The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic

The momentum of the water drives us through the canal.

Fortunately, it seems that we don't have to change course because the water is so close to a straight line, but I wonder where this channel leads to.

"---Gobbo!"

I breathe out through my mouth and press my mouth against the cloak's deformed mask, sucking in air.

The possibility of Keira's magic is truly immeasurable, since she can breathe just as well underwater as in the air, if not better than a bong.

>

<<

I can hear Mr. Ahl, Hannah, and Rune's conversation from my back, so I think I'm going to be okay.

I take another breath of air and look ahead.

We are about to reach the place where the channel breaks and the water falls. ......!

Mwah!　I see lights!

"Noooooo!"

Boom!　I jumped out of the exit of the canal with a sound, and what jumped in front of my eyes was...,

"This is ......"

<<>

We emerged into a circular hollowed-out space.

The walls are lined with channels similar to the one we came out of, and a kind of light is shining down on us above our heads.

What is that?　That's not sunlight.

Is it light from some kind of magic tool or ore or something?

It's still waterlogged, though.

<

"Uh, yeah. Keira."

>

The top of the box on the back that contained the four of us is unzipped, and out comes Lune in the form of a lion cub.

She jumps onto my shoulder dexterously, and when she sees my soaking wet body, she pats me on the cheek.

"I'll dry you off," she says.

"Can you do it?　"Can you do it?

A blue-black flame runs from Rune's body and dries my clothes.

I felt a slight heat, but it lasted only for a moment, and my clothes were soon dry.

"Thank you."

"Mm."

Rune sniffs proudly.

Then Hannah and Aul leaned over from behind me.

"So this is the end of the canal. We've come to a very bright place, haven't we?

"Whoa!　It's still high!　You have to go down!

"Yes, yes."

Hannah-san pulled back and I went down to the scaffold about 30 meters below.

The water that flows down from above seems to be going through another channel. .......

"...... looks just like the place where Lady Farga was."

The Kureha Fountain, which exists underground in Mialak.

The atmosphere is somewhat similar, but the water flowing here is ordinary.

Well, if this water is the same as the Kureha Fountain, then there must be something wrong with me.

Well, it looks like there is more to come when we go down.

"Hmm?　Really. ......"

Mr. Ahl is right, there is still a place where we can go on.

"Hey, Usato. There are footprints. They're still fresh."

"Footprints. ......"

If you look at where Rune indicated with his tail, you can indeed see the footprints of more than one person.

But it's not Amako and the others.

They are not her footprints, and since Bulrin is not there, they are probably the footprints of Mr. Ahl's colleagues.

"There is blood on the footprints: ......"

"It's probably blood from the return. We don't have blood to spill. Maybe it's the blood of a demon.

It seems that the water dragons are not only in that place, and that line seems to be the most likely one.

"So you are one of Mr. Ahl's friends?"

I think so. The only footprints this big that look like an ogre are our three muscle gorillas. If that's the case, it means there are demons ahead of us. ......Ah, I really don't want to go any further.

......Aul will become our enemy if he joins up with the devil.

But there is only one way to go and we have to go anyway. .......

"We haven't found any trace of Shea yet."

"...... yeah."

There is a good chance that she is in these ruins.

If she has the memories and magic of the previous generation of heroes, it's as if there are traces of them left behind along the way. ...... She may be taking a different route than I am taking to begin with.

"....... I think we should take a break."

"What, Usato-kun is taking a break......?"

>

Hannah and even Keira were surprised.

I needed time to gather my thoughts and to get some information about the devil from Mr. Ahl.

...... but first I should give Keira and Roone a rest.

"Keira. I need to get some food for Roone and Hannah."

<<>

"I'll have one too. Hannah, please watch them."

With a light sigh, Hannah, perhaps sensing my intention, gets off my back and takes Keira, who has come out of her cloak, and Rune, who has returned to human form, away from me, Mr. Aul ...... and his twin sister who is still on my back.

"Before we talk ......"

I receive some portable food from Keira and eat it quickly.

First we must try to recover our magic, even if it is only for a short time.

After releasing my magic sensing, I turn to Mr. Ahl again.

Mr. Ahl. Please give me as much information about the devil as you can.

Of course, I'll tell you anything!　I would say ......, but I don't have that much information about the devil myself.

As I had already guessed, after what happened to Ms. Veena, demons do not have a sense of camaraderie.

Or should I say that they do not even have the idea of trust.

"Just in case you feel like disobeying the demon's order, please be ready to react to my attack at any time."

"Yes, sir. Now, take this healing magic bullet.

"......I knew there was something there, this magic bullet!"

I gave him a healing magic bullet for detonation so that he could react at any time, and he responded like this.

Mr. Ahl, who had received the magic bullet with great devotion, looked at me and the magic bullet in his hand alternately and came close to me.

"No, no, no, no!　The timing was wrong!

"What's wrong with it!　It's a normal magic bullet no matter how you look at it!　Are you so suspicious ...... that you don't trust me?

"You're suspicious when you try to deceive with your momentum!

To tell the truth, it's fun to have an exchange with Mr. Ahl, who is my senior, like a bunch of tough guys.

In addition, I've already factored in the fact that the magic bullets are suspicious, and to be honest, it's not a problem at all if they find out, which is kind of a strong point.

"Let's go back to the story. Tell me about the devil.

"Hah, it really reminds me of the old days. ......"

Mr. Ahl smiles as his shoulders slump.

"There are two demons that I know of. Leali and Kayla."

"That's the demons we've encountered so far."

"Yes. Leri is timid and mother-in-law. Kayla is proud, angry, and single-minded.

It was Leali who sneered at me and the leader in the cemetery.

Kayla is the one we encountered at the ruins where we reunited with Shea.

One of them has a magic that can hide his existence, but he can be caught by magic sensing.

I don't know what Kayla's ability is, but she doesn't seem to be a fighter, since she hasn't used it while we were fighting.

"At present, there are about five demons that may be present. The remaining three are cautious ...... but have not shown any willingness to cooperate."

The demons are a race of people who have no sense of camaraderie, and even their own kind are subject to being kicked down.

Even though their numbers have been reduced to a large number by Mr. Hisago, they show no sign of joining forces. .......

"I heard that two of them were destroyed by Shea ...... Garmio, is it true?"

"I don't know much about the first demon because it was before I woke up, but as for the second one, it is true. I don't know much about the first demon before I woke up, but the second one is true.

Lapd?

The demon that attacked Mearaq.

We have Lady Farga's testimony as well, and we can be sure that it was destroyed by Shea's light magic.

"...... Was the magic that was cast on Mr. Aur cast by Leali?"

"No, I don't think so. Reaali only has the authority to give us orders, not to use the magic that drives us."

Does this mean that Leali only took Mr. Ahl's corpse from the cemetery?

We are left with no way to free Mr. Ahl and his family.

I would like to test Nair's necromancer ability at any cost, but that too is risky.

The devil's side does not know much about Shea Garmio either. Like Usato, they are aware of it as a target to be eliminated with the highest priority, but they are also afraid of it.

"Because you're the one who can destroy the devil. ......"

Like me? That's a lot of money.

I'm aware that the devil is watching me, and I'm aware that I've done something to that extent.

"You mentioned her earlier, but she's ...... here. In these ruins."

"!　Are you sure?"

"Maybe they got here before us. I don't know what kind of path he took, but he didn't seem to have any hesitation in his steps.

Shea is in these ruins after all.

I hope she's not in any danger. .......

"Oh, I have a word of advice for you, Usato-kun!

"Yes?"

I nod my head at Mr. Ahl, who speaks up as if he's just remembered.

"Actually, I heard that a demon is sneaking into the demon king's territory as a spy!　He's a demon who's good at disguising himself, so be careful. ......!

"......"

"Huh?　You don't seem surprised. ......?"

No, I'm talking about ...... Veena, but it's very awkward because she's turning to us only for her own desires.

"Don't worry, that demon has turned over to us.

"...... flipped?　What?　What do you mean?

"To be honest, I don't know what it means either. ......

Here comes Mr. Ahl's expression of complete abandonment of understanding.

As for Ms. Veena, I wish I could give her such an expression.

What is she really like?

I really wonder what she is. ...... is this much information useful to you?

Yes, it's enough.

At least I got something out of it.

It's time to call it a day and move on.

We call Keira and the others to gather again.

At that time, I tell Roone, who has come riding on my shoulder in lion cub form, about Shea's presence at the ruins.

"Roone. Shea is in these ruins."

"!　Really?　Where?

We don't know where yet. We'll find it together.

"Oh!"

Shea has become an important part of her life.

...... She may live in a different place, but she may be hungry for human relationships because she has spent her life in solitude like Keira and Ferrum.

"---Usato.

I thought and was about to walk forward when Mr. Ahl, who was standing next to me, suddenly stopped moving.

I sensed something was wrong when I heard her voice tense up and I turned around to face her, hiding my right hand behind my back with my fingertips lit up with systemic reinforcement.

"What's wrong?"

"I'll explain shortly. Leahy or Lapd are nearby. They haven't noticed you yet, but they are probably in the middle of a battle.

"...... How do you know that?"

Orders have changed.

The devil's orders that he can force Mr. Ahl and his friends to follow.

As I recall, the priority right now is to protect the demon, and the next priority is to kill me ......?

"The priority now is the destruction of the adversary. In other words, the demons are now fighting in close proximity to the beings they are currently fighting, and... you, the ones who are right next to them."

"...... you mean?"

"I can't hold you any longer, so you're going to have to blow me up right now."

At that moment, Mr. Ahl, despite his apologetic expression, pulls out his sword with great force.

The sword is filled with impact magic.

Before it swings at me--I touch the healing magic bullet in Mr. Aur's left hand, which was created through strain degradation, with the strain-enhanced hand that was hidden behind my back.

"Bogaaaa?

The healing magic of the degraded lineage causes a strong shockwave by the systemic reinforcement.

Mr. Ahl, who was hit by the shock wave at close range, let out a crazy cry and was blown backward.

I myself was shocked and fell backward while preparing my fist.

"Usato-kun!　Hey, Usato-kun!

Mr. Ahl rolls over and gets up, looking at me with tears in his eyes.

"You've been holding an explosive magic bullet in my hand all this time?

"Yes!　I'm sorry!

I don't trust you anymore!

I'm very sorry, but I should say that my preparedness for emergencies has come in handy.

After ...... is the sister of the dark wizard on my back.

"Keira, restrain the girl on my back. She doesn't seem to be out of control yet, but she could show her intent to attack us at any moment."

<

"I don't feel alive next to you. ......!"

You said yourself that my back is safe, so please bear with me at least for now!

Now I have to fight against Mr. Ahl, who has become an enemy in front of me.

"Mr. Ahl, please don't hate me. ......!"

"I'm already starting to resent you at this point!"

He takes a posture with the magical power created by the degradation of his lineage floating in both hands.

I'm going to engage Mr. Ahl at this point, but if there are demons nearby, it's possible that I'll head towards them and bring them into the fray.

"Huh!"

"!!!"

A magic bullet produced by unleashing the magic power of impact magic.

!　As expected, they'll use it in a real battle soon!　But!

I'm using that technique too!

He aims the explosive projectile he created in his palm at Mr. Ahl and releases it with his healing flying fist.

By adjusting the strength of the elasticity that surrounds the explosive, the explosive itself has improved its breaking power.

It collides with the magic bullet of the impact magic released by Mr. Aur, and breaks through on top of it, heading toward Mr. Aur.

"Healing Bomb Blast!

"Nnnn!

He didn't expect it to be even canceled out, but he rushes to absorb it with his impact magic.

In the meantime, I close the distance at once and wield the system-degrading magic power in both hands.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but it seems that you are better than me when it comes to the explosion of magic power!

A moment of attack and defense.

I struck several blows, but none of them hit directly, but rather were absorbed by the impact magic... but that's okay.

Mr. Ahl, who had fallen back, noticed something wrong with his body.

"A magic bullet is attached to me!　Usato-kun, what on earth is this?

The explosive bullet disguised as the magic bullet ...... attached to Mr. Ahl activates.

She gets up, rolling on the ground again from the unexpected impact.

"What, there's an explosive mixed in with the magic bullet attached to ......?

"Do you have time to look away?

I know, right?

She must have noticed my strategy.

I was trying to confuse her by mixing the explosive with her bluff magic bullet.

I kick at Mr. Ahl, who is wary of my magic-clad hands.

"Ugh!

"This is not the time to be distracted only by your hands!

When he gets frightened, I hit him with three more magic bullets.

As if to say, "Oh no!", Mr. Ahl's expression turns bitter as he backs up and absorbs the explosive bullets that are about to explode with his shock magic.

"It's a good strategy, but it's not a good match for me!

"Are you sure about that?

Mr. Earle forgot.

He forgot how I detonated a magic bullet that wasn't even an explosive.

She has already thought that she can handle this tactic, and she allows me to approach her again.

"That's why I tried to attach the magic bullets to her...?

A light of system reinforcement emanates from her right hand.

It touched the magic bullet attached to Mr. Ahl's shoulder faster than the action of attaching the magic bullet, and it exploded with an explosive force greater than that of an exploding bullet.

"---!"

Mr. Ahl, who was unable to cope with the unexpected impact, is blown away.

"You told me to stop, but you use it like an idiot!

"Roone. I know it's not for me to say, but don't ever imitate me, okay?"

"You can't do that. Are you stupid?

She's harsher than Nair.

It hurts me to hear her say it like I'm an idiot.

"Oh no! I must've read it wrong! You're the captain's apprentice after all."

Mr. Ahl will not lose consciousness even if he is hit by an explosion.

It's not surprising since I doubt if he will faint, but I guess he's not a good match for me who tries to incapacitate him by fainting.

"......The magic power is spreading in a good way."

The magic power spread by the battle with Mr. Ahl is spread by the blast of the bombs.

I don't know how the demons will react yet, but I have a vague idea where the magic is shaking unnaturally.

"Mr. Earle!

Yes!

We're going to attack those demons that are busy right now, so let's go together!

"Wow!　Sounds fun!　Then let's fight!

Aur-san nodded her head with a great smile, probably because she was being controlled by the demon.

He repelled her attacks with his basket hand, and headed toward the depths of the ruins, fighting to lead her to the place where the demon is.