The Desire to Be Useful

“I’ll do it,” I announced firmly.

“What are you saying!?” questioned Doctor Digory. “No way, it’s far too dangerous!”

“Yes! With the knights and adventurers infected, there would be no one left to support you. You’d be on your own.”

“… I know,” I replied. “But if we don’t do something, the situation will get worse and spread to more villages. We have to act.”

If we left things as they were, it was only a matter of time before everyone became infected, the spores spread further, or even the monster moved on to another village to repeat the same disaster. If we wanted to stop this, we had to act now.

“I’ve faced monsters before, and I’m a B-rank adventurer. This is the only option we have.”

Both doctors exchanged glances and fell silent for a few moments, considering whether to accept my offer, until eventually they finally spoke.

“Very well,” said the doctor.

“Are you sure!? This is practically a suicide mission,” questioned the local physician.

“We have no alternative. What he says is true, we need to resolve this as soon as possible,” he argued. “Naoya, are you certain about this?”

“Yes,” I affirmed.

With my determination confirmed, the doctors nodded with a resolute look.

“Fine, then we’ll have to plan this carefully. I’ll tell you in detail everything you need to know about that monster.”

As they explained, we drew closer to the clinic’s door to leave, but then a voice stopped me.

“Naoya, I…!” exclaimed Liz—or at least, she tried to.

“I’ll be fine. You stay here, I’ll take care of everything,” I responded before walking out, cutting off her likely request to come along.

As I did, I knew she wore an expression of sadness, but it was necessary if I wanted to keep her safe.

“Kid, are you alright?” asked the physician with concern. I must have made a grim face when I answered Liz.

“Yes, it’s nothing… So, what do I need to know?”

“First, the monster’s habits,” explained Doctor Digory. “It’s a nocturnal monster, so you’ll have to face it once the sun has completely set. That’s when it awakens and goes out to roam.”

Fighting at night, huh? Without a doubt, it was a scenario I’d rather avoid, but if that was our only option, then I would have to adapt.

“Second is the organ we need. The monster has a humanoid appearance—bulky, hunched, with leaves sprouting from its back in a shape similar to a shell. The organ we need is located in its throat, so be careful not to damage it.”

I didn’t think it would be particularly difficult. In all my time in this world, the only things I’d done were a few strikes and throws, but never anything that involved the throat, so it should be fine.

“Where exactly is the monster located?”

“From what I heard, it was seen deep in the forest near the eastern exit. If you follow the path, you should be able to find it eventually,” explained the local physician.

“Is there anything in particular I should be wary of?”

At my question, both doctors tried to think of something, but had no luck.

“I’m sorry. I only know the monster from theory and from treating cases after already having the organ. The rest will depend on you,” said the doctor.

Things certainly weren’t looking good. Facing a monster I only knew from vague descriptions of its appearance, and not from information about its attacks or anything that could prove dangerous, was quite worrying. Even so, I had already said I would go, so I couldn’t back out now. These people were depending on me.

“I understand. Then it will be tonight. I’ll go prepare my things and rest until then.”

“Yes, find us once the sun sets,” replied the doctor.

The journey had been long, so I wanted to rest a little. However, there was also something I needed to practice, and this task was perfect for putting it into action. It was time to use mana in my attacks, so I would also train a little during the afternoon.

***

Night had fallen. Back in my village, it always felt rather lonely because of how few people there were in the streets, but here, that feeling was taken to the extreme. There wasn’t a single person outside.

It had already been a while since Naoya had gone off to hunt the Treetalon alone. Saying I was worried would be an understatement, but I also felt downhearted. Not being able to do anything to help made me feel so powerless…

Knock

Knock

“Liz?” someone called at the door.

I was at the inn Naoya and I had rented once we left the clinic. It wasn’t luxurious, but fortunately it wasn’t bad either, especially compared to the rest of the village.

“It’s me, Kara. Can we talk?” she said through the door.

“…Come in.”

Following my invitation, Kara opened the door and stepped inside. Unlike her previous white attire, now she wore something much more casual and comfortable. It was likely her shift working with the doctor had ended, or perhaps she had been given the night off until Naoya returned.

“Is something wrong?” she asked.

“Eh? N-no, nothing happened, everything’s…”

Despite my attempt to brush things off, Kara interrupted me, silencing me by placing one of her fingers against my lips.

“Don’t try to hide it. I know you’re not,” she added. “It’s because of Naoya, isn’t it?”

She hit the mark. Though, I suppose it wasn’t hard to guess. I had been fine until last night, the one when I had that argument with Naoya. Just remembering it still brought a strange pressure in my chest.

“Yes…” I whispered. “I… thought I could be useful now that I could use magic, but even so he pushed me aside… I feel pathetic.”

Listening to my confession, Kara looked at me with empathy, though I could also sense some nervousness in her. She took a few seconds before finally revealing what had her so tense.

“Liz… to tell the truth, I… overheard your entire argument the other night,” she confessed.

“Eh? Wait! You heard everything!?” I exclaimed.

“It’s not my fault, you two were shouting so loud! The doctor may be a heavy sleeper, but I’m not.”

Thinking about it, she had a point. Both Naoya and I—especially me—raised our voices quite a few times that night. It wasn’t strange that we’d been overheard. We had been careless, honestly.

“I’m sorry…” I said in a depressed voice.

“No, no, don’t worry!” Kara said, trying to comfort me. “In any case, Liz, could you tell me exactly what happened between you two?”

The sudden request snapped me back to reality. Normally, I don’t talk much about myself. I’m ashamed of who I am because of how powerless I always feel. I haven’t even told Naoya what I actually write during our travels. But maybe because I felt overwhelmed, maybe because I hadn’t been able to talk to anyone about this, I decided to confide my problem to Kara.

I told her everything. From the moment I met Naoya, to the fight against the golem, Lui’s kidnapping, Clay’s death—everything. In retrospect, meeting Naoya had been a blessing, but it also made me realize even more how useless I had been.

That’s why it had excited me so much to finally help him with my magic. I thought that maybe I could draw closer to him that way, but… not even then did I manage it.

“I see… That really is a complicated matter,” said Kara after my explanation. “I understand Naoya’s point of view. He’s already lost someone, and he doesn’t want to lose you either, so he pushes you aside to carry everything on his own.”

Hearing her justify Naoya only made my chest ache. Each word was like a dagger stabbing straight into my soul, which now twisted endlessly. I could feel my eyes starting to moisten, but then Kara kept speaking.

“But he’s also a fool!” Kara suddenly exclaimed, startling me. “Of course he can’t handle everything by himself!”

“But he’s really strong…”

“And he almost died against the golem, didn’t he?” she argued. “You were the one who saved him!”

After shouting at me, Kara held my hands and looked straight into my eyes, drawing close to my face with a determined expression.

“Listen, you have to make him understand that he’s not the boss—you’re both a team!”

“B-but…”

“And if he still doesn’t accept it, then insist until he yields! Make him understand that you can take care of yourself too!”

Hearing those words moved me deeply. Knowing there was someone who believed in me with such strength left me speechless.

“Come on!” Kara said, standing up. “Go after Naoya and make him understand that he needs you too!”

Motivated by her words, I quickly stood up, grabbed my things, and ran out of the inn room.

“Thank you, Kara!” I shouted as I hurried away.

I was already determined. I was no longer going to let Naoya push me aside. I’d make him understand that it wasn’t necessary to overprotect me.

Here I come!