I Became an Unofficial Healer

“P-party? With me?”

Luna was visibly perplexed by my sudden proposal.

“Yes. I know this is extremely… rude to say to Luna who just had her party disbanded today. I know it’s an insensitive thing to say. But I… want to form a party with Luna. Because right now, I need Luna.”

“Y-you need me? B-but that… um.”

Luna shifted her gaze around and fidgeted with her hands below her chest.

“I-I’d just be a b-burden to Jin-sang even if we f-formed a party. I’m a b-burden and an obstacle… hic! Lien and Kal too… e-everyone else all l-left me b-because…”

The experience of breaking up with various parties multiple times,
And the experience of having her party disbanded just today had severely damaged Luna’s self-esteem.

So I needed to let Luna know.
The fact that I truly needed her right now.

“Luna, that’s not true. I really need you. It has to be you.”

“Th-that’s not true. Even without me…”

“Luna, please try to remember.”

“R-remember?”

“…Have I ever successfully formed a party with anyone despite my recent enthusiastic attempts?”

“Um… um… hmm… hmm…”

Upon hearing my words, the kind Luna was probably searching through her memories, recalling my previous behavior.

Me asking people to just try receiving my treatment once.
Me promoting how they’d want to accept me as a companion right after trying once.
And despite my enthusiastic promotion, not only did no one ever receive my treatment,
I was instead mocked by other adventurers, including Samurth.

It’s pitiful even when I think about it.
With me claiming to be a healer,

Not a single adventurer had said they would form a party with me,
Or that they would be willing to form one.

“Oh, there’s no one?”

“Right? I’m really desperate. I feel really sorry for saying this to Luna right now. But… truly, no one else will accept me. For me, there’s only Luna!”

“O-only me?”

Luna asked, pointing to herself with a dazed expression.

I saw… an opening!

I immediately nodded vigorously and answered Luna.

“Yes!”

“Y-you need me? You, Jin-sang?”

“Of course! I need Luna!”

I looked at Luna with desperate eyes.

Indeed, right now, Luna is the only one who could become my companion.

She’s the only one who would accept me as a ‘healer’!

Luna hesitated as she looked at me.

The atmosphere felt like I just needed to push… just a little more.

“B-but I’m weak… S-surely even if we become a party, I’ll just h-hold you back soon. Yes, th-that’s what will happen…”

Luna’s self-esteem had plummeted after having her party disbanded today.
Even after eating the Orc Champion Steak with its Extremely Delicious Blissful Paradise Heaven taste, her self-esteem hadn’t fully recovered.

No, rather, the fact that she wasn’t crying showed that it definitely had some effect.

“E-even with a healer, w-when subduing monsters, I’ll eventually become Jin-sang’s obstacle…”

As I was desperately trying to figure out how to restore Luna’s self-esteem,

“Come on~ That’s not true~.”

Miriana noona playfully interjected with a smile.

“Jin-sang is such a weakling~ It would be fortunate if he doesn’t hold Luna back, don’t you think?”

“What?”

“Noona?”

Me, a weakling?
Even though I’ve been doing training recently and have gained a bit of muscle.

I looked at Miriana noona with a slight hint of protest, and she smiled at me.

…She probably wants me to leave it to her?

Seeing me staying quiet, she seemed satisfied and looked at Luna, saying,

“Luna, what rank are you now?”

“Huh? C-C rank…”

“And compared to that, what rank is our weakling Jin-sang?”

Miriana noona looked at me with a sly smile.

“…F rank.”

“See? With such a difference in rank… Luna becoming Jin-sang’s obstacle? Hahaha, you’re such a good joker~. If anything, Jin-sang will be holding Luna back tre~mendously, don’t you think?”

Snap!

This is Miriana noona’s method to help me.

Yes, that’s right.

“B-but w-when Jin-sang g-grows, I’ll become an o-obstacle…”

“That’s something to think about when he grows. Right now, Jin-sang is much~ weaker than you, right?”

Ugh.

“Ugh.”

“And pitiful Jin-sang is rumored to be a quack healer, so no~body will accept him, you know?”

Argh!

“Honestly, if Luna doesn’t form a party with him right now, even though Jin-sang calls himself a healer, he’s so weak, mediocre in skill, and lacks courage that he probably can’t even properly defeat a single slime or goblin on his own?”

Miriana noona continued to poke at my heart, folding her fingers one by one.

…Isn’t noona being a bit harsh?

“Um, um, well.”

Luna was looking back and forth between me and Miriana noona, completely at a loss.

“B-but s-still, Jin-sang should be able to defeat slimes or g-goblins on his own…”

“How can someone who’s only gathered herbs so far defeat anything? If he could, he would have done it already. If he were confident in his abilities, he would act alone like that Blex character? Another unlicensed healing mage like Jin-sang.”

“Ah…”

“Don’t you guess, Luna? Our Jin-sang… is a coward who’s too scared to face even slimes or goblins alone.”

“Noona!”

That’s going too far!

“Oh my, what?”

“I’m not a coward. I’m cau.tious! Even with slimes, you know. Especially things like goblins! They often move in groups! What if something bad happens when I, already weak as a healer, go alone! I need companions to prepare for such situations!”

“Yes, as Jin-sang just said, our Jin-sang is so scared that he won’t even accept monster subjugation requests without companions, right?”

She’s just brushing off what I said?

“I-it’s okay, Jin-sang! Y-you just need a bit of courage, and e-even alone, you can defeat goblins!”

Luna is encouraging me.

Like comforting a child who’s afraid to go to kindergarten for the first time.

No. That means she won’t form a party with me after all.

“Hmm~ I wonder? Luna doesn’t seem to know our Jin-sang very well…”

Noona, just how weak am I in your eyes?
This is to help Luna become my party member, right?

You’re not just trying to make fun of me, are you?

“Since Jin-sang has only gathered herbs and doesn’t know much about monster subjugation, it would be really helpful if an experienced adventurer like Luna could assist him.”

“E-experienced adventurer… I-I’m just a b-burden who’s had my party disbanded m-multiple times…”

“Is~ that~ so? Then there’s nothing we can do.”

“Noona?”

I couldn’t help but be confused seeing Miriana noona suddenly backing down.

No, you can’t stop here.

More like…

Like before, reassuring Luna that she’s very skilled and not an obstacle or burden, boosting her self-esteem!

“I didn’t want to go this far…”

“Huh?”

“M-Miriana-san?”

Miriana noona’s demeanor became slightly serious.

Oh! As expected, she hasn’t given up but is going to persuade Luna in a different direction to restore her self-esteem…!

“I’ll have to show how much of a weakling our Jin-sang is and how badly he needs help.”

What did you say?

“What?”

Not only I, but even Luna blinked our eyes and looked at Miriana noona at her words.

“Wait a moment. Let me clear the dishes.”

Miriana noona quickly cleared the dishes from the table and then sat back down.

Then Miriana noona smiled sweetly and said.

“Both of you, extend your right arms.”

“Right arms?”

“What?”

“Quickly.”

At Miriana noona’s urging, Luna and I each extended our right arms.

Then Miriana noona grabbed our arms.

“There.”

She made us hold each other’s arms in an arm-wrestling position.

“Try arm-wrestling.”

“What?”

“A-arm-wrestling?”

“Yes. If you want to know how much of a weakling our Jin-sang is… this is the best way, right?”

Miriana noona twirled her index fingers and said.

“Luna can see how much of a weakling our Jin-sang is~ And Jin-sang can see how much he’s been overestimating himself just because he’s gained some muscle recently~.”

“Wait noona, what did you just say?”

“What~ I’m talking about our cute Jin-sang who’s become a bit proud because he started muscle training recently. Honestly, do you think you won’t lose in arm-wrestling against Luna right now?”

“Noona, I’m not that stupid.”

“Oh my, really?”

I’m not an idiot.

How could I, who has lived in peaceful Korea, win in arm-wrestling against Luna, an adventurer who subdues monsters?

Just because I started some muscle training?

That’s absurd.

“How could I beat Luna? I’ll probably put up a fight and then lose. No, if I use all my strength, it might even be a close match.”

“Pfft.”

Hey, why is this noona spitting?

“Y-yeah! M-make it a good match for me… Pffft! Pfft!”

Snap!

Yes, even if…

In this situation, I should show my weakness to evoke Luna’s sympathy, but…

“Luna, I’m going all out.”

I can’t just sit quietly and let Miriana noona laugh at me; that wouldn’t be manly.

“Um, okay. G-got it!”

“Now, are you both ready? Rea… dy, go!”

The moment Miriana noona’s signal dropped.

Woooooaaah!

I exerted all my strength, even the strength I used to suck milk, and.

Bang!

“Huh?”

“Hmm?”

“Pfft.”

I lost to Luna immediately, with the back of my hand hitting the table as soon as we started.

…Huh?