A NEET’s Guide to the Parallel World: Healer, the Strongest Cheat?

“Why aren’t you injured?”

Majima couldn’t understand what was going on.

“The fire…..How…..”

Kihara was just as confused at how Masamune wasn’t turned to ash by the flames.

“Weren’t you a healer?”

Kida couldn’t understand either, all he knew was that healers were supposed to be the weakest.

“Is that some kind of power that healers have?”

Emi managed to stay calm and was looking for an explanation as she wasn’t so familiar with the healer job.

“But, Healers are only supposed to be able to use healing magic aren’t they?”

Matarai was asking Emi but she wasn’t able to give him an answer.

“Is this just what level people are at outside of here?”

Hiragi was looking at Masamune with a serious expression. He couldn’t believe that despite being a healer he was at this kind of level.

“Then….Then we…”

The students didn’t want to accept the reality in front of them. They wondered what they had been doing, they’d spent the same amount of time growing stronger but Masamune who had been exiled had grown to be stronger than them.

“No way, does that mean that even Sonoda’s magic won’t work on anything outside the school?”

Iida was visibly upset and sweat was dripping from his forehead.

“Hidaka isn’t an adventurer right? Then…..”

Sato was thinking that if he wasn’t an adventurer then it was an impossible task for them. Haruhiko and Jessica just looked lost, believing that becoming adventurers were the only way for them to survive they were now faced with what had just happened.

“That’s not it.”

Sonoda addressed everyone’s doubts head on.

“There’s something strange about him. There is no way a level 8 healer would be able to withstand my magic at level 18 so easily.”

But Sonoda didn’t say anything else because he didn’t really have any way to prove what he said.

“Tactical magic circle!”

A magic circle appeared beneath Masamune, Sonoda wasn’t giving up.

“I already said this before didn’t I? This guy is obviously used to fighting.”

Sonoda was immersed in his own sense of superiority and the belief that his thoughts were correct. So he was taking this opportunity to try and prove them right but in the next instant his magic circle shattered.

“What!?”

None of the summoned heroes knew what was going on, but Sonoda didn’t quit and simply cast another circle.

“T, Tactical magic circle!”

Although it seemed like he was losing his composure over what had just happened as 12 magic circles were summoned beneath Masamune. But again as soon as they appeared they shattered.

“No way…..Sonoda’s magic…”

Kida still thought that Masamune was the one that he knew from before. But he could tell that although they looked the same this was not the same Masamune that he knew. As he was thinking this Masamune slowly descended towards the ground and when he landed Sonoda realized that his magic he’d cast on the ground was no longer active.

“Tactical magic circle {Bound spring}!”

Sonoda smiled secretly, it seemed like this magic was something Sonoda thought was a decisive blow but it was again shattered. Masamune just kept walking towards them with a sigh , he hadn’t even revealed the true extent of his power in this fight. But Sonoda was aware that he’d lost as Masamune came to a stop in front of everyone, they were all asking him for answers about what had just happened.

“What do you want me to say? This is normal in the world outside of the school.”

However none of them could truly believe what they had just heard.

“Normal!? Treating Sonoda’s advanced magic like it’s nothing is normal!?”

Iida looked extremely upset by what he’d just heard. Masamune had to think about what he was going to say next.

(Maybe I should tell them that atack magic can’t be used against me? That would be more convenient or…maybe I shouldn’t lie too much so that Sonoda doesn’t figure it out again.)

“It might be a little strange but I’m still the weakest job. It’s not like I could attack him back. Sonoda?”

Masamune turned towards Sonoda.

“You said there was something strange about my eyes right? I don’t know what it is but I haven’t killed anyone, although I have seen death many times. It’s something that happens almost everyday out there.”

Then Emi asked something.

“Does that mean that you’ve gotten really good with defense magic sense you can’t use attack magic?”

“That’s not it, I might have managed to stay alive out there but I didn’t help in battle. After all I’m just a healer, high level magic like that can’t be nullified consistently after all. Once my magic power ran out it would have been over.”

The hero’s expressions started to clear up a little. They seemed to accept Masamune’s explanation as ‘I can’t use attack magic so instead I’m able to nullify it as long as I have magic power of my own’.

“That’s why you were able to escape from my magic without being injured?”

Sonoda still felt a little uncomfortable about the whole thing but he thought that it didn’t really make any since to try and continue the match now.

“Well, it could also be because of the protection magic around this field. As I said I’m not an adventurer or a competent mage so I had no choice but to reach out to others.”

For a moment Sonoda felt like he had misread Masamune. He should have known that Masamune was the weakest healer from the start and that this fact wasn’t something that could be easily changed.

“But I’m sure that everyone here would be able to make it as adventurers. I’ve never seen anyone use that kind of magic, even amongst the adventurers.”

In the past whenever Sonoda had seen the Name ‘Adventurer Nito’ come up in magical communication Sonoda had thought, much like Kyogoku, that it was Masamune. But in the end he decided that Masamune was just a normal healer and was no longer suspicious that he was Nito.

“I see……I guess I read a little too much into it.”

(I win.)

“It’s fine, I am one of the summoned heroes after all. It would make sense that you thought I would have some sort of benefit but, unfortunately I do not.”

Now, Masamune’s ‘business’ here was finished.

“But I was able to live so you guys shouldn’t be too worried. This world is dangerous but everyone should be able to make it and be much happier than I am.”

(Yeah…..Be happy. Be happier than I am now…Otherwise it might prove to be an issue for me.)

When I looked again everyone’s facial expressions had loosened up a bit.

“What you used earlier, was it a skill or was it magic?”

Emi asked with interest.

“It was a skill I have, ‘flying’ it lets me float in the air without using magic power.”

Of course he was actually using flying magic but since he was pretending to be a normal hero it wouldn’t make any sense if he had magic other than healing magic.

“I see, I’ll look that up then.”

However they had all heard what they wanted to hear and didn’t really care anymore. Even Sonoda wasn’t thinking about it too deeply any longer, it seemed that they had all been brainwashed by the ‘existence’ of the king candidate.

“Well, now that we’ve all celebrated our reunion I think I’m going to take off.”

“You’re leaving already!? But you just got here!”

Iida tried to convince Masamune to stay but he had already finished what he’d come to do.

“There are still people who are praying to be saved. If I don’t go back….”

Masamune kept his lie going all the way to the end.

“I see…..Good luck Hidaka.”

For some reason when Kida looked at Masamune he no longer thought that it was just Saeki and Ichijo that he was chasing after.

“Hidaka…..If you ever end up going to the empire, please take care of those two.”

Emi suddenly spoke up as well.

“Even if they betrayed us they’re our friends… We can’t betray them.”

“The empire? I probably won’t go there though I heard that it was pretty dangerous. But if I ever see them I can pass on a message if you want?”

“No, It’s just enough to know that they are safe.”

“….Okay.”

Masamune smiled as though he was able to sense Emi’s feelings but he felt no sympathy whatsoever.

“Alright then everyone. I’ll be back to see you again in four years okay?”

The without hesitation and without listening to what anyone else had to say Masamune left.

“Are you satisfied now Sonoda?”

Kida asked.

“Yeah, I was mistaken about him. I honestly thought that Hidaka was the adventurer Nito.”

“What? You thought that Hidaka was Nito?”

When he heard this Kida started to laugh along with all the other heroes there.

“There’s no way that Hidaka is Nito!”

Even Iida joined in, poking fun at Sonoda.

“You’re surprisingly dumb sometimes Sonoda.”

Hiraga took this opportunity to poke fun at him as well but there was one hero who wasn’t laughing, Emi.

“Now that you mention it…..”

Emi murmured.

“Kotori said the same thing.”

Sonoda’s expression suddenly changed.

“What do you mean?”

With Sonoda’s reaction all of the other heroes turned towards Emi as well.

“It’s nothing to worry about, she just misunderstood. It was just before the matches, Kotori said that Masamune was Nito.”

When she said that everyone had stopped laughing and he the same look that Sonoda did. Kotori was Masamune’s childhood friend, if there was anyone that was going to recognize him…. In fact when there parents would visit the school there mothers often talked happily with each other. If Kotori was the one saying it then could it be….?

“But I went to the banquet with her just in case to try and confirm this but when we were watching him it seemed pretty clear that there was no way he could have been Hidaka. After that Kotori admitted her mistake and apologized.”

Emi thought that the other heroes would calm down after she explained because it wasn’t that believable of a story in the first place. Nito might have been a healer like Masamune was but there wasn’t anything about them that were the same. Everyone there seemed to dismiss it as Kotori just chasing after Masamune’s shadow and wanting him to be alive.

▽

Masamune was standing outside the gate, Kida, Hiragi, Sonoda, those guys said that they were sorry about what had happened in the past. That they were sorry for abandoning him the day they all came here, today Masamune was happy to be alive.

“Those guys…..”

Masamune paused for a moment.

“They really are….. Such hypocrites..”

Masamune’s expression turned evil and he let out an angry laugh.

“Ahahahahaha! You want to apologize, say you’re sorry!? You lie every time your mouth moves! I’m your friend? Hearing them say that makes me want to vomit.”

Masamune’s left eye was glowing red with his right eye halfway there. A terrifying smile was spread across his face as he talked to himself.

“Happiness, you all just need to be happy. Dont worry and just live, choose the best path you can and-”

“Why did you come here?”

A voice called out from behind him causing him to turn around.

“…….Principal.”

Sabrina was standing there.

“…….”

Sabrina was staring intently at Masamune…no, at Nito.”

“You knew it was me even though you could feel my magic power?”

“I just came to see, stop trying to be polite, you suck at it.”

Sabrina was angry but Masamune was still grinning.

“And? Did you have something you wanted from me? I was just about to leave you know?”

“You shouldn’t be here. You promised you would never show up here again didn’t you?”

“You sort of one sidedly expelled me. I had no obligation to obey your decision and didn’t make any promises to do so. Besides the security is pretty crappy here, if you can’t even make a proper ward how are the students here supposed to learn anything from you?”

“You’re just a child.”

In the next moment Sabrina’s feet were lifted off the ground as she floated closer to Masamune. Sabrina seemed to be bound by some sort of strange power to the point that she couldn’t even wiggle her fingers.

“I have to keep you alive since Schneiser knows that I’m here. That means that if I killed you I would be the first one suspected of doing so. After all, you and Oswald are protected by the kings. But If it wasn’t for them, you and this place wouldn’t exist. You’re aware of that fact aren’t you?”

Masamune was still grinning but Sabrina was terrified of the person who she’s just referred to as a child.

“Speaking of which where is oswald? I can’t feel his magic power.”

Sabrina didn’t answer so Masamune threw her away causing her to bounce along the ground.

“Uu!”

She came to a stop after only bouncing twice however and was able to slowly get up. However she remained on all fours glaring at masamune.

“I could kill you whenever I wanted.”

A black vortex appeared next to him as he said this.

“Take care of the heroes.”

Suddenly Sabrina became aware of why Nito was here. However she was still confused, even so Masamune didn’t say anything else and disappeared. Sabrina no longer considered him a student but that was what caused Masamune to act this way now. Even the school that he had cared so much about had turned its back on him so he turned his back on it in turn.

But how many people knew the real Masamune? He who still remembered his vow that day in the dungeon was now just trying to fulfill it in his own way.