The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic

It's been about a week since I've been at the base.

Perhaps because the battle against the Demon King's army had been over for some time, the supplies and weapons in the base had been packed up, and the many knights were about to return to their respective countries.

After getting off the carriage, we were divided into two groups: my senpai and Kazuki, who were going to report to Mr. Sigurth about the details of <>, and me, who was going to meet Rose, his immediate superior.

Leona accompanied Sigur and Kazuki, and I was accompanied by Nair, Ferrum, Nack's lifeguard and Amako.

Kukuru got out of the carriage and immediately went somewhere, but I knew where he was headed, so I left him alone.

"...... am I right to come here?"

While heading to the location of Rose and the others, Nack looked around the base and muttered anxiously.

The knights we passed looked exhausted, some of them had blood stained bandages on their faces. Just because the battle is over doesn't mean it's over.

I talk to him to reassure him that he is aware of this.

Don't worry. If something happens, I just need to get hit.

"You're assuming you're going to get punched, not pissed off. ......"

Amaco looks stunned.

To cheer up the gloomy Nack, let's make a joke.

"Well, it's easier to end up getting punched in the face. Ha-ha-ha."

""""......""""

"Oh, boys. I'm kidding, right?　I'm joking, so don't keep Nack away from me."

Ferrum looks at me like "Are you kidding me?" while Neah and Amako keep Nack away from me, who is as drawn to her as she is to me.

I'm not saying I'd rather get hit, right?

It's just a quick fix, right?

"...... I know. You like pain, don't you Usato?　Do you want me to hit you?

"If you nod, I'm finished as a human being!"

He said in a very gentle voice that he was going to hit me.

And with a rare bright smile on his face.

"You are finished as a human being, aren't you?

"Indeed."

You're noisy!　You little vampires and demons!

Seeing my reaction, Amako cracks a smile and turns her head forward, touching both cheeks.

"Nah, I'm kidding."

"Yeah. ......"

"I would never do that to Usato."

I noticed that a joke was joked back at me.

...... should come up with a milder joke next time.

As we are exchanging such jokes, we see the base of operations of the rescue team. The many tents, the piles of supplies, though somewhat reduced...,

"Ugh, Usato-kun!"

Among them, we find a woman who screams in surprise when she sees us.

I wave to Uluru-san, who drops the box she was carrying and hangs it up.

"Ah!"

"Hmm?　Amako, what's wrong?"

"Hmm. "Well, I guess this is okay. Yeah."

"Huh?"

I listen to Amako and Nea's conversation next to me and try to talk to Uluru, but she doesn't seem to stop.

What?　At that moment, she jumped at me with such force that it could be mistaken for a body slam.

"Usato-kun?　I'm so glad you're okay!

"Oh!

I had experienced the same thing with Nair, who used to play a village girl, but with much more vigor.

I managed to escape the impact while backing up so as not to hurt her, and then I noticed that Uluru was crying.

"Usato-kun collapsed, and I've been worried about you ever since I heard you were taken to the kingdom. ......!"

"Mr. Uluru, ......"

"Tong and the others weren't worried at all, but I was. ......

"I'll hit those tough guys later."

They should at least worry about me a little.

I'm sorry for worrying you, ...... Uluru.

I know she is not a weak person, but she has been healing the wounded on the battlefield until today.

I am sure that the burden and the anxiety she has been carrying until today must be considerable.

Knowing this, I decided to wait until she stopped crying, instead of pulling Uluru-san away from her.

After a while, Uluru-san regained his composure and welcomed us into his base of operations with an embarrassed smile.

Once inside the tent, there were almost no wounded people.

After the battle, the place would have been full of injured people, but I guess it was because everyone in the rescue team had been working hard until today.

"Uluru-san, Olga-san is ......"

"My brother collapsed at ...... yesterday."

"What?　Where are you?

"Oh, yeah!　I'm overworked!　You'll be fine as long as you rest!　Besides, Mr. Scharn is with me!

"Oh, I see. ......Good. ......

Ms. Olga, who is frail, was healing people to the limit of collapse.

Uluru-san, too, was acting stout-heartedly, but it was clear that he was pushing himself very hard.

The other members of the group were taking care of supplies and cleaning up the tents that were no longer in use, so we left the tent for the time being and noticed something approaching us.

"Hmm?"

I look at Uluru-san and feel a bit of déjà vu, but when I turn my head that way, I see a blue mass approaching, making a heavy thudding sound.

"Gruaaaah!"

"Bulllin!"

I recognize him, Bulrin, and spread my arms wide to catch him as he leaps at me.

Unlike Mr. Uluru, I was prepared in advance, so I put him down without much of a tremor.

"Did you miss me!

"Gruaaaah!"

"Ha-ha-ha, don't bite, don't bite, I'm glad to see you again too. I'm glad to see you again. You're not bothering them, are you?

"Gru!"

He strokes the bottom of Bulrin's chin as if to say, "Of course not!

He was really trying his best.

He carried a wounded man on his back and plunged into the enemy with me.

"He didn't even back away when he was hit by Bulrin's lunge, right ......?"

Ferrum was muttering such a thing behind me as I was dealing with Bulrin, who was flailing at me as if he was hitting me with his paws.

I tried to ignore it, thinking it was nothing to worry about, but Nair and the others responded to her voice.

"It's nothing to be surprised about now, is it?

"Yes."

"If you're Usato, well, ......"

"You may be used to it, but I'm not. ......!

For my part, I'm not sure if I should be happy about that familiarity.

"Amako, can I trust you with Bullyn?"

"Yes, but what about ...... Usato?"

I'm going to go see the leader soon. I'm going to go see the Commander soon.

Yes, sir!

I nodded to Nack who answered and asked Uluru-san where Rose was.

"Uluru-san, where is the leader?"

He is resting in the tent over there.

"I heard you were injured. ......"

"He's still recovering from his injuries, but I think he's going to be okay ....... But you, Commander, are a person who pushes himself as hard as Usato-kun does. ......"

......Well, there is no way he would behave in a way that would make Uluru and the others uneasy.

I guess we won't know unless we see Rose first and ask her about her wounds.

Once away from Amako and the others, I walk with Nack to the tent where Rose is said to be.

"......"

The last time we saw her was when she was swallowed by the tornado created by Nero Agence's lineage enhancement.

Nero Agence had been holding me back the whole time.

Even though he was holding me back, I was still cut down by his resistance spells, and if he had ...... been serious, I would have been killed without being able to do anything about it.

The actuality that you can be a lot more than just a little bit of a pain in the ass.

We silently reach the entrance to the tent where Rose is supposed to be, and Nack and I speak out so that she can hear us inside.

"Commander, this is Usato. I just returned from the Kingdom of Lingle.

After a few seconds or so, a short reply comes back in the same voice as usual, "Come in.

I step through the entrance and into the tent with Nack to find Rose sitting on two wooden bunks.

She is wearing her usual trousers over her shoulders and a black undergarment underneath. Her left arm is supported by a cloth around her neck, indicating that the wound has not yet healed.

And, of course, on her uninjured right shoulder, there is Kukul, who was with her just a few minutes ago.

"I just changed the bandage.

"Cu."

A blood-soaked bandage is discarded on the bunk where Rose is sitting.

Nack gasps at the sight of the blood.

...... First, I should explain that I brought Nack here.

"I've already heard about you and the brave men who are going on this journey in a letter from the kingdom.

"Yes. I, a healing magic user, was chosen to support Senpai and Kazuki.

"After the battle, another battle. ....... You don't have time to rest, do you?

"Ha ha ha ......"

Rose sighs in exasperation and smiles bitterly.

She looks from me, who is laughing, to Nack, who is looking nervous.

"I have a pretty good idea ...... why you brought Nack with you?"

"I brought Nack here because he will be alone when we go on our trip. He may be twelve years old, but he's still a member of the lifeguard corps. We can't send him into battle, but he should be able to help with the work here."

After saying these words, Nack, who is standing beside him, takes a step forward.

He looks scared under Rose's gaze, but he still raises his voice.

"Oh, me!　I came here to help you all!　I will never be weak!"

"......"

After a moment of silence, Rose opened her mouth.

"Now that we've come this far. ....... All right."

"!　Thank you!!!"

"Outside, Alec and the others are cleaning up the base. Go help them.

"Yes!"

Nack's face lit up and he said, "Excuse me! He bowed deeply, and then ran out of the tent.

After watching his happy back, I turned to Rose in front of me again.

"May I sit down?"

"Suit yourself."

I sit on the other bunk next to the one Rose is sitting on.

"Are you hurt?"

"It's not as serious as it looks. It won't affect you as long as you keep quiet.

"What?　Are you sure you're okay?　Are you sure you're not just a little bit gung-ho?

I heard you got your left shoulder cut off.

When I questioned whether she was really all right, she sighed.

"Who do you think I am?"

"......"

I don't know, those words alone made me feel okay.

To tell the truth, I was really, really worried about him, but now that I see him in front of me, I realize that my fears were unfounded.

......My teacher is really an extraordinary person.

"Does the curse of the magic sword of Nero Agens still remain?

The curse on everyone but me was lifted in about four days.

"...... What about the Commander's curse?"

d*mn it, it's still here. This..."

Rose put her hand on her left shoulder, looking extremely uncomfortable.

"I had no choice but to take his sword in my left shoulder when I was beating up that ugly blonde, but he seemed to have put a lot of force into it. It seems that the wound on my shoulder was cursed more strongly than the others."

"...... So you're saying it's that vindictive?"

"I'm sure you're right. It's nothing but a nuisance to me.

Rose's expression of annoyance suggests that Nero's presence is just "an enemy standing in the way" for her.

"Can the curse be lifted?"

"It will take some time, but it will be lifted. In the meantime, your left arm will be useless.

In fact, I tried on the battlefield to see if I could somehow break it with Nair's liberation spell, but was unable to do so.

The power of Nero's magic sword is a curse, but it is not a curse by magic, but a simpler one, a pure feeling of hatred that is imprinted on the sword as a curse.

It is a wonder that people can wield such a sword and be fine with it.

Don't you think it is possessed by a ghost or something?　At least, if it were me, I would have been so scared the moment I held it that I would have smashed it on the spot.

After thinking that much, I look at Rose's left arm and a thought comes to my mind.

"...... If I were to play you right now, would I win?"

"Ha, if you think you can win, go ahead."

"......"

Oh, I can't do this.

Even if he could not use both arms, he could not imagine how he could win.

I can easily imagine myself being kicked to the far side of the ring with a full-strength spinning kick.

Rose smiled happily at me as I accepted my defeat meekly.

"You've gone too far this time, haven't you?"

"As for me, I didn't mean it. ....... I almost died, I was followed by an annoying stalker, and to top it off, he called me an unjustified demon.

"Ha, a demon. This is very amusing.

"It's not funny. ......"

The calling of the devil is not that widespread, so it's okay.

"At any rate, you made it back alive."

"...... yes."

"Whoa, now you're not going to cry?"

You want me to pull it out now?

When the first battle was over, Rose praised me so much that I cried involuntarily.

It was an embarrassing memory, and to be honest, I still remember it vividly, and my face burns when she says it now.

"Ha ha, don't stare. I'm sorry."

Rose laughed at me, and I felt even more shame, but I tried to think of something to say back to her.