Starting tomorrow, Friday, we finally have a three-day weekend. I've told my mom in advance that I'm going on a trip with two friends. I also mentioned that I might not have a good signal, so I’ll probably only be able to contact her at night. I feel a bit guilty for lying, but there’s no way I could tell her I'm traveling to another world.

Just to be safe, I’ve packed some ingredients and canned food in my storage magic from the original world. I doubt it, but there’s a chance I might not be able to return for a while.

"Alright, let's go!"

Equipped just like yesterday, I use teleportation magic to jump straight to the forest exit I reached the day before. From here, I’d like to explore and see if I can find a village or a town. So far, I’ve only encountered monsters since arriving in this world.

Now, which way should I go? There’s no path, and ahead of me is just open grassland in every direction. In situations like this, there’s only one thing to do.

"…This way it is."

Among the belongings left by the great mage was a staff named the Staff of Destiny. It’s not particularly strong as a weapon, but it’s extravagantly decorated, and, well, it’s called “Destiny” for a reason.

I hold the Staff of Destiny vertically and let it fall in whichever direction it points. I doubt the staff was ever meant to be used this way, but when in doubt, it’s best to leave it to fate. If I don’t find anything after a while, I can just come back.

It would’ve been nice to have some sort of flight magic, but unfortunately, the spells I inherited from the great mage didn’t include that. So, I’m running across the grassland. With this body, I don’t feel tired at all, and I can run faster than a car.

As soon as I left the forest, my presence detection skill stopped picking up life signs, except for an occasional four-legged animal or monster. I’ve been running for over an hour now, but I haven’t come across any signs of civilization. It looks like the Staff of Destiny might have failed me this time. I’ll go a bit further, and if I don’t find anything, I’ll head back to the forest’s edge.

"Hmm!"

My presence detection skill picks up a response. There are more than ten bipedal beings up ahead. Could it be people? I activate my stealth skill and approach cautiously. If it turns out to be a group of monsters, I’ll retreat immediately.

Hiding behind a large nearby tree, I peek out to observe. Oh, there’s a carriage! That almost confirms they’re people. However, something seems odd; it looks like a group of soldiers is engaged in a skirmish.

At the same time, my danger detection skill goes off. Someone’s life in that group is in danger. But I don’t fully understand the situation. I’ll use my eavesdrop skill to get a sense of what’s happening. Fortunately, the language of this world translates into Japanese for me.

“Hold on, no matter what! We can’t let anything happen to the princess here!”

“But, Captain, we can’t hold out much longer…”

“Captain! The princess’s bleeding isn’t stopping! My healing magic can’t do any more!”

“Damn it! To think there was a traitor among us… I was completely blindsided!”

“Haha, I’ve been infiltrating your unit for over a year just for this moment. Now, hand her over! Taking her dead body with me is all that’s left of my job.”

…This sounds like a dangerous situation. Clearly, the four people protecting the young woman are the good guys, and the ten or so bandit-looking guys, plus the infiltrating soldier, are the bad ones. But I want to hear more details, so I’ll subdue everyone first. While keeping my stealth skill active, I close in on them.

“Alright, everyone, let’s attack all at once!”

“Yeah, die!”

“This… might be the end…”

Clang!

“Huh? What was that!?”

The bandits’ swords are deflected by what seems to be an invisible wall. That’s the barrier magic I used.

"Bind!"

I follow up with a restraint spell. Chains emerge from the ground and bind all the bandits tightly. This spell can hold multiple targets at once. Although it’s not incredibly strong, it could probably be broken by something as strong as the monsters in the forest.

“Whoa, what’s this?!”

“Damn it, I can’t move!”

But it seems sufficient for these bandits. None of them are able to break free from the chains.

“What’s going on?”

“Amazing, I’ve never seen magic like this before.”

The people behind me are also astonished by my magic.

“I’m just a passing traveler. I don’t fully understand the situation, but I decided to help. Is the woman there alright?”

“Wait, what about the princess’s condition?”

“I… apologize, Captain. My healing magic can’t do anything more. Even if I could heal the wound, I can’t neutralize the deadly poison on the blade.”

“Damn it!”

“Hah, serves you right! That poison is way beyond anything you can detoxify! We’re all done for, but so is she! Hahaha!”

“Damn it!”

The man they called the captain clenches his fist and strikes the ground.

…Maybe with the powers I inherited from the great mage, I can heal both the wound and the poison. I think it’s possible, but I’m not certain. I’ll let them know up front.

“Um, I don’t know if it’ll work, but I might be able to heal the wound and remove the poison. May I try?”

“Really, traveler?! Please, we’re at our limit. Save the princess, I beg you!”

I approach the woman who had collapsed. Upon closer inspection, she’s a young girl, probably around upper elementary age. She seems to have been stabbed in the stomach, and the wound is still bleeding. The area around the wound is swollen and purple. This must be the poison.

“High Cure, High Heal!”

After casting a detoxification spell, I follow up with a healing spell. Please, let this work!

The wound begins to glow and gradually closes up. At the same time, the girl’s complexion improves.

“Oh!”

“Amazing! The wound is healing in an instant! I’ve never seen healing magic like this!”

“…Grandpa, am I… still alive?”

“Princess!”

It looks like the detoxification and healing spells worked, and the girl has regained consciousness.

“Incredible, the pain I felt earlier is gone, and the wound is completely healed.”

The girl is checking the area on her stomach where she was stabbed, marveling at the absence of the wound.

“No way! That poison shouldn’t have been curable! It’s supposed to be an incurable, slow-acting poison once it enters the body.”

Well, if it had been a fast-acting poison, things might have been worse. This girl is lucky.

“Princess, this traveler not only saved us but also healed your injuries instantly. Thank you, traveler!”

The man they called the captain bows his head, and the others also bow in gratitude.

“Thank you so much. You saved our lives. We must repay you!”

The girl, who had been lying on the ground, stands up and bows to me. As she does so, her beautiful, golden hair falls away from her face, revealing long, pointed ears—a feature that confirms her as an elf, just like those in fantasy worlds from manga and anime. (TL: I knew it!)