Chapter 130

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The arrow flew at a great speed.

The ones who shot it were the beastman soldiers ordered by Jinya-san.

Shit! Now Arc-san doesn’t have a sword, so he can’t block the arrow! If the target is only me and Arc-san, I could still manage it somewhat!

With quick reflexes, I took out the gauntlet and released magic into the gauntlet.

I’ve been using magic to heal Kanoko-san so my body is taking more load than usual, but I don’t care, I put my palm out in front of me.

“Healing magic rupture punch!”

A shockwave of healing magic from the palm of the hand acts as a wall to repel the arrow.

I was able to hit most of the arrows with it, but I noticed that there were some arrows that were beyond the range of the bursting palm.

The arrow wasn’t aimed towards us.

As soon as I realised where the arrow was going, I stuck out my hand and grabbed it.

“….!”

At the end of the arrowhead that stopped him was Kanoke-san, who was still asleep.

Why was the arrow aimed at Amako’s mother? If I hadn’t prevented it, it would have hit her in the head.

…… Did they shoot it by mistake, perhaps?

No, how could a sensible beastman miss an arrow at this distance?

I shouted and turned to Jinya-san.

“You almost hit Kanoko-san! Do you aim your arrows at your own kind?”

Jinya’s expression did not falter at my voice.

It’s as if he’s saying he doesn’t mind if Kanoko-san gets hit by an arrow.

…… Indeed, as Jinya-san said, no arrows were aimed at Amako and Hayate.

“So it did not hit Amako and Hayate.”

The moment I came up with that idea, my thoughts were instantly tainted with anger.

In other words, as long as the arrows don’t hit Amako and Hayate, it’s fine. So it doesn’t matter if Amako’s mom dies.

The arrowhead that I grabbed had a sweet smell to it. This smell is similar to the poison of the wicked dragon that we fought before …….

“So you even resorted to using poison too.”

It’s not a problem for me because it’s not a poison of the level of the wicked dragon, but if the bedridden Kanoko-san received this, she could die immediately.

I was so angry at the unreasonable attack that I snapped all the arrows in my grasp and glared at Jinya-san and the beastman soldiers.

The beastman soldier, flustered by my gaze, holds up his arrow, but Hayate-san steps in front of us, interrupting him.

“Jinya!! What are you doing bringing the Kingsguard here! They’re not the ones who want to harm us! Didn’t we agree on that earlier?”

“That’s not the point. I’m finally getting my chance. I can’t let this pass me by.”

“Chance ……?”

At Hayate-san’s words, Jinya-san glanced at us and continued.

“As of today, we, the beastman race, have formed an alliance with the demon race.”

“What?”

An alliance with the demon tribe?

I was startled by the unexpected words.

“What are you talking about? Are you trying to involve the entire beastman race in a direct war? No, more importantly, is that the consensus of the chiefs of the beastman tribe?”

“Of course it is. We’ve got the power. And the cooperation system …… offered by the demon race’s side, how can we not take advantage of it?”

“Jinya……!”

Did the demon race come here before we did?

If so, that means we’ve been lured out into enemy territory. It is fortunate that Hayate-san is on our side, but …… the situation is terrible. We need to think of a way to escape.

“There is no way the chiefs will agree to that. What have you offered them? ……!”

“Power. I’m doing what I need to do for that.”

Jinya-san replied to Hayate-san’s words and shifted his gaze to Amako.

“Hand Amako over to me.”

“…….”

Amako hides behind me as if she’s scared.

I have no intention of handing Amako over either. Why should we hand Amako over?

….With this number of opponents, we can get away with it if we have to.

I distracted him with a healing magic bullet, and while I was doing that, I stunned the soldier with the beastman’s bow in front of me with a healing punch, and then I carried Amako and Kanoko-san and escaped with Arc-san and Hayate-san.

I might get hit by a few arrows, but I’ll be fine.

If necessary, I’ll hit Jinya-san with a series of healing blinding or healing punches to knock him unconscious.

Okay, let’s do this.

Just as I was about to take Amako in my arms after glancing at Arc-san, an arrow shot towards me.

I ducked reflexively, and when I looked in the direction where the arrow was shot, I saw Jinya-san, whose calm expression had changed completely, holding his bow and glaring at me.

“Don’t move from there, healing magician! If you move, I’ll kill Kanoko!”

“……!”

He’s not afraid to use a sick person as a hostage ……!

And he shot an arrow at me even though I hadn’t acted on it yet. Did he know what I was going to do? Do you have the same kind of magical vision that Halfa had in Lukvis? If that’s the case, I don’t know if I can protect Kanoko from the poisonous arrows that are fired in anticipation.

On the other hand, I’m confident that we can charge in and force our way through, but we can’t put Kanoko in danger. As of now, we’re being held hostage by Kanoko.

But….

“We can’t just give up Amako like that. ……!”

If Jinya-san’s goal is Amako, he can’t leave her alone, even more so.

Don’t get emotional, just think about it calmly. If he takes Amako, I won’t be able to protect her.

…… That’s right.

I put my hand over my mouth in feigned frustration and whispered to Nea on my shoulder, keeping my voice as low as possible.

“Nea, take care of Amako.”

Nea, who nodded silently with a cocked head, bounced lightly and moved to Amako’s shoulder next to me.

Fortunately, Jinya-san and the others didn’t notice.

Letting Nea stay as an owl did the trick. Now, I won’t have to leave Amako alone. Worst case scenario, even if Nea’s true identity was revealed, she would be able to escape easily.

I turn my gaze to Jinya-san without looking at Nea.

“I’m not going to be rough with her. She’s too important to us, you know.”

“…… I can’t believe it.”

You and Kanoko-san, after your extreme actions in trying to kill us with poisoned arrows, you’re not going to harm us? What you’re saying and what you’re doing are a mess.

Moreover, when we talked earlier, I thought he was telling us to get out of this country.

I have no idea what he wants to do.

“What are you planning to do with Amako?”

“We’re just trying to get her to cooperate with something. As soon as we’re done with her, we’ll let her go.”

Let her go?

Hah! You didn’t answer the more important question.

What do you mean by “something”?

As I was thinking and trying not to show it on my face, Hayate-san who was standing diagonally in front of me angrily ran up to Jinya and grabbed him by the chest.

I panicked and called out his name.

“Hayate-san!

“Don’t screw with me! You’re trying to resume that research again? And this time with Amako, aren’t you ashamed to be an adult?”

“I don’t think so. I told you before, didn’t I? I’m just doing what I need to do for me. Besides, I’m doing it for a different purpose this time.”

“What the hell is that—-“

“Konoe, hold Hayate.”

“Let go of me, ku…… Jinyaaaaaaaaaaaa!”

Hayate-san was being held down by the soldiers of the Kingsguard and glared at Jinya-san in anger.

We could not leave Kanoko’s side without a fight and could only watch the scene unfold.

Jinya-san, who had Hayate restrained by the Kingsguard, looked at us again.

“If you make a move, we’ll have to take appropriate measures as well. If you’re caught quietly, I’ll spare your lives and Kanoko’s.”

“……”

In other words, if we surrender, he’ll spare our lives.

It’s all very suspicious.

I’m sure Jinya-san isn’t so polite as to keep a makeshift promise. And since we’re human, we have no obligation or duty to keep that promise.

As I was thinking about how to get out of this situation, Amako, who had been silent and downcast since a while ago, stepped in front of me and Arc-san.

“Alright. In return, you must absolutely keep your promise.”

Nea, who was on my shoulder, also trembled as if she had been startled by Amako, who had taken the other party’s condition without permission.

I myself was so surprised that I immediately grabbed her shoulder.

“Amako!”

“I’m fine.”

“As if you are…”

But when I saw her expression when she turned around, I was utterly shocked.

Her face was expressionless, but she was angry. She was angry, but not in a normal way.

Amako took one look at me, unable to move from in front of Kanoko-san, and let out a strangled voice.

“I’ve found something that I have to do in …… this country.”

“Things you have to do ……?”

“…… Yeah.”

So you found out something here, Amako?

Or has she made up her mind?

Amako looks up at me, still confused, and then turns to Jinya-san behind her with a determined look on her face.

“Leave everyone alone, and I’ll listen to you …….”

“Thanks for listening to me, kid. It was going to take a lot of work to catch this guy. Go get the two …… humans over there.”

Jinya-san, who took her hand off her bow, instructed her subordinates to seize me and Arc-san.

Both Arc-san and I were held down and our hands were bound with rope.

While being seized, I glared at Jinya-san with eyes filled with anger.

“I’m not interested in what you’re going to do, and I don’t want to know!　But don’t you dare harm Amako. ……!　If anything happens to her, we’ll …… never forgive you!”

“Terrible. Really terrible indeed. I thought about what I would do when the plan that was originally supposed to end in a discussion ended in failure, but I was relieved to be captured with the hostages I prepared for …… insurance.”

“Ku ……!”

I have no idea what Jinya-san is talking about.

But there is no doubt that this person invited us here from the beginning with the intention of betraying us and Hayate-san. And we were all caught in the trap.

My hands were completely restrained, and I and Alok were taken away by the soldiers of the Kingsguard, and we had to leave Amako without choice.

After being captured by Jinya-san, Arc-san and I were put in a cell in the basement of the first large building we entered.

It was a dimly lit room made of stone pavement and wood.

In one of them, I was put in the same cell with Arc-san, and his arms were cuffed with wooden shackles made of wood and iron.

“…… I never thought I’d be put in jail.”

We’ve been in jail for what, about three hours?

I’ve been to jail before because of Ferrum, but I never thought I’d be locked up in a cell.

I can move around a bit, but the wooden and iron shackles on my arms make it more difficult than I thought it would be. Besides, I don’t know if it’s this prison or the shackles, but I can’t use magic.

I can only use healing magic, so it doesn’t have much effect on me, but it’s probably a nuisance for Arc-san, who mainly uses fire magic.

I lifted up the fetters in disgust and found that they looked very old.

I can break it if I want to …….

“Well, I won’t do that now. Besides, there’s something wrong here, too.”

The inside of the prison was also covered in dust and showed little signs of use, and the only guard was a nervous-looking beastman soldier standing across the cage.

“…… Oi you there. What are you looking at!”

I casually stared at the guards, and they shouted at me, their voices trembling.

…… It seems that he is not used to dealing with human beings, so he is very nervous.

Now that I have a better grasp of the situation I’m in, I let out a sigh and rest my back against the prison wall.

“I hope Amako is okay. ……”

Even though she surrendered because she had something in mind, Amako would be nothing more than a mere girl without her precognition magic.

The thought that such a girl might be in danger gives me a heart-wrenching anxiety.

“I believe that Amako-dono has some idea of what she’s doing.”

“Yeah ……, I suppose. There’s no way that girl doesn’t have anything on her mind.”

I nodded at Arc-san’s words.

Currently, I don’t know what Amako is thinking. But from our experience of traveling together so far, I’m sure it’s not meaningless. That’s why me and Arc-san are caught here obediently.

“Then there’s Hayate-dono.”

“Unlike us, Hayate-san is from the beastman side, so …… I’m worried that he might have taken our side and been treated as a traitor and treated badly.”

“Yes, considering Jinya-dono, it might not be surprising what they’ll do to him.”

Hayate-san was on our side in that situation.

Above all, she cared a lot about Amako, so I hope he’s okay.

But now that we’re trapped, there’s nothing we can do about it.

“…… We’ll have to wait and see for a little while, right?”

“Yeah.”

I sat on the floor and stared at the mousy ceiling.

Yes, for now, we’ll just have to wait and see. First, I’ll wait for contact from Amako or Nea. If we don’t hear from them in three days, we’ll move.

“…… It’s been a long time since I’ve been put in jail.”

“Is that so? …… Wait what?”

What do you mean you’ve been put in jail?

In an instant, I was pulled back to reality and turned to look at Arc-san, who was laughing.

“Well, it’s not a jail, it’s more like a cell.”

“I’d be surprised if it was solitary confinement. I hadn’t imagined Arc-san to be put in such a place. ……”

“You’re buying into it too much. I used to be quite a troublemaker myself. I can’t even count on the fingers of my hands the number of times I was thrown into solitary confinement for causing a ruckus with a coworker and was made to reflect on it all night.”

“H-Honestly, …… I can’t imagine it at all.”

“Hahaha …….”

It was quite a surprise that there was such a time when Arc-san, who was polite, serious, a good cook, and a good fighter, had such a time.

After that, as we continued to exchange idle conversation to distract ourselves from our anxiety, we heard the sound of several people’s footsteps coming from the stairs leading to the ground.

I stopped my conversation and looked at the stairs, and what came down was Hayate-san, bound by two beastman soldiers and was shackled and put in the same cell as us.

If you look closely, you can see that his mouth is covered with blood and his cheeks are swollen.

“Hayate-san, are you okay!”

“Uhhhh …….”

I glare at the soldiers who brought him here.

The soldiers turned away hurriedly and slunk back to the ground.

“They were just following Jinya’s orders to bring me here. Please don’t blame them too much.”

Hayate-san got up, holding his painfully swollen cheek.

If my healing magic hadn’t been blocked, I could have healed his wounds. ……

“More importantly, I have to apologize to you guys.”

Saying that, Hayate-san’s expression turned painful, and he got down on his knees, almost crashing into the ground despite the shackles he was wearing.

“I’m sorry! I brought out the worst in you guys just because I made you meet Jinya ……!”

“Worst thing? Hayate-san, what the hell is Jinya-san trying to do?”

Raising his head, Hayate-san clenched both fists tightly as if he was trembling with anger.

“I was under the impression that Kanoko’s research had failed. But the truth is, it didn’t. Kanoko’s research was a success, although the results were not what I had expected. But no one knew about it, except one person.”

“Except for one person? …… No way.”

“Yeah, it’s Jinya.”

That’s when I realized the answer to my inexplicable anticipation when Kanoko-san was taken hostage.

It wasn’t a premonition based on magical vision like Halfa’s, but Jinya-san’s genuine prediction of my movements.

Just like Amako’s precognitive magic.

“Jinya extracted the precognition magic from Kanoko and made it his own.”

The moment I heard those words from Hayate-san, I was almost overcome by an inexplicable rage.

He had taken Amako’s mother away from her, and now he’s using that magic as his own?

Had he taken her magic and then taken Kanoko hostage, or worse, tried to kill her?

“And now he’s turned his attention to Amako. He was bragging about it, you know. ‘This is an awesome power. It’s too good to be owned by one individual.'”

Un-fucking-believable.

Jinya-san is going to start the research that kept Kanoko awake, and now he’s going to start it on Amako.

What did he mean, “I’ll let her go”?

Everything he says is full of lies, isn’t it?

Author’s Note:

With precognitive magic, hostages, and poisoned arrows, Usato was finally caught.

Jinya was also scared inside.

Originally, he was supposed to be attacked during the discussion.

As for the reason for the failure, it’s because Usato’s reflexes are not right.

TL Note:

Hey! It’s my bday today! Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me, happy birthday to meeeeee~, it’s still covid and I can’t go anywhere.