The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic

After leaving the castle with Bulrin, Nair and I headed straight for the lifeguard station.

The streets of the Kingdom of Lingle, the road leading to the lifeguard station, and the surrounding trees leading up to it---everything we saw was nostalgic.

"I wonder how everyone is. Well, of course we are.

"Gwah!"

"Well, well, are you glad to be back, too?"

He pats the head of Bulrin, who walks next to him, and turns his attention to Nair, who is on his shoulder.

He had tried to escape earlier, but he realizes that it is pointless in front of my reflexes, so he is now unfaithful and quiet.

"Well, the lifeguard is not as bad as you might imagine."

"...... I can tell when you're lying to me."

"I'm not lying. It's just that almost everyone in the group is too unique."

"Can you please stop talking as if you are not unique?　I don't know anyone more unique than you."

That's rude.

I'm on the bottom of the list.

"No, no, no, there are strong men in the Rescue Mission, even monsters, and above all, the leader is much more dangerous than I am. If I had to choose between the evil dragon and the leader, I'd choose the evil dragon without a second thought.

"Well, don't try to scare me with that!　I can't believe you're more than an evil dragon!"

For my part, I don't want to play with Rose, who is better than me in almost every aspect.

Unlike the Evil Dragon, I don't think I can use any tricks or push and even now that I have the cage hand, I can't picture myself being able to fight Rose at all.

"Well, I guess you'll find that out when you meet him. Oh, but I'll have to introduce you to the others. The tough guys, Ferrum, Nack ......, and Olga and Uluru from the infirmary."

"Ferrum, you mean the demon tribe summoned by Farga's magic in Mialak?"

Yes.

It's been almost a month now, and I hope things have calmed down a bit.

No, I don't think she'll ever calm down. I'm worried about how well she's getting along with Knack, but I guess that's okay with Rose.

"I don't know if I'm going to be able to handle it ......, the group is already so dense that I'm not sure I'll fit in."

"Ha ha, you're pretty much the same, so I think you'll be fine."

"Wait, what do you mean by that?

Nair, a vampire/necromancer hybrid, an owl, a clumsy girl, and a whole host of other things, is not to be outdone in personality, even if the lifeguard squad is full of weirdos.

Well, maybe not.

As I walk along the road, trying to calm down the angry Nair, who seems to be unconvinced by my words, I finally come in sight of the lifeguard quarters.

"Yes, it looks surprisingly normal. I thought there would be torture devices or something in there."

"You're overreacting. ....... This is a place to help people. There shouldn't be anything that disturbing ...... hmm?"

At that moment, they notice something lying in front of the dormitory.

A dark-haired boy named Nack and a silver-haired demon girl named Ferrum.

Both of them were in tatters, and both of them had fainted with their hands reaching for the door of the inn, as if they had run out of strength.

When Nair noticed them after me, she paled and her voice trembled.

"Hey, hey, Usato. Hi, there's a man down in the place where we help people. ......"

"This is just a normal day at the rescue squad. Don't worry, it's not at all unusual."

I'm going back to the village!

I'm going back to the village!

He immediately catches Nair as he attempts to flee.

He speaks in a flat voice to Nair, who flaps her wings frantically.

"Ha-ha-ha. You must be homesick by now. Don't worry, this will be your home now.

"Why should I live in a place where it's normal to have people lying on the ground in front of my house?　How bizarre is this lifeguard group!"

"This is where you belong. This is the only place. I wouldn't let you choose any other place.

How much do you want to drag me into this?

To be honest, I'm afraid he'll be mad at me for tearing up the uniform.

I thought that Rose's anger might be eased if one of us, Nair, knew what was going on.

I don't think it will be very effective, but it's better than nothing.

With Nair in my grasp, I walk over to Nack and Ferrum, who are both unconscious.

Ferrum is ...... out of it, his eyes completely blank.

Nack is--,

"......Hey, Usato, there's Mr. ......"

"Nack!　Are you okay?

"Heh, heh,...... I knew the Commander's training was hell,......

"Nack!　Hey, get a hold of yourself!　Knack......!"

He turns his head away from Nack, who faints as if he is running out of energy.

That's Rose.

She has already cast a healing spell on me, and even though there is no room to heal, I am knocked out from the mental damage alone.

There's nothing I can do about it.

"Let's say ...... that's it."

"Now we're getting a glimpse into the crazy lifeguard routine."

"Guu ......"

I let Nack and Ferrum, who have passed out, lie in a nearby field while I let Nair and Bulrin's gazes flow over me.

They will probably wake up in an hour or so.

They will be happier to rest for an hour than to wake up now.

That's what I thought when I was training.

"Okay, first we have to get Bulrin to the stables."

"Guh."

I hear a single voice, and I walk with him to the stables.

The stables, which are located very close to the inn, are still full of piles of straw, and Bulrin dives into one of them with great vigor.

"Thanks for your hard work, Bulrin. Keep up the good work."

"You must have been so tired. ....... Well, that's understandable."

Nair, back on his shoulder, looks at Bulrin and mutters something like that.

At that moment, a small black shadow jumped out from behind the straw in front of us.

I immediately realized who the shadow was and tried to catch it without even preparing myself - but somehow the small shadow was not heading for me, but for Nair on my shoulder.

"What?　What the hell?

While still in the owl state, Nair is hit by a body blow, and the shock causes her to revert back to her black-haired, red-eyed human form.

At the spot where Nair had been a moment ago, Rose's pet noir rabbit, Kukuru, is wagging his distinctive leaning ears with a smug look on his face.

"You look the same as ever, my dear. How are you?　Kukuru."

"Cue."

He may look very lovable, but he is a Dosu bunny just like his master.

Basically, it is his job to deceive you with his appearance, and then drive you to the depths of despair.

You d*mn rabbit!　You have the nerve to knock me down out of the blue!　Usato!　What's wrong with him!

This is Kukuru, the Commander's pet. It seems he's a rare demon just like you.

"Kyu."

"I don't care how rare it is!　That part is mine!"

Nair transforms into an owl again and charges at Kukuru, who is on her shoulder.

However, Kukuru, who moves to the opposite shoulder, evades Naea with a light movement and gives her a sneer as if to say, "You're so naive!

Nair returns to his original position, shaking with anger.

"Usato, what the hell is this guy?　He's really pissing me off!

"Well, well, calm down! Kukul, is the leader in the dormitory?

I ask Kukul, keeping Nair calm. He nods his head in agreement.

Then, let's go to the inn.

With Neah on my right shoulder and Kukul on my left, I leave the stables and go into the quarters, feeling like a tamer.

......I'm afraid that if Inukami-senpai sees me now, he might lose himself and attack me.

"......The strong-looking guys are gone. Are they in training at this time?"

"Kyu!"

"Oh?　What are you looking at? You little bunny rabbit."

At any rate, I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't put my face between your legs in a fight.

With a sigh, I look around the interior of the dormitory, and I am deeply moved.

"I guess the Commander is in the ...... Commander's office."

That's the only place to wait.

They already know I'm coming back. Then let's not hesitate and head straight for the leader's office.

I walk up the stairs and stand in front of the door to the Commander's office where Rose is.

"Soooo.... ......Good."

I make up my mind once again and knock on the door of the Commander's office.

I hear a short "Come in" in reply, so I nervously put my hand on the doorknob and open the door.

The first thing I see is Rose sitting on a chair in the Commander's office with her arms crossed.

She recognized me and smiled a fierce smile, the same as the day we last met.

"Well, ...... there's a lot I want to say, but ...... we'll get to that later."

I was at a loss for words, but she continued to weave her words.

"Welcome back. Usato."

"......!"

I try to hold my chest out as much as I can while suppressing the rush that these words bring.

I try to say them out loud and firmly.

"I'm home!　Commander!

At this moment, I realized that I had finally returned to "my home.

I was back home.

After that, I was in the Commander's office, briefly explaining to Rose the events of my trip so far.

Unlike my seniors, she listened to me without raising an eyebrow at all about the evil dragon or Lord Farga.

"Well, it seems you have had a very pleasant trip."

After listening to the whole story, Rose crossed her arms thoughtfully and said something like that.

Delightful ...... sums it up pretty easily.

"Haha, well ...... yes."

"It's not a compliment, idiot. You're getting too involved in the problem. It's a good thing it all worked out in the end, but you need to think a little more carefully."

"Yes, I'm sorry. ......"

It is true, and I admit my fault honestly.

I can't help being angry here, but there is one more matter that might make me angry.

I fearfully broach the subject with Rose.

"Um, I'm talking about the group uniform. ......"

"You're telling me that the commander of the Second Army ripped you to shreds. Let me see."

He takes out a cloth-wrapped uniform from his luggage and hands it to Rose.

She unfolded the robe, looked at the hole cut and made by the cohort for a few seconds, and then looked back at me with a rather grim expression on her face.

"First of all, let me tell you, I'm not that angry."

"...... Eh!"

He looks really unhappy.

At my reaction, Rose pressed her forehead with her hand.

"It's for your protection. What's wrong with it falling apart? It's doing what it's supposed to do."

"But this is the ...... of the lifeguard."

"These are just a little tougher clothes when you get right down to it. What matters is you.

"Me, is it ......?"

Rose's words upset me a little as she carefully folded the trousers and put them on the desk.

"You can make this stuff over as much as you want, but there's only one of you. It is needless to compare who has priority over you or this group uniform.

"Hey, Commander, ......!"

You've been talking about me that much ......!

Oh no, I'm about to cry because of your kind words, which are so rare.

"Well, on the other hand, if you had come back with a clean bill of health, I would have blown you away."

"......"

The tears have receded.

Now I'm a little more thankful to Koga.

Now that the story of the group uniform is over, the next topic of conversation is about Nair.

"So, is that black thing over there your messenger?"

"Yes, his name is Nair. He is now in the form of an owl, but he is originally a demon in human form.

He motions to Nair to become a human being.

Rose sighs lightly, a little surprised to see Néa in human form with the light.

"So we have a demon tribe, a kid with a healing spell, and now a sorcerer's demon. You don't think we're just a bunch of street performers, do you?

Well, we're all the same, including you.

It hurts so much I feel like my face is going to be crushed!

Rose grabs my face so fast I can't react, and the fear I'd almost forgotten comes back to me.

Nair looks away and just shivers as I scream in anguish, but then Rose turns to look at her with a glare.

"Hey!"

"Yes, yes?

"If you're Usato's messenger, you're officially in the care of the Rescue Mission. We won't give you special treatment just because you're a demon.

"Oh, no, no, it's just that ......

Nair is too slow to answer.

It is no wonder that he is so defensive in front of the Commander.

Let me answer for you.

He says it's fine.

"!!!?"

Nair looks at me in disbelief.

I tell him not to worry about it, and he punches me in the shoulder with tearful eyes, but it doesn't hurt or itch, so it's all fun and games.

"I see. Then we'll have to see how much his magic and you have grown.

What do you mean, "check"?

I asked her with a somewhat unpleasant feeling, and Rose gave a wry smile.

"I'll take care of him."

"...... Yeah, you're going to die, aren't you? Me and Nair.

"I'll go easy on you, don't worry."

I can only despair if they take it easy on me.

With vacant eyes, he smiles at Nair, who is standing next to him.

"Then you're safe. You did it, Néa. You survived!"

"Goodbye Usato!　It's been a pleasure!"

For the umpteenth time today, Néa tries to escape, and I just meditate on her without moving.

I know.

I know that in this situation, there is no way I can escape in Rose's territory.

Rose's hand blurs for a moment, and then something explodes in the air behind me, and I fall silent with a mournful cry.

"...... Commander. So, are you going to do it today?"

"No, we'll do it in a few days. You'll be busy with your report. As for today, since you're back, Alec and the others are arranging a dinner for you.

"Are Olga and Uluru coming too?"

"Yes.

That means all the members of the lifeguard squadron will be there at night.

I'm looking forward to talking with Nack about a lot of things.