Chapter 184

The base that was set up in the plains was much larger than I had imagined.

I know that this size is only natural, since the armies and supplies of the four kingdoms are gathered here, but it was still overwhelming.

“Across from the base, is there a watchtower or wall being built ……?”

“Even though it’s unfinished, it’s amazing that they can build so much in such a short time, right?”

I nodded to Nea’s muttering while looking sideways at the walls and watchtowers being constructed at the front of the base.

When we arrived at the base, the knights of the Ringle Kingdom welcomed us and led us to the place where we would be working.

The soldiers from other countries we passed were looking at us curiously, but I think the reason for that was mostly because of Bluerin.

Knights of the Ringle Kingdom who were familiar with the Blue Grizzly would not think anything of it, but to soldiers from other countries, the Blue Grizzly was a dangerous monster.

“How’s your armor? Bluerin.”

“Grrr~”

“Well, from your point of view, it’s not very comfortable to wear. Sorry, I asked you a weird question.”

I stroke his cheek and look at the armor he’s wearing.

The pure white armor, like mine and Rose’s, covers his entire body.

Of particular note is the belt and large saddle attached to its back.

He could carry an injured person on this saddle, secure them with the belt, and carry them to the base just like the black clothes.

“You know what your role is, don’t you?”

“Gru.”

Bluerin nodded strongly at my words.

In the rescue squad, Bluerin’s role is twofold.

To take care of the injured from the black suits.

He uses his armor to protect the injured and rescue them just like the black suits.

Rather than attacking the enemy as a hexenbiest, his role as a member of the Rescue Squad is to save his allies.

“Usato.”

“Yes? What can I do for you?”

I was suddenly approached by Rose, who was walking in front of me.

She looks forward and speaks to me.

“I was told by the knight just now that the additional healing magician has already arrived.”

“I see. ……. So we’re going to see them now?”

“Yes. But I have some business to attend to first. I’m afraid I’ll have to wait until later to meet the newcomer.”

Well, Rose has her duties as Leader, so I know she’s busy.

“So does that mean I should explain about the rescue squad’s members or something?”

“You’re starting to get the idea, that’s right. Besides, I think you’re the right person for this.”

“What? Why?”

“Because we can’t afford to scare them now. You’re probably a little easier to deal with than I am.”

Did this woman realize that she was scary……!?

No, it was true that if the healing magician I was about to meet had a personality like Nack’s when I first met him in Lukvis, there was no way they wouldn’t be afraid of me relative to Rose.

“If that’s the case, please leave it to me.”

“Oh, I’m counting on you.”

I’ve undertaken an important role without thinking about it, haven’t I?

Even though it’s a sudden participation, I don’t want to leave any strange awkwardness behind since we’re going to be friends who share the battlefield.

“First impressions are the key, right? Yeah.”

“I’ve got nothing but a bad feeling about this…….”

Nea muttered something like that, but there was no problem.

I, too, have learned how to deal with people I’ve never met before through my letter-giving journey.

As long as I don’t yell at them when I meet them, I’m safe.

“Oh, by the way, …… Kazuki and senpai are here, too. ……”

I didn’t see them, but senpai and Kazuki must be here.

I’m sure they’re both busy with their work as heroes, but I’d like to see them at least once.

The rescue squad’s base of operations that I was shown to had quite a bit of space.

With several large tents, first aid supplies, and rugs for the injured to sleep on, it seemed like they had everything they needed.

With this much space available, it seemed unlikely that the place would be overrun with injured people any time soon.

“The healing magicians who arrived earlier are in that tent.”

“Yeah, okay.”

After seeing off the knight who was leading the way, Rose turned around and looked at me.

“Usato, as I said before, I’m going to leave this place for now. I’ll leave the rest to you.”

“Yes. Please leave it to me.”

“I’ll see to it that you perform your duties as vice Leader.”

Rose put her hand on my shoulder and headed towards the back of the base as she passed me.

With a deep breath, I calmed down my rising sense of mission and turned back to the members.

“Let’s start by organizing our stuff and supplies. Ferum, I’m going to need you to not leave the base as much as possible.”

“I know.”

“Please okay? There’s always the chance that you’ll be mistaken and attacked. Even if you do, we’ll do our best to protect you, but it’s better that you don’t find out.”

“…… Kay.”

While we are in this base, we need to have Ferum hide her face.

The knights of the Kingdom of Ringle are well aware of Ferum’s existence, but the knights of other countries are not. At worst, he could be treated as a spy and cut down on the spot.

That and …….

“Olga-san, you must be tired from traveling, so please leave the rest to us and rest your body.”

“N-No really, I’ll help with something too.”

“Usato-kun’s right. Big brother is too poorly built, so don’t push yourself too hard.”

Olga-san was born with a weak body.

Traveling in a carriage is tiring, even just sitting in it, so I want him to rest as much as possible.

Besides, it’s not an exaggeration to say that he’s the most important person to the rescue team.

“That guy and Ururu are right, you know. Olga.”

“Tong ……, I’m sorry. It’s just that my body’s too weak.”

Olga-san apologized apologetically to Tong, who lightly tapped him on the shoulder.

The other strong guys talk to him as if they care about him.

“If you were born with it, it can’t be helped.”

“We don’t think you’re a nuisance. Don’t worry about it.”

“You’re the heart of the rescue squad. Get some rest.”

“Leave the heavy lifting to us.”

“Thank you all for …….”

At their words, Olga-san nodded his head, thanking them.

…… Even though his face is scary, he’s basically a good guy. His face is scary though.

“So, the strong guys and Ferum are going to check and organize the supplies.”

“What are you going to do? I won’t let you slack off just because you’re the vice leader.

“Listen to me until the end. I’ve got to go see the healing magicians for reinforcements first. Besides, I was thinking of having Nea and Ururu-san come along with me.”

As I explained this, Ururu-san pointed at me and tilted her head.

“Usato-kun, what do you want me to do?”

“Ururu-san will go with me to meet the reinforcements. To be honest, I’m not sure if I can do this on my own, so I was hoping I could ask for your help.”

“Of course, leave it to you. I’m glad you’re relying on me so soon.”

To be frank, I’m nervous about facing this alone.

So I can feel at ease if I have the vivacious and gentle impression like Ururu-san with me.

“Usato, why me?”

“Because you seem to have a good eye for people. I thought I’d ask you to come with me.”

“Oh, I see.”

If I do say so myself, I’m not very good at suspecting people, so I can be easily fooled, and I’ve actually had a rough time. So I decided to take Nea, who is very perceptive in many ways.

In addition to Nea, I’ll have Ururu-san, who has great communication skills.

Now that the initial assignments are done.

As I was about to ask them to move on to their respective tasks, I noticed that Tong had a hand on his chin and a deeply moved expression on his face.

“But new healing magicians, huh? If they’re going to be the ones to have our backs, I’m looking forward to meeting them now.”

“No, I don’t think you guys should meet them right away.”

“Huh–? Why not?”

I decided not to hide my answer to Tong’s question.

“If a stranger saw you guys, the first thing they’d think is that you’re some kind of bandits or brigands. That’s why I thought I’d explain first and then match—-“

“I think you’re quite there too.”

“I’d say you’re about as scary as your face.”

“No, if anything, he’s more vicious because he changes his mind.”

“It’s true that he tries to deceive you with his first impression.”

“I’m not even sure I’m in my right mind when I get into a fistfight with Aneue.”

…….

I see.

“Okay, why don’t we just settle this quietly with a fistfight?”

“Usato-kun!?”

“Oooo, please calm down! Usato!”

“Oh, what do you mean, calm down ……?”

I’m sorry, I got caught up in my anger.

I came to my senses when Ururu-san, Nea and Ferum said, “I’m fine!” I apologized to the strong men who were wearing expressions that said.

“I’ll help you with your work as soon as the meeting is over, so you guys go ahead and start. Just don’t start any fights or make any noise, okay?”

“””Oooh.””””

“Ferum too, okay?”

“You don’t have to keep saying that. I’ll do what I’m told. I don’t want to cause …… any trouble.”

Ferum, who turned away and said.

Then, after watching the strongmen and Ferum heading off to their respective jobs, I turn to Ururu-san and Nea.

“Then we’ll go and meet the reinforcements of healing magicians. Nea, you can turn into an owl.”

“Okay.”

“I wonder what they’re like… I’m anxious, but I’m looking forward to it.”

After confirming that Nea had transformed into an owl on my shoulder, I approached the tent where the reinforcing healing magicians were, along with an excited Ururu-san.

We soon arrived in front of the tent’s entrance, and taking a small deep breath, I put my hand on the cloth at the entrance and went inside.

“Excuse me—“

“Look at this, look at this! This is the article that summarizes Suzune-sama’s great confession to Usato-sama! It’s the complete version!”

“Gahhh ……!”

The moment I entered I was brought to my knees ……!?

Upset, I looked inside the tent and saw a girl with bluish-black hair in a ponytail holding a bundle of articles and a woman with darker blonde hair in pigtails with a troubled smile on her face.

Then, a blonde man about my age was sitting on a chair, far away from the two of them.

The three of them were probably the healing magicians of the reinforcements.

“Usato-kun, are you okay?”

“Yes, but the healing magicians of the reinforcements …… are not to be underestimated. ……”

“I wonder if it’s not simply Suzune’s fault……”

All three of them must have noticed my appearance, because they quickly lined up side by side.

I would not allow myself to be further disfigured, so I would make sure to introduce myself.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Usato Ken, Vice Leader of the Rescue Squad. The one on my shoulder is my familiar, Nea. Thank you so much for coming here this time. We, the Rescue Squad, sincerely welcome you to our ranks.”

“Uwaa, sounds so fake …….”

I introduce myself, nearly breaking my smile at Nea’s muttering on my shoulder.

“The picture and the real thing is, totally different ……?”

The ponytailed girl’s murmur is cutting into my mental strength, but I manage to get through it and look to Ururu-san to introduce myself.

“I’m Ururu, 18 years old, and I belong to the Rescue Squad! I know you might have some anxiety or something after coming here, but let’s all do our best to get over it!”

It’s the kind of thing that’s liked a million times more than my less-than-friendly self-introduction.

If it were me, I would have a better impression of Ururu-san than I do of myself.

“Can I have your names, please?”

Let’s get back on track and see what their names are.

“I’m Gerna of the Kingdom of Nirvana.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you! I’m Kate from the Kingdom of Calm Helio!”

“Uh, uhmm, I’m Sharn from a farming village near the Kingdom of Thundera ……. It’s nice to meet you. ……”

The tall man with short cropped blond hair is Gerna-kun.

The girl with black hair with a slight blue tint is Kate.

The woman with blonde hair in pigtails is Sharn.

Gerna and Kate are the same age as me. I’d say Sharn is in her mid-twenties, which is close to Olga-san’s age.

“I’m surprised that there are more young people here than I expected. Now then, I’ll explain what you guys need to do, so listen carefully.”

“……”

“Yes!”

“…… Yes.”

Hmmm… I think I’m getting ahead of myself on this one.

Especially Gerna, he’s staring at me.

At any rate, I’ll give a brief explanation of what to do and what to watch out for in the rescue squad.

It took me about ten minutes to explain the main points, with some supplementary information from Ururu-san.

After I finished giving them a general explanation, I called out to them to check their understanding.

“——-Do you understand so far?”

“Yes!”

“Yes, that’s a good answer.”

“That’s all I needed to know!”

While I can hear Kate’s lively voice and Sharn’s faint reply, Gerna is giving me an observant look.

He seems to be listening to me, but I’ll have to …… try and ask Nea.

I speak to Nea in a whisper, hiding my mouth in a gesture of distress.

“Nea, how is this Gerna so far? Is he suspicious?”

“He looks at me with suspicion, but …… maybe that’s not a conspiracy or anything.”

“?”

“Maybe he just doesn’t like you.”

…… I- I see?

As I was soberly depressed by Nea’s straightforward words, Ururu-san lightly tapped me on the shoulder.

“Usato-kun, Usato-kun.”

“Yes?”

“Now that the explanation is over, let’s have a little talk in the sense of deepening our friendship.”

“I guess so too. Well then, …… does anyone have any questions?”

“So …… if I may ask you a few questions …….”

When I asked this, the first person to raise her hand was Sharn.

I was surprised inwardly, but accepted her question.

“You must be Sharn-san. How can I help you?”

“Um……, how many healing magicians are there here?”

“There are only four of us, me, Ururu-san, the Leader who isn’t here, and Ururu-san’s brother.”

“Four, is it? ……. Then, I heard that the healing magicians of the rescue squad go to the battlefield to heal the wounded themselves, but don’t tell me that all four of you are going to go to the battlefield?”

Hearing Sharn’s question, I reply while summarizing what I’m going to say.

“No, it’s only me and the Leader who will be running on the battlefield. Ururu-san and the others’ role is to heal the wounded brought here with healing magic, and this will be the job that Sharn-san and the others will be doing.”

“By the way, the colour of the rescue squad’s clothes has a meaning. The leader and Usato-kun, who are battlefield healing magicians, wear white, and my brother and I, who use healing magic at our base, wear gray. Although they are outside right now, the gray clothes are the ones who give first aid to the wounded who have fallen on the battlefield with recovery magic and bring them to the ash-grayed clothes at the base.”

“I see…….”

Ururu-san explains to supplement my words.

Sharn-san seems to have been convinced as well, nodding her head in thought.

“Then, yes! Usato-sama! Can I ask you an unrelated question!”

“That’s totally fine. And you don’t have to use -sama.”

The next person to raise her hand was Kate, a girl who gave the impression of being full of energy.

“So, Usato-san! What happened to your relationship with Suzune-sama?”

“Gufu …….”

I nearly erupted in shock, but kept a smile on my face and waved my hand to the side.

I ask Ururu-san for help, but she gives me an expectant look, as if she too is concerned about the answer to this question.

Nea holds her mouth with her wing and holds back a smile.

“No, that was a bit of a complicated situation. The article shown is incorrect”

“Ehhh…….”

“I’m sorry. Did I disappoint you?”

“…… No! That’s because it’s interesting!”

What’s so interesting?

…… Let’s not worry too much about that.

“So, do you have any articles related to Usato-san?”

“Depends on the content, I guess. As you can see, the portraits and such are totally different.”

I’d like to give the person who drew my portrait an hour-long lecture someday.

As for the article, most of the physics-related stuff is true, though.

“I can’t believe the healing magician of the Ringle Kingdom is such a domineering guy. ……”

When I was having such an exchange with Kate, Gerna-kun muttered something like that.

At his seemingly irreverent attitude, Kate, who was standing next to him, snapped at him.

“Hey, that’s rude! Gerna-kun!”

“You thought so too, didn’t you? You were carrying around that bogus article. What’s more, don’t give healing magic any more strange impressions, like blinding with healing magic or punching with healing magic. ……”

“What the hell? I’m not a fake, okay!”

”What? Kate swings her arm at Gerna-kun while shouting mysteriously, but is easily stopped by a hand on her forehead.

As I recall, Gerna-kun came from the Nirvana Kingdom, right?

If that’s the case, then it’s natural that he reacts to the rumour that I’ve caused him some sort of reputational damage.

“If you have some complaints, let’s hear it while we can.”

“…… huh?”

“Gerna-kun, I understand exactly what you’re saying. I’m sure that because of me, rumours about healing magic have spread. So you can say everything you want to say while you’re at it.”

About 20% of the reason was that I didn’t want to leave any loose ends.

The other 80% of the reason was to avoid a situation where he would be in trouble when he talked about it in front of Rose.

Somehow, I don’t think he’s that strong mentally.

Even now, it seemed like he was being strong rather than angry.

“…… You’re making the healing magician’s reputation go crazy.”

“Yeah.”

He looked hesitant at my words, but he seemed to have made up his mind and spat out the words in a choppy manner.

“You can’t possibly believe that I attacked, threw, and eventually fought a dragon man with healing magic that nearly destroyed a whole country……. Now that I’ve seen you with my own eyes, I can’t believe it…….”

I’ve been told that I don’t have high spirits, but what do I look like in normal times?

I don’t know if I look that pathetic. ……

“But the rumours are strangely believable, so the higher-ups got serious and tried to train me to be a healing magician in Nirvana. ……”

“Did they force you to do that, by any chance?”

“No, I volunteered. I still managed to get three people, though.”

The volunteer system means that in no small part Gerna-kun wanted to become a stronger healing magician…….?

“At first, I also wanted to become stronger with healing magic, which I’ve been ridiculed for. The other two were thinking the same thing as me. However, what was waiting for us was a painful process that could only be called training. ……!”

“…… What kind of training did you do?”

“They made me run until I passed out!”

I nodded at him, his voice rising.

“And then what?”

“And the day after that! They put me through some crazy training! Just because that’s what they’re actually doing in the Ringle Kingdom. ……!”

Run until you pass out, huh?

As a normal healing magician, he must have been in a lot of pain when he was made to run until he fainted.

Don’t think the same way I do.

“What, you’ll forgive me for fainting ……? Hey, Usato. I don’t know …… such training.”

Nea talks to me like that with empty eyes on my shoulder, but I’m talking about something important right now, so I pass it by.

I’ve heard from Lucas-sama that they tried to raise healing magicians like me and Rose in Samaria, but they failed.

Could it be that the same thing is being done in other kingdoms as well?

“The two other healing magicians besides me also lost their minds and deserted after only a few days of work. ……”

“So only you’re left?”

“I still wanted to believe. I wanted to prove that healing magicians could be strong, that magic didn’t have to exist. ……”

Hearing that much, I knew what kind of words he had been subjected to as a healing magician.

He wanted to show his worth as a healing magician.

That was why he had come here.

“I came here partly because I genuinely wanted to help you as a healing magician. But besides that, I wanted to know if the rumours about you were real. ……”

“…… I see.”

I shouldn’t hesitate to reveal my power here.

If I hesitated, it means I haven’t grown any since the meeting.

For now, all I can show you are healing magic bullets and healing punches? If that doesn’t convince you, let’s have a mock fight with the healing flying fist.

I made up my mind to do so and spoke to Gerna-kun.

“Gerna-kun…”

“Hey, Usatooo! If you’ve finished your greeting, then come and help me! I need your dumbass power!

“……”

At this moment, Tong calls me from outside in a uselessly loud voice.

The voice not only frightened Kate and Sharn, but also Gerna, whose shoulders shook.

That skinhead bastard …….

“Ooooi!”

“Aah, uhhh, I think someone is calling your name?”

“No, don’t worry about it. Sharn-san, you can think of that as the cry of a wild demon.”

“Well, isn’t that bad too……?”

It would be too shocking to meet those tough guys without any explanation.

Even I mistook them for bandits when I first met them and almost cried.

It’s impossible for Sharn-san, who is apparently a scared person, not to be terrified when she sees the strong faces.

“Ururu-san, please go and quiet him down, he’s making a lot of noise outside right now.”

“Uh, yeah …….”

I tell Tong what’s going on and ask Ururu-san to quiet him down.

Let’s not think about this and be relieved to hear this, but just as Ururu-san is about to leave through the doorway–

“Are you listening to me, Usato? They’re somewhere else and I don’t have enough help. ……Ooo”

“Ahhhh, what perfect timing. ……”

At this point, a head that looked like a sea monk came in from the entrance of the tent.

When Gerna-kun saw the strong face of Tong, he squirmed, Sharn let out a small scream, and Kate said, “Wow!” I couldn’t tell whether she was surprised or happy.

I looked at the three of them sideways and with a smile on my face, I grabbed the collar of Tong with one hand.

“Everyone, sorry about that. I’ve got some business with this guy, so wait for me.”

“Whoa whoa, what’s with the suddenness?”

“Tong-kun, let’s go outside for a minute.”

I walked out of the tent with Tong fished out with one hand.

A short distance away from the tent, supplies were piled up two meters square and three meters high.

This was certainly too much for just one person to handle.

Moreover, they were tied up tightly with ropes to prevent them from collapsing, so it would be difficult to untie them. In this case, I can understand why he would want to join forces with me to carry it all at once.

No, I don’t care about that right now.

As I set Tong down on the ground, my smile finally faded and my shoulders shook with anger.

“You’re a big guy, but you can’t even do the job you’re told? I told you to be quiet…….!”

“You’re still explaining that to me ……. Well, my bad. Now help me out.”

“…… Sigh, let’s get it over with.”

I lifted the three-meter-long pile of supplies with him with both hands.

I thought I heard a gasp from behind me, but I couldn’t turn around because I was lifting the supplies.

“Nea, is there someone behind me looking at us?”

“Ururu is …… No, there’s no one, okay?”

“…… Hmm, I see.”

I thought the voice sounded a little shaky, but …….

Well, if she says it, then it’s fine.

I carried the supplies along with Tong and set them down on the ground.

I wipe my forehead and turn to Tong, seeing the supplies so large that I look up at them.

“Is this okay?”

“Yeah. Thanks for the help.”

“You know, next time you’re in a situation like this, you should really go …….”

“Why bother, because it’s going to come out soon anyway. I mean, look at the back.”

“Hmm?　…… Ah.”

As Tong said, I turned around and saw Gerna-kun and the others peeking at me from the open entrance of the tent.

Did they see me lift up the supplies from my earlier exchange with Tongs?

With a delicate air, I enter the tent and see a smiling Ururu-san and the three of them looking at me.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I showed you something scary…….”

With a bitter smile, Gerna-kun, who still looked confused as he barely said so, stepped forward.

He bowed his head vigorously, and his voice came through well.

“I apologize for my cheekiness ……! If you want, you can hit me until you’re happy ……!”

“I’m not going to do that!?”

“As a member of the Kingdom of Nirvana, I have to pay for this ……!”

What world does Nirvarna live in?

I panicked, but managed to get Gerna-kun to look up at me.

Looking at the other two, Sharn’s person surprisingly looks the same as before, but Kate has a somewhat knowing look on her face, “So it was all true~”

I was relieved to see that she wasn’t scared, and Ururu-san, who was still smiling, spoke to me.

“Usato-kun. I showed the three of them the exchange between you and Tong.”

“Ah, so it was you, Ururu-san. ……”

I was able to open up with Gerna-kun without me having to practice my healing magic techniques, so I guess that means that Ururu-san made a fine play here.

I’m really glad that they didn’t get scared when they saw …… me and Tong’s interaction.

“Thank you, Ururu-san.”

“No no no, no thanks at all! Besides, for him, I thought it would be quicker to show him Usato-kun’s power.”

After saying that, she took a glance at Gerna-kun and the others and turned to me.

“After all, sometimes a forceful push is effective!”

I couldn’t help but laugh at Ururu-san, who clenched both fists and spoke confidently, reminding me that she was no ordinary woman, but a strong person who belonged to the Rescue Squad like Rose.

Author’s Note:

“And then what?” →I don’t expect to end up passing out.

“And the next day after that!” →He thinks it’s about the next day.

Discrepancies in consciousness are terrifying. ……

I’d like to give a brief introduction to the newly recruited healing magicians.

Gerna: From the kingdom of Nirvarna.

An ordinary healing magician who yearns for strength.

He is mentally weak, but has a genuine desire to help others.

Kate: From the Kingdom of Calm Helio.

She is a healing magician whose only merit is that she is energetic.

Sharn: From the Kingdom of Thundera (a nearby farming village).

A woman who has healed people as the village’s healing magician. When she heard that many people would be hurt, she couldn’t stay and volunteered.