The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic

I've never been in a castle before.

Amako, the fox beastie, is standing next to me, looking up at the castle and exclaiming in admiration. With her in tow, I had visited the castle early yesterday morning, just as Rose had told me to.

I greet the guard as I always do before entering the castle. As soon as we enter, the two maids bow and welcome us into the castle.

"Usato-sama ...... and your companion, isn't it? We will take you to King Lloyd.

Usato's amazing, isn't he?

"Don't say that like it's a surprise, I'm aware that it doesn't suit me either."

I smile awkwardly, not being used to being addressed. I walk down the familiar aisle and am immediately ushered into the hall where the king is. The maid opens the door and I go in as she urges me. I see Mr. Lloyd, Sergio, many knights, Sigurth and Welshy. Kazuki and Inukami-senpai were there.

"Oh, you've come, Usato-dono."

It's been a few days.

Is she the amaco in question?

Mr. Lloyd's kind eyes turn to Amako, who is standing next to him. She is a little jumpy, but looks at Mr. Lloyd and gives a small nod.

"......Well, now that everyone is here, I'd like to talk about the reason why I gathered you all here today. I would like you to listen to it in Kazuki's place, Usato-dono.

"Okay, here we go, Amako."

"Uh-huh."

Perhaps he was nervous, but when I tapped him lightly on the shoulder, he looked at me and replied with a peep and a taut tail. I wonder if meeting the king of a country is nerve-wracking, though I've met him so many times that I'm not so nervous anymore.

I move with Amako to the end of the hall where Inukami-senpai and Kazuki are.

"Hey, Usato-kun."

Yo, Usato.

"Long time no see, glad to see you both are doing well."

I don't know, I feel like both of us have changed a little bit in the past ten days. It seems trivial, but I wonder if they were also training ...... because they heard they might be going on a trip?

"The thing that I asked everyone to get together ...... about is to send another letter to other countries asking for their cooperation. This is the conclusion that I, along with the ministers and the corps commanders,...... have come to: the second battle against the Demon Lords was more difficult than the first. The brave men and women who helped us were in danger of dying, and without the presence of the lifeguards, the casualties would have been too many to count."

His expression quelled, Master Lloyd paused for a moment and then looked around the hall. I also look around lightly, but no one has an expression of disagreement with the king's words. ...... Rather, they are tightened up as if they have made a decision.

And a country was formed, a country that embodied the character of the Lord Lloyd.

"We should take action too. We have been frightened by immediate threats for a long time, and even if they reject us, we, who are exposed to the threat of the Demon King, must communicate that threat and unite. The letter will be sent to the majority of the countries on the continent in fifteen days.

A large number of people on a continent, that's a lot of people to move to send a single letter.

And since they refused to cooperate the first time, it is safe to assume that just sending a letter will not be effective. If that's the case...

"Inukami-dono, Kazuki-dono..."

A person in a special position, i.e., a brave man.

And you, Usato.

"Yes, I'm the one who ...... that..."

As I nodded my head, my name was called and I was taken aback.

Inukami-senpai, Kazuki, and Sigurth-san were also nodding their heads, as if it were natural, and it seemed that no one was opposed to the idea. No, I knew they were going to send a letter, but in my case, they were going to send it to a less influential country. .......

I was about to say something to the king when I heard Amako, who was just as dumbfounded as I was, muttering, "Usato ...... was great ....... ---.

"I'm sorry, I've given you all a hard time."

No, we care about the people of this country, and we will gladly accept the responsibility.

"Hmmm, I wonder if I can go to many different countries. ...... sounds like a lot of work but a lot of fun. You think so too, don't you, Usato?"

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

I have no objection to going, but I let out a small sigh so that others will not know that I have been entrusted with such an important role.

Perhaps unaware of my feelings, Lloyd-sama's mouth breaks into a smile and he turns his attention to me and Amako.

"I am sorry, Usato-dono. But the place you send your letters is somewhat special.

"Special ......?"

I'll explain that later, but for now, ......, I've told everyone what I need to tell you. This meeting is now over, but the ...... braves, Usato, Amako, Welshy and Sigurth are to remain here."

At this point, Mr. Lloyd cut the conversation short and brought the meeting to a close.

They left in a line, but I, Amako, Inukami-senpai, Kazuki, Sigurth and Welshy did not leave and remained there, looking at Master Lloyd. ...... hmm? There are three people who look unfamiliar to me, but I wonder who they are .......

As you tilt your head and look at the trio, your eyes meet one of them and he winks at you. I wait for the king's words with the impression that he is a very friendly person.

The king's words are

"First, Amaco. First of all, Amako, thank you for saving our country from a future of destruction.

"What?

When all the people who had been there were gone, Master Lloyd suddenly bowed his head to Amako and thanked her. Mr. Lloyd's sudden action made Sergio and Mr. Welshy very upset, but the one who was most upset was none other than Amaco.

"I couldn't say this publicly in front of everyone, but I want to help you as much as I can, even if it's not enough to repay you."

"See you at ......."

"The last place where you will receive a letter, Mr. Usato, is Mearrauk, the Land of Water."

! ...... is that..."

"A city on the water, located in the center of a great river that crosses this continent, and far beyond on the other side of the river... is the land of the beastmen."

I see, that's why Master Lloyd arranged for me to go to the land of the beastmen under the guise of sending me a letter to this country called Mialark. .......

"But the road is a hard one,...... and I'm sorry to tell you that, Usato-dono,......."

"It's a favor I'm asking of you, and I'm happy to oblige."

"......Thank you."

In fact, it is we who should be thanking you. I am sure that Lloyd has gone through a lot of trouble to make this impossible request come true, and I cannot thank him enough.

......And yet, it is a country located on the water. ......Is it a not so big country if it is on the river? Or does it mean it's a great big river like a lake and it's located in the center of it? .......

"Now, as for the country to which I am sending the letter, ...... Alfi, you are to send a letter to Lord Usat."

"Yes, sir! It was Mr. Usato and ...... Amako, wasn't it? This way please.

A woman with flaxen hair tied in a braid, dressed like a scholar, urges us out of the hall.

I have never met this woman before. I've been to the castle many times, but I've never met her before, so she must be an outsider. Or is he someone we've never met by chance? .......

As we bowed to Master Lloyd and Inukami-senpai and walked out into the passageway of the castle, a woman walking in front of us in a good mood turned to me and Amako with a bouncy voice.

"We haven't met before, have we? My name is Alfie, and I am a scholar in this country. Well, I'm a scholar, but I do a wide range of research. To put it simply, I compile literature that can lead to the development of this country and propose it to Lloyd as a project, or I accumulate knowledge for emergencies. ...... You can think of me as a person! This time, I would like to teach you about the geography of the country to which you are going to send the letter. Oh, but it's not that difficult. The roads are well-made, so as long as you watch out for monsters and bandits, you should be able to finish handing over all the letters in a few months.

"Usato, he's talking too long.

Alfie-san, who had just finished telling me everything he wanted to talk about in rapid succession, was walking ahead of me, smiling and laughing at Amako's words. He is a very strong character. But I understood what he wanted and all that. In short, he is going to tell me a lot about the geography and the country to which I am going to send the letter.

Alfie walks in front of me toward the edge of the castle, which I have never been to before. When we came to a part of the castle with few windows, she stopped in front of a large wooden door, turned to me with a smile and indicated the wooden door with her hand.

"Here it is. This is the private room given to me, but I think the other rooms are probably used by my colleagues, so please feel free to come in.

"Huh. ......."

We entered the room as we were led, and were confronted with a horrendous sight of a room with a frightening amount of papers and books piled up to the point of almost reaching the ceiling.

They set up a chair and a table for us while brushing away the papers and books scattered on the floor with their hands, as if to make way for us.

Amako and I sat down in the chairs, puzzled, and Alfie-san, who was rummaging through what looked like a bookshelf, took out a large sheet of paper from a large book and dusted it off.

"Well, here's a map, a map, a map ...... and here it is. Okay, I'll explain it to you.

A map spread out on a desk in a mess? Alfie pointed at the map and began to explain it.

"This Lingle Kingdom, where we live now, is the closest place to the demon king's territory.

He points to a large green area, a mark away from the plains where he probably fought the Demon Lord's army. There are some forests and small villages around, but there is certainly no large country nearby.

"And the place where the Demon Lord rules is on the other side of the great river that runs through the plains, and they came across the river. ......"

"I see."

"First of all, I would like to point out that the places where you, Usato-sama, and the heroes are heading are the same only at the beginning."

"The same?"

If each of us is going to hand over a letter, shouldn't we go separately?

"I understand your doubts. However, since the route from the Kingdom of Lingle requires a steep road, we have asked them to take the safer route, even if it is a bit of a detour, in order to emphasize safety. Therefore, the journey to deliver the letter will start from here, from the magical city of Lukvis.

The magical city of Lucvis. I think it's the place where one of the country's healing wizards is located, right? And I heard that there's a beastman who hid Amaco from us. .......

"Of course, I'll give the letter to Lucvis. There are some of the best people on the continent when it comes to magic there. But there's also a lot of discrimination based on magical qualities, so be careful, Usato-sama. I'm worried that you, who have been taught healing magic by ...... Rose-sama, might inadvertently knock out a student."

Amako giggles at Alfie's mischievous grin.

I'm not laughing.

"Your joke is too harsh. I'm not that much of a monster.

"...... what?"

I just heard a surprising voice next to me, but I ignored it. I'm definitely human. I'm not strong enough to make people fly like pinballs like Rose, and I'm not the kind of animal that can heal an unconscious person and make him run.

It's funny how everyone in the rescue squad thinks I'm the same as Rose.

"You seem to live up to your reputation, calling Rose a monster. Now, after you deliver the letter in Lucvis, you will have to visit three countries to deliver it."

"Three," he said, "is that four if you add the land of the beastmen. ......

"Oh, no, sir. The number includes the beastmen's countries. The number is nominally two, but in the case of Usato-sama, it is somewhat special, so I will include the beastmen's country in the number. One is the final destination, Mearaq, which is located here.

He then pointed to a large river that had widened into a circular shape with a country-like mark placed in the center of it.

---That's a long way from the Kingdom of Lingle.

"After handing a letter to the queen who rules this place and ...... after that, it's ...... here, a short distance away from Luxvis. Samariar, the land of prayer."

"Samaritan ......!"

Amaco's tail flicks up as if he is trembling at the mention of the name. What's in this country? ...... what is it. I have a very bad feeling about this.

"This is ...... the country that is most likely to cooperate with us in some ways, but ...... I'm a little uncomfortable with subhumans."

Excessive, you mean.

That's what I mean. Therefore, I would like you to be very careful when you enter this country. ...... It may be safe for you to enter, but it would be better not to take you to the king if you are to have an audience with him. ...... We who know the situation are truly sorry, but Samaria is located in a different direction from the country where Kazuki-sama and Inukami-sama are headed. ......"

"No, don't apologize. I'm happy to help."

A land of prayer, sounds like a very religious place. ...... I hope it's ok. I'm an atheist, so I don't think I'll be affected by such things, but if the king is a strong subhuman exclusivist, plus he finds out about Amaco, we could be in big trouble.

"But isn't it surprisingly small? I can't believe we're only sending three."

We can't spend too much time on this. The other countries will be sent by knights in other positions, who will be responsible for them. And the kings of the countries to which you and Usato will go directly are all difficult people and will not cooperate so easily. But it is impossible to fight against the Demon King without their cooperation.

"......"

"That is why the Kingdom of Lingle is showing its sincerity and determination by sending its mainstay heroes and Usato-sama."

......I'm not a great responsibility.

"...... I don't know if I can show my sincerity just by showing up."

"It depends on how good you are. You may not realize it, but there is no one in this country who does not know you. The lifeguard saved everyone's life. I am sure that the rumors have spread to other countries as well. Believed or not, ......"

"I'm not at all happy about being famous. ......"

He exhales a sigh and slumps his shoulders. I hope the rumors don't spread on their own.

Oh well, I guess I'll just have to wait and see.

"So, about the land of the beastmen......... I must confess that we don't know much about it. We only know enough to get a ride to the other side of the river on a ship from Mearaq. ......"

Don't worry about that, I'll explain it to Usato.

I see, that's a relief. We are a closed country, so we only had documents from a long time ago.

I'm sure that's true. After all, this is one of the families that has suffered the most from the existence of man. There's no way they can interact with each other.

But the beastmen's country is quite far away. In that case, how many people would come with us? To be honest, I would like someone who can deal with me, the burin I will be taking with me, and the beastman Amaco in case of an emergency, or at least someone with common sense to come along.

How many people are you planning to bring on the trip?

"I prefer to have as few people as possible, so about five people. But perhaps you would prefer fewer, Usato-sama. You are so capable of running on the battlefield that it would be difficult for you to move if there are too many people.

"No, well, ......, that's right."

You've hit the nail on the head.

This guy pretty much knows what I'm thinking.

"And ...... there was talk of having her accompany the heroes, but the country of the beastmen to which they would eventually head is becoming increasingly wary of slavery and discrimination, which has become more noticeable in recent years, and for that reason the heroes with their potentially high combat power would be hostile even if Amako-sama were present. In the end, there were only about one or two people, mainly Usato-sama, ...... because they might be regarded as being attacked and immediately attacked."

"No, in my case, as long as someone with some knowledge and common sense follows me, I'll be fine. If too many people come, the beastmen might be too extreme in their responses.

As long as Amako is nodding her head, it seems that I am not mistaken. Then who would come to me ...... I'd like someone strong enough to stand up to the bandits. .......

.........Ah. That man might be trustworthy.

"Well, about the person who will come with me,...... how about Alc Girdle?"

"Alc Girdle ...... Oh, the guard! I see... He's the one. He is surprisingly knowledgeable. ...... Hmmm, Usato-sama has a good eye."

Aruk-san, the cool red-haired guard, is a trustworthy guy who won't be defeated by bandits and protected us in the battle against the Demon Lord's army. Besides, he's a great guy and a bright, sensible person.

"I'll check with him after this. I'm sure he'll take care of it right then and there. ...... Well, I'm done explaining ...... and there's no more,...... Oh, I forgot. After we go to the land of the beasts."

"After you go to ......? Well, I guess we have to go back here."

I completely forgot.

Yes, we have to go back here. I've been thinking beastmen's country, beastmen's country.

"The way back is simple. We just have to go back to Lucvis and go from there. I could send you a letter on the way back as well, but I can't let you go that far.

"It's going to be a very tasteless return trip. ......"

Well, it's ...... easier than going, right? I don't know how to say this without knowing if we'll be able to complete our mission properly.

Alfie-san, after bowing to me and Amako, went to the hall where Master Lloyd was to report the situation.

I was told that I could go home for the time being, so I let myself go home quietly.

I wanted to see my senpai and Kazuki, but I knew they would probably have their own thoughts after hearing about our trip, so I would have to leave it for another day. Fortunately, there is still time, since the departure is in about half a month.

"---That's why."

"Hmm."

After dropping Amako off at Sarla's store, I tell Rose, who is watching Ferrum's training at the training ground, about what Master Lloyd said and about the country I'm going to travel to.

"You're going to a very complicated country, aren't you? I'm sure you'll be fine."

"Are you sure you're that optimistic ......?"

"What, are you worried?"

Rose looks at me with a smile on her face and I let out a sigh with a feeling of resignation.

"It's not as bad as coming here for the first time and training with the Commander.

You say that...

"Hey, hey, hey, I'm not on ignore or ......."

He laughed in a funny way and scratched his cheek when he saw FERM doing push-ups under the leader of the group. Why does he look like he's in such pain when he's only got Rose on him? I was a rock when I was your age, too.

"Well, good luck with that. I was a lot harder."

"What? If you can do it, then of course I can do it. ......Kuku, if you can do it, then of course I can do it. ......

Sweating profusely, he frantically moves his arms and performs push-ups. Rose, who is on top of Ferrum, ruffles her hair and crosses her legs in disgust. .......

"I'm going to take him to the soon, so you'll have to look after him while I'm gone."

"Isn't it ...... early?"

"He's just trying to take it easy right away. We'll have to put him in a place where he won't be able to do that.

This ogre intends to forcefully correct his laziness.

"...... Well, it doesn't matter what time of year it is, it's a path we all go down."

"Your time is special. He's a little short on guts, though, so I'm going to leave him until the last minute."

He's too busy doing push-ups to notice, but tomorrow Ferrum will know hell and unreasonableness. But I don't think he'll be any worse off than I am, so that should be a relief. ......

"I'm ...... ha......."

The sudden over pace of the exercise made Ferme fall to the ground like a slumped over person, and her collapse inevitably made Rose, who was sitting on a chair, feel like she was sitting on a chair, so she-- -.

"...... tsk again...... how many times has this happened? Get up, give me 500 more pushups, you waste of a meal!"

"Guffaw ......"

"Wow, ...... she's already gotten up so many times and now she's pushing herself too hard? ......"

Rose stood up and began to spew abuse as she fell to the ground, her shoulders shaking slightly, and her feet covered in healing magic.

I heard what sounded like crying, so I silently bowed to Rose and left the place. If I don't do something, I'm going to get caught in the middle of this. I don't mind training, but maybe something sad will happen to Ferrum that will make him hate me for a long time.

"...... Yeah, good luck."

She probably won't hear me .......