The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic

We are to take the Demon King on a ship and escort him to Mearaq and keep an eye on him.

It's a task that makes me sick to my stomach just hearing about it, but I know we're the only ones who can do it, so I'm not complaining..,

"So, why am I here?"

"You're here to talk to me."

"How can you be so arrogant ......?"

I was called as soon as I was shown to the ship, but I didn't expect to be asked to talk to him.

Nair and Ferrum said they were going to rest in the room they were assigned, but I wonder if I should have brought them along.

Come in.

"Thank you very much."

I thank Ciel for offering me a cup of tea.

Come to think of it, I haven't introduced myself to this person for some reason.

I turn to her holding the tray and bow lightly.

My name is Usato Ken.

"Oh, that's very kind of you. I'm Ciel, the Demon King's lady-in-waiting. I know we were enemies a while ago, so I couldn't tell you this, but thank you for protecting me at the ruins before.

"Thank you, too, for protecting Keira."

"No, no, no."

"No, no, no."

"This is going to go on forever."

As we are exchanging our reserved exchanges, the Demon Lord is sipping his tea, looking fed up with the situation.

Keira, I hope you are well.

I'll ask him to send me a letter via Koga when he gets settled down a little more.

"......"

An awkward silence follows for a while.

I sip my tea and look at the Demon King.

The tension is not as great as before, but it is still difficult to keep my distance from him.

Let's not be afraid to ask him questions.

"Is the Demon Lord's territory safe and sound now?

"...... I don't think you have anything to worry about."

Quietly, the Witch King answers.

"I have men I trust, but above all, I have Nero."

"I wouldn't worry about that guy. ......"

Nero Agence, a swordsman of extraordinary power.

With him, no matter who comes, the demons will not be able to touch us.

And there's Hannah.

"Oh, you're Hannah. How is she?

She's doing her job much better than before.

I don't know if I should say this, but I'm relieved.

I thought Hannah-san was going to leave the Demon Lord's territory, but it seems that she decided to stay in the Demon Lord's territory in the end.

I don't know if that decision was made by force or by her own choice, but I am relieved that she is still alive after all the trouble we got her into.

What about you?

What do you mean?

What do you think about this meeting with the other subhumans coming?

I was surprised, ...... but not really.

Others may have different opinions, but I don't have any particular opinion about subhumans coming here.

If I come across a situation where people are being explicitly discriminated against, I will probably get involved in some way.

"Oh, Hayate-san,...... I would like to say hello to the representative of the country of the beastmen."

"...... come to think of it, you are between the chief of Hinomoto and an acquaintance."

"Yes, well, it's a personal thing, just an exchange of letters.

"...... personal?　Hmmm... ......."

The demon king looks a little surprised and thinks.

Did I say something funny?

"The Witch King?"

You're very handy, aren't you?

Yes?

The beastmen are a closed race. I had hoped we might have some kind of connection, but I never imagined we'd have a personal relationship.

"It is unusual, but is it really that strange?"

When I said this, the Demon Lord looked at Ciel-san with a look of dismay.

"Ciel. What do you think of this guy who has a personal friendship with the chief of the beastmen tribe and can look unconcerned in front of me and the other demon tribe?"

"I think it's just plain strange."

Ciel, why are you smiling so much ......?

You mean funny in the sense that you have no prejudice against subhumans.

"Eventually, we will have to establish a connection with the beastmen, but it will be easier if we have you. You are the perfect person for the job, since you don't mind interspecies problems.

"Were you planning to communicate with the beastmen as well?"

"Yes. But now that the Demon King's army has been dismantled, we can devote more manpower to cultivating that area.

"I see. ....... But you can't do it on my own, can you?"

"I know. But in any case, trade with the beastmen is necessary for us and for them.

Need ......?

The Demon Lord explains everything to me and Ciel-san, who are tilting their heads.

Hinomoto has been able to weave a civilization as it always has, but it has only been able to do so because it has kept everything in a state of stagnation.

Stagnation, sir?

"He did not take in unnecessary things, but continued to reflect the knowledge given to him. Well, we can live with that, but from now on, the perception of us subhumans will change in every sense of the word.

...... So you're saying it's a turn of the century?

"The beastmen cannot remain in the same stagnant state they are in now. That's why we have to change just like the demons.

"So that's why you call it trade."

The earth is not fruitful, but fortunately the mining resources are plentiful. In addition, you can pay me for my knowledge.

The Demon Lord is thinking ahead, too.

If that's the case, I'd like to help, but I'd have to get your permission first.

......Because of that, there was something I wanted to ask you as well.

May I ask you a question?

No problem.

"Is there magic to raise the dead?"

No, there is not.

He rolls his eyes at the Demon King's immediate answer.

I had thought that the Demon Lord, who is a master of magic, might be able to do it, but even he can't do it, huh?

"I suppose it is possible to revive a person shortly after death, even up to a few minutes or a dozen minutes after death, but.... After that, it would be impossible, even with magic.

"...... I see."

You mean the corpse that the devil took?

"...... yes."

The corpses of Rose's former men, stolen from the cemeteries of the Kingdom of Lingle.

If the devil wants to use those corpses, we should anticipate it.

"Right. There is magic that brings in souls."

You can use that, can't you?

I could before I was sealed, but now I can't. You can use magic to move corpses like your necromancer, but perhaps it is not the kind of magic a demon would use.

"Is that because you don't have to take the body of someone who was strong in life?"

That's right.

Nair also taught me that even if you control a corpse with necromancer-like powers, you are only moving the corpse with magic, not creating a particularly strong zombie.

"...... Be warned, even if the corpse appears before you as it was before it was born, it may not be the same person it was before it was born."

Why?

Because the soul recalled by the external law is somehow distorted. Unless they have a strong spirit like yours, they become mentally deranged and in many cases become meat puppets that only listen to orders."

.......

Somewhere in the back of my mind I wondered if I could talk to you.

I wanted to hear the stories of the amazing people who worked for Rose, even if they had to be brought back to life, but that was not going to happen.

"Usato, demons are demons that grow in power through fear and bad feelings."

"Yes."

"When you face them, they will first test the strength of your heart. If you waver or break, they will take advantage of that.

I nodded to the advice of the Demon King.

Then it is important to face the devil with a strong heart.

"...... Well, I'm not that worried about you. I'm more of a fear-monger to the devil.

"I'm sorry, but you're ruining it."

As far as I'm concerned, I'm much more afraid of you than I am of the devil.

Though on top of that, there's the absolutely immovable and immensely powerful demon king, Rose.

But the possibility that you and Mr. Awl might fight has gone up.

I'm almost depressed by this fact, but I have to be prepared to react immediately if they appear.

"Oh, by the way, ...... there was something I wanted to ask you for."

"...... you ...... no, well, fine, but ......"

"I'm glad you have someone you can talk to without hesitation, Demon Lord."

"Shut up ......"

"?"

Ciel smiles at me and tilts his head at the Demon King who presses his forehead.

I compose myself and ask him what I was going to ask him just a moment ago.

"The Witch King. Can you still use the magic of gravity?

"...... in case you're interested, why do you ask that?"

"No, I'm not busy on the ship, so I thought I'd do some load training with it on while I'm on escort duty."

When I say this shyly, Ciel, who had been smiling at me earlier, gives me a look as if she is taken back.

I know I sound crazy, but it is true that I wanted to give it a try.

--After that, he nodded vaguely and I was allowed to leave.

Ciel-san saw me off and I left the room, and when I heard the door close behind me, I crossed my arms in distress.

"As expected, is gravity-load training too much for you? ......?"

"Are you an idiot,......?"

"Ah, Amira-san."

Amira, who was standing guard next to the door, said something like that to me with a look of dismay on her face.

I turn back to her, who is standing with a sword at her waist and a straight back.

"Speaking of which, where's Koga?"

"He's taking a break. ...... Well, there's a good chance he'll skip his watch."

"...... Um, are you okay?"

"Huh, to be worried about a former enemy. ......"

Amira gives me a self-mocking smile, and my cheeks twitch.

I wonder.

This kind of hard-working spirit.

"If you like, I can bring him to you."

"...... No, you don't have to go that far. If you go, there's gonna be fighting on the ship."

I don't understand.

It's not like he's going to attack us on the boat out of the blue ......, though.

Well, I have a plan in case that happens.

Don't worry. I'll be responsible for throwing him overboard."

"Don't you only change your personality when Koger is involved?"

Amira looks a bit taken aback.

Should I have rolled him on deck in a circle instead of overboard ......?

"......Talking to you is making me lose my temper."

Sighs Amira.

She smiles a somewhat weak smile, and I laugh at her.

"Amira-san, you are Nero Agence ...... Nero's apprentice ......, aren't you?"

"Yes. You are Rose's disciple, aren't you?

She asks me to confirm it, and I nod.

"I thought we would be talking to each other in the middle of a battle. I didn't expect it to turn out this way.

"If I were to talk about it, it would probably be all about the hardships I've had to endure, though."

"Huh, sure ....... I guess you and I are a lot alike when you think about it."

It is true that I feel a kind of sympathy since we are in the same position to study under a strong master.

"But I didn't expect you to suddenly slash at me right after the battle with the Demon King was over."

"Forget about that, ......."

"I was on a rampage after that, though."

"You actually hold a lot of grit in your heart, ......?"

That's how surprised I was.

No one else had ever attacked me out of the blue, crying and trying to kill himself.

But seeing that she is talking normally now, I guess she was just a little unstable emotionally at that time.