Chapter 47

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"Ha... Ha... I didn't hear anything about a wooden stick being this sharp..."

Vice, with both arms cut off, lying on the ground, said in a breathless voice.

"...Haha. Didn't I say I was going to cut you down?"

...To be honest, it was a gamble for me, but fortunately, it worked out and saved me.

"...Really, it exceeded my expectations."

Vice no longer seemed to have the will to fight and made no attempt to stand up.

"So, can you tell me what your purpose was for doing all this?"

You gathered orcs to do this, so there must be a reason.

"...Ha, I've already told you multiple times, it was an order from above..."

However, the answer I received was the same one I had heard before.

"Even so, don't you know at least a little bit? Just tell me a little, and I'll treat your injuries."

Vice's injuries, if left untreated, would almost certainly be fatal.

That was probably the only key I had to push the negotiation forward.

"..."

Vice seemed to understand the severity of his injuries and, as expected, avoided my gaze.

"Come on, you know, right? You don't have to tell me everything, just what you can."

Vice must have his own reasons. There are probably things he really can't tell.

While it might be a bit problematic to offer treatment in exchange for information, from what I know, Vice hasn't killed anyone.

I don't want to kill him either.

Well, I don't know the condition of the adventurers fighting the orcs, but with Mr. Dude and the others around, they should probably be safe.

However, for some reason, Vice kept hesitating and wouldn't talk.

"Hey, can't you tell me a little? After all, I won."

Well, it was almost a matter of luck that I won...

"...No, it doesn't seem like it's decided yet?"

"Huh?"

I couldn't help but ask for clarification, as I didn't understand Vice's sudden statement after we had just spoken.

"――I didn't think you would lose, Vice."

"!!??"

'He' was standing behind me, seemingly out of nowhere.

Wearing a white cloak that felt familiar, the complete opposite of mine, and with his face hidden.

I quickly moved away and readied my wooden stick, but 'He' ignored me and approached Vice.

"Heal"

'He' cast a healing spell on Vice.

Was it just to stop the bleeding...?

"――What?"

The next moment, Vice's arm, which should have been cut off by the wooden stick, had regrown.

"Ha, it really hurt. Didn't you take too long to come?"

"No, no, I rushed as much as I could. I didn't think Vice would lose, so I did take it a bit easy..."

"Hey, you can't say that!"

...They seemed to be having a friendly conversation, but that didn't matter to me.

Right now, what mattered was the healing spell just now.

It wasn't just familiar; it was my healing spell, exactly.

"Y-You, have we met before...?"

I've mostly forgotten the past, but I remember being captivated by the first healing spell I saw and practicing it ever since, using it as a reference.

...If that's the case, it makes sense that there would be at least one other person who could use the same healing spell as me.

I understand that the general healing spell I saw as a child could have changed in my mind over time.

But if it really was the first healing spell I saw, a few things would make sense.

The strange familiarity of the white cloak would make sense, and most importantly, the abnormality of my healing spell would be explained.

"..."

'He' was silently looking at me, stopping the conversation with Vice and indeed looking at me.

...How long did we stand like that?

Suddenly, 'He' looked away from me.

"Vice, it seems the adventurers have defeated the orcs. We should take our leave now."

"Understood."

With that, 'He' took out a spherical object from under the cloak and threw it to the ground.

Smoke began to envelop us.

"――――――――――――――――"

"!!"

'He' said that and disappeared completely into the smoke.

As the smoke was blown away by the wind and the view gradually cleared, the two of them were gone, leaving only me standing there.

In the end, I didn't understand Vice's goal, but I did learn one thing.

Because 'He' definitely said this to me:

"It's not enough yet, Anest."

I have met 'Him' before...