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

“A guide to the Demon King? You can do it.”

“Areee?!”

　It was the night when I was ordered by Lloyd-sama to defeat the Demon King.

　I went back to the dormitory, and with a serious look on my face, I asked Ferrum about guiding me to the Demon King’s territory, but the answer was too simple.

　Ferrum, sitting across the table from me in the dining room, looked at me curiously in surprise.

“Why are you surprised?”

“No, no, no! You don’t have a very good memory of the Demon Lord’s territory, do you?”

“You’re treating me like a child ……!”

　She gets grumpy for some reason and I don’t know why.

　Nea, sitting next to me, laughs at my confusion.

“I knew it, you’re so worried, you’re taking it more seriously than Ferrum herself. Does she seem like such a sensitive person?”

“Yes.”

“Don’t answer so quickly.”

　I know that Ferrum is quite sensitive.

　To be honest, I’ve been aware of it since she was locked in the cell.

　After taking a deep breath to regain her composure, she sat back in her chair with vigor and crossed her arms.

“Mostly, the Demon Lord’s domain was not a good place for me, but that’s all. I’ve already cut ties with the village where I was born,……, and I’ve already betrayed the Demon Lord’s army, so there’s no need to worry about it now.”

“…… Are you sure?　Is it okay?”

“No. I’m not sure what to say, but I’m sure it’s a good idea. Besides…”

　Ferrum points at me with a stern look.

　She lifted her eyes and shook her shoulders.

“I haven’t forgotten! After you threw me in the lifeboat, you immediately went on a letter-carrying trip and left me there!”

“Hmm? Yes, that’s right.”

　I don’t think they left him there, I think they just couldn’t let him out of the kingdom because of his position.

“Do you know how much hell Rose put me through after that?”

“……?”

“Hey, how come you can look so strange there ……?”

“You look like you’re wondering why now ……”

　Well, as I said, I feel bad that I was the cause of Ferrum joining the lifeguard team, that I left her alone and went on a journey.

　But you wanted to go on a journey so badly, didn’t you ……?

　If you are so rooted in your feelings, it shows how strong they are.

“Either way, it’s reassuring to have you to guide me. I’d be very grateful for you to be there, too.”

“…… I’m not your armour.”

“No, I’m not. I’m just a good friend.”

“……”

　It’s true that she’s strong when she’s with Ferrum.

　But more than that, it’s reassuring to have friends close by that you can rely on.

　I’m not sure what I was thinking, but I stopped trying to talk to Nea, who was resting her cheek on the table, from Ferrum, who was lying face down and shaking her shoulder.

“Nea, well, she’s going, so I don’t have to ask her.”

“No, you should listen. I’ll follow you.”

“Then you don’t have to listen.”

　Then Nea raises herself up from the table with a grim smile.

“Don’t you understand? You’ll be lonely if you don’t get the right amount of attention.”

“Are you a maiden or something?”

　Oh my gosh, how proud are you ……?

　When you say it with such a confident face, it makes me feel like a man, on the contrary.

　Slightly shuddering, he looks from Nea back to Ferrum.

“Ferrum, if you’re willing to follow me on my journey to defeat the Demon King, I’d be happy to have you come to the castle with me tomorrow.”

“Oh, what am I supposed to tell you?”

“Probably about the terrain of the Demon Lord’s territory and the demons …….”

“…… It’s true, the Demon Lord’s territory is far away from here. I understand.”

　Ferrum nods with her hand on her chin.

　Seeing her like that, I suddenly asked her what was bothering her.

“What kind of place is the Demon Lord’s Domain?”

“A gloomy place.”

“Well, even though it’s your hometown, you’re really saying a lot. ……”

　Ferum snickers at Nea and I, who are both a little taken aback.

“At least that was the case in the village where I grew up. It was a place where it was difficult to grow crops, so we had to eat for the day, and there were always dangers in the forests, because only ferocious demons were allowed to hunt there.”

“…… Vicious demons?”

“You’ve probably heard this already, but you can safely assume it’s almost impossible to get around on a horse. If you ride a horse in a place like that, you’ll soon be targeted by demons or by hungry people.”

“Are they that needy? The demons?”

“Before the Demon Lord woke up, it was much worse.”

　After mentioning the name of the Demon Lord with disinterest, Ferrum looks out the window at the view outside.

“I don’t know how he did it, but the Demon Lord gave power to a land called the Demon Lord’s Domain. Thanks to him, crops have been able to grow and the water is rather clean.”

“…… is so out of the ordinary. He’s a demon king.”

“Is it witchcraft ……? Even if that were the case, the magic power to cover the vast area of the Demon Lord’s territory is too much. ……”

　But from what we’ve heard, does that mean that the Demon Lords of the current era worked for the Demon Lords living in the Demon Lords’ territory?

　Could it be that he challenged the human side to a fight …… No, that would be a naive idea.

　If the Demon King was the kind of person who would take the methods described in the memoirs, it is normal to think of it as a means to create an army to serve as his own limbs.

　I’ll keep this in my heart as just one thought.　

　However—–

“Defeating the demon king is a mission as a hero?”

　Then, after defeating the demon king, what happens to the demon race?

　We don’t even know the respective reasons they fight.

　Can we challenge the Demon King without knowing that?

“I should see the demon lordship with my own eyes.”

　I’m still lacking in awareness.

　To what it means to defeat the Demon King.

　To know that, you have to know.

“Hey, Usato.”

“Yes?”

　When I came to my senses and looked at Nea, who had called out to me, she plopped down on the table again and spoke to me in a somewhat sleepy manner.

“When are you leaving on this journey to defeat the Demon King?”

“From the Demon King’s condition, they don’t know when he’ll recover, so they want to leave as soon as possible. Welshy says …… that they will leave the Lingle Kingdom as early as within three days, and once they have made final preparations at the base where the battle took place, they will enter the Demon Lord’s territory.”

“Hmm, you’re pretty impatient, aren’t you?”

“I’m sure you’re right. It’s not easy to know when the demon king will recover.”

　I feel like rushing, but I’ve been warned by Welshy to ‘keep calm, because haste dulls your judgement’. I have to proceed with caution and not be in a hurry.

　As I was thinking about this, I noticed that Nea looked distressed.

“I know we’re leaving soon, but then Nack will be alone again, won’t he?”

“…… I guess so.”

　If me, Nea and Ferum, who are here, leave, then Nack will be the only one left here.

　Now that Rose and the others haven’t come back, we’ll be left with him here at the age of twelve.

“I’m thinking about him all right. I’ve told him we’ll talk afterwards.”

“Oh, really? Well, I guess it’s all right then.”

　I had been thinking about Nack too, so I promised to talk to him later.

　As we were talking, Nack came into the dining room.

　Just in time, I stood up and talked to him.

“You’re here. Nack.”

“Yes, I am. Um, I heard you wanted to talk to me. ……”

“Oh.”

　…… I could talk to you here, but I think I’ll just walk outside and talk to you for a change.

“Nea, would you mind making dinner for me?”

“Yes, I’ll do that.”

“I know it’s a lot to do on your own, so I’ll help you after I’m done talking to Nack.”

“That’s fine, just go and have a good talk with Nack. I’ll let Ferrum help you.”

“What? Why me?”

　Ferrum objected. “Come on, let’s go!” said Nea, heading towards the kitchen.

　I saw them off and turned to Nack to urge him to go outside.

I turned to Nack and urged him to go outside.

On the way from the rescue squad’s quarters to the training ground, I gave Nack a brief explanation of my journey to defeat the Demon King.

　Although this information has not yet been revealed to the general public, I thought it was important to tell Nack, so I did —- and Nack’s reaction on hearing this seemed somewhat shocking.

“Why ……?”

　After all, he was shocked that he might be left here alone,…….

　I was about to continue talking to him when he spoke up before I could.

“Why do you always do such life-threatening things, Usato-san…..”

“Nack ……?”

“We’ve just finished a battle, and now the Demon King is next. …… If you keep this up, Usato-san will die. ……”

　…… I’m such an idiot.

　Shocked that Nack would be alone, I am ashamed of myself for thinking so.

“No matter how impossibly sturdy Usato-san is.”

“Yeah, …….”

“How impossibly tough Usato-san is, and how brazen his nerves are to take a bite out of Rose.”

“Uh-huh. ……”

“Even if he is sometimes so lethargic that you wonder if he has a double personality.”

“……Nack?”

　Isn’t that a bit much?

　But that doesn’t stop the downcast Nack.

“Even if you’re insensitive to the fact that you like it so much that you can see it from the side.”

“…… Hmm?”

“Even if your naming sense is broken.”

“……”

“Even if your moves are so polished that you can’t believe you’re human.”

“……”

“As you can see, it’s impossible for a demon king to be an opponent. …… Maybe.”

“Oh, wait a minute. Nack.”

More than ever before!　I’m already overflowing with my innermost feelings!

And I know I sound depressed, but I’m saying quite a lot, you know?

What? Maybe you’re still angry at being left behind?

“I’m sorry. I said about half of what I said.”

“It’s not half, is it? It’s all of it, isn’t it?”

“No, I meant that I said half of what I wanted to say. ……”

　That’s what you mean by half.

　I’m afraid to ask about the other half.

“To be honest, I think I know why Usato-san had to go to a dangerous place. Because when I was helping out at the castle, I heard about Usato-san and his team’s activities.”

“I see. ……”

“So, you don’t have to worry about me.”

“Hmm? Why?”

　I wondered honestly at Nack’s words.

　In response to my question, he continued, somewhat surprised.

“To be honest, I think I understand why Usato-san has to go to dangerous places. When I was helping at the castle, I heard about the activities of Usato-san and the others.”

“Nack.”

　I stop and call out his name.

　I showed Nack the way to join the rescue squad.

　After that, it’s up to Rose to guide him, but I’m still responsible for him.

“Okay? I never thought of you as a distraction.”

“……”

“You’re my protégé, my subordinate, and a fellow rescue squad. It doesn’t matter how old you are. Of course the mission is important to me, but I’m not so divisive that I’d neglect you because of it.”

　I understand how Nack feels.

　But still, I can’t neglect him.

“Nack, why don’t you come and help the Commander and his men?”

“…… What? Help is …… you guys now ……”

“Yes, we are currently treating the injured at our base in the plains. Maybe there is not enough manpower there.”

　No matter how many Gerna you guys are, there is a limit.

　If Rose is also seriously injured, she would want even one more person to help her.

“In the near future, we are going to head to the base to head to the demon king territory. There we will leave you in the hands of the Commander. …… After that, it’s up to you what you want to do.”

　There is no danger because the battle is over, but it may still be a painful sight for Nack.

　I don’t know if it’s right for me to take him back to the base.

　After explaining this to him again, I ask him if he wants to go.

“I don’t know?”

“I’ll go ……!　It’s a lot better than being smoked out here all by myself!”

“It’s settled.”

　Nack is strong.

　He’s been through a lot, he’s been knocked down a lot, but his spirit is strong and he’s not going to let anything break him. I’m sure he’ll be able to handle it in my absence.

　…… Because I can’t stay in my base.

　While watching over Nack, who is making a clenched fist and looking motivated, she notices that the training ground she always uses is visible nearby.

“…… It’s still too early to go back.”

　Nea and Ferum are cooking dinner for us, but if we go back now we’ll have to wait a bit.

“Okay, Nack, don’t tell Nea, okay?”

“What? What?”

“I’m going to teach you a few of my tricks.”

　Nea had warned me about this before, but I was willing to give him a few tips to help him grow.

　We walked to the training ground and I walked up to a tree near the training ground.

　The raised fist is covered with magic power, which is then shown to Nack.

“The Healing Punch is simply a technique of punching with a fist covered in healing magic. It’s a simple technique that does nothing else, but with this one you can render any opponent unconscious and unharmed.”

“It’s pretty simple, isn’t it? I guess I could do it too, but …… probably won’t be able to do it as well as Usato-san. ……”

“That’s where, like I said before, you just have to find your own unique technique. Mine is just a wild technique.”

　The next step is to gather the magic power in his hands into his palms and create a magic bullet.

“And a healing magic bullet. You know this one well, don’t you?”

“Yes!!!　Because I guessed so badly!”

　That’s a tricky thing to say, …….

　No, I know you don’t mean any harm.

　To regain his composure, he throws a healing magic bullet at a tree in his line of sight.

With a bang, the magic bullet that hit the tree bursts free.

“But you can’t throw a magic bullet as powerfully as that if you throw it normally, can you? I tried to copy that once, but I couldn’t do it at all.”

“Hmm? Hahaha, you don’t need to throw this technique.”

“What? Is that so?”

　It is easy to be misunderstood, but my healing magic bullet is just a technique of throwing magic bullets by force.

　If you can release a magic bullet normally, there is no need to throw it.

“I thought it was a technique like that …….”

“I had no talent for shooting magic, so I had no choice but to throw it. So, if you want to shoot magic bullets, anyone can do it.”

“Even me?”

“Yes. You can do it your way, your way. I’m more like a role model. Don’t use me as an example, okay?”

“Ha, ha, I understand.”

　He nodded at my words and, like me, created a magic bullet in his right hand.

　He then held his palm in front of him with a magic bullet floating on it and released the magic bullet forward. The magic projectile was released, slightly missing the target tree and flew backwards.

“It missed …….”

“But it was successful. Nack, this is your healing magic bullet.”

“My, healing magic bullet …….”

　Nack says this with a slight quiver in his voice.

　It seems that the aim is the same as the healing flying fist. I’m sure I can give you some advice on that.

　I walk up next to him, straighten my right arm, and put my hand on his shoulder.

“Straighten your arm from the shoulder to the palm. The image is like a magic bullet through the space between the shoulder and the palm.”

“Yes.”

“It’s okay if you miss. Take your time and aim well.”

“Take your time. ……”

　This is the first time I’ve ever seen him shoot a magic bullet from his palm.

　As I watched him from behind, I felt – just a little – that I understood the feelings of Rose, who was training me.

　I felt a little bit like I understood how Rose felt when she was training me.

Author’s Note:

Nack’s non-throwing healing magic bullet is a normal support recovery technique.

The healing magic bullet thrown by Usato will have a shock in addition to the recovery effect.