“Hou, that’s…!”
Regen reacted to Jinba’s voice, and his wicked eyes squinted when he saw the bowgun.
Jinba heard ridicule in his voice, and… clear anger as Regen continued with provocation.
“That’s a pretty nostalgic thing you have there. Isn’t that the magic item of the guy that was killed like an idiot?”
“Yes. My partner’s magic item, who destroyed your dear birdcage and made you go on the run like the worm you are for years.”
A vein appeared in Regen’s head.
That bowgun really was the symbol of his humiliation, that reminded him of that day… Thought Jinba as he aimed at him.
(Thomas… I’ll use the life you saved here. I’ll protect this city and young lives…!!)
Much like how his partner saved him at the cost of his life… He would stake his life to save Yuugo and the children.
If he saved Yuugo, who would go on to become a magic knight and save many people, his life was cheap… He would gladly burn it out.
“Ahh…! You’re going to do the same thing he did? Trade your life to destroy the birdcage!?”
“Who knows… You can run if you’re scared, Regen. But you don’t want to step into a drain and go back to being on the run right after coming back, right?”
“Damn you…! Getting cocky!”
Jinba had been chasing him since the day he killed his partner, so he knew how he thought.
Reminding him of the humiliation, show the bowgun that was its symbol, the source of the misfortunes left in the past… Surely Regen wanted to finish Jinba himself.
So he would not run away. He could not.
As the boss of a criminal organization, he could not run away after such provocation.
More importantly, Regen surely wanted to end this by his hand… Jinba knew what he was thinking and led him on, exhaling while ready to throw down his life.
(Sorry Yuugo… I’m making you carry a heavy burden. But you should become a great magic knight. The greatest hero, well above me…)
He had not known that young man for long, but saw his honesty many times.
Yuugo always faced everything with earnest honesty, so his road could not end there. Jinba smiled, determined to give his life if it meant saving Yuugo’s, and thought about his dead friend.
(Sorry I’m late, partner. I’m on my way…!)
The life Thomas saved would be used to save many more.
He survived for this day… Thought Jinba as he put his finger on the trigger.
Regen prepared to attack with magic energy stored in his wings, Jinba created a magic energy arrow, took aim at the birdcage, and…
‘Don’t overdo it, Jinba. Thinking it’s okay to die and dying aren’t the same thing.’
“Eh…!?”
Jinba heard a nostalgic warning just before he pulled the trigger.
He turned to look with a surprised expression, and gulped when he saw his partner.
‘Jinba… I didn’t save you so you would die. Do you think dying to avenge me would make me happy? You know the answer, partner.’
“Thomas…!?”
Jinba was at a loss for words as his partner smiled at him.
The moment the half transparent Thomas disappeared, Regen’s angry voice echoed.
“Die! Jinba!!”
“…!!”
His partner’s words made his narrow view widen, and Jinba jumped to the side.
I didn’t save you so you would die… Jinba decided to follow those words and save himself.
“Kuh…!”
He jumped to the side while pulling the trigger on the bowgun, but failed to land a direct hit because his aim was thrown off.
He groaned with frustration as the arrow grazed the birdcage and disappeared, and Regen laughed with ridicule as Melt and the others ran that way.
“Hahahahahahaha! You chickened out at the last second, Jinba! Your partner threw his life to save you… but you chose your own life!”
“Quiet! Investigator Jinba wasn’t scared for his life! He chose to not let anyone die!”
“That’s right! Jinba didn’t run away!”
“Ah! I see! But your dear Jinba’s hesitation means the kids are still in the birdcage! You missed your chance to save them!”
Regen laughed loudly while showing off the birdcage in his left hand.
The victory that would paint over a painful past made him laugh even louder.
“I wonder. Did Jinba really waste his chance?”
“Ah…?”
“That voice…!”
“Yuugo!?”
Everyone was surprised to hear Yuugo’s voice, who was sucked into the birdcage.
They all wondered if a voice could escape from the inside of the birdcage, which was cut off from the rest of the world, and Yuugo began to speak as if chanting.
“Facing down lawless evil…”
“Hey! What are you doing!?”
Regen had no idea what that meant, but it gave him a tremendous bad feeling. He felt very flustered as he tried to stop Yuugo’s chanting… to no avail.
Yuugo was not interested in hearing what a scoundrel had to say, and swung his fist while saying something that made it very clear what he was doing.
“Smashing the darkness of fear!!”
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