The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic

Ruins adjacent to a lake.

Shea might be in that abandoned town.

As we headed toward the place that Rune had led us to, we hurried onward, even more wary of what we might find.

"This place looks like a town, doesn't it?

"Yeah."

I nodded to Koga's words as I took in the sight of the ruins that lined the street before me.

A decaying town next to a lake.

We stepped into the town with increased vigilance, looking at the ruins that showed some signs of destruction, as if they had suffered some kind of calamity.

"Ms. Veena! I'm going to concentrate on sensing the magic around me, and you're going to step forward so that I can sense a wide area in front of me.

I understand.

And can you detect the presence of demons?

No, not at all. You can call me ...... useless if you want.

Ignoring Veena's comment with a blush on her cheeks, I was conscious of extending the range of my magical senses in a circle around the unit so that I could respond to an attack.

"Roone, what do you know?"

Amako, who had been concentrating on her precognition magic while riding on Bulrin's back, spoke to Roone, who was sitting in the back with her.

Roone is looking around with a puzzled look on her face.

"....... I don't know. But I don't feel any sign of evil at all."

"I thought you said there were demons here too?"

"Yes. Yeah, but they're not here. That's what's strange."

...... Then something unusual is going on.

Usato.

Did you sense anything, Mr. Nagi?

I'm afraid not. I have a bad feeling about ......."

What a coincidence. Me too.

I can't be sure.

It's just an ordinary ruin, but it gives me a vague chill.

"......"

"....... Mr. Nagi, what's the deal with your face getting even sterner when you hear that I have a bad feeling about this?"

"What?　Your intuition is right!　No, I don't think you're prone to get into trouble or anything like that!

No, you're out of line.

I'm aware of it.

...... Hmm?　By the way, where's Nair who was on your shoulder just a moment ago?

"Wow, the site of the settlement of the tribe living in the realm of demons!　Here too, the architecture of the elves and demons is being used!

"Look at this, Hannah. There's a big depression in the ground.

"Does this look like there used to be a waterway running through here?　That's interesting.

I look in the direction of the voices and see two evil women who are getting excited while observing the ruins.

"...... ah, Usato."

"Yes, I'll be careful not to get carried away."

Hannah and Nea get excited in front of the historically valuable ruins, and their heads start to hurt.

I understand that their intellectual curiosity is aroused, but I wish they would be a little more nervous.

"For now, let's be cautious while we examine these ruins.

"Okay, let's split into three."

"Yes. Let's split up with me, Koga, and Nagi, who can handle the battle. ......"

Me... Keira, Amako, Lune, Nair.

Koga,Veena,Wal,Sein

Nagi,Hannah,Nono,Elle,Kevin

Let's say we divide into these three teams.

The teams are to be divided in a well-balanced way between those who can sense and those who can fight, and to be aware of the distance from which they can rush to the scene in case of a commotion.

As for my team, I have Amako and Keira, who are close in age to ...... Roone.

"Okay, you guys, let's go!"

"Don't get me wrong. I don't care who you call me as long as you call me names!"

"Hey, Usato, I don't want this guy, can I give him to you?"

"I don't want him either.

"Hyun!　You know so much about what I want ......!"

I smile at Veena, who makes a troublesome move, and she starts to convulse with a smile.

I don't need her, I just want her to support Koga who doesn't have the ability to search for enemies, since I'm the one who can sense the magic.

---I'm sure she's going to say something annoying again, so I'll just say something she'll be happy to hear.

I'll say something that will make her happy. Big Amako-san."

"Gghhh ......"

......I could see Ms. Nagi being hit with a verbal body blow by Ms. Hanna. ......Yeah, I guess she'll be all right somehow.

The most important thing to remember is that the best way to get the most out of your money is to use it.

Even if something happens, we can deal with it stably.

I think we will be fine.

From what I have learned from my exploration, this ruin is relatively new ......, but it seems to be a place that was destroyed about a hundred years ago.

The people who were forced to leave their homes were scattered and went on with their lives.

Nair's view is that the descendants of these scattered people became Lune .......

"I heard that this was my hometown .......

You don't feel it?

"...... honestly. My home is in the woods."

Rune gazing at the ruins.

She seems to have some feelings, even if she doesn't really feel them, but maybe she doesn't really know what they are.

"What would you do if you could see Shea?"

"...... I don't know. If she's in pain, I want to do something about it."

Dark magic or not, Rune probably misses Shea.

I don't know if it is because she is the first person other than her own parents whom she has met, but I think it is a feeling different from an obsession.

Shea and you are friends, aren't you?

"Friends?　My mother taught me the word.

"How did he teach you?"

Amaco's question makes Roone look forward thoughtfully.

"She is fun to be with and makes me feel safe. ......"

<

At Keira's murmur, I turn my attention to the cloak she is in.

Keira's parents tried to trick her into falling prey to their demons.

Knowing this, I try to be casual about it, and Keira replies in her cloak, "I'm fine.

Why me, you might ask?

Do they see me as an older brother or a dependable uncle?

"Shea is just like me. Alone."

Then you'll have to stay with me.

"...... yeah."

Rune nodded his head.

She is an honest girl. Maybe that's why Shea felt safe with her.

Now .......

"Neah, did you notice anything?"

"Yes, I noticed a few things."

Nair, who had been observing the city from the sky earlier, comes down on my shoulder.

"The first thing we need to think about is what kind of disaster we have suffered.

"Demon attack?　That's not impossible here, is it?"

No, it's not likely to be demons.

What, low?

Nair points to the edge of town where the ruins are.

"There, you see the remains of stone pillars and walls, though they are quite dilapidated?"

"Hmm?　Yes, there are indeed.

"That's not inside the city, it's lying on the outside. Not just some of it, but most of it."

...... Oh, I see.

"If it was destroyed by a demon attack, the walls would have fallen inward or been destroyed."

"Yes, and ...... Usato, get up in the sky."

You mean fly?

"Okay. Bulrin, go check on Amaco and Rune for a minute.

"Guah!"

He leaves the ground to Bulrin and uses the cape's ability to fly.

When they reach a certain height, Nair stops them.

Below us, the cityscape of decaying ruins is reflected.

"This is about right. Usato, Keira, take a look at how the ruins have been destroyed and what's left of the outer walls and stone pillars I just described."

>

I did as Nair told me and looked down at the ruined city from the sky.

There are no trees, and the city is lined with white, rotting ruins.

Most of the outer walls, which were probably built high to protect against demons, have been destroyed. ......?

"Destruction from one direction?"

>

"That's what I mean."

If you look in the opposite direction, there is a large lake.

If that's the case, does that mean the lake flooded and swallowed the city for a time?

That would explain it. .......

No, wait.

If you look closely, doesn't the shape of this town look unnatural?

It looks more like .......

"Half sunken?"

Did you notice that?

Let's check it out under ......

Once we understood what was going on, we went down to the ground to meet up with Amaco and the others and headed for the lake side of the city.

"It looks like this is the border.

"It has deteriorated over time, but it does look as if half of the city has sunk into the lake."

Amaco nods as he sees the ruins crumbling in half between the lake and the city.

...... water looks clean but the bottom is pretty deep.

"A city sunk in a lake. It's starting to sound like a phantom city or something occult ......."

I would have been thrilled if demons and demon kings were not involved, but that is not the case.

I'd rather show this mysterious and romantic situation to my seniors.

"The problem is that so far there is nothing to be found in these ruins."

"I'm sure there's something there. ...... Usato, do you feel anything?"

Hmmm.......

He groans at Nea's words and says what he honestly feels.

"I have a bad feeling."

"There's something about this, isn't there?"

"There's definitely something going on."

<<>

"Gua!"

So stop shivering as soon as you get a bad feeling about something I'm about to do.

Roone is honestly taken aback by Amako and the others' reactions.

"Anyway, the first thing we need to do is meet up with the others and share information.

"Yes, I think so."

Koga and Nagi may have found something.

For now, let's prepare for encampment after sharing the information.

We'll get ready to encamp after we share the information.

We have tried to share information, but nothing significant has come of it, except for the information about the town we found.

As a result, the city itself was nothing more than a decaying ruin.

To archaeologists, it would be a place of great historical value, but unfortunately, it had nothing to do with the power of the Demon Lord or the destination of Shea.

"Well, let's dive in anyway, shall we?"

"Okay, let's go with that."

"No, I don't think so."

Mr. Nagi stops me from raising my index finger in agreement with Koga's suggestion.

Koga and I protested in the most straightforward manner.

"No, no, Mr. Kannagi. We can't start without investigating this mysterious lake!

Koga is right. Don't worry, I'm good at holding my breath as part of my training.

That's not the point!　We don't know what's in the ...... lake. What if there are big demons or devil traps?

Mr. Nagi has a point.

But what should we do?

Just looking at the lake will not change the situation.

As I was pondering this, Nair suddenly raised his wings.

"Well, why don't we just wrap Usato around a rope or something and throw him into the lake?　If he looks dangerous, we can just pull him up with Kannagi and Koga.

"Why would that be a good idea?

"...... I see."

"Usato doesn't agree either!"

The rope could be made with a combination of Koga's dark magic and Keira's dark magic might be able to solve the oxygen problem.

The unexpected suggestion made me ponder over it, but Nagi-san stopped me half crying, and as expected, I rejected it.

"Then, we can try to use Koga's alter ego as a pseudo-bait by making it dive ......"

"My alter ego can be used as a weapon, so if I wanted to, I could take the form of a fish, couldn't I?"

"Mr. Koga, you've already made up your mind, haven't you?

"I wonder if this is how dark magic is transforming itself."

Nair and Hannah are saying something, but for now, let's let Koga's alter ego do some reconnaissance.

If something bites, we'll get something, and if not, we'll know it's safe to dive.

With that decided, we immediately get ready to investigate the lake...,

"Ah!"

Amaco?

Without warning, Amaco, who was nearby, jumped on my back like he was jumping off a burin.

She clung to my neck with such force that I was more than a little bewildered, but I knew something unusual had happened.

"Nea, the spell of resistance against the devil's magic!"

Amako's voice as she clung to me.

Immediately after that, I feel some kind of magical interference in my magical senses.

"Usato-san!　It's the devil's magic!

Veena's voice was slightly delayed, and at the same time, a dense, stagnant-colored magical power overflowed into the surroundings.

The people who were not immune to the thick demonic power fell to their knees on the ground with frowns on their faces.

The demon's magical power that bewitches and paralyzes people's minds.

It gushed out from somewhere in the city and surrounded us, creating a mist like a morning haze on the lake.