Chiyu Mahou no Machigatta Tsukaikata ~Senjou wo Kakeru Kaifuku Youin~

I just got back Why did it suddenly become so lively here . . ?

Since I didnt know where this healing magician boy lived, I brought him to Kirihas place . The boy was sleeping on the bed while I was being questioned by Kiriha in the same room . Kyou was also present . I was honestly glad Kiriha allowed the boy to use the room for the time being, but I just didnt know how I would explain everything to her

Its not like Im trying to blame you for bringing him back . No matter how I look at it, his current condition tells me that he must have been through a lot .

Thank you Thatll make things a little easier to explain

And? Just what do you want to do with this guy? Kyou asked, pointing at the boy . You have a reason for bringing him along, right?I started to recount todays events

As I continued my explanation, Kyou and Kirihas expressions gradually turned grimmer .

Usato, that persons name is Mina

Although Im the one saying this, do you like to get involved in troublesome situations or something?

H-how rude! Its not like I like being dragged into situations like this, you know!?

How vexing . To think that Kyou of all people would say that to me . Whether it was this mornings training classes or the matters regarding this boy They were both plans proposed by Inukami-senpai .

Leaving that aside, Kiriha mentioned that the girls name was Mina or something, right? Just from her initial impression, she seemed like an arrogant and selfish person . Was she exactly as she seemed on the outside? . Kiriha and Kyous expressions seem to say that her personality wasnt that good .

Haah . Then, about that Mina girl

Shes the daughter of a noble . People rarely have praise for her .

. .

When you were saving this boy, you probably saw it yourself, right? Shes the kind of person who can cast magic on someone while laughing no matter how wounded they are . She was probably spoiled by her parents when they raised her She doesnt have a fragment of common sense .

In addition, shell do anything to have her revenge . Once she has her eyes on you, nothing good will come out of it .

Although Kiriha tried to punch me when I first met her, she had a proper reason for it . She was doing it to protect the ones around her .

But that girl called Mina didnt possess any morals . She mightve thought it was amusing to surround someone like that judging by how she was laughing back then . But from my perspective, she had a really disgusting hobby to entertain herself with . If I didnt consider the boy, this situation could be easily resolved with my own fists . But that wouldnt really change anything .

Well, Ill just have to try my best to train him .

Will you be alright? Even though you have a week to make this boy stronger, if you exclude today and the day of the competition . . you really only have five days .

Its not like I dont have a method to make him stronger But its quite unreasonable and it would really push him to his limits .

Unreasonable You say .

Ill have him conduct the training that my superior gave me . At the very least, he shouldnt have as much trouble as me since he can already use healing magic but It wont change the fact that this kind of training is really pushing a human beings limits .

I basically started with no healing magic at all, so he should have an easier time than I did .

Nevertheless, the important part was what this boy wanted to do . I wouldnt force him to fight if he didnt want to .

If he didnt want to participate, Ill go and apologize to that girl afterwards . She said something about compensation or some kind of reward though . I felt a little scared .

Until this boy wakes up, you cant get started on anything, right?

After a slight pause, Kiriha continued to speak .

. I have one more thing that I want to ask you . Is that alright?

Hmm? I dont really mind .

Kiriha had a strange expression as she queried me . What was it? Did she still have something on her mind?

But shortly after asking, Kiriha sighed and looked away . . she then turned to the door behind me .

And then both Usato and I made our escape from the forest full of monsters!

Amazing! Amazing! To think the two of you defeated two Blue Grizzlies! Inukami and Usato are both strange!

What are you going to do about that?

Through the slight opening of the door, I could clearly hear a familiar voice that was more excited than usual .

Although it couldnt be helped under these circumstances . . was it a bad idea to bring Senpai here? Kiriha and Kyou probably didnt like the idea of having another human in their home .

. Rather than that, why was she having such a friendly conversation with Satsuki? Unlike how silent Satsuki was in the morning, she seemed to be smiling right now Just what happened?

I heard from Amako about the heroes . I know they arent bad people . But Even I didnt expect that her affinity would be so compatible with Satsukis .

I kind of have trouble dealing with that woman

Kyou muttered in low spirits .

Im guessing that the energetic Senpai talked to him before he entered this room . Sometimes I forget but Senpai is older than me and everyone else here . Its easy to see how Senpai dragged Kyou into her own pace and warded off any resistance he may have had .

She really isnt a bad person . In fact, shes a really good person but Yeah, Ill have her go back in a bit .

No, the two of you should at least stay for dinner . Since youre both here already, how about it? You wont refuse, right?

It was a little odd since Kiriha looked worried as she asked this . But after telling her that there was no way Senpai would refuse such an offer, she smiled in relief and said, Im glad .

I wonder what Kiriha meant by that she was glad? But before I could ask her, she had already walked out of the room to start on her preparations for todays dinner . That left me with just Kyou and the unconscious boy on the bed .

Well then

I had to watch over this boy and nurse him back to health That was my task at the moment, but it felt unusually uncomfortable to do it . The reason was Kyou . He was next to the door and leaning on the wall while staring at me .

Hey .

Nn?

After a brief period of silence, Kyou spoke out to me in a somewhat reserved voice . I gave a casual reply as my attention was still on the sleeping boy .

It was my bad . When I first met you, I said some things to you without any basis .

. Eh?

I turned around to look at Kyou due to his sudden apology . But just as our eyes met, he quickly turned away in embarrassment and scratched his cheek .

I was astonished that he would say those words to me due to his initial attitude towards me . While still feeling embarrassed, he continued to talk bit by bit .

At first . . I doubted that someone as fragile as you could protect Amako . But after seeing your fight today, I have to reconsider . Youre not a weak healing magician . Its mortifying to admit it but Amako made the right choice in choosing you .

. I guess this was what people called a blessing in disguise .

The mock battle with Halfa-san brought an unexpected outcome It seemed that this was a favorable one . After seeing the battle, Kyou acknowledged me .

When I first arrived here, I said I didnt really care about his thoughts . But that was only on the surface . His words honestly made me happy .

Yesterday evening, he was staring at me with hostility like I was an enemy . I couldnt see any trace of hostility now as he looked at me I couldnt help but let out a laugh .

W-why are you laughing

No, I just thought You really do like Amako, eh?

It was quite pleasant to see his genuine concern for Amako .

Haah?

However, he wasnt shy or angry about it . He looked confused . It was like he was saying he didnt understand what I just said as he blankly looked at me .

Since his reaction was different from what I expected, I couldnt help but immediately ask Eh? Was I wrong?

You have the wrong idea . I dont like Amako, so yeah .

Is that so? I thought you liked her and thats why you kept thinking about her .

It looked like he kept worrying about Amako . Was that not the case?

As I folded my arms and thought about what other explanation there could be, Kyou gave a big sigh and said, I guess it cant be helped

After a brief pause, he continued .

The reason Im so concerned about Amako . How do I say it? During the time when we met Amako, she was always so reckless . She often got herself in a lot of dangerous situations . It was enough to make anyone think she might just get kidnapped and disappear somewhere one day .

. That Amako . . ?

Well thats how it is, thats why I couldnt break the habit of worrying over Amako . I mean, its important to save your mother and all but Theres no point if something were to happen to you too

There was no doubt that she had a tough and difficult journey . She came all the way from her home and travelled to various countries before arriving in Luquis . Just from how Kyou described it, I could imagine what kind of risks she took to make it this far .

During her two years in Lyngle Kingdom, it was probably more than just a safe place for her . She mightve used that time to heal the wounds in her heart .

I didnt want to accept it . . but the only person who can save both Amako and her mother is you . Its definitely impossible for me . Thats why Usato, Im entrusting it to you .

I gave a firm nod to his words .

Kyou was a more gentle and honest person than I initially thought . The first thing he did when the mock battle with Halfa-san was announced was to come warn me .

Although his words to me in beginning seemed a little severe, he was just worried about the others around him .

He looked a little wild and rude but he was a very kind person .

Actually, why did you assume that I liked Amako? Shes younger than me . No matter how I look at it, our ages are too far apart . Shes way too Ouch!?

Kyou suddenly shouted in pain and jumped up . Surprised by his cry, I tried to see what was behind him He was holding his tail and squatting down in pain .

Was someone attacking?

But that thought was immediately erased in the next moment .

Amako was behind Kyou and looking at him without any expression .

. . Kyou, if you say any more than that Ill get angry .

A-Amako . You Isnt it against the rules to grab my tail like that without holding back?

I could feel the intimidation in Amakos empty eyes as she stared down at Kyou . She felt a lot different than usual Did Kyou provoke Amako and incur her imperial wrath?

I heard before that this topic was a taboo among girls But I didnt think it would apply to Amako as well . The next time I think about teasing Amako Yeah, I shouldnt .

As I watched the situation unfold, Kyou tried to make a quick escape and headed for the door . However, Amako placed her foot in the way, which caused him to trip and fall over . My body was overcome with fear upon seeing Amako use her magic to prevent any means of escape .

J-just wait a moment .

Whose age is too far apart? Even I have my times when I cant tolerate something . If I hear you say it again, dont think youll get away with only this much .

Amako looked at Kyou with cold eyes . Kyou, who was frightened, raised his voice .

M-my bad! I was wrong!!

While still clutching his tail, Kyou begged for Amakos forgiveness . There was no trace of the manly apology he made to me only a few moments ago . The more I observed this scene, the more lifeless it appeared

I was secretly trembling inside but I still decided to step in and help Kyou out of his predicament .

A-Amako? Did you come here for something?

. . Yeah .

Kyou, how about checking on Senpai for me? I need to talk with Amako for a bit .

I-I got it .

Kyou slowly got up . His shoulders drooped and he left the room while holding his tail in his hand . It was Kyous own fault for saying something he shouldnt have said but I couldnt help but pity him when I saw him leave the room like that .

Amako turned to me in silence . She gently tilted her head to the side . She looked at me a little suspiciously as I made eye contact with her .

W-what?

After staring at each other in silence for a few seconds, Amako replied,

Nothing Its just that this boy is going to wake up soon .

She had her ability to see the future so it wasnt strange for her to know . But the way she said it It felt like she was familiar with him .

Is he an acquaintance of yours?

. I know him from my visions .

What kind of person is he?

Hes someone who no one could trust so he ended up as a person who couldnt trust anyone . Hes quite pitiable . When I saw him in my visions two years ago, he was just someone that other people didnt bother with . Despite the fact that hes younger than me His present situation is actually this cruel .

. Wasnt this kind of heavy?

It wasnt at a level where I couldnt handle it but If it were Rose, she could just train him without any mercy . But I dont think Im capable of that .

Its alright, Usato . You can do it .

You say it so easily .

Well, I couldnt back out and say it was impossible at this point .

I still had to talk with the boy and ask what he intended to do . Everything would begin from there . I looked aimlessly at the ceiling while Amako was watching over the boy . She grabbed a wooden chair and sat next to me .

Hes waking up .

Amako put her hood over her head as she said so .

I nodded in response and turned my attention to the boys body . After a few seconds, the boy, lightly groaned and opened his eyes .

His hair was in a mess and there was quite a bit of dirt under his eyes . Looking closely, he was a little thin . Did he not eat much usually? No matter how I looked at it, he didnt have a healthy body .

He was currently staring at me and Amako .

. .

. .

. .

Including me, the three of us were silent .

We wouldnt get anywhere unless we started talking but he kept glaring at me No, his long hair was sort of covering his eyes and it only looked a bit scary . He wasnt necessarily glaring at me . Maybe I misunderstood him when I first met him near Luquis gates? I thought there was hostility in his gaze .

Still, his eyes seemed to be quite good if he could see me from such a long distance .

. . Well, in my case, I was used to being observed from a distance like that .

Do you remember what happened this afternoon?

. YYeah .

Whats your name?

Nack . You are . Usato, right? A healing magician just like me But I dont know who the person next to you is

Well its a given you would know about me, you saw my mock battle with Halfa-san Aah, you dont have to mind this person next to me . Anyways, Ill explain to you what happened after you fainted . Stay calm and listen carefully .

Y-yes

As my explanation went on, his face gradually became paler . I gave a detailed explanation of what happened while he was unconscious and told him about how Inukami-senpai set him up for a duel .

After I stopped talking, he hugged himself with his arms and trembled in fear .

I-I Why do I have to

Just as I had thought, Nack was in a state of shock .

His reaction is understandable . If a match suddenly got decided for me without my consent, I wouldnt want to fight either . But thats just how unstable the situation is .

It would have been even more dangerous for you if this match wasnt proposed .

But thats because Im a healing magician .

No I heard that youve been bullied quite a bit . I dont know exactly how much, but Mina went far enough to exhaust all your magic . If you received another hit during that state . Let me just be frank with you . If you took another hit from Minas magic, you would have died .

It wouldnt have been just a small injury preventing him from going to school .

I was disgusted at the fact that this group in their spare time would fire magic at Nack until his magic was exhausted .

But . The reason they took it that far this time was because of me . Due to my rash actions, I put you in a dangerous situation . Im truly sorry .

I put my hands on my knees and bowed my head down .

Nack panicked upon seeing me lower my head but this was obviously something I had to say . Their group probably never took their abuse on Nack this far before . The reason was simple; Nack would have already died long ago if they did .

By showing Luquis the strength of a healing magician, Minas pride was wounded . But I only felt anger right now because she didnt come directly for me but rather another healing magician instead She went for Nack .

I-I was saved by you so . Its fine! So please, raise your head

I raised my head once I heard Nacks flustered voice .

I held some responsibility for this current situation . Thats why Ill give him a choice . I looked directly into his eyes and said,

Then, Nack . Lets get right to the point . In one week . Will you be able to fight Mina?

.

Please give me an honest answer .

Once I threw down these words, the boy hung his head in shame and gathered the front of his robe in his fists . It felt like he was trying to squeeze something to death . After a few moments The boy, Nack, opened his mouth and spoke,

Its . Impossible .

Can you tell me the reason for it?

It wasnt I cant do it but rather impossible .

He clearly stated that there was no way he could win . While I was pondering on the possible reason, Nack gathered healing magic in his hand and placed it in front of me .

Youre a proper healing magician, right . ? Im just a defective one, my healing magic is Its impossible for me .

Defective . ?

Defective? Nack wasnt referring to healing magic itself, he seemed to be referring to how he used healing magic .

But what did he mean exactly? Did he mean it literally or was there some other meaning I looked at his extended hand in confusion . Nack looked vexed and continued to explain .

I cant heal anyone except myself Before I came here, I was still able to do it but I cant do it anymore .

He lost the ability to heal others with healing magic?

Were there different effects depending on how one strengthened healing magic? The Reinforcement of my healing magic didnt result in anything like that

. Since when?

I noticed it about a year ago Mina and her group were bullying me as usual . As I was walking back home, I saw an injured familiar . Thats when I realized it .

You cant operate your healing magic at all except on yourself?

Nack nodded . Next to me, Amako was astonished . It seemed like the circumstances were unexpected for her too .

Still, why was it that he lost the ability to use healing magic on others? I never heard anything like that from Rose . Was it because the concentration of his healing magic became too thin? . No, something like that couldnt just suddenly happen . Olga-san was born with his special concentration but Nack clearly didnt fit in this category . The light in Nacks hand looked normal too .

If I were to consider one more possibility . Did he develop this condition because of how Minas group bullied him?

.

I shouldnt think too deeply .

If I thought any further down this path, I wasnt confident in keeping my composure . There was a more urgent problem that we had to address first .

Healing magic is a magic used only for healing others Thats why, my magic is broken . My magic has lost its only function

Usato .

Amako probably felt that this situation was bad and looked at me with worry . But it wasnt necessary for him to heal others if he decided to participate in tomorrows training .

I smiled and placed a hand on the gloomy Nacks shoulder .

Its okay . The process of making you stronger wont require you to use healing magic on others .

Eh?

If you decide to fight with Mina Undertake my training for five days .

The problem wasnt healing magic but rather his resolve Honestly, this kind of training was the equivalent of hell to him . The training was on a level where I couldnt even joke about it .

I wouldnt go easy nor would I try to gloss it over with some pretty words . I needed to make sure he had the will to see through this training .

Additionally

Broken? Cant use it anymore? Defective? A magic whose only purpose is to heal others? Telling me that Im a real and proper healing magician? Youre completely off . Nack, youve been trying too hard to use healing magic the right way .

I wasnt wrong .

I wasnt a proper healing magician . It was true that healing magicians were supposed to be like Olga-san and Uluru-san who specialized in healing others .

The first thing that my Master taught me wasnt how to heal others She simply taught me how to heal myself . Thats why Its fine . If you can still do that much, its enough for you to receive my training and kick the asses of those guys who bullied you .

Hah? Eh?

My words appeared too startling for Nack as he stared blankly at me with his mouth partly opened .

I wryly smiled and continued to speak .

Well, what Im saying is . Im not teaching you healing magic . Ill use these five days to train you to a level where you can completely overwhelm that little girl .

Me? And to Mina?

Of course, it wont be easy . The training tomorrow will be plain and much tougher than you could ever imagine . You might vomit blood, you might scream and cry, you might faint Well, Ill use healing magic on you to prevent that . Ill ask you again, Nack . Do you have the resolve to fight against Mina?

It mightve been an exaggeration to say he would vomit blood but I wasnt necessarily lying . . I didnt vomit blood when I trained, it should be fine .

After around ten or so seconds passed, Nack hesitantly spoke .

Umm Thats I feel like the training is scarier than having to fight with Mina

. . Yeah .

I wont deny that .

Usato . .

Amako, stop looking at me with those eyes . Its like youre disappointed in me .

There was really no other option here . If Nack wanted to get stronger, he would have to go through the same training Rose gave me . There was also the fact that I didnt know any other ways to get stronger .

But dont worry, Nack, you will definitely have an easier time than me . At least, I think so

W-well . If you dont want to, Ill go bow down and apologize to Mina . Thats why you dont have to force yourself to fight . There are other paths to take .

Nack was looking down on the bed .

No matter what his answer is, I wont say anything about it .

If you wanted to win, you had to go through this training . In truth, I understood from personal experience just what kind of training you would go through . I didnt want you to experience this training from hell either .

Running until I collapsed, only to be revived so I could continue running Continuing that endless cycle was one of the basics of the Rescue Squads healing magic . But you havent seen true hell until you got past that part . You had to deal with the mental burden too . Waking up in the morning and thinking about the running you had to do for the day wasnt the most pleasant experience . Although you wouldnt be tired or receive any injuries due to healing magic, you would feel a strange sense of pain in your legs .

It was the type of training that deteriorated ones mind .

But in turn, youll be rewarded with definite results . . Youll still have mixed feelings about it though .

Even someone like me Can win?

Im not making any guarantees . But if youre determined, youll definitely be rewarded for your efforts . I am proof of that .

I obviously wouldnt do the training where I would send him flying in the air every few seconds . It would be more accurate to say that if I did do that, Nack would die .

After receiving my words, Nack still looked indecisive . But that was only for a moment . It wasnt long before he looked like someone who had made up his mind . His eyes were still gloomy but I could see a faint spark of light in them now .

Ill do it Ill really do it Ill defeat Mina . Thats why Please, make me stronger . . !

Well said!

I didnt think I would train a healing magician just like Rose Ill thoroughly temper and train this boy, Nack, in the Rescue Squads style of healing magic .

I swore this inside my heart .

*

The training will begin tomorrow . For today, be sure to eat well and get plenty of sleep .

Since Nack was determined to fight with Mina, the next problem was his bodys current condition .

He probably didnt eat anything that gave him a good source of nutrition . His complexion was slightly better now thanks to his healing magic being restored but I couldnt ignore his poor health .

Healing magic couldnt restore mental fatigue or nutrition, so it was important to eat well .

I realized just how important a good source of nutrition was after a session of training . Every cell in my body would scream and demand me to eat something On the first day I started training and got to eat something at dinner afterwards, I shed tears . No, how should I say it? It wasnt an exaggeration to say that when Tong snatched my food, I felt like a tiger that had just entered a fierce world .

Umm

As I indulged in a nostalgic memory, Nack looked around the room restlessly .

By the way Where are we?

Ah .

What kind of explanation should I give?

Should I just honestly tell him this was Kirihas place Where other beast kin lived?

I dont think this boy had any prejudice against non-humans but What should I do?

Usato .

What is it, Amako?

She had the habit of tugging on my sleeve when she wanted my attention . I couldnt see half of her face due to the hood covering it but I could tell she was looking at the door .

Sorry, I was too late .

Eh? What was too late?

As I was about to ask, the door behind me slammed open and someone stepped in . From there, I understood what Amako meant .

Senpai had appeared with Satsuki in her arms .

Usato-kun! Could we take this child back with us!? . . Wait Huh?

I told you that you cant! Are you really a hero!? Usato, stop her!

And behind her was Kyou, who requested my help .

Senpai was brightly smiling when she first entered and saw me But she returned to normal after seeing that Nack had gotten up . Amako was hiding under her arms and hood in shame .

Nack looked at Senpai who was carrying Satsuki and at Kyou who was behind the two of them . Lastly, he looked at Amako who had taken off her hood . He was dumbfounded His mouth flapped opened and closed like a fish . He kept looking back and forth between them .

Senpai let down Satsuki . . she probably felt that the situation wasnt good . She placed a hand on the back of her head and embarrassingly said,

Erm, Im sorry?

Needless to say, it would take a while to explain everything to the confused Nack .