Chapter 86

The fourth chapter of the comic adaptation of "Living as a Healer in a Different World's Labyrinth City" has been updated. It's a dramatic episode. Please check it out if you can!

http://webaction.jp/Mcomics/

After Fran left, Yuel sat on the bed at the inn, looking somewhat anxious.

The reason for her worried expression was likely due to the advice Fran gave her at parting.

"Master, I didn't know that a dragon's hatching requires magic power... Is it going to be okay...?"

While holding her significantly swollen belly with both hands, Yuel asked.

From the way Fran spoke, it didn't seem like the egg would die without magic power.

Probably, she meant that having magic power would be better, to some extent.

However, Yuel seemed to have taken it differently.

Her demeanor was like that of a mother truly trying to protect her child.

She must have been looking forward to the hatching day while pouring love into the egg, treating it as if it were her real child.

"If my ignorance had killed the egg..." No doubt, such worries were swelling up inside Yuel.

Is this what they call maternity blues? Even if it's a pseudo one.

"Well, Fran said that the egg won't die so easily even without magic power. It should be fine."

There wasn't much concrete evidence, but saying something like, "Dragon eggs are apparently delicious, so if it dies, we can eat it and pay our respects!" would definitely make Yuel cry into her pillow.

For now, I'll just say something to reassure her.

"Okay..."

Yuel still looked gloomy.

Well, that's to be expected.

If she had been convinced by my words, she wouldn't have been so worried in the first place.

Even if I can use healing magic, it won't do any good if the egg is already dead.

...In hindsight, I should have borrowed the book Fran mentioned that contained this information.

"Hmm, magic power, magic power..."

I thought for a moment, trying to find something to reassure Yuel.

Magic power, magic power...

...Right, when Fran taught me attack magic, she mentioned something about it.

--In this world, all living beings constantly emit some amount of magic power.

The amount of emission is less for those with less magic power, and for someone like me with a vast amount of magic power, it's a lot.

In game terms, it's like having a high maximum MP, which results in a higher natural recovery rate, and the excess naturally overflows and is emitted.

What Fran said about "magic power being strongly related to a dragon's hatching" might have some logic behind it.

Dragons often use magic.

As I heard from Luluka in a casual conversation, dragons use magic not only for their breath attacks but also to strengthen their bodies to support their heavy weight and to assist in flying with wind magic. They resolve the physical contradictions of their unrealistic biology with magic.

So, it's reasonable to assume that dragons have a much larger amount of magic power compared to ordinary humans.

This means they also emit a much larger amount of magic power.

And while incubating their eggs, dragons are constantly emitting this large amount of magic power.

If what Fran said is about recreating this situation...

If the egg absorbs the magic power emitted by its parent and grows, then a human trying to raise it would result in insufficient magic power, leading to inadequate growth.

However, in Yuel's case, the egg was always near me, who emits several, or even dozens or hundreds of times more magic power than a dragon. There's no way the egg would have lacked the magic power it needed to grow.

A healthy dragon should be born.

...Would this reassure Yuel?

I was planning to make up a story to reassure her, but this hypothesis seems to make sense.

I'll try explaining this hypothesis to Yuel.

"---That might be the case. So, the egg Yuel has been incubating while being near me should have no problems."

"Wh-What...! Master, that's amazing...!"

Yuel looked at me in surprise, seemingly able to accept the hypothesis.

Her expression, which was pale a moment ago, now seemed to have a glimmer of hope.

It was effective.

"This child has been raised by both of us..."

While tenderly stroking the egg, Yuel murmured.

She glanced at me again and smiled happily, as if she wanted to say, "Our first joint project♡"

Well, since Yuel provided the body heat and I provided the magic power, it can be considered a joint effort.

...But if this hypothesis is wrong and the egg is actually dead, it would be a serious problem.

Yuel seems to have grown even more attached to the egg.

If the egg starts to rot, she might continue to warm it with a lifeless gaze.

I need to check.

"Yuel, can you take off the cloth you're using to keep the egg warm?"

"...? What are you going to do?"

Yuel took the egg out of her clothes and removed the cloth used to keep it warm.

Then, she put it back inside her dress, positioning it over her belly to warm it with her skin.

"I was wondering if it might start moving soon."

The dragon egg was supposed to hatch in about two weeks.

If my hypothesis is correct, this dragon egg has been growing well, fed by my vast magic power.

If it's alive, it's not unreasonable to think that it has already developed a physical form to some extent.

I pressed my ear against the egg... or rather, Yuel's belly.

Thanks to the thin dress, I could feel the hard shell directly.

"Ah!"

"Don't move too much right now."

For a moment, I thought the egg had moved, but it was just Yuel flinching.

However, if the egg is dead, I need to convince Yuel that "the egg has gone far away" while the wound is still fresh.

I need to confirm its condition.

I focused my hearing to check the egg.

"Master, can you hear anything...?"

I kept my ear pressed against the egg for a while, but there was no sign of movement.

...Is it dead, or has it not developed a body yet?

"Nothing... Ah, right."

I suddenly remembered.

I had intended to cast a healing spell on the egg when Fran left, but I hadn't done it yet.

If the egg is unwell but not dead, it should recover with the healing spell.

There's no harm in casting it, so I'll do it now.

"Yuel, can I cast a healing spell on it?"

"Y-Yes, please, Master."

"Alright, Ex-Heal!"

I kept my ear against the egg and cast the healing spell.

I used the full power of Ex-Heal from the start.

Yuel's belly was enveloped in a gentle green light.

"...Huh?"

For some reason, I felt an unusually large amount of magic power being drained from my body.

Then—

—There was a slight movement inside the egg.

"Yuel, now...!"

"Yes, it moved! The baby moved!"

Yuel's face lit up.

The healing spell seemed to have invigorated the egg, as there were still sounds of movement inside.

It seems my hypothesis was correct. The egg is growing well.

"Yes, the baby seems to be doing well!"

I'm glad Yuel is feeling better.

...But I wish she would say "dragon" baby more clearly.

"I'm looking forward to the birth..."

But Yuel seems to be enjoying her pseudo-pregnancy.

While there is some harm, there's no need to dampen her happiness.

Seeing such a happy Yuel, I felt something myself.

I'm married.

While we're still waiting for the right time, we will eventually engage in marital activities.

I can do it.

One day, my real child will be born.

...I can't really imagine it, though.

"A child, huh..."

"...Um, Master, are you and Elise and the others...?"

Yuel seemed to have caught the words I let slip and was trying to say something.

Just as Yuel started speaking, an image flashed through my mind.

Elise, Luluka, and the holy maiden Filene were holding babies, while the still young Yuel looked at me with a somewhat lonely expression... It was a vision of such a future.

Perhaps for Yuel, that future is quite possible.

I don't think she's thinking about wanting a child right now, but the feeling of being left out... such a premonition might not be far-fetched.

...But what can I do about it?

If Yuel expresses her concerns about this, what can I do?

I can't do anything with the still young Yuel.

As I was thinking about this,

"Shiki! You were really here... Everyone was looking for you!"

"A, Luluka..."

The door slammed open, and a voice rang out.

It was Luluka.

Luluka was standing at the entrance to the room.

...Probably, the information that I was here leaked from somewhere.

Most likely, Fran, who returned to the mansion first, must have talked.

"...I'm not going back."

Even if Luluka came to persuade me, I have no intention of going back.

After all, if Luluka hadn't dressed Yuel in maternity wear and run away, this misunderstanding wouldn't have happened.

At the very least, I'm prepared to stay in this inn until Yuel hatches the dragon egg.

"Shiki, I'm sorry too, so let's clear up the misunderstanding together, okay? ...Wait, what? Yuel, your, your belly is glowing!?"

"I said, I'm not going back... Huh?"

Luluka suddenly said something strange.

At first, I didn't understand what she was talking about, but when I looked, Yuel's belly was indeed glowing.

A silvery-white light was shining through her maternity dress-like dress.

"R-Really...!"

Yuel, who had just noticed, frantically took the egg out of her clothes.

At the same time, a white fragment fell onto the bed.

...It's the eggshell.

Looking at the egg itself, it was currently cracking.

And from the cracks, a blinding light was leaking out.

It was moving as if the dragon inside was trying to break the egg from the inside.

Is it hatching?

But this "light" doesn't seem normal at all...

"Hey, do dragons usually hatch while glowing like this!?"

"No way! It's just an earth dragon... What's happening!?"

"Ah...!"

The next moment, a large crack appeared on the egg.

Blinded by the light, I reflexively closed my eyes.

I could feel the intense light even through my eyelids.

"What was that light just now..."

After the light stopped, I slowly opened my eyes.

There, a silver lizard-like creature was sitting.

"Kyu?"

The lizard was looking at Yuel with a curious but direct gaze.

The comic adaptation of the healing magic novel is set to be released on 12/28. It's at the end of the year.

I'll announce more details later, so please look forward to it. Thank you very much.