The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic

Samariar.

We have finally arrived at the place called the land of prayer.

It took a lot of hard work to get here, but I guess you could say that the real work begins now for me. Unlike the time in Lucvis, this time I alone have to hand over the letter to the ruler of Samaritan.

When we arrived at the outer gate of Samaritan, we first talked to the guard to be allowed to enter the gate.

We asked Amako to wear a white cloak and Nea to change her appearance to that of a human being, the girl who had welcomed us as village girls. And Bulrin took the role of a messenger instead of Nair.

The guard seemed to get defensive when he saw her, but I managed to get him to allow me to enter the town by appealing to him that Bulrin was a harmless demon. However, I was concerned that the guard was acting somewhat strangely at that time.

"From the Kingdom of Lingle: ....... ......!　Okay. You may proceed, the demon is not allowed to enter the city, but you may leave it with your horse at the stables near the outer gate."

One of the guards, who looked from Brulin to me and rolled his eyes in astonishment, let us through with surprising ease.

I was glad that he let us through, but it was a little creepy that he didn't say anything or ask us why we had come to his country.

"......Something's strange. I wonder if they knew about me ......."

I mutter to myself as I prepare the straw so that Mr. Aruk and I can bring Burlyn and his horse into the stables near the gate that the guard had told us about.

The guard's reaction just now clearly seemed to have changed his attitude when he saw Bulrin and I---no, I mean, when he saw my group uniform.

"I can't say that there is no possibility, can I?　The news of the march of the Demon Lord's army must have been known to many countries, and the activities of the rescue team must have been reported to many people.

Even if it is ......, it doesn't mean that the content is believed.

After all, healing magic is a magic that is not well regarded. If you hear that a person who uses such magic runs around the battlefield with abnormal physical ability and saves many people, will they believe you?

I wonder if it's worth worrying about ...... every time.

Let's take comfort in the fact that we've entered the kingdom without incident.

"...... huh. Still, I'm glad Nair didn't get himself into trouble......."

"Aren't you too worried about her?"

"It's not an exaggeration to say that I brought her here, so I'll at least take care of her."

She had accepted death, and I had saved her life.

It is the responsibility of the rescue team to take responsibility for my own life and the lives of others, so in a sense it is only natural that I should take responsibility for her life.

"She seems to be acting fine on her journey, but in reality, she must be full of anxiety about the outside world, which she has never left since she was born.

"Indeed, yes."

"That's why I..."

"Hey, Usatoh, you're late!"

...... now he's talking about you, but he's not so happy about it.

Hearing her cheerful voice, I let out a sigh of exasperation.

"...... huh!"

"Ha-ha-ha. Come on, Nair and Amako-dono are probably waiting for us, so let's get this over with."

After clearing away the straw to make room for Bulrin to move freely, Mr. Aruk and I move outside where Nair and Amako are, and bring Bulrin and his horse inside the stables.

Bulrin let out a single languid whinny and lay down on the spot we had made for him, then curled up like a bun and started to goo-goo sleep.

"Well, what's next?　Shall we continue to the castle?"

After entering the stables and watching Bulrin fall asleep, I turned back to Mr. Aruk and asked him about his plans for the next few days.

I was thinking that we could look for a place to stay later, and that a tour of the town would not be a priority.

"No, I have someplace to go first.

"Heh?　Where is it?"

"I have to go to the Kingdom of Lingle to inform them of our arrival in Samaliar. ......"

How would we tell the Lingle Kingdom, so far away from here, that we had arrived?

Mr. Aruk looks doubtful at my reaction, but soon realizes the reason for it and puts on an apologetic expression.

"Ah, it seems that you didn't have a chance to use it in Lingle Kingdom, and it was natural that you didn't know about it in Luxorvis since Mr. Welshy sent it to you.

Use?　Send?　What?

I tilt my head and look at Amako and Nair, who mutter "I didn't know ......" and Nair, who tilts her head and puts her index finger on her chin just like me.

Okay, so Nair doesn't know. Quite the reclusive vampire.

"It's probably easier to show you than to explain. Follow me."

He then urged us to go to the city of Samaria and the large silver bell hanging from the top of a conspicuous tower, which gave off an unusual presence.

The bell was a large silver bell hanging from the top of a prominent tower.

I followed Alc's lead and entered the city.

The streets of Samariat were full of fancy tools for sale, unlike the more commercial streets of the Lingle Kingdom.

The population is as large as in the Kingdom of Lingle, and the city is full of vitality.

As we were walking along the crowded street, being careful not to get separated from Amako and Nair, Mr. Alc, who was walking in front of us, started talking to us.

"Samaria is better known as the Land of Prayer, but it is also one of the most famous countries for making magical tools, isn't it?

"Well, I mean, most of what you see here is from ......."

"It is a magical tool. They are designed for everyday use, so they are not very expensive.

Magic tools, something I'm not familiar with from the Lingle Kingdom, but to see so many of them lined up in front of the store is a sight to behold.

Maybe some kind of magical tool to make fire?　If we get lost again, we can live quite well with fire.

"I used to love the tools here. It's useful because you can spend a lot of time with little magic power.

"You never left the village, did you?　How did you get this?"

"Tetra said she had to go to Samaria, so I bought it for her."

I'm not a grandson asking his grandmother for a souvenir.

As I'm looking around happily and amazed at the vampire, someone bumps into me from behind.

You stumble a little and turn around..,

"and ...... Amaco?　What's up?"

"......"

Amako was leaning against me, clutching the hem of her trousers.

She seems to be somewhat nervous, though I can't see her because she is hidden by her cloak.

I looked around at her unusual behavior---and soon found the cause.

"Is that her? ......"

What I found was a boy in clean clothes.

Not just any boy.

He was sitting on a chair, but there was an iron collar around his neck.

"A slave ......?"

As he placed his hand on Amaco's head to reassure him, he was confronted with the reality of another world, one that he had never faced in the Kingdom of Lingle or in Lucvis.

A human being bought by a human being.

I'd be lying if I said I didn't have some feelings about it, but this is another reality that I have to accept in order to live in this world.

While I was thinking about this, my eyes suddenly meet the eyes of a boy who seems to be a slave. The boy gave me a friendly smile and waved me a small hand.

Amako, who was trying not to look at the slave behind me, held the hem of my hand tighter.

"If you're worried, you can hold on to it forever."

"...... yeah."

There were no slaves or merchants besides the boy.

Perhaps the boy was already someone's property and had been bought.

Amako is so nervous because she imagines the commotion that will occur when she is revealed as a beast .......

Because he has been living in the Lingle Kingdom, where slavery is not a reality, he is afraid of Samaritan, a country where slavery is a part of everyday life.

"I'm sorry, I didn't give it enough thought. It was not a place where slaves were so overtly present before. ......"

"No, it was something I had to face."

Mr. Arque notices Amaco's condition and looks apologetic, but I can't say I blame him since it's something I'll have to face at some point.

"So, Mr. Alc. Where are you headed now?"

"Uh, yes. I'm already in front of you...

At that moment, interrupting Mr. Aruk's words, multiple blue shadows crossed his field of vision as if gliding from the sky.

I involuntarily jerked my head back, but when I turned my head in the direction the shadows crossed, I saw a blue bird perched on the roof of the second floor of a house a short distance away.

"A pigeon?"

A blue pigeon-like creature. There were many more of them in a row, all of them carrying a small backpack on their backs.

While looking at the pigeons with curiosity, you see what looks like a signboard a little lower down on the second floor where the pigeons are.

A pigeon holding a letter in its mouth, and next to it, in large letters, the words <>.

"Hoo bird?　Mr. Aruk, could it be?

Yes, that's the first place to go.

I see what Mr. Aruk meant when he said "send.

"A sending lodge, Huberd. There we will first inform them of our arrival in the Kingdom of Lingle.

Hoo-bird---I heard the name and looked at the blue pigeons once more and let out an exclamation of admiration.

●

The term "sending inn hoo-bird" is a generic name for a group of people who send letters, etc., and it is said to refer to a group of people who use hoo-birds, demons that look very much like pigeons that serve as messengers.

In the original world, a "sender" is a post office, and a "hoo-bird" is like a deliveryman, enabling the exchange of information over long distances by having letters and other items carried in a backpack attached to the back of the hoo-bird that acts as a deliveryman.

"Are they different from ordinary birds?"

"Foo birds are different from ordinary birds, they are as fast as the wind. And because they are demons, they are very strong and can carry a certain amount of weight with ease.

"Wow."

"Also, the name 'sending inn' doesn't mean a place for humans to stay, but a house for hoo-birds."

"So it's not for humans, but for hoofbirds. I see.

While Mr. Aruk was sending out the letter, I waited outside and listened to Amako's story about the hoo-bird, which was very interesting.

I had never thought that they were helping people as messengers since I had only read their names and ecology in books.

While I was just interested in the ecology of the hoo-bird, Nair pushed Amako aside and came over to talk to me next.

"The ecology of the hoo-bird is interesting, but what's interesting is that those kids have a contract with their messengers.

"Hmm?　What's so different about a messenger contract?"

"There are so many differences."

I thought they were all the same, but from Nair's point of view, they are very different.

"In their case, it's not a one-to-one contract, but a contract shared by the master of each hooverbird. Because there are so many people sharing the covenant, no matter where you are in the country, the Lord for the hooverbird is there."

"Because we share, we can pass letters to each other. ......? I mean, how do you know that?"

Did you look it up yourself?

Or did you just look at the hoo-bird and realize how the messenger contract works?

"A long time ago, I caught a staff member of the inn and asked him about it. I just remembered it when I saw those kids."

"This guy you're talking about is ......"

You forced me to listen to you?

Wait a minute. After hearing about the hoo-bird life and how it works, I realized that I didn't have to hand Nack the letter, did I?

If I had sent it normally, I could have let Rose know in advance that Nack was coming. ......?　

.......

Sorry Nack. Maybe he will not bother to read my letter and do something unreasonable to you, but good luck. .......

"Thank you for your patience. I have sent the report to the Kingdom of Lingle. And I've got something interesting for you."

While I was wishing the best of luck to my apprentice who was far away, Mr. Aruk, who had sent me the letter, came out of the building holding a piece of paper.

"Something interesting?"

"Here it is. It is about your friend, Mr. Usato.

"Really?

Friends, you mean senpai and Kazuki!

Surprised, I look over the paper that Mr. Aruk showed me.

There are stories about Inukami-senpai and Kazuki, who are active in their respective countries. There are few details, but they have made it to the main round of the dueling tournament!　and "Defeat the devil bull!　and "defeating a demon bull" are some of the more disturbing words, so it seems that the two are having an epic journey.

"After reading this article, I don't think that evil dragons are so important. Yeah."

"I don't think so. ......"

"That's not true. ......"

"That's not true."

You don't have to be such a total dick. .......

But you two are doing a great job.

Seeing them both doing so well makes me feel like I have to do my best.

Hey, what kind of people are the brave ones?

"Well, ah, ...... they are..."

"I knew it!" "A monster like Usato!"

Who's the monster? Who's the monster?

Immediately, Nair, who was interested in the two brave men, came up to me with a childlike gleam in her eyes, but when she tried to treat me, a pure human being, as a monster, I gave her a weak decoupin.

Of course, I made sure that her transformation would not be broken.

Neah groaned, holding her forehead.

"Oh no!　What are you doing?　I thought your head was going to fly off!

"Don't worry. I'm going easy on you.

Rose could give a man a decapitation that would blow him away.

"Usato's going easy on us is not easy on him. ...... And you just did that before you said it. ......

"Hmm?　What is it, Amaco?

She mumbled something to me and when I turned to look at her, she pulled her cloak over her head to protect her forehead.

......Well, let's let that one slide.

I'm a little relieved to see that she can afford to make light talk now...

---Goooo...

"Whoa!"

Your shoulders shake in surprise as you look in the direction of the loud noise.

The bells in the tower, as tall as the castle, were ringing over and over again.

"I'm surprised ......, what?"

As I frown at the sound, which vibrates through the air, I notice that the noisy surroundings have become quieter.

I looked around and saw that the people of Samaritan had started to kneel down on the spot and pray silently.

"What the hell is this? ......"

I was puzzled by the sight of everyone praying except for us, when Mr. Alc came up to me and whispered in a small voice, "I'm sorry.

This is why we are in the land of prayer.

"Honestly, it's bizarre. ......"

"...... I agree. For those of us who have been in other countries, this scene may be a bit unfamiliar."

It is more like faith than prayer.

Even children are praying desperately for something with their little hands.

A land of prayer, something I didn't think anything of when I first heard about it, but now, as I look at all the people in front of me, all bent down on their knees in silence, it seems... bizarre.

"It's ...... kind of weird," he said.

Nair, who was looking at the tower with a somewhat disgusted expression on her face, muttered something like that.

"What's wrong?　Are you about to be purified by the sound of the bells?"

"I'm not that evil. ......

I'm aware that I'm evil there. .......

Suddenly the bells stop ringing, a little startled by the fact. At the same time, the people who had been praying begin to move, and the streets return to the lively atmosphere they had just experienced.

It is a surprisingly quick transition.

"Well then, Mr. Usato. After we take them back to Bulgaria, we will go to Samaritan's castle.

"Yes, ......, yes. I've already sent you a letter.

Yes, yes, don't forget to give them the letter.

I almost forgot because of the impact of Samaritan.

I check my luggage to make sure that the three letters and the spare are in order.

They are there. Now it's time to send Amako, Néa, and the extra baggage back to Bulrin's place.

"Okay, Amako, Neah. I'm going to drop you guys off at Bullyn's place now..."

I turn around, but Nair and Amako are nowhere to be seen.

Huh?　Huh?　They were both talking to each other a moment ago, and then suddenly they're gone.

"Don't tell me they wandered off somewhere like Inukami-senpai?"

No, how is it possible for Amako to go away without telling us anything, let alone Nair?

Maybe she was kidnapped by someone?　No, she's not the only one.

This is Samaria, a country that abhors subhumans.

The thought of her disappearing somewhere in a country like that... a bad thought crossed my mind.

Mr. Aruk, you two!

...... Let's put off the letter and look for them.

I nodded at Mr. Aruk's words.

It's too late if something goes wrong.

The letter is important, but it is more important to find our friends who are not here now than to give it to them whenever they want.

I tried to leave the place to look for Amako and Nair, but Mr. Aruk grabbed my arm as I started to walk away.

"...... Usato-dono, please stop!"

"What's the matter?

"Look behind you."

As Mr. Aruk urged me to turn around, I saw several knights walking in formation from the direction of the castle.

That alone was not enough reason for Mr. Alc to stop me, but the first knight who formed a line and came toward me had clearly caught me and Mr. Alc in his gaze.

A man with a long sword, dressed in a combination of robes and armor---a man with black hair interspersed with gray---stepped in front of me and Mr. Alc and slowly opened his mouth in a low, heavy voice.

"May I have a word with you?"

"...... yeah."

What is it with these people?

It was obvious that they saw me and Mr. Aruk and approached us.

I just want to listen to what they have to say and look for them. The man bowed reverently as he replied.

"---I assume you are Usato-sama, a healing magician belonging to the Lingle Kingdom's Lifeguard Corps.

"......"

How do you know who I am ......?

I haven't been to the castle yet, and I'm sure I haven't told the guards that I'm from the Kingdom of Lingle.

Do these people have anything to do with the disappearance of the two?

"Calm down, Usato-sama."

"Mr. Aruk, ......, but..."

They are the Knights of Samaritan. And ......."

He grips my shoulder and admonishes me, but then his gaze turns to the sword at the waist of the man standing in front of him.

On the hilt of the long, ceremonial-looking sword is a large, almost awkwardly large orb that flashes at regular intervals.

Mr. Arque looks at the sword for a few seconds and then lowers his voice so that the men in front of him do not hear him.

"......I understand why Amako-dono left here."

"What ......?"

"I can't tell you why in front of them, but they are safe. So please, let's keep this quiet."

"...... yes."

He unclenches his fists and relaxes his shoulders.

From what Mr. Aruk said, it seems that Amako left here with Nair by herself.

...... is it because you met with these people?　It makes sense that Amako had some kind of premonition and came to the conclusion that she and Nair should not encounter these people, and thus she left me and Mr. Aruk.

At the very least, they are not people you can trust so easily.

At any rate, if they start some kind of hard-line tactics after just talking with us, we should just respond accordingly.

"...... Who are you?"

"...... Excuse me, my name is knight-errant Fegnis. I'm here to welcome you from the Kingdom of Lingle.

"Welcome?　Well, why in the world?

It's not like he's a knight major or a corps commander, but is he in some kind of superior position at ......?

Either way, it is too suspicious that he knows my identity completely.

At my question, the man who calls himself Fegnis smiles more benignly and slowly opens his mouth.

"My king, Lucas Urd Samaritan, wishes to meet with you.

"What? ...... Huh?"

The King of Samaritan wants to meet with me.

Not only me, but even Mr. Alc was surprised at this extraordinary story.