I Wanted a Cute Girl to Cast Healing Magic on Me, So I Kept Protecting My Allies—and Ended Up with an Overprotective Party - 16

Chapter 16: To Know the Meaning of This Skill

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Two weeks had passed since we formed our party. My level had been steadily increasing. But Emil hadn’t leveled up even once. Not gaining levels meant she couldn’t fight high-ranking monsters, and if she couldn’t fight those, her adventurer rank wouldn’t rise either.

Even if only my adventurer rank increased, to be honest, I wouldn’t be all that happy about it. To me, being able to stay in the same party as Emil was far more important than becoming S-rank. If there was too large a difference in adventurer rank within a party, the types of quests we could accept would be limited.

Karinka-san, who was an A-rank, was essentially accompanying us for training. She was a precious A-rank adventurer; we couldn’t keep her stuck at F-rank jobs forever. I wanted her to be able to do more worthwhile requests too.

Maybe I should talk to Karinka-san about it.

At 7 PM, we returned to the guild and reported our quest completion to the receptionist, Kasumi-san. After that, we decided to have dinner at the restaurant attached to the guild.

The restaurant, accessible from the guild entrance, was quite spacious, and being dinnertime, it was bustling with adventurers. Perhaps because many came here right after reporting quests, the place had some very fantasy-like sights—people with greatswords, bows, and shields leaning against their chairs, parties dividing coins on the table, and more.

Most of the tables were four-seaters. Probably because four-person parties were common. We were only a party of three, but it shouldn’t be a problem. The tables and chairs were made of plain wood and felt somewhat cheap. I figured that was probably intentional—so they could be easily replaced if some rowdy adventurers broke them.

I sat down at the table first. I wondered hopefully who would sit beside me, but both of them sat across from me. Each of us placed our orders from the menu. When I first came to this world, what troubled me the most was the food. Not that there wasn’t anything to eat—just that I didn’t know what anything was.

The inn had a dining hall, but the unfamiliar meat and fish dishes looked strange. The fruits were so brightly colored they looked poisonous—I wondered how anyone had the guts to eat them.

Some of them might’ve even been made from monster ingredients, and I just couldn’t bring myself to eat them. Even when I asked the inn staff, they only gave me names that sounded foreign to me, which wasn’t helpful.

But I figured, if they were serving it in a dining hall, it was probably safe. I ate it. The only thing I could trust was the bread. Later on, I learned that this world had a culture of animal husbandry, and that reassured me.

Soon, the table was filled with our orders. In Japanese terms, we had stir-fried vegetables, fried chicken, salad, and bread. Now, I could eat without worry.

“Karinka-san, why hasn’t Emil’s level gone up?” 

I asked.

“Hmm, yeah, it should be about time for her to level up at least once. I guess Emil just hasn’t felt that moment yet?”

“Yes. So, um, I don’t really understand what it’s like to level up.”

“Could it be that you have to land the finishing blow on the monster?”

“No, that’s not necessarily required. Just watching a battle can be enough to gain experience.”

“Right? Mint-san could already use advanced healing magic. Since she’s a fellow healer, Emil should be able to level up too.”

“Mint was a healer, but she could also use offensive and support magic. She even defeated monsters herself.”

“Maybe it’s like skill proficiency—you learn more powerful spells the more you use magic?”

“That’s unlikely. If that were the case, you could become overpowered without ever fighting monsters. You’d just run out of magic power and be unable to move if you kept casting the same spell.”

“True… Wait, then how did Mint-san learn new spells?”

“Magic isn’t something everyone can use. Those who can either go to specialized schools or learn from someone. They put in effort and among them, there are people who, when their level increases, gain access to new magic. Mint was one of those. You’d probably call that talent.”

So that means Emil doesn’t have talent…? No, even so, letting Emil handle the front lines would be far too dangerous.

I could already picture her swinging her staff around shouting “Yaaah!”—and the monster taking zero damage. That was the image I had about her.

“Emil, can you use any magic besides Heal?”

“No… I can’t. I don’t even know why I’m able to use Heal.”

“I see…”

“Well, let’s keep taking on quests from tomorrow, and try to figure out how Emil can level up,” 

Karinka-san said, bringing a piece of bread to her mouth.

“Thank you both so much for doing this for me! I’ll do my best!” Emil said, full of enthusiasm.

The next day. We were exploring an E-rank dungeon today. To move up in adventurer rank, one had to pass a promotion exam, which required appropriate combat skills and knowledge. And I couldn’t forget—the Emil Heal Time. Today’s spot was my right shoulder. I took off the shoulder guard of my light armor and got into position to be healed. 

…No. What exactly is a “position to be healed”?

I sat down as Emil instructed and waited. Then, from behind, Emil’s arms wrapped around to the front of my chest—it felt like I was being hugged from behind. Her weight pressed slightly against my back, and somehow that weight was oddly comforting. Her soft silver hair, and her gentle breathing, brushed lightly against my neck. The warmth from her body seemed to seep into me from behind, filling my entire being.

“Heal…”

With that one word from Emil, the pain from the shoulder wound caused by a monster attack melted away. It felt as if my shoulder were being gently stroked.

“Guh…! Thanks, Emil!”

I barely resisted the blissful feeling that almost made me ascend to heaven. It seemed I’d built a little resistance to being healed. 

…Wait, resistance to Heal?

Once again, Karinka-san quietly watched over us. 

“I’m good now.”

I turned to say, but just then, Emil let out a surprised voice.

“Ah…!? Something feels strange…! It’s like something is flowing into my mind…”

Could it be? Was Emil about to level up? If so, it would mean it happened right after using Heal.

That would make the “skill proficiency theory” seem more plausible. If that were the case, then my seemingly lust-driven behavior might actually have benefit on Emil…?

In other words, I would create opportunities for Emil to use recovery magic by managing my injuries through 【Damage Adjustment】and eventually, Emil would become an S-rank healer.

Looks like I’d just found my next goal.

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