The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic

I, Amira Bergeret, was forced to flee the battle against the Kingdom of Lingle.

Having been stripped of my position as Commander of the Third Legion, I have chosen to fight as a mere soldier.

I realized through the defeat of the humans and the words of the Demon Lord that the reason why I should fight was not to defeat Rose, the opponent with whom I had a history, but for the sake of the Demon Lord, and by extension, the demon clans.

I had been training as a soldier for the battle to come, but my situation changed when the second legionnaire summoned me.

He told me that he had given me a special order and that I should join him.

I have no complaints about the mission. If the Devil King has given you an order, it is the duty of those who belong to the Devil King's Army to carry it out, no matter what it entails, even if it means risking your own life.

But the problem was that I had to temporarily become the subordinate of the Commander of the 2nd Legion and take on this task.

"Assistant Corps Commander Berglet. Are you tired?

Deputy Commander, II Corps.

That was the temporary position given to me, a mere soldier.

My brow wrinkles as he calls me that, and I reply with sarcasm to the man walking in front of me.

"Oh, I'm tired of being with you.

"Oops, sorry about that."

I let out a sigh for the umpteenth time as the man fluently calls out to me while I am holding my forehead.　

The man with the horns and brown skin characteristic of the demon tribe, and wearing not even armor but a black outfit, utters a token apology for my abuse, and turns to face forward again.

Koga Dingal, Commander of the 2nd Legion of the Demon King's Army.

It sounds good to say that he is a genius at the age of 17, holding the title of Commander of the Legion, but in reality, he is a lazy person who entrusts his subordinates with tasks other than combat.

"Huh ......"

We are now leaving the demon king's territory and moving through the green valley.

The man in front of me and I are accompanied by five men, who are following behind us for now, but their faces are beginning to show signs of fatigue.

"Hey, I think it's time to give my men a rest. At this rate, they will collapse before they cross the valley.

"Hmm?　Yeah, I guess so.

Without breaking a sweat, he tells his men to take a break and sits down on the trunk of the nearest tree.

I take one look at my men who are taking a break and give him a quizzical look.

"...... Are you sure this is the right number of men to have under your command?　You could have brought more, couldn't you?"

"This mission is not about intimidation. We're just going to see if the beastmen can be used or not.

The order from the Witch King is to "see if the beastmen are capable of fighting against humans.

With the help of the Demon King, we can fight against the human army even in our current state, but it is better to have more than enough. Beastmen who have a close relationship with humans are likely to cooperate with us demons, but they are not worth joining us if they are going to be a hindrance.

For this reason, the Witch King sent Koga, the commander of the 2nd Legion, as a messenger and ordered him to assess the beastmen.

...... but I still have my doubts about whether he chose the right man for the job.

"It's possible they're hostile, isn't it?"

"There's me and you, a current corps commander and an ex-corps commander. We're probably overpowered.

Don't be too quick to lick their lips or they'll scoop you off your feet.

"That's funny, that's good."

I am annoyed with Koga who smiles a sly smile, but I can only let out a sigh because I understand that it makes no sense to be angry with this guy.

"Besides, this place can't be crossed by a large group of people. This is the realm of demons, and there are a lot of powerful demons here. I don't want to provoke them and get into trouble.

"...... indeed."

This is not the domain of humans or demons, but of demons.

You can get to the beastmen's country through this place without crossing the great river, but the danger of being killed by demons will increase. Considering this, I can understand the idea of an elite few.

"Well, with you around, I don't have to worry about my men, so it's easy."

"......"

......He's going to leave all instructions and other things to me from now on, isn't he?

Is this why he brought me here almost by force to make me deputy commander to increase our strength?

This man has the ability to live up to his name as a corps commander and is trusted by his subordinates, probably due to his vivacious personality. That is quite a bad thing.

"You look like you really don't like it. ...... Don't forget you owe me a debt, don't you?　I haven't forgotten that you made my treasured child a prisoner of the Lingle Kingdom.

"G...... know."

I suppose he is referring to the black knight who was sent by the 2nd Legion during the battle against the Ringle Kingdom and was taken prisoner.

I myself had never thought that a black knight with such a foul counter would be taken prisoner.

"Well, I didn't think that my treasured ...... ferrum would be captured either. Even though he's a dark magic user like me, his magic is very different.

Dark magic with the property of <>.

The magic of the black knight that returns wounds to its opponents was supposed to be invincible, capable of inflicting fatal wounds on any formidable foe.

I am sure that Kåga was thinking the same thing as I was when he sent his forces of black knights to us.

"That's why I was so surprised when I heard that he was defeated by a human. I couldn't believe he was beaten by a healing wizard. Why would someone who heals allies beat up a vicious dark wizard? I thought.

"Hey, aren't you worried? They're your men, aren't they?"

How can you laugh when your men are being held captive?

He glares at KOGA sharply at his impertinence.

"I'm not that worried. I'm even considering the possibility that they are turning on the other side.

"...... Why, how can you say that?"

"Because that's all the Demon Army is to him. Fighting in the Demon Lord's Army is not for the sake of the Demon Lord, but for his own sake, and he just wanted an environment where he could wield his power to the fullest."

When you put it that way, it seemed that the black knight was fighting for himself rather than for the Demon Lord's army.

As a matter of fact, he was fighting for himself rather than for the Demon Lord's army.　I don't force others to fight for the Demon Lord, but I would have liked to know what reason he was fighting for. .......

At that time, I was so occupied with my position as the Commander of the Legion that all I remember is yelling at the Black Knight.

Now that I am not a legionnaire anymore, maybe there are things I can talk about more now that I have calmed down.

"You dark wizards..." he said. Everyone needs someone who understands them.

"Understanders?"

From the day you're born, you're raised to be an abomination, to be feared. If you're raised like that, you'll naturally develop a twisted personality.

Like you?

I'm lucky I'm not in the public eye yet.

With a sly smile on his face, Koger looked at his palm.

He was smiling in profile, but his eyes seemed to be vacant, as if he were looking into the distance.

"That's why, if there is someone in the Kingdom of Lingle who could be an 'understanding' person for Ferrum, he won't come back to the Demon Lord's Army," he said. That's the reason why he exists there.

A reason to exist, huh?

It's not as simple as just being a traitor.

It is because we, the demon tribe, are the ones who have created such an environment by shunning the users of dark magic. Normally, it would not be surprising if we gave up on the demon tribe.

I cross my arms in distress and Koga looks at me as if suddenly remembering.

"What I'm more concerned about is the healer who beat up Ferrum and the two heroes..."

"...... That's just a bitter memory for me."

The second healer and the two heroes.

The one who restored the heroes whom the Black Knight had driven out of combat to almost full recovery and brought them back to the front.

The two heroes who wielded lightning magic and light magic, powerful and matchless magic, and defeated the serpent demon Barzinak, who was the main force of the Demon Lord's army.

Their existence is nothing but a trauma to me.

The two heroes are one thing, but to have another almost invulnerable healer is the worst of all.

Koga seemed to be very interested in the situation, and instead of his usual lethargic attitude, he was talking to me in a very curious manner.

"I have heard from a soldier who went to the war that the healer and the two heroes... I was even more surprised to hear that they were not much older than me.

"...... Huh?　That's a coincidence."

"Really?　I'm thinking there's some kind of connection between the healer and the hero."

More than his age, I wonder where the healer identical to Rose, who was not present at the battle two years ago, has sprung from.

"But you are very dedicated, aren't you?"

"I'm not so much enthusiastic, it's just that I'd like to fight ...... when I get a chance."

"...... is rare. It's unusual for you to say such a thing."

Sure, sure.

I was honestly surprised to hear this guy, who is so reluctant to fight, say that he wanted to fight.

"All I want to do is fight my nemesis, that's all I want to do," he said. Currently, the only candidates are a brave man and a healer. ...... Well, I don't have much hope for the healer."

My nemesis.

My impression of this guy, who had seemed so lethargic, has changed a little.

"...... Has this nemesis ever existed?"

No, I don't. You have to at least have the guts to go toe to toe with me.

"Hmph, anyone who tries to fight you at close range is just a fool."

Coga nodded deeply at my words and smiled wryly.

His smile was more belligerent than I had ever imagined from his open-mindedness.

"That's fine, you fool. I love that kind of thing."

"Coga, you--"

At that moment, as if interrupting my voice, I heard the yelp of a demon.

Coga stood up slowly and urged me and my men to stand up.

"There's no need to waste time fighting demons. You've rested long enough, haven't you?　Then let's move on."

"...... yeah."

He nodded at Koga's words, got up with his men, and started walking down the steep path again.

"Every dark magic user needs someone who understands him.

Coga himself spoke these words, and if they are true for anyone, it is him..,

"...... No, let's focus on the mission."

Now is not the time for such thoughts.

Shaking off my thoughts, I turned my attention to the scenery before me and stamped my feet on the ground in order to carry out the task that the Demon Lord had ordered me to do.