Chapter 443. Do you understand the Pain of the Redo Healer?
「"It hurts, it hurts, it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts aaaaaaaagh——"」
「"Does it hurt that much?"」
「In the spiritual world, Keyaru, who was holding his head and wailing in extreme agony, was stunned by the sudden inquiry. He looked up at the man who had suddenly appeared, then looked down at the man's fist, which was striking right at his heart.」
「"It hurts, it really hurts, save me, save me, sister——"」
「No matter how shrilly Keyaru cried out, he could not change the fact that his soul was gradually dissipating, shattering like glass.」
「Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's expression was indifferent. There was not a single trace of pity in his eyes; he felt not the slightest guilt for his act of killing Keyaru.」
「He was merely thinking.」
「Actually, killing Keyaru now was not the optimal choice. The King of that otherworldly kingdom gave Ayanokouji Kiyotaka immense pressure; even though he was only secretly linked to the information Keyaru received, that King still exerted a terrifying sense of oppression on him. He was no pushover.」
「Perhaps the other party would be able to see that the person inside Keyaru had changed.」
「Unfortunately, he had to take action... when Keyaru used "Heal" on the Sword Saint, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka discovered that the threatening aura Keyaru possessed had become denser, and his power had grown stronger.」
「His body and posture were automatically adjusting, becoming more suitable for fighting with a sword.」
「After careful observation, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka felt he could draw a general conclusion: when Keyaru treats the injured, he likely automatically gains benefits from the other party, copying and pasting—obtaining—some of the skills the other party possesses.」
「If it were theft rather than copying, the Sword Saint, who was at the pinnacle of swordsmanship, shouldn't have failed to notice anything. However, that wasn't the point.」
「If Keyaru were allowed to continue treating others, he might become strong enough to discover Ayanokouji Kiyotaka. At that point, let alone attempting to "occupy the magpie's nest" (usurp the body), it would be an open question whether Ayanokouji Kiyotaka could even avoid being annihilated by Keyaru.」
「Due to these developments, he decisively took advantage of the moment when Keyaru's soul was in violent turmoil due to pain—a non-peak state—to strike him while he was down, replacing him and becoming the master of this body with infinite potential.」
「"...Is it still there?"」
「Opening his eyes, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka adapted to Keyaru's body in an instant. He looked at the back of his right hand; there, the crest representing the power of the Recovery Hero had not disappeared.」
「After confirming this, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka began to think about how to deal with the First Princess, Flare.」
「He wasn't an idiot like Keyaru; he could easily see that Flare's so-called gentleness and kindness were all illusions. In reality, she was extremely arrogant and selfish, with a temperament of "those who follow me prosper, those who oppose me perish."」
「If one is useless to her, there will certainly be no good end. Therefore, it is best to directly swear loyalty to her, striking wherever she points and healing whoever she commands. In this way, one can smoothly pass through the weakest period.」
「Regrettably, Keyaru had consistently displayed a cowardly personality before, so Ayanokouji Kiyotaka could not adopt this optimal choice... he was worried about attracting the King's attention.」
「If he were noticed by the King because the contrast in his personality was too great, it would be a very frightening thing.」
「The terror did not lie in the King discovering that the soul had been swapped—if that were seen through, the worst-case scenario would be to directly pledge loyalty to the King. The King and the First Princess had similar personalities; as long as you were useful to them and behaved like an obedient dog, they wouldn't actually care about anything else.」
「The terrifying part was that the King might discover that the Recovery Hero could become stronger at a visible rate through the means of healing people.」
「The King, who was by no means a fool, would not fail to understand how horrifying the potential of this was. At that time, he might very well order his immediate execution.」
「...Although the probability of being discovered was not high, considering the Kingdom could accurately find new Heroes, they must have a reserve of knowledge regarding Heroes. Ayanokouji Kiyotaka was absolutely unwilling to meet that King before he was strong enough.」
「Since that was the case, he could only act out a behavior that matched the original Keyaru's personality, and then make some adjustments.」
「"Great, you're awake."」
「With a clack, Flare entered the room noisily without asking. She, who revealed far too many flaws, still thought she was acting well. After a few words of feigned concern, she said directly: "I know this is painful, but for the sake of the Kingdom's future, can you continue to treat the others?"」
「"I, I... it hurts, it really hurts."」
「Ayanokouji Kiyotaka put on the same appearance of Keyaru's soul wailing just now, then tremblingly mustered his courage and said: "But for Princess Flare, I, I should be able to try... eek, although it really hurts, it's so scary!"」
「If it were a normal superior, they would definitely seize this breakthrough and nurture a "licking dog" (sycophant) who was at their beck and call and utterly devoted. This kind of sycophant with subjective initiative is much stronger than a brainwashed suicide soldier.」
「Ayanokouji Kiyotaka wanted Flare to believe he could be tamed into such a dog to get through this brief period of weakness.」
「But when Flare left with a smile, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka knew from the various details of her performance that he had overestimated Flare's intelligence and patience. As the First Princess, she neither understood the benefits of having a devoted follower nor had the patience to tame one.」
「Most importantly, Flare found it troublesome. She felt that the cowardly Keyaru might relapse, so it was better to just brainwash him.」
「Next, the other party would probably proceed directly with forceful brainwashing, but that didn't matter; it was still better than seeing the King.」
「Leaving Keyaru's room, Flare's face was full of disgust. She instructed the general under her command: "Force-feed him that potion that causes total addiction after one drink, and throw him into the dungeon—a mere commoner dares to have thoughts about this Princess, how disgusting!"」
Keyaru's gaze was dull, then turned livid, and finally his face went pale. His legs gave out, and he slumped onto the ground, his teeth chattering uncontrollably.
First was the fact that his healing would be that painful, then it was Ayanokouji Kiyotaka seizing his body, and finally, it was the fact that the "White Moonlight" (idealized love) in his heart, Lady Flare the First Princess, had never actually spared him a single glance from beginning to end.
He was just a commoner—a commoner who shouldn't have his own thoughts, a commoner for whom even looking at the First Princess was a desecration and a great disrespect.
He had thought that after becoming a Hero, he would rise to become a noble and live a good life with his adoptive sister.
But, this kind of future...
"Quick, let's go, Keyaru!"
Keyaru was in a daze, overwhelmed by fear and shock, but his adoptive sister was very strong and realized the situation immediately.
After seeing these futures, the current First Princess and the King, whose hypocritical masks had been pierced, would absolutely take their anger out on the siblings.
Staying in this village any longer was a dead end!
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