A NEET’s Guide to the Parallel World: Healer, the Strongest Cheat?

『Fine, that was the plan originally. Aries Greyberg is a transfer magic user. Not only is she well known as a killer in the underworld, but she is also known as The Witch of the Neck(首筋の魔女)』

No wonder she was able to send me flying.

An assassin despite being a princess, and she even has a nickname.

『His father, King Johannes Greyberg, holds the title of S-rank adventurer. He also appears to be an earth attribute magic user』

「Despite being a king, he continues as an adventurer, huh? The more I listen, the shadier this country seems. So, where will we meet? It’s gonna take at least a few days to get to Greyberg from here」

『I’ll use transfer magic to teleport you to this side』

「Ah, I see, there was that way. But how will you do it? Just so you know, I can’t use something like transfer magic」

『Fu, a strange guy, as always. Put the dragon crystal ring on the middle finger of your left hand. Then, place your hand in front of your heart. Lastly, all you have to say is, 《Transfer recall》. We’ll signal you when to chant』

What a useful tool. It may be an even higher class item than Sierra had expected.

『Wait a little while before I give you the signal』

Then, our conversation was broken off.

I went back to the room and closed the balcony door.

「ーWhat were you talking about?」

My face turns pale.

As I turned around, I saw Toa standing inside the room.

「Who were you talking to? What’s that about going to Greyberg…?」

――Toa asked me.

「It’s Dragon’s Heart」

「…Is that so?」

Toa diverted her eyes from me.

For a while, there was a heavy silence in the room.

「You’re going」

「…Yes, I’ll be right back」

「Do you have to go?」

Toa’s tone intensified slightly.

「Going back to that country is something I had already decided a long time ago」

「I don’t know very well about that, but I know that what Masamune will do will not be a good thing…」

「Yes… I’m thinking about doing bad things」

「Then!ー」

「ーーBut even so, I must go back. Otherwise, I won’t be able to move forward…」

I can still turn back.

But if I do that, I’ll just be using my weakness as an excuse to escape.

I’ll be just running away from what I don’t want to see.

That’s right… I’m afraid to go to that place.

Saeki is in that country.

It was not a small number of memories from the previous world that remained engraved inside me.

In particular, that hall.

I’m afraid to go back in every sense of the word.

After all, no one will deny my existence if I stay here.

If I stay with Toa, Sierra and Nemu, I won’t be disdained as incompetent.

But in that country everything will be different. For me, that hall is a nightmare.

That place is impregnated with the malice of those who denied my existence.

If I want to kill them, now is the time.

Fear can become a trauma if left unchecked.

Even in this world, I will continue to be bound by the pain of the past.

「What in the world can a coward who cannot even take revenge achieve in the future?」

I can’t help but say such a thing to Toa.

I didn’t know what else to tell her.

「At home… At home I was always alone」

Then Toa suddenly began to speak in a calm tone.

「I was lonely, and bored. That’s why I used to sneak into the treasury and play with all the junk I didn’t understand」

What is she talking about?…

「Then one day, I found a mirror. It was a big mirror. It was an ordinary mirror except this one was large, but it felt nostalgic…. so I touched it. Then in the mirror in which I was not reflected I saw the figure of a man」

「The figure of a man?」

「That person was alone, walking alone in the dark. Sometimes, the figure reflected in the mirror was disturbed and I could no longer see his figure, however, every time the scenery returned, that person appeared wounded and covered in blood. And yet, that person just kept moving forward」

I don’t know who that person might be, and I didn’t know what Toa was talking about either, but Toa’s expression was filled with emotion.

「He would drink alcohol several times, get drunk and go to sleep, and I thought it was amazing. There was nothing around in the darkness, and yet this person remained calm, and never stopped moving forward. Fuu, but to tell the truth, I laughed a bit」

Toa laughed as if she remembered something.

…Alcohol? Then I remembered.

Come to think of it, when I was in the dungeon, I drunk and slept.

At the time, it had not occurred to me to use healing magic to sober myself up.

「Moreover, that man was strong. He defeated a giant knight that was much larger than him in a matter of seconds. When I saw that, I thought, how can this guy work so hard when he’s all alone?」

「Wait a second. Toa, that story…」

「Yes… I was watching you, Masamune. I kept watching until I could no longer see anything in the mirror」

「……」

「When I realized I was in a forest. I was caught by the bandits and then Masamune appeared in front of me」

What… What mirror is that?

It’s like…

「ーーI thought it was fate. I didn’t think it was a coincidence. There must be a reason for it. A reason for the meeting between Masamune and me…」

「A reason?」

「Something like fate」

How fleeting yet so beautiful, I thought to myself.

Toa right now looks different from usual.

「…So, fate? You might be right… If my meeting with Toa is fate, then that’s fine too. But then… you understand why, right? If you’ve been watching me」

Toa stares at me and I stare at her.

「It was no coincidence that I survived in darkness and neither was a whim that I didn’t give up. Everything I did up to this point was to kill them. To destroy those guys who despised, mocked, and betrayed me, along with that princess and that country. I swore, and I kept on thinking it strongly. That’s why I’m alive now」

As I spoke, I began to feel an inexplicable fear.

「I’ll never forget that face… that woman’s face looking at me. I’ll never forget the look on their faces as they looked down on me, only to be sent away in misery. Toa… Will you despise me?」

「…I won’t do such a thing. I believe in you, Masamune. No matter what kind of person you are, I will believe in you」

――I was afraid the Toa would give up on me.

I was afraid that Sierra, Nemu, and everyone else would give up on me.

I was finally able to meet people who accept me for who I am… People whom I want to believe in from the bottom of my heart.

『Nito, everything is ready. Whenever you’re ready, transfer yourself out』

I heard Sieg’s voice.

「…Okey」

「So you’re going?」

「…Sorry」

「Don’t apologize… I understand. I’m sure Sierra and Nemu will understand too」

「I’ll borrow this robe」

It was the 《Concealement Robe》 that Toa had been wearing when they first met.

You can hide your true identity with that.

「Hmm」

「Then, I’m going」

I put on the robe and looked at Toa’s face again.

「―― 《Recall transfer》」

A magic circle unfolded at my feet and my vision was enveloped by a light.

「Masamune…」

When Toa was about to say something, I could no longer see the room or her figure, because I had already been transferred.

The white landscape surrounding me was flowing and rising, as if I were descending in an elevator.

In such a world, I heard Toa whispering, 「Come back」.

I had such… a feeling.