Chapter 26

Crouching and entering the hole, I found that the inside rocks were also dug out in the shape of paw pads. After confirming that everyone had passed through, Torte clasped her hands and sealed the hole.

I see, that’s why the existence of the Ketsuki village hasn’t been known to humans.

Ketsuki do live in the city, but they’re not seen very often. The reason is probably that their original number is much smaller compared to humans and other races.

"Let's walk a bit."

There don’t seem to be any monsters, so Torte leads the way. She jumps lightly over the rocky terrain and keeps moving forward. There are gaps in the cave walls here and there, with light from outside shining through.

It’s a bit like the limestone cave I visited on a trip once, which is kind of fun.

After walking for about ten minutes, Torte started running, saying, "It’s over there."

Frey, Reina, Luna, and I followed in that order.

"We’re going to take a boat. The sea breeze feels great."

When Frey said that, the smell of the sea became even stronger.

"Wow, amazing! It’s sparkling!"

As I lit up with excitement, Luna chuckled.

"Right? When I saw it for the first time, I was speechless."

"Right?! This beauty should be in a photo book!"

"...?"

Since there are no cameras in this world, Luna tilted her head in wonder, but I’d like to create something like 'Sharon’s Selected Scenic Spots of Rias' someday.

...Actually, in the game era, we could use cameras and even take videos. The function on the <Adventurer’s Bracelet> is no longer usable. That’s a shame.

The endpoint of the cave we walked through was a small cove surrounded by steep cliffs.

The white sandy beach was mixed with larger stones, which were homes for hermit crabs. Green plants grew abundantly, and the sea was full of small fish. There was a hollow in part of the cliff near the beach where a ferry was hidden. The exit leading to the sea was a tunnel due to the continuous rocky terrain.

"Meow meow!"

"I’ll help!"

I helped Torte pull the rope tied to the boat, and we boarded. With five of us, it was quite cramped, and I was worried it might sink.

...Will it be okay?

"I’ll use mana."

"Alright, count on you."

There was a magic tool at the back of the boat, and Luna activated it with her mana. Metal decorations extended around the boat, reinforcing it. I was worried about the wooden boat, but it seems we can set sail without any problems.

Magic tools are amazing...!

"Alright, leave the rowing to me!"

"I’ll steer the boat, meow."

Frey grabbed the paw-shaped oars and started moving her arms with incredible speed. The power of the hero is amazing!

"Whoa, it’s moving."

The boat shook, but I quickly regained my balance. As we left the sandy beach, the boat began to drift out to sea with the waves. We passed through the tunnel section and out into the vast ocean—

"Hey, that’s a valuable material!!"

"What!?"

Suddenly looking up from under the tunnel, it was hard to see due to the dense plants, but there was a <Cat’s Eye Stone> on the rock. This material, when used in forging, can improve vision in the dark if used in goggles, or increase jumping power if used in shoes. It’s easier to understand if I say it has special effects related to the Ketsuki race.

Other uses include the reincarnation system. Players cannot choose a race other than human at the start of the game, but they can reincarnate by meeting certain conditions. If they have a specific item, they can choose a race other than human. Due to the difficulty of the conditions and the rarity of the reincarnation items, very few players have reincarnated.

By the way, the <Cat’s Eye Stone> can be obtained with a certain probability by completing a high-difficulty quest for the Ketsuki... I think.

"Torte, stop the boat!"

"The boat can’t stop suddenly, meow~!"

"What!?! There’s no choice, then...!"

Frey, panicking as we kept moving away, jumped off the boat.

"Hey, Frey!?"

When I called out in a panic, Reina laughed and said, "It’s okay." Frey’s reckless actions are a regular thing, and getting used to them is tiring... I see.

"Alright, um... <Body Enhancement>!"

"Whoa, my body feels light!"

With the support, Frey grabbed the rock firmly and climbed up the cliff at an incredible speed. She started pulling up grass, asking, "Which one is the valuable material!?" I quickly pointed to the orange mineral on the rock.

"That one! The one that looks like a cat’s eye!"

"This one!?"

Frey tried to pick it up with her hands, but it’s a mineral, so it’s impossible to pick it up that way. Right, you need a <Pickaxe> to mine minerals... I messed up. But my worries were unfounded, as Frey used her sword to mine the <Cat’s Eye Stone>.

...The hero is strong!

"I got it! And five of them! One for each of us."

Frey swam back with a ridiculously happy smile, and I couldn’t help but laugh. She was acting like a child.

When she got back on the boat, she wrung out her water-soaked clothes. Torte then took out a drying magic tool and dried Frey.

"Alright, this time we’re really setting off!"

With Frey’s loud voice, the boat sped up and shot out to sea.

This is the content of Volume 1 of the book.

+ Additional revisions, new episodes, and side stories are included.

(The original 77,844 characters on Narou have been expanded to about 127,000 characters in the book.)

I hope you enjoy the book version.

Thank you for your support!

'The Villainess Healer'

Episode 1: Only I Know the Job Change Method

Label: MF Books (KADOKAWA)

Illustrator: You Higahara

Prologue (Mitsuki Toyoura’s Perspective)

Revived Memories of a Past Life

Preparation for Exile

<Adventurer’s Bracelet>

Prayer for Job Change

Adventurer Registration

Meeting the Hero’s Party

<Elngora’s Paradise>

<Skill Reset Potion>

VS <Elngora’s Ghost>

Early Morning Gardening

Return and Settlement

Report of the Quest and Rank Up

Hasty Preparations

Ketsuki’s Abilities

Let’s Set Sail!

Epilogue (Emilia’s Perspective)

Side Story: Daughter in Crisis (Theodor Kokorala’s Perspective)

Side Story: A New World of Adventure (Cocoa’s Perspective)