The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic

An unexpected meeting with the Demon King.

Normally, I was supposed to fight him on the spot, but somehow he wanted to have a conversation with me.

To be honest, I don't know if it's a trap or if he really wants to talk to me.

Rather, I was surprised that he called my name in a normal way.

I guess he probably heard it from the leader of the army or Ciel-san who was standing next to him, but it was just plain heartbreaking.

"Hmmm. After all, you are not enslaving the dark wizard, are you?"

"!!!?"

"You are the Black Knight. It was reported that you have joined the side of the humans. ...... I see, this is interesting."

Ferme's face paled under the Demon King's gaze.

She looks at me and asks for help, but I can't help her because I am in the same position.

Next, the Demon Lord looks at Nair who is sitting on a chair with an irreverent look on his face.

"And the Necromancer...... or is it a vampire?　Then she must be the daughter of the eccentric couple who gave him possession of the body of the evil dragon. This is very unusual.

Usato, help me.

Is it only your attitude that's irreverent?

Nair, whose voice is weak, almost shrugs his shoulders, but then he turns his attention to Bulrin, whom the Demon King is threatening.

"Gruaaaah!"

"...... method!"

Bulrin makes a cry in front of the pressure of the Demon King.

Bulrin seems to be pressured, but he is still braver than Nair and Ferrum, probably because he has been trained by Rose.

Finally, the Demon Lord looks at me.

"You are the strangest of all, aren't you?

I am human.

"Kuku, you say the funniest things."

I didn't say anything funny at all.

I was being serious.

But the Witch King laughs merrily and speaks to his lady-in-waiting.

"Ciel, do you think that's a normal human being?

"No, that's ......".

Ciel glances at me.

Just as our gazes meet, she sits up and slumps down on the spot.

"What?

I don't know why, but I'm scared.

I don't know why, I don't know why at all. ......!　Why am I so scared of this person?

"You're the infamous healing wizard, aren't you? I didn't expect him to have the ability to imprint the wounds of the heart on others through images.

"Images ......?"

What are you talking about?

I don't know what the Mad King means.

"You're a wonder to me."

The Demon Lord looks down at me, his chin resting on his folded hands.

His gaze was not hostile, but curious about me.

"You have a demon tribe, and a dark wizard at that. Why?"

"Do you need ...... a reason?"

"Yes, I need a reason. To gain power?　To understand us?

I don't know.

There was never any reason to bring her on board in the first place.

I mean, I could assimilate her after she became one of us, and without Ferm's assimilation, punching and kicking would still be my weapon of choice.　I don't think it's easy to understand demons after understanding the extreme cases of Korga and Ferrum.

What's the reason?

Oh my God, I'm not thinking this much ......?

"Hmmm, this is the face of not thinking. Is that what some of you are like?

"What?

"I see, it's called unknowing goodness."

The Demon King, who had seen my expression, muttered this to me as he ran his hand over his chin.

"Then, what is your perception of the demon tribe?

"...... people who live in a harsh land."

"I guess so. That's what you would say."

I suppose the answer was as expected.

The demon king rests his back against the backrest, looking bored.

"But the majority of people, except you, will say 'enemy'."

Yes, of course.

No matter how many reasons they may have, the demons are the ones who started the war.

That fact will never go away, nor will it be forgiven.

"Let me guess, you were summoned from a different time from the time when the previous heroes lived. Your lack of awareness in battle is proof of this.

"......"

"Especially as for you, I even feel sympathy for the demon tribe."

That's right.

I have sympathy for the demons.

But that doesn't mean I'm going to stop here.

"Once the demon tribe realized that the demon king's territory was nearing its limits, were they left with no choice but to fight?"

"...... I didn't expect you to ask me such a silly question."

Here, for the first time, the Demon King rolls his eyes in surprise.

He sighs in exasperation and turns his eyes to me with a hint of disappointment.

"If the demons asked humans for help, do you think the humans on this continent would allow it?"

"......"

"Usato, don't ask me questions to which you yourself already know the answers."

Yes, I already know why the demons couldn't do it.

But I just couldn't help asking.

"The reason why the demon tribe had no choice but to rely on me may be due in part to the friction caused by the conflict I once caused with the human race. But there was another reason why they could not rely on humans."

"...... subhuman discrimination."

"Yes. Rather than discriminating against and ostracizing subhumans, humans have enslaved them. Even in these times."

The most prominent form of discrimination against subhumans is probably discrimination against beastmen.

Kiriha and her friends live in secluded places in Lukvis.

Amaco never took off his hood in Samariar, which he visited during his journey.

Discrimination against subhumans is definitely happening in the Kingdom of Lingulu, which is just a special place.

"It seems to be a little better now, but there are still people who kidnap and treat subhumans as slaves. There is no way that the demon tribe would trust such people and honestly ask for their help. If they were not careful, they might even be treated as slaves.

"Still, why did you attack the Kingdom of Lingle first?　There was still hope there.

"Yes, it is true that in the Lingle Kingdom, there would be almost no discrimination against subhumans. That's something I grasped immediately after I woke up in this era.

Upon hearing the name "Ringle Kingdom," the Demon King shows a nostalgic look.

If it was before the Demon King's awakening, does that mean the Kingdom of Lingle was a few hundred years old?

"That kingdom, even before I was sealed, was ruled by a king who took the form of a man in the shape of Noh. Even I had a hard time understanding how such a country survived in the time of war.

"......'s,Noh......"

"It's a terrible thing to say ......, but it's true."

Ferrum and Nair's cheeks are scrunched up, but for my part, I take comfort in the fact that the country has not changed in hundreds of years.

That's why I was curious about the reason why they invaded the Kingdom of Lingle.

"Then why didn't they just ask for help from the Lingle Kingdom?"

"There is no way that a single country can do something about the subhuman racism that is spreading in this continent. Even if they could, the surrounding kingdoms would not allow it. No, before that, the demons don't have the time to wait for the discrimination against subhumans in the continent to disappear.

I knew that the demons were supposed to take the fight to the humans no matter what.

The problem was the feud between the humans and the demons and the discrimination against subhumans on the part of the humans due to the former battles.

"The more I look at him, the more I see that he's not like the heroes before him."

I am not a brave man.

"As an otherworldly person. I thought you were similar to him, since you have a beastman with precognition magic, but ...... you seem to be fundamentally different from him."

Of course, there is no way that I am the same as someone who lived hundreds of years ago.

Faster than he can say these words back, the Demon Lord speaks up.

"But you're right. But yes, we do have something in common in that we are both abnormal.

"Abnormal ......?"

"I have a general understanding of what you have been doing and what you have just said to me. I understand a lot of what you've been doing and what you've just said to me.

......Why should the Demon King have to say so much?

I'm aware that I'm an eccentric, but to be called an anomaly is just.......

"It's not too late to say that Usato is crazy. ......"

"Anyone who hits you with healing magic is crazy, even if you don't think about it. ......"

"How can people who swing people around and use them as weapons be normal? ......"

Why are we being attacked by these enemies and allies?

Oh, have they already started attacking us?

My cheeks twitch at the words of Ferrum, Nair, and Ciel.

"There are some similarities, but the most important difference is the fact that ...... he has given up.

"...... give up?"

"Even though he was exposed to the malice of mankind, he stood by the side of mankind and tried to see the light, but what he was shown was... the ugly nature of mankind and the cruel reality of it. He who continues to be exposed to malice, but is still trapped in his mission to protect mankind, will end up ......."

The demon king looked at me as if he had just thought of something.

Layers and layers of magic are deployed in the Demon Lord's hands, and they rotate.

I see this, and I get up from my chair, revealing my alarm.

"Don't panic, it's just a little entertainment. It will be quicker for you to see it in person than for me to tell you.

"What ......!"

"Evil dragon, and Samaritan, I'll show you a part of the terrible journey Hisago took that led to the mess you've been solving."

The Demon King throws a hand spell into the air.

At that moment, particles of what seems to be the Demon Lord's magic power pour into the hall, forming figures and the scenery, and coloring it.

"Which, I will change the flow of time only within this hall.

The Demon Lord is recreating his own memories?　What a lot of work!

The view of the hall changes drastically.

The place where the hall is recreated with sunlight streaming in from the outside --- many people are created.

Among them, you notice a familiar man kneeling down in front of an old man wearing an expensive robe decorated with gold.

"---This man is ......"

The man's appearance was quite different from that of modern people like us.

He was dressed in armor like you would see in a historical drama.

However, his armor was tattered, chipped in some places, and covered with a great deal of blood.

<<>

The magic is so powerful that it makes you feel as if you are there.

The summoned Hisago......, no, Mr. Hisago is stunned, unable to comprehend the situation in which he finds himself.

This is the same situation as when we were summoned..,

<

---No, no, no.

What's this creepy feeling?

None of the people around him, not even the king-like figure in front of him, are looking at him.

"That was a masterpiece!"

As I was feeling nauseous at the strangeness of the scene before me, the Demon King sneered at the king in front of Mr. Hisago.

"When I heard that the summoning of heroes was to take place, I sent a messenger out of curiosity, but ...... the people of this time have been completely loyal to their own desires."

Why, you think it's a masterpiece?

Because Hagar's kingdom didn't need to summon a hero.

---What about...

No, the king of Hagar's kingdom just said he was trying to defeat the Demon King. .......

"In fact, from my point of view at that time, the Kingdom of Hagar was so small that I didn't even have an eye on it. I'm sure other countries of that era would have had the same perception."

"Then why summon the brave ......!"

"To gain strength, of course.　What other purpose could there be?"

Did you force him from another world for such a reason?

I'm just stunned, and Nair is the only one with a bitter expression on his face.

"This was a time when humans were fighting each other for territory, resources, and various other things. Hagar's kingdom was not even recognized as a competitor with the other kingdoms, and could only take a small share of the spoils."

"But I got my power when I succeeded in summoning a 'brave' man named Hisago ......, right?"

"Well, that's why they were stupid enough to take notice of me."

The demon king nodded at Nair's words.

I don't know how to describe this feeling.

I have experienced this kind of malice several times---the people surrounding Mr. Hisago now are the same as the sorcerers of Samaritan.

They want to use and dispose of someone who is not related to them for their own purposes.

"In other words, the reason why Hisago was summoned to this world in the first place was to be expendable so that humans would kill each other."

Like us, Hisago is a brave man who was summoned from a completely different position.

I could only watch him as he was thrown into such a harsh situation all by himself.