Nack shouted in anguish as he received a direct hit from Minaâs explosion magic. Nack continued to run after the initial hit, but the destructive force of Minaâs attack covered an extensive range so there was no room to escape.
âUsato! Is he going to be okay!?â
âUsato-kunâŚâŚâ
Kazuki and Senpai looked at me in worry.
ââYou could say that Minaâs magic is basically only explosion magic. Although itâs not reinforced like Usatoâs magic, it still holds quite a bit of power. She has scattered her magic everywhere now⌠Even if Nackâs legs are fast, itâs obviously disadvantageous if his space is restricted. Usato-san, I really donât think he canâŚâ
It was just like Halfa-san said. The situation looked hopeless for Nack as he had no place to run.
âUsato⌠Is he going to be okay?â
Amako clutched my uniform and looked at Nack with worry just like Kazuki and Senpai.
Yeah, this situation isnât good. This definitely isnât okay.
âHe just doesnât have a safe place to run to. Itâs nothing much.â
Heâll just have to do something about it.
I showed you a path to the Rescue Squad. You will be running on the battlefield with no safe place to run to anyways. It was a situation where it wouldnât be strange for you to get attacked by magic or a sharp weapon from every direction. It was standard for healers in the Rescue Squad to be in such unfavorable conditions.
Nack, I wonder what youâre thinking right now as youâre desperately avoiding Minaâs attacks.
Avoiding her attacks because you have no choice?
Looking for an opening?
Waiting for your opponent to wear herself out?
At the very least, Iâm well aware of how much ambition you had based on the surprise attack you initiated on Mina.
âDonât joke around with me, Nack.â
âEh?â
It wasnât only Senpai and the others who were worried. The people in the audience were in disorder as well. I got irritated because I didnât like that.
I didnât train you just so you could run away.
I trained you for the sake of victory.
It wasnât some temporary measure. If youâre just running, you wonât be able to enter the Rescue Squad. You had a mission to save people no matter what the situation is.
âIt doesnât really suit me but maybe I should give some words of encouragementâŚâ
I inhaled a breath of air.
Amako looked surprised and let out a âHyuh!?â. She then covered her ears.
Senpai, Kazuki, and Halfa-san were staring at me in wonder. They probably didnât know what I was going to do.
Without being concerned, Iâ
*
The air is hot.
Even breathing is painfulâ
âGaahâŚ.!!â
Even so, I didnât stop running.
No, I couldnât stop running. If I stopped, I would take another direct hit and lose consciousness.
Thereâs no way I could stop now. Even if itâs Mina, she couldnât continuously fire her magic like this forever. Iâll endure it. Iâll endure, endure, endure, and bear with it patiently. Then Iâll win with one move.
ââThat appearance sure suits you.â
âUguaâŚ. Ahhhhhhh!!â
An explosion occurred near my feet and the resulting debris hit my shoulder. I quickly retreated from the attack on my right but I couldnât escape the hot wind scorching me. I tumbled onto the ground and let out a groan.
âItâs because youâre like thatâŚâ
Because I was on the ground due to the hot wind, I couldnât make out what Mina was muttering.
When I could hear what she was saying again, her voice was different from usual. Mina spoke without any emotion.
âYou always.. always have such a miserable appearance like this⌠Thatâs why youâre no good.â
I couldnât keep rolling on the ground like this. I used the momentum from my tumble to get up. In the next moment, several orbs appeared before my eyes once more.
I reflexively covered my face with my arms and started to run.\nI didnât have the leeway to heal all my injuries. I concentrated on healing the bare minimum while avoiding Minaâs attacks.
âThatâs why, donât get up anymore. Just give up⌠Donât think about such foolish thoughts like leaving hereâ Just give it all up!!â
ââŚ..Ugh.â
No, I canât look at Mina.
I need to look at her attacks. If I donât⌠If I take another hit, itâll all be over.
I gritted my teeth and ran.
Need to run⌠Canât loseâŚ
âI can still go onâŚ. I still havenât lost yetâŚ.!â
ââŚ.All youâre doing is defending! Just thinking that you can win against me is already strange!! Why canât you understand that!? Why are you just taking these attacks and not fighting back!? Whyââ
âShut up!â
I put all my concentration on evading. I couldnât hear where her attacks were coming due to her high-pitched screams.
No, trying to evade like this was too dangerous. I need to runâ
âNAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!!!!â
ââ!?ââ
Someone shouted and it was loud enough to echo inside my head.
Even Mina stopped when she heard that voice. No, everyoneâs movements stopped and looked towards where the voice was projected. I turned around and saw a furious-looking Usato-san with his arms folded.
âUsato⌠San.â
His voice surprised me as well.
He was obviously angry and I was frightened of what he would say to me.
âDonât run. Fight, you damn idiot.â
After Usato-san said that, he remained silent.
His encouragement and insult was so simple that I could only stare blankly in amazement. Mina didnât seem to understand as she kept looking back and forth between my face and Usato-sanâs.
I understood that there was no special meaning behind his words.
He meant exactly what he said. There was nothing more effective for me than his words just now.
âHa.. Hahahaha⌠This is really too excessiveâŚâ
Donât run, you said.
What were you saying, after making me run and evade during that training?
Those were my initial thoughts but when I thought about my actions just now, I couldnât help but feel embarrassed.
My thoughts were completely different from what Usato-san is telling me to do.
At first, I was avoiding Minaâs attacks in order to win. But at the moment, Iâm just running away from Minaâs attacks. Itâs completely different.
My thoughts were full of how to defeat Mina in the beginning but now it was completely different⌠Running away was all I could think of doing.
I was the only one giving up. Mina was seriously trying to beat me.
âIâm really a big idiotâŚâ
I was just making excuses and only running away.
If I really wanted to win, I should be prepared to endure any kind of injury. But⌠I didnât want to feel pain and didnât want to lose. I had no intention of facing Mina head on.
It was lame and unsightly. It was no different from my past self.
âButââ
I used all my strength and slapped myself on the cheeks.
Iâve already woken up. I wonât run away from Mina anymore.
âThank you very much!!â
Iâm sure Mina didnât grasp the meaning of Usato-sanâs words.
Itâs possible she thought that he was demanding the impossible in this desperate situation. She might even think that heâs the lowest and the worst master ever. I personally didnât think that about Usato-san, not even a little. The truth is entirely different.
Usato-san properly understood me. I was well aware how gentle and strict he was. That was why his message reached me. I couldnât run away, I had to fight backâŚ
Thatâs why Iâll do as Usato-san says and face Mina.
ââHe sure is asking for something unreasonable in a situation like this.â
âHeâs the best master. Just when I was about to run, he made sure to advise me stand back up.â
âI see. But you know, donât think you can surpass me with that.â
10 magic orbs floated in Minaâs hands.\nShe could fire them at any time. I would have tried to escape a moment ago but it was different now.
âFuuhâŚâŚâ
I focused and cladded my entire body with healing magic.
I was only using the minimum amount of healing magic before but now I was using all of it.
âIâll defeat you.â
âYou shouldnât say something you canât do.â
âYeah, I wonât say it anymore. Thatâs why⌠This will be the last.â
I ran.
It wasnât for evasion. I wanted to defeat Mina and headed straight for her. As an obvious response, Mina scattered her magic orbs. But I wonât run away anymore. No matter how much power her explosion magic held, I had already resolved myself to oppose her.
I plunged forward while crossing my arms to protect my face.
âO, oooooooh!â
The resulting explosions pelted me with pebbles. Wounds appeared all over my body but I didnât stop. This pain was nothing compared to the torment I suffered until now.
ââŚâŚOooooh!!â
Hot wind started to scald me next.
It felt like my entire body was burning but compared to the sense of loss of being abandoned by my own parents, it was nothing.
Without realizing it, tears started flowing down from my eyes without stopping. I continued to advance while operating my healing magicâ
âNack, youâŚ.! Blood!?â
An orb of magic headed straight for me right after I smacked my lips. There wasnât much power since it was immediately created but it was more than enough to knock me out cold.
Normally, I should probably avoid it.
But Iâm a healing magician. No matter what I face or how absurd it is, Iâm a magician that will overcome it with my own body.
If itâs just pain, I could endure it!
During my run, my shirt was all worn-out and destroyed. I clenched my right fist and wound upâŚ
âBREAKKKK!!â
âWha!?â
I struck the orb of magic with my right fist.
I was enveloped in the explosion and burned. A different type of pain assaulted and suffocated me. It was so painful that I couldnât even screamâ But I was still conscious.
âââââ!â
That was close. My fist was covered in injuries but I managed to drown out Minaâs explosion magic. I shook my hand. Mina was holding her shield and staring at me with her eyes wide open.
We are now finally facing each other.
We were finally able to face each other.
I realized I was really facing Mina head on.
As expected, I really was afraid of Mina.
What I wrote in my diary about you, it was something I did to deceive myself. All those words were a bluff to hide my own nervousness. Iâm cowardly and timid. On top of all that, Iâm just a big idiot who was unconsciously running away.
ââAaaaaah!!â
I frantically stabilized my trembling legs and took a step forward.
I couldnât lift my legs to kick. I couldnât lift my right hand either.
But itâs not like I couldnât do anything. Even without those, I still have my body!! I could still run with my legs!!
I roared out and started to dash towards Mina with heavy and powerful steps.
âWhat can you do with that body of yours!? Just stop it already! Youâre going to die at this rate, you know!?â
I felt like I would collapse but I used all my strength to move forward.
Anyone who was watching expected that there was nothing I could do.
But Usato-san would probably overcome the situation with his body no matter what!!
And for me to enter the Rescue Squad just like him, this is a big step for me!!
Iâll use everything and ram it right into Minaâs shield!!
âRamming with your bodyââ Guh!?â
Instead of relying on my kick, I leapt and hurled myself at Mina.
I launched myself with all my power and crashed into Minaâs shield with my left shoulder. I heard something snap but I ignored it and pushed myself forward with my legs.
The shield was planted firmly in the ground and didnât move. However, I didnât stop and continued to advance.\n\nI looked at Usato-san who was making his way over here for a moment before running towards Mina. My left shoulder was broken and I couldnât use it. Then I had no choice but to use my burned right arm. I focused my remaining magic and put everything into my right armâ I recklessly loaded in my magic. I slapped my trembling legs and forcefully continued to run.
âLike hell I can bear to partâŚâŚ With youâŚâŚ! If I let you goâŚ..â
Her hand was overloaded with an excessive amount of magic power. She was injured and the laceration was overflowing. It was painful enough to make her shed tears, but even so, she was willing to go that far to defeat me. Seeing her like that, I held a feeling inside me that I couldnât express. In spite of that, I kept running towards her.
Even if she oppressed me, there was no way I could just let her die. That wouldnât be good. Iâll have to include her if I want to save everyone. For that sake, I have to make her faint right now.
Usato-san is still far awayâ I have no choice but to finish this myself.
âLetâs end thisâŚâ
I immediately arrived right in front of her. She looked up at me. Her eyes were filled with some kind of obsession as she looked at me. It seemed like she was staring at me with those eyes for quite some time.
The next moment, her hand started to shine brightly and was about to fire offâ But I covered my right hand with healing magic, grabbed her hand and brought it down.
ââââAh.â
There was definitely a response.
I could feel it.
After a few moments, a burst of light spread out around us.
I didnât know whether it was my magic or Minaâs that produced it.
ButâŚâŚ It was very nostalgic.
That was what I thought about that light. I had exhausted all my strength and magic. I brought out everything that I could possibly muster. My body felt unsteady and it violently shook. Before long, I collapsed while my view was hazy from the light.
Just as I was about to fall to the ground, someone supported me.
My vision finally cleared, and as I looked at the person who supported meâââ
âNack, are you okay!?â
âUsatoâŚâŚ San.â
Usato-sanâs forehead was dripping with sweat. He looked relieved and exhaled while carrying me. I felt a warm aura from the hand that was supporting me. From that fact, I knew he was in the process of using his healing magic on me.
âIâm glad, it looks like youâre fine. You injuries arenât a big dealâŚâŚ Yeah, theyâll recover in no time.â
âMina isâŚ?â
âSheâs safe. She just fainted thanks to you. The magic she gathered has lost its function and is now being dispersed.â
Looks like I made it.
Although I only intended on making her faint, I was really crossing a dangerous bridge just now. It was a little late now but I couldnât help but feel a sense of chill of the situation I was just in.
âThanks to you, a lot of people including me were saved. You can be proud.â
âI⌠ReallyâŚâ
âYeah, you definitely have the qualification to enter the Rescue Squad. Furthermoreââ
Since I still couldnât move, Usato-san changed his orientation until I could see Mina.
She was unconscious. But then I noticed something completely different than before.
âIt looks like your healing magic has returned to its original form.â
ââŚâŚ..Eh.â
The injury is gone.
In the fight with Mina just now, she inflicted a wound on herself with her own Reinforcement. But it was completely gone now.
Seeing that she was safe, I couldnât help but look at Usato-san.
âIt wasnât me, okay? When I arrived next to her, she was already healed. Thatâs why, this is what you did. I donât understand the reason behind it but⌠Perhaps you can use healing magic on others because you thought about saving other people again?â
âThought about saving othersâŚâ
âAs healing magicians, thatâs the most important thing for us. You were able to regain that at the very last moment. Youâve severed the ties from your past and on top of that, you personally tried to save the girl that oppressed you.â
Upon hearing Usato-sanâs words, I gathered magic in my right hand.
My magic was pretty much exhausted so I could only gather healing magic at the very tip of my finger. However, I could properly see the green light on my finger. I couldnât help but think of just how precious this was. I wrapped that light with my fist and grasped tightly.
âIt was always hereâŚâŚ But I could only think of myself during those hard times. I was suffering so much that I couldnât even worry about others⌠Before I knew it, I tucked it away inside me⌠But⌠It finally came back. I wonât ever let go of it again. I will never forget this feeling againâŚ..â
I pressed my fist on my forehead and spoke with some excitement in my voice to Usato-san.
Usato-san listened in silence. He smiled and started to walk.
âNow you have the potential to endure even harsher training than yesterdayâs. Leader should accept you with no complaintsâŚ. At any rate, you really did your bestâŚâŚ Ah.â
ââŚâŚ?â
âLook, the people who want to congratulate you on your victory before anything else are coming this way.â
I wiped my tears and looked at where Usato-san was walking.
When I did, I could see the people who had supported me coming this wayâââ