When I Was Reincarnated, All the Heroines Were Stolen by the Fake Hero ~ The Guy Who Dominated With Original Story Knowledge, and Me Who Dominated With Talent. It Seems the World After the Ending Is My One-Man Stage ~ - Episode 54

Episode 54

Raiza gently knelt in front of Kotama and took her small hands in her own.

“Well then, Kotama-sama. Let’s begin with a simple aptitude test.”

“A… a test?”

Kotama tilted her head anxiously.

I completely understood how she felt. I had taken this test once too.

And I remembered clearly being told—without sugarcoating it—that I had no aptitude whatsoever.

In the end, the power of a healer was said to be something that only those with natural talent could hope to use.

I could only hope Kotama had that kind of talent…

“Yes. First, close your eyes and think of the most precious person or thing to you.”

Encouraged by Raiza’s gentle voice, Kotama shut her eyes tightly.

I could see the tension on her small face.

“Next, imagine that those precious things… are broken. Or terribly wounded. Imagine them damaged so badly, they might never return to how they were.”

As Raiza spoke, Kotama’s expression grew more strained.

Her tightly clasped hands were filled with growing intensity.

Even from here, I could feel the pressure of her concentration.

“Now, focus all your awareness into your hands. And bring forward a strong desire to heal, to save them no matter what. Wish for it, from the bottom of your heart.”

Kotama followed Raiza’s words. She looked as if she were desperately praying.

Sweat beaded on her forehead. And her breathing turned shallow.

After a moment of silence…

A faint glow, like softly flickering particles of light, appeared for just an instant around Kotama’s small hands.

Like the light of a firefly—delicate and fleeting—it disappeared quickly.

But it was definitely there.

“Haa…!”

Kotama let out the breath she had been holding in.

Raiza watched her quietly. She then eventually smiled gently.

“Well done, Kotama-sama. It seems you do have the aptitude of a healer.”

At those words, Kotama looked up. Her eyes were wide in disbelief.

“E-Eh!? R-Really!?”

Her fluffy tail swished wildly left and right. It clearly showed her emotions.

“Yes. That light just now was without a doubt the manifestation of power. With continued training, I believe you’ll soon be able to perform the basic healing spell ‘Heal’.”

Hearing this, Kotama’s eyes sparkled even brighter.

“Training…? Specifically, what should I do…?”

She asked, eyes full of hope. Raiza looked slightly apologetic.

“Let’s see… Meditating alone and focusing your mind, or directing healing energy toward injured plants or flowers; I’ve heard that those kinds of activities can be effective. But honestly, I myself have hardly gone through any of that basic training. So I can’t offer much concrete advice…”

Kotama looked a little surprised by this. But she quickly regained her composure and nodded firmly.

“Meditation… healing plants… Okay! I understand! I’ll try it!”

“Yes, please do your best. I’ll be cheering you on.”

Raiza smiled at her. And Kotama responded with a beaming smile of her own.

“Yes! Thank you so much, Raiza-sama!”

She bowed deeply. She then skipped out of the guest room with a bounce in her step.

Once Kotama had left, I turned back to Raiza.

“Thanks, Raiza. I think this gave Kotama a bit of hope.”

“No, I simply taught her the very basics. It’s not something you need to thank me for, Yutaka-sama.”

Raiza responded in her usual composed tone.

But I felt like some of the stiffness in her voice had softened.

“Well then,”

Raiza let out a small breath and stood up.

“Yutaka-sama, as promised, would you guide me to the town?”

With those words, she left the room first. Her steps seemed unusually light.

＊ ＊ ＊

As I followed after Raiza, I found myself thinking back to when we first met.

Raiza was a naturally gifted healer. She could heal multiple people at once. She could even send a Heal accurately from a distance—her skills were unmatched.

But her overly serious personality had worked against her.

She would always precisely calculate a target’s mana levels and injuries and only ever apply the minimal necessary healing.

While logically sound, this approach often led others to complain:

“She could’ve healed more,” or, “She’s just being lazy.”

She was often misunderstood. And she was eventually cast out from her parties again and again.

Eventually, she even gained unfortunate nicknames like “Stingy Healer” or “The Lazy Cleric.”

The one who took her in… was none other than Nergo.

“You’re the most trustworthy healer in the world!”

With those words, he invited her into our party.

I often admired Nergo’s ability to see the true nature of people.

Well… now I realize he probably knew everything from the start anyway.

—

With Raiza in tow, I headed for the town of Kanaloa.

The usual scene awaited us.

Beastfolk carrying supplies, humans giving instructions, and recently joined dwarves using their expert craftsmanship to repair the buildings.

Technically, the elf Rururii was helping too… though it might be best to keep her involvement under wraps.

“See? As you can tell, we’re still in the middle of reconstruction. There’s not much to look at, really. Definitely not in a condition to invite outsiders on a big scale.”

I said, somewhat self-mockingly—

When suddenly, a voice came down from above.

“Oh? Could it be… Raiza?”

Looking up, we saw Ulrika. She was straddling her broom while peering down at us.

“What’s Raiza doing in a place like this?”

She asked in her usual blunt tone.

But Raiza didn’t answer the question.

Huh? I thought. I then looked over to Raiza’s face.

Her eyes were wide open. It was as if she had seen something unbelievable.

“W-What is this!?”

It was the loudest voice I had ever heard from her.