastman Amako.

Is it like an ultrasound that only creatures with sharper senses than humans can understand......?

I didn't hear it, so I don't know much about it. .......

"Hey, guys, run ......"

"Amaco?"

Amako mutters in a trembling voice, a look of astonishment on her face.

As she spoke, Bulrin turned around, staring deep into the forest and growled.

......It can't be a coincidence, can it?

The magic power contained in the screams just now is causing the demons in this area to run amok!

What?　You mean they're losing their minds?

A strong-willed demon can handle it, but a wild demon can't resist these vibrations!　Run away now!

Does that mean all the demons around here are in a state of confusion?

And it's coming towards us! ...... No, we have to escape anyway!

Let's run!　Amaco?

"......!"

Next to me, I see Amako shivering in her own arms.

Is he cowering?

Should I just shove him backward to buy some time?　No. Then the demons that couldn't hold them back will attack Amako and the others. With Amako stuck in this situation, it's almost impossible for me to stop all the demons by myself.

...... It can't be helped.

Stay still!

What?

With Nair on my shoulders, I run off with Amako in my arms.

"Mr. Aruk!　Please let the horse run!

"Yes, sir!

Mr. Alc gets on the horse, pulls on the reins, and the horse starts to run briskly.

Burlyn is a bold man by nature, so he follows behind me, seemingly unconcerned with the effects of my earlier yell.

A horde of demons is already rushing up behind us.

But they are not a swarm, but a mixture of various kinds of demons, but they don't fight with each other, keeping only us in their line of sight, and trying to attack us.

Their eyes are bloodshot, so I guess they think we are their prey, but ...... this is too crazy.

"What the hell is going on here......!"

I was frustrated by the obviously unusual situation, but I had no choice but to push on down the road with Amako in my arms.