The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic

The final destination of the trip, Hinomoto, the Land of the Beastmen.

We visited Hinomoto to save Amako's mother, Kanoko, but what awaited us was the terrible plan of Jinya, the chief of the beastmen tribe.

With the help of Hayate, the assistant chief, and his men, we managed to stop Jinya's plan and the situation seemed to be under control, but then Koga, a demon tribe who claimed to be the commander of the second demon army, appeared and we had to fight him.

In the end, we were able to make him admit his defeat and to dismiss him, but in reality, it was as if he had been let off the hook.

After that, we succeeded in returning the precognition magic that had been stolen from Jinya by Nair to Kanoko and awakening her, and we left Hinomoto to return to the Kingdom of Lingle after staying there for three days or so.

"Hmm, did such a thing happen in the Land of the Beastmen?"

"Yes."

We have now left the beastmen's territory and headed for Mialak, the third country we visited.

As if anticipating our arrival, Norn-sama greeted us and invited us to the underground cave where Falga-sama was staying after sending Hubard to the Kingdom of Lingle.

There, we first told Mr. Farga about what had happened in Hinomoto.

"That was a close call. If the beastmen had teamed up with the demons, this would have been the first place they would have targeted. Even so, if we were attacked while we were still in the process of rebuilding, we would have had no chance."

Mr. Norn looks relieved to hear my story.

It is true that Jinya-san might try to attack Mialak first.

Koga decided that the beastmen could not fight, so he did not do so, but if he had not stopped Jinya-san's outburst, he might have done so sooner or later.

In that sense, I am glad that I was able to stop him.

"Prediction magic is a magic that will bring ruin if it is in the hands of a greedy person. They forget the present, think of the future, and eventually lose sight of even the present. A man named Jinya cannot even accept the reality in front of him, and has come to fear even the future that will eventually come. He is unable to accept even the reality in front of him and has become afraid of the future. ......It is often said that too much power destroys you.

Muttering this, Falga now turns his gaze toward us.

"But another dark magic user. I have just looked into the memory of your cage hand, and it seems that you have a very nasty temperament.

"That's right. ....... I've been on the radar of some really nasty people. ......"

"...... you may be destined to attract such people."

"Yeah. ......"

"I'm kidding."

It's not funny even when it's a joke.

I mean, I don't think that Farga-sama's jokes are jokes at all, but his expression doesn't change at all.

"Oh, that's not a joke, is it?

"Yes, you are, aren't you?"

Behind me, a fox cub and a vampire are whispering something, but I can't hear them.

I'll never admit it. ......!

Even if I have a lot of ideas that come to mind. ......!

"But I see your journey has finally come to an end."

"...... yeah. Now I can finally return to the Kingdom of Lingle."

That's about three and a half months.

It seems surprisingly short, but the events that took place during that time were nothing short of shocking.

"It seems that your friends, the brave men and women, have been caught up in the commotion in many places. and , both of which were defeated by the two heroes."

"......, you're fighting some dangerous-looking opponent. ......"

"Both are dangerous disasters in a different way from the evil dragon. The female hero, Suzune, fought against , a demon that slaughters any creature that enters its domain. It is a mutation of a demon, but it uses ...... advanced intelligence and lightning as its weapons. But most dangerous of all, it is as cunning and brutal as the evil dragon."

Inukami-senpai fought. It's thunder vs. lightning, so maybe they were a good match.

......I wouldn't want to fight such an opponent. Incarnation of lightning is like a constant shimmering, right?

It would be troublesome to run away or to fight.

"The evil monster that Kazuki the Brave fought was a dark monster born from the depths of the forest. This one was sealed by the young heroes who preceded him, and the elves who lived in the forest were supposed to have protected the seal, but it seems that the seal was loosened when the Demon King returned. Fortunately, it seems that the heroes were able to defeat him before he regained his full strength.

"By the way, if you get your power back, you can go to ......?"

"He'll devour an entire forest in a single night, and become a voracious eater."

"Wow. ......"

Behind me, Nair let out a disgusted grunt, and I felt the same way.

The two of them must have been fighting against a very strong opponent.

"When you think about it, the commotion that happened to me doesn't seem like such a big deal. ......"

"That's not true."

That's not true.

"I don't think so."

You're just like him.

After all we've been through, hey...

Amako, Nair, Mr. Ark, Mr. Falga, and Mr. Norn, in that order, all took their turn.

Their expressions were cramped with a hint of déjà vu.

Why are they all denying it at once? Is there no one on my side?

As my shoulders slumped at the inadequate response, Master Farga, the corners of his mouth twisted in amusement, opened his mouth.

"Hu......, the heroes are already on their way to the Kingdom of Lingle before you. Of course, safely.

"Oh, well, good. ......"

We were in Hinomoto for a long time, so our return is delayed.

Both Kazuki and my senpai are traveling by horseback, so they're going faster.

Perhaps sensing what I was thinking, Falga-sama looked at Norn-sama and opened his mouth.

"I'm having the ship ready for you to board. Norn."

Yes. We were ready to go before you arrived, so we can leave today.

"Thank you so much for everything ......"

"Hmph, that's not even close to enough."

How long would it take to get there by boat?

After all, they are faster than horses, so we might reach the vicinity of the Lingle Kingdom in two or three days.

The return trip might be really easy.

Usato!

"Yes?　Yes, sir?

For the last time, I'd like to talk about the weapons of the brave.

"Senpai and Kazuki's ......, right?"

"Yes, I'll tell you right now that it will take a long time to create a weapon from scratch. If it is possible, we may not be able to create it in time for the invasion of the Demon King's army. Please keep that in mind."

I understand. I will tell them that.

I dare not ask about Master Farga's body.

He knows what he is doing. It would be rude to stop him.

Weapons of the heroes that Master Farga creates. What form will it take in their hands?

...... is somewhat easy to imagine. I know.

I can't imagine what it would look like in the hands of a man like that.

After our conversation with Mr. Farga, we returned to the ground with Mr. Norn.

After exchanging some parting words with Master Norn, we were escorted by a familiar maid to the boat that would take us to our destination.

We proceeded through the streets of Mearaq with Bulrin and his horse, which were waiting for us outside the castle.

With Bulrin in tow, we are still subjected to the same strange stares, but we are used to them by now, so we don't mind.

"I see that the city is recovering, after all.

Yes. It's not in full swing yet, but we have diplomatic relations with other countries, and I think we will soon be able to restore the bustling city to its former glory.

As we were guided, we looked at the streets of Mearaq, which, unlike the first time we visited, were now bustling with activity.

I am really glad that I was able to help Mr. Karon. ......I wonder how Karon and Leona are doing.

I should ask the maid.

"Excuse me. How are Mr. Karon and Ms. Leona doing?"

"Mr. Karon is busy with paperwork at the castle. After Master Usato left for the beastmen's country, there was much discussion about his punishment, but thanks to Master Norn who revealed his origin and persuaded you all, a heavy punishment was avoided.

If you explained Mr. Karon's origin, did the people of this city know that Mr. Karon is a descendant of Master Farga's ...... dragon?

"Mr. Karon himself wanted to receive a heavy punishment. He was unable to walk without a cane due to the effects of his dragon personification and was given the task of instructing Master Norn on the reconstruction of the city."

"I didn't know that. ......"

"......This is a secret, but when I heard that Usato-sama was coming, I tried to sneak out of the office, you know?　I was tied to a chair by his wife.

"Heh, heh ......"

The maid's smile twitches as she giggles.

Is that it?　I wonder if Ms. Karon also feels like she's being gripped by a butt.

Well, I'm glad to see you're doing well.

"I'm sure Leona-sama will ...... recognize you soon."

"What do you mean?"

"What do you mean?"

Confused by the meaningful words, I follow the maid to the edge of the city and arrive at the harbor where many boats are chained together.

Most of the boats were empty, but there was one boat that was crowded with people.

"Oh ......"

The size of the boat is about two times larger than the fishing boats in the original world.

The boat was neither too big nor too small, but just right, and I could see a few sailors carrying in their cargo and a familiar blonde woman in the back.

The maid who spotted her called out to her from behind, somewhat in a good mood.

"Leona-sama!"

"...... hmm?　What's wrong? Something from Mr. Norn.

"We have brought a delegation for you, Mr. Usato."

Leona froze when she saw us.

She tilts her head and greets us.

"It hasn't been long ......, has it? Hello, Leona. How are you?"

"......Yeah,ah,......yeah,I've been fine."

Why is he acting suspiciously?

Was she unconsciously imitating Rose? As I put my hand on her cheek, the maid opened her mouth with a smile.

"Leona-sama. I'll leave the rest to you."

"Oh, yeah."

"Well then, have a nice trip, everyone."

The maid bowed deeply to us and left the place.

Leona looked at me as if she had made up her mind.

"I will be your escort on this boat trip," she said.

"Leona-san?"

"Is the castle safe?"

She shakes her head and says there is nothing to worry about.

"Don't worry about that. I have a man working for me now, whining. He must be very happy to be working with his wife watching over him.

Mr. Kahlon or .......

It seems that even after the Dragon Man affair, his suffering is far from over.

Well, he has his wife, so he must be happy. ...... maybe.

"In addition, Master Norn has given us this instruction. In addition, Master Norn also instructed us not to let the benefactor who saved Mearaq from a crisis go home without an escort."

"So I sent Leona to ......."

At a glance, he doesn't have the < of a brave man, but I wonder if he is too good an escort. But he could not be more reliable.

......If Leona is working under the direction of Norn-sama, I guess I don't have to bother refusing.

"Well then, I'm looking forward to having you as my escort. Leona-san."

Yes, it's nice to meet you, too. Let me show you around the ship. I'll have to introduce you to the captain and the crew.

"Yes."

Leona urges me to go up to the ship.

I was worried about whether Bulrin and his horse would be able to get on board, but I did not have to worry because Master Norn had thoughtfully placed some kind of hastily constructed stables at the back of the ship to accommodate Bulrin and his horse.

There were about seven people on board, including the captain and crew, and they must have heard about us, because they introduced themselves and thanked us.

As usual, I am not used to being thanked, so I responded awkwardly. ....... I was glad to get on the ship without any problems.

After the introductions, as we were being shown to our rooms, I noticed that Amako was looking out over the lake surrounding Mialak from the boat.

"Is this your first time on a boat, Amaco?"

"No, this is my third time on a boat.

"Hmm?　I see.

"When I sneak into and out of Mearaak, I sneak onto the ship."

"Oh, I see."

Yes, the only way to cross the other shore from the beastman's territory is to get on a boat.

...... so this will be her first normal boat trip?

Hmm?　Come to think of it, Nair was confined to the village for a long time before she started her trip. .......

"......"

"What?"

I looked at Nea, who was walking near Amaco, and saw that she had her arms crossed and an expression of disinterest on her face.

But although she was acting as if she was not interested, it was obvious that she was curious because she kept glancing at the surface of the lake.

"Nah, you don't have to do this, okay?"

"No, no, I don't have to do anything.

"The ship is very rare. I understand, everyone is excited when they get on a boat for the first time.

"Am I a child?　Why do you always have to be so clever when I don't need it?

As I was smiling at Nea, who was trying her best to deny it, Leona, who was walking in front of me, turned her head toward me.

These two rooms are yours. It will take about two to three days from here to the vicinity of the Kingdom of Lingle. Normally we should be able to get there sooner, but there is a danger of ...... demons, so we will have to be careful on the boat trip."

"Will there be demons?"

Yes. But don't worry, they're not that powerful. We have weapons on board so you don't have to worry about the ship sinking.

Well, that's a relief.

I don't mind the idea of demons living in the water, but it's better not to encounter them if we can avoid the danger.

Amako and Néa, and I and Arc, step into our respective rooms.

Following Alc who entered first, I was about to enter the room with my luggage when Leona, who had suddenly noticed something, called out to me.

"By the way, Usato. What happened to the group uniform you were always wearing?"

"Oh, ...... it got torn. I got into a bit of trouble in the land of the beastmen. ......

Come to think of it, you were still wearing the cloak Hayate gave you.

You always wore the group uniform in front of Leona, so it's understandable that you're concerned about it.

"What?　Are you all right?

"Yes, I got a little windpipe in my shoulder, stomach, and leg, but I was fine.

"I don't think that's okay!　What, a windpipe?

Leona is gingerly touching my shoulder and stomach.

For some reason, I was a little scared to see Amako, who had been looking at the surface of the lake, looking up at me with an expressionless face.

"Don't worry, the healing magic has cured you."

"Yes, well ......, but it must have been something serious for you to get hurt. What kind of monster was it?　Or were you caught in a landslide?"

Why only demons and natural disasters?

I don't know how to answer the question, which seems to unintentionally exclude the possibility of being injured by human beings.

At any rate, it seems difficult to explain right now.

"We'll talk about this when we have time."

"...... I see. Oh, I'm sorry I stopped you."

Leona hurriedly stepped back and coughed once to compose herself before opening her mouth again.

"We are leaving soon. It might be a little bumpy, so be careful. I'm going to talk to the captain, so if you need me, don't hesitate to call me.

"Yes."

After saying this, Leona turned her back to me and went toward the captain's office.

After seeing her off, I was about to enter the room assigned to me with Mr. Alc, when I suddenly turned my eyes to the view outside the ship.

"......The long trip is almost over, isn't it?"

I feel happy and sad at the same time.

Remembering the trip so far and feeling deeply moved, I put my hand on the doorknob of my room, after putting my baggage back on my shoulder.