“If you’ve activated it, you know, right? It takes some time until it can launch arrows, so it can’t be used in the heat of the moment.”
“Ou… Now that you mention it…”
It deployed a gun barrel from its grip form, and then generated a magic energy arrow. It took some time to use this foldable bowgun.
Crime dramas had those scenes where a police officer took a gun from his pocket and threatened a criminal with it, but the time it took to attack with arrows made the bowgun not suited to keep someone in check this way.
“If you want the convenience of its portability, Melt’s Seward Ring is better… Melt’s skill plays a part, but it can be used faster and more often anyway…”
“Its power and range are iffy too. That’s pretty clear when you compare it to Setsuna’s Loong String Bow, right?”
It might have seemed strange to compare it to a magic item that used plenty of precious loong materials, but it was true nonetheless.
The bow was superior in terms of sniping targets far away. The bowgun built for ease of handling fell short in that regard.
Of course, that would test the skill of the user, but… A guard like Jinba fought criminals and monster armor beasts, so there was no need to pick something like this.
If one really wanted to attack from afar, magic would be better… Yuugo thought there was no need to rely on a gun in this world, and mumbled a question with a frown.
“Why does Jinba have this…? He said he’s not using it, so is it just for admiration…?”
“That could be it, but he could want to service it before giving it to someone… This is somewhat useful for a civilian to use as a means of self-defense.”
“Ah, I see…!”
Yuugo clapped in agreement with Angel.
This kind of magic item had the advantage of not needing a lot of skill to use.
The same could be said for Yuugo’s Blaster, but it had the clear advantage of guaranteeing some level of combat power, as long as one could control magic energy, which was common knowledge in this world.
The bowgun was also easier to handle than Blaster, so Yuugo agreed that it could very well be a gift. And Angel spoke while looking at it closely.
“Well, this is a pretty rare magic item at this point. I’ll do some light maintenance as a way to relax… Hn?”
“What is it, An?”
Angel spoke while repeatedly deploying the bowgun and returning it to its original form, and suddenly squinted and stopped talking.
Yuugo questioned this, and Angel responded while pointing at something.
“Look at this. Isn’t there something carved here?”
“Ah, yes. Hum…?”
Yuugo looked closer at the letters carved into the bottom of the handle.
Perhaps it was because it was an old magic item, but it was a little hard to read. Still, he managed to read it aloud.
“Thomas Hodgins…? That’s a name, right…?”
“Yes, but whose? Someone Jinba knows?”
Yuugo saw and read a name he had never heard, and after looking at Angel, she tilted her head.
It must have been someone related to the bowgun, but it was unclear what this person’s relation to Jinba was.
“I can’t imagine a guard like Jinba is involved with someone bad, but I am curious about who this Thomas is.”
“I agree. But I’ll do maintenance anyway. Ask Jinba when you return this to him.”
“Ou, okay. Thanks An.”
“Don’t worry. It’s a nice way to relax, and love makes you do things.”
One mystery remained, but Yuugo left Jinba’s magic item and his Blaster with Angel, and returned to his dormitory after thanking her.
Days later, after the maintenance and updates were done, Yuugo took both magic items and went to the guard station to see Jinba.
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