Chapter 10

For a few seconds, he cast the basic healing magic, *Recovery*, on the injured person. Then,

"A, ah!? It doesn't hurt, it doesn't hurt at all!?"

The young man, wrapped in red, wet bandages, suddenly stood up and began to feel his body. Before the women who were taking care of him could stop him, he tore off the bandages, and everyone except Reda was left in shock.

"…No way, the wounds are gone?"

"What is this? Are you a priest or something?"

"If this is possible, my son might be saved!"

With voices of surprise and hope, everyone turned their attention to Reda.

"Sir, no, Reda. What exactly… No, that doesn't matter right now! Please, use your power to save the others too!"

"Of course!"

Reda began to heal the injured one after another. Everyone was amazed and began to rejoice as the wounds disappeared. Although it wasn't high-level healing magic, so the scars couldn't be completely removed, it was certain that the young men who were on the brink of death would be saved.

"Next!"

"Over here! The remaining five are the worst!"

"--- This is really bad."

The remaining young men had wounds far deeper than those before. Some were so severe that their abdomens were torn open, and their organs were spilling out.

(Can I heal this? Wounds this deep--- No, that's not it. I have to heal them!)

Reda, who had become discouraged by the gruesome scene, slapped her cheeks as if to scold herself.

"Reda! Keep going!"

"Ah, leave it to me!"

Encouraged by Mina, who had been watching from behind, Reda's resolve hardened.

"Here goes--- Recovery!"

She cast *Recovery* on the most severely injured, who was on the verge of death. A faint light enveloped him, and his complexion improved. However, she didn't feel the usual sensation of the wound healing.

(--- If only I had forced myself to learn high-level healing magic! Damn it, then I'll cast it as many times as it takes!)

"Recovery, Recovery, Recovery!"

With the resolve to drain her magic power, she cast the healing magic repeatedly. Then,

"…It's healed… The wounds, they're healed!"

Finally, the severe injuries were healed. The organs that had spilled out were neatly put back, and new skin appeared. Now, there was no need to worry.

"Alright! Four more to go!"

Before she knew it, Reda's arms were stained red with the blood of the injured. However, she was so focused on casting the healing magic that she didn't have time to worry about it. She continued to heal the injured without even noticing that the townspeople had gathered around the meeting hall.

"Last one--- Recovery!"

Finally, she successfully healed the last severely injured person. In an instant, cheers erupted. Everyone who had been watching expressed their gratitude for the healing of the injured and for Reda.

"Reda!"

Mina, who had been wiping sweat, jumped into Reda's chest. Realizing that his hands were stained red, he hugged her without dirtying her clothes. He finally felt a sense of relief.

"Good job. I never thought you would heal everyone. Thank you."

Tears welled up in Mariera's eyes. This unexpected turn of events seemed to be more than just surprising to her.

"The rest we can take care of. Reda, you should take a bath again. Your arms are covered in blood."

With no reason to refuse her suggestion, Reda gratefully accepted the offer to take a bath. On the way back to the inn, he was repeatedly thanked by the mayor and his wife. They probably never imagined that a traveler with a child would do so much for them.

After entrusting Mina to the mayor and his wife, Reda, who had quickly taken a bath, was facing the town representatives gathered at the inn.

"We are grateful for saving the lives of the town's young men."

Starting with the mayor, whom Reda had first met in town, everyone bowed deeply.

"Please, raise your heads. I just did what anyone would do."

"Don't be so modest. To be able to use such powerful healing magic… We must thank the gods for bringing Dixon to our town."

"That's a bit much."

Reda smiled wryly at the mayor, who seemed ready to pray on the floor, but she was the only one smiling. The mayor's wife, the shopkeeper Nell, also said,

"I can only thank you. This is such a small town. Everyone is like family. Some children were killed by the wolf, but those who barely survived owe their lives to you. I really don't know how to thank you."

She bowed deeply.

"Really, I never thought everyone would be saved. Reda, you don't have to pay for tonight's stay. If you like, you can stay as long as you want!"

Even Mariera said such things, leaving Reda at a loss. Mina, in Reda's arms, was smiling.

"However, I'm sorry, but I don't know how to pay you for what you've done this time."

"Huh? If you let me stay for free tonight, that's fine."

"No, no, no! That's not enough! You healed so many severely injured people! And you used such powerful healing magic, like a priest!"

"Like a priest? That's not it. I just used basic healing. It's the most basic."

"Wait, are you kidding? You healed even those who were on the verge of death so easily."

"It wasn't easy, though."

Healing magic is the specialty of priests. Therefore, when someone is injured, everyone must rely on a priest. Alternatively, they can ask a healer who specializes in healing magic.

Mariera, who looked deeply apologetic to Reda, was not alone. The mayor and the people gathered at the inn were all worried about not being able to pay for Reda's treatment. This was because the cost of using healing magic is high.

The town currently has only about fifty silver coins. If that's not enough, she offered to let him do as he pleased with her body, or with someone else he preferred.

"Wait, wait, wait! What are you saying in front of a child!? Besides, I wouldn't do that! I don't need fifty silver coins! How greedy do you think I am!?"

In front of Mina, Reda panicked at Mariera's suggestion to offer her body in place of money. At the same time, he became anxious about how much he was being misunderstood as a greedy person.

One silver coin is worth a thousand yen. Fifty silver coins would be fifty thousand yen, a large sum of money that could sustain him for a month.

"Maybe, Reda, you don't know how much priests and healers charge for treatment?"

"Frankly, I'm not familiar with it. To be honest, I can heal my own injuries, so I never thought about it."

"I see. Well, let me tell you. The ability to use healing magic is extremely rare. Even being able to use the basic healing magic you mentioned is enough to make a noble want to keep you around."

"…Really? That much?"

"Really. A single use of the rare healing magic can cost several times more than a potion. Some people even take out loans to get healed."

Reda didn't know this. He had never thought about getting someone else to cast healing magic on him because he could do it himself. In his rural hometown, only Reda could use healing magic, and everyone thought it was just convenient, so he used it without much thought.

It wasn't until he became an adventurer in the capital that he learned that receiving healing magic costs money, but he didn't know the exact rates. He had assumed it would be about the same as a potion and didn't bother to investigate further.

"Healers vary widely. But no matter what kind of healer, they all charge high fees. They know it's their exclusive domain, so they take advantage of it. The suggestion I made earlier was something a healer once told me."

"…That means…"

"It means there are scumbags like that. But you understand now, right? Healing fifteen injured people, and all of them severely, fifty silver coins is nowhere near enough."

Reda was at a loss as Mariera explained with a heavy sigh. He wasn't a priest or a healer; he was an adventurer. Of course, adventurers should receive appropriate compensation for their services. However, even if he knew there would be no reward, he would have done the same thing this time.

He couldn't ignore so many injured people. He wasn't a villain who would choose to do nothing despite having the ability to heal. In other words,

(I can't say I don't need a reward… What should I do?)

If Mina wasn't in his arms, Reda would have undoubtedly been holding his head in frustration.

(But, it's good that my first solo mission was a success!)

He decided to celebrate that. Reda felt a bit more confident about continuing as an adventurer.