CH 28

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“That’s good that you’re all safe.”

“Umu, we’ve already treated the wounded, but we had to go back to collect them.”

Danan greeted us as we returned to the village. It seems that there are no Gizma that have reached the village as of yet.

“There are some things I’ve learned from fighting the Gizma myself.”

“Can you tell us about it?”

All of us followed Sylphy and Danan. It’s the usual meeting space. It’s just a place with tables and chairs.

“Are there any others who have returned?”

“None so far.”

“I see… might as well send out a message to get them back.”

“What happened?”

“Umu, well…”

We were able to hunt Gizma at a good pace, thanks to my brick-blocking tactics and Sylphy’s close combat skills. Zada and the others―the lizardmen who had recently joined us―said that the crossbow was indeed effective but that the three of them lacked the necessary strength to use it. Those three, who were operating the basic crossbow, said that.

“We can penetrate their shells without any problem. However, depending on the location, we needed to fire more than ten shots to kill them.”

“With three of us, each of us could only get two shots in before they got us.”

“After that, we’d have to shoot while running away, but that’s dangerous because we might catch other Gizma.”

That was what he said.

“I see…”

“I thought it would be safer to re-organize into a six-man team instead of a three-man team.”

“That’s true. All right, let’s get the word out.”

“Please do.”

Danan left his seat to send a message and started to walk away, dragging his right leg. Then something flashes in my mind.

“Wait a minute.”

“What is it? I have to send out the message as soon as possible.”

“Just give me a minute. Sit down in the chair and let me examine your right leg.”

“What?”

Danan sat down in the chair with a quizzical look on his face. I approached Danan and took out a splint from my inventory.

“There is no way a splint is going to heal me. Are you mocking me?”

“Well, well, well.”

I looked at his right foot, appeasing the indignant Danan. Yes, there is a pop-up that says “use.” As soon as the pop-up pops up, I select “use,” and as my body moves, I apply the splint to Danan’s leg and wrap it with a bandage.

“It’s pointless… mmm!?”

A sound that seems inaudible to others is coming from Danan’s bandaged leg. Danan frowned for a while, but when the noise subsided, her grim expression returned to normal.

“What the heck did you do?”

“Healing it. You need to drink this potion as well.”

I took out a Small Life Potion from my inventory and handed it to Danan. He hesitated for a moment, but then, as if he had made up his mind, drank the potion down in one gulp.

“It doesn’t taste as bad as I thought it would.”

“I see. So, how’s your leg?”

“…The pain is gone.”

Danan stood up and bent and stretched his injured leg to check it out. It seems to be fine.

“I feel like a fairy playing a trick on me.”

“That’s good that you’re better. There you go now, work, work.”

“Muh… you’re right. I’ll thank you later.”

Danan said and ran off. He looked so happy as he ran off.

“You healed Danan’s leg… with just that?”

“Maybe you can heal other people with injured legs and arms as well.”

It can heal sprains and fractures, so I wondered if it would work on Danan’s leg wound, and it did. If I can heal people who are disabled, so much the better. It would be an excellent way to increase our forces’ strength, and it would also make the impression of me more favorable. This Kosuke will do anything to flatter people for his own safety…!

“Fumu… Qubi.”

“Aye aye, I’ll gather them up.”

“Please. Kosuke… what should I do with you?”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m not sure if I should take you hunting Gizma. If Kosuke ends up dying, those who can be saved won’t be saved.”

“To be honest, I’d rather fight. It seems that I gain strength by defeating monsters.”

“Is that so?”

Come to think of it, I haven’t told Sylphy about levels, skills, and achievements. When I glanced at my status, I saw that my level was 9. Oh, I gained three levels.

“It’s not about increasing what I can make, but rather increasing my physical abilities.”

“Hou… Qubi, how long will it take to gather people?”

“Well, it won’t take long at all. I know exactly where they are.”

“Fumu… Let’s heal people and have lunch before we go out again. By that time, those who are currently out there will have returned. Some of them may be injured, so it would be best to treat them as best we can and regroup.”

“All right.”

While we were waiting for Qubi, we discussed with Zada and the others what to do with the Gizma we had hunted. It would probably be less work for me to dismantle it, but I would only need to get the shell, meat, poison glands, and strong tendons. If I dismantled it by hand, I could get the internal organs and claw tips, so that would be worth the trouble.

“I don’t mind either way, as long as we get our share.”

“Fumu.”

“Right. But the meat is good, right? It’s too much, and even if we get two, they’ll most likely all go to waste.”

Zada nodded at the lamia, Lianes’s statement, and Nakul, the squirrel beast, suggested the meat. It’s true that even if the three of them received a single amount of meat, which would be enough for all the refugees, they would just end up rotting most of it. I heard that Gizma’s meat travels fast.

“Well, can you give the meat to Melty so that everyone can eat it?”

“Okay.”

So I decided to dismantle one of them in my inventory and hand over the meat, poison glands, and materials that I had acquired. However, we only retrieved the three we killed at the scene, the eight we killed ourselves, and the two we killed on the way back. Of course, we didn’t recover the two that they killed before they met us, so these girls―Zada was not a lizardman, but a lizard woman!―We’ve already agreed that we’ll get our share of two of the three that we killed there and the two that we killed later.

“Then I’ll give you the shells, venom glands, strong tendons, and antennae for two of them.”

I dismantled the two monsters in my inventory and placed the generated materials on the ground. As for the venom glands, I take out two wooden plates and put them on top of each other.

“There is a lot of material… I’ll borrow a cart.”

“I’ll go with you.”

“I’ll stay here and look at the materials.”

As the girls began to work on their own materials, we decided to distribute Gizma’s meat to Melty. It is appropriate to leave the distribution of such supplies to her.

“What about Qubi’s share?”

“There are eleven, right? Four for Cubi and seven for us, I think.”

“Okay.”

We will dismantle only our share of the seven. Now we don’t have to worry about the strong tendons and Gizma’s shell. We’ve got a tremendous amount of meat. After a few minutes of asking the refugees about Melty’s whereabouts in order to put the meat to good use, I found Melty carrying some kind of heavy luggage. Yeah, you’re pretty strong, aren’t you, Melty?

“Oh, Princess. Are you back already?”

“Yes, I’ve sent the injured back. We’ve got a lot of Gizma meat, and I wanted you to distribute it.”

“A lot? How much?”

“About nine for now.”

“That’s a lot of meat… It would be troublesome since It doesn’t last very long even if it’s salted.”

“It’s okay because they won’t go bad while they’re in Kosuke’s inventory. Are you sure that the portion to be distributed today is enough for just two?”

“Is that so? I see… Then, let’s just take two of those.”

I see, and then she looked at me intensely. I’m scared. I’m glad my master is Sylphy… If Melty were my master, I’d be abused like hell.

Melty’s heavy luggage (the contents of which were potatoes) was kept in my inventory, and we went to a place like a soup kitchen where refugees would collectively make meals. This is where we had Gizma cook for all of us the last time we were here. We handed over many Gizma’s meats to the women who were cooking in the kitchen, and they agreed to use it for cooking lunch and dinner today. This way, the refugees would have plenty of meat to eat today. I also left them a box of potatoes that was supposed to be brought here.

“There you are. We’ve collected the injured.”

While I was discussing the Gizma materials’ treatment with Sylphy and the others while watching the cooking, Qubi called us over. It seems that he has finished collecting the injured people. 

“Umu. Well then.”

“Yes, take care, Princess.”

After parting ways with Melty, we headed to the square near the wall. It seems that they have gathered the injured and physically disabled people there.

“I’ve been waiting for you.”

Isla was waiting for me at the location.

“When it comes to treatment, I can’t help but be present. All the people in this village are my patients.”

“I see.”

She nodded. I guess it’s like a sense of responsibility for the patients she treated. Isla is very serious about her work.

“First person, please.”

Even though I called out to them, they didn’t come close to me. Well, that’s true, there was a speech about how I was not hostile to the refugees, but still, not many people can suddenly expose their wounds, their weak spots, to a stranger.

“Don’t worry, as you can see; I’ll stay with you. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

“They don’t trust me.”

“That’s only natural for now.”

As Isla and I were talking, the first patient finally came up to us. It was a young woman, a beastman, limping on one leg. She has floppy rabbit ears―Lopear type beast-man, yes.

“Is it your knee that’s injured?”

“Yeah… I got hit by Gizma’s antennae.”

“Oh, well, leave it to me.”

I took out a splint from my inventory. When Lopear-chan and Isla saw it, they tilted their heads.

“Her knee is in pain from finely shattered bones fused into a distorted shape. There’s no point in using a splint now.”

“Well, well.”

I used the splint on Lopear-chan’s leg while appeasing Isla, who interrupted me from the side. My body moves on its own, applies the splint, and wraps the bandage.

“There you go.”

“No, like I said――.”

“Ah…nn?”

When Isla was about to say something more, Lopear-chan’s body trembled. Sounds of squeaking and thumping are heard several times, and when it subsides, the splint wrapped around her knee disappears, leaving a shattering luminous effect.

“How’s it going?”

“Well… ah! It doesn’t hurt! It doesn’t hurt anymore!”

Lopear-chan stood up, moved her legs several times, jumped several times just like Zada, and then made a big smile on her face. There was no sign of the girl who had been limping just a moment ago.

“…..”

When I glanced at Isla, who was too quiet, I saw that she was frozen with her eyes rolled up. This face, somewhere… Oh, that’s it. Space cat*. It’s like the cat with the dumbfounded look and the galactic background.

“, please.”

The next patient was a lizardman with an injured right arm. No, there’s the example of Zada, so maybe it’s not a man but a woman. For now, I’m just going to go with a quick splint… but a hand reaching out from the side stopped me.

“Wait, I want you to let me do it.”

Isla, who has returned from her space cat state, pleads with a serious expression. Hmm, I think that’s probably impossible. Even if Sylphy swung the pickaxe I made at the rock; she didn’t end up like me. I can’t help but feel that this one will, too.

“Okay, but…”

Nevertheless, there’s no harm in letting her try. If it works for anyone other than me, it’s a win-win scenario. With that in mind, I handed the splint to Isla, and she applied the splint and bandaged it with great precision and speed.

“What do you feel?”

“…Nothing different.”

The lizardman replies to Isla in confusion. I see; there is no effect if someone other than me uses the splint I made? It’s as expected.

“I’ll do it again then.”

I remove the splint wrapped around the lizardman’s arm, select the pop-up and reuse the splint. Well, I’m getting pretty used to this feeling of my body moving on its own.

“O… ooh?”

I heard the same sound from his (her?) arm as before. And his or her arm was completely healed immediately. The Lizardman’s arm was healed, and he or she was very impressed, thanking me again and again as he or she walked away.

“????”

Isla was looking like a space cat again. This time it was a version with her mouth half-open. After that, I continued to use splints to heal the wounds of the wounded. However, even the splints could not recover the missing parts.

“It can’t be helped.”

A large bear beast-man who had lost his left wrist and beyond laughed at that. I hope I can find a way to recover it soon.

“――.”

Besides, Isla was in a space cat state the whole time, as if she had witnessed something so unreasonable that she had failed her sanity check. I think I succeeded in my idea roll… Amen.