I Wanted a Cute Girl to Cast Healing Magic on Me, So I Kept Protecting My Allies—and Ended Up with an Overprotective Party - 10-11

Chapter 10: Addicted to It

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On the grassy plain on the way to the carriage stop that would take us to Emil’s village, we encountered monsters. Bipedal, green-skinned monsters. Their bodies were covered in what looked like tough scales. They wore only loincloths, wielding short swords in their right hands and round shields, about thirty centimeters across, in their left.

They were probably lizardmen. Bigger than I expected. It seemed they were about two meters tall? And then there was one more. It was the same size and shape as the lizardman, but its scales were purple.

“Lizardman and King Lizard, huh…”

Karinka-san muttered. It seemed I’d guessed right about the lizardman. Even so, the two of them only stared at Emil and Karinka-san, flicking their long, purple tongues in and out rapidly. Were they… Thinking of something indecent?

“Lizardmen are E-rank monsters, but King Lizards are B-rank. I’ll take care of both of them, so you two stay back!”

As she said that, Karinka-san stepped in front of me and Emil, as if to shield us. Then she drew her sword from its sheath, gripped it with both hands, and quietly waited for the moment to strike.

Even though she was slightly shorter than me, her back—clad in silver armor—looked incredibly strong. When she was standing firm to protect her allies like that, she looked really cool!

“Karinka-san, I’ll fight too!”

“True, lizardmen are among the weakest of E-rank monsters, so even an F-rank adventurer could handle one, but…!”

“I’ll be fine. I’m confident in my defense! Besides, if I’m going to live as an adventurer, I’ll have to fight opponents stronger than me at some point.”

“Now that you mention it, you said something similar back at the dragon’s nest… Alright. You don’t get stronger unless you fight. But don’t overdo it, okay?”

“Got it!”

This was exactly when my skill, 【Damage Adjustment】, would shine! Alright, I set the injury level to 『Minor Injury』. It was just like me not to choose 『Unharmed』 here.

I mean, I’ve been wanting Emil to cast healing magic on me soon anyway…

Seriously though, being able to set the damage I received to 『Minor Injury』 was already a cheat-level ability. For example, say I got slashed diagonally across the body with a sword. With this skill, that would only result in something like a cut on the fingertip. There was no skill more reassuring than this.

After guiding Emil to safety behind us, Karinka-san and I each faced our respective opponents. My weapon was also a one-handed sword, like the lizardman’s. I probably wasn’t as skilled with it, though.

So I decided not to overthink things and go for a strategy based on speed and number of strikes. And if I could, I’d try to dodge the enemy’s attacks. Unlike goblins, lizardmen didn’t just charge in blindly, it seemed.

I carefully watched my opponent’s sword movements and slowly closed the distance. Then, the moment it raised its right arm, I dashed forward and slashed diagonally down from the upper right. I felt a scraping sensation—so that was how tough its scales were. I figured I’d need to repeat this a few more times.

The lizardman immediately countered, swinging its sword down at me, so I quickly turned and ran away to create distance. A stylish backstep would’ve looked cool, but my physical abilities hadn’t changed from when I was in my original world yet.

Even so, as I repeated this several more times, I started to feel more impact with each hit I landed. Then the moment finally came. My reaction was just a second too slow, and I felt the weight of a sword slam into my back. It had definitely cut into me.

But I barely felt any pain. Normally, I figured this would’ve left a deep gash—so painful that just having it exposed to air would be unbearable. I heard Emil’s voice, shouting to me. 

“Rikuto-san!”

But I instantly turned around and slashed repeatedly at the lizardman, who had let its guard down after landing the hit. The lizardman collapsed and turned into a magic stone. It was a victory thanks to my skill and relentless attacks.

Right after that, Karinka-san seemed to have finished her fight too. Not even breathing heavily, she calmly returned her sword to its sheath.

“Rikuto-san…!”

Emil’s voice drew nearer. When she reached me, she circled around to my back.

“Please let me see your back!”

When I did as she asked, she said.

“It looks lighter than I expected. But… It still looks really painful.”

In reality, it did sting a bit. My clothes were probably torn, too. 

Without the skill, who knows how bad it could’ve been…

“Please stay still for a moment, okay?”

At her request, I remained still. Then, from behind, Emil gently wrapped her arms around my waist. My whole back was enveloped in warmth. It was Emil’s body heat. She was hugging me from behind, gently leaning her body against mine.

“Heal…”

As Emil whispered that, a gentle warmth spread from where she touched me to the rest of my body. It felt like stiff muscles from lack of exercise were being gently loosened and massaged all over.

While pressed against me, I could faintly hear Emil’s calm breathing. The warmth radiating from her body directly into my back, the softness of her figure, and the genuine concern she showed me—right now, all of it was focused solely on me. And the wound on my back—though only minor, it was still a wound. It had hurt somewhat. But that pain soon faded away completely.

“…Are you okay?”

“Huh…!?”

“Um… Are you alright? You’ve been spacing out for a while there. Maybe my healing magic doesn’t suit your body after all…?”

Crap, had I ascended to heaven without realizing it again…?

“No, not at all! In fact, I’d kind of like you to keep going…”

That was close. Who wouldn’t get addicted to something like this?

“What in the world are you two doing?”

Karinka-san, who had patiently waited until Emil and I were finished, asked with a puzzled expression.

Oh? It looks like Karinka-san is injured too, doesn’t she…

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Chapter 11: What Must One Feel to Let Out a Voice Like That?

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“What in the world are you two doing?”

Karinka-san looked at Emil and me and threw that question at us. What were we doing? I was just having her cast a healing spell on me, but… Would she even believe that?

“S-So that’s how it is… You two are in that kind of relationship, huh? Sorry for not picking up on it. Now that I think about it, you were waiting for the escort request together at the guild too. But, well… I think it’s best not to do that kind of thing in public if you can help it.”

I hadn’t said anything, and yet she had already jumped to a conclusion on her own.

“Ah, I see… I’m getting in the way, aren’t I? I’ll go on ahead, so you two can catch up once you’re… Satisfied.”

No, no, no. She seriously planned to leave two F-Rank adventurers behind in an area where B-Rank monsters could show up? 

Is this woman for real?

“Actually, I got injured during the fight with that Lizardman earlier, and Emil was just healing me.”

“Really? But no matter how you look at it, it honestly just seemed like you two were…Hugging each other.”

“No, that was just Emil’s healing.”

Of course, I told her the truth.

“Huh? Healing? But still…?”

Karinka-san looked confused. From an outsider’s perspective, I was probably the one saying incomprehensible things.

“More importantly, Karinka-san, aren’t you injured too?”

There was a horizontal gash on Karinka-san’s right side, and blood was slowly seeping out from the wound. It had sliced through both her clothes and the small gap where her silver armor’s upper and lower halves met. So much for armor, huh…?

Does that mean she needs to wear a full suit or armor so thick and burly that you can’t tell who is behind that armor?

“Ah, you mean this wound? The King Lizard is surprisingly smart, you know. Unlike regular Lizardmen, it actually aims for its opponent’s weak points. That’s probably why it targeted the thinner part of my armor.”

“If that leaves a scar, it’ll be a problem. How about having Emil heal it for you too?”

Seeing is believing after all.

I really wanted Karinka-san to experience Emil’s healing… 

Let’s call it the Emil Heal.

“If that’s the case, I’ll be fine with this potion.”

Karinka-san said that as she pulled out a small bottle from her item bag. It was just the right size to fit in the palm of her hand, filled with a green liquid. Potions were for oral use. They worked by accelerating the body’s natural healing ability to speed up recovery. There were lower-grade, mid-grade, and high-grade versions, with stronger effects—and higher prices—as you moved up the ranks.

“Um! I’d really like to heal Karinka-san’s wound myself. After all, it’s thanks to you and your party that we were able to get the dragon magic stone.”

“Since Emil’s saying that, why not let her handle it?”

That offer hadn’t come from me. I hadn’t told Emil to say that. It was pure goodwill on her part.

“All right, if that’s the case, I’ll gladly accept your kind offer.”

With that, Karinka-san stood to face Emil directly.

Ah, yeah… She’s probably facing the wrong direction.

“Um, would you mind turning around?”

“Huh, turn around? I thought it’d be easier if we were facing each other.”

Even as she said that, Karinka-san obediently turned her back to Emil. Yeah, I kind of liked that part about her. What followed was just like before. Emil wrapped her arms around Karinka-san’s stomach from behind and pressed her body against her back.

Karinka-san gave a small jolt at that.

So she hugs them from behind whether the injury is on the front or back, huh…

“Heal…”

As Emil murmured the spell, her hands, which were touching Karinka-san’s abdomen, began to glow softly with green light. That light then spread to envelop Karinka-san’s wound.

“Ahfyeeeeh…”

Then Karinka-san let out a melted-sounding “Ahfyeeeeh…” 

Wait, what? “Ahfyeeeeh…?” What the hell was that? What must one feel to let out a voice like that? Thinking the answer might be in her expression, I studied her face closely.

Her eyebrows drooped like the number eight, and the corners of her eyes also drooped slightly, giving her a dazed look. Her mouth was slightly open—probably because she’d forgotten to close it.

Is this what they call drowning in bliss?

Anyway, she looked like she was feeling really good. Eventually, the green light faded, and Emil gently stepped away from Karinka-san.

“Karinka-san’s wound is all healed now!”

With Emil’s cheerful declaration, I decided to speak to Karinka-san.

“See? What I said was true, right? Emil’s healing is amazing, isn’t it?”

But there was no reply. She seemed to be trapped in nirvana.

“Karinka-san, are you okay? Karinka-san?”

“Ha…!?”

“Um, are you alright? You’ve been zoning out for a while now. By the way, Emil already healed your wound.”

“N-No, it’s not like that! I was just thinking how amazing Emil is, that’s all… Sorry, I guess I got a little flustered. I’m fine now. Let’s move on. Thank you.”

Soon enough, Karinka-san returned to her usual self as if nothing had happened, and the three of us continued travelling through the grasslands.

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