Arcane Sniper [Matan’s Shooter]

The movement feels subtly unnatural. The fact that the left side of the cloak was fluttering excessively caught my eye, but that was all. They disappeared into the forest.

“Tch.”

Leeha let out a click of his tongue. He was only disappointed that he hadn’t been able to extract perfect information, especially after having shouted at Kidd.

‘But it’s not over yet.’

Leeha still had some leads left. If he could reveal the identities of at least two, he could also uncover the yet unknown last one. Leeha sent a quick message to Ram Hwayeon. What if it’s not enough? There’s always the Holy Grail.

Now, only 12 hours were left.

※ ※ ※

“If it’s an outsider who uses multiple daggers, the most famous one is the ‘Happy Marten.’

He’s skilled at fighting without closing the distance with his opponent, even from 15m away. But white hair? A scar? I haven’t heard of such features. He’s a young guy with narrow eyes.”

“Hmm, so not him, then… Is there no one among the rankers? What about the person who uses two wands?”

“Nope. Among outsiders or among rankers, there’s no one with the features you described. Well, if we look lower, there might be someone.”

“We obviously have to look lower!”

“Aha, you? At your level of 100-200, why worry about finding an opponent?”

“Uh, well… It’s comforting to hear you say that.”

Ram Hwayeon spoke indifferently, but Leeha felt somewhat at a loss, as if he didn’t know what to do with himself.

‘Praise? No, it sounds like praise, but there’s something—this feeling, what is it?!’

Was it because it had been a while since he last spoke to Ram Hwayeon? Excitement? Thrill?

“I’m just telling the truth. You’re asking me because you actually feel threatened, right?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah. How did you know?”

“It’s obvious. You only look for me when you need me. I’m just like an internet search to you. Now, you don’t even visit, just a quick message.”

Of course, that wasn’t the case. Ram Hwayeon had been thoroughly irritated with Leeha for not keeping in touch more regularly.

The feeling that it was praise yet not praise, straddling the boundary of mockery and commendation, had struck because of that.

Suddenly, it hit Leeha like a bolt of lightning.

“No way! Oh, I didn’t tell you? Among the spoils I brought back from Toon, there was something perfect for you, Ram Hwayeon. I forgot to give it to you.”

“Huh? What? What is it?”

“Well, it’s…”

“What is it?”

Leeha hastily opened his bag. Something useful for Ram Hwayeon? He couldn’t possibly have thought to bring something like that!

However, driven by a survival instinct (?), he blurted it out without thinking!

“Ah, right, you asked for a claw, didn’t you!? Not a fingernail, but a toenail! There’s a toenail, and, well, firstly, there’s a toenail and—meat! There’s meat. Toon meat, have you ever tasted dinosaur meat? I’ve smoked it to perfection! I extended its preservation period just to bring it to you, Ram Hwayeon!”

Leeha rummaged through his bag. There was no smoked meat to be found. Only a piece of nearly spoiled raw meat was emitting a faint smell.

Yet, he lacked the courage to speak the truth.

“…Really?”

“Of course! I’ll, I’ll go soon. Yeah. Soon.”

Ram Hwayeon’s voice suddenly became meek. As if she were watching him, Leeha answered, nodding his head vigorously.

“Okay, I’ll wait. After all, within Castle Dale’s inner office, it’s only you, Hwajung who’s saved, and me.”

“Huh?”

“Never mind! Make sure to contact me the day before you come! If you don’t, I’ll kill you!”

“What? What?”

Just when it seemed her voice had calmed, it rose in tone once again. Leeha couldn’t understand what had suddenly changed.

“Kidd! I’ll head to Gaza City first, so find a good time to slip away!”

“Gaza City? Why there-“

“There are a couple of things I need to check out… And I’ve also received a message from Fernand-ssi. I’ll meet him there and then head to the Academy, so you go on ahead.”

Leeha planned to visit the Holy Grill. One reason was to request investigation into the identities of suspicious individuals.

And the other was…

“How should one cook the meat of a Torhon to make it the most delicious? Dinosaurs – uh, can it be used similarly to chicken? Aren’t dinosaurs like ancestors to chickens anyway?”

Leeha decided on Gaza City’s Holy Grill as the place to discuss matters with Fernand.

Even as he thought about the conversation to have with him there, Leeha was also fretting over how to address the careless remarks made to Ram Hwayeon.

He suddenly felt pitiable for himself. It was as if he was bound by some inevitable fate – and his face heated up at the thought alone.

“Was it impossible to find out from the Intelligence Guild as well?”

“Yes. We couldn’t detect their movements or sense if we were being followed… They definitely don’t seem like ordinary people, but we have no more information.”

They had a lot of discussions at the Holy Grill. Leeha got valuable information from Fernand, but not all was good news.

Most disappointing was the inability to guess the identity of the suspicious individuals Leeha had observed.

“I’m sorry, sir.”

“No, it’s alright. I had expected there to be some risk. Knowing that risk is real is enough. You both have worked hard.”

Browless patted Leeha and Kidd on the shoulders, acknowledging their effort. His words weren’t wrong.

Knowing who was targeting them would be good, but it wasn’t crucial. If they knew ‘someone’ was after them, they could be cautious the next day without much trouble.

‘But it’s not enough for us. I don’t think anything will happen to Headmaster Browless, but-‘

‘The quest being dropped means it shouldn’t be taken lightly.’

Fortunately, Leeha had some compensating information.

The materials provided by Fernand included not only information about the location of tomorrow’s meeting, but also a list of attendees from various countries.

“From Fibiel, including His Majesty the King, the Headmaster, the Guard Captain, and the Chief Mage Lotzak will attend. Only one attendant is coming with them.”

“His Majesty is coming all the way to Ezwen, and with only one person? That’s incredibly hard to believe.”

“Yes. But it seems Minis and Shazrashian accepted the situation similarly. Perhaps it’s because the Pope’s decree is considered supreme.”

Leeha pondered over the list provided by Fernand.

Something has happened! The attendees from Fibiel always gave off that feeling, so there was nothing unusual.

“Lotzak… Lotzak once blocked Headmaster Browless’s trip to the New Continent.”

Kidd had mentioned it, and even Browless himself had told him. Even using the excuse of a royal summon, Browless was taken to the palace and after several excuses were made, was simply sent back.

Browless was enraged enough to almost forget his rank and charge at Lotzak. It was an incident of such magnitude.

“And Elizabeth, she’s deeply connected with Brown. One of the most critical figures.”

The king of Minis was naturally in attendance, but another individual’s name who was attending stood out conspicuously.

“The Fox of the Prairie, Ewin. He’s closely related to Chiyou.”

Fernand had passed on some information.

The concern in the Ezwen Theocracy was Browless’s “defection.”

Both the Second Human-Demon War and the assassinations that Browless was well-known for, if letters from his former comrades led him to become part of the Demon King’s Army, not a single high-ranking individual on the continent could sleep soundly even for a day.

“Kidd and I thought it was all nonsensical…”

But such thoughts were only possible because they were users who had trained under Browless. Indeed, even Fernand, with whom Leeha had conversed, considered the possibility of Browless’s defection to some extent.

“If Elizabeth and Brown are indeed trying to make Headmaster Browless change sides-“

The content of the letter itself might be nonsensical. Among those attending the meeting tomorrow, there might be a dangerous individual attempting to approach Browless, trying to deliver a different message.

Under such scrutiny, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to consider all individuals close to Chiyou as a dangerous entity.

Kidd: “But that alone is not enough.”

Leeha: “Hmm?”

Kidd: “What if Elizabeth and Brown are actually urging him to cross over to the new continent? If so, declaring Headmaster Browless a traitor and attacking him there would make those shouting for justice the most dangerous.

Leeha: “Ah, I see that perspective… No, wait, then what about the suspicious individuals we saw today? If they’re shouting for justice, would they really skulk around hooded, attending that meeting?

Kidd: “Maybe they’re planning to ambush the Headmaster without attending the meeting… Ah-those claiming justice are doing so?”

Leeha: “Hmm… It seems we might be stretching it too far, Kidd.”

While conversing with Browless, Leeha and Kidd kept exchanging ideas through whisper. The quest’s ambiguous content and the perplexing situation were leading them into a labyrinth.

Thoughts would shift depending on the perspective; every angle seemed both right and wrong. In a situation where logic could not prevail, Leeha and Kidd found it impossible to come up with a clear answer.

“Are you staying here for the night? I think I need to head back.”

“Ah, yes. Headmaster, you should get some rest. You need to leave early in the morning.”

“We’ll stay a bit longer before leaving.”

“Alright, understood.”

Browless packed his belongings and left the academy. Leeha and Kidd couldn’t part ways just yet. Unable to find an answer, parting was difficult. In the end, there was only one option from the start.

Leeha and Kidd spread out the map of Ezwen once again. The significantly zoomed-in location wasn’t perfectly marked on the map. The geography within the Vatican was a strictly guarded secret for security reasons.

Upon that spot, Leeha took out another piece of paper and placed it on top.

“Indeed, is this the situation?”