The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic-Chapter 9Vol 18.

After my conversation with Hina, we held what you could call a welcome dinner for Milia and Miss Bell, joined by the Rescue Team and Amako.

Technically, it wasn’t exactly a “welcome” party—after all, Milia wasn’t joining the Rescue Team—but since she was the sister of our beloved comrade Nak, and both Tong and I were fond of her, we got Rose’s permission to host the gathering.

At first, Milia seemed a bit overwhelmed by the sheer presence of the Rescue Team members, but once she saw Nak acting naturally among us, she seemed to relax just a little.

“You’ve got quite the brother there, kid.”

“Look at him—tiny as he is, he’s doing great.”

“Yeah, the kid’s got real guts.”

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“He used to be totally unreliable, but now? Like a whole different person.”

Tong and the others, as usual, were piling on the praise in their usual rough voices. Nak was blushing hard, clearly trying and failing to hide his grin—

“He-Heh... Really...? Uuuh...”

—while Milia looked... well, a little freaked out.

Still, I couldn’t help but nod in agreement. Nak really had come a long way, and he deserved the praise.

****

The next day after returning to the Kingdom of Llinger, I headed to the clinic with Senpai to visit Miss Olga.

I had been thinking of getting back to training now that I’d rejoined the Rescue Team, but Rose had directly ordered me to take a break and rest up. So, today was officially a rest day.

“I thought Nea and Felm would be joining us too.”

“They’re the type who rest when they can. That’s just how they are.”

Felm, apparently, was still fast asleep—finally getting some proper rest in a Rescue Team bed after so long.

As for Nea, she’d bowed out, saying she didn’t want to bother Miss Olga by showing up with a crowd...

“Honestly, I bet she just wanted some quiet time to read the books we brought back from Calm Helio.”

“She is a reader, after all. I plan to borrow some of those myself.”

“...Maybe I’ll ask to borrow a few too.”

The archives in Calm Helio definitely piqued my curiosity.

But speaking of books from Calm Helio...

“Did you ever finish reading the ones you bought, Senpai?”

“...Heh. Those are works I must devote my entire life to decoding.”

“...Are we talking about ancient scrolls or something?”

I’m pretty sure she’s talking about those novels she brought back—the ones featuring fictionalized versions of the two of us. Sounds like she hasn’t finished them yet.

At this point, I kind of want to know what’s in them... though I’m also kinda scared to find out.

“Usato-kun, I’ve decided to look at them differently now.”

“Differently?”

“They are no longer a mental hazard—they’re tools to sharpen my psychological resilience... to raise my skill level!!”

“I feel like they’ll just break your spirit instead...”

Based on her past reactions, I’m still convinced they’re doing more harm than good.

“Well, for now, I’ve lined up the full set on my bookshelf, and that alone brings me joy.”

“So you are satisfied after all...”

With that little arc wrapped up, I steered the conversation back on track.

As we continued walking through the capital’s streets, I turned back to Senpai.

“Miss Uluru still lives at the clinic, right?”

“She does. But she’s slowly moving her things, so I think she’ll be moving in with us soon.”

“Sounds like your place is about to get a lot livelier.”

“Fufu, I suppose so.”

Miss Uluru definitely gives off “maternal figure” vibes—I can totally see her doting on Felm and Keira.

As we passed through the capital, just like yesterday, we spotted Amako manning the fruit stall.

She noticed us and gave us a light wave.

“Morning, Usato, Suzune. Not running today? Must be your day off.”

“Good morning. We’re on our way to see Miss Olga right now.”

“Morning, Amako!”

She makes it sound like we spend every day sprinting around...

Don’t I have any other distinguishing features besides training gear?

“Wanna come with us to the clinic?”

“Hmm...”

Amako looked slightly conflicted at my suggestion.

“I’d like to, but I’ve got stall duty. Might be hard.”

“Ah, right. Sorry for putting you on the spot.”

If she’s watching the stall, then there’s not much we can do.

“But hey, Kiriha and the others will be heading back to Lukvis soon, right? Maybe we should go see them before they leave?”

“...Oh, right. They did mention they’d be leaving soon.”

I’d definitely like to see them before they go.

Kiriha might also want to hear about Nak’s little sister—she tends to care about things like that.

Hearing this, Senpai raised her hand slightly.

“In that case, how about we visit the clinic first, then swing by and pick up Amako before going to check on Kiriha and Halfa?”

“Yeah, that works for me.”

“Alright. We’ll come get you later then.”

After confirming our plan, I was about to part ways with Amako when she suddenly picked up a medium-sized basket that had been resting by her side and held it out to me.

Inside were fruits I recognized from around the Kingdom of Llinger.

“Usato, could you give this to Miss Olga and the others?”

“Amako, what’s this for?”

“A little gift. Suzune mentioned yesterday she was taking Uluru to the clinic, so I prepared it ahead of time. Miss Sarla’s still being treated there too, so... would you mind giving it to them for me?”

“Sure thing. Leave it to me.”

I took the basket from her, and with that, Senpai and I resumed walking toward the clinic.

As we drew closer to the castle, the streets grew more crowded, and we began receiving greetings from the people of Llinger as we passed.

“Ah! Lady Suzune! Sir Usato! Welcome back!”

“Sir Usato, not running today?”

“So you’ve returned safely!”

“Walking, huh? That’s a rare sight...”

I guess we’re pretty well-known around here now. People kept greeting us left and right—and apparently, the idea of me walking was surprising enough to comment on.

...Yeah. I’m used to it by now.

“Llinger really does feel more lively than Calm Helio.”

“I still haven’t gotten used to the whole ‘Sir Usato’ thing though...”

“Same here. Back in our world, the fanciest anyone ever called me was ‘President’ or ‘Miss President.’”

“Wait—you were actually called ‘Miss President’...?”

So that really happens in real life...?

Though with Senpai being the former student council president, it somehow doesn’t feel weird at all.

****

While being greeted by nearly everyone we passed, Senpai and I finally arrived at the clinic.

We’d let Miss Uluru know yesterday that we’d be visiting today, so we were brought straight to the guest room in the back.

“Sorry to trouble you when you’ve only just returned yesterday.”

“Not at all—we’re the ones barging in without warning.”

At the small table in the guest room sat me and Senpai on one side, and on the other, Miss Olga and a woman with gentle eyes and ash-blonde braided hair—Sharln.

I hadn’t expected to meet Sharln again like this, especially not after everything that happened during the war with the Demon Lord’s army. Just seeing her again made me instinctively straighten my back.

“It’s been a while, Usato, Lady Suzune. Thank you so much for coming to celebrate with us.”

“No need for honorifics. I’m a member of the Rescue Team now. Honestly, that’s more of a full-time job than the whole hero thing ever was.”

“Fufu, in that case, I’ll call you Suzune.”

“Sounds good to me.”

Sharln responded to Senpai’s casual tone with a soft smile.

This seemed like the right moment, so I reached into my bag and brought out the basket Amako had entrusted to me.

“This is from Amako, who works at the fruit stand. She asked me to bring it to you.”

“Oh my... this looks wonderful...”

I hadn’t had time to bring anything myself, but seeing how happy they looked, I made a mental note to return later with a gift of my own.

Just then, Miss Uluru returned from the kitchen, carrying a tray with tea and sweets.

“Wow, those fruits look delicious... Are they from Sarla’s stall, by any chance?”

“Yeah, Usato brought them for us.”

Uluru seemed pleased by the gift as well.

She sat at the diagonal seat from mine, and as we all sipped our tea and began to settle in, Miss Olga turned toward me.

“I heard things got a bit rough over in Calm Helio.”

“Haha, you could say that...”

There was the festival, the demons, Shea... a whole bunch of things.

Though with Sharln here, I didn’t want to get into the more dangerous parts of the story.

“When I was heading from Sundarla to Llinger, I noticed how much the festival had stirred up travel and trade routes—it must’ve been a huge event.”

“I participated as a Hero too, and while the festivities were chaotic, it ended up being a pretty meaningful experience. Usato and I even got to show off some great teamwork.”

“Ooh, what kind of teamwork?”

Uluru perked up at that, leaning forward.

Senpai, ever the storyteller, began to describe the trial we’d undergone in Calm Helio—albeit in a simplified form. Still, the moment the story reached its peak, the gentle smiles on everyone’s faces twisted into confused expressions.

“You ran through the venue carrying her on your back...?”

“...While solving puzzles?”

“You trained the Heroes from other countries...?”

Wait, what?

I gave a quick summary, yet somehow they latched onto all the most embarrassing parts of what I did.

There were definitely cooler stories they could’ve fixated on!

“...Even back when I saw you fighting as a healing mage during the war with the Demon Lord’s army, I thought it... but Usato, you really are full of surprises.”

Sharln said it carefully, with an almost nostalgic tone. But I could feel how tactful she was being.

Flustered, I waved my hands to deny it.

“N-No, I wasn’t that unpredictable back then—”

“Oh, come on, Usato. You were sprinting around like a madman, remember? We were all seriously worried about you.”

“It’s true... I was stuck at headquarters, and I still felt like my heart was going to leap out of my chest.”

—Ugh. Now that they mention it, I really did fight Koga, Amira, and Hanna—all commanders—and even took on Nero, who was way above my level.

The fact that I’m still alive is a miracle.

If Rose hadn’t shown up when she did, I probably wouldn’t be here right now.

...Wait, come to think of it, isn’t that when Miss Olga and Sharln first met?

“Speaking of that time... Was it during the war when you two first met?”

The two of them glanced at each other at my question.

Miss Olga gave a sheepish laugh, while Sharln’s cheeks turned pink as she gave a tiny nod.

“Yes... seeing Olga work so tirelessly to heal the wounded... I just felt this strong desire to support her.”

“Haha, though truthfully, I wasn’t thinking that far ahead. I was just throwing myself into it.”

Still, you saved a lot of knights’ lives that way. That’s something to be proud of.

Actually... aren’t the two of you getting kind of lovey-dovey right now?

As I sat there, marveling at their interaction, Senpai and Uluru, seated nearby, both raised their teacups to their lips in eerie unison.

“This tea is delightfully bitter, Uluru...”

“Yes. It needs to be this bitter... to balance out the sweetness in the air.”

Wait, bitter?

I took another sip of my tea—didn’t seem especially bitter to me.

I glanced down at the cup, puzzled, but soon tuned back in as Sharln resumed speaking.

“After we parted ways, we performed a mutual Fubard contract, and... we started exchanging letters after that.”

“Whoa...”

I’d signed a Fubard contract with Hayate myself, but I didn’t realize it could be used that way too.

Now I’m curious. Maybe I can ask a few harmless questions without being too nosy.

“Who was the one who brought up living together?”

“U-Usato, you can’t just ask that...!”

“It was Olga...”

“Sharln!?”

Wow, Olga really is bold.

Sharln answered while covering her cheeks with both hands, and Olga visibly panicked.

I raised my hand with a reassuring smile.

“Don’t worry, Miss Olga. —I’ll be sure to share this story with Tong and the others later.”

“How is that reassuring!?”

“Expect a huge gift basket to come your way.”

“Usatoooo!?”

We may bicker with Tong and the rest, but [N O V E L I G H T] when it counts, we’re a team.

And if it’s to celebrate one of our own—especially someone as important as Olga—then we’re going all out.

“Uluru, my chest... it hurts...”

“Welcome to my world, Suzune. This is every day for me.”

“I-I can’t take it...! The air is just too sweet in here...!!”

Senpai clutched her chest dramatically while Uluru calmly sipped her tea, smiling as always.

...But something about her aura felt almost menacing, like she was barely holding something back beneath that calm expression.

_____________

📌 TL Note – Post-Chapter Explanation

1. Fubard Contract:

A magical communication pact that allows two people to exchange letters or magical messages across any distance.

— In this chapter: Usato has a similar contract with Hayate, while Olga and Sharln used it as a way to stay in touch after the war. It’s a subtle but meaningful gesture of emotional connection, almost like a magical version of exchanging phone numbers—or even promise rings.

2. Olga and Sharln’s Relationship:

Though not explicitly labeled as romantic, their interaction heavily implies deep affection and mutual care.

— Cultural context: Japanese media often uses soft, indirect language to portray romantic developments, especially between female characters. Readers are encouraged to read between the lines—and yes, this scene was as sweet as it felt.

3. “This tea is bitter...” scene:

Suzune and Uluru’s reaction is a classic tsukkomi-style punchline (a comedic “straight-man” response).

— Interpretation: The tea itself isn’t actually bitter—they’re jokingly using its “bitterness” to balance out the overwhelming sweetness in the room caused by Olga and Sharln’s romantic tension.

4. Usato's Reputation for Running Everywhere:

Locals reacting to Usato walking instead of running is an ongoing joke throughout the series.

— Meaning: It shows how iconic Usato’s relentless training is to the people of Llinger. To them, seeing him walk is like seeing a shark nap—it just doesn’t compute.