Chapter 187

The allied forces of the four kingdoms of Lingle, Samaria, Nirvarna, and Calm Helio.

At the head of the armor-clad knights and soldiers of each kingdom was the captain of each unit, and all of them were quietly burning with the will to fight.

The infantry troops equipped with weapons, the cavalry troops on horseback, and the troops carrying bows, were all divided into their respective groups and lined up, me and Kazuki-kun looked ahead to the plains.

“It’s the same scene as the first time, isn’t it?”

“Everything’s different from that time, though.”

The Demon Lord’s army would be coming soon.

This time, they’ll be coming with ferocious demons, but we haven’t been sitting on our hands.

We’ve done everything we could, including sending letters to the major countries, offering our cooperation, and holding talks in Lukvis.

Me, Usato, and Kazuki have fought dangerous monsters and pulled ourselves out of tight spots.

“……If only I could meet with Usato-kun.”

“Why don’t you just attack him rather than regret it?”

“Can I do that ……? It’s me you know?”

“That’s not something you say with a lot of confidence……?”

I replied to Flana, the hooded elf girl behind Kazuki-kun, but what came back were words of dismay.

“I’m not going to die like this……!”

“If you make it back alive, we can meet anytime.”

Kazuki-kun is wearing white based armor and I am wearing light armor that does not inhibit my movement.

It’s based on the one we wore in the last battle, but it’s been upgraded in every element thanks to Samaria’s magic tool production technology.

I wanted to at least show it off to Usato-kun, but it would be too late now.

“Either way, you can’t screw up this time. Kazuki-kun.”

“I know. I can’t let Usato save me again.”

I’m not going to make the same mistake as last time.

…… I wonder how Usato-kun is doing now?

He may be waiting for the time to fight with the members as the vice leader of the rescue squad.

He has to go to a place that is as dangerous as ours, if not more because that is the path he has chosen and the role he plays as a member of the Rescue Squad.

But I want him to be safe.

I don’t want him to get hurt, and I don’t want him to do anything dangerous.

“—Suzune, that ……”

“Hmm?”

When Flana looked ahead, she saw Sigurds emerging from his base, wearing heavy armor and ready for battle.

Receiving the gazes of the people present, he stood on the watchtower where he could see the entire army.

With just that, the buzzing armies of the four kingdoms fell silent and were enveloped in silence.

“I am Sigurds, the Knight Commander of the Kingdom of Lingle, who has been entrusted with the command of this time! My friends! Our battle with the Demon Lord’s army shall begin!”

I’m sure he didn’t use any magic tools, but his voice sounded surprisingly good.

Even with all eyes on him, Sigurds raised his voice even higher in an imposing manner.

“The enemy is the demon race! They fly through the sky! They run the earth! It’s a terrifying opponent with more power and magic than humans!”

The difference in race is huge.

It’s not as bad as a beast, but humans and demons have different sturdiness and physical abilities.

The soldiers of Samaria and Calm Helio look up to Sigurds with anxious faces.

“But! It is not that humans are inferior to demons! We have the power to unite! We can help each other! We have friends who care about us! The warriors of the four kingdoms gathered here today are proof of that!”

These are just words.

However, they will reach the hearts of everyone here and give them strength.

Even those who were anxious and fearful of the battle found themselves listening to the inspiring words.

“If we lose, the innocent people of the continent will be in danger!　We can’t let that happen! We are here to stop the demons from advancing!”

At the sound of his voice, the soldier raised a yell.

The air vibrated.

The will to fight could be felt as heat.

Just as the morale of the soldiers reached its peak, they sensed a piercing presence coming from the direction of the plains.

“——.”

“Senpai.”

“Yeah, we have to be prepared.”

Turning towards the presence, a plain full of green reflected in my vision.

Feeling the change in the air, the soldiers of the coalition belatedly looked at the plain, and at the moment—–something like a black bird soared into the sky from behind the hills of the plain.

It was the flying dragon that Amako’s prediction had told them about. As the swarm of flying dragons with the demons on their backs soared into the sky, the demons and the demons that followed them appeared from the ground as well, rushing towards our base.

Sigurds looked at it calmly, drew the sword from his waist and pointed its tip at the soldiers of the Demon Lord’s army.

“This is the time to decide our fate! Everyone! Prepare for battle!”

“””Uoooo———–!””

In line with the order, I also draw my sword and let my whole body be covered with the magic of electric shocks.

Kazuki-kun floats a ball of light in his palm, while Flana floats a smoky, shimmering purple magic from her dagger.

I was ready to fight long ago.

All that remains is to take the lead as a brave warrior and lead your fellow man with that determination in your heart.

In the midst of Sigurds’s speech before the battle with the Demon King’s army, Rose and I were standing in front of a door in the wall, watching off the black-clad strongmen, Ferum, and Bluerin.

They were on a mission to bring the injured to us right after the battle started, so we had to tell them what we could while we could.

“Bluerin. Be careful, okay?”

“Gruu.”

I put my hands on both cheeks of the armored Bluerin and make eye contact with him.

Blueri is my partner, the one I fought and traveled with. I know his strength better than anyone.

“I know there’s nothing to worry about with you. But if you’re in danger, hit him with your …… body and knock him out. Just like you did to me when I was stuck.”

“Gru ……?”

“Don’t worry, I’ll allow it.”

“You think you’re advising him with that ……?”

Ferum muttered as she pulled away from the side of the room.

She had her head completely covered by her hood, ready to go to work in a black suit.

“Ferum, take care of Bluerin. Also, you take care of yourself.”

“…… Yeah. Leave it to me.”

Then the voice from outside turned into a yell.

Rose, who was close by, turns her gaze towards the wall.

“—–It seems to have started.”

The yells of the soldiers could be heard from outside the walls of the base.

The shouts of a large number of demons echoed to mix with it.

“What we’re going to do is the same as last time. You guys will carry the wounded here. Do you understand?”

“””Yes!””””

“What? They just have a little bit more scope for action. There shouldn’t be anyone here who would be dented by that.”

Rose’s words were met with a strong reply from the row of strong men.

Rose pokes me in the shoulder, and I cough.

I guess Rose is trying to tell me that I should give them a word as their vice leader as they are about to head into battle.

“I don’t think you guys are going to die, you’re more demon than demon —— but if you do, I’m going to punch you and pull you back.”

Sweet talk just isn’t really my thing.

If we’re going to talk, it’s going to be with the same hateful words we’ve always used, and rough words with no consideration for each other.

The tough guys seemed to understand this, and they smiled as hatefully as I did.

Ferum looks at me and the tough guys and is taken aback, but I don’t let that bother me.

After watching our exchange, Rose looked around at the black-clad men and Bluerin, then walked over to the door and put her hand on the handle.

“It looks like we’ve exchanged enough words. Then get on with your rampage. Go save the injured from those demons who are getting carried away!”

The moment Rose opened the door, the black-clad men and Bluerin ran out with a yell.

Perhaps she missed the timing, but after a slight delay, Ferum also hurriedly followed.

“””Ooohhhh!””””

“Guaaa!””

“Eh, what?! Wait!”

I watched them run off.

After that, I puffed my own cheeks to get my energy up, and headed to the tent where I would be working with Rose in the beginning.

“Looks like the fighting is more intense than I expected. We’ll be on our way to Olga and the others soon.”

“Yes ……!”

Five healing magicians, led by Olga-san, are already waiting at the tent.

When we arrived at the entrance of the tent, we bowed to the knight of the Lingle Kingdom who was escorting us healing magicians —– Arc-san.

“I’m very relieved to have you here, Arc-san.”

Arc-san and his fellow knights are guarding this place where Olga-san and the others are.

He puts his fist on his chest and shows the same dependability as when he was traveling.

“No matter who I’m up against, I’ll definitely protect this place and show them!”

“Please take care of Olga-san and the others at …….”

“Leave it to me!”

After exchanging a few words with Arc-san, I stepped into the tent with Rose.

Unlike the other tents, this one, where the rescue squad will be working, is huge with enough space to carry out dozens of injured people.

In the tent, there are six people, including Nea in her human form, Olga-san, Ururu-san, and Gerna-kun, who line up when they see Rose and me.

“As you probably know from Usato’s explanation beforehand,……, your main job is to heal the injured that the black suits bring in……. From here on, you may be faced with some tough choices as a healing magician. But don’t ever forget that the lives you save include your own.”

“””Yes!””””

“Then, go to your respective posts.”

Following Rose’s instructions, Olga-san and the others moved to their respective posts.

Of course, I’m also a healing magician, healing the injured, so I wait for the black suits to arrive.

Then Nea, in human form, comes up next to me.

“It’s just the beginning, why do you have to be so prepared?”

“You’re too naive, Nea.”

“Huh?”

Just as she tilted her head, a black figure came flying in from the entrance of the tent.

The black figure, Tong, shouted at me as he carried three injured knights.

“I’ve brought them here——!”

“…… Too soon?”

“That’s how fierce the battle is going to be out there.”

Then, following Tong, Guld came carrying the injured man.

From the looks of him, it looked like he had been kidnapped by a demon, but still, he was trying to save the injured–

“Heh heh, don’t worry. Don’t worry, the pain will disappear as soon as the vice leader takes care of it.”

“Hiiii!”

—It is often misunderstood, but I think it goes without saying that those words were said with good intentions.

The female knight of Calm Helio, who is being carried, is screaming her head off.

While suppressing the urge to make a retort, I lay the injured who are being brought in one after another on the burlap ground and apply healing magic.

“Please don’t worry. I will heal you now with healing magic.”

“Y-You’re the rescue squad’s healing magician …….”

“Yes. …… I don’t mind if you don’t overdo it, so can you tell me what kind of battle is going on outside?”

I decided to know what was going on in the battlefield while I could, so I asked the female knight while applying healing magic to her wounded shoulder and leg.

After the pain eased and she calmed down a lot, she told me about the scene she had just seen on the battlefield.

“Outside, the demon race and the demons brought by the demon king’s army are fighting ……. A lot of people were being killed by the big snake-like demons and the flying dragon-like demons. ……”

The big snake …… is the snake that the demon king’s army brought back from the previous battle.

That thing uses poison, so it’s pretty nasty.

While we were having this conversation now, I finished healing the female knight’s wounds.

As she thanked me, I moved on to heal the next injured person.

“—There are more people being brought in than expected.”

In other words, that’s how many injured people are coming in.

There’s still room for more, but seeing the injured being brought in by the black suits one after another makes me uneasy.

I’m not sure if I can handle …… me and Rose being out.

With this concern in mind, while applying healing magic to the warriors of the Kingdom of Nirvarna, I notice that Gerna-kun is concentrating on healing magic next to me.

He was trying to heal a knight who had fainted, his face turning pale —– but his concentration was disturbed by the rush of injured people being brought in one after another, and he was not able to apply his healing magic properly.

“……!”

……It was his first real battle as a healing magician, wasn’t it?

Unlike me, who got used to being near death.

“Gerna-kun.”

“U-Usato-san.”

After healing the person in front of me, I crouch down in front of Gerna-kun who is desperately trying to cast a healing spell.

He looked up and his eyes wavered greatly.

“Calm down. Let’s focus on helping the person in front of us first. I’ll help too.”

He was slashed deeply in the side with a …… sword. It is likely that the blade unfortunately passed through the border of the armor.

The black-clad man gave him first aid with recovery magic, but he would have died if left alone.

I raised my palm to Gerna-kun’s hand and cast a healing spell.

“Gerna-kun. I’ve been taught something by my friends in Mia Rak.”

“What …… have you been taught ……?”

“That we shouldn’t only think about using healing magic, but we should also look at someone who is suffering right now…….”

I was a colossal idiot when I was trying to help Karon-san with his unfinished systemic enhancement.

I was so focused on making the system enhancement successful that I didn’t see the important thing, that is Karon-san.

It was Leona, a hero from Mia Rak, who told me about it when my eyes were cloudy.

“Yes, it is important to hurry, but you must not forget about the people you are facing now.”

Perhaps he immediately understood what I was trying to say, but the strong will returned to his eyes, and he began to concentrate on healing his wounds, basking in the power in his palms and returning his unstable magic power to normal.

Seeing his condition, I was relieved.

“Do you understand?”

“…… Yes!”

He’s a much faster learner than me when it comes to recognizing things right away.

His expression is still awkward, but he looks …… like he’s going to be okay at this rate.

I feel relieved when I see Gerna-kun, and I leave him and start treating another injured person.

“I’ll help you.”

“P-please …….”

I nod reassuringly to the knight who grabbed my hand with his bloody hand and applied healing magic.

The battle outside has only just begun.

It will only get more intense.

“…… Still.”

Everyone is fighting.

Tong continue to carry the wounded without stopping.

In addition to the healing magicians here, Nea is also providing first aid with cloths and bandages.

I have to face the challenges ahead of me with everything I’ve cultivated in this world.