**Side: Prim**
“I think that’s enough for today. How was it? Did you get a feel for it?”
“I can only say ‘sort of’…”
While Flam was confessing to Yamato, I was practicing counter-attacks with Raus, repeatedly thrusting my wooden spear at him. Of course, I was holding back and using a wooden spear for safety, so Raus didn’t get a single injury… correction, he got quite a few bruises. I really needed to do something about this, or I’d get in trouble.
“High Healing, Blood Healing. There. Feeling any better?”
I healed his bruises with magic, making them disappear completely. His blood flow should be back to normal now, so he should be fine.
“Thank you. Prim-san, you can use healing magic too?”
“I’m not that good at it.”
“People who aren’t good at it can’t use Blood Healing, can they?”
Rebecca shot me a disbelieving look, but it’s not like that. Healing magic is Bestowed Magic, so there are quite a few people who can use Healing. About one in ten should be able to use High Healing. Blood Healing is quite difficult, though; I’d say it’s on par with G-rank Hunters.
…Huh? Come to think of it, am I actually good at healing magic, being able to use Blood Healing? No, but I can’t use Noble Healing, and Blood Healing uses quite a bit of Magic Power. It’s not as much as Extreme Flame Wing, though.
“The number of people who can use Noble Healing is about the same as High Hunters, so that’s not a good standard. Besides, Blood Healing is magic that improves blood flow and creates blood, so it inherently consumes a lot of Magic Power. You just don’t use it much, so you’re not used to it, aren’t you?”
When I thought about it, it was true. I don’t use much healing magic. Or rather, I haven’t had many opportunities to use it. My Bestowed Magic is the Feather Cloak Magic, which I often use in combat. The healing magic I received when I evolved into High Foxy has only been used a handful of times. My Mother’s Bestowed Magic was healing magic, so she taught me how to heal my own injuries. Since I’ve never really gotten hurt fighting anything, I haven’t had a need for it, except for minor injuries during training.
“Exactly. It’s understandable that Yamato-san, our guest, wouldn’t know, but you’re no different, Prim-san. You should know the standards for Hunters a little better.”
It hurt because I couldn’t refute her… If only I had registered as a Hunter when I was in Valentia. I was often dispatched to deal with monsters and Thieves that Hunters couldn’t handle, so it would have been natural for me to be registered. However, if I had registered, I might not have met Yamato. So, maybe it was better that I didn’t register after all?
“By the way, Raus, you couldn’t train counter-attacks in the village, but what’s it like?”
“Prim-san’s attacks are on a whole different level than a Spiral Rabbit’s. Just receiving them is all I can manage. Predicting the attack, dodging, moving my shield and body, deflecting—creating an opening is impossible.”
Rebecca, without realizing it, was asking Raus about the feel of counter-attacks. However, it’s not that easy to grasp the knack. But if he gets used to my attacks, I think he can easily counter-attack the attacks of a Horn Rabbit, let alone a Spiral Rabbit. After all, monster attacks are monotonous.
“It’s only the first day, so I think that’s normal. More importantly, Yamato and Flam should be back soon, so let’s go upstairs.”
“That’s right. Sis, I wonder if she did it properly?”
“I think she’ll be fine. Me, on the other hand, I’m more worried if she actually bought the Magic Silver shield.”
Raus and Rebecca both understood the reason why I left Yamato and Flam alone together, which was frightening. I know because I went there myself—there are no men Flam’s age in Prada Village. If anything, Raus is there, but he’s like a younger brother to Flam, so it’s difficult for her to have romantic feelings for him. If it’s any other man, they’re either over 30 or younger than Raus, making them difficult to consider as romantic partners.
Therefore, Flam was supposed to ask a man of her age who was visiting Prada Village to help her become a single mother. A single mother is a woman who has a child without being married and raises them alone. In Helios Orb, where men are scarce, this isn’t particularly unusual. For small villages or nobles, it can also be restrictive for the man, making marriage difficult. So, she would beg them to just father the child and then raise the child on her own. Since they aren’t married, they can’t sleep with her every time they visit, but nobles can still have heirs, and small villages can secure workers, so it’s something that has been done normally for a long time. Of course, Prada Village is no exception, and besides Flam, there are other women who are targets.
However, due to various coincidences, Flam was able to meet the best man, Yamato. Of course, Mina and I also did, and thanks to those coincidences, I can marry Yamato, so I offer nightly prayers of gratitude to God.
Right, I need to go back upstairs soon, or Yamato and Flam will return. I promised to pick up Mina too, so I can’t just stay in the Hunter’s Guild all day. But before that, I need to complete the Wing Crest registration for the three of them. It’s certain that Flam will be taken in by Yamato, and if that happens, it’s natural for her sister Rebecca and her boyfriend Raus to join the same Raid.
**Side: Raus**
Although I made a mistake during today’s hunt, we somehow succeeded in felling the Spiral Rabbit. After healing my injuries at the Healer’s Guild, we headed to the Hunter’s Guild. However, upon arriving at the Hunter’s Guild, we ran into two G-rank Hunters who are like our masters. I feel strange about “running into” my masters, but that’s exactly how I felt. After all, when I told them about defeating the Spiral Rabbit, Prim-san, who is a High Foxy, offered to train me. Honestly, hunting a Spiral Rabbit would have been easier…
As expected, I was beaten to a pulp. I had so many bruises all over my body that I wondered if Rebecca’s healing magic could even fix them. But Prim-san used High Healing and Blood Healing simultaneously, healing my body in no time at all. I was considering going back to the Healer’s Guild, but perhaps Prim-san is better at healing magic than ordinary healers? She said she wasn’t good at it, but I couldn’t believe it.
“Now, I wonder what kind of face Flam will have when she returns?”
After healing my wounds and returning to the lobby, Prim-san said something like that. The reason Prim-san trained me wasn’t just for my sake. It was also for Flam-nee, so she could confess to Yamato-san, Prim-san’s partner and husband. In fact, the latter was undoubtedly the more significant reason. After all, Yamato-san was promoted to P-rank and, surprisingly, had evolved into an Ancient Human.
“I think she’ll come back with a radiant smile. If that happens, Yamato-san will become my brother-in-law.”
Rebecca also spoke as if she knew the outcome with certainty, and I felt the same way. Prim-san, Mina-san, Flam-nee, and Rebecca had all confirmed their intentions with each other beforehand, and they had even confirmed Yamato-san’s feelings. There was no way he could refuse now. I thought Flam-nee was going to be a single mother, so I’m happy that she’s getting married.
However, for me, that’s already settled. The real issue is whether he’ll actually buy me the Magic Silver shield. My Iron Round Shield is no longer usable, and I can’t go hunting tomorrow without it. Forget counter-attacks; it’s absolutely essential.
“Oh, you guys are already done?”
Just as I was thinking that, Yamato-san and Flam-nee returned. Oh, Flam-nee is linking arms with Yamato-san.
“Sis, you did it?”
“Y-yes…”
“Congratulations, big sis!”
Flam-nee was embarrassed, but she looked incredibly happy. I wanted my sister to be happy too, so I was genuinely pleased.
“Congratulations, Flam-nee.”
So, words of congratulation naturally came out.
“Thank you, Rebecca, Raus.”
“Please take care of my sister, Yamato-san!”
“Yeah. Rebecca, it’s nice to meet you too.”
“Yes!”
That’s right. With this, Yamato-san becomes Rebecca’s brother-in-law. I plan to marry Rebecca when I come of age, so he’ll become my brother-in-law too. Whoa, amazing! An Ancient Human becoming my brother-in-law!
“So, with that said, you two will join Wing Crest as well. And Raus, I’ll join your training next time, okay?”
Damn it, it’s going to be like that! Since Yamato-san and Flam-nee are getting married, it’s natural for my sister to join Yamato-san’s Raid, Wing Crest. That brings up the question of what about us. Rebecca is Flam-nee’s full sister, so that makes sense. That means I’ll be alone, and the Raid will be disbanded. That’s bad, and I’m also related to Flam-nee and Rebecca, so they’ll probably merge the Raids. I understand that, and I’m happy about it, but Yamato-san offering to train me too is like being told to die! He’ll probably go easy on me, but facing someone who can defeat Catastrophe Species solo—I doubt it will even be good training!
“That’s as it may be. Conversely, if you get used to us, you’ll be able to handle most monsters, and Raus’s skills will improve, so it’s not a bad thing. Don’t you think?”
It’s not bad, but I might die before that! But no matter what I say, our Raid, Wind of Prada, joining Wing Crest is already a done deal, so there’s nothing I can do. It’s not uncommon for Raids to merge, and in such cases, they are integrated into the higher-ranked Raid. This is partly to protect newly registered Hunters, and partly because there’s no benefit in using the name of a lower-ranked Raid. The Hunters belonging to it are also protected by the Raid’s name, so they are less likely to be targeted by shady characters even in the worst of circumstances. When we came to Feel, we were troubled by a strange Raid on the first day. I’m happy to become a member of Wing Crest, but more than anything, I’m scared because I don’t know what kind of training awaits me. However, I definitely want to be able to protect Rebecca, so I have no choice but to do my best. Please treat me well, Yamato-san, Prim-san!
