The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic

Our father and mother are gone.

We were walking alone in the dark forest when we were rescued by Uncle Gref, who was ...... alone with the demons to protect us.

With him was my sister Keira.

She had a much darker face than the bright sister we have now, but we lived with her and before long we became a family.

After that, we stopped traveling around the demon king's territory and decided to live in the city.

We all came to live together in the house and made friends.

There was a happiness that I thought would never come.

But we didn't ...... realize that people were approaching us who would destroy those happy days.

"Let's look at the outer wall of the city.

It was Cal, one of the kids I have been playing with since I came to live here, who said that.

We're not going to go outside the walls, we're just going to look.

There are few people here, and they don't get angry if we play a lot.

With this in mind, me, Rose, and my friends Cal and Mee started to play near the outer wall.

After a few more days of the same, we decided to play as usual today.

So we all headed for our usual playground when we were kidnapped by someone who hid his face from us.

When we woke up, I, Cal, and Mee were in a small iron cage, and people were watching us.

People other than my brother Usato.

People who are totally different from the demon tribe. They have a smirk on their face with cloudy eyes that are different from those of my brother.

"I didn't think it would be this easy to catch a demon kid!

A blonde human with a piercing haircut laughs dirty in front of me.

Kal and Mee are awake, but they are just as frightened as I am and unable to speak.

......Rose isn't here, which means he hasn't been captured......?

Is she alive?

You want to find out?　Hey!

Hey!"""""""""

He kicks me hard, and the cage rattles.

We let out an inaudible scream and the three of us huddle together, while the human men laugh again.

"It was worth the risk, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, I'm sure my client will be satisfied. No way. Three kids from the demon tribe.

Now all we have to do is get out of here."

Inquiries: ......?

Could it be that these people kidnapped us to make slaves......?

A chill runs through me as I get to that thought, a chill that chills me to the core.

"That part should be easy. We didn't leave any tracks, and there's no way they could follow us unless they have a very good sense of smell.

"I'm sure they'll come after you, but when they do, will you be okay?"

"I'm not worried, but... Well, if they do, I'll take care of them.

One of the largest of the men raised his left arm, which was covered with dull silver iron, with a clatter.

Just by looking at his large body, you can tell he has a scary face and long hair.

The man with such an appearance looks at us as if he is mocking us.

We have Jefri-sama, the Iron Flame! He's going to give us a run for our money no matter what the little demons do to us.

The person who utters the word "Jefri" to himself picks up a piece of fruit on a nearby desk.

What are you doing ......?　The person grabs the fruit and crushes it with force.

Jeffri threw the fruit on his hand into his mouth and smiled wickedly, even though the pulp was splattered and the juice stained the floor.

"Even demons are nothing in the hands of this steel arm!"

I'm counting on you!

I paid a lot of money for you!

The men are screaming again.

We can only huddle together.

I'm afraid ...... help is on the way.

I wonder if they'll take me anywhere.......

If they make us slaves.......

I can't stop thinking of bad things.

"Well, the client said something about that. He said there's a guy who's been sent to the demon king's territory."

What about him?

I told you to watch out for him because he's a healer who did a great job in the war against the Demon Lord's army.

When the man says this, the group is quiet for a moment, but after a few moments, they all start laughing loudly again.

"A healing magician!　That's a lie anyway!

It's a made-up lie anyway!

"What is this healing magic you're talking about?　That?　That's the one that heals you by punching you and flipping you off!　That doesn't make any sense!

"You're right. You've been giving me a lot of advice, so I was curious."

...... about Usato's brother?

They make fun of him so much, but don't they know about him?

"I'm no match for that kind of healing wizard. He's not worth being afraid of.

The story seems to end with the voice of an iron-armed man named Jefri.

"We've still got some time before we leave, so why don't we have a drink?"

"Oh, yeah. Let's celebrate a successful mission!

From there, the men open the door and go away.

As the last man is about to leave... the other man, who was about to leave first, pushes him back into the room.

"!!!?　What the ......"

"There's got to be a lookout. I'll take over for you later, you go ahead."

"Oh, man, what the hell."

A blond man with a piercing haircut reluctantly returns to the room, sticking out his tongue.

"d*mn, it's creepy being in a room with a demon kid."

I shudder at the swearing and try to avoid eye contact as much as possible.

I want to escape somehow, but there is no way I can get out of this ...... iron cage.

How can I .......

"What?"

"Mi, what's wrong?"

She looks at the window.

It is already dark outside, and from the bottom of the cage, she has no idea what the view outside looks like.

But there is something like a bird by the window.

"A owl?"

I muttered, and moved closer to the cage to take a closer look... the shadow I thought was an owl had somehow turned into a cat.

Huh?　I thought it was an owl. ...... was I imagining it?

...... Oh, he's dexterously trying to open the window.

"Oh?　What's this?　A cat?"

The man approaches the black cat, which is scratching at the window as if it wants to be opened.

"Cute, isn't it ...... obvious?"

The man opens the window with a smirk and invites the cat in.

"Hey, you want some of this?"

He was about to offer the dried meat he was about to eat as a snack when... he stopped unnaturally.

We tilted our heads at the man who was shaking his body slightly and his eyes were vacant.

We looked at the cat in wonder, and saw the cat's red eyes glowing.

"---Get out of my room.

"Okay. ......."

The empty-eyed guard staggers out of the room with unsteady steps.

The black cat, who did indeed speak human language, sighed lightly and came down in front of the cage in which we were locked up.

"It's a steel cage, isn't it? It's going to be hard for me to open it.

"What, who's ......?"

"Who's the cat?"

"He's talking. ......"

We are surprised to see a talking cat, and the cat gives us a look of surprise.

"Oh, you can't tell with a black cat, can you? Is it easier for Ram to recognize me in this form?

With that, the cat is enveloped in light for a moment and turns into a familiar owl.

"Well, you're my brother Usato's ......."

"Well, I haven't had a chance to reveal myself, but I am Naea, Usato's messenger. I'm here to help you."

....... What?　Mr. Owl can talk?

I thought he was just a normal demon like that .......

"But a messenger demon? ......"

"Yes, Usato is here. I came to check on you and your friends first. ......"

Mr. Owl---Nea took off the small cloth around her neck and pulled out a green ball-like object from inside.

I noticed that it was the same magic bullet that my brother Usato had given me three days before, although the size of the ball was different.

"Please crush this with your hand."

"What, why ......?"

"By crushing the magic bullet, you send a signal to Usato. --- "The kidnapped children are safe. You can go all out. ......."

I looked at the magic bullet containing Usato's healing magic and nodded to Cal and Mee who were in the same cage with me and smashed the magic bullet with both hands.

At that moment, with a small bang, a beautiful green magic power enveloped us.

I was so happy to see him.

An abandoned village hidden deep in the mountains.

We had set up our base in an abandoned place that no one would ever see.

It's a rough place, but it's got a good house, so it's sheltered from the wind and rain, and it's out of sight. The best thing about it was that it was not far from a city full of demons.

There is no better place to do this "job".

I'm glad it worked out.

"Yeah, and it's a kid, right?　It's more than worth it."

It was a difficult request, but I'm in a good mood now that it has gone so well.

At least the reward is a world of difference compared to kidnapping those kids with no family.

"But how could you have prepared the way to the demon king's territory? That merchant.

I nodded at the voice of one sitting opposite me.

"I heard the Demon Lord's army was defeated, so they built a bridge out of wood. They even had it assembled and hidden in the woods so that no one would find it.

We'd have ended up in the river, too, if it hadn't been for us.

"It's a risk you're willing to take. The river is watched.

The river that runs between the demon kingdoms and the human realm is watched over by Mialark and Lingle.

That's what you have to do to keep them from finding you.

That's why I'm here.

So what are you going to do when you get paid?

"Of course I'm gonna drink and do whatever the hell I want. Do you think I'll do anything else?"

I guess so.

My job is so easy now that it would be foolish to earn serious money.

Besides, we're giving jobs to people who don't have any relatives.

We should be thanking them.

It's the same with the demons.

They're demons anyway. I don't care what they do to the people who started the war. I'm giving them a chance to make amends for those who died in the war.

"You didn't participate in the war!"

We all laugh at the sound of his voice.

When we heard about the war with the Demon Lord's army, we ran away to a country where we wouldn't be harmed.

"War is not a ...... thing for us?"

As we say this, we suddenly realize that there is someone else standing outside in the torchlight.

The sun has completely set, and the figure is illuminated red in the darkness.

The hood covering his head and the black cloak covering his entire body are swaying as if melting in the darkness.

<>

The man in the unnaturally shimmering black coat stood there motionless, looking through the hood at the house we were in.

"...... Hey."

The others, noticing the tension in my voice, look out their windows and take out their swords.

"Are they after you?"

"No, they'll find out too soon."

"He's probably just some moron with a sense of justice who came to save a kid or something."

---That's creepy.

It's just a shadow, barely recognizable as a person, but other than that, I don't know what to make of it.

While I was feeling a sense of unease somewhere in my heart, Jefri stood up with a belligerent smile on his face, slamming the bottle of sake he was holding into the table roughly.

"I thought kidnapping a kid wasn't enough!"

Jefri smiles a lecherous smile as he clinks the steel cage hand on his left arm.

Oh dear, the most troublesome one is motivated.

He can't get away with this.

"He's a reckless son of a b*tc*. I'll take care of him. After I've beaten him."

He turns his attention out the window from Jefri, who is walking out of the house.

Jefri steps out of the house and walks toward a figure with a comfortable gait.

If you look closely, you can see that there is a height difference between the two, and Jefri is a head taller than the other.

"Oh, man, that's it.

"Did you try to scare me with your looks?"

How many shots to kill you, you want to bet?

"What the hell, man?

Jefri sticks out his left arm.

His iron arm, which crushes fruit with its grip alone and can break even a rock, approaches the figure.

Everyone, including me, was expecting him to be blown away like a piece of trash.

---Gooo......

That wasn't the sound of a man being hit.

The iron arm that Jefri was about to slam into was caught by the palm of the mysterious shadow.

"Come on, Jefri, don't go easy on him!

Are you trying to play with me?

He laughs as he comes to his senses at his friends' jibes.

Yes, yes, I hired him because of his skills.

There's no way he can be beaten by a demon, let alone a human being.

......Is it my imagination or does Jefri's face look distorted in the torchlight?

<>

<>

Jefri is surprised and tries to back out,

No matter how hard he tries to struggle, his outstretched fist does not move from where it is held.

"Oh, come on."

"Isn't something funny ......?"

The sun was completely hidden by the mountains and darkness surrounded us when Jefri let out a scream that we could hear, and flames shot out of his unclasped right hand.

<>

Instantly, a blinding light of flames and a flash of green spread across our field of vision.

With that, the torchlight that had illuminated the outside went out, and the outside was enveloped in complete darkness.

"Jefri!　What are you doing?

What's going on outside?　Get the lights!

I can't see out there!

We rushed to turn on the light in the room, but something smashed through the window and blew out the magic tool.

What the hell is it this time?

What the hell did that bastard do to me!

When we light up our feet with the other tool, we see the thing that has broken through the window.

It is..,

"This is Jeffrey's ......."

You're lying. ......

This is the reason why Jefri is called Flame Iron, and he boasted about his steel basket hand.

It was the only thing lying on the ground.

"......!?"

The steel basket hand is warped beyond recognition, and the marks of a hand (...) are clearly engraved on it as if it had been crushed.

Did the demon tribe do this ......?

No!　From my experience, there is no way that demons can grip a piece of steel with one hand!

That's not what I'm talking about!　I never heard of such a monster!

calm down!　---Ah...

There's something behind the guy making the noise.

Something black reaches out from the shadowy figure, wraps around the legs of the others, and pulls them into its body with great force.

"Aaaaaaah!　Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa?"

Leaving a sound of scratching on the ground, the comrade is dragged somewhere and disappears into the darkness.

Immediately after that, the screams cease, and there is a sickening silence.

Everyone in the room is motionless.

We could only freeze, unable to make a proper judgment of the situation that had just occurred before our eyes.

---At that moment, a green light gushed out for a moment.

"Geba?

What the hell?

Something slammed into the wall, followed by the sound of something falling to the ground.

Immediately after that, something lurking in the darkness attacked the others.

"No, no!

A green light is emitted, and at the same time, the others disappear.

Without knowing what they looked like or what they were doing, the skilled men and women who had gathered there could do nothing but shout.

What the hell is going on?

What is it?　Is it a monster?　Are they demons?

I can't see anything!

And if I try to swing my sword as hard as I can in a place like this, I'll hit one of my allies!

How can they be rampaging in the dark like this?

While they were in confusion, something green crossed their field of vision at high speed and hit their comrade who was just next to them.

"What?　What?　What, stick to me ......!

Something sticky and sticky, something suspiciously glowing green.

The glowing thing shines on his face, and he contorts his face in fear as he tries to peel it off... and it explodes in front of his eyes.

"......?"

I'm stunned as it blows up in front of me with a flash of light and disappears into my pitch-black field of vision.

Is he dead?

Does it explode when you touch it?

I try to check if he is alive or dead, but I can't hear his voice anymore.

"I can't see it, help..."

f*ck!

No, no, no, no, no!

Gabbo!

Something is storming around the room, and my friends are screaming and crying.

It's an unbelievable situation that my brain refuses to comprehend.

I've been placed in such a situation..,

"Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah ......"

---I had no choice but to curl up like a child with my hands over my ears by the wall.

"Aaaaahhh!?"

My heart could not bear the sound of my friends' screams and the sound of something breaking out... I held my ears, but my heart could not bear the despair that was entering my body.

"I can't stay in a place like this. ......!

I don't care about the demon kids or the money anymore!

If I stay here, I'll definitely end up like my friends!

We're up against a monster that may or may not even be alive. There's no way I can fight them properly!

I don't want to die!

I crawl on the floor and groping my way out into the corridor.

The creature is still attacking our comrades.

Then get out while they're still using us as bait!

What the hell is this?

There they are, pinned to the wall with their eyes glazed over.

There is something green and translucent stuck to his mouth, and another green thing between his back and the wall.

"Hi-Hi-Hi?

The first thing that came to my mind was the worst imaginary image of these creatures being tied up alive as bait.

"Ah, ah, ah... ......"

The green light that stands out in the dark just looks like something you can't see.

I fall back awkwardly and something hits my back as I back up.

"---oh..."

There's no wall behind me.

The screams of my friends that had echoed so loudly could no longer be heard.

Silence reigns in the corridor, and the only sounds are my terrified voice and the demonic breathing of something other than me coming from right behind me.

"Oh, oh, oh. ...... sorry. ...... sorry. ...... sorry."

Don't look behind you.

If you look, it's over.

But my body turns around as if against my will..,

●

<<>

Someone's scream echoes through the house again.

The voice makes my shoulders shake, but I don't feel scared.

My brother Usato is fighting.

Nair had told me about it beforehand.

"He's doing it so spectacularly!"

Néa, who had dexterously lit her magic tool with her foot to brighten the room, spoke fluently.

"She's really mad at me this time, so I'll be fine now.

"You mean my brother Usato?"

Yes, I heard you were kidnapped.

......After all, your brother hasn't changed at all since we first met.

When he saved my uncle, he didn't even show the slightest sign of hesitation.

"Actually, Usato never really gets angry with me, but when he does, I'm scared to the point of feeling sorry for him.

"Yes, that's right. ......"

"When Usato lost his temper at Samaritan's Alley..."

>

A scream interrupts Nair's voice as it gets closer, and a stabbing blond man rushes in, opening the door vigorously.

"...... Ah, you've been hypnotized by fear. It's possible, seeing that man right now."

"What the hell is that thing!　Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!　I didn't hear that!"

The man holding the door behind his back spits out foul language, while Nair is trying to convince him otherwise.

The man who looked around us quickly looks at us locked in the cage and smiles a wry smile.

"Yeah, that's right, we can use the kids as bait. ......!!!"

He looked at us with bloodshot eyes and we cowered.

Nair came down in front of the bars in his owl form to protect us, but... suddenly, Nair lowered his outstretched wings.

Just as she wondered what had happened, an arm came through the door that the man had stopped behind her back.

"Gee!

The arm, which was extended above the elbow, grabbed the man's chest without hesitation and lifted him up with tremendous force.

The sight of him stunned us.

"Who are you going to take hostage?"

"What?

Hmph!

Ignoring the man who was floating in the air and flailing his legs, the owner of the voice dragged the man into the corridor, breaking ...... the door, and disappeared from our sight.

<<>

A green light flashes from the broken door.

And the screams we've heard so many times are gone this time.

Just as the men's voices are no longer heard, there is the sound of footsteps, and in comes Usato's brother in a black cloak.

"Phew... ...... is all taken care of..."

Usato came to us with a look of deep relief.

He was still looking at us with a terrible look in his ...... eyes.

"I'm glad you're okay. You did a good job, Neah.

"Usato, your face is not back."

"Oops, I shouldn't have."

He ruffled my hair and immediately became the sweet older brother we all know and love.

I'm not scared of him now, but he looks like this .......

"Keira, it's okay to leave now, okay?"

"What?"

I was stunned by the sound of my brother's voice, but right after that my sister jumped out of her black cloak and appeared in front of us.

"Ram!　Are you okay?　Are you hurt?

"Sis!"

I almost cried as my sister checked to see if I was hurt, almost jumping on the cage.

"Usato, I'm going to find the key to the cage..."

"Hmph."

He lightly grabs the door part of the iron cage and clicks it.　and removes it with a light sound.

"Oh, yeah. You didn't need to do that. I knew that... ......

"You're safe now. ......"

The cage that had kept us locked up was now broken, and I finally became aware that we had been rescued, and tears began to well up in front of my eyes in relief.

"Sis!"

"I'm so glad......I'm so glad......"

She hugged me and started to cry aloud.

I noticed that Kal and Lu also jumped to Usato's arms and cried as much as I did, but ...... that's how scared I really was.