The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic

Chapter 479
 

It’s been three days since I arrived in the Llinger Kingdom.
In that time, I reunited with my brother, met the absurdly eccentric members of the Rescue Team, watched their training routines… So much has happened already.
Compared to life back at the family estate, everything here is vibrant and full of stimulation. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried about whether I could keep up with it all—but honestly, I haven’t had time to be anxious. It’s just been that fun.

“Woke up a little early, huh…”
The morning light slipped in through a gap in the curtains and woke me before I intended. I raised a hand to block the sunlight and slowly sat up.
Still half-asleep, I glanced out the window. The sun was only beginning to rise. The sky still held faint traces of night.

“Mmm…”
I thought about going back to sleep, but… on a whim, I decided to get up.
It might be nice to take in the Llinger Kingdom’s early morning atmosphere.
Once I made up my mind, I quickly tidied myself up enough that I wouldn’t look out of place outdoors, then headed outside.

“It really is nothing like home…”
The path was lined with trees and just chilly enough to be refreshing.
I inhaled the crisp air, exhaled lightly, and took in the peaceful, early-morning scenery. It felt completely different from the daytime, and I found myself smiling.

“…This place really is wonderful.”
The training I’d seen was absolutely outrageous, sure, but the environment itself is peaceful and beautiful.
The other day, Bell and I went out to explore the streets of the capital, and I was amazed by how lively and vibrant the townspeople were.

“…Aside from the insane training, anyway.”
When I asked Usato directly about the training he gave my brother back in Lukvis, I was taken aback—but I also understood.
Mina’s magic is not only powerful, but she’s extremely skilled at wielding it.

For my brother to defeat someone like her, training under normal standards just wouldn’t cut it. It had to be extreme.
“And still… I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone harder to read than him.”
—Usato is easy to understand in terms of what he values and believes in… but impossible to predict when it comes to what he’ll actually do.

Being raised in a noble household, I’ve always prided myself on being able to read people and judge their character.
Usato struck me as honest and dependable—but every now and then, he shows this completely different side.
Suzune’s the same in some ways, but Usato… the way he casually switches between normal and completely unhinged makes him way harder to handle.

『—OOOOOHHHH!!』
“…Huh?”
Was that… some kind of war cry?

That definitely didn’t sound human.
Curious, I followed the direction the voice had come from. Since it was near the Rescue Team's territory, I wasn’t too worried, but…
The voice was getting closer. And—
『Yeah! That’s it, come on, Bururin!!』

『GRUAAAA!!』
『Here we gooooo!!』
…………

“…Wait, what!?”
A person—was throwing a bear.
The words escaped my mouth in a completely dumbfounded whisper, a sound I don’t think I’ve ever made before.

『GRUOOOH!!』
“Hmph! Haaaah! Nnngh!!”
Usato was grappling with a blue bear head-on—catching its charges and tossing it aside like it was a sparring partner.

I was so shocked my brain went completely blank, then panicked once I realized what I was seeing.
“W-W-WAIT, SOMEONE’S GETTING ATTACKED BY A BEAR!?”
Inside the Kingdom!?! Why!?! No, this is bad! I have to get someone, I have to—

Wait. Hang on.
Looking more closely…
“…Wait, is that… Usato?”

Yep. No mistake.
The one catching the bear’s full-body slams and throwing it around was definitely Usato.
And that bear—now that I get a better look—was Bururin, the Blue Grizzly beast he introduced the other day. His magical beast partner.

“No, no, no… why is he wrestling a Blue Grizzly!? Is this a hallucination!? Did I inhale some kind of illusion mist!?”
I rubbed my eyes.
But the scene didn’t change.

Let’s not forget—the Blue Grizzly is a very dangerous magical beast.
It’s so high-ranking that even knights have to be dispatched to handle it.
So why was he handling one barehanded—and why did he look like he was enjoying it!?

『GRUAAAAA!!』
『So you have gotten stronger, huh, Bururin?! Looks like you haven’t been lazing around all day after all!!』
Usato caught Bururin’s massive forearms with both of his own, ducked in under its body, and—yes, this really happened—threw the bear over his back.

『NUUUNGH!!』
『GRUOHH!!』
I’m pretty sure that’s the first and last time in my life I’ll ever see a Blue Grizzly fly through the air.

While I was standing there stunned, Bururin landed perfectly on all fours—no injuries—then immediately lunged back at Usato.
『GRUAAAAA!!』
『HRAAAGH!!』

Their blows collided—Usato’s kick versus Bururin’s paw—and they were pushed apart by the force of the impact.
Bururin rushed right back in without hesitation.
“Hnnngh!!”

『GRUHH!?』
Just as Bururin’s paw came down, Usato’s hands glowed with green light. He intercepted the blow with his forearms—and redirected the attack in a smooth, unnatural arc.
『—Healing Flow.』

“…Wait… huh?”
It wasn’t like the mock battle with Halfa the other day, where their movements were too fast to see.
No, I could barely follow this with my eyes, but that didn’t make it any less absurd.

It looked like Usato was brushing off the attack lightly—but then the redirected paw struck a nearby tree, shattering it like it had been gouged out with an axe.
『You can’t win just by brute force!!』
『GRRAAAH!』

Bururin growled viciously and raised both forearms to slam down from above.
Usato raised his own arms in the same posture as before—then suddenly dropped it, catching the attack head-on.
“...You actually went for an overhead slam, huh!? Not bad!!”

Uhhh… You caught that straight on. With your bare hands.
Is that even allowed for a human!? His feet are literally embedded in the ground right now!
『Healing Afterimage Fist!!』

While still holding Bururin’s strike, Usato somehow moved—like he split into two—blurring into afterimages as he countered.
Bururin responded with a ferocious flurry of attacks.
…This isn’t magic anymore. Or martial arts. This is… something else entirely. Something unexplainable.

『GRRUUAAAA!! RAAAAAH!!』
“…!”
As my brain was starting to shut down from trying to comprehend it all, I saw Bururin charge with enough force to flatten a castle wall.

And yet Usato stopped it dead in its tracks, digging into the earth beneath him.
Both of them finally came to a stop.
『…GRRUAAH!』

『Yeah. Let’s call it there.』
『Grrr…』
『I know, I know. You could’ve gone longer, right?』

And then, Usato turned toward me.
Without a doubt, he was looking straight at me—even though I was hidden behind a tree.
He gave a sheepish smile and scratched his head.

“…Wait, he noticed me from this far away!?”
Was that Bururin’s nose… or his own senses!?
I stepped out from behind the tree, still stunned that he’d spotted me so easily.

“Sorry… did we wake you?”
“N-No, I just happened to wake up early and went out for a walk and… well… I saw you getting attacked by a bear…”
“Ah—haha, sorry about that. That must’ve looked bad. We were just playing around.”

“P-Playing…?”
“Hey, Bururin,” Usato said cheerfully—and in response, Bururin smacked his leg with a huge paw.
It made a CRACK sound that was definitely not gentle.

And yet, Usato didn’t even flinch.
…What does “playing around” mean to him!?
“Um… do you do this every day?”

“Nah, just now and then. I figured it’d be a fun workout with Bururin—and kind of a warm-up for today’s training.”
“…Warm-up, you say?”
I muttered, eyeing the shattered tree nearby.

Since when did hand-to-hand combat with magical beasts count as a warm-up?
“By the way… what kind of training are you doing today?”
The Rescue Team’s usual routines involve lots of running and strength work. But starting today, Usato’s own training was back on schedule.

I asked out of sheer curiosity—what kind of training could possibly follow that?
He gave me a wry smile.
“…Well. Let’s just say I have to mentally prepare for it.”

“…Huh?”
 
****

It had been three days since I returned to the Rescue Team, and today was the day Rose declared as the start of my training.
In the meantime, I’d taken proper rest, doing just enough light jogging and basic mana circulation drills to keep my body from getting dull.
Given what today’s training would obviously entail—getting beaten into the dirt—it only made sense to get back in form. I’d already done a warm-up sparring session with Bururin to shake the rust off, but—

“Huh? Nagi-san, are you joining us today too?”
It was the usual training field surrounded by trees.
I wasn’t the only one Rose had called out here—Nagi, the golden-haired fox beastkin, was also present.

She wore the same Rescue Team training uniform as me and nodded at my question.
“Rose asked me to come. I’m guessing she wants me to help out with your training.”
“...I see. In that case, I’ll be in your care today.”

“Heh, same to you.”
If Rose summoned someone, then it must be something important.
Besides, Nagi has way more real battle experience than I do, and her technique is leagues above mine.

“You think you’re good to start back with training all of a sudden?”
“Fufufu. Worry not. I already had a warm-up session with Bururin early this morning, just for today.”
“Ah, right! You don’t have to hold back with Bururin, huh!”

He is my partner, after all, and in a good way, he never goes easy on me.
We can fight seriously, and I still won’t end up with any serious injuries.
If Ferum and Nea were here, I’m sure they’d be reacting just like Nagi right now...!

“Looks like everyone’s here.”
Just as Nagi nodded in understanding and I responded with a confident smile, Rose arrived at the training field.
“Good morning, Captain!”

“Yo.”
After exchanging morning greetings, I stood facing Rose across the training field.
Nagi moved a short distance away to observe, and Rose began explaining today’s training.

“As for today’s training... you’ve probably got some idea already, don’t you?”
“I can’t say I’m certain, but I have a few guesses…”
There’s still the mystery of how I got hit so cleanly in the forehead that day in the captain’s office, completely unguarded.

Leaving that aside for now, the most likely answer is—
“...Some kind of feint?”
That’s the conclusion I came to immediately.

The real problem is that I got completely duped by it, didn’t react at all, and left myself totally open.
“Not wrong. But you don’t think I’d go out of my way to teach you something that basic, do you?”
“Well, I guess not…”

So I wasn’t off the mark, but it wasn’t exactly the full picture either.
I had seen Leona use feints before back in Miarark, so it’s not like this is brand-new.
“Before we start the training, let’s clarify something. Usato.”

“…Yes?”
“What’s your greatest strength?”
The sudden question made me tilt my head slightly.

My strength… My strength... Is stubbornness a strength? Kinda debatable...
“Uhh… My willpower!?”
Thwack!

A flick to the forehead.
The jolt rattled my brain, and Rose stared at me, looking thoroughly unimpressed.
“Idiot. Who asked for a motivational speech? …Kannagi. You answer.”

“Eh? Me?”
Caught off guard, Nagi looked between us, then folded her arms and started thinking.
“When I think of Usato’s strengths… probably his Healing Magic, his physical strength, and… his weird... I mean, uh, diverse techniques?”

You were definitely about to say “weird techniques,” weren’t you?
Honestly, you’re not wrong, so I’ll let it slide.
“Honestly, your fighting style’s really unorthodox from the opponent’s perspective.”

“Unorthodox…”
“Your moves always catch people off guard the first time. And even when they’re used to fighting you, some unknown technique always comes out of nowhere. If they’ve only read reports about you and never fought you themselves, they’ll absolutely underestimate you.”
To be fair, from the outside it probably looks like I’m just punching people while healing them with magic.

Rose nodded at Nagi’s reasoning and turned her gaze back to me.
“To summarize, your greatest strength is adaptability.”
“Adaptability…?”

“You probably don’t even realize it, but you make up techniques on the fly based on your opponent and the situation. Some of that’s just natural instinct, I guess.”
Come to think of it, she’s right.
There have been plenty of times I only made it through a crisis because I created something new on the spot.

“What makes that possible is your creativity—and your mana control, honed through constant circulation training.”
“…”
Whoa, that’s… kind of the most direct praise I’ve ever gotten from her.

Do I dare feel happy about it? No—if I let it show on my face, she might flick me again.
Keeping my joy internal, I asked the question that had been bothering me.
“But what does that have to do with feints?”

“I’ll explain that after I tell you why you couldn’t react to my attack the other day. —Get ready.”
“...!”
I instinctively raised my right arm and activated Healing Sense.

At that moment, Rose vanished from sight—and in a flash, her fist was already inches from my face.
—A punch charged with green Healing Magic!
I braced myself for the same strike I’ve taken countless times before—

“Wha—!?”
Wait a second, why am I falling for this obvious feint like a complete idiot!?
I locked onto the punch in front of me—and by the time I snapped out of it, the leg sweep I had sensed with Healing Sense had already taken my feet out from under me.

“Gah…!”
It was like my attention was forcibly locked onto the fake attack, like I couldn’t focus on anything else.
I planted my hands on the ground, dazed.

“Did you get it?”
As Rose spoke, I stood up and nodded slowly.
“That attack... forced my attention onto it, didn’t it?”

“Exactly.”
That’s easy for her to say, but I have no idea how she did it.
I gave her a confused look, and she raised her fist again.

“When I sucker-punched you in the office, the reason you couldn’t focus on anything except my right fist—charged with Healing Magic—was…”
“The reason was…?”
I swallowed hard.

Was it some kind of mind-manipulating technique?
Some complex application of mana flow or perception control?
“It’s because I’ve punched the shit out of you so many times during training.”

…
“…Wait. You’re saying… I froze up… because of trauma!?”
“That’s right. That fist has been pounded into your bones so many times it’s instinctual.”

………
…………
“ARE YOU KIDDING MEEEE!?”

“Shut it.”
“THIS IS BULLSHIIIIIT!!”
She kicked me in the side, and I rolled across the ground three times before staggering to my feet, trembling with rage at the sheer unfairness.

I could see Nagi off to the side, frozen with an awkward smile like she wasn’t sure how to process any of this.
“So basically, I didn’t get hit because of some advanced technique—I got hit because I was scared shitless and left myself open!?”
“That’s what I’ve been saying.”

“THEN THIS IS YOUR FAULT, NOT MINE!!”
That was so outrageous my polite speech slipped into pure emotional yelling!
This was your fault! Your nightmare-tier fists with Healing Magic traumatized me into reacting that way!

What was the point of me brooding over this for the last three days!?
“How is that even fair!? There’s no way to defend against it if it’s been etched into my psyche like that!!”
“You’ll get used to it if we do it enough.”

“YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND HOW TRAUMA WORKS! IT JUST KEEPS UPDATING!”
Rose looked at me like I was the annoying one.
I mean, sure, she did say it wasn’t a technique… but still! This is ten times worse than anything I imagined!

“I told you—it’s not a technique.”
…Yeah, she did say that.
I took a breath and forced myself to listen calmly.

“I used that ‘Healing Magic-infused fist’—which you couldn’t ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) ignore—as a decoy. You follow?”
“Yes, but… wouldn’t that only work on me?”
“Did you forget what your strengths are?”

…Healing Magic, physical ability… and adaptability.
“If my fist is the one you can’t ignore—then what’s the move your opponents would never ignore when you fight?”
All the techniques I’ve developed using Healing Magic.

They heal, sure—but they also mislead, confuse, and disrupt my opponents.
“So I can turn those into decoys too…?”
Rose smirked with her usual feral grin.

“You’ve survived two real battlefields this past year. You can handle holding back now, right?”
“…Yeah.”
“Creating moves to deal with an enemy is fine. But if that’s where you stop, you’re still third-rate. Make those moves into bait.”

That… could completely change how I fight.
I could take a known technique, or something I invent on the fly, and make the opponent afraid of it—then use it as a decoy.
Even the act of charging an attack with Healing Magic could make them tense up—and that’s enough.

And after everything I’ve been through this past year…
“If some idiot thinks, ‘It’s Healing Magic, I’ll be fine even if it hits me,’—then they’re in for a very painful surprise.”
“Yikes…”

Nagi looked pale, covering her mouth with her hand.
It’s like bracing for a punch to the face—only to get sucker-punched in the gut instead.
I’d used a similar concept in my Healing Afterimage Fist, but this is more about catching people completely off guard.

“Well, this isn’t something you pick up overnight.”
“…Meaning?”
Dreading the answer, I asked—and Rose raised her fist again.

“Repetition. Same as always. Starting today, in addition to your usual training, you’ll be doing mock battles assuming real combat scenarios.”
So this kind of feint isn’t something you consciously perform—it has to become second nature through repetition.
Just like how I trained myself to dodge back then… only this sounds way worse.

“Let me guess—the opponent is you?”
“Not just me. Fighting the same person over and over just teaches you their moves.”
“Yeah, well, your moves are on a different level—never mind…”

I apologized immediately.
If I’ve been mentally conditioned by fear, then fighting only Rose won’t help me overcome this.
She sighed, clearly fed up.

“Best if you’re up against someone with a decent level of skill. If we limit it to the Rescue Team, then it’s just me, Kannagi, and Inukami.”
“Oh, so that’s why Nagi-san’s here…”
Both Nagi, who’s just as strong as Rose, and Senpai, who’s got raw genius talent.

If I fight either of them, I’ll probably be the one getting tossed around.
“Outside the team, there’s one more person I can think of.”
“Who’s that?”

“Siguls.”
“W-Wait, you mean Commander Siguls!? The Knight Commander!?”
I-I mean, I have heard he’s the one who trained Kazuki and Senpai, and he’s skilled enough to lead the kingdom’s knights…

He’s definitely strong enough. Honestly, I’d like to ask him to train me.
“But… wouldn’t he be busy?”
“Now that the war’s over, he should have time.”

“And besides,” Rose added—
“He probably feels like he owes you one. I bet he’ll be happy to help.”
“Ugh…”

I don’t know why, but I’m more nervous about that than I was talking to Nero in the Demon Lord’s domain.
“Well, for today, it’s just me and Kannagi.”
While I was getting lost in my own dread, Rose cracked her knuckles.

That sound was enough to make me switch gears—I knew what was coming.
“Let’s beat it into that body of yours.”
“Same as always… Got it.”

Whatever the training is, it always comes down to the same thing.
Get knocked around, over and over again, until the technique becomes second nature.
That’s what it means to be a member of the Rescue Team.

That’s what it means to be Rose’s disciple.
That’s the training of a Healing Magic user.