The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic

The road to the castle in Mearaq was very quiet.

No one was around, and even the goods for sale were abandoned. ...... It was as if people had disappeared at some point, and one could sense a sense of disquiet.

"Mr. Leo."

As I was walking with Mr. Aruk and others in the city where silence reigns, I call out to Mr. Leo, a man in armor who is walking in front of me.

"Yes, what is it?"

"Don't you want to take off your helmet?"

"!?

I have been a little concerned about his reluctance to take off his helmet since a while ago.

When he heard my question, he suddenly pressed his head with his hand.

"Oh, it was rude of me to keep my face hidden for so long. I'm sorry, I'll take it off now.

Leo-san immediately tries to remove his own helmet.

However, contrary to his expectation, the helmet does not come off as if it is caught on something.

"Oh, what?　It won't come off?　Mmmmmm... ......!"

Leo-san grabs his head and tries to pull it up.

Perhaps his armor got distorted in the battle with Mr. Karon, and it got stuck on his helmet and wouldn't come off.

Leo-san started to jump up and down on the spot, and when he noticed our eyes on him, he turned his head to us impatiently.

His voice seemed to be trembling.

"I'll have you take it off at the castle.

"Yes, that would be better. ......"

Leo, looking embarrassed, turned around and started walking again.

He is mumbling something like "I've done it ......" or "I may be dead".

He is probably summarizing his report to the castle. He seems serious.

"Is he more mischievous than I thought?"

"He seems to be. It's very rare to have such a naturally friendly personality.

Mr. Alc nodded at my words.

I had just met Leo, but I had various impressions of him.

He was reliable, serious, kind and concerned about me more than himself, and his friendly personality ...... made me feel a little disappointed, but I guess that was just my imagination.

Not every person I meet is a disappointment.

"When I say disappointing, I mean ......"

"...... An?　What?"

I casually look at Nair, who is walking diagonally in front of me, and he gives me a stern look.

.......

"Huh ......"

"Hey!　Sighing in someone's face is not nice! I didn't do anything!

"No, it's just... ...... you're a disappointment. ......"

"I don't want to be told by the most disappointing person!　You are a devil, a brainless, insensitive monster of a man!"

"Stop slamming all the abuse you can think of into me, it's pretty heartbreaking."

I have to complain about the bad language.

What do you mean by "insensitive"?

I'm proud to say that my reflexes have reached the realm of being too sharp, not to mention my demons and brains.

"If you are talking about the sense of pain, I can feel pain normally. It's just that I endure it. It's all about spirit, spirit. You can endure it if you don't lose your mind.

"I hope you realize that there's something wrong with you when you're able to hold your own with your spirit. ......"

"We are creatures that get stronger every time we go through pain. ......"

Tremendous muscle pain from training.

The pain of continuous overuse, ignoring the screaming muscles.

Injuries and poison from fighting snakes.

The evasive maneuvers of being one-sidedly beaten by Rose.

Injuries from the fight against the evil dragon.

The mental attack at Samaritan's Head.

All of it was no small thing, but I endured it and overcame it.

"Oh, you still think you're human?"

But the vampire in the village girl's skin had the nerve to respond to my words with such a response.

"That's a pretty hurtful reaction..."

"No, because ...... common sense tells you that a normal human being wouldn't first cause an ogre to faint in agony with a single blow. ....... Besides, when you can withstand hundreds of years of Samaritan's hatred, you're a monster, aren't you?"

He's not kidding.

I'm really pulling for ......!　I almost cried at her reaction.

"Nah, don't do that. Usato is hurt too, you know?"

"Amako ......!"

I knew you were on my side, Amako.

Amako hugged my arms with both of hers and glared at Néa.

Usato is still human. He's still human.

"Hey, why did you say that twice?"

"Hey, why did you say that twice?" "Because I'm a human being, you know," he said meaningfully.

I don't just transform into another creature at some point, okay?

Amako tilted her head cutely at my appealing gaze.

"?"

"No, don't tilt your head. Why do you look like you really don't know?"

Amako, that's not a follow-up.

I mean, I don't think so.

I guess that's what you call stepping on my toes.

"We're almost at the castle. ...... Oh, Usato, what's wrong?　Don't tell me you got hurt somewhere in the fight earlier?

"My body is fine, but my heart ...... hurts."

I'm usually shocked when I'm pulled over in a normal situation, even though my spirit is supposed to have been strengthened by Samaritan's Rule.

I told Leo that I was fine, and then turned my attention to the castle of Mearaq, which was approaching nearby.

It looks like a castle similar to those of Lingle Kingdom and Samaritan. It looks a bit light blue in color, maybe?

There is someone here that Leo wants me to meet.

"Well, we have a lot of questions we want to ask him..."

The water around Mearaq is frozen.

Why is the mysterious man, Mr. Karon, running amok?

And we, who are involved in this, have to hear about what is happening to Mr. Karon.

I am sure that you will be able to find out more.

Leo led us to the castle.

As we moved to the front gate of the castle, a person who looked like a castle maid greeted us and Leo. However, no one came out of the castle except for her.

As soon as she saw Mr. Leo, she turned pale and ran to him.

"---Are you safe?

"Yes, as you can see, I'm not hurt."

"You look like a wreck!"

"Oh, no, I'm fine. I'm in there."

"Oh, really? ....... Um, what about you guys?"

The maid was relieved, but when she noticed us behind her, she gave a quizzical look.

Probably because of the presence of the demon Bulrin. Normally, she seems to be quite fluent, but to ordinary people, she is a ferocious demon, a blue grizzly, so it's understandable that they are wary of her.

"They saved us when we were in danger. I can assure you that they are not enemies.

Thanks to Leo's immediate action of telling the maid about us, there was no need to be alarmed.

"Usato, I'll let her show you the rest. I have to take off this armor."

"Oh, yes. Yes, sir.

"Well, you'll be seeing me soon."

Leo puts his hand on my shoulder, smiles, and walks toward the castle.

After seeing Leo off, the maid turned around and bowed reverently.

"Well then, everyone. This way please. Ah, the messenger ......?　May I ...... ask you to take the blue grizzly into the stables?

Yes, that's fine.

After placing Bulrin in the stables on the castle grounds, I ask the maid to take me inside the castle.

The inside of the castle was as unpopular as the outside.

"Is there no one here either ......?"

"Not really, is it?　Not so much, it seems. There are some people here, though they are quite few.

Hearing Nair's words, he looks around the castle.

More and more I don't understand what's going on. It seems strange that there are so few people in the castle, as well as outside. If the people of Mearaak had been erased by Mr. Karon outside, it would be more convincing, but... how could he do such a thing with his ice powers?

"Why did you all come to Mialak?"

We came from the Kingdom of Lingle on a mission. But when we arrived, the water around Mialark was frozen and an unidentified man was running amok. ......What the hell happened?"

"......"

When Mr. Aruk asked the maid, she fell silent.

After a moment of silence, she opened her mouth hesitantly.

"I don't understand ...... the details of the situation. I don't, but ...... it started about a month ago."

"One month ......"

Before we arrived in Samaritan?

That's when all the commotion started.

"One night, one of the knights suddenly went berserk. As if he had lost his mind, he started attacking the people around him and was immediately seized by the surrounding knights and put in jail.

Perhaps that knight is Mr. Karon.

But what does it mean that he suddenly went on a rampage?

"I thought that after a while he would return to normal and we would be back to our usual peaceful routine ......, but he never came to his senses anytime soon. Moreover, his power seemed to be increasing day by day. ....... And then---"

"...... and?"

"Exactly two weeks ago, he broke out of his cage. He took Mialak's powerful armor, and in the blink of an eye he rendered the knights impotent and ready to do anything to destroy them.

"It wasn't just the power of that axe. ......"

The axe that Mr. Karon was holding --- it was covered with powerful cold air, so I thought it was the cause of his transformation, but he had been changing even before that.

And that was two weeks ago. .......

That's when we left Samaritan, so he must have gone straight to Mearaq without noticing anything wrong with him.

Well, that's just bad luck.

"So, did they send him to ......?"

"No." "So, did they send him to ? The people in Mearaq let him go to a neighboring country.

"...... what?"

You let them go to a neighboring country while Mr. Kalon is running amok outside?　

Is that possible ......?

When I was puzzled by the maid's explanation, she stopped walking in front of me and turned around. There was a big door on our side and she put her palm on the door.

JoOusama will tell you the details.

"Queen ......?"

She says this and opens the door.

At the far end of the hall beyond the door was a woman sitting on a throne.

She was about the same age as Rose or older. However, her tired expression and the dark circles around her eyes made her look older than she was.

She is dressed in a royal blue costume and a staff as clear as ice. The woman who looked at us as if squinting her eyes looked at us with interest.

"You ...... are the ones he was talking about, aren't you?"

"......!"

I was puzzled when she looked at me and said those words.

She talks as if she knows me. And this time, she didn't sound like she had done her research on me before like she did in Samaritan.

As my eyes widen in astonishment, the queen slowly rises from her throne.

Welcome to Mialark, I am Norn Elad Mialark, Queen of Mialark. First of all, let me say that I cannot... welcome you with open arms.

An obvious rejection by the queen, Norn Erad Mialak.

These words convinced me that the handing over of the letter would not be so easy.

I was not surprised at all.

"I know I am not welcome. I know it's not welcome, but we've been caught in the middle of all this for no reason. Can you tell us what's going on first?"

After receiving a clear rejection, Mr. Aruk was talking to Mr. Norn instead of me, who did not know how to start the conversation.

At his words, Norn-sama's shoulders drooped as if he was drooping, and he opened his mouth in a small voice.

His voice was weak and did not sound as dignified as it had earlier.

"I understand. I know that I should be welcoming you to our home, but ...... the time is not right. I'm sorry if I sounded harsh ......."

Master Norn's face is shadowed and his arms are lowered in a slumped position.

Her appearance reminded me more of a tired office worker than a queen. Confused by the difference between the queen I had expected and the queen in front of me, I waited for her next words.

"I haven't slept properly for about a week, and to be honest, I'm quite irritated ......."

"Yeah, yeah. ......"

I'm not surprised you're grumpy for such a less-than-expected reason. .......

She puts down her expensive-looking cane carelessly and sits down roughly in her chair, pressing her eyes sleepily. If you look closely, you can see a bottle-like object lying beside the throne.

......What is that,...... alcohol?

As I stare at the empty bottle, Nea and Amako, who are standing next to me, hold their noses and frown.

"Ugh, Usato,...... that's a potion. And it has this strong smell ...... that helps to make you sleepy. ......"

"Wow, potions are supposed to be expensive, but that's a great use of them. ......"

I've never heard of potions before, but I see that they are like nutritional drinks to make you sleepy.

Hearing Amako's words, the queen, smiling emptily, grabs a bottle with the contents beside her and swallows it down.

Seeing her, the maid behind her rushes to her.

"No, Norn-sama!　How many times have I told you that excessive consumption of potions is bad for your health?　Please go back to sleep, even if it's only for three hours!

No, no!　You would never wake me up in three hours!　I can't sleep even for a day!　Gabo-gabo-gabo!"

"Oh, all at once?　No!"

The queen gulping down the potion, and the maid trying to stop her in a panic.

...... Honestly speaking, for someone like me who has met king-like kings such as Lucas and Lloyd, the young Norn in front of me looked quite strange.

Or rather, I was quite taken aback.

"Why should I be on the verge of extinction when I've only been queen for a short time.........ugh......"

Finally, he started whining in spite of our presence.

I let out a sigh and step forward.

"Excuse me, sir.

"What, what is it? ......"

I call out to her, a ghostly apparition that ruins any sense of dignity I had at first.

She must really be a very beautiful woman. Her shadows and fatigue are ruining her, though.

"Shall I cast a healing spell?"

"...... huh?"

What?　What's with that face?

Seeing Mr. Norn and the maid as if they had found a savior, for some reason I felt more tired than them.

I guess it will be a while before I hear what happened.