The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic Volume 5: Light Novel

Chapter 1: Calamity Resurrected! The Dragon of Pure Evil!

On our journey to deliver Llinger Kingdom’s letters across the lands, we saved a girl by the name of Nea from zombies. Her home, Ieva Village, was at the whims of a necromancer, a monster that could control the dead. She asked us to save everyone, and so we found ourselves sneaking into the necromancer’s manor only to realize that we’d walked right into a trap. It turned out that Nea was the necromancer, and she’d put on the guise of an ordinary villager to trick us.

To be more precise, Nea was half necromancer and half vampire. This gave her the power to control both the dead and the living. It was these powers that had allowed her to take control of our companion, Aruku.

After a hard-fought battle, we released Aruku from Nea’s grasp, and right when we thought that she was all out of options, she revealed that she still had an ace up her sleeve in the form of a black dragon. It stood more than fifteen meters tall, was missing a wing and an eye, and breathed a poisonous purple gas. The monster stood before us and roared—the sound almost knocked me from my feet.

The dragon looked like a picture I found in a notebook—one that I’d taken from Nea’s manor. There was no doubting that this was the dragon from the picture. As I looked up at the dragon, I felt myself freeze for an instant, but then I nodded calmly as our best course of action was revealed to me.

Should we make a break for it? I asked.

Yep, let’s do that, said Amako.

Gwah! added Blurin.

We came to our shared conclusion swiftly. Amako leaped onto Blurin’s back, and I hefted Aruku onto my shoulder.

"No way we’re going to stick around to fight that thing, I said. We’ve got Aruku, so let’s make tracks."

Fighting something as dangerous as that dragon wasn’t worth the effort. I faced Nea and flashed her a grin, then laughed.

Nea! I shouted. "You went to all that trouble to raise your evil dragon, and it was all for nothing! You really thought that thing would be able to catch me? You idiot! You’re a weirdo shut-in and a klutz!"

What?! she cried, unable to believe we were fleeing. You’re too righteous!

It didn’t matter what she thought. I’d given her a piece of my mind, so as far as I was concerned, we were done. That whole song and dance about a zombie attack was all a made-up story anyway. There was no zombie attack at all. It was all just Nea’s lies. And sure, the villagers were under her control because of her vampiric powers, but on the other hand they were quite safe under her control.

The way I figured it, I could always come back and check on things when our journey was over and we’d delivered all our letters. Right now, there was no need for us to get caught up in any more trouble. But as we started running for the village to grab our bags and our horse, I noticed a change in the air.

The wind, I uttered.

It was being sucked up behind us. It gave me the creeps, so I turned around and saw the dragon. It was sucking the surrounding air into its lungs. Which only meant one thing . . .

Blurin! I shouted. Look out!

Blurin was still running, but when he heard my shout, he spun around so he could react to what was coming. When the dragon stopped sucking in the air, its throat expanded, and a purple gas began to spill from the open cuts on its neck and the edges of its mouth.

If you’re going to do it, then do it! I said.

The dragon opened its mouth and, with a rasping roar, launched a slimy purple hunk of sludge into the air. Blurin and I instinctively flattened ourselves on the ground in a panic. The sludge flew straight over our heads and landed in the forest, unleashing a horrendous odor as it sprayed across the trees.

Looks like luck saved our butts, I said, wiping the sweat from my brow and sighing with relief.

Whatever muck the dragon was spitting, we were fast enough to dodge it. That said, you could tell by the color and the stench that it wasn’t something you wanted to touch. Fortunately for us, the dragon’s aim had been way off, and we’d emerged unscathed. I hefted Aruku back onto my shoulder and looked to make another getaway, but then I noticed the effects of the dragon’s sludge.

Oh no, the forest! I said.

The trees were withering away.

They’re rotting! And that stench!

It’s poison! I knew it!

Bile bubbled up in my throat, and I was hit by a light dizzy spell. I quickly covered my mouth with my sleeve and healed myself. I frantically looked for the others and saw that Amako was looking deathly pale. Blurin was still fine, but getting any closer to the sludge was a dangerous move, especially with Aruku still unconscious.

Don’t worry Amako, I’ve got you, I said.

S-sorry, she uttered.

I lifted Amako from Blurin’s back and away from the wind carrying the poison, then healed both her and Aruku. Unfortunately, I knew that my actions were little more than a stopgap solution. As long as something was still producing the poison that blocked our way, we’d still be in danger of inhaling it.

We have to get away from here, and fast! I said.

But as I looked for a detour, another clump of sludge blocked our path.

Huh?! I exclaimed.

The dragon’s eyes narrowed as though it were evaluating us while looking down on me at the same time. I knew that look in its eye. I had seen it before, in the Llinger Forest, when I fought that snake. The gaze was exactly the same.

Now! Catch him! Catch Usato! cried Nea, cackling with laughter.

She was grinning and clearly delighted by the chaos, but I was really sick of the girl. I put Aruku and Amako on Blurin’s back, then put a hand to Blurin and gave the grizzly a heal.

No choice but to fight, then, I muttered.

There was nowhere to run, but I wasn’t about to let Nea just have her way with me.

Blurin, get somewhere far from the poison and look after Amako and Aruku. As much as I’d like your back-up here, we can’t leave them alone.

Blurin nodded.

Usato, said Amako, her voice filled with worry.

Don’t worry, I said. I’m just going to see if I can take that thing out with a good, solid punch.

"Can you please stop solving all your problems through physical violence? Please?"

Wow, I didn’t think she’d choose now as the time to scold me so kindly. And I guess it is true that I make lots of my decisions based on whether I can hurt something or not. Maybe not a good sign . . .

Right then, the dragon let out another tremendous roar. It was done waiting. According to the record of the past hero that I’d read, there was no way I could take down this dragon. But I couldn’t avoid fighting it, either. If Aruku had been conscious, we might have been able to raze the sludge with his fire magic, but we didn’t have that luxury—not while he was still unconscious.

That meant it was up to me.

But man, talk about scary, I uttered.

Fear ran through me, just like it did when I fought the snake in Llinger Forest. Back when I was far less experienced, I’d come face to face with the snake after it killed a Grand Grizzly. It was the first time I’d been forced to truly confront death. Even now, I can’t forget the way my senses froze right through to the core of my very being.

Just punch it, Usato, I muttered to myself. We’ll work out the rest afterward.

In the end, it didn’t matter what I was up against. It didn’t change what I had to do. Yes, it was a dragon of pure evil, but it was a zombie now. I didn’t know if it was still as strong as it was in the record I’d read. So, as the dragon stomped toward me, roaring, I ran straight for it.

Here we go!

It was fifteen meters tall; that made it about the size of a four- or five-story apartment building. But it crawled along the ground in a sluggish manner, and its size and slow movements told me everything I needed to know—the dragon would give me openings. As I closed in, the dragon’s big, clawed hand came rushing down toward me.

Size alone won’t help you! I shouted.

With a stomp I dove out of the way of the dragon’s hand, which collided with the ground. The sound of the impact was deafening, and the earth ruptured from the shock.

I can’t let myself get hit by that!

The dragon let loose another roar. It was like a million bugs clawing their way out of the dragon’s throat.

Ugh, that sound is so disgusting! I said, wincing.

At the same time, though, it almost sounded like the dragon was laughing. Even though it was a zombie under Nea’s control, I felt a unique presence and will inside of it.

The dragon’s hand once again came hurtling down toward me.

Whoa?!!

I jumped backward, and the dragon’s claws carved through the earth where I had once stood. I felt a cold sweat beading on my neck. But the dragon wasn’t done yet. It began slamming the ground with both hands like a child throwing a tantrum. All I could do was leap and slide out of the way. My goal was to close the distance, but the force of the dragon’s attacks and the wind they created kept on pushing me back.

I jumped away to make some distance, then looked up at Nea, floating in the sky.

Hey! I shouted.

Hm? Ready to give up? asked Nea.

Not on your life! Clarify something for me—is that thing really under your control?!

Because it looks to me like it’s completely out of control!

Hmph. Of course it is, replied Nea. Controlling dead creatures without souls is my power. And no zombie can defy my orders!

She looked awfully proud of herself.

So they have to obey you, huh?

That meant that even though the dragon looked like it was going crazy, it was moving as Nea wanted it to.

Which means . . .

Blinding Heal! I shouted, launching a healing bullet right for Nea’s smug face.

It hit her right in the kisser.

Wha?! she cried. Ah! My eyes!

Yes! I shouted.

Aiming still wasn’t my forte, but I’d hit the mark when it counted most.

And with Nea down, the dragon will stop moving.

I watched as Nea was thrown all the way over to the manor roof, screaming the whole way. She sounded anything but ladylike. I turned my attention back to the now silent dragon, clenching my fist and filling it with all my power.

Now’s my chance, I said.

There was no need for healing magic now. I would hit this thing with everything I had. I pulled my fist back like I was readying an arrow in a bow and jumped at the dragon. The monster’s black scales drew close as I was reminded of the scales of the snake. But I was different now. I had trained. I had grown.

Eat this!

I launched my first right at the dragon, and it went straight through the monster’s chest.

Same, hero . . . kill.

Chapter 2: The Overwhelming Power of the Dragon!

I felt my fist plow straight through the dragon’s scales. I had no idea what kind of power I was capable of unleashing, but I knew I could at least punch the arms off a zombie. It was the kind of strength I could never allow myself to use on a fellow human.

Against the black dragon, however, I barely felt any shock at all from the impact. It felt more like punching straight into thick rubber.

Ugh. I’m stuck!

This wasn’t like one of Nea’s hexes. It was like the dragon had simply taken my blow and absorbed it. My punch was completely useless. It reminded me of a line from the old book I’d read.

. . . but even his powerful spells were useless against the dragon’s thick scales.

It wasn’t that I’d completely forgotten the line when I threw my punch. Rather, it was just that they’d fought hundreds of years ago, and living creatures rot away and deteriorate with time, and so I’d admittedly been pretty optimistic about my first strike. Now that I’d punched it, I could confirm that the dragon had, in fact, deteriorated. Unfortunately, that didn’t change the fact that my fist was still stuck inside of its body.

Hrngh!

The dragon shook, but I need to get clear before Nea recovers.

But just as I tried to pull my fist free, I felt a rumble through my arm.

What the . . . ?

At first, I thought I was just imagining things, so I tried to pull my arm free again, but suddenly something blocked the moonlight that had been streaming down upon me.

Uh . . . I muttered.

Nea was still wailing somewhere, probably covering her eyes. There was no way that a zombie under her control could move of its own free will. And that’s what I kept telling myself as I clenched my fist and looked up.

We made eye contact. The dragon was in profile with its one good eye meeting my own as it peered down at me. In the dragon’s dry, cracked eye I felt the movements of a consciousness. As the corners of its mouth curled upward, I got the distinct sense of a derisive, scornful grin.

This is so bad. I have no idea what’s going on, but I don’t like it one bit.

I knew then that the dragon was so much more lethal and even more dangerous than the snake I’d fought. I’d never been very eloquent, so I was no good at describing it with words alone, but now I knew how it felt to be a frog trapped in the glare of a predatory snake just before it was killed. That’s the position I was in. The dragon’s one-eyed stare was like chains locking me down. I was frozen in place.

I’m done for if I don’t get moving.

It no longer mattered whether the dragon was conscious or not. I was about to get ground into paste by a dragon while Nea was still writhing around on the roof of the manor.

I can’t let that happen!

Hrngh . . . gah!

I pulled hard and finally my fist came free, but in my haste, I also punched myself straight in the face. For a second I felt my consciousness about to fade, but instantly I was back, body and mind working together. I could move again.

Alright, I said to myself.

When I hit myself, I’d accidentally split my forehead, and now blood poured between my eyes down to my jaw. But it wasn’t anything my healing magic couldn’t fix. I wiped the blood away with my hand and leaped away from the dragon to put some space between us. The dragon, however, didn’t move. Instead, it simply continued to stare at me.

Well, now what? I asked.

The dragon’s poison was life-threatening, its claws weren’t any better, and I didn’t like the idea of having to deal with its tail. On top of that, my fists were useless against it. My chances of winning were practically zero.

So, I’ll start with Nea, I said to myself.

If the dragon really was under her control, then taking her out of the fight would take the dragon out of it too. And while