The Promoted Old Man Becomes the Top Healer in the Labyrinth City ~The S-Rank Beauties He Saved in the Past Can’t Stop Recruiting Him~ - Chapter 1

Christophe longed to be an adventurer.

Once, an adventurer helped and protected him.

Like those adventurers, Christophe also strongly wished to become someone who could help others and protect people’s smiles.

At the age of 15, he set out for the town to become the adventurer he had always admired.

There, he immediately registered as an adventurer, and during his adventures, it was revealed that he had an aptitude for healing.

He was genuinely delighted. Just like the adventurers he admired, he could heal and help someone.

However, the biggest problem for Christophe arose here.

It was discovered that Christophe’s magic was significantly different from the typical healing magic.

A typical healing spell involves channeling divine magic into the target’s body, enhancing their natural recovery abilities and vitality. And it was common knowledge that this could be done even from a certain distance away by the caster.

In battle, it was possible to heal allies from behind while they fought in the front line, and sometimes even to simultaneously heal multiple allies or to extend the healing effect over a wide area.

This is a typical healing spell.

However, Christophe’s magic would not activate unless he touched the affected area of the patient.

If they were in the middle of a battle, they must rush to the side of their injured comrades and dedicate themselves to treatment in a nearly defenseless state.

That makes it very difficult to use in the profession of an adventurer, and it also necessitates that other companions protect him.

It could potentially slow down the entire party’s movements—essentially, it was an inefficient spell.

The healing magic that touched that body was gradually becoming a problem among the party members who had formed a group.

“Christophe…! Why can you only use healing magic from this distance?!”

On the way back from a certain mission, a female thief who had sustained minor injuries in battle openly expressed her discomfort while receiving treatment from Christophe. She had seen other healers treating from a distance and was beginning to question Christophe’s methods.

“…My healing magic can’t be cast at a distance――”

“There’s no way that’s true! All the healers in the world use it from a distance! Yours is the strange one! Can you really afford to be so leisurely during a battle?!”

In her words, the leader swordsman also shouts in the same way.

“That’s right. I invited you to the party because healers are so rare. I didn’t expect you to be such a defective one.”

At the swordsman’s cold words, Christophe could only lower his gaze.

He wanted to do something about it, but he still couldn’t do anything.

“…The reason our party isn’t making any progress is because of you, no matter how I look at it.”

“That might be true, I guess.”

“That’s true. If we had a decent healer, we would be much better off by now.”

Christophe also continued to make efforts to somehow manage it.

He practiced so that he could use healing magic from a distance, just like the other healers.

Not only did he work as a healer, but he also engaged in combat training and handled various tasks for the party, such as supplying provisions.

However, those efforts were never recognized.

“It’s fatal for a healer to be unable to treat without touching the body.”

“Because of you, we always fall behind in regrouping after battles.”

“The healers from other parties are doing it much more smartly…”

Christophe was continuously denied day after day, as he would eventually be declared by the leader.

“You’re in the way, get out.”

Christophe could only nod silently in response to the party leader’s notice.

Christophe was expelled from the party. After that, he tried teaming up with several other parties, but the inconvenient recovery magic that required “direct contact” and “took time” affected him, and he was treated the same way everywhere. Eventually, he had to give up on the path of an adventurer.

(With my abilities, becoming the adventurer I admired… is impossible, huh? Not only that, but I would just make people uncomfortable and cause trouble.)

Tormented by deep despair and a sense of powerlessness, he decided to return to the remote village of his birth.

The thought that his magic was flawed was deeply ingrained in his heart.

In the deserted forest leading to his hometown, Christophe was trudging along.

At that moment, from deep within the thicket, the anguished groans of a monster could be heard.

He reached for the sword at his waist and remained on guard.

However, that moan was too painful and feeble.

Christophe cautiously heads that way.

As he parted the bushes, there stood a wolf. Normally, it is a type of ferocious monster that sometimes attacks humans.

However, the monster was clearly gravely injured, bleeding, and lying on the ground.

It was likely that it had lost a territory battle with a more powerful monster. Its body was covered in countless bite marks and lacerations, and one leg was twisted in an unnatural direction. Its eyes were vacant, and its breathing was shallow. It was in such a horrific state that it could die at any moment.

Christophe gasped involuntarily as he looked into the wolf’s sad, pleading eyes.

He was acting before he was thinking.

Christophe carefully approached the wolf and gently touched its body.

“It’s okay… I will make sure it doesn’t hurt…”

“…Kuuun.”

Although it was a beast, gentle words naturally spilled from its mouth.

Wolf initially fixed its gaze on Christophe, as if wary.

However, perhaps sensing the magic emanating from Christophe’s hands, it immediately calmed down and accepted the treatment.

As usual, Christophe placed his hand on the wound and cast a spell.

The magical power born from Christophe’s body flows through his hand and into Wolf’s body.

Slowly, Wolf’s body is being treated.

While consuming a significant amount of Christophe’s magical power, steadily and slowly.

The slowness of the treatment and the poor fuel efficiency were also factors contributing to Christophe’s poor handling of healing magic.

Sweat began to bead on Christophe’s forehead. The fatigue from using magic. Still, Christophe continued to pour his magical energy, determined to save the life before him.

The wolf’s gruesome condition is changing. The wounds are closing, and the broken leg is returning to normal.

After spending even more time on treatment, the wolf slowly sat up.

It stared intently at Christophe’s face. Then, as if to show its gratitude, it rubbed its nose against his hand once and quietly left into the depths of the forest. As it departed, it let out a small moan which might have been a word of thanks.

Christophe sat down on the spot and let out a small sigh.

(…In the end, my healing magic can’t do anything unless I touch someone directly like this. The magic efficiency is horrendously bad, and it takes time to heal too… After all, my power is useless, just like garbage.)

More than the joy of saving a life, he was once again painfully aware of how difficult it was to use his magic.

Tormented by deep despair and a sense of helplessness, he returned to his birthplace, the remote Greenbear Village.

――Even so, I couldn’t give up my longing to be an adventurer.

Because the only thing he can do is use healing magic, he trained tirelessly to hone that skill.

He still couldn’t use long-distance healing magic, but he decided to keep working hard in other areas.

Every day, he tirelessly practiced healing magic, trying to increase the speed of treatment even slightly and reduce the consumption of magical power.

He acquired knowledge about medicinal herbs and magical tools, and thought about what else he could do besides healing magic.

Christophe quietly trained his healing magic in a rural village without anyone noticing.

And so, long years passed――and one day.

A woman who would notice Christophe’s talent will appear.