Arcane Sniper [Matan’s Shooter]

“… Pardon?”

The Ringmaster of the Midnight Circus, who oversaw the entire circus, introduced himself without hesitation, sharing even the backstory of his name.

Ha Leeha was surprised. It wasn’t that the name meant ‘Someone’, but rather the utterly random timing of the introduction. Just moments ago, the Ringmaster had been creating intense tension. Then, suddenly, a self-introduction?

‘What on earth is this?’

The moment he said, “That makes sense”, it was the beginning of everything. There was a battle fought with their lives on the line, and since Ha Leeha had won, there was no need to raise the issue now.

“Heheh, surprise~!”

“… This is quite a surprise indeed.”

Petyr approached Ha Leeha, chuckling. Even most people who joined the Midnight Circus from the Miawoo race struggled to adapt to Quidam’s peculiar manner of speaking. How could an outsider possibly adjust and not be taken aback?

Petyr seemed to thoroughly enjoy this.

“Table. Chair. Tea.”

────, ────, ────!

With each word Quidam uttered, an item appeared before him. Whether someone had quickly placed them or they had suddenly popped out, Ha Leeha couldn’t tell.

‘What is this? Saying it was fast would be an understatement. It’s almost like—’

Magic. But could this be called magic? Suddenly, he wondered if the entire space inside the tent was under Quidam’s control.

‘Quite possibly, since he is the Ringmaster, the highest authority here. But it’s not just because of that…’

A sense of deja vu. Ha Leeha felt he had experienced this kind of atmosphere before.

As he looked around, Quidam gestured to the chair opposite him.

“The fun of the circus begins with surprises. Please, have a seat.”

As Ha Leeha walked towards the chair, he spoke candidly about the atmosphere he was sensing.

“It feels like Peklo City, the place Pyrot-Cocri used to call ‘inside her belly’.”

Quidam, who had been sipping his tea, paused. The black panther’s eyes locked onto Ha Leeha.

‘Don’t lose your composure. I’m here as a client.’

Ha Leeha took the seat opposite Quidam and picked up the teacup. He needed to keep in mind the reason for his visit to this group of assassins.

“I’ve not heard that name in a long time. Pyrot… Cocri… And you’re speaking as if you’ve been to Peklo City—”

“I have.”

He was here to talk to the hero assassin of the Second Human-Demon War.

Pfft—!

Quidam spat his tea all over Ha Leeha.

“Surprise…”

It was apparent from his expression that he hadn’t done it on purpose.

With just these early remarks, Ha Leeha foresaw that things would go smoothly.

“I have a request, Quidam-nim.”

Ha Leeha rummaged through his bag. Filled with curiosity, Petyr stood behind Quidam.

‘Jellypong, wipe my face. This isn’t considered an attack, right? It’s quite hot.’

Before anything else, Ha Leeha wanted to wipe the tea trickling down his cheeks.

* * *

One of the pieces of information requested for investigation by the Holy Grill was about Pyrot-Cocri.

The data that Ju examined included everything from myths about the Demon King’s Fragment to points assumed to be the origins of Pyrot-Cocri, and most importantly, her attack patterns and main areas of activity during the 2nd Human-Demon War.

As soon as Quidam saw the drawing depicting Pyrot-Cocri, he frowned.

During the war, the Demon King’s Fragments would have elicited special feelings from the NPCs involved in those settings.

“I entered the Peklo City. There… I saw Pyrot-Cocri, who was still sealed.”

“Why not just bring everyone there then?”

Quidam, having already surmised what Leeha might say, asked first.

Leeha responded calmly.

“That isn’t possible. At least, I didn’t know Pyrot-Cocri enjoyed strategic battles that much. All the entrances to the Peklo City are currently sealed. Even you, Quidam-nim, would not be able to penetrate them.”

“At least two Ancient Dragons of elder status? Considering how many dragons wanted to devour Pyrot-Cocri back then, it might have been the Platinum Dragon I saw from a distance.”

Even the leader of a group is not just any ordinary mind. Let alone the head of an assassination group targeting Leeha.

Watching Quidam speak as if he already knew about Leeha’s connection with Bahamut, Leeha nodded without giving a specific answer and continued speaking.

“Currently, undead imbued with Pyrot-Cocri’s powers are roaming around. I don’t know how strong they are or what percentage of her original power they can use. I have the analytical data on Pyrot-Cocri’s attack patterns and the skills and magic she used during the 2nd Human-Demon War.”

“I already know, as I’ve experienced it before.”

“Then you must understand what I’m about to say.”

Quidam picked up his teacup as Leeha spoke.

Sipping the tea, Quidam looked back at Leeha.

“… It’s an assassination request that reminds me of 20 years ago.”

“This time, it will be better. It’s not a direct assassination request for Pyrot-Cocri herself…”

This was the reason Leeha came here.

How should he handle Pyrot-Cocri’s clones or the undead imbued with her power?

He couldn’t allow such a fearsome monster to wander the north of Shazrashian.

And should he be the first to attack?

With many members already sent to the New Continent for the Sacred Alliance’s matters, it wouldn’t be easy.

Should Leeha go alone or team up with Bahamut?

It would be fortunate if Bahamut intervened, but there was a higher chance Leeha would struggle alongside the other dragons.

Most importantly, they must not die.

If Leeha fell to her, an undead with 120% of Leeha’s capabilities and skills would be born.

In other words, the aim was to minimize the risks while eliminating Pyrot-Cocri’s clones.

“Track and assassinate the clone of Pyrot-Cocri or the undead imbued with her powers.”

They had already faced the Demon King’s Fragment once, and couldn’t they use a specialist to kill an individual rather than a group?

Quidam downed his tea in quick succession.

After pondering Leeha’s words for a long while, he finally spoke.

“And the fee for the request?”

“I understand you don’t take requests based merely on money.”

Leeha scratched his head.

“Hmm.”

“I can offer you information on potential locations where Pyrot-Cocri’s clones might appear… and the honor of being known as the one who assassinated Pyrot-Cocri’s clone. The name of the 『Midnight Circus』 would grow even more.”

“Haha! You plan to get honor for free!? Interesting, I like it!”

Petyr laughed heartily beside Quidam. However, Quidam’s face remained serious.

Leeha, staring back at him, also showed no sign of jest.

Not only was he not someone who could be moved by money from the start, but there was also no reason to offer money.

“Chief?”

Petyr, sensing the serious atmosphere, asked with concern. Quidam did not look at him.

“Give me some time to think.”

“In the meantime, she will move. I would appreciate a quick answer.”

Ha Leeha stood up from his seat. On his way out, he didn’t need Petyr’s guidance.

Petyr had no intention of offering any guidance either.

The Vice-leader of the Midnight Circus glared at the Head without a trace of a smile.

* * *

Petyr was also a Rank 5 user.

Just hearing the name Pyrot-Cocri, seeing Ha Leeha’s proposal, and witnessing Quidam’s reaction were enough for him to grasp the gravity of the situation.

It wasn’t until Ha Leeha was completely outside of the tent that he sat facing Quidam.

‘A surprise won’t work on the Demon King’s Fragment. As the chief repeatedly said…’

‘It’s something I said to train you guys. You can’t kill the Demon King’s Fragment with your current skills.’

‘Pphit! Then… does that mean you’re accepting this?’

They spoke without making a sound.

Lip-reading was a basic skill for an assassin, and doing it without moving their lips was an essential skill to avoid revealing their intentions to other assassin trainees and members of the Midnight Circus nearby.

In Petyr’s case, it was a ‘skill’, and there was no problem with communication.

However, he was dissatisfied that Quidam wasn’t answering his question.

Petyr’s expression began to change slowly.

The usual insane grin he showed in front of Ha Leeha and other users had completely vanished.

‘I know very well how the chief feels about the Demon King’s Fragments. That’s why you trained me… no, trained me and Nguyen.’

‘I had no other choice. The Demon King’s Fragments can’t be captured with a single life. Nguyen had to be sacrificed.’

〈Legendary Nine Lives of a Cat〉.

A legendary item that could store lives had once triggered a fierce competition between Miyaw assassin Biyemi and Petyr. In the end, only one of them survived to obtain the item.

‘I know, pphit, I know. Thanks to that, nguyen is walking a new path.’

The condition for the loser was character deletion.

The reason Nguyen/Biyemi could exist was because Biyemi’s rapid growth was influenced by accumulated knowledge from the past.

‘I’m glad you know. The Demon King’s Fragment can’t be captured with a single life. Which means… it’s impossible for me alone, Petyr.’

‘Pphit?’

Quidam’s lips curled slightly.

Petyr felt his heartbeat quicken.

He had joined the Midnight Circus for surprises and had seen that expression on the chief’s face several times!

He already predicted what words would come next behind that expression.

‘There will be no audience. The only performers will be you and me. But I firmly believe it will be the most splendid in the world. Will you help raise the curtain on that circus, vice-leader?’

Whhooooosh!

At that moment, a hologram window appeared in front of Petyr’s eyes.

『The Person Responsible for the Circus-1』

Description: “It’s also my personal revenge. I still can’t forget the one I missed right in front of my eyes 20 years ago. Even if I let go of all the other Demon King’s Fragments… Pyrot-Cocri is mine. Because of that thing, I had to carry the burden of becoming the chief when I was just a vice-leader. Will you help me, Petyr?”

The Head of the Midnight Circus, Quidam, seeks revenge for events from 20 years ago. However, he understands that no matter how weak a clone may be, Pyrot-Cocri’s abilities and strength are not ordinary.

What can you do for the Midnight Circus?

Objective: Investigate the previous head of the Midnight Circus within 24 hours

Reward: The Person Responsible for the Circus-2

Condition for Failure: If the time limit is exceeded

Penalty for Failure: 『Radiant Only in the Dark, Ringmaster』 Quest Canceled

Quest Route Restored to Original

Will you accept?

“Pphit, pphat, pphihihitty!”

Petyr couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

It took him only about three seconds to press the accept button.