I Wanted a Cute Girl to Cast Healing Magic on Me, So I Kept Protecting My Allies—and Ended Up with an Overprotective Party - 36

Chapter 36: I Hate Getting Hurt, So…

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According to the Saintess, Emil possessed enough magical power that she could have become a Saintess herself. However, she wasn’t good at controlling it, so when she used Heal, too much magic would flow out at once.

To fix this, Emil needed to level up and get more experience. Which meant we had to fight monsters. Since everyone had reached D-rank, we decided we might as well visit the guild in the royal capital.

The morning after our audience with the Saintess, we all gathered around a square table in the inn’s dining room, eating breakfast while discussing what we should do next.

“I think we should prioritize leveling Emil up.”

 I said.

“I agree, but Emil is a healer. It’s a job that’s hard to level up.”

“Come to think of it, Mint-san was a healer too, but she was A-rank. How did she level up, Karnak-san?”

Mint-san was a beautiful, gentle older sister type who had been part of Karinka’s now-disbanded party. She was a healer who could also use support magic, and Mint-san had been the first to recognize Emil’s potential.

“We’d formed a party back when we were all still F-rank. We got injured a lot. So, it just sort of happened naturally over time. I suppose Mint must have had a natural talent for magic and healing from the start.”

“I see… I knew it. So you can’t use healing magic unless someone actually gets hurt.”

“Rikuto, you’re not thinking of something crazy, are you?”

.

“What do you mean by crazy?”

“You have a tendency to do reckless things. I’m worried you’re considering injuring yourself on purpose just to help Emil level up.”

“Ehh, of course not! I don’t like getting hurt either.”

Yes, I hated pain too. Even if I didn’t go all-in on defense, I had 【Damage Adjustment】, so I could handle it one way or another. Though, since I often set it to 『Minor Injury』. I’d end up in pain anyway.

“Really, Rikuto, you always rush to the front. Every time you do, I get so worried.”

“It’s fine. I always make objective judgments whether I should go in or not based on the enemy I face.”

“Is that so? I guess I need to make some soup for Rikuto again.”

“How did we end up talking about soup? And shouldn’t the soup be for everyone, not just me?”

“Of course it’s for everyone.”

“I don’t get what you’re saying… By the way, with this new light armor, my defense should be much better. We went to the armor shop together, remember?”

When I said that, Emil, who was sitting on my right, turned her head toward me at incredible speed—almost like a double-take.

“Rikuto-san, you went out with Miya-san?”

“Yeah, but I already told you about this, didn’t I?”

“You did… So you went out with Miya-san when I wasn’t looking, huh?”

“While you weren’t looking… You make it sound like I’m a pet or something.”

“This bread is so fluffy and delicious.”

Do I not even have the right to protest anymore? Did Emil acquire a skill like 【Mental Defense (Selective Hearing)】?

“You three really are close.”

Karinka said with a warm smile.

Are we really? 

I felt like our communication was all over the place… Was it just me who thought so?

“Since we’re already in the royal capital, I’d like to check out the Adventurers’ Guild.”

“Oh, I’d like to go too!”

“So Rikuto and Miya want to go. Emil, what about you?”

“I’m curious about the Adventurers’ Guild too! I really want to see it!” 

Emil said, her eyes sparkling with excitement. She’d grown up in a village without an Adventurers’ Guild or even an inn, so she was probably brimming with curiosity.

“Alright, then let’s go check out the Adventurers’ Guild today.”

So, just before noon, we arrived at the Adventurers’ Guild. The Adventurers’ Guild in Galiano had been big, like a mansion, but this one was even bigger, with crowds constantly coming and going—just as you’d expect from the royal capital.

Inside, I saw an entrance hall lined with many tables, multiple quest boards, and at least ten reception counters. Everything was massive in comparison to Galiano’s Adventurers’ Guild. And of course, the number of people matched that scale. There was even an attached restaurant, packed with patrons.

“As expected of the royal capital… Everything is huge.”

“Yes, that’s right. The royal capital attracts many adventurers after all.”

“Since we’re D-rank now, why don’t we take a quest while we’re here?”

“I agree with Rikuto.”

“Me too.”

“Yeah, I get it. When you’ve just ranked up, you can’t wait to take on a quest at your new rank, right?”

So we all moved over to the bulletin board displaying D-rank quests.

“Hey, what about this one?” 

Miya asked while pointing at a quest for gathering herbs used in making high-grade potions.

“Eh? Do we really need to do herb gathering now that we’re D-rank? I’d rather go dungeon diving.”

“Dungeon diving is dangerous! I don’t want to get hurt.”

“I don’t either, but if it happens, Emil can just heal us.”

“No way! I absolutely refuse to get hurt ever again!”

“Karinka-san, what do you think about D-rank herb gathering?”

“Well, it does sound like an F-rank job at first glance, but the forest where you gather the herbs has D-rank monsters. Plus, the herbs grow on a mountain, so getting there is going to be hard. That’s why it’s considered a D-rank quest.”

Leaving Miya’s complaints aside, another quest on the board caught my eye.

“What about this one?” 

I asked, pointing it out to Karinka-san.

“Yeah, I think that’s perfect. It’s a good first D-rank quest, and probably safer than the herb gathering.”

“See, Miya? Both quests involve monsters anyway. But dungeon exploration has fewer dangers and better rewards. That makes dungeons exploring the better options, right?”

“Ugh, it’s unfair to ask Karinka-san! Just wait until dinner when we get back from the royal capital!”

“Why does everything always come back to food? Sometimes you really don’t make sense, Miya.”

The quest I’d picked up was a boss monster extermination request in a certain dungeon. Apparently, boss monsters actually existed in this world. 

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