Chapter 53 — Yuel and Healing Magic

Chapter 53: Yuel and Healing Magic.

The next day.

I managed to sort out Eris’ misunderstanding, and now I’m teaching Yuel healing magic. When I teach her how to handle mana, she immediately tries to invoke healing magic. And-

「It failed… even though Master went to great pains to teach me… i-it failed…」

feeling regret, Yuel mutters in a frail voice. She’s just hanging her head and trembling, unable to show her master her face.

「Don’t worry about it, Yuel. You didn’t invoke healing magic itself, but your palms glowed a tiny bit. Just being able to do that from the beginning is plenty.」

…I guess even for Yuel, succeeding on the first try is impossible. But the study of healing magic usually takes on the order of several years, so being able to produce light like that on the first try is rather amazing. She might be a prodigy. My little Yuel-chan just might be a genius.

She can fight at medium distance with knives, has fine-tuned senses, and can see at night. If she ends up being a natural talent at healing magic as well, the meaning of my existence will be under threat soon. And I already feel like even though I’m her guardian, I’m the one being protected.

If she can use healing magic, she could likely even learn to use attack magic. On top of her mana capacity continuing to rise just by being together with me, dark elves are said to be a long-lived race. She has plenty of time to study. Yuel-san’s potential is frightening.

「Well, handling mana isn’t all there is to healing magic. Faith and knowledge are also involved. If you practice those areas, you’ll be able to use it soon.」

「Faith and knowledge, is it…?」

As I comfort the disheartened Yuel, I think about it. Not about Yuel, but about yesterday. The saint’s purpose, which I heard from Ruruka.

When I heard the term “purge” I immediately considered running away at night, but I got the feeling it was in no way related to me. Besides, even if I decide to run, Eris is here at this hospital too, and she wouldn’t so easily leave this place that holds so much emotional attachment for her. I can’t tell her to abandon it just because of some vague uneasy feeling.

Which is why I want to do a little more intelligence gathering regarding the saint. Deciding what to do from now on will depend on that.

…As I’m absent-mindedly considering such things, I notice Yuel looking at me. When I meet her eyes, she nervously opens her mouth.

「…Umm, Master. If you don’t mind, could you read the Bible for me? I can’t read very well…」

Oh yeah, Eris was saying that just reading the Bible seems to deepen your piety. Reading a well-defined episode dealing with god is useful for believing in the existence of god? Perhaps it’s something along those lines.

「The Bible? …Ahh, Yuel, about how many characters can you read?」

By the way, I can read this world’s writing. I don’t know why, but I had a perfect understanding of this world’s words and characters as soon as I arrived here. Teaching Yuel should be easy enough.

I haven’t the slightest clue as to why I can read the characters or understand the words of this world in the first place, though. To begin with, the second I thought I died I was here in this world, and I don’t understand my current situation itself one bit.

…Well, no matter how much I think about it, it won’t change anything.

Perhaps there’s some reason for it, but I don’t have nearly enough material to consider. There’s no way I can reach a conclusion by continuing to rack my brain about it. It’d be more productive to try and come up with a way to look at Eris’ breasts without getting noticed.

「I learned to read to a certain degree at the orphanage. But there are many difficult words in the Bible, so I can’t understand very well…」

「I see, got it. In that case, leave it to me.」

「Thank you very much, Master! Umm, well then, please start from the middle of chapter three!」

Yuel says with delight.

Although, the Bible, huh. I haven’t honestly read the Bible of the Church of Medine before. I don’t know the contents in detail, either. Though I do know that in this country where the Church of Medine is the state religion, the Bible is regarded as historical fact, and in general it covers how the Church of Medine seals the evil god and its apostles.

「Let’s see, chapter three… chapter three…」

As I flip through the pages in search of chapter 3, there’s an illustration of some dashing cane-wielding man facing off against a great host of monsters. I wonder if the illustration is there for use in children’s education? Slightly intrigued, I briefly scan the words, and it appears to be a scene of the church’s saint fighting an army of monsters led by the succubus apostle of the evil god.

「Succubus, huh…」

「Master, the succubus, what happened with the succubus?」

When I quietly mutter a word that caught my interest, Yuel immediately reacts.

「No, nothing at all, Yuel.」

…Why did she say succubus twice? Nah, maybe it just means she’s eager to comprehend the contents of the Bible in order to raise her piety. Yep, having intellectual curiosity is a good thing.

But man, a succubus, huh. Succubus refers to that thing. The one that often shows up in dirty adult-oriented manga.

She shows you extremely pleasant dreams while you’re sleeping. A girl who manipulates your desires and forces you to mate with her. She uses convenient magic to multiply human pleasure several dozen times over.

Written as 淫魔 (inma), short for 淫乱 (inran)な (na)悪魔 (akuma) (lewd devil), that succubus, which can be seen doing plenty of that stuff in adult-oriented manga.

…So it really exists, that succubus. No, I can’t dismiss the possibility that this Bible itself is a literary fabrication by religious authorities, but seeing the term succubus makes me want to accept it as gospel.

I expected the contents of a religious book to be boring anyhow, but I’m suddenly brimming with interest. The succubus, a so-called apostle of the evil god, emerged as an enemy of mankind, but what exactly did she do?

I wonder if she made girls mate with her too? Multiplying the female knights’ sexual pleasure several dozen times and putting them into an “aaahhh, I’m feeling it just from the armor rubbing me!” situation where they couldn’t fight straight? My imagination is swelling.

「Yuel, I’ve found some very interesting descriptions in this Bible. Important descriptions, that may be applicable to advanced healing magic. I want to concentrate on reading them, so wait a bit for me.」

「…? Yes, I understand, Master.」

When I read a little more, the circumstances seem to be that the succubus assembled a monster army by manipulating the monsters’ desires, and was attempting to attack cities. Skipping over the inconsequential fight parts, I search solely for a description of the succubus.

And there it is.

【The succubus has the ability to freely control living creatures’ desires, in particular sexual desires. Using that ability, it commands low-intelligence monsters as an army.】

…No, this isn’t the right area. I’m not very interested. I’ll skim to the next page.

【Not limited to animals and low-intelligence monsters, the succubus can also manipulate the sexual desires of humans.】

This is it. That right there is a succubus. I’m getting excited.

「Hmm, I see.」

So that Yuel won’t see through the excitement within my heart, I maintain a cool expression and play with a forelock of my hair as I read on.

Looks like this is the page where the misdeeds of the succubus as an apostle of the evil god are written.

【Posing as a human woman, it infiltrates a city. Using its ability, it stirs up the passions of all the young women within the city to their utmost limits, causing them to engage in sexual intercourse day and night and bringing the city’s functions to a halt.】

It’s regrettable that there’s no illustration on this page. Perhaps this city described in the Bible is closer to the world of dirty adult-oriented manga than anywhere else. By all means, I’d like the succubus to come to this labyrinth city as well. I very much want to see Eris disheveled by the succubus, caught between her heightening passions and her shyness.

-Abruptly, Yuel tries to take a peek at what I’m reading, apparently interested in the contents.

「This theory, it’s slightly dated but I may be able to apply it to current healing magic…」

「…!」

Saying something suitable, I stand in order to obstruct her. If I do this, Yuel won’t be able to see since she’s short.

As you might expect, there’s no way I can let Yuel discover that I’m reading a paragraph about the succubus forcing young girls to commit lewd acts. Yuel is giving me a look of reverence for my amazing-sounding statement.

…At any rate, why isn’t the succubus around anymore? Ahhh, she was sealed by the church, huh. Sealing the succubus, even the church does terrible things too. I want to bring her back by all means. Ah, but bringing back an apostle of the evil god who’s an enemy of mankind wouldn’t be cool, huh.

Feeling a bit of fascination for this world where an evil god exists, I go on reading.

【By continuing to manipulate the citizens’ sexual desires over many years, the succubus caused a population explosion across multiple cities. As a result of their continued fall in productivity due to following their passions and the ensuing population explosion, some of the cities were overcome by starvation and poverty.】

If you do the deed, children will be born. In this world, not to mention in the ancient era when this Bible was supposedly written, contraceptives don’t exist in the first place, so I guess it’s natural.

【After some time, skirmishes began to break out between humans over food and resources. These disputes drove city against city, country against country, and before long all of humanity was plunged into a great war. With mankind unable to band together in opposition, the succubus seized the opening and led an army of monsters to destroy cities one after another. With this war as the catalyst, mankind was inevitably forced to make a large-scale retreat from its territories, and one-sixth of the population at the time was wiped out by the starvation and bloodshed caused by the succubus’ ability.】

…The succubus must never, ever be brought back. I guess that’s an apostle of the evil god for you; her methods are way too nasty. Daring to increase the enemy’s population, causing conflict over food distribution, and letting them weaken each other, huh.

I was expecting a more, y’know, succubus-like double peaceful sort of development. This is no good.

I guess that’s the difference between manga and reality? No doubt about it, this succubus is the kind that comes to kill people.

…All of the excitement I’ve been building up instantly subsides.

「Alright, I’m good now, Yuel. From chapter three, you said?」

「Yes, from around where the succubus’ characteristics are written, please.」

「That was chapter three!?」

…I take a look into Yuel’s eyes. She looks puzzled. Is it because my agitation came across?

But she seems okay. Her ears aren’t red, nor is she fidgeting. She’s making an earnest face, like she’s simply eager to learn the contents of the Bible. She doesn’t seem to have an ulterior motive.

In that case she’s not going to ask me stuff like “What does ‘passions’ mean?” or “What is sexual intercourse?” or anything.

…Earlier, Yuel was saying “there were difficult words in the Bible, so I can’t understand very well”, wasn’t she?

If you’re going to ask those things, please don’t ask them to me. You should ask Eris, and let me watch her bashfully struggle to explain.

「Master, is something wrong?」

Perhaps sensing my hesitation, Yuel asks me with those pure eyes.

…Since that matter with Ruruka, there’s been a side of Yuel that I can’t quite figure out. She’s had a precariousness to her, like she might suddenly cross a line.

Frankly, I really don’t want to read aloud a story where a succubus drives young girls into wild child-making debauchery. Should I just honestly tell Yuel “parts of it are unsuitable for your age, so I can’t read it to you”?

…That’s hopeless. Her eyes are full of the drive to learn healing magic so she can be useful to her master. The chance that she’ll respond with anything besides “I can handle it” is close to nil. Well, I’ll try saying it anyway.

「Yuel, that’s, well, chapter three might have a bit of a bad influence on-」

「I-I’m fine! I can handle it!」

She talked right over me. She even replied twice.

…I take a look into Yuel’s eyes again. Somehow, they’re telling me that she’s fully determined. They’re extremely serious. All I can see is an earnest desire to learn healing magic. There really doesn’t seem to be any ulterior motive.

…Now that I think about it, I’ve lost consciousness before, back when I fell into the river.

And what’s more, at the time Yuel was terribly worried about my body. Precisely because she had that experience, she must be thinking that she wants the power to heal me when I’m unable to use healing magic myself. Yuel is an ambitious girl. Something tells me that the chances of that are high.

Do I have any other option but to resolve myself? Any other option, other than resolving myself to read aloud a succubus-driven babymaking fantasy to Yuel, a still-young slave girl? To this pure-eyed girl? This young girl who’s likely to ask me “What’s sexual intercourse?” five seconds after I start reading…?

There’s no way I can do that.

I’ll mislead Yuel as though “sorry, something came up so I can’t read it” and stroll around outside to kill some time.

Ah, but that’s no good. Yuel will most likely follow behind me. If she comes with me she’ll find out that I don’t actually have anything to do. And just leaving her behind is somehow pathetic in its own way. Or rather, since there was that monster raid incident at the beauty contest, I get the feeling that Yuel won’t leave my side anyway. And she hasn’t been going to the tavern lately either.

「Ahhh, Yuel, sorry but it’s a little, well, now is…」

…As I’m trying to come up with an excuse for Yuel, abruptly a knocking sound rings out through the hospital. This is surely the sound of my rescue. Looks like a customer came at just the right time.

「Unfortunately, that’s all for the special healing magic training today. You should come help Eris with the cooking, Yuel. I gotta go deal with the visitor!」

I can’t stay in this room. I hastily pass the Bible back to Yuel and make my escape.

Alright, now who might that visitor be?