| Author: Tsunose Bun | Original Source: Syosetu | Word Count: 3024 characters |
| Translator: Jiro | English Source: Re:Library | Word Count: 1238 words |
| Editor(s): Robinxen | ||
“… Come to think of it, are you used to this already?”
Jonahim asked Merc after they had finished cleaning up the Velche and were on their way to the summit of the mountain.
“What do you mean?”
“That was quite the number of Velche, you see. Even if they were being protected, an inexperienced person would feel uneasy, but you didn’t seem that way at all, Miss Merc. That’s why I thought that maybe you’re used to seeing Magic Beasts.”
“Interesting. So you were watching me?”
Even when fighting a large number of Velche, Jonahim appears to have had the liberty to observe Merc. There were times when the individual being protected did something unneeded that made things more difficult, but observing that person was no easy task either.
Jonahim’s thoroughness in his job impressed Merc.
“… In the future I intend to leave this village and become an adventurer as well. That is why, no matter what, I am always prepared.”
Even though Merc didn’t lie, the words she used were insufficient, prompting Jonahim to respond with a cold sounding “I see.”
They weren’t going to think, “This person was obviously an adventurer in a past life1!” with such a short interaction.
“You? An adventurer? If you go into it with nothing but your guts, you’ll die as soon as you pass the exam. And it’s not like you can stay an adventurer for very long if you just undertake low-risk jobs.”
When Elea heard Merc declare she wanted to be an adventurer, she instantly began to argue with her as usual. This time, though, it wasn’t because she was looking for something to criticize about Merc; rather, she was offering advice as a fellow female adventurer.
What? Pass the exam?
Merc, on the other hand, was much more interested in a different aspect of Elea’s advice.
What in the world does passing the exam mean?
Jonahim admonished Elea when Merc was deep in thought.
“Stop it Elea.”
“You stay out of this, Jonahim. I’m not going to relax until I give this girl, who is underestimating the adventurers, what she needs.”
“Underestimating, you say…”
Elea’s off-the-mark comments made Merc feel a little embarrassed for her because she had already experienced the hardships and difficulties of being an adventurer in her past life.
When a 14-year-old girl with nothing but a wooden stick says something like that, it’s only natural for her to become irritated.
When Merc put herself in Elea’s position she realized how rational her words were.
If the young Merc approached her when she was still living as Estert and told her she’d become an adventurer, she’d probably laugh at her and scold her.
The world of adventurers was just that harsh. It was much more uncommon to find someone like Jonahim who would simply let it go.
“For starters, what can you even do? Do you intend to do some stick techniques with that wooden stick? And instead of being a swordsman, become a stickman?”
“No. I plan to become a Healer. As I previously stated, this wooden stick is solely for self-defense. If I enter a party I’m going to function as a Healer.”
“… A Healer?”
“HUH?”
Elea sneered with derision, unlike Jonahim, who widened his eyes in amazement.
Instead of those two, Merc’s attention was drawn to Luka, who had given Merc a short glance despite the fact that she’d been silent all this time.
Luka’s stare lasted barely a split second before she resumed her usual behavior, but it was that split-second gaze that caught Merc’s attention.
“I’ve heard that Healing is even harder than using magic. Even Luka can’t use Healing at all.”
“… I can. I’m just bad at it.”
Elea stated her distrust towards Merc, while Luka quietly disagreed. Elea, on the other hand, moved closer to Merc and provoked her, clearly unconcerned about Luka’s statements.
“You may not realize it, but just because you can use magic doesn’t mean you’ll be able to use Healing right away. True, elves are famed for their magical prowess, but learning Healing in a short amount of time is…”
“Heal!”
Merc became irritated and lifted her hand to cast a Healing spell.
Elea stood frozen as a soft light encircled her. While encircled in the light, Elea had a tense expression. However, as soon as the light faded, her look returned to normal, as if she had awoken.
“T-That just now!”
“Healing. Unfortunately for you, I can already use it.”
Elea hadn’t suffered any wounds in the last fight. However, even if there were no flesh wounds, fighting would definitely wear one’s mind.
That tiredness had been totally restored by the Healing spell that Merc just cast.
“I-It can’t be…”
“It can. However, Master advised me not to use it so casually. So keep this a secret, okay?”
Merc said, tapping Elea on the forehead with her finger, who was utterly frozen from shock. Elea shook off the shock and shoved Merc’s hand away as she took a few steps back.
Merc simply ignored her and resumed walking. Elea, on the other hand, swiftly caught up with her.
“T-There’s no way that was a Healing spell! It can’t be true! It’s nothing like the Healing spells Luka occasionally uses!”
“… Hers is on a different level. That just now was true Healing. The one I use is just a simplified version of that. Most magicians can use it. However, it has a weaker effect.”
In place of Merc, the quiet Luka explained to Elea. She spoke while staring at Merc with curiosity.
“Elves are known not only for their magic, but also for their Healing. That information and expertise, however, is not passed down to us humans. And even if they were, we couldn’t utilize them.”
“Whoa. So the thing we thought was Healing all along was something entirely different.”
Jonahim exclaimed. And his surprise was nothing out of the ordinary.
Before Rosemary pointed it out to her, even Merc had no idea that the Healing elves and humans used were different.
The Healing humans used was a simpler version of the Healing elves used. It wasn’t an exaggeration to state that every single human adventurer made use of that Healing2.
Even though the woman Estert addressed as a Saintess utilized a Healing that was similar to that of the elves, her Healing was fundamentally different. Her Healing was still several levels weaker when compared to the elven Healing techniques.
On the other hand, while the elves’ Healing is extremely effective, if the caster makes a mistake in manipulating their mana, they could easily die. Which is probably why the humans, who aren’t as skilled as elves at manipulating Mana, developed a simplified version.
“… Teach me Healing.”
After giving her several indecisive glances, Luka muttered stiffly to Merc. Merc came to a halt and responded after some thought.
“I am still learning myself. I don’t have the right to teach anyone. Furthermore, we should refrain from making a lot of noise from here on out.”
“… Are we close?”
After Merc, who was gazing up to the mountain’s peak, spoke, Jonahim instantly asked. He came to a complete stop and placed his hand on the sword’s handle while glancing up front.
Elea took her stance, and Luka adjusted her hat with a regretful expression on her face.
The Cave of Horror3 was right in front of their eyes.
