The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic

The day of departure for the base.

We, the lifeguards, were leaving the Kingdom of Lingle with the knights.

When we left, Amaco, Nack, and the people of the kingdom came to see us off. I left the Kingdom of Lingle, once again, with the view of the place we must protect, the Kingdom of Lingle, burned into my mind.

We traveled on horse-drawn wagons just as we did in the previous battle, but there were more members than before.

Five strongmen, Olga, Uluru, and - Ferrum and Nair.

When I think that there are ten members including myself in the carriage, I feel a deep emotion.

No, there's also Bulrin outside in his lifeguard armor, so that makes ten men and one horse.

"By the way, ......Nea, what's up with your outfit?"

"You finally pointed that out, didn't you?"

Nair, sitting in front of me, crosses her legs with a confident expression on her face.

Néa was not dressed in her usual training uniform, but in a cute outfit that looked like it had been designed for a girl, based on the black version of the uniform that Rose and I were wearing.

It's like a coat for me and Rose, but Nair's is a little bit more modernized in my world.

"Hmmm, this is my own outfit that I made with my transformation ability!"

"Yes, I think it's nice."

"What?　Well, I feel embarrassed when you praise me so frankly..."

"You look very lightweight, so you can move fast when the need arises."

"......"

Nair kicks me in the shin.

What is it?　Are you going for the shin like Ferrum?

"Ha, you're not ready if you're so concerned about your appearance.

The one who swore at me from the seat between Nair and the other was Ferrum, a girl of the demon tribe wearing a black trouser made of magic power.

Nair gives a mocking smile at her swearing.

"I guess it's better than Usato's different-colored one."

"Who's the wrong color for him!　I don't want to be ...... like him!"

Can I cry?

I'm being dissed in a roundabout way, saying I'm better than the wrong color, and Ferrum is just plain hurtful.

"You're the one who should be dressed like that!"

"I don't mind it!　As you can see from what I just said, he's a slow-witted, brainy guy anyway!"

While I was feeling down, Nair and Ferrum's bickering was about to heat up, when the person sitting between them made a move.

"I know you two are embarrassed, but don't fight and be nice to each other.

"Agh!"

"Ugh!"

Uluru-san is the best communicator in the rescue team.

Let go of me, ......!

Let go of me! ......!

No! We have to get along, because we're about to go to a very bad place."

With a beaming smile, she puts her hands on Ferrum's and Nair's shoulders and pulls them into her territory, taking them by surprise.

And there is another reason why she has stopped him.

"Besides, if you don't stop her soon, the Commander's thunder will come down!"

""...... What?　...... hiccup!"""

I followed Uluru's gaze to the carriage window and saw the horrifying sight of Rose, who was holding the reins of the horse pulling the carriage, glaring at Nair and Ferrum with a terrible glare.

She is only glancing behind her, but I can't help but feel the intensity of this horror movie.

"You see?"

""......""

Nair and Ferrum nodded their heads, looking pale.

Last time I was next to Rose who was controlling the reins, but this time I'm going to ride in the carriage." I've got some things to do at the base, so you'll have to rest," he says, but I wonder if he's going to be given the job of deputy commander.

"Usato-kun?

"Excuse me?　Olga-san."

I listen to Olga's voice sitting next to mine.

Olga-san, Uluru-san's older brother, is even more skilled in healing magic than I am.

He opens his mouth with his usual gentle expression.

"I remembered that I hadn't said anything to congratulate you on your new position as vice commander.

"Uh, no, nothing like that. ......"

"I really want to tell you. I'm also very happy that you've become deputy commander.

After a pause for a few seconds, Ms. Olga congratulates him.

"Congratulations on your new position as Deputy Commander of the Rescue Mission, Usato-kun. I hope from the bottom of my heart that you will continue to support Mr. Rose.

"......I don't know if I can support the Commander, but ......"

"You've been supportive enough at this point. You just don't know it yet.

It may be that I am supported, but I never thought of it the other way around.

But if that's the case with Olga, then maybe it is.

I nodded my head, letting his words ruminate in my mind.

"I will try my best in my own way.

"Yes. It's impossible now that the battle with the Demon Lord's army is imminent, but if you have any problems as the vice-commander, you can talk to me about them. If it's okay with me that I'm such an unreliable person. ......"

When I tried to follow her up with a wry smile, Uluru, who was playing with Nair and Ferrum before Olga, approached her.

"You should have more confidence in yourself, big brother. It's not cool if you don't finish up..."

"Ha ha ha ......"

"Big brother, this isn't funny, okay?"

"...... yes."

Olga is amused by the rather normal tone of his voice.

While I was watching their exchange, I heard a loud voice coming from the opposite side of the table from where Olga was sitting.

A man with a skin-head, Tong.

A small fat muscular man, Mil.

Gomul, a bearded man with a cross-shaped scar on his face.

Alec, the cook of the rescue team, whose trademark is a bandana wrapped around his head.

Guld, a goblin by the looks of it.

I listen to the five strong men I trust as they talk thoughtfully about something.

"I heard that we're not only dealing with demons. What are we going to do?

"It's a little troublesome that there are demons in the mix too.

Yeah, it's hard to tell the difference.

"It's all right, isn't it?　What we do is the same.

"Heh, that's true."

Demons, demons, borderline, what we do is the same. ...... I see, that's how it is.

After listening to that much conversation and understanding what they were talking about, I called out to them to join their conversation.

"If that's the way it's going to be, leave it to me. First of all, let's think of a way to prevent you from being mistaken for demons and attacked.

Oh!"""""?""""""""

As soon as I said that, I was stared at by a group of strong men with bloodshot eyes.

It's funny, I don't think my guess is wrong. .......

"Huh?　I thought they were discussing it so that they wouldn't be mistaken for the demons brought by the demon army and attack us because they look like demons.

"Are you selling us a fight?"

He tilts his head at Tong, who is flashing a blue streak of anger.

"What?"

"Are you kidding me? He's not mistaking us for Guld, who has a record, but he's not mistaking us for anyone.

I can't be mistaken either!　Maybe!"

Guld retorts to Mil's words, but Alec shakes his head as if to deny it.

"Didn't your sister pick you up after you were mistaken for a goblin and captured by a knight of the Lingle Kingdom?

Don't talk about my bouncer days!

Really?

So that's how you ended up in the rescue squad.

And now I don't know what Rose's criteria are for recruiting members.

"We were talking about countermeasures against the demons brought by the Demon Lord's army..."

"I see...that way."

"Rather, why didn't you think of this one: ......"

I nodded at Gomul's voice, which brought the conversation back on track.

Countermeasures against demons.

I guess the strongmen have more experience than us, so I should ask them.

"What do you do when you face a demon?　Oh, if there is a wounded person lying near the demon.

The strongmen put their hands on their chins for a while and thought about my question.

After ten seconds or so, one by one, they speak the answer to my question from the tongs.

"Aim for the vital point."

"Grab them before they can stop you."

"I'm just going to punch him anyway."

"I'm going to hit him as hard as I can."

"We'll bait them by hitting them with a handful of demons."

"I see. Thank you, I'll keep that in mind."

He thanks the five of them for their opinions.

I am honestly glad that none of them gave me the answer of .

If our legs can scare them even for a moment, it means that we can help the wounded who are close to the enemy.

I am aware of the practicality of the full force body slam, since I have also slammed myself into a blue grizzly once.

"Hey, Uluru. Can I use that as a reference?"

"Even I can see that. I think it's a definite no-no."

"Ordinary people can't do it, but I think Usato and his friends can handle it, can't they?"

I can hear Nair and the others murmuring in front of me, but for now let's focus on what Tong and the others are saying.

......We fight a lot with these guys, but that doesn't mean we don't get along.

I would say that we have a relationship where we can say whatever we want to say to each other without hesitation.　I think it's a different kind of relationship of trust from Kazuki's and Inukami's.

"Well then, next, let's think about how to prevent Gurd from being mistaken for a demon.

""""No objections""""

"Of course there is!　You f*cking morons!"

We were riding in a wagon to the battlefield, but somehow it seemed we would make it to our destination without any gloom.

It has been a long time since our departure.

We had been discussing countermeasures against demons for quite a long time, and the strongmen came to a conclusion one by one.

The first one was Tong's idea that demons cannot respond to unexpected attacks.

This is a rather reasonable idea that even if we are dealing with demons, we will be slow to respond to an attack that we have not seen before, or to an attack of an unknown identity.

The second one is Gomul's idea of <>The second one is Gomul's idea.

I don't know where the source is, but it seems to be a reliable idea. I have not decided if I will try .......

The third one is Mill's idea that <>.

I heard that Rose practiced it when Mir was thrown into , but please don't give me ideas that humans can't do.

The fourth one is Alec's idea of <>.

I think it is a persuasive idea.

Fifth, Guld's idea that "if we make them think we are their own people, they will not attack us naturally.

Out of the question, please discuss it from the human point of view.

After a brief discussion, it was concluded that Tong and Alec's idea would be a useful countermeasure against the demons.

"It seems like quite a long time, doesn't it?"

"Yes, it is. And your brother is still asleep from reading his book.

When I took my eyes off the strongmen who had started to take a nap with their eyes closed, Uluru-san, who had moved to a different seat before I knew it, came over to talk to me.

Where are Ferrum and Nair? Both of them were sleeping with their eyes closed. They were leaning their heads on each other's shoulders, even though they are usually at each other's throats.

I cover them both with their loose trousers so that they don't catch a cold.

"Usato-kun, when we get there, we are going to meet with the additional healing wizards, right?

"Yes, I guess so."

"I see. ...... I wonder what kind of people they are."

In the meantime, we have some materials.

However, since they are only documents, we will never know for sure unless we meet the person in person.

"According to the story, there are two people in their 20s, about the same age as us. They said there will be about three people in all.

"Three people. That's a surprisingly large number.

"Yes, that's right."

Healing wizards are a rare strain of magic that can only be awakened in humans.

Few people wake up, and even if they do, it is said that some people hide their magic, so the number of confirmed users of healing magic is surprisingly small.

In such a situation, three more healing magic users would be a great help to Uluru and Olga who heal the wounded at their base.

"But, it's impossible that they don't have their own agenda, isn't it?"

"I'm sure you're right. I heard that they were sent from another country, and it wouldn't be surprising if the reason for that was to learn about the inner workings of the rescue mission."

If one thinks about it deeply, one can also consider the idea that a civilian healing magician was sent to a dangerous place just for that purpose.

To be honest, when I came up with that idea, my head almost exploded and I thought for a moment that I should refuse the reinforcement. But when I thought about the tens or hundreds of lives that could be saved with that reinforcement, I couldn't do anything.

In the end, I weighed the lives I could save with their help against those of a few healing wizards who would be caught up in the battlefield.

"I am prepared to take any kind of abuse or complaints once we get to the base. They have their reasons for doing so, and in my position as deputy commander, I have to take them.

"You know, Usato-kun. That's what worries me.

I wonder what Uluru-san was thinking, but she starts patting my head as I look down, and I say something puzzled.

"What?　Hey, hey, Uluru-san!

"But you're just like the Commander in Chief in that way."

Uluru-san gives me a bright smile that hasn't changed since we first met.

"Don't worry. You don't have to think so backward. Usato-kun is not alone, and I won't make you take on everything just because you're the deputy leader.

"What?"

"We're members of the same rescue team, you know."

Uluru-san patted me on the shoulder strongly, as if to cheer me up.

"Besides, maybe the healing wizards who come here are the ones who are really thinking about us, right?"

"...... Yes. Uluru-san is right.

He seemed to be in a gloomy mood because of the impending battle with the Demon King's army.

Her cheerful and positive words woke me up.

I bowed my head to Uluru-san.

"Thank you very much. I guess I had been thinking more than I realized.

"It's okay, you're still at almost the same age as I am, and it's natural for you to be troubled.

"Mr. Uluru, too?"

"Yes, that's right."

It's natural to be worried.

Maybe I was subconsciously driven by the awareness that I have to do my duty as the vice-commander by myself.

I'm glad I've realized that now.

Thanks to you, Uluru-san, I feel as if a weight has been lifted off my shoulders.

"Hey, guys!"

As I was thinking this, Rose, who was pulling the reins, tapped on the window and called out to us.

Uluru and I looked out the window, and Rose pointed to the road ahead.

There was a large encampment with many supplies and tents.

"We will be at the base soon. Wake up the sleepers."

""...... Yes!""

There is much to do after we get to the base.

I nodded strongly at Rose's words, and Uluru-san and I got up to wake up the sleeping people.