Vol 3 Chapter 28 – In Search of a Support Role【Vol 3: Mist Forest and the Healer Who Closed Her Heart】 

Morning broke over the campsite, and we resumed our journey toward 《Mist Forest》.

Three shadows moved east along the road under the rising sun.

…Or, they were supposed to.

“Fuyuya’s breakfast should be made by me. I’m the one considering proper nutritional balance.”

“Hah?

Your rock-hard field rations have nothing on my piping-hot, nutrient-packed soup, and you know it!”

“Field rations are the result of pursuing battlefield efficiency. Compared to that, your soup is just ingredients boiled together, isn’t it?”

“Wha…!

That’s the golden ratio I reached after years of research to maximize mana efficiency!”

Sparks were flying behind me first thing in the morning.

Apparently they were fighting over breakfast prep.

Between yesterday’s fight over “the right to walk beside me” and today’s breakfast war, these two really were getting along great.

(Both options sound good, so this works out for me!)

That was all I thought as I kept walking at the front.

Now that Lilia had become a swordsman worthy of the title Sword Saint, and Elmina had grown into one of the continent’s top mages, our party’s combat power probably surpassed most knight orders with ease.

Lilia’s sword was the spear of the party, cutting through any physical threat.

Elmina’s magic was the ironclad shield, wiping out wide areas of enemies while protecting allies.

And I’d act as the command tower, drawing out the best from both of them.

Front line and back line were in place. Our formation had no gaps.

(…But that only applies if everyone stays unharmed.)

As we traveled, I kept thinking through the battles ahead.

The story of Arks Ende was only just beginning.

What waited for us next was full-scale war against the resurrected Demon King’s army, and the cunning betrayals hidden deep in people’s hearts.

There were plenty of walls ahead that brute force alone could never break through.

(In a long battle—attrition, powerful curses, deadly poisons that can’t be detoxed… against those kinds of “slowly-kills-you” threats, we’re way too exposed.)

Elmina and I can both use basic healing magic.

But that’s only first aid. If someone takes a fatal wound in the middle of combat, I can rewrite the wound’s definition with my 【Edit】 skill—but that takes precise control and concentration, and in the middle of a chaotic fight, it’s not realistic.

(Our party is missing a “healing hand” that can reliably save people when they’re hurt.)

That weakness might get us killed someday.

If I die, fine.

But I can’t put my companions in danger.

Lilia, Elmina… I might lose them somewhere I can’t reach.

I’m never going through that again.

The despair of that day, when Misaki betrayed me.

I can’t let myself feel that helplessness a second time.

So I’ll go find them.

The best companion—the one who can keep our “lives” connected.

“…I can see it now.”

After several days of travel, a massive forest came into view ahead of us.

It gave off an eerie atmosphere, obviously different from any other woods.

Its entrance was always covered in deep mist.

“So that’s 《Mist Forest》…”

“…This feels bad. I can sense powerful mana from the entire forest.”

Lilia put a hand on her sword hilt, and Elmina frowned.

No surprise. This forest was protected by a powerful barrier cast by the elves.

(The destination is the hidden elf village deep inside this forest.)

My finger traced the center of the forest on the map.

Our third companion was there.

(The elven healer of 《Mist Forest》, Sylphy.)

In the original Arks Ende, she appears as the third heroine.

With the beauty unique to the elves and rare healing magic, her power goes beyond simple recovery—she has the potential to trigger a certain miraculous phenomenon.

She’s the best healer possible.

(But in the original story… there was nothing but tragedy waiting for her.)

Sylphy meets a group of human adventurers who get lost in the forest, trusts them, and joins them.

But it’s a trap.

During a battle with a powerful monster, they spit at her that “a healer with no combat ability is just a useless tool” and abandon her as bait.

(Among the elves, there’s an old curse: “If you lose your trusting heart, death follows.”)

Broken by betrayal, she loses the ability to move because of that curse, and in the end, monsters of the forest attack and kill her.

That was the unbearably tragic fate the original story gave her.

(A fate where trusting your companions gets you betrayed… there’s no way I can allow that.)

Because I was betrayed by Misaki, I understand Sylphy’s despair painfully well.

That’s why I’m going to save her.

It’s not just to strengthen the party.

It’s to twist this unfair fate scenario apart with my own hands.

Before the tragedy in the original can happen, before she falls into distrust of humans, I’ll find her first and bring her into the party.

(It’ll be fine. I’ve got the walkthrough knowledge. I should still make it in time.)

With my resolve renewed, I stepped into the mist-covered forest entrance.

The moment I took one step inside, the air changed completely.

Cool, damp air brushed my skin, and the scenery around us looked slightly warped.

“This is… powerful illusion magic. If we move carelessly, we’ll wander this forest forever.”

Elmina muttered, her guard rising.

“It’s hard to read presences too… Fuyuya, let’s move carefully.”

Lilia drew her sword and stepped in front of me.

Both of them noticed the abnormal nature of this forest right away.

But I was the only one still calm.

The structure of this illusion magic—and the way to break through it—was already perfectly mapped out in my head.

“It’s fine. Every kind of magic has ‘rules’ and a loophole.”

I gave a fearless grin and looked deeper into the forest.

In my eyes, the source code of this illusion-filled forest was already laid bare.

(Alright, time to hack it.)

I quietly activated my 【Edit】 skill and began interfering with the laws of this world once again.