Enya bowed ninety degrees. She was the sole witness of the historical fight involving Jin as a Runcandel. Despite intentionally creating an inefficient battle, in Enya’s eyes, it was a one-sided victory.
“I am inspired, Brother!”
“Inspired… Well, you were probably surprised, Austin. Since I started to beat the peon up.”
Jin pointed at the dead and unconscious magicians. When he cast the Heavenly Defiance, forty of the fifty magicians died, and the other ten fell unconscious with severe injuries.
However, the unconscious ones were on the verge of death—excluding Fake Auten. Without the assistance of healing magicians, the low-level magicians could not handle the effects of the Heavenly Defiance’s overload.
“Uh… I was surprised. For many reasons…”
She tried to keep a straight face, but she was a 16-year-old girl who had never experienced real battle. She was not used to the mass death brought about by battles like Syris and Jin.
“It’s your first time seeing so many dead people?”
“Yeah. I feel a little sick. But I realized what kind of people I’m around and what I have to do in order to not become a burden to those people.”
Jin remembered what Quikantel told him.
—Jin Runcandel. Everyone here is your ally. That means that we will also offer a hand when you become a flag-bearer and join the Battle for Hegemony. It will be an all-out war. Do you mean Enya to be deadweight when that happens?
“If it’s fine by you, I don’t mind at all if you remain as a non-combative member. I believe that, at most, one person can stay comfortable.”
Jin moved between the magicians’ corpses. One by one, he checked their pulse by either the throat or wrist. Those with a pulse, he exerted a little more mana to accelerate the overflow effects.
To prevent any remaining magician from staying alive and reporting back to the Kinzelo Group, he had to confirm his kills. He made them look as if they suffered from mana overflow instead of finishing them off with a dagger in order to confuse the Vermont Imperial Family when they send someone to investigate.
As Jin checked each death, Enya clenched her teeth.
“I don’t want to force you into this blood-flinging life. Obviously, it isn’t a normal life. If you want, you can have a nice, warm, comfortable life.”
Confirming all of the deaths, Jin made a bitter smile. Enya shook her head.
“As you said, it’s abnormal. Killing others… Most people would hate it. Anyone would choose an easy and comfortable life.”
She slowly approached Jin. Tearing up, she grabbed both of his hands.
“However, I don’t want to make you and everyone else do all of that nasty work. I will stand and fight with you.”
She resolved to play her part as one of Jin’s companions. That meant taking many lives in the future.
Jin overtaking the Runcandel Clan, waging war against the Zipfels, conquering Cyron.
How many people would they have to kill?
Jin and his team faced a destiny they could not evade.
Even remaining in The Free City of Tikan would’ve been impossible without war and death. Many powers existed in the world, and those powers had their eyes on Tikan. 𝘪𝘦.𝘤𝑜
Each passing day, the eyes on the city would only grow. For now, it was only Kashimir and the Seven-Colored Peacock. However, if it became known that the Black Dragon, Silver Dragon, and a Runcandel magic swordsman resided there…
Tikan would become the essence of a storm.
“It wouldn’t be immediately, but I will play my part someday. I don’t want to be some damsel in distress like today. So please, don’t tell me to sit comfortably.”
“Austin…”
Enya stepped back and looked at Jin with her teary eyes. Then, she placed her hand on her chest and bowed once more.
“I am Olta’s contractor, Enya. Someday, I will become your most trusted grand magician.”
Once she returned to Tikan, her days would never be the same.
Jin stopped at Enya’s formality, but then he returned the respect.
“My thanks. I, too, will strive to become someone you can always trust.”
They raised their heads, and an awkward silence passed. It couldn’t be helped, since they just finished exchanging their solemn vows. And now each was at a loss of words.
“Hm, ehem! So, do we just leave? Or is there more to do…?”
“We have to take Fake Auten. I kept him alive on purpose.”
“Ah! Since you have a lot to ask about the Dark Magic Association and Kinzelo. Hm… I guess you have to… torture him? Ahaha, I swore to play a role myself, but torture is a little…”
Jin smirked then burst into laughter.
“Usually, we’d make him open his mouth with torture if he doesn’t speak up on his own. However, we don’t need to do that. We have Lathry.”
“Ah, the Dragon of Verity!”
“Since Euria can’t do it herself yet, and though it won’t be perfect, we’ll be able to filter out some lies to some extent. With Lathry’s Resonance through Euria, we can borrow some of the Absolute Eye from her.”
Historical figures sought Az Mil’s contractor not only to predict the future. The Absolute Eye could read the lies from anyone’s expression. Those who weren’t intensely trained to lie with immense mental focus would succumb to this ability.
“Well, if it doesn’t work, we’ll have to torture him.”
Jin curled up Fake Auten’s body and wrapped him in his robe. He wore the human ball on his back, looking as if he were carrying a sack of potatoes.
However, it looked suspicious up close. At some point, Fake Auten would wake up and begin to flail.
‘It’ll be tiresome to take this thing across the transfer gate security.’
Low-pitched groans echoed throughout the cave. The pitiful sounds were coming from the fallen novice magicians.
As for them, they were all alive compared to the dark magicians. It was thanks to Jin directing the spell towards the other direction.
They were possible enemies, but killing all of them on the spot would just escalate the situation. And as Enya mentioned, at least one of them would be a decent human being.
One owner of such groans was Chip.
‘Was his mana on the greater side? Or is his resolve just that incredible? Maybe the spell was weak on his side.’
Jin walked over, and Chip barely raised his head.
“S-Spe…”
“Do I still look like I’m from the Special Forces? And if you think I am, you shouldn’t mutter those words.”
“You weren’t… Special Forces…”
Chip shuddered. He knew that Jin wasn’t part of the Special Forces as soon as the Heavenly Defiance was cast. Jin’s spell satisfied all qualities of an overload spell that he learned at the academy.
He didn’t know it was the Heavenly Defiance, but he knew it was a special overload spell that not just anyone could cast. Now, Jin looked like a politically neutral grand magician to Chip.
And if it weren’t for this grand magician, everyone—including himself—would be dead.
“Who… are… you…? And why did you…?”
A groggy voice. He had just regained consciousness, but the overflow effects hadn’t died down. He was still drowsy, as if he were drugged.
“Why did I save you? It was because my little brother wanted so. Be thankful, novice.”
“Your little brother… Austin… Grey?”
He met Enya’s and Jin’s eyes. He nodded without needing Jin’s explanation.
Rip!
Enya took off her hood, ripped her fake mustache off, then unfurled her hair. She spat out the cotton in her mouth that gave her a defined chin, and she revealed her real face.
“Pascal Chip. Remember me?”
“En…ya…?”
His eyes widened—enough to seem as if his eyes were about to roll out of their sockets. He just breathed harder, finding it hard to believe it was reality.
“Sorry…”
“If you know you’re sorry, why’d you do that?”
“I’m sorry, I’m showwy…”
With slurred speech, he repeated these words. Chip’s eyes began to water. It was hard to tell if it was tears of sincerity or tears to get out of the situation.
Either way, Enya was unfazed.
“During my days at the academy, your little gang teased and bullied me. But I saved your dying asses.”
“I’m… sorr…”
“I could have had my vengeance whenever I wanted, but I’m different from you guys. I took off my disguise to say that.”
Chip swallowed his wails, and Enya replied to these sounds. 𝘪𝑎.𝒸𝘰
“Do not evade my eyes even if you’re shameful and scared. Just as I acted when you bullied me.”
“I’m sorry. I’m really sorry.”
“But remember one thing. That Jin Grey and I saved you. One day, we will return for you to repay the debt. Understood?”
Chip nodded, and this time, Jin spoke.
“If an investigation begins aftwards, you can give away as much information as you want. If you want to see the fall of your clan, that is.”
It didn’t matter if Chip kept his mouth shut or open. Preventing the Vermont Empire’s investigation was impossible, since the novices outside the cave were massacred and the inner cave was devastated.
‘They will cover up and sugarcoat it as much as possible to maintain the academy’s honor. On the other hand, the investigation team and Special Forces will be dispatched to figure something out. They will realize that the Heavenly Defiance occurred from the witnesses. I’ll make the Seven-Colored Peacock alter and manipulate some of the information.’
Jin slowly turned to Enya.
Just a moment ago, she faced the past that stifled her since. Against all odds, Chip made an unexpected response.
“Some…day… I will… return… the favor…”
He squeezed out those words with his remaining energy before falling unconscious once more. Jin and Enya looked at each other and shrugged.
“Whatever.”
“Yeah. I thought he’d say something much worse.”
Jin went through Chip’s pockets and found the badge with the Chip Clan’s seal.
If he showed the badge to Chip’s horsemen and used them to bypass the gate guards, he would be able to dodge all of the annoying stuff.
“Now, let’s go back and see what Fake Auten has to say.”
Bouvard Gaston.
Perhaps Jin would hear something about him from Fake Auten. That glutton was the only person who could fool the novices who knew the real Auten.
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𝑖𝘦.𝑐𝘰𝘮
