The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic

Chapter 478
 
The Rescue Team is… honestly a pretty strange place.

You’ve got all sorts of people there — brawny team members, beastkin, even demonfolk, and there are even some actual monsters mixed in.
Just from that alone, the place is clearly abnormal, but it doesn’t stop there. One of the legendary heroes who defeated the Demon King is part of the team, as well as a famously powerful Healing Magic user.
What’s really terrifying is that it’s not just some random multi-species gathering — everyone who’s gathered here has a mind-blowingly impressive background.

And in the middle of all that chaos… is my brother.
Logically speaking, none of these elements should ever coexist. It’s a complete mess of contradictions. And yet, for some reason, my brother has completely adapted to this organization called the Rescue Team.
“…But the training itself looks… pretty normal, doesn’t it?”

Just past noon.
I’ve been watching my brother’s training since morning, and if you look at it in isolation, it honestly looks like training you’d see in any country.
Sitting in the wooden chair Bell prepared for me, beneath the parasol she’s holding up, I gaze out at the scene—and just then, I catch sight of my brother running past.
“Oh, Brother—!”

I wave at him, trying to cheer him on as he runs, keeping a steady pace without breaking his rhythm.
He spots me and waves back with a bright smile, not slowing down even a little as he continues running.
…He never used to smile like that.

Back then, he preferred staying indoors. The only time I ever saw him playing outside or running like this was when Mina dragged him out. That was about it.
“He’s changed, hasn’t he, Young Master?”
“He has. This new environment… it’s changed him for the better.”

If he had stayed with our parents, my brother’s future would’ve stayed just as dark as it was.
Even if he had stayed in Lukvis, nothing would’ve changed.
He couldn’t see any hope in his own future. He was on a path of nothing but darkness. The one who reached out to help him out of that must’ve been… Usato.

“Milady, are you…?”
“…Bell? What is it?”
I glance at Bell, who had suddenly cut herself off. Her expression shows some hesitation, like she’s struggling to say what’s on her mind.

She’s been by my side and my brother’s side for years—like a big sister to us, really.
She’d probably say that’s too presumptuous, but there’s no way I wouldn’t be curious about what someone like Bell wanted to say.
“…Are you really going to be okay, Milady?”

“…I’ll be fine, really.”
“If you wish, you could always stay here in the Llinger Kingdom—”
“Bell, that’s not an option.”
I’ve thought about it before—somewhere in the back of my mind.

But no matter how much I might want it, it’s not something that can come true.
“Our parents… they’ll come looking for me.”
No matter how many reasons I try to give them, they’ll just blame everything on my brother.

They’ll never admit their own faults. They’ll twist things to paint him as the bad guy. That’s the kind of people they are—cruel and dismissive. Two years living close to them was more than enough to teach me their true nature.
“I won’t let my selfishness cause trouble for Brother… or the Llinger Kingdom.”
“…Forgive me. I’ve overstepped my bounds as a servant.”

“It’s fine… Really, thank you. For everything.”
And honestly, I’m fine.
It’s not like I hate studying. And I never expected anything from our parents anyway.

…
“By the way, Bell…”
“Yes?”

I turn to Bell, who’s still holding the parasol over me.
“Since lunch break ended, how many times has Brother run past here now?”
“That would make it… the ninth lap.”

N-Nine laps…?
He’s run nine full laps on a course so big I can’t even see the whole thing?
Even with a break for lunch, he’s basically been running since morning!?

“Do you have any idea how long one lap around this place even is?”
“…It’s quite a distance, to say the least.”
I stare at my brother, still running endlessly with only a bit of sweat on his brow, and I can’t help but feel a little freaked out.
No matter how you look at it, that is not normal.

“I tried not to think about it, but… is Brother’s body even human anymore?”
“…Let’s just say he’s grown tremendously.”
“That’s not growth—that’s a biological anomaly.”

“…Young Master has grown so much…!”
“You’re covering for it with emotion now!?”
Bell wipes her eyes with an exaggerated flourish, her voice trembling in mock drama.

My brother’s kind personality hasn’t changed one bit, but everything else about him has transformed so much that I’m not even sure how to process it.
“Oh… that’s Kiriha.”
Keeping some distance from my brother, Kiriha walks past in front of me, waving cheerfully.

She’s a bit of a mystery herself.
No one here seems to care about things like being a beastkin or demonfolk, but… I genuinely have no idea what kind of relationship Kiriha has with my brother.
“They’re not, like… a thing, are they?”

At one point, I thought, “Wait, is she Senpai’s rival!?” but when I asked about it casually, the response I got was… completely uninterested.
Not shy, not evasive—just a plain, matter-of-fact denial. I could tell she was telling the truth. She doesn’t hate my brother or anything, either.
So when I asked why they’re always arguing—

“Maybe because we’re fighting over who gets to be Usato’s number one apprentice?”
…Can anyone just declare themselves his number one apprentice like that?
…But now I’m wondering, what would happen if I told Mina about Kiriha?

Knowing her, she’d probably completely misunderstand and panic.
“Actually, maybe that would help her be more honest…”
Maybe I should explain things to Kiriha first and get her permission.

As I’m seriously considering it, Bell suddenly notices something nearby.
“Bell? …Huh?”
I follow her gaze and see five people—three men and two women—walking over from the direction of the Rescue Team dormitory.

Wondering who they might be, I quickly recognize three of them.
“Usato, Suzune… and Amako?”
“Oh, so you’ve been watching Nak’s training, huh, Milia?”

Suzune raises a hand casually as she speaks, and I nod in response.
…Usato and Suzune had gone to the clinic earlier this morning. And the beastkin girl, Amako—I met her yesterday.
She’s the same height as me, but she’s four years older. That really surprised me…

“And the other two are…?”
“They’re friends of Nak’s from back when he was in Lukvis.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Halfa.”

“Kiriha.”
“Ah, it’s a pleasure to meet you too. I’m Milia Argareth.”
I bow quickly, flustered, and take a closer look at the two in front of me.

One has gray hair, and the other—Kiriha—is a beastkin with ears like a weasel.
Hearing they were friends from Lukvis, I find myself getting curious. Then Halfa, the one who introduced himself first, puts a hand to his chin and gives me an appraising look.
His eyes seem to shine faintly with magical energy…

“Hm. As I thought—being Nak’s sister, your magical flow has a similar pattern.”
“Halfa, I’ve said this before, but looking at people’s magic flow without permission is so creepy.”
“How rude of you.”

…A Magic Eye user?
That’s a pretty rare ability. I’m a little impressed.
Chided by Kiriha, Halfa apologizes with a small bow. “Apologies for the intrusive gaze.”

Then he turns to Usato.
“Well then, now that I’ve fulfilled my goal of seeing Nak’s sister—Usato, shall we spar?”
“Didn’t your priorities shift halfway through the walk over here!?”

Looking visibly excited, Halfa grips his weapon, while Usato rubs the back of his head with a troubled smile.
“Well, I did bring it up, so sure… Just take it easy, alright? Don’t push yourself.”
“Of course. Yes, of course—I completely understand.”

It seems the two of them are about to spar.
Watching Halfa practically vibrate with anticipation, Usato crosses his arms and sighs.
“Yeah, I’m a little worried… not just about him, but myself too. Once I get into it, I might go all-out without meaning to.”

“At least you’re self-aware. Why not ask Suzune to be the judge?”
Amako suggests it casually, and Usato nods.
“…Good idea. Senpai, could you do it?”

“Both fighters, take your positions!”
“She’s already in referee mode…”
With zero hesitation, Suzune strikes a dramatic pose with both arms raised.

She really looks the part, too—glancing back and forth between the two fighters with a serious face, she lifts a finger into the air.
“No time limit, magic allowed, everything goes! Any objections!?”
“Yes, I object!!”

“Don’t just accept that, Halfa!”
Usato sighs as he watches Halfa brandish his wooden sword. Then he glances over at us and points toward a nearby training ground.
“…Anyway, Milia, Bell—we’re going to have a quick match over there, so don’t worry about us, okay?”

“Ah, alright…”
With a natural flow, Usato, Suzune, and Halfa move off toward the open space.
As I watch them go, Kiriha—the weasel-eared beastkin—approaches me and speaks.

“Mind if we chat a bit?”
“Oh, of course. Please, have a seat if you like.”
“Thanks.”

“I’ll take you up on that.”
They both sit down in the wooden chairs Bell prepared earlier, settling in with casual ease.
“Um… did I hear something about a sparring match…?”

“Oh, right. Usato said since we’ll be heading back to Lukvis soon, he wanted to have at least one proper spar before we go.”
“I mean, I do wish he’d take a break once in a while… but if I nag him about it too much, it’ll just stress him out even more.”
Lukvis… That must be the academy Brother used to attend.

If that’s the case, then Kiriha and Halfa must be students from Lukvis, too. Maybe not so much “studying abroad” as it is… some kind of training program for joining the knights? Given the time of year, that would make more sense.
“……”
“Kiriha, what’s with that weird look?”

“It’s just… wow. You’re capable of being considerate like that now. You’ve grown up… huh.”
“Kiriha. I saw you just look me up and down. From my toes to my head. Why? Were you thinking about my height? Was it the height thing?”
Just as I was about to ask her directly, I saw movement in the distance — Usato and Halfa were ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) beginning their match.

“…!”
I couldn’t follow it with my eyes at all.
In the blink of an eye, the air was filled with the whoosh of displaced wind and the sharp crack of impacts. The only time I could see what was happening was when Usato effortlessly deflected Halfa’s wooden sword with a light tap of his right arm.

“Feel free to use your Magic Eye!”
“You’ve got to be joking! That would backfire on me against someone like you! I’m attacking with pure technique only!”
Coming from a noble family, I’ve seen knights train plenty of times.
But this… this wasn’t just some practice session. This was something else entirely.

“...Um. Milady Milia… Is that what I should call you?”
Still staring at the sparring match, I heard Kiriha’s hesitant voice from beside me.
It brought me back to my senses, and I turned my attention to her.

“No need for titles. Just Milia is fine. I’m not here to throw my status around.”
“R-Really? Then I’ll call you Milia.”
“Yes, of course.”

My parents or even Bell might have scolded me for that, but here in the Llinger Kingdom, I’m just a visiting noble. I’m not expecting to be treated like royalty.
Kiriha looked relieved at my response and smiled, relaxing visibly.
“Sorry for just showing up out of nowhere. I… wanted to meet you at least once. Nak’s little sister.”

“R-Really? How did you meet my brother?”
I hate to admit it, but as a beastkin, she probably didn’t have many chances to interact with humans like my brother.
Assuming she’s a student from Lukvis, it’s likely they met when he was attending the academy.

“Well, the connection started with Usato.”
“With Usato?”
Wait, Usato was the one who introduced my brother to Kiriha?

“It began when… let’s see… Oh yeah. Mina beat Nak half to death, and Usato brought his unconscious body to us.”
“…”
“I remember just staring at him like, ‘Did this guy seriously just dump a giant mess in our laps!?’”

I’d already heard bits of that from Mina herself, but… hearing it again still made my face tighten.
No. I’d already come to terms with it. I had to stay composed.
“Would you mind… telling me more?”

“Huh?”
“How did my brother end up walking this path—becoming a Healing Magic user… joining the Rescue Team?”
I know I should be hearing this from my brother himself, but…

Judging from the way he’s still out there training like it’s nothing, I feel like hearing it from Kiriha and Amako first might help me understand better.
 
****

“Well, that’s the gist of it, I think. Amako, anything you’d add?”
“Nope. I kept it simple, but I think we covered most of the important points.”
To stop the bullying, Brother agreed to fight Mina. Usato trained him for that battle.

There was one point where he nearly gave up, but he stood his ground against her—and won. That was the turning point. It was then he reclaimed his Healing Magic, and with it, his purpose.
“…”
I was glad to hear it.

At the same time, I felt an overwhelming urge to thank Usato properly, for showing my brother the way forward.
“…He really was saved, wasn’t he?”
“He went through hell, but yeah… he worked hard.”

Amako answered softly.
Usato showed him the path. And my brother chose to walk it himself.
It made perfect sense why he’s the way he is now.

“…Although, there is something that’s been bothering me.”
“Hmm? What is it?”
While they were explaining everything, one thing kept nagging at me.

They talked a lot about the situation and the events, but they completely skipped over the details of the training itself.
That felt… odd.
“What kind of training did Usato give him?”

“……”
“……”
…What’s with that silence?

N-No, based on everything so far, Usato seems like a decent person. I mean, sure, intense maybe, but he didn’t seem like someone who’d go overboard.
Still… this reaction is making me nervous. I glance between the now completely silent Amako and Kiriha and try again.
“Um… could I ask what kind of training they did?”

“Well, yeah… You are his sister. I guess you’d want to know.”
“I suppose there’s no hiding it…”
…Why does this feel like they’re about to reveal some forbidden dark secret!?

Ignoring my bewildered expression, the two of them exchanged glances—then nodded as if bracing themselves.
“Well, first, Usato had him carry a bear monster on his back and run through town.”
“W-Wait—what!?”

“Then he made him run. A lot.”
“A…lot…?”
“Sometimes he’d just kick him.”

“……”
“Also, he constantly fired magic projectiles at him until he learned to dodge them.”
“…………”

………
Usato?
This is definitely something I need to ask him about directly.

Because right now, all I can picture is the war criminal version of Usato — a completely different image from the kind, composed person I met yesterday.
What happened in Lukvis!?