The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic

It was my fourth day in Mearaq.

It was my third day of training and I was having a mock battle with Leona.

The day before yesterday, Leona and I had been fighting as seriously as possible, but yesterday's simulation was different from the one the day before yesterday.

"Eyes!　Usato!

Yes!

What we're doing is training her to perform a series of evasive and offensive moves.

I avoid Leona's sword with minimal movement.

In return, I stop my attacks without hitting Leona, and repeat it over and over again.

It would be easier to understand if I say that it is as if I am being trained directly into my body to avoid the next attack, instead of being conscious of the exaggerated evasion as I usually do.

"---"

But this is surprisingly difficult, and the moment I think about the next attack, a wooden sword swung sideways grazes my temple.

He clucks his tongue and avoids the next slash by taking a half step to the side.

There is no need to avoid it too far. I watch not only the movement of the sword, but all of Leona's movements, anticipating her next action and avoiding it with the minimum of movement.

I remember the time when I was fighting against Mr. Alc who was controlled by Nair.

At that time, I dared to see off his attack and bounced it off with my cuirass so as not to hurt him, but this time, I guess this fighting style is a development of that.

"......, though!"

In this training, I have two restrictions.

One is that I am not allowed to flick Leona's sword with my fist, and the other is that I am not allowed to step out of a circle with a radius of about one meter below my feet.

The first one was not so tight, but the second one was more difficult than I imagined to avoid Leona's attack in a narrow space.

In fact, until I got used to it, I was getting hit with bokosuka (wooden swords), causing countless bumps that I had to heal with healing magic.

"There ......!"

I avoided Leona's sword several times and stepped lightly into her bosom with minimal movement, making my fist stop just short of her abdomen.

After a few seconds of silence, we both lowered our swords and fists and relaxed.

"Well done, I guess."

"...... No, not at all."

Leona looked troubled at my words.

"Don't be so disappointed. I, for one, continue to be amazed at your physical prowess. As you may have noticed, I've been trying to mislead you with occasional feints, but ...... you're a ...... guy."

"Yes?"

"Yes?" "I was afraid that you would respond to all my feints."

Fe...feints?

I didn't even notice.

I thought he was moving in a way that he was trying to be obtrusive, but I didn't realize he was doing it unconsciously.

Your "eye" is really amazing. I must be putting you through some pretty crazy training, but when it comes to ...... avoidance, you've already got plenty of it."

"Ha-ha-ha, that's it, isn't it? It's thanks to my teacher."

Of course, you'd get better at avoidance after such Spartan-like training.

I remember the hellish training days when Rose beat me endlessly and made me learn evasion before I left for the journey to deliver the letter: .......

At the time, I wondered if such reckless training would help me.　But after the trip, I realized how much Rose's training helped me.

......Well, I got beat up a lot.

"Usato, are you okay?　Did I hurt you by any chance?　Do you want me to take you to the infirmary?"

"......?　Oh, I'm quite all right. I was just remembering my training days with my master.

"I see. ...... how fierce were your training days with your master? ....... No, a woman who exudes such pressure. It must have been far beyond my imagination. ......"

Leona is looking at my face and pulling away.

I feel sad that I am used to this reaction.

"I guess the training is going well. The foundation has been laid, so you learn quickly.

"What's next?"

Same as before. We're going to make your body remember today's moves. It will make your movements faster and less wasteful.

Training to reduce waste, huh?

If you think about it, the less you spend on avoidance, the less you waste your magic and energy. This may be an effective training in that aspect as well.

"But first, let's take a short break..."

"Oh, I'm fine.

There's still an hour or so before lunch, and I've got plenty of time to spare physically.

Besides, ALC will be watching our training in the afternoon, and I'd like to do what I can while I still can. .......

But Leona shakes her head.

"Since yesterday you have been training from morning till night, haven't you?　Even though you have healing magic and extraordinary physical strength, you must not overdo it. If you are too tense, you will not be able to do what you can do.

I nodded my head, somewhat understanding Leona's last words.

She has a point.

Maybe she's a little impatient. .......

I relaxed my shoulders and turned to Leona.

"Well, is it okay if I go and have a look around the city?"

"Sure, why not?　There is no one in town right now. ......

"I was just wondering if I could go for a walk with the blue grizzly ...... blue grizzly for a bit."

"With the Blue Grizzly ......"

Leona's expression is a mixture of bewilderment and curiosity as she recalls the sight of Bulrin, who is currently coasting in the stables of Mearaq.

Perhaps, as a knight of Mearrak, she knows what kind of a monster the blue grizzly is, and that's why she is interested in Bulrin, a self-defeating bear who has forgotten his wildness.

"Usato."

"Yes?"

As I was contemplating this, Leona-san looked back at me as if she had made up her mind and called out to me.

"Would you mind if I accompany you?　If you don't mind, I can at least give you some directions. ......"

"That's totally fine. I would rather not have to worry about getting lost.

Besides, you can learn about the city of Mearaq, even though there are no people there.

I nodded at Leona's offer and moved with her toward the stables where Bulrin was staying.

Inside the stables, there was a sleeping Bulrin, curled up like a Marimo, and when he noticed that I was nearby, he turned his sleepy eyes toward me and stretched out his head.

"Hey, Bulleen. I'm going for a walk. Wake up!"

"guffaw......"

"Hey, hey, hey, ......"

You'll be coasting too much: .......

I'm going to have to get him out of there.

I shook his huge blue body, forcing him to wake up, and he shook me, his eyes glazed over, and then he came around behind me and jumped on my back.

"Whoa!　You're getting heavy!"

I was thinking about putting him on a diet, when he, who had gained more weight than before, tapped me on the shoulder with his paw with a big sigh, completely putting all of his weight on me.

I wondered if he was telling me that if I wanted to take him out, I should take him out on my back.

"Guu......"

"......You can't help it, at all. I'll put you down when you wake up, okay?　......Yo!"

I nodded sleepily, and I carried him on my back out of the stables.

Leona was waiting for me outside the stables and let out a little scream when she saw me and Bulrin.

"What?　Why are you carrying Blue Gris ...... on your back?

"No, he still looked sleepy.

"That sounds like an answer, but it's not!　I mean, aren't you heavy?

"I'm used to it. Let's go.

"Uh, ah, ah ......?"

She looks at me and Brulin alternately and walks out of the castle with Leona, who is looking at her with a hundred faces.

As usual, the streets of Mearaq are deserted and empty.

"It's so quiet, isn't it?"

"Yeah."

Leona looked at the city of Mearaq and nodded her head mysteriously.

"This place used to be crowded with many people, ...... but now it has become so deserted that not a shadow of it can be seen. As someone who lives here, I wish you could have seen the real city of Mearaq."

"I would have liked to have seen it if I could have ....... I also wanted to try the fish dish that Mialak is said to be famous for."

"Hmph. ......"

Leona smiles at my words.

We walk around Mialak for a while, listening to Leona's guide.

When I came here, I didn't have time to see the city after Mr. Karon attacked me, but I guessed that this place must be a rich and prosperous place with many people.

The benefits of Mearaq's abundant fishery resources must be immeasurable.

"Gululu".

"It looks like Bulrin wanted to eat Mialak's fish, too."

Even Bulrin, on his back, is smiling and snarling ruefully.

Leona-san let out a funny laugh at my smiling at him.

"I'm sorry. It's funny, but you look so natural with the burin on your back."

"Nature...... well, yes. In the Kingdom of Lingle and in Lucvis, they were running with bullring on their backs.

"Oh, yeah?　I thought today was the first time. ......"

The first time was when Rose told me to get used to running with someone on my back.

I don't feel too bad about it, since I have my whole back covered with fluffy stuff.

"I thought I had been a knight for a long time, but I've never seen anyone who has such a heart to heart with demons as you do. From what I've heard, you haven't even made a contract with a demon?

"If anything, it's Nair who's the messenger. It's more like Nair is the messenger.

"Her. I heard from Mr. Farga that she is a mixture of a vampire and a necromancer. ...... Is it unheard of for a humanoid demon to voluntarily make a contract with a human?"

Master Farga knew about Nair's race.

But now that you mention it again Leona, it has been a strange journey indeed. Instead of making a contract with Bulrin, who is supposed to be a demon, she was almost forced to make a contract with Nair.

No, seriously, it's not normal. .......

"You have surprised me many times since we first met. When I first met you, I thought you were a child, but when I opened my eyes, I found a series of things that were so out of the ordinary. ......"

What is normal for me, must be full of surprises for Leona and Lady Norn.

It may be that I myself am from a different world and have different common sense, or it may be that my life in the other world so far has been a little different from others.

"The most surprising of all was that you defeated the same divine dragon as Falga-sama."

"You mean the evil dragon?"

"Yes, though its existence was hidden from me until the day I met you. ....... I learned more about the evil dragon from Mr. Farga and found it to be truly terrifying.

Every time I think of the evil dragon, I wish I never had to fight it again.

It was such an evil, malevolent monster.

"I'm sure I won't be able to fight in front of that evil dragon.

Leona's words stopped my thoughts for a moment.

Leona-san will not be able to fight in front of the evil dragon?

What does that mean? Looking at her strength, she should be capable enough to stop the evil dragon, even if she can't make a decisive move against it.

I talk to Leona, who is smiling awkwardly with a somber look on her face.

"Oh no, if Leona-san can fight with Karon-san, she can ......."

"It's not a question of whether you can fight or not. I'm not as strong as you think I am. No matter who wants me, no matter who adores me, no matter how much ...... they expect me to be, I am weak, as fragile and shattered as ice ......."

To be honest, I was somewhat aware that Leona was troubled.

But I still want to say this. It's heavy, it's heavy,...... Leona,.......

That's not what you should be talking to me about. It's not for me. It's for the maids and the Norns.

"I can fight because I am the only one who can. The title of hero was also chosen for me by accident, perhaps because the best knight, Kalon, went out of control. ......"

"Master Norn would not have chosen you to be a hero for such a crude reason."

"Yes, I know. I know. ...... I know."

Leona says the words as if to herself.

I cannot face her as she walks next to me. I don't know what to say to her.

"...... mind if we take a little detour?"

"What?　Yes, but where?

After a moment of silence, I nodded to Leona who asked me that.

She changed her destination and headed for the gate we had entered when we first came to this city. Leona silently walks out of the city through the gate.

I followed her with Bulrin on my back, and beyond that I saw the wards that Norn-sama had made and the pure white silver world.

"...... you're still frozen."

Water surface around the frozen city of Mearaq.

The water reflected the sun's rays, creating a fantastic scene, but at the center of the scene was a long-haired man with a naked upper body who stood erect and did not move, Mr. Karon, who radiated an unusual presence.

Mr. Karon, who was standing at the center of the scene, was standing erect and motionless, his upper body naked and long-haired.

"Bulrin, you want to get off?"

"guffaw......"

He puts down the snarling Bulrin on his back and looks at Mr. Karon, who is standing on the ice again.

"What is he doing now?"

"He's sleeping. Or, to be more precise, he is stopped.

He has not moved an inch with his eyes closed.

His face is calm, not the ferociousness he showed when we met a few days ago.　

"He suppresses his power like that when he is not fighting. In addition, when he is in that state, he maintains a space where the power of the ice can be fully exerted by pouring his magical power into the surrounding ice."

Is there such a secret that the ice doesn't melt? .......

I had assumed that it would melt someday, but this means that Mialark won't even be able to move his ship unless we defeat him.

"And if he finds out now?"

"If he finds out now, he'll come at us. He only attacks those who enter his icy domain. Mearrak is no exception. If it were not for Master Norn's warding, this place would have been destroyed by now.

"......"

If Master Norn falls, will Mr. Karon come to attack us immediately?

But is the only reason to attack this place because of the presence of people?　I know it's not very nice to say, but he should be able to leave Mearaq and run wild, but he is stubbornly staying here and targeting Mearaq.

It's as if there is something in Mialak that attracts him. ----

"No. ......"

Let's not be so coy.

Either way, we must stop Mr. Karon for the sake of the people of Mearaq and Nair, that is a given.

I stopped thinking and looked at Mr. Karon who was standing there silently.

"Karon is my fellow knight," she said.

"What?　Is that so?"

"Oh, yeah. We see each other a lot.

I knew that we knew each other because we were knights, but we were in the same class.

Maybe they were more or less acquainted with each other.

"He was the best knight who tried to do good for others and be strong for his people."

He was an amazing man.

"He had a funny personality, too. He was a nice young man, well-liked by all. It's not like me to say it, but ...... he was the ideal knight that everyone thought he was."

I wonder if his personality is similar to Kazuki's. If so, he seems to have a pleasant personality.

Leona's bitter expression turns into a troubled smile when she talks about Mr. Karon.

"And he was a winner in life, too, you know?　He was my classmate and he was already married.

"Well, when you say we're in the same class, you mean we're ...... around 20 years old, right?"

Is it not unusual for a 20 year old to be in the same room with a 20 year old?

I don't know what the standard is in this world, but it doesn't change the fact that I'm young.

"So, Mr. Karon's wife is ......?"

"She was safely evacuated to a neighboring country. But with her husband, Kalon, in such a state, I don't think she can be assured. ......"

...... do they know each other?

From the tone of voice, it could be taken that way,...... but I'd rather not ask because I'm sorry to offend you by asking you something so inept.

I am sure Mr. Karon's wife wishes him well.

I know from Leona's story that he is not a bad guy, even though he is out of control now.

"Then we should help him too, for the sake of Mr. Karon's wife."

"...... is ......"

"?　What's wrong?"

No, I'm sorry. I just thought your straight talk is very ...... pleasing to me."

Leona smiles without power.

I did not know how much emotion was put into those words.

But considering the part of anguish that Leona-san showed and the fact that Mr. Karon has someone waiting for his return, her mission as a hero to save Mearaak and her current situation where she has to save Mr. Karon must be a painful one.

"Shall we go back now?"

"...... yes."

Leona looked at the sun rising above us, nodded at her words, and walked with Bulrin along the path we had originally taken.

"......"

Before returning, he glances once at the place where Mr. Karon is.

He was standing alone on the vast expanse of ice, not a trace of the roughness he had displayed when he was fighting me.

"Gwah!"

"Hmm? Yeah, let's go."

Bulrin urged me to turn around and head toward the castle.

Can I stop Mr. Karon?

I had a vague doubt in my mind as I looked at Mr. Karon, and with a slight frown on my face, I followed Leona's back, who looked somewhat forlorn.